#(seeing characters set on revenge is great but what happens Afterwards when that goal is met/defunct)

[bemuseing]

If someone told Descole that he had a mental illness, how would he react? / What if a close friend suggested it? / What if a professional made an official diagnosis? / What if a close friend or relative of his was given the diagnosis instead?

I am not sure exactly how he would react but considering this man and what has happened to him during his life I am pretty sure he would not be surprised. I think he's fully aware he has issues. (For the first option at least, the exact reaction will probably depend on the tone in which it was said.)

I tend not to go into named specifics of what my muses may or may not be suffering from (I'm not confident enough or knowledgeable + experienced enough to do that beyond offhanded mentions or hints here and there) but that doesn't mean there is Nothing Going On.

Honestly, I think he would give it credence no matter who said it, as long as they weren't saying it in a mocking way. He might not express that he's giving it weight depending on who's saying it, but he would at least evaluate it - again, he Definitely has issues and he isn't blind to them. If it's coming from a close friend or family member [even if his family situation is... complicated], he would give it serious consideration. A professional diagnosis would re-enforce that, although I can't see him seeking one at this stage for any reason.

I'm not sure being aware of it would change a great deal about what he does. He's not really a seeks recovery or help type of person, at least in canon.

As for the last option, I think again the specifics would depend on the person and the situation in question (mental illness is a very broad term after all). If it was his brother or his father for example he wouldn't be surprised at all. They ALL have issues. Traumatised the entire family. Overall though I think he would approach it from a fairly intellectual point of view (as in he's accepting of the fact it is how it is, and will try to understand, even if he can't relate or isn't well-versed in it. But he'll probably research it, then! Man is a nerd after all and when he cares he cares).

[ultraericthered]

Terranort Speculation

It is known by know that when Birth By Sleep entered its earliest stages of conception and development (in 2006), Terra's story was thought out first (because Revenge of the Sith), followed by Ven's second and Aqua's last, explaining the recommended playing order. It's also shown in how in KHII FM, released in 2007, every single hook for BBS concerned Terra and his story - those horrendously misplaced scenes with Xemnas, Aqua's armor, Vexen, Zexion and Xigbar, the secret boss fight against Terra's Lingering Will, and the secret ending video where the climax is a close-up of Terra's face as his eyes morph into the "dark" golden eyes, or "Nort eyes." Then in 2008, early on at Jump Festa and later in at the Tokyo Game Show, the beta trailer footage for the former was only of Terra and Ventus while the latter added Aqua to the mix. And this was also the same time we got the 358/2 Days trailer and wow, between these teases and Coded starting up late into the year, 2008 truly was a year spent preparing the KH series for the plunge it was going to end up taking!

But I want to touch on all that early footage because it makes me speculate and believe that there was a slightly different plan set for Terra's story being developed at first, and that Terra himself was conecieved as a far darker character than what we ended up getting. Prior to contributions from Daisuke Watanabe and Masaru Oka, Nomura had every inclination to push as hard as possible with the "Anakin Skywalker" route for Terra, essentially taking what he had at first likely envisioned as being Xehanort's forgotten origin story and rewriting it with Terra in place of a younger Xehanort, making enough modifications to service the end point of Terra losing his heart and body to Master Xehanort, who'd lose his memory soon afterwards.

The thing about the beta trailers is that scenes that ended up occurring in the final product are played out in backdrops that were not intended to be the locations those scenes would actually play in (like, why's Xehanort confronting Ven at Olympus Coliseum? Why's Terra protecting Ven from Eraqus at the Great Maw? Why's Ven asking to be killed on Destiny Islands?) So while Terra's meeting with Maleficent was never meant to take place with thorns all around, what's really notable about how it's depicted here is...well, this:

Maleficent clearly has a proposition for Terra, and Terra gives an evil Xemnas-y face in response. To me this suggests that in the initial plan, Terra at the start of the game was going to be like Riku was in the midsection of KH1: very easily allured by the power of Darkness and willing to dirty his hands while working with unsavory characters towards some goal he believed to be righteous and worth it for him.

Just as interesting, the second trailer has this next scene with Terra and Maleficent, as the latter exposits about the Princesses of Heart.

Literally nothing is different from the final scene except Terra's body language. In the final version, his head is titled towards Maleficent. But in this initial version, his head is tilted towards Aurora. Later in that same trailer, the last scene played sets up Aqua and Maleficent's later interaction different. Rather than ask "what did Master Xehanort tell you?", Aqua (with no Prince Philip there yet) asks "was what you said to Ven a lie?" And then Maleficent answers her straight up:

And yes, Terra's embrace of darkness during his confusion and rage over Eraqus' strict, abusive teachings of the supremacy of light over darkness does happen in the game, but it's framed as him getting tricked into it and extracting Aurora's heart by mistake, which is then later backtracked with Xehanort indicating he'd set up Aurora's heart to be extracted, making him the true culprit. I think in the original pitch, Terra was going to deliberately embrace the darkness and turn his Keyblade on Aurora's heart. He'd immediately regret what he did when he sees Maleficent claim the heart, but it would have been a far more willful mistake, which is why he'd be racked with such guilt over having done it. For a moment, he'd have crossed the line and done something evil, which someone who values heroism and protection of others like him would find completely antithetical to himself.

So then rather than further self-damnation like Riku in KH1, we'd see Terra walking back from the abyss in the next worlds he visits, giving us hope that he may yet avoid succumbing to the darkness within himself. .... And then the events at the Radiant Garden would occur, to set him down a different, even more insidious road to darkness.

Some time well afterwards, after he's come to blows with his friends and is in conflict with his master's agenda concerning him, after he's once again channeled his darkness and taken out Braig's eye, after he's been talked up by Master Xehanort, stirring within him the craving to seek more power, achieve more heroic exploits using that power, and wanting to protect his friends while also prove his master wrong and assert himself as the decider of how the trio should conduct themselves as Keyblade Wielders, and after he's far more willingly indulged his darker nature by working with more villains he'd always be dead-set on backstabbing whenever it's convenient for him and his "noble" goals to do so, we'd be treated to this moment:

This plays much differently than anything we actually got from the stupid "Terra on Destiny Island" scene in the finalized game. To me, this is more like the also stupid first scene of the game with Young Xehanort, standing on the shore in contemplation as the bright sun sets over the horizon. Terra stands in solitude, away from the light, and when he sees the kids play-fighting on the beach, the sun is shining down and bathing them in light. Symbolism is clear; these are innocent hearts who belong to the light. Terra is no longer one such heart. He stands away from that brightness, away from light. This could've been the moment of realization from Terra that he needed to turn back from his darkness entirely, to head towards that light.

But alas. thanks to fucking Xehanort, this would follow instead:

This encapulates everything that Terra's character could've been. In the actual scene, the line is translated as "You may be my master... but I will not...let you hurt my friend!", to the response of "Has the darkness taken you too, Terra?" from Eraqus. But in the beta version, the wording suggests that the unseen Eraqus asks that question of Terra first, and Terra says "I don't care if you are my master! This power... I use it for my friends!" Conveying a full-on disowning of Eraqus as his master and a rejection of all that he'd taught him about light versus darkness, and an embrace of the power his darkness grants him to use for the sake of his friends. As in the final game, I think Xehanort would be the one to come in and kill Eraqus (gotta do the Mace Windu thing, after all), but in this version it would've been more clear that Terra was absolutely willing to kill his master here.

Beta Terra was meant to embody the absolute twisting of every positive value the KH Trinity showed us into a negative for him. "My friends are my power!" "My strength to become a True Hero comes from my friends!", "Our hearts are always connected", "No matter how deep the darkness, there's always a light at the end: keep your gaze towards that light even as you endure and exploit the powers of darkness from your own heart!" - Terra would showcase how you take those in the wrong direction, a callow young man ready and willing to try any measure, no matter how dark, in his pursuit of the "strength to protect what matters", his desire for self-actualization beyond what his master's expectations of him, and his committment to his more altruistic, heroic resolve (woah, major Alain flashbacks here!) We even see a carryover of this idea in Blank Points, where within Terra-Xehanort, Terra's heart tells Master Xehanort's heart that he's willing to get cast down into the deepest darkness and have his heart fully possessed by Xehanort so long as he feels certain that Xehanort will end up being the one to fade away into the darkness while Terra ends up returning to the light, and he does feel certain that this will be so for as long as he keeps sight of the cause he fights for: to return to his friends and make right what he'd helped set wrong, his heroic willpower embodied by that sentient armor spirit he'd left behind. But the follow-through on that is barely existent.

And the result is a man torn between himself: the man with the unbreakable will that desires to do good for the worlds and people he cares for (pure Terra, the Lingering Will), and the man who recklessly and selfishly embraces the heart's darkness for self-empowerment (Terranort, who'd later become a Heartless and create his own Nobody in doing so). By picking Terra to become his vessel, Master Xehanort would've basically ended up getting swept up in Terra's wild ride, as by becoming Terranort, he too became a fractured person, split into Ansem and Xemnas. Terranort was to be the ultimate villain because the "Terra" mattered as critically as the "Xehanort".

Tl:dr: I really like Terra, but at some point in his story's development he could've and should've been far more than a big dumb-dumb!

[memes-saved-me]

Hey! Hope you're having a good day!

I was wondering what your opionions were on:

when to kill off a character (and why)

reasons not to kill off a character

how to make sure there isn't any favoritism or bias with your characters

how to make a death impactful

how you would've dealt with Billy's storyline (especially with Neil)

(Sorry I know this is a lot 😭)

Hey! Its been chill thank you!

1. I don't really think there's rules to killing someone off. Death just happens sometimes so if you're trying to convince the audience anyone could die at any time killing people off randomly makes sense. Game of Thrones until its last few seasons is a perfect example of setting the stakes. Redemption by death only works if the character cannot fix what they've done or are basically like the villain who has realised their wrongs and dies to fix them and a great example of this would be Spiderman 2. I do love sacrifices thought but not when they turn out to be pointless and easily avoidable.

I love it when you can tell a character is going to die. When they themselves know it but no one around them does so they say goodbye subtly as to not upset anyone and then...they go. Character deaths that motivate other characters can work but are way too relied on and can get a little boring but when done right its interesting. One exception would be if they are inspired to finish their mission or complete a goal. I like that and sometimes revenge flicks slap but when its just lazy writing...urg.

I don't believe every death needs a purpose but it does need an impact. You can't kill a main character and then have no one mention it or even react afterwards. It rips the weight out from under it. Some things are too scared to kill people off but want audiences to be scared for their characters when in reality they have plot armour and will be just fine.

2. I hate shock value deaths. Deaths that are basically the writers saying "Ha! You didn't see that coming!" because they suck. Its cheap and boring. Offing a bunch of random people no one cares about to show how dangerous the world is...bullshit and a cop out. Bringing back more than one dead character cheapens every death going forward because they might come back. Even more so if the show has a supernatural element which now applies to everyone. Aka Brenner got his head popped and Hopper can survive a blast that literally turns you to dust and they're are both walking around just fine? Tbf its worse when it doesn't have magic or sci-fi and straight up pretends someone didn't get shock twelve times or something.

Deaths that are basically just to get rid of a character because the writers have lost interest or they have nothing left to do so instead of just having them wander about and live they kill them. I hate deaths that are shift relationships or push someone towards someone else because their SO died out of nowhere.

3. I honestly don't think that's possible. All writers have favourites and it becomes obvious who that is a lot of the time but when it comes to not making it a problem you need to step back and look at the story. Does character A need to be in this scene or should I use character C instead because they make more sense? Why does character D get excused of their actions but character B is punished? If that is the case you need to explain why one is worse than the other not just let the good guys always do good even when they are committing acts worse than the villains. It becomes lazy.

A good writer lets their characters do bad things and grow from them, not make them perfect little angels who can do no wrong. That is boring. Even worse when those actions are instead erased or ignored in favour of making them a more likeable hero. Boring!

4. Make it matter. Some characters deaths are there to serve a purpose to move plots or change character arcs but deaths that have impacts don't even need to be fan favourites or main characters. Build it up so when they finally die it not only makes sense but hits not just the audience but the other characters. Let's say ST killed off Dustin instead of Eddie in S4. That would suck and yeah it would be emotional but the reactions of his friends would be so much more heart wrenching to watch. Steve carrying the guilt of not protecting him, Eddie maybe witnessing it and everyone else finding out would be absolutely devastating. Max's final Vecna scene was intense but Lucas freaking out and crying for help made it all the more difficult to watch.

Joyce realising Hopper is "gone", Joyce seeing Bob get killed, Joyce letting El know her dad is gone (damn let Joyce have a nice year) made all those scene more impactful because we feel sympathy for the other characters. When Billy hit the floor it was horrible but Max begging him to wake up...damn. Eddie telling Dustin 86 was his year...damn. Those connections make the deaths so much more painful because we as the watcher, reader or player can walk away but those fictional people trapped in their fictional worlds can't. That's where the impact is for me.

5. Controversial but I don't hate Billy's plotline before S4. I would have loved for him to live and thrive but he died and I do think his death makes sense but S4 butchered him so let's start shall we.

Leave S2 as it is. S2 for me is perfect and is my favourite season so leave that as it is. S3 can also stay the same but I'd add Neil in a scene with Max and El where he asks where Billy is and El is visibly uncomfortable around him as he makes a comment about how much trouble he's in for avoiding him. This would imply that Billy is actively avoiding his father as to not hurt him because somewhere deep down he still loves his father which would be more realistic for child abuse victims. After that its the same but El verbally mentions how "Billy's papa is bad" and Max goes quiet and even though it is brushed aside but some other important thing its made clear everyone knows Neil is not a good guy.

Now we split into two camps. Billy dies or he doesn't. Let's start with does.

So, everything is again the same but Max makes multiple attempts to convince the group to try and save him again before doom he's on the floor of the Mall and dead. S4 is the same but Max's letter mentions Neil ditching town because Susan didn't want him around Max anymore after his behaviour at Billy's funeral. I'd leave that up for interpretation but imply he was unkind to the memory of his son. Keep the same scene of Vecna!Billy and then jump to Max trying to get his attention and I'd leave what she said the same but state that she felt that way when they had just moved to Hawkins, that she felt bad because their relationship had started to improve and cut the "I didn't know if you deserved to be saved" line because unlike the Duffers I have seen S3 recently and know that was not Max's reaction.

Now Billy somehow survives and it is only implied through Max visiting the hospital on her own instead of her crying in Billy's room. Leave people guessing and then we cut to S4 and Billy is seen in the crowd at the pep rally in a hoodie looking like hell. No one even acknowledges him and we get the same scene of Jason hyping everyone up but when he starts to mention the dead students from the "fire" Max turns to find Billy in the crowd with a concerned look.

Riddled with the guilt of what he did while host Billy is having nightmares, nosebleeds and has started to self medicate because of the headaches. Vecna's curse. We see him in Miss Kelly's office and she asks "What's it like with your father not at home anymore?" and he replies "It's quiet. It's kinda nice." He smiles slightly before dropping it. Then he makes a comment about how "he couldn't handle having a cripple for a son" and she talks him down from that thought.

Max still hears Chrissy throwing up and crying in the bathroom and everything is exactly the same but Billy is in Max's place. It would cause tension in the group to have him come in and need their help, he would have to apologise and prove his worth. Then we get to the grave part but instead he makes them drive to the Mall which is abandoned and ready to be torn down but he walked inside and stands where he got his second chance and apologises to everyone he hurt and got killed. That's when Heather appears but as she walks towards him she falls forward into a pool of flesh like in S3 and more and more of the MF victims begin to appear asking why he thinks he deserves a new life, why he deserves to live when they're all dead. Idk what song they play but its something just as relevant but a classic rock song and he gets out by thinking of some positive memories but they're all of him recovering in hospital with Susan and Max, Robin helping him around school and them becoming friends, learning how to walk again and getting his final bandages off before finally he thinks of when he opened his eyes in the hospital and couldn't feel Vecna anymore. He breaks free and manages to get to the group screaming for him.

Everything is the same but Robin and Steve are the ones talking to him about the past and Robin even laughs when Steve says he technically won their fight because he woke up first and Billy replies asking how he knows that. Its a nice moment before the lights start to flicker and so on. Karen is weird around Billy and he doesn't come up from the basement for food or anything. People notice but no one asks. The Dive is the same but Billy and Steve argue over who is the best swimmer before Steve jumps in before Billy can even take his shirt off. Billy ends up in the UD with them. Billy laughs at Eddie's Ozzy joke about Steve and the bat. They bond over that for a moment.

Everything is the same until we get to Billy trying to tempt Vecna out and we get this long speech about how his father and how he started to become him and thought he would for so long. He would confess his guilt for what he did to Lucas and Max and Steve but here is where I am conflicted. If Billy were to actually die it would be even more tragic than in S3 but this time he is actually redeemed and the other characters would give a shit but not killing him and putting him back in hospital would be cruel so I propose that as a back up Vecna starts to target Jason. So when Billy is in his own head and we see young him back in Cali but then El appears and Max manages to wake Billy up just as Jason starts to attack them. He wakes up just in time to shove him out of the way of shooting Lucas, coming full circle from his threats to hurt him. Max starts freaking out because Vecna is no longer distracted but then as Lucas starts to get the upper hand and Billy scrambles to put his headphones back on Jason starts to lift into the air and the three of them stumble back in horror as they watch the fourth and final victim be taken.

Vecna wins and we cut to the Byers + El arriving and she gives Billy a hug and he thanks her for everything. He goes with Robin and Steve to the school to help out and wanders off to hand out blankets while the world ends outside. He's last seen walking beside his new friends as they gaze out the window in fear.

I did not read this through just an fyi and if you read it all damn thanks lol. Hope this answered your questions!

[seita]

— bnha abc's: hitoshi shinsou [angst edition].

well, finally the angst! i have no idea what character i’ll do next but we shall see...

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·    

ɴsғᴡ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ | ғʟᴜғғ ᴇᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴ

⤑ 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧! | 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬  

A- Accident, Would they blame themselves if you died in an accident?

∴ unless he was the reason you were involved then no. ∴ he wouldn’t search for correlation to himself in the event of an accident. ∴ he’s not looking to throw a pity party for himself. ∴ you were the one who was dead, after all.

B- Break up, How would they deal with one?

∴ it depends on the relationship. ∴ if it was long term, a few years together then he’s pretty broken up about it ∴ and will probably take a while to get himself back on the market ∴ but a relationship that’s only been a handful of months ∴ he figures it’s best to just move on from it.

C-Crying, Are they much of a crier?

∴ no not at all, really. ∴ sure, he feels sad but tears never fall from his eyes. ∴ however, if there is something traumatic that happens. ∴ he may shed a few tears into his pillow as he goes to sleep.

D-Death, How do they deal with any death?

∴ pretty well, actually ∴ he finds a way to cope so he can move on as quickly as possible ∴ that’s not to say he doesn’t mourn or just erase their memory ∴ he just moves to work past being broken up about it ∴ he doesn’t want to go through his days with the heavy weight of a death on his mind ∴ the type of guy to visit graves and leave flowers for his loved ones once a month.

E-Emotion, What’s the emotion they tend to push away the most?

∴ anger. ∴ he doesn’t like to be angry and he doesn’t like to show anyone his anger ∴ that’s not always possible so he’ll remove himself from situations that make him angry ∴ he’ll go somewhere private where he can let his anger out without prying eyes. ∴ he feels like shit after losing his temper so he’ll apologize or you’ll have to console him and let him know it’s okay to be angry ∴ he’s human and bottling it up isn’t healthy ∴ he agrees but...tbh nothing changes.

F-Frustrated, How much would it take to push them off the edge?

∴ it truly depends. ∴ day-to-day, he doesn’t really get ticked off or upset easily ∴ he’s pretty patient tbh ∴ but in an event where he worked hard for something ∴ or he really, really had a drive to do something (like get into the hero course) ∴ and he fails to do it ∴ he is pretty easily set off. ∴ but he pushes past and works 10x harder than before until he accomplishes his goal. ∴ he’s a driven man.

G-Great Pain, What is the most painful thing they have witnessed?

∴ when he became a pro, the first time he failed to defeat a villain ∴ and many civilians perished as a result ∴ it’s something that absolutely haunts him. ∴ he had nightmares for weeks afterwards ∴ he fully went to a therapist ∴ like he was fucked up over it ∴ to this day, if he’s reminded of it he will literally get so anxious and depressed, even though he’s seen lots of casualties since then ∴ it was just that first failure that fucks him up.

H-Humiliation, How could they be humiliated?

∴ being cheated on. ∴ the idea that he wasn’t good enough, to the point his lover had to find someone else. ∴ that really damages his sense of self worth and self esteem which is already a bit low to begin with. ∴ he’d feel like there was something wrong with him and now everyone knew he was defective.

I-Injured, How do they handle themselves when injured?

∴ very calm and collected. ∴ he figures there’s no real reason to lose his head over it. ∴ panicking will only make the situation worse. ∴ if it’s a bad injury, he’ll seek help as fast as he can. ∴ if its a superficial wound he’ll probably handle it himself.

J-Jittery, Which part of their past makes them flinch or even worked up?

∴ his childhood. ∴ he was the target for teasing and bullying due to his quirk. ∴ so if anything reminds him of those times, he gets really down ∴ he doesn’t like spiral into depression or anything ∴ but he’ll feel anxious and self conscious until the moment passes

K-Kill, Would they kill for revenge?

∴ no, never. ∴ he’s worked so hard to become a pro hero that he wouldn’t want to jeopardize it by some sort of misconduct as that. ∴ also, he has been accused of having potential to become a villain ∴ and he doesn’t want to give anyone ammunition for that.

L- Loss, What was their greatest loss?

∴ he hasn’t actually experienced much loss in terms of losing anyone to death. ∴ when he was a child, he had a friend before his quirk manifested ∴ and accidentally used it on them, unsure of how to control it ∴ and it scared the other boy so bad he stopped being friends with him ∴ that hurt shinsou pretty badly. ∴ he also probably lost a pet dog, which was traumatic because of how  much he depended on the furry animal for comfort

M- Mistakes, How much do they want to fix the mistakes of their past?

∴ shinsou isn’t the type of person who will do things that have the potential for regret ∴ he thinks his decisions over thoroughly and runs through all options before choosing the most logical one ∴ of course, he fucks up sometimes but ∴ he stands by his decisions, confident that he did the best possible thing he could have. ∴ being a pro hero doesn’t allow for him to regret things -- if he stops to mourn every civilian loss, for example, he would only be run into the ground. ∴ that doesn’t help anyone.

N-Need, How would they react if you needed emergency surgery?

∴ calm and collected ∴ especially if you’re scared ∴ then he’s going to make sure he’s a pillar for you to lean on ∴ that’s not to say on the inside he isn’t losing his mind ∴ bc he def is ∴ he just finds it counterproductive to stress you out while you’re already scared of the surgery ∴ it would get neither of you anywhere good ∴ once you’re in surgery, he’d be anxious as he waited. ∴ he’s check the time and refuse to leave the hospital until the doctor announces you’re safe.

O-Outrage, What makes them angry?

∴ betrayal. ∴ shinsou, when he trusts, he trusts hard. ∴ he puts his faith into them and expects them to stand by his side ∴ so if, for example, you used an insecurity of his against him in an argument. ∴ or cheated on him. ∴ or spilled a secret he told you in confidence ∴ he will be pissed. depending on how bad it was, he’s liable to break up with you. ∴ naturally, once his trust is broken, however, it’s near impossible to fix ∴ so good luck getting your relationship back to how it used to be lol

P-Pressure, What stresses them out to the breaking point?

∴ training ∴ he works hard to better himself to become the best hero possible ∴ but it stresses him out that he’s not improving fast enough, he’s not doing enough, he’s falling behind others ∴ he’s really hard on himself and his drive only makes the thought of failure terrifying to him. ∴ he doesn’t want to fuck up and lose his chance at his dream.

Q- Qualify, What part of themselves do they see as dangerous?

∴ his quirk, naturally. ∴ it’s a pretty dangerous quirk but ∴ truthfully, everyone’s quirk is dangerous in some way. ∴ it’s just that he’s always been trated as if his quirk was the worst possible outcome he could have been born with. ∴ so he feels like his quirk is the Most Dangerous.

R-Rock, What weighs them down?

∴ the idea that his quirk, very well could be a villains quirk. ∴ he worries that he might abuse it by accident and fuck everything up ∴ his quirk is different from combat quirks or rescue quirks ∴ he can control people. he can lock them into their own minds and force their bodies to do anything he wants without having to lift a finger. and there’s nothing they can do it about it. ∴ that scares him. ∴ it’s such a powerful quirk ∴ and it’d be so easy to abuse it ∴ he worries about his own morality at times, due to all the times he’s been called a villain ∴ it makes him doubt himself even though he knows himself better than that.

S-Sorrow, Would they feel empty after your death?

∴ very much so. ∴ shinsou is the type who gives himself completely to relationships ∴ whether it’s platonic or romantic, he puts 100% in. ∴ so to lose someone he had cared for so completely ∴ leaves him with a devastating emptiness ∴ he’s not going to know how to fill the gap your presence left behind for a long time.

T-Time, What if they had a limited time to live?

∴ he wouldn’t panic ∴ he’d spend the time doing everything he needed to do ∴ like see his mother, hang out with his friends, eat his favorite food, spend a night with you ∴ he’d be determined to make sure he wouldn’t regret wasting the time he had left ∴ so he does everything he feels is necessary for having the happiest time that he has left.

U-Urge, How badly do they get the urge to see you after separating?

∴ on a day to day basis, not much ∴ he’s very good at occupying his mind and thinking logically about whether it makes sense to see you or not. ∴ most of the time it’s not. ∴ he’s not the type to go crawling back to his ex unless it’s something he needs to fix with you. ∴ but at night, when he cant sleep ∴ his mind will automatically wander to you ∴ thinking about how it felt when just a few days, weeks, months ago you were curled up beside him in bed.

V-Vent, How do they get rid of feelings they find unnecessary?

∴ he’s actually really damn good at communication ∴ he is so good at just talking things through ∴ it helps him sort his thoughts and it keeps him calm, rather than getting worked up and upset ∴ he prefers to have healthy ways to release his negative emotions

W-Wild card, A random angst headcannon.

∴ when the bullying over his quirk got worse the older he got ∴ as people started to look at him like he was going to harm them ∴ he got frustrated, angry even ∴ he went off on his mom -- blaming her for giving him such a shitty, terrible quirk ∴ he said some extremely hurtful things in his anger ∴ and the picture of his mom’s hurt face over his words drives him insane ∴ to this day, he still feels like he’s trying to make it up to her. ∴ truthfully, it’s been forgiven and forgotten for a long time but ∴ he doesn’t believe he deserves that just yet.

X- X-ray, What makes them transparent? How obvious can they get around something they hate?

∴ you really will not know when this guy hates you ∴ he seems to have mostly just, cold indifference to majority of people ∴ so him hating you; being ignored or treated coldly ∴ will literally not even make you feel hated ∴ it just seems like his default ∴ he’s pretty open about his opinions though ∴ so if you talk about something and ask what he thinks of it ∴ if he hates it, like a movie, he’ll just come right out and say it tbh ∴ so he’s like 50/50 transparent.

Y-Yearning, Do old memories make them yearn for your touch?

∴ yes. ∴ shinsou is the type of guy to look through his phone at old texts and pictures ∴ when he lies in bed at night, he thinks of his fondest memories ∴ he won’t actively seek you out if it’s not logical -- like if you’re an ex. ∴ but if you’re available for him, he’ll seek you out with a deep craving for you. ∴ he wants to make more memories while he can.

Z-Zest, Add your own letters!

[Parents Headcanon] ∴ when he was a baby, his father left him and his mom ∴ that left his mom to take care of a baby all on her own ∴ she was a young mom too, had him pretty early in life; about 18 or so. ∴ so she struggled really badly ∴ he regrets all the trouble he gave her when he was naive to the struggles of parenthood ∴ once he got older and realized how much his mom did for him ∴ he began to work hard around the house so she could relax when she got home from work, cooked dinner, and never asked for anything he didn’t absolutely need ∴ he absolutely adores his mom ∴ and the idea of ever being without her terrifies him.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·    

© all content belongs to seita 2020. do not modify or repost.

[jadelotusflower]

June 2021 Roundup

It's been a month of highs and lows. Every year my city holds a cabaret festival, and I've seen some truly amazing acts over the years - including Lea Salonga, Kristin Chenoweth, and Indina Menzel. This year's Artistic Director was the great Alan Cumming, and although due to covid he didn't quite get to curate the program he wanted to, the opening night Gala was still a highlight, as was Alan's DJ set at the pop-up Club Cumming afterwards, where there was much singing at the top of my lungs and dancing to pop anthems and theatre tunes. At one point Alan, dressed in a onesie and perched on the shoulders of a man wearing only sparkly short shorts, was carried around the dance floor while Circle of Life blared. Reader, I was delighted.

I was also able to see his solo show Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, which was hilarious and damn, he can sing!

As for the low, I was meant to fly to Sydney for the weekend to see Hamilton, a trip I have been looking forward to for almost a year, but had to be cancelled because of a covid outbreak and border closures. The tickets have been rescheduled, but I'm still kind of bummed about it (while completely appreciating the need for covid safety, especially when our vaccine rollout has been completely botched by our incompetent, corrupt federal government)

Anyway.

Reading

The Hundred and One Dalmations (Dodie Smith) - With all the bewilderment over Disney's Cruella, I decided to revisit the original novel which I first read as a kid. It's funny, I had very vivid memories of this book, or rather thought I did, particularly the scene where Roger and Anita have dinner at Cruella's house that fixed in my young mind as utterly disturbing with all this devil imagery and the implication Cruella was literally some kind of demon, which must have been either a) my overactive imagination or b) an illustration, because it's not as clear as I thought it was. The strangeness is there (food with too much pepper, Cruella's inability to keep warm, the walls painted blood red) but not the explicit demon imagery I had remembered. There is a part later in the book recounting the history of Hell Hall and the rumors of Cruella's ancestor streaking out of the place conjuring blue lightening, but clearly child me was reading far more into the book than was on the page.

But I still wish they'd gone with this version of Cruella's backstory, because to me an aristocratic, ink-drinking, heat-obsessed, possibly-demon spawn, high camp villain is more interesting and rings far more true than plucky punk against the establishment.

Smith clearly had Facts About Dalmations to share, and she does really craft a wonderful animal-based story that the Disney animated film is largely faithful to. Key differences include: Roger's occupation (he doesn't have to pay tax because he wiped out government debt somehow?!?), Pongo's mate and the puppy's mother is called Missis, Perdita is another dalmation who acts as a kind of doggie wet nurse, Roger and Anita both have Nannies who come to live with them (Nanny Butler and Nanny Cook), Cruella is married to a furrier (who changed his last name to de Vil). Also odd, on her first description Cruella is described as having "dark skin" but later in the novel her "white face" is mentioned, so I'm chalking it up to 50's descriptors not having the same meanings they do today.

The Duke and I (Julia Quinn) - After being just whelmed by the tv series, I wasn't really planning on reading the books, but I saw this on the top picks shelf at the library and damn, the top picks shelf is irresistible. This is very much Daphne's book (and I had known each in the series dealt with the different sibling) so many of the characters and much of the plot of the show is absent, as are some of the more baffling elements of the show like the Diamond of the First Water nonsense, which I always thought was a strange character choice in that it stacks the deck for Daphne when her character arc is better served as somewhat of an underdog (in her third season, the kind of girl who is liked but not adored), and the Prince subplot which was always far too OTT even for soapy regency romance.

It's a breezy, fun read (that scene excepted), even if the misunderstandings are contrived and I'm never going to take "I'll never have kids because I hate my dad" as a credible romantic obstacle deserving of so much angst.

Faeries (Brian Froud and Alan Lee) - A lovingly detailed and illustrated compendium of Faerie and its inhabitants, drawing from a range of European (but primarily Celtic) folklore and mythology. Froud was a conceptual designer on The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth, and the link is clear in the art as well as the focus on faeries as mysterious but oftimes sinister beings, where human encounters with them rarely end well. Lee has illustrated several publications of Tolkien's novels, and was a lead concept artists for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, and there is a touch of Middle Earth here as well, or rather the common inspiration of the old world. A useful resource for my novel!

Watching

The Handmaid's Tale (season 4, episodes 4-8) SPOILERS - So when I last wrote about this show in the Roundup, I was complaining it wasn't going anywhere. Well, I'm happy to be wrong because they finally changed things up with June finally escaping to Canada. That part of the plot following the survivors and their trauma has always been far more compelling than Gilead, and so it was a welcome development even if I side-eye some of the choices (none of these characters is seeing an actual licensed therapist why?).

This show has always been difficult to watch given the subject matter, and that has not changed after the shift in power dynamics. I will give the show credit for showing a broad range of trauma responses, from Moira wanting to move on and not let it consume her, to June, a ball of rage and revenge on a downward spiral, to Emily, trying to follow Moira's path but being drawn to June's, to Luke, trying his best but utterly unequipped to deal with what is happening.

But it is very hard to watch June go down this path - raping her husband (I concede the show perhaps didn't intend for it to be rape, but that's what is on screen and framing it as just "taking away Luke's agency" doesn't change that), wishing death on Serena's unborn child, and orchestrating Fred's brutal murder by particulation, then holding her own daughter still covered in his blood and it getting smeared on Nicole's face (an unsubtle metaphor in a series full of unsubtle metaphors).

There are interesting questions being asked of the viewer, and the show (perhaps rightly) not giving any answers. I can certainly appreciate the catharsis of Fred getting what he deserves even if I personally find the manner of it horrifying, but where is the line between justice and revenge, is revenge the only option when justice is denied, when does a trauma release become cyclical violence/abuse - the show is, for now, letting the viewer decide.

Soul (dir. Pete Docter and Kemp Powers) - In a world full of remakes/reboots/sequels, Pixar is perhaps the lone segment under the Disney umbrella committed to original content. However, there does seem to be a Pixar formula at work directed to precision tugging the heart strings, and some of the film feels like well-trod ground. On the other hand, it's hard to criticise the risk of centering a kids film around the existential crisis of a middle aged man, even with the requisite cutesy elements (and of course, the uncomfortable pattern of yet another film where the black lead character spends a great deal of the runtime in non-human form - herein, an amorphous blob or a cat). But the animation is stunning, it successfully did tug my heart strings, and the design of the Great Before and the Jerrys is original and fun.

RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under - Drag Race is somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me, since I generally don't watch reality shows, and this is something I really enjoy even if I'm not invested in the fandom (which like many fandoms can be very yikes). This year it was time for the Australian/New Zealand (Aotearoa) queens to show their stuff, although it's been met with mixed reactions. Covid restrictions didn't allow for guest judges, relegating them to mere cameos via video calls, and its clear that Ru and Michelle really don't quite get all the cultural nuances - Aussie judge Rhys Nicholson was however always delightful. But it wouldn't be Australia without a racism scandal, with the great disappointment of the two queens of colour eliminated first, and one queen having done blackface in the recent past yet making it all the way to the top four.

In the end, the only viable and deserving winner was last Kiwi standing Kita Mean, and it was pure joy to see her get crowned. I do hope they fix the bugs and indeed do another season to better showcase AU/NZ talent.

Writing

A far more productive month - to try and get out of my writing funk I had a goal to try and write every day, even if it was only 100 words. While I didn't quite achieve a consecutive month, I did get a pretty good average, at least got something posted and two others nearly there.

The Lady of the Lake - 2441 words, Chapter 4 posted.

Against the Dying of the Light - 2745 words

Turn Your Face to the Sun - 1752 words.

Here I Go Again - 1144 words

Total words this month: 8082

Total words this year: 35,551

[cosmicjoke]

Ash and his consistent lack of hate

It is an important point in understanding Ash’s character to acknowledge and examine his consistent lack of malice in everything he does, even when committing acts of violence.  He isn’t at all a hateful person, and this is an important and defining character trait which has a direct impact on his decisions and the events that eventually unfold within the story.  When you take into consideration all that Ash has been through, the extraordinary depth of suffering he has lived through in his young life, the absence of hate in his heart is all the more astonishing, and you understand then this lack of hatefulness can only be natural within him for it to endure through such overwhelming pain.

More striking still for how you realize all of Ash’s enemies are driven and consumed by their own hatred, in one form or another, motivated by their inherent cruelty, twisted desires, and self-serving ambition, while Ash himself never displays any sense of real venom or hatred, even towards those who have committed unspeakably horrific acts against him.

Certainly, Ash feels anger, even rage, towards those who have repeatedly and unforgivably wronged him, but never actual hate.

Let me explain.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Ash first kills at the age of eight.  It is the desperate act of a child forced to defend himself after the abject failure of the adults around him to protect him against the horrific sexual abuse he’s suffered at the hands of a monster meant to serve as a role model and guardian himself. First, in the police, the supposed representatives of “justice”, refusing to believe Ash, before outright blaming him for it happening, accusing an eight year old child of “seducing” his abuser.  And then in Ash’s own father, failing to keep his own son safe, allowing the abuse to go on, again and again, for who even knows how long.

Ash later tells Eiji that he cried afterward, because he didn’t feel anything while he did it, but Ash’s very admission at having cried contradicts this claim.  He felt deeply over the act he’d just been forced to commit, an act Ash was too young to fully comprehend the meaning of, too young to grasp it’s full implications, either for himself or anyone else, but upset enough by it to reduce him to tears afterward.  The fact that Ash cried at all over having killed a man who repeatedly and brutally raped and molested him and who would have eventually killed him, given the numerous other children he had already murdered, is remarkable.  There was no malice behind Ash’s act.  No hatred.  No pleasure.  No satisfaction.  Ash didn’t kill the baseball coach out of a sense of revenge, or because he wanted to. He killed him because he had no choice. He killed him, because nobody else was able to protect him.  Because he was an eight year old boy who simply wanted the pain to stop.  It was purely an act of self-defense.  

This connects to later on in the story, and to Ash’s relationship with his father.  

Ash has every reason and right to hate his father.  Firstly, for how James Callenreese was so neglectful and uncaring a parent when Ash was born and growing up, that he would have starved to death if Griffin hadn’t stepped up and taken responsibility for his care.  Secondly, for how it was essentially James’ fault that Ash ended up alone, at the age of eight, on the streets of New York, only to be found and captured by a twisted pedophile in Marvin, again repeatedly and brutally raped, passed along to Frog to have more of the same done by him, before being sold to another pedophile in Dino, and into an underground child sex trafficking ring, only for the abuse to continue on like that for years and years more, before he’s forced into a life of crime and violence, out on the streets again. And then, when at last Ash returns home to Cape Cod after ten years of this absolute nightmare of abuse and suffering, he is greeted by his father calling him a “whore”, accusing Ash’s friends of being “clients” of his, and proceeding to then tell Ash to “get out”. Real father of the year material here.

And yet, despite all of that, and it is a LOT, Ash doesn’t hate his father.  Why?  Because Ash, at his fundamental core, is a good person.

Ash never shows any hatred, not even any real anger towards his father, despite the utterly blatant verbal and emotional abuse James lays on him, refusing to take the bait of his father’s petty tactics of hurling insults and accusations, blaming Ash for everything that’s happened to him, because he’s too much of a coward himself to face his own guilt and accept his own role and responsibility in his son ending up like he has.  Ash only responds to James’ cruelty with a quiet resignation and acceptance of his father’s rejection and hostility, telling his friends to forget it when they express shocked horror at James’ treatment of his son, and promising to leave once he gets what he came for from the other house on the property.  Later, when James is shot, Ash shows genuine pain and concern for him, and breaks down into tears when he’s forced to flee and leave his injured father behind.  He forgives his father for his weakness and his cowardice, and doesn’t hold his rejection of Ash against him, despite, again, having every reason and right to hate the man.  Ash, in spite of it all, still loves his father, in defiance of all the pain the man has caused him.

This is a truly extraordinary display of kindheartedness on Ash’s part.  A testament to the astounding goodness innate to him.

And that innate goodness which so characterizes who Ash really is continues on in him, even as he’s thrust into a nightmarish hellscape of violence, cruelty and savagery.  

The next example to look at as proof of Ash’s inherent goodness, is the conflict between him and Arthur.

The first conflict between them arises when Arthur sets Ash up to be sent to Juvenile Detention, and then proceeds to bribe another inmate to try and kill Ash for him.  Arthur tires with very real intent to kill Ash, because of the assumption that Ash is, one day in the future, going to be a threat to him and his claim to power among the youth gangs of New York.  Because of Ash’s natural abilities and intelligence, he can see how others are just naturally drawn to this young fifteen year old boy, inclined to follow him, and he wants to eliminate Ash before his own crew members start ditching him for someone better.  He does this, even though Ash has never actually done anything to hurt Arthur up to this point. This fact is really important to note.  While in Juvie, Ash, due to those natural abilities Arthur so feared, begins to attract the other street kids to him, without even wanting it or having to try. Ash makes no attempt to win their loyalty or alliance, and is made uncomfortable when they start to give it to him, because it isn’t something he ever strove for or wanted.  Not something he ever intended to gain.  Ash shows no ambition towards that goal, and it’s even mentioned more than once by Dino in the story that Ash has never shown any real ambition or desire to be a gang boss.  The other streets kids, therefor, give him their loyalty of their own volition. They realize, after Ash’s fight with Frankie and his crew in the library, that Ash is superior, and capable of protecting them, and so they start to follow him around, aligning themselves with him, forming a gang around him.  

Eventually, more and more street punks choose Ash as their leader, and you have to assume, by the time he gets out of Juvie, he’s got a fairly sizable crew of street kids ready to follow him wherever he goes and in whatever he does.  Again, it’s vitally important to note that Ash didn’t choose this.  It instead chose him.  Ash accepts this responsibility placed on him by the other street kids, because the real reason they’ve chosen him is because they think he can protect them and keep them safe.  

This new reality for him, and the attempt to kill Ash, of course, leads to an eventual, unavoidable one on one confrontation between him and Arthur.  Ash wins.  At this point, Ash has every right to kill Arthur.  Not only would it be accepted, but it would be expected by the other street punks, and would also prove to be of great benefit to Ash, both in eliminating a legitimate threat against himself and in solidifying his newly acquired position as gang boss.

And yet, Ash doesn’t kill Arthur.  He lets him live, his only punishment to Arthur for trying to kill him and losing their fight to destroy Arthur’s ability to use a gun.  And given Arthur’s reputation for ruthless violence and brutality out there on the streets, and his obvious willingness to kill people who have never done anything against him, along with this being an act of mercy, this is also Ash’s first step in ensuring the safety of the kids now under his command.  Once again, him accepting the responsibility those same kids have placed on him.  He’s making sure, even as he lets Arthur live, that he doesn’t have the ability to easily kill anyone else.  He also allows Arthur to keep operating in the area, even when Arthur has done nothing to earn that right.

Ash’s act of mercy would later come back to haunt him, for reasons all of us already know of course.  

Arthur says to Ash, right before their final battle, “Ain’t you gonna ask?  Don’t you wanna know… why I hate you so much?  You know why, huh?”  Ash tells him “yeah”, he does know, and then he says “But that ain’t my fault”.  They’re talking about Ash’s natural abilities, his natural talent, the way people just chose him to be their leader.  Arthur admits this is true, that it’s not Ash’s fault that he has these things, or that people naturally want to follow him.  And then Arthur says “Y’know, you’re absolutely right… You prob’ly never wanted it that way.  But that just makes me hate you all the more.”.   Arthur is driven by his hatred of Ash specifically because he knows Ash doesn’t even want to be a boss, while Arthur himself wants it more than anything.  Ash is so naturally gifted and charismatic and capable, that he inadvertently draws people to him, without him even having to try, without him even meaning for it to happen.  Arthur hates Ash for this, is overwhelmingly jealous and envious of his talent, his hate compounded by Ash not even wanting the gifts that make it seemingly so easy for him.  Again, this is similar to Yut-Lung, in how we have a character who is consumed by their hatred towards Ash for having something they don’t.  The sickening irony here is that, all of these gifts and abilities which people like Arthur are so jealous of, have done nothing but bring Ash misery and pain.  His good looks, his intelligence, his physical reflexes.  They’ve all been used as excuses for others to destroy and take away his life and his choices.  It’s the very reason Ash gets into a fight with Eiji, when Eiji scolds Ash for not understanding how people who don’t have his exceptional abilities feel.  Ash gets so angry here, because Eiji is making the same mistake that everyone makes when they see Ash and everything he seemingly has, assuming it makes his life better, when in reality, all having these exceptional abilities has done is make his life exponentially worse.  Eiji eventually realizes this, realizes the mistake he’s made in judging Ash for the choices he’s had to make, and that’s when we see Eiji vow never to leave Ash’s side, and to simply accept him for who he is.

But back to the topic, Ash’s initial mercy towards Arthur, despite all of this, serves as a prime example of his lack of hate, once again, against a person who himself outwardly hates Ash, who did him and intended him very real harm.  Once again, Ash’s actions aren’t motivated by any feeling of malice, or vengeance, or to satisfy any sort of urge, but by self-defense, and defense of others.  

This is mirrored in Ash letting the two members of his own gang live after they had betrayed him by working for Dino, even as, once again, it would have served him better to simply kill them, once again his act of mercy coming back to haunt him when those two run back to Dino and rat Ash out about his knowledge of Banana Fish.  

Ash shows mercy again when letting his would be assassin in Chinatown live, telling Shorter’s guys to let him go.

Other, more minor examples, but still just as telling about who Ash is, is his initial dynamic with Max.  When Ash and Max first meet, their relationship is nearly antagonistic, the two of them even coming to blows a few times, Ash feeling deep anger towards Max for shooting Griff in Vietnam and leaving him abandoned in a state hospital afterward, Max consumed by guilt over the fact.  But even in this initial anger, Ash eventually admits that he doesn’t hate Max.  He says specifically to Max “I wish I could hate you.  I needed someone to hate.”.  Even when Ash wants to hate someone, he can’t bring himself to.  Again, further proof of how that kind of malice just isn’t natural within him.  He can’t bring himself to hate, even as he actively tries to.

The same applies to Blanca.  Blanca gives Ash plenty of reason to hate him when he initially shows up in the story. Blanca was really the only adult in Ash’s life before the main events of Banana Fish who didn’t actively abuse him, or really even use him in any way, and was thus able to gain his trust and even admiration.  It’s safe to say that Ash looked up to Blanca and saw him as a protector to at least some extent from the rest of the abusive men around him.  Blanca’s betrayal of Ash to Dino then must have been particularly painful to him.  At the start, not only does Blanca stalk Ash and work him needlessly up into a state of extreme anxiety and fear (remember, this is a kid who’s constantly having to look over his shoulder, constantly living under the stress and pressure of having his life threatened), but he then forces Ash into sacrificing everything he’s worked and risked his life for up to this point in the story, everything his friends and family have died for, his very freedom itself, by turning himself back over to Dino’s clutches, allowing himself to be held captive by his oldest and longest abuser, all because Blanca is threatening to kill Eiji if he doesn’t.

Even with all of this, and again, just like with his father, it’s a lot, Ash never shows any real malice or hatred towards Blanca, or expresses any desire for revenge against him. He only ever shows real anger and hurt, understandably, but even then, eventually, he forgives Blanca entirely, and puts his trust in him again by accepting his help.  In the end, he even wishes Blanca good luck with his life, and displays a genuine fondness for him in their final encounter.

The next, prime example of Ash’s lack of malice is in his rivalry with Yut-lung.

Yut-Lung does some truly horrific things to Ash.  Firstly, in his blackmailing Shorter into betraying Ash by threatening to kill his sister Nadia, essentially acting as the lynchpin that set the events in motion that would lead to Ash having to kill his own best friend in order to save Eiji, in turn causing Ash untold emotional and mental damage.  Secondly, by allowing his own, petty jealousy and hatred to force Ash into a position in which he has to give up everything he’s worked for in uncovering and exposing the truth behind Banana Fish, to break free from Dino, to avenge his brother, and Shorter and Skip, and to sacrifice his very freedom in order to protect Eiji, and after that, again allowing his jealousy and hatred to lead him in setting into motion numerous attempts to destroy the one good thing Ash has ever had in his life by trying to kill Eiji.  After all of this, once again, it would be more than understandable and justified if Ash hated and wanted to kill Yut-Lung.  And yet, once again, there’s never any real sense from him that he does.

We see him threaten to kill Yut-Lung immediately following Shorter’s death, when Ash’s own emotions are running sky high, dealing with unimaginable trauma and pain. Yut-Lung comes into the room Ash is being held captive in, mockingly leaving him the key to secure his escape, and Ash’s angered, threatening reaction to him at that point can only be expected.  Anyone in Ash’s position would do the same.  

After that, we see Ash confess to Eiji that he doesn’t really know if Yut-Lung is a friend or an enemy, which tells us that Ash never really meant what he said before, and that he had no real plans to go after Yut-Lung at that point, willing to simply let it go. Proven further by the fact that Ash never really makes a move against Yut-Lung until Yut-Lung himself goes directly after Ash and his allies.

Later still, after Yut-Lung has been involved in numerous situations which have caused Ash incredible suffering, we see him take Yut-Lung hostage and once more threaten to kill him.  But, once again, this isn’t an act or revenge, but a desperate gambit to get Eiji and the other hostages being held by Yut-Lung’s men released.  Ash doesn’t want to kill Yut-Lung.  He only wants to protect Eiji and the others.  He only threatens Yut-Lung here for that purpose and that purpose alone.  

After this, while talking to Cain, Ash says “I should have killed him when I had the chance.”, and his expression is, just like with his father, one of resigned sadness.  He knows Yut-Lung could very well one day be his undoing, but even in that moment, there’s no sense of hatred, or even anger towards him from Ash.  No sense, either in his words, or his expression, of wanting to make Yut-Lung pay for all he’s done, or to make him suffer.  No indication that he has any plans to go after Yut-Lung.  And this is further confirmed by Ash’s final conversation with Blanca, when he says as long as Yut-Lung leaves him alone, then Ash won’t go after him.  Even when Ash says to Blanca before that, that he would tear Yut-Lung apart if he ever got his hands on him, there’s an expression of joking amusement on Ash’s face, a clear indication that he doesn’t really mean what he’s saying in that moment.

Then of course, there’s Dino.  Dino is Ash’s greatest enemy, and the root source of a great deal of his pain and suffering.  Dino is the only person in the story who Ash shows an active desire to get revenge on, for obvious reasons that don’t bear repeating, and most certainly feels hatred towards.  But even in this, when Dino finally meets his demise, and Ash watches him fall to his death into the fire below, there’s no look of satisfaction, or happiness, or even relief on Ash’s face.  There’s no sense of triumph.  Ash once again only has that same resigned, even sad expression on his face as the person who tormented and abused him more than any other in his life finally dies. There isn’t any malice, no glee, not even any real anger, because, in the end, Ash’s desire to break free from Dino was never motivated by hate.  In the end, just like with all his other enemies, Ash’s only motivation was to be left alone.  To be free. Even for the person most deserving of his contempt, Ash couldn’t ever really bring himself to feel it fully. He couldn’t ever conjure enough hate in his heart to be driven forward by it, even against Dino.  It shows us with plain clarity the innate goodness of Ash’s heart then, that against all odds, that goodness won out against the abuse and cruelty every time, never destroyed, for how pure and powerful it lived within Ash.  For how much it was a part of his soul.

The tragedy of it all then, you realize, is how, if these monsters had only ever left Ash alone, none of any of it ever would have happened.  But of course they couldn’t, their hatred, greed, perversion and lust for power too strong within them to let a 17 year old boy who just wanted to be left  alone, be, underlining in stark and startling relief the total contrast of who these people were against who Ash was.  Monsters consumed by hate, against a boy who loved too much.

[mrneighbourlove]

The Mask over the Man. The Demon over the Beast. Majora over Ganon.

I love both these villains. The N64 was my first console I delved deep into, and Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask introduced me to two of my favourite villains in gaming. Today though, I want to delve into why I see one of these characters as the superior ‘villain’. Just my opinion, but I hope to share my case strongly and passionately. I’ll go over each character, than why I believe that one reigns over the other, even if ever so slightly.

Ganon

The King of Evil. The King of Darkness. And the Great Calamity of Hyrule. I love the pig demon. His constant presence in the Legend of Zelda series cannot be ignored. Gameplay wise, he can be so much fun to fight against in the final battle for the sake of the world. Doesn’t matter if you fight him as a wolf, if he’s a wizard, or just a mighty beast. Story wise is where a have a slip with him. Ganon set the standard for me in the ‘Dark Lord’ archetype, however, he can sometimes feel simplistic in that regard, simply wishing to conquer the world. And as the beast, barring perhaps Link to the Past, he lacks any real character. It’s also unfortunate that most of the time you meet him, you defeat him immediately afterwards. The best he’s ever been as a threat to me, was in Breath of the Wild.

Calamity Ganon

This is Ganon as almost a force of nature. No real conscious we can see, having thrown away any shell of a man for hatred and malice. What really makes this Ganon work, is the relationship you *rediscover* with the old champions, and feeling the heartache at knowing they’re dead. The fact that it festered in Hyrule for over a century, is highly impressive. But the biggest complaint people had (and why everyone is going crazy over the mummified corpse of MummyDorf) is that because Calamity Ganon was just pure hatred, we lacked the relationship of the three Triforce users seen in past games. Which leads me talking about the man, the legend, the best part of Ganon.

Ganondorf

Making Ganon into Ganondorf did wonders for the character. His goals became more relatable, because we as humans can relate with another human being, or at the very least, understand the goal. Hailing from the Gerudo desert, there are two Ganondorf’s that I want to pick out. The Wind Waker split, and the Twilight Princess split. In Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf is the best evil conquer he’s ever been, even without the long locks of Hyrule Warriors. He set out with a long purpose goal to take the Triforce and conquer the world. And he was the main focus as a villain. Ganondorf was also young, and brash. He had a flair, which made him a fantastic villain. He truly appeared to be the King of Evil. Upon his defeat, he gave a loud speech of getting revenge, very classic villain monologue. The next game we saw him was Wind Waker. I feel confident in saying that despite not seeing too much of him, this is the best Ganondorf becomes as a character. He’s far more relaxed in his evil plot. The man goes out of his way to make sure his kidnaped girls aren’t hurt, and when dealing with both Link and Zelda, he gets straight to the point with them, yet, he doesn’t kill them. And up until the end, he still has an air of menace when he wishes to be theatric, despite having more experience and wisdom. After the frightful Puppet Ganon fight, you learn why Ganondorf set out for power in the first place. His people suffered under the desert heat of day, and the icy cold nights. In his own words, the winds carried death. His desire for the Triforce was to bring back the old land of Hyrule. Despite what might have happened after he brought back the land, Ganondorf wanted to *restore* the old land of Hyrule from under the sea. That’s almost heroic. You emphasize with him. Which I argue diminished his villainous qualities in exchange for a more flushed out character. He only tries to kill Link and Zelda after his wish is denied and he snaps into insanity.

Then there’s Twilight Princess Ganondorf. A really cool Ganondorf. His design is awesome, I love his boss fights gameplay wise and musically, but this is one of the Ganon’s I’d place into the ‘cockblock’ section of Ganons. Real talk, I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned this, but I really like Zant as a villain. He was incredibly intimidating until you face him in the realm of Twilight. His relationship with Midna was interesting, and he carried a cool air not seen before. He was chill... until the very end into his sudden crazy decent. I feel that both Ganondorf and Zant suffer because of the formers sudden conclusion. Each character lost time in the game that could have been used to develop them more. Zant could have had more time to develop into madness as the final boss, or Ganondorf could have been established from the beginning, instead of being diet OOT Ganondorf. His evil goal of placing the world into Twilight didn’t have any drastic changes to the world either. Civilians didn’t even notice the danger they were in. At least OOT Ganon ruled Hyrule for 7 years, and Calamity Ganon was around for 100 years. When Ganondorf takes away time from other villains, it makes him a weaker villain as well. Which is why the Mask stood tall in such a unique story.

Majora

The entity of Majora’s Mask stands out to me as something insidious and inhuman. Unlike Ganondorf, you can’t identify with an unblinking Mask like you can a human being. It stands out as a villain that doesn’t need Ganon in its story or to take his form. The duel relationship with Skull Kid is interesting, as Skull Kid isn’t entirely innocent in his actions, but the transition Majora takes over Skull Kid makes you wonder who’s control until the very end. In my recent play through, I just discovered this, but in Day 1 or 2, the Skull Kid will do a little dance when you spot him in the telescope, and once you look back, he spanks his ass at you and jumps away. However, at Day 3, his head is sideways, looking at you, and constantly twitching, rooted to his spot. It’s like Majora is a drug to Skull Kid that has finally caught up. And that’s a terrible fate to think about.

What stands out to me the most about Majora over Ganon, is the stakes as a hero. First, looking at the world. Ganondorf ruled Hyrule for 7 years, yet villages like Kakariko are still around. The world hasn’t been ruined. Even with Calamity Ganon having been around for 100 years, he’s in a prison with Zelda, and civilization keeps ticking by. The moment you enter the world of Termina and you look to the sky, you can see Majora’s immediate tool of armageddon.

The Moon

This rock in the sky slowly falls to the Earth over a period of three days. The stakes are felt immediately. You either stop Majora from crashing the moon into Termina, or you burn with the rest of the world. Swept away by a wall of fire compered to an atomic bomb. If the ticking timer doesn’t remind you of your duty, the earthquakes on the third day, then looking to the sky will. Another peek of interest for me in the camp of villainy, is the people you meet along the way. The world of Termina is full of colourful characters that Link meets throughout his adventure. From Tatl to Pamela and her Father, you get heavily invested with them. And they all are aware of the danger of the moon. Almost all are directly or indirectly affected by the Skull Kid and the power of Majora that he immaturely wields. Mikau is killed by Gerudo pirates because they were influenced by Skull Kid to steal the Zora eggs. Areas such as the Woodfall Swamp, Snowhead mountains and Ikana Valley are cursed due to the Monsters Majora unleashes after sealing the giants away. Kafei is cursed into a child directly by Skull Kid and has his wedding mask stolen by a thief as a result. Cremina, god willing that you save her sister Romani from the “Ghosts”, drugs her sister with alcoholic milk so she sleeps through the destruction of the world. The acts of villainy Majora does ripple big and small. With Ganondorf and Ganon, you are given free room to take your time, you lose very little allies, and you have Zelda backing you up most of the time in a battle of destiny. With Majora, however, Zelda is no way involved, many people you meet die and suffer, some you can’t save even with rewinding time, and if you don’t stop the villain, he isn’t going to reshape the world, or control it in his own image, it’s going to destroy it. That is terrifying. Ganon has never truly terrified me. He’s just too human enough, and his villainous acts have never put me on edge. Unlike the champions of Breath of the Wild who you are avenging, the people of Termina are here and now, and that puts so much more tension on me.

Ganondorf is a great villain, but the inhuman characteristics of an entity that wanted to destroy all left a bigger impression on me. When you finally defeat Majora and save everyone you can correctly and within the time you’re given, including Skull Kid I might add, the credits feel so amazing because you truly saved the world, but more importantly, you saved the people that inhabit it. Defeating Ganon as a villain is a battle of destiny. Defeating Majora is a battle for everyone’s tomorrow.

[cosmicpines]

So your posts got me thinking about Tyrone, and here's one idea I had for how to do that whole concept differently: say he betrayed Franz & Anthea to the people behind Carthage, and afterwards either Franz erased Tyrone's memories of himself and Carthage somehow, or Tyrone erased his own memories of Franz and Carthage. Then when XANA set up the Replikas, Carthage noticed and recruited Tyrone again - because he may not remember Carthage but he still knows his stuff & they can still use him (1/2)

But then working on the Cortex, and later encountering the Lyoko Warriors and Aelita specifically awakens some of those 'erased' memories, and Tyrone puts enough pieces together to realize someone took his memory, so he starts using his own supercomputer to try and recover those memories - but this opens him up to possession by XANA, directly instead of via a spectre.  I'm just spitballing here, but that's my idea for a more interesting take on Tyrone, and he's NOT married to Anthea (2/2) 

Personally, I didn’t actually mind the fact he was married to Anthea (although, I think it would have been way MORE interesting if he actually liked her) Him being Aelita’s legal guardian makes for good tension. I have NO idea what would logically happen next in Evolution if it had continued and that kind of excites me. Like, I think Aelita would have to go to Switzerland with him which would be kind of wild.

But more to what you said  - the “selective memory loss” introduced in Evolution to kick Laura out of the group felt like a writing cop out, but the way you extended it is a really interesting idea.

What we know, blankly, is that Tyrone was fired by Franz because he wanted to go “too far” with his research, and that Tyrone was getting data off of Anthea. From looking at the wiki, the novels explain that Project Carthage would basically have taken over global communication. XANA was created to, and succeeded in, destroying project Carthage. If the government was trying to start it back up, you’re right going after Tyrone to join them would make sense -- after all, Tyrone created the Cortex, and was capable of virtualization, which were things he definitely stole from Franz. I like the idea that he was looking for his memory as a more personal goal to give him, and it makes Franz a bit more of a grey character, which I think would be really interesting to have Aelita grapple with. Yes, he wanted to do things, but Franz also tested out his RTTTP on him. Maybe even have Franz have fucked it up, removing memories he didn’t intend to remove. Tyrone wants revenge on a more personal level.

To the note of him being possessed, I actually prefer Tyrone to be working separately from XANA. One of the most annoying things I found with Evolution was him refusing to believe XANA was in his supercomputer. I think a cool spin would be Tyrone’s ultimate goal to be to control XANA. Afterall, it was able to completely destroy what was left of Project Carthage. If the government wanted weapons, well, they found one. (ofc, that requires XANA being scarier than just spectres)

Season one being Tyrone setting up the Cortex. The Lyoko Warriors inform him of XANA, and he finds him on his computer. Then he starts seeing what this XANA can do... then his whole plan shifts to controlling him. The Lyoko Warriors would be trying to convince him that it’s impossible. Making Tyrone less of a cartoony villain would be great too -- letting XANA attack to see what kind of damage he can do. Trying to convince Jeremie and Aelita, who understand how XANA works the most, to join him, to defeat XANA for good by controlling him. And then, after foolishly letting XANA roam free for too long, seeing how in over his head he is.

[flying-elliska]

The transformation of Lucas Lallemant pt 1 : Hell Week.

Skam OG S3  can be more or less divided in three acts, and this is even more obvious in Skam France, which has a more...dramatic style of storytelling, let’s say. Act I : Lucas meets Eliott, struggles with his internalized homophobia, develops feelings, ends with Eliott’s apparent betrayal. Act II : Lucas is isolated, struggles, finally comes out to his friends and to the world, Eliott and Lucas reunite. Act III is what’s yet to come, the revelation of Eliott’s MI, possibly elements related to Lucas’ parents and religion, and the resolution. 

I want to take a look at Act II as a unit and the essential character developpment that takes place within it, starting from the disastrous party scene at the end of Vendredi 19h21 and ending with the paint scene in Vendredi 18h34, because this is really where we can see Lucas’s arc pivot, as he is left alone to confront himself, and the nuance with which it was done is incredible in terms of storytelling. 

Fair warning, it’s going to be a long one. 

Vendredi 19h21 : Fête de trop 

It has been pointed out by many that, whereas Isak and Martino punched into bushes and garbage cans during this scene, Lucas hurts himself until his knuckles are bloody. He’s angry at the world for sure, getting in a fight with his friends, but it’s ultimately himself he blames - for having feelings, for caring, for thinking he had a chance with Eliott, for being attracted to a boy, for wanting a family that supports him, for wanting to be loved. Chloe possibly outing him by yelling Lucas is gay in a crowd, Arthur joking about his family, Eliott kissing a girl - it brings all his worst pains and fears to a head, and things he’s been repressing for the longest time just boil over, in the shape of rage and inarticulate despair. He punches his hand into the wall because he cannot speak, cannot think, cannot do anything else. It’s violence and self-harm as a symptom of powerlessness. The look on his face at the end I read as him being totally overwhelmed.

 In the background the song talks about partying to pretend to be alright - but emptiness and chaos catch on eventually. It’s ironic in a sense because the singer is talking about glitter and kissing boys in public, things Lucas very much shies away from, but in the end the result is the same, loneliness and alienation. The association of the two brings up very old themes in queer culture, specifically things gay men have had to deal with - feeling adrift, disconnected from family and people and feelings, internalized hatred, self-harm, feeling like you have nowhere to go, putting on a happy face even when you’re spiralling out, partying as a substitute for connection, and what happens when the facade breaks. At the same time, the drop after excess can have a revelatory effect. 

Even if it’s painful, this scene is necessary and kickstarts the part of his journey where he is facing his fears on his own. The hurt is a recognition of what is happening to him and how important it is. 

Lundi 08h52 : Scared but doing it anyway

That's the definition of courage.  With his bandaged hand and the slow opening, as he puts his hoodie up, he looks like a boxer stepping into the ring. Lighting is at its most overcast, blue-tinted, dark and depressing. This clip is heartbreaking, bringing Lucas's worst fears to the light. Being mocked and ostracized, turned into a vulgar joke, having been played for a fool. 

Fear number one. He sees his friends laughing at him. Lucas is a character with huge abandonment issues, understandably. As his familial situation went sideways and his sense of self was put in turmoil, he’s relied on the normalcy of his friendgroup to keep him afloat, going to great lengths to preserve their view of him - even declaring love to a girl he feels nothing for. Them laughing would feel like the ground disappearing under his feet. 

Fear number two. We can see Alex mimicking a blowjob. Through his rant to Mika about dick shaped confetti or his reaction to “Krindr” dick picks, we can see that he seems to be uneasy when it comes to the overly sexual way the gay community is often presented. And homophobic jokes and behavior tends to be overly sexual too, reducing gayness to a series of sexual acts presented as disgusting, instead of the whole love, identity and culture aspects (not that there is anything wrong with gay sexuality in itself, but when it’s reduced to only that, it would be understandable he has issues with it, especially for a teenager who’s just discovering things, belying the cliché that all men are naturally horndogs.) He's afraid of his intimate feelings and process of discovery becoming a vulgar joke, that’s very understandable. 

Fear number three. Eliott looking at him smugly. Basically confirming that he’s a player,  that this very special connection they had, something that allowed Lucas to open up and be vulnerable and artistic and bold, and muse about alternate universes and play the piano and feel comfortable enough to be happy kissing another boy - was a lie. Eliott doesn’t care and now he’s able to be on the side of the bullies because to him - like the cliché “bisexuality” Lucas had in mind talking to the girls - his attraction to boys is just a fun side piece, he can just go back to his girlfriend afterwards, whereas Lucas can’t. He’s “stuck being gay” and he’s failed at maintaing a straight façade. 

To close it off, there’s Chloé, fulfilling the narrative purpose of a ticking clock and a reminder of Lucas’ failure at straightness and imminent outing. This of course, is not really happening, but this paranoia is very typical of being a closeted queer person, of constantly having to wonder who is going to love you anyway and who is going to reject you because even when your people are mostly liberal and tolerant, there is no way to really know because of how deep homophobia is rooted in our society (see my meta about French humor). It really is Schodinger’s unconditional love. 

And then there’s Daphné. This is the first of several ‘tonal breaks’ in this arc, in which the angst is cut with moments of levity, randomness and wacky jokes that seem a little out of place but do serve a purpose narratively and in terms of themes. In this one, she goes out of her way to praise Lucas’ masculinity. It wouldn’t surprise me she already heard rumors, going from the alarmed look on her face, and wants to reassure Lucas he is still a man in her eyes. Daphné is an interesting character to do this. Because she has little brain to mouth filter, she tends to say stupid things and offend people, but at the same time, she can break through people’s walls and isolation - the foyer, meant to bring different people together, is a symbol of this. She’s a key representative of Skam’s central theme of people being flawed, able to learn, and of -trying and reaching out, even with mixed results, being a super important thing. Therefore, it’s interesting she’s the first to reach Lucas in this difficult phase, and this will happen again later. At the same time her words about defenseless women needing a strong man is a reminder of the overwhelming clichés about gender roles that make Lucas’ life so difficult. 

Lundi 14h03 : Ennemies and Allies

Chloe's threat of outing Lucas whenever she wants gives the whole episode a feeling of urgency. She is extremely hurt and he can’t catch her, either physically or symbolically. She’s a loose cannon, and her holding Lucas’ outing hostage as revenge feels very violent. It's not clear that anybody knows yet, but she could take Lucas's choice from him any time now. His harsh and terrified words (”I’m not a f*g”) illustrate the level of denial he is trying to stay in as it’s slipping away from him, the powerlessness he feels. The scene taking place in PE class with people throwing balls at one person standing in a goal reinforces the overal symbolism of being put on the spot. 

On the opposite side, Yann's reminder of support sets up what happens later. He wants to be there for Lucas, but he’s also been hurt by his silence. He doesn’t want the squad to be Lucas’ punching ball if he can’t verbalize. 

Mardi 13h08 : Miscommunication. 

Eliott is trying to make a joke about the time they met and he couldn’t chose what to get from the vending machine ; Lucas interprets it as him saying he wants both Lucas and his gf, and he responds harshly. Lucas is pretty much standing up for himself here, as painful as it is. He signals to Eliott he's not game to just forgive and forget, to do as if what happens didn't matter. Him alluding to a choice that Eliott needs to make - there's still a sliver of hope there though, as agonizing as it seems.

Lucas not finding a place to sit and leaving the canteen represents his worst fears about coming out - being left alone. It’s a classic high school story trope, not knowing at which table to sit, eg. not fitting in anywhere, so he chooses not to feed himself. (Again, hurting himself). 

Mercredi 13h37 : Sorting through your old shit

This moment of levity after the heavy angst serves as a reminder that life, whether you are ready for it or not, goes on. It’s also the second time that the show subverts horror tropes - first in the first kiss scene for romantic purposes, here for comedic purposes with the creepy dolls everywhere and the guy with an axe. The theme is that things that look scary at first often aren’t, and can even bring unexpected gifts. The overall scene doesn’t have much impact on the plot, but it can symbolize several things - the need to do away with the messy things of the past (like all the shit in the shop and internalized homophobia), giving things that are still useful a new place where they can be better appreciated (the couch is a metaphor for Lucas being gay lmao), the difficulty of dealing with grief and your baggage alone and the need for outside help (like the shopkeeper who can’t get rid of his brother’s things), the importance of playfulness and unexpected gifts (table football). 

The girls opening up about their dating woes puts Lucas’ struggles in the larger context of teenage boys being trash, normalizing what he goes through. On the other hand, again, Daphne’s comments and Imane’s joke show that the girl squad have their own problems with gender clichés. Manon denouncing them marks her as a safe place for Lucas, as well as her going through the deeper kind of turmoil of love troubles. 

Lundi 01h48 : In the abyss

The scene is dark and drenched in blue light, giving it an oceanic, almost submarine vibe. This is Skam taking full advantage of its real time format, showing the story at a time where viewers are very likely to be in the same state of exhaustion and half-consciousness as the characters. 

Even though he doesn't show it much, Lucas is a deeply caring character. He's just been extremely burned out, possibly by his family situation, and what happened with Eliott. And yet, it's still there. We can see it here in how he comforts Manon, trying to be stoic, but it's getting to him in the end. Compassion is often much easier to extend to others than to yourself. He might punish himself for feeling too much, but he would never do that to Manon. 

This scene is, to me, the most pivotal moment of the season yet along with the piano scene : they're moments where we see Lucas's soul come to the surface. And as vulnerability is key to the plot, those moments of openness really move things along. The piano scene was Lucas letting out his more passionate, artistic, sensitive side ; this moment is more raw and ugly, about what lies beneath the anger, the despair of caring too much. And yet there is beauty and relief in owning it. In this particular context the shell of anger Lucas protects himself with is meaningless - it’s just the utter loneliness of the night and two people who are broken and lost. Manon is also from a broken home of sorts, she’s also been given a lot of reasons to give up on love. The fact that they’re able to share this intimacy of letting themselves feel like that, at a moment where words are beyond them, is however a sign that they’re not giving up. They’re feeling the feelings, as painful as it is, and they have a witness. It’s beautiful. 

Vendredi 09h14 : Exhaustion

Lucas's body is basically close to giving up on him. He can front all he wants, but he's still only human. So he goes to see the school nurse for insomnia. He thinks maybe if he can solve the physical problem, maybe get pills, he can go back to being tough and pretending nothing is wrong. The nurse’s answer - not exposing himself to any screens or blue light before sleeping - is laughably unadapted to his problems, which in turn makes the idea that Lucas can solve his problems this way ridiculous as well.

The nurse is a mess - is she cheating on her actual husband there ? Why is she talking about her (murder)fantasies to a student ? Teacher’s back acne ? She illustrates that adults still have problems (again, normalizing what Lucas goes through) and that life in general is messy and you need people on your side who can be there even though you are going through ugly, difficult things. Lucas cannot talk to her, they’re not on the same wavelength at all, but there’s still someone he can talk to. The medecine is not pills, it’s human support and trust. 

Vendredi 17h05 : Trust issues 

This clip is very painful to watch. 

First Eliott’s drawing. At this point in the story it feels like a cruel joke. This guy played him, and now he’s talking about destiny ? Lucas really bought into the whole Polaris thing, we could see he was starving for a real connection, and maybe he thinks Eliott is using that against him, tugging on the heartstrings like a true artsy fuckboi. At the same time, the loneliness that emanates from the drawing is heartbreaking for us, who know what’s up with Eliott. 

Lucas decides to go talk to Yann. That’s his destiny. I thought he was going to walk up to Eliott for a moment, the filming is deliberately ambiguous, but no. In a way, he’s choosing himself, deciding to bring stability to his life by opening up to the guy who’s been his main support system for years : Yann. And he lays it all on the table - his problems with his family, his insomnia, the mess with Chloe, the difficulty talking, having a crush of sorts for Yann, falling in love with Eliott. He’s so brave. He banks on his ability to trust Yann, he wants to believe he’ll be there for him. He’s finally coming out to someone on his own terms, with clear words. 

It doesn’t work. Now, I never believed Yann was homophobic - his face only shuts down when Lucas starts talking about all the people who already know. But after Lucas’ slow, painful journey towards opening up, it feels like a bucket of ice water in the face. However, it is thematically appropriate. 

This story arc tries to balance two concepts very delicately : on one side, as a teenager it’s important to realize that you’re not as alone as you think, not alone struggling. On the other hand, both internalized homophobia and French culture’s latent homophobia (that makes people do shitty things even though they’re not homophobic at heart, without realizing it) make this process of teenage alienation vs self discovery and acceptance, a thousand times more painful than it needs to be. Ending the episode on this note signifies that the struggle is real, that however brave you might be, sometimes the world is going to try and slap you down anyway. Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there, but for Lucas, this is the bottom of the pit. As his instagram post says ‘god needs your lifeboat as an ashtray’. Sometimes your best efforts mean nothing. This seems like a very pessimistic and cruel conclusion but I believe it’s an important beat in the story, recognizing that sometimes things go wrong through no fault of your own. It’s the system that is to blame, that has not given the tools to Yann to react properly and for the both of them to communicate better and for Lucas to accept who he is and not hurt people around him in order to hide. They’ve gone the road of validation over comfort and I think it’s a very interesting choice. (Even though I can also understand people who needed a more positive message and were hurt by this). But like a lot of queer people, I’ve had my share of half-botched coming outs and it’s important to show how you come back from that. 

...

So in a nutshell : this week, we bear witness to the slow death of Lucas’ tough, uncaring, player straight guy facade. His feelings have reached a boiling point, and he can’t ignore them any longer, it’s taking a toll on his body and isolating him from his friends. The moments of levity serve to dedramatize and normalize what Lucas goes through, encouraging him to reach out, while at the same time, the show takes his pain and fear seriously, by showing the minute toll it takes on his health and the less than ideal reaction of the people around him. However, through it all, he finds the courage to keep facing his feelings and opening up. He is staring his worst fears in the face - abandonment, ostracization, having his feelings used against him - and he still manages to choose trust. Eliott might have been a catalyst, but in the end he chooses to do what’s right for himself. He talks, even though it’s almost a moment of symbolic death, but the transformation can take root from there. Honesty is grueling sometimes, but it’s still necessary.  It’s better than letting the lie ruin your health and your relationship, better than hurting yourself in an attempt to push down the truth, better than violent powerlessness or night time devastation. Lucas is so good at wearing a mask, but how he reacts in this crisis is revelatory of his own deepest need for change and love. 

In short, I love this character with the intensity of a thousand suns and even though it's super painful I love that we got to go on this journey with him.

Thank you for reading this monster of a post, and see you next time for pt 2 : Acceptance ! 

[theblueskyphoenix]

I was looking through my old Don’t Starve pen sketches back from 2016 and I stumbled across Edward’s old sketch set and... I have to admit I started laughing at how different he is now compared to what Storm and I first drafted with these sketches. 

It’s... kind of a funny story. 

So, back in 2016 when we started doing the planning and drafting of Survive the Shadows we originally didn’t have much planned for Wilson’s family. We just knew he was estranged from them and he had issues. 

Our first pitch was he was neglected by both parents growing up and didn’t really know any form of love save from his grandfather, Percival, explaining his inability to emote well when it came to showing his feelings and not really understanding what love is. (The guy wasn’t even sure how to smile properly.) It worked okay but then other ideas came in which brought us to our second pitch. 

Second pitch, his mother cared for him along with his grandfather and grandmother but his father didn’t and was... to put it bluntly, an abusive jerk who didn’t care one bit about his son and was embarrassed by the fact he had a son like Wilson. He only married Cecelia for money and never really loved her and would eventually leave her for someone else. We ran with this for quite awhile during chapter draftings but then... 

Alright, small detour from Survive the Shadows, one of the reasons we decided to look more deep into Edward and how he ticks was because of one of the AUs Storm and I cooked up known as the Wilson and Albert AU, a Phineas and Ferb-esque AU. (Actually it’s because of this AU we decided to change a lot of things but that is a story for another time.) Anyways, this was the AU, at the time of creation, we joked was the AU where Wilson was at his happiest and his dad actually loved him. Edward got to grow as a character in this AU since he was actually a good guy but admittedly didn’t get a lot of screen time since we didn’t have much for him since with his canon counterpart, we didn’t want to get too attached because in our minds he was still the abusive jerk and he wasn’t supposed to be interesting or anything and funnily enough he was supposed to finally wind up dead in a gutter somewhere. 

... Till Storm and I started thinking. 

We started wondering how such a guy came from people like Melinda and Percival. He would’ve been raised well and taught to respect women. He would’ve been taught to be a gentlemen and if he started showing signs of being the least bit cruel they would’ve set him straight. 

So came the third pitch. Edward was originally a good father  and loved his wife and son but was driven mad by nightmare monsters because of Melinda’s connections to the Shadow World/The Constant, which lead to him resenting his family and was eventually committed to an asylum because of the insanity. This pitch came about before WnA since we started thinking of the idea when we decided Wickerbottom would be related to Wilson but WnA pushed us to try it out since again, Edward was starting to get more interesting. We left it at that but Edward didn’t have much to his character. He was rather flat as it were. Then I watched a particular movie that served as an inspiration for Edward as a character and for how him and Cecelia met. 

Corpse Bride was something I remembered fondly and rewatched while I was working on drawings for Don’t Starve content. Storm and I were watching together and we started d’awwwing over the idea of Edward and Cecelia having a similar meeting of an arranged marriage. It had always been that way from the start but we thought it would be sweet if they could meet like Victor and Victoria. Be in something that was arranged but they actually grew to love each other. Then we started playing with the idea and fell in love with it. On top of that, I started pitching the idea of Edward being a bit like Victor. Little awkward and had a gift for music. That’s when the 4th pitch came in along with his middle name.

The 4th pitch was Edward was a kind man, a great musician, loved his family and wanted to be there for them but sadly went mad due to nightmare monsters which lead to him eventually being committed to an asylum because of insanity. We were pretty satisfied and figured this would be it for Edward and that this what we would write for his entry in Book of Shadows when we got to it but of course other ideas came out after I started looking into other things like the music from The Count of Monte Cristo Musical and we brought in characters like Cato and fleshed out Maxwell.

Why would Maxwell’s fleshing out matter in regards to Edward? Well... Okay, this is going to get a little disturbing but bear in mind this is no longer canon and will never happen but it was something we thought of. 

Originally, Maxwell was going to be the one trying to possess Edward but failed and Edward still went mad because his mind was left weak and perfect for nightmare monsters to attack. Reason we even thought of this idea was when I did a concept sketch of the Shadow Maestro and we played with a small AU where Maxwell had actually done it and it fit well with what we had going on for Maxwell which was him possessing hosts every so often since the current host was growing too old and Edward would’ve been perfect since he was half shadow being. (More power, afterall.) Edward was the failed attempt and William would be the successful one afterward. (There’s a reason Maxwell picked him but that is yet another story a for another time and spoilers.) It was interesting but after fleshing Maxwell out in Fallen King and Dark Knowledge we started wondering why in all the hecks would Maxwell do that. He respected Melinda and Percival, why we would he target their son if he respected them? On top of that, Maxwell wouldn’t want to make scene or tear apart a family like that. He had been through it himself and wouldn’t want to force it on another, especially someone who was related to people he had connections with. So, we ditched the idea entirely and were originally going to go with nightmare monsters only then we thought back to Cato and thought he would be more likely to do something like that because he wanted revenge for what Maxwell did to him. Thus, the final pitch came. 

The final pitch, was Edward was a musician, a good father, a loving husband, a kind and good man who was driven mad by a man named Cato who wanted to possess him so he could have his revenge on Maxwell. A man who would spend a good number of his years in an asylum trying to hold on till a cure was found so he could be with his family once more, playing music in his cell to fight off the nightmare monsters picking at his brain, using magic he didn’t realize he possessed that he had inherited from his mother. Losing half his mind in the whole process before certain things came to pass. 

Those certain things would be events such as becoming The Count of Umbra Rosa in the Don’t Starve Together Journals Timeline and other things that I can not speak of at this time because they have not been revealed. 

So, yeah. This is what developing a character looks like. It’s a wild ride but totally worth it and fun to look back and see what happened along the way and giggle at how different things turned out from the initial pitch. Seeing how a character develops flaws, quirks, goals they have, loves, etc. This is one of the many reasons I love being a writer. 

And with that, I am done gushing. Thank you if read all the way through this long ramble of mine. Just felt like sharing. Hope this was interesting.

[drkandraz]

What Makes One Piece Worth It?

One Piece is one of the most popular (and for good reason) shounen series ever, if not the most popular (at least in Japan). It is an epic of grand scale that takes the reader along with the characters for adventures in the huge sprawling world made by Oda-sensei. However, due to this fact, it is a very difficult series to start without feeling like you are not making any progress. That, coupled with the very deliberately slow starts in any shounen, makes it an almost impenetrable series to newcomers, who are encouraged to start from the beginning. Despite this, fans will still claim that the slow crawl through the first 3-4 arcs is worth it. Why? Let’s find out! (Btw, I’ll assume you know roughly what One Piece is about just so I don’t have to discuss that first)

Do you see that gif there? That character is Brook. He is one of the Straw Hats (the main crew of characters the show focuses on). His first appearance is 442 chapters into the manga and 337 episodes into the anime. That is a ridiculous amount of time to meet one of your main characters, even when they don’t become so right away. This is a perfect example of the planning and deliberation that Oda-sensei puts into every facet of One Piece and its Universe. If a character is mentioned 80 chapters in, he might actually appear at about the 520 mark. This is the slow boil at which Oda-sensei and his world operate and this is why many people don’t make it to the Grand Line with the Straw Hats before dropping the series altogether (and I don’t blame them, I did too). But this is also what makes One Piece great. Since the writer has already set up all the plot points, characters and world beforehand, he is free to explore the world within the limitations already set by himself years before. This allows him to relax whenever he has writer’s block since the plot is basically already written and all he has to do is set up the details, which make this an ideal situation for a manga whose main theme is adventure.

So, where does that leave new readers? It leaves them with the recommendation to “start from the beginning and stick with it” until, the arc most people say made them stay with the series, Arlong Park, the fifth arc in the series and about chapter 70. This is obviously a tough enough engagement, especially taking into account the fact that the previous arcs feel like old shounen tropes put together in a blender, mixed, and then, to add even more boredom, making the backstories of the crew members joining in those arcs pretty boring and standard (except you, Sanji, I love you, muah). It’s easy to see the barrier to entry here similar to older SMT games or the Kingdom Hearts storyline. Sadly, the truth is that the only way One Piece may be fully enjoyed is by seeing it all happen from the very beginning, with its old shitty shounen syndrome (which is in some cases almost completely rectified by later arcs).

So the question remains: What makes this all worth it? Well, it’s exactly this slowness of the series’ pace (in its grand plot, the individual arcs move along just fine) that allows its world to become real, vivid and full. It never lets the reader stop believing that it is all real and it wallows in its bizarre and kooky network of relationships between characters, locations, fight systems (really, this series has like 10 different anime magic fighting systems and they all work beautifully together) etc. The characters’ history, relationships, traumas, hardships and small joys are all a joy to behold and then see play out in their motivations and actions afterwards and before their reveal. Every character is a complex human (or animal, I guess) being and each tiny piece is a step toward the puzzle of One Piece’s world and goal, the eponymous treasure. But most of all, One Piece is worth it because of the prevailing theme of Dreams: every Straw Hat has a dream (to become Pirate King, to find All Blue, etc.), every villain has a dream, from the simplest of survival, greed and control over others to the most complex of “Absolute Justice” or revenge upon the whole world. The world in filled with people who dream, who dare, who want, who cease. In other words, One Piece’s is a world filled with passion, the essential emotion of any shounen. This…is what makes One Piece worth it.

Now, a couple of mentions: If you are planning to watch One Piece, you should know that the anime, while good, cannot compare to the manga. From terrible pacing problems (which are inherent to an adaptation of something made very specifically with manga in mind, not necessarily a criticism to the makers of the show) to sometimes stupid looking animation, it can only work as a companion piece to the manga at certain points. However, put that soundtrack on when it matches a moment in the manga, cause it is awesome and a great fit for the series.

In conclusion, One Piece is a huge investment, but it is a well worth it investment, in my opinion. Its slow moments only build up to grander and grander adventures to come and the world only gets deeper and deeper the more you read about it. If you are up to it, I recommend this as a rabbit hole you merrily (puns) jump into.

[moco1569]

What is a Funnel or Salesfunnel and do I truly need a Funnel for my organisation

One of the core principles in the digital marketing market is the sales funnel . While odd sounding in the beginning, this single core concept can take a company from unknown and practically non-existent to multi-million-dollar marketing machine with mass saturation, seemingly overnight. There are skilled specialists who have constructed a profession around implementing this single idea in business. If you're questioning what a sales funnel is, simply imagine a real-world funnel. At the top of that funnel, some compound is gathered, which filters down towards one finite location. In sales, something similar takes place. At the top, great deals of visitors arrive who may enter your funnel. However, unlike the real-world funnel, not all who get in the sales funnel will reemerge out from the other end. To much better understand the principle of a sales funnel and just how you can execute it in your own organisation, let's take a look at the following image from Shutterstock. On the left side of the image, you see a magnet. That magnet is attracting consumers, which happens a variety of ways. From blogging to social media to paid ads and everything in between, how the visitors arrive to your website has some effect on the success of your funnel. Stage 1: Awareness When those visitors (we can call them potential customers) actually do arrive, what's more important about the sales funnel is what occurs. Through a variety of means, many of which you  have actually already seen, such as e-mail newsletter signups, ebook downloads, online quizzes and more, those prospects participate in your sales funnel through an attracting deal. The goal of your whole sale funnel and platform is to solve your customer's issue. When you understand the issue, and you construct content to draw them in, then offer them a service or product to fix their issue, that's when the real magic occurs. Nevertheless, getting to that stage takes work and you need to garner their awareness first. When the prospect remains in the proverbial funnel, you've peaked their awareness. That's the very first phase of the funnel. Nevertheless, getting a possibility knowledgeable about you is no easy accomplishment. Relying on how they've arrived to your website ( naturally or through a paid advertisement), those clients may view your funnel differently and your opt-in rates will differ considerably. For example, when a client finds you naturally through a Google look for example, that means you have some component of authority. When you have authority, prospects are more likely to get in into your funnel because they know that if they discovered you relevantly, that whatever it is that you're supplying should be of a fantastic worth. That's just the nature of SEO and organic search. Of course, regardless of how they participate in your funnel, your goal as a marketer is to move them through the numerous phases that will take them from possibility to purchaser. And when they  understand you, you need to construct their interest. To do this, you require to establish a relationship with the consumer. You might have lured them with a terrific deal (lead magnet) to grab their e-mail address, but actually moving them through the funnel is a far higher challenge. The fact? People are smart. They're not just going to purchase anything from anybody unless they feel there's an enormous quantity of value to be had there. Thus, your funnel requirements to built that worth and bake it in through a range of means. However most importantly, you need to produce a strong bond with your possibility, and that happens by being relatable, transparent and truthful in your email warming sequence. Stage 2: Interest You get the potential customers interest through an email sequence. You start to relate stories to them that tie into who you are and how you  have actually arrived to this point in your life. Brunson, in his book, Specialist Tricks, calls this the Appealing Character. Are you the unwilling hero whose journey took place nearly by mistake, however you feel like you owe it to yourself and the world to convey something of fantastic value? Or, are you an evangelist, an adventurer or a leader ? How you place yourself is totally as much as you, but your message must be consistent throughout your whole "pitch" and it requires to be steeped in the reality. Your backstory, and just how you convey that through parables, character defects and polarity, has much to do with just how well you can "hook" in your prospects to create a mass movement. Obviously, executing this isn't simple. You need to very first develop your stories, then select how you're going to communicate those stories and at what drip-rate. For instance, your very first e-mail or 2 might go out on the day they initially signup, then one email daily might head out afterwards. How much of that will be story-based and how much will be pitches? In a current discussion I had with Perry Belcher, co-founder of Native Commerce Media, he informed me that you likewise require to train your potential customers to click on links. For instance, you might have them click a link of what interests them or link them to a blog post or eventually to a product and services that you're offering, but you require to train them to build a practice of clicking on those links from the very start. Stage 3: Choice The next stage is the decision. Getting potential customers to make a choice isn't easy. The very best way to get them there? Beyond the art of story informing, developing the practice and copywriting of link-clicking, you need to have lots and lots of client evaluations and reviews. This is among the most effective manner ins which you can get individuals to act. Obviously, if you're going the paid ad route, you might likewise use Facebook and Google re-targeting to keep that awareness and interest level high. For example, if you've ever noticed after leaving a particular website, that you start to see their advertisement everywhere, there's a specific reason for that. Particularly if they've already entered your sales funnel , this is a extremely effective way to get them to act. You might show them re-targeting ads that have video testimonials or reviews by other clients. If you have media publications that have actually blogged about you, you might take that opportunity to highlight those. It's simply an added element of exposure when they see this in your sales funnel and you follow them around with re-targeting. But nevertheless you get them to choose to act, flipping that switch isn't easy. You require to present them with a excellent chance and usage Robert Cialdini's 6 principles, detailed in his 1984 book, Impact, in one way or another to move them through this stage: Concept of reciprocity-- This is achieved by providing lots of worth, either through whatever it is that you provided them as a totally free offer (lead magnet) in the very start, or in an continuous exchange through your e-mails. Principle of commitment & consistency-- When individuals commit to something, they're even more most likely to buy from you. That's why getting them to agree to something like a complimentary + shipping offer or by agreeing with something you  have actually stated in some method. This is a powerful concept in sales and if you take note of a few of the best marketers worldwide, you'll see that they work busily to get your dedication to something, even if it's extremely little in the start. When individuals like you (i.e. they relate to your stories) they are more most likely to purchase something from you, concept of liking--. How well you craft your story and convey that to your potential customers is going to play a huge function in whether they choose to act or not. Concept of authority-- Just how much authority do your items or services have? Are their highly regarded individuals in your community that have backed it? Scientific research studies that are backing it? Are you yourself an authority? All these elements enter play in this process. Principle of social evidence-- Do you have social evidence? Are people on social media talking or raving about how excellent your services or items are? Do you have some other type of social proof? Best-selling books? Something else? If you do have them, it's importnat that you provide this to potential customers. Concept of scarcity-- How much scarcity have you baked into your email series? Once again, people are clever, however when you apply the principle of deficiency, as in there are only a restricted quantity of some deal or time left prior to a discount ends or slots readily available for an online class, it entices individuals to act. Phase 4: Action The last of the sales funnel is the action that you're meaning them to perform. This is the purchase. Once again, how well you move them through the numerous stages is going to set you up with a particular conversion for this action. If 100 individuals click on your offer and 10 people enter your sales funnel however only buy individuals purchase, then you have a 2 percent conversion. The finest part about this, and the most effective route that entrepreneurs take to scale their organisations, is that if you understand that sending 100 individuals to your website expenses you $200, for example, however you get two people to convert at $300 each, then you have a $600 return on $200 invested (300 percent). When you know that, that's when the entire video game modifications and you can infinitely scale your offers. This how the world's smartest online marketers scale out their businesses. They understand the conversion worth and they've tweaked and perfected their sales funnels, so they pursue this with a revenge by just scaling out their offers. If you know that, by investing $1 you're going to get $3 back, you will considerably invest $1 consistently. Get the point? Getting to this stage is no basic task. It takes an huge amount of work and effort plus tracking. By carrying out sales funnel software application, such as the platform developed by Brunson, you can absolutely lower the headache, however there's still lots of work to be done. Copy requirements to be composed, tracking pixels need to be installed and email series require to be produced. That's what it takes to be successful. Think about that the next time you're developing out a sales funnel. This complex and detailed principle in service can actually take you from a total unknown to a global powerhouse quickly through the art of scaling out a highly-converting offer. Don't try to take shortcuts or implement hacks, and put in the time if you're wanting to eventually gain the outcomes and benefits . So What Is BossFunnels All About? Bossfunnels is a clever drag and drop funnel builder with all the functions that clickfunnels, leadpages ETC have! But there's even more ... Bossfunnels creates VIRAL funnels, so your customers can construct huge lists and get severe quantities of traffic. Promoting this extremely high quality item you can give your clients something that they will love and utilize for several years to come. Here's Are Some Secret Benefits You May Have An Interest In Getting: Done-For-You Funnels In 1-Click. Free Viral Traffic In Seconds Built-In ... No Hosting, Coding Or Design ... 3-Figure A Day Tutorials Consisted Of. No Monthly Fees ... Enjoy Sales While You Sleep ... Be Your Own Employer ... 180-Day Money Back Guarantee ... Get or get outcomes Paid $500 ...

[retrogayicons]

What is a Funnel or Salesfunnel and do I really need a Funnel for my organisation

Among the core principles in the digital marketing industry is the sales funnel . While odd sounding in the beginning, this single core idea can take a organisation from unknown and virtually non-existent to multi-million-dollar marketing machine with mass saturation, seemingly over night. In reality, there are experienced practitioners who have developed a career around implementing this single principle in business. If you're wondering what a sales funnel is, merely think of a real-world funnel. At the top of that funnel, some substance is gathered, which filters down towards one finite location. In sales, something similar takes place. At the top, great deals of visitors arrive who might enter your funnel. Nevertheless, unlike the real-world funnel, not all who get in the sales funnel will reemerge out from the other end. To much better understand the principle of a sales funnel and just how you can execute it in your own organisation, let's take a look at the following image from Shutterstock. On the left side of the image, you see a magnet. That magnet is attracting customers, which happens a number of ways. From blogging to social networks to paid advertisements and whatever in between, how the visitors show up to your site has some effect on the success of your funnel. Stage 1: Awareness What's more vital about the sales funnel is what happens when those visitors (we can call them potential customers) really do get here. Through a variety of ways, many of which you've currently seen, such as email newsletter signups, ebook downloads, online tests and more, those prospects enter into your sales funnel through an enticing offer. The objective of your whole sale funnel and platform is to fix your consumer's problem. When you know the problem, and you construct material to draw them in, then provide them a item or service to solve their problem, that's when the genuine magic happens. Getting to that phase takes work and you have to amass their awareness. When the possibility is in the proverbial funnel, you  have actually peaked their awareness. That's the very first phase of the funnel. However, getting a prospect knowledgeable about you is no basic accomplishment. Relying on how they  have actually gotten here to your website ( naturally or through a paid advertisement), those clients may view your funnel differently and your opt-in rates will vary significantly. When a customer discovers you naturally through a Google search for example, that implies you have some aspect of authority. When you have authority, potential customers are more likely to enter into your funnel because they understand that if they found you relevantly, that whatever it is that you're providing must be of a fantastic value. That's simply the nature of SEO and organic search. Obviously, despite how they enter into your funnel, your goal as a marketer is to move them through the several phases that will take them from possibility to buyer. And when they  understand you, you need to build their interest. To do this, you need to develop a relationship with the consumer. You might have lured them with a fantastic deal (lead magnet) to grab their email address, but actually moving them through the funnel is a far higher challenge. The fact? Individuals are smart. They're not just going to purchase anything from anyone unless they feel there's an tremendous amount of worth to be had there. Hence, your funnel requirements to built that worth and bake it in through a range of ways. Most notably, you have to develop a strong bond with your prospect, and that occurs by being relatable, transparent and honest in your email warming sequence. Phase 2: Interest You acquire the potential customers interest through an email sequence. You start to relate stories to them that tie into who you are and how you've gotten here to this point in your life. Brunson, in his book, Professional Tricks, calls this the Appealing Character. Are you the reluctant hero whose journey occurred almost by mistake, but you seem like you owe it to yourself and the world to convey something of great value? Or, are you an adventurer, a leader or an evangelist ? How you position yourself is completely up to you, but your message should be consistent throughout your whole "pitch" and it needs to be steeped in the fact. Your backstory, and just how you communicate that through parables, character flaws and polarity, has much to do with simply how well you can "hook" in your prospects to produce a mass movement. Naturally, executing this isn't simple. You need to first develop your stories, then decide on how you're going to convey those stories and at what drip-rate. For instance, your first email or two might head out on the day they first signup, then one e-mail each day might head out afterwards. How much of that will be story-based and just how much will be pitches? In a recent discussion I had with Perry Belcher, co-founder of Native Commerce Media, he informed me that you also need to train your potential customers to click on links. You might have them click on a link of what interests them or link them to a blog site post or eventually to a product or service that you're selling, however you need to train them to build a routine of clicking on those links from the very beginning. Phase 3: Choice The next stage is the choice. Getting prospects to make a decision isn't easy. The finest way to get them there? Beyond the art of story informing, copywriting and developing the habit of link-clicking, you require to have lots and lots of consumer evaluations and testimonials. This is one of the most powerful manner ins which you can get individuals to take action. Of course, if you're going the paid ad route, you could likewise utilize Facebook and Google re-targeting to keep that awareness and interest level high. For instance, if you've ever noticed after leaving a specific website, that you start to see their ad all over, there's a particular reason for that. Particularly if they've currently entered your sales funnel , this is a really effective way to get them to act. For example, you could show them re-targeting ads that have video testimonials or evaluations by other clients. You could take that opportunity to highlight those if you have media publications that have written about you. It's simply an added element of exposure when they see this in your sales funnel and you follow them around with re-targeting. But however you get them to choose to act, flipping that switch isn't easy. You need to provide them with a fantastic opportunity and usage Robert Cialdini's 6 principles, laid out in his 1984 book, Impact, in one way or another to move them through this phase: Principle of reciprocity-- This is achieved by providing lots of value, either through whatever it is that you provided them as a free deal (lead magnet) in the very start, or in an continuous exchange through your emails. Concept of dedication & consistency-- When individuals commit to something, they're even more most likely to buy from you. That's why getting them to consent to something like a complimentary + shipping offer or by concurring with something you've stated in some way. This is a effective concept in sales and if you take notice of some of the best online marketers in the world, you'll see that they work busily to get your commitment to something, even if it's very small in the start. When people like you (i.e. they relate to your stories) they are more most likely to purchase something from you, principle of taste--. How well you craft your story and communicate that to your prospects is going to play a huge role in whether they choose to act or not. Principle of authority-- How much authority do your services or items have? Are their respected individuals in your community that have endorsed it? Scientific research studies that are backing it? Are you yourself an authority? All these elements enter play in this process. Concept of social proof-- Do you have social evidence? Are people on social networks raving or talking about how great your services or products are? Do you have some other type of social proof? Very popular books? Something else? If you do have them, it's importnat that you provide this to potential customers. Concept of deficiency-- How much scarcity have you baked into your email series? Once again, individuals are wise, but when you use the concept of scarcity, as in there are only a restricted amount of some deal or time left before a discount rate ends or slots readily available for an online class, it entices individuals to act. Stage 4: Action The last of the sales funnel is the action that you're planning them to perform. This is the purchase. Again, how well you move them through the numerous stages is going to set you up with a particular conversion for this action. If 100 people click on your offer and 10 individuals enter your sales funnel however only acquire people purchase, then you have a 2 percent conversion. The finest part about this, and the most powerful path that entrepreneurs take to scale their services, is that if you know that sending out 100 people to your website costs you $200, for example, however you get two people to convert at $300 each, then you have a $600 return on $200 invested (300 percent). When you understand that, that's when the entire game changes and you can considerably scale your offers. This how the world's most intelligent online marketers scale out their organisations. They know the conversion worth and they  have actually fine-tuned and refined their sales funnels, so they pursue this with a revenge by merely scaling out their deals. If you understand that, by investing $1 you're going to get $3 back, you will considerably invest $1 consistently. Understand? However, getting to this phase is no simple task. It takes an enormous quantity of work and effort plus tracking. By carrying out sales funnel software application, such as the platform built by Brunson, you can certainly cut down the headache, however there's still great deals of work to be done. Copy needs to be written, tracking pixels require to be set up and email sequences require to be developed. But that's what it requires to succeed. Believe about that the next time you're constructing out a sales funnel. This complex and intricate idea in business can literally take you from a total unknown to a global powerhouse quickly through the art of scaling out a highly-converting offer. Don't attempt to take shortcuts or implement hacks, and put in the time if you're looking to eventually enjoy the advantages and outcomes . What Is BossFunnels All About? Bossfunnels is a smart drag and drop funnel builder with all the functions that clickfunnels, leadpages ETC have! There's even more ... Bossfunnels creates VIRAL produces, so your customers can clients massive develop enormous get extreme amounts severe quantities. Promoting this incredibly high quality product you can offer your clients something that they will use and love for several years to come. Here's Are Some Key Advantages You May Be Interested In Getting: Done-For-You Funnels In 1-Click. Free Viral Traffic In Seconds Integrated ... No Hosting, Coding Or Style ... 3-Figure A Day Tutorials Consisted Of. No Monthly Fees ... Enjoy Sales While You Sleep ... Be Your Own Boss ... 180-Day Cash Back Warranty ... Get or get outcomes Paid $500 ...

[ecosnobberysucks]

What is a Funnel or Salesfunnel and do I really need a Funnel for my service

One of the core concepts in the digital marketing market is the sales funnel . While odd sounding in the beginning, this single core principle can take a company from unknown and essentially non-existent to multi-million-dollar marketing maker with mass saturation, seemingly overnight. There are competent specialists who have constructed a profession around executing this single principle in company. If you're questioning what a sales funnel is, just imagine a real-world funnel. At the top of that funnel, some compound is gathered, which filters down towards one limited destination. In sales, something similar happens. At the top, lots of visitors arrive who may enter your funnel. Unlike the real-world funnel, not all who go into the sales funnel will reemerge out from the other end. To much better understand the concept of a sales funnel and just how you can implement it in your own organisation, let's take a look at the following image from Shutterstock. On the left side of the image, you see a magnet. That magnet is drawing in customers, which occurs a variety of ways. From blogging to social media to paid advertisements and everything in between, how the visitors arrive to your site has some influence on the success of your funnel. Stage 1: Awareness When those visitors (we can call them prospects) actually do show up, what's more important about the sales funnel is what happens. Through a range of means, a number of which you've currently seen, such as e-mail newsletter signups, ebook downloads, online tests and more, those prospects participate in your sales funnel through an luring offer. The goal of your entire sale funnel and platform is to solve your consumer's problem. When you know the problem, and you build content to draw them in, then use them a product or service to resolve their issue, that's when the genuine magic takes place. Nevertheless, getting to that stage takes work and you have to amass their awareness first. When the prospect is in the proverbial funnel, you've peaked their awareness. That's the first stage of the funnel. However, getting a possibility familiar with you is no easy feat. Relying on how they  have actually arrived to your website (organically or through a paid ad), those clients might see your funnel differently and your opt-in rates will vary substantially. When a customer discovers you organically through a Google search for example, that means you have some component of authority. When you have authority, prospects are most likely to get in into your funnel because they know that if they found you relevantly, that whatever it is that you're providing must be of a fantastic worth. That's simply the nature of SEO and organic search. Of course, despite how they participate in your funnel, your objective as a marketer is to move them through the several stages that will take them from possibility to purchaser. And as soon as they  know you, you require to develop their interest. To do this, you need to establish a relationship with the customer. You might have lured them with a great deal (lead magnet) to get their email address, but in fact moving them through the funnel is a far greater obstacle. The fact? Individuals are smart. They're not merely going to buy anything from anyone unless they feel there's an enormous amount of value to be had there. Therefore, your funnel needs to constructed that value and bake it in through a variety of ways. But most notably, you need to develop a strong bond with your prospect, which occurs by being relatable, transparent and truthful in your email warming series. Stage 2: Interest You gain the potential customers interest through an email series. You begin to relate stories to them that tie into who you are and how you  have actually gotten here to this point in your life. Brunson, in his book, Expert Tricks, calls this the Attractive Character. Are you the unwilling hero whose journey took place almost by error, however you feel like you owe it to yourself and the world to convey something of terrific value? Or, are you an adventurer, an evangelist or a leader ? How you place yourself is entirely up to you, but your message should be constant throughout your whole "pitch" and it needs to be steeped in the reality. Your backstory, and simply how you convey that through parables, character flaws and polarity, has much to do with simply how well you can "hook" in your prospects to produce a mass movement. Of course, implementing this isn't simple. You need to first establish your stories, then select how you're going to convey those stories and at what drip-rate. Your first email or two might go out on the day they initially signup, then one email per day may go out afterwards. How much of that will be story-based and how much will be pitches? In a recent discussion I had with Perry Belcher, co-founder of Native Commerce Media, he told me that you also need to train your prospects to click links. You could have them click on a link of what interests them or connect them to a blog site post or ultimately to a product or service that you're offering, but you need to train them to construct a routine of clicking on those links from the very start. Phase 3: Choice The next stage is the decision. Getting potential customers to decide isn't simple. The very best method to get them there? Beyond the art of story informing, constructing the practice and copywriting of link-clicking, you require to have lots and lots of client reviews and reviews. This is among the most effective ways that you can get individuals to take action. Naturally, if you're going the paid ad route, you could also utilize Facebook and Google re-targeting to keep that awareness and interest level high. For example, if you  have actually ever discovered after leaving a specific website, that you start to see their advertisement everywhere, there's a particular reason for that. Particularly if they  have actually currently entered your sales funnel , this is a very powerful method to get them to act. You might show them re-targeting advertisements that have video testimonials or reviews by other consumers. You could take that opportunity to highlight those if you have media publications that have actually composed about you. It's merely an added component of direct exposure when they see this in your sales funnel and you follow them around with re-targeting. However you get them to choose to act, turning that switch isn't simple. You need to present them with a terrific chance and use Robert Cialdini's 6 concepts, outlined in his 1984 book, Influence, in one method or another to move them through this phase: Concept of reciprocity-- This is achieved by providing lots of value, either through whatever it is that you provided them as a free offer (lead magnet) in the very beginning, or in an ongoing exchange through your e-mails. Concept of dedication & consistency-- When individuals dedicate to something, they're far more most likely to acquire from you. That's why getting them to consent to something like a totally free + shipping offer or by agreeing with something you've stated in some method. This is a powerful concept in sales and if you pay attention to a few of the finest marketers worldwide, you'll observe that they work fervently to get your commitment to something, even if it's very little in the start. When people like you (i.e. they relate to your stories) they are more likely to acquire something from you, concept of liking--. How well you craft your story and communicate that to your prospects is going to play a huge function in whether they decide to act or not. Concept of authority-- Just how much authority do your product and services have? Are their highly regarded people in your community that have endorsed it? Scientific studies that are backing it? Are you yourself an authority? All these elements enter play in this procedure. Concept of social evidence-- Do you have social evidence? Are individuals on social media raving or talking about how terrific your services or products are? Do you have some other kind of social proof? Best-selling books? Something else? If you do have them, it's importnat that you present this to potential customers. Principle of deficiency-- Just how much scarcity have you baked into your email series? Again, individuals are smart, however when you use the principle of scarcity, as in there are just a minimal amount of some deal or time left before a discount ends or slots readily available for an online class, it lures people to do something about it. Stage 4: Action The last of the sales funnel is the action that you're intending them to carry out. In many cases this is the purchase. Once again, how well you move them through the numerous phases is going to set you up with a specific conversion for this action. If 100 individuals click on your offer and 10 people enter your sales funnel but just acquire people purchase, then you have a 2 percent conversion. The best part about this, and the most effective route that business owners take to scale their services, is that if you know that sending out 100 people to your website costs you $200, for example, however you get 2 individuals to convert at $300 each, then you have a $600 return on $200 invested (300 percent). When you know that, that's when the whole video game changes and you can definitely scale your deals. This how the world's most intelligent marketers scale out their businesses. They understand the conversion worth and they  have actually modified and improved their sales funnels, so they pursue this with a revenge by just scaling out their offers. If you know that, by investing $1 you're going to get $3 back, you will definitely invest $1 consistently. Get the point? Nevertheless, getting to this phase is no easy task. It takes an huge amount of work and effort plus tracking. By implementing sales funnel software, such as the platform constructed by Brunson, you can definitely lower the headache, however there's still lots of work to be done. Copy needs to be written, tracking pixels require to be installed and email series require to be developed. But that's what it requires to prosper. Believe about that the next time you're constructing out a sales funnel. This complex and intricate idea in company can actually take you from a total unknown to a worldwide powerhouse rapidly through the art of scaling out a highly-converting deal. Don't attempt to take faster ways or execute hacks, and put in the time if you're looking to ultimately gain the advantages and outcomes . What Is BossFunnels All About? Bossfunnels is a clever drag and drop funnel home builder with all the features that clickfunnels, leadpages ETC have! But there's a lot more ... Bossfunnels produces VIRAL funnels, so your customers can construct huge lists and get extreme amounts of traffic. Promoting this extremely high quality product you can provide your consumers something that they will enjoy and use for several years to come. Here's Are Some Key Advantages You Might Be Interested In Getting: Done-For-You Funnels In 1-Click. Free Viral Traffic In Seconds Built-In ... No Hosting, Coding Or Design ... 3-Figure A Day Tutorials Consisted Of. No Monthly Costs ... Enjoy Sales While You Sleep ... Be Your Own Employer ... 180-Day Refund Assurance ... Get or get outcomes Paid $500 ...

[againbeholdthestars]

What is a Funnel or Salesfunnel and do I really require a Funnel for my business

One of the core ideas in the digital marketing market is the sales funnel . While odd sounding in the beginning, this single core idea can take a business from unidentified and practically non-existent to multi-million-dollar marketing maker with mass saturation, seemingly overnight. There are skilled practitioners who have actually developed a profession around implementing this single concept in service. Just envision a real-world funnel if you're wondering what a sales funnel is. At the top of that funnel, some compound is gathered, which filters down towards one limited destination. In sales, something similar occurs. At the top, great deals of visitors arrive who may enter your funnel. Unlike the real-world funnel, not all who get in the sales funnel will reemerge out from the other end. To much better comprehend the principle of a sales funnel and simply how you can implement it in your own business, let's take a look at the following image from Shutterstock. On the left side of the image, you see a magnet. That magnet is bring in consumers, which occurs a variety of ways. From blogging to social media to paid ads and everything in between, how the visitors get here to your site has some influence on the success of your funnel. Phase 1: Awareness What's more crucial about the sales funnel is what happens when those visitors (we can call them potential customers) actually do arrive. Through a range of methods, a number of which you  have actually currently seen, such as e-mail newsletter signups, ebook downloads, online tests and more, those prospects participate in your sales funnel through an enticing offer. The goal of your whole sale funnel and platform is to solve your consumer's issue. When you know the issue, and you build content to draw them in, then provide them a services or product to solve their problem, that's when the genuine magic occurs. Nevertheless, getting to that phase takes work and you have to gather their awareness first. When the prospect remains in the proverbial funnel, you've peaked their awareness. That's the first phase of the funnel. Getting a prospect conscious of you is no basic feat. Relying on how they've arrived to your website ( naturally or through a paid ad), those customers may see your funnel in a different way and your opt-in rates will differ substantially. For example, when a customer finds you naturally through a Google look for example, that means you have some component of authority. When you have authority, potential customers are more likely to participate in your funnel since they know that if they found you relevantly, that whatever it is that you're providing must be of a terrific worth. That's just the nature of SEO and organic search. Of course, despite how they enter into your funnel, your goal as a online marketer is to move them through the several phases that will take them from possibility to purchaser. And as soon as they  understand you, you require to develop their interest. To do this, you need to develop a relationship with the client. You may have lured them with a excellent deal (lead magnet) to get their email address, however really moving them through the funnel is a far higher difficulty. The fact? People are wise. They're not just going to purchase anything from anybody unless they feel there's an immense quantity of value to be had there. Thus, your funnel needs to built that value and bake it in through a range of ways. Most significantly, you have to produce a strong bond with your possibility, and that happens by being relatable, honest and transparent in your e-mail warming sequence. Phase 2: Interest You gain the prospects interest through an email series. You start to relate stories to them that tie into who you are and how you  have actually arrived to this point in your life. Brunson, in his book, Expert Secrets, calls this the Appealing Character. Are you the reluctant hero whose journey happened practically by mistake, however you seem like you owe it to yourself and the world to convey something of excellent worth? Or, are you an traveler, a leader or an evangelist ? How you position yourself is totally approximately you, but your message needs to be constant throughout your entire "pitch" and it requires to be soaked in the truth. Your backstory, and just how you communicate that through parables, character flaws and polarity, has much to do with simply how well you can "hook" in your prospects to develop a mass motion. Of course, executing this isn't easy. You need to very first develop your stories, then pick how you're going to communicate those stories and at what drip-rate. Your very first e-mail or 2 might go out on the day they initially signup, then one email per day may go out afterwards. How much of that will be story-based and just how much will be pitches? In a recent conversation I had with Perry Belcher, co-founder of Native Commerce Media, he told me that you also need to train your potential customers to click on links. You might have them click on a link of what interests them or link them to a blog post or eventually to a item or service that you're offering, however you need to train them to build a routine of clicking on those links from the very beginning. Phase 3: Decision The next phase is the decision. Getting potential customers to make a choice isn't simple. The very best method to get them there? Beyond the art of story informing, building the routine and copywriting of link-clicking, you need to have lots and lots of consumer evaluations and reviews. This is among the most effective manner ins which you can get people to act. Obviously, if you're going the paid advertisement path, you might likewise use Facebook and Google re-targeting to keep that awareness and interest level high. For instance, if you've ever observed after leaving a specific website, that you start to see their advertisement all over, there's a specific factor for that. If they  have actually already entered your sales funnel, particularly , this is a extremely effective method to get them to act. For instance, you might show them re-targeting ads that have video reviews or reviews by other clients. If you have media publications that have written about you, you might take that chance to highlight those. It's just an included aspect of direct exposure when they see this in your sales funnel and you follow them around with re-targeting. But however you get them to choose to act, turning that switch isn't easy. You require to present them with a fantastic chance and usage Robert Cialdini's 6 concepts, laid out in his 1984 book, Impact, in one method or another to move them through this phase: Concept of reciprocity-- This is accomplished by delivering great deals of value, either through whatever it is that you supplied them as a complimentary offer (lead magnet) in the very beginning, or in an ongoing exchange through your emails. Principle of commitment & consistency-- When people devote to something, they're far more likely to buy from you. That's why getting them to accept something like a totally free + shipping offer or by agreeing with something you  have actually said in some way. This is a effective principle in sales and if you focus on some of the very best marketers on the planet, you'll observe that they work fervently to get your commitment to something, even if it's really small in the start. When people like you (i.e. they relate to your stories) they are more likely to acquire something from you, principle of preference--. How well you craft your story and communicate that to your prospects is going to play a huge function in whether they decide to act or not. Principle of authority-- Just how much authority do your services or items have? Are their respected individuals in your community that have backed it? Scientific studies that are backing it? Are you yourself an authority? All these elements enter into play in this procedure. Concept of social proof-- Do you have social proof? Are individuals on social media raving or talking about how excellent your service or products are? Do you have some other type of social proof? Very popular books? Something else? If you do have them, it's importnat that you present this to potential customers. Principle of scarcity-- Just how much shortage have you baked into your e-mail series? Once again, people are wise, but when you use the concept of scarcity, as in there are only a limited quantity of some offer or time left before a discount rate ends or slots offered for an online class, it attracts individuals to act. Stage 4: Action The final phase of the sales funnel is the action that you're meaning them to carry out. Most of the times this is the purchase. Once again, how well you move them through the various stages is going to set you up with a specific conversion for this action. For example, if 100 individuals click on your deal and 10 individuals enter your sales funnel however only acquire individuals purchase, then you have a 2 percent conversion. The best part about this, and the most powerful path that entrepreneurs take to scale their businesses, is that if you know that sending out 100 people to your website costs you $200, for example, but you get 2 people to convert at $300 each, then you have a $600 return on $200 invested (300 percent). That's when the whole game modifications and you can definitely scale your offers when you know that. This how the world's smartest online marketers scale out their businesses. They know the conversion worth and they've fine-tuned and refined their sales funnels, so they pursue this with a revenge by merely scaling out their deals. If you know that, by investing $1 you're going to get $3 back, you will considerably invest $1 consistently. Get the point? However, getting to this stage is no basic accomplishment. It takes an huge amount of work and effort plus tracking. By implementing sales funnel software, such as the platform constructed by Brunson, you can absolutely reduce the headache, but there's still great deals of work to be done. Copy requirements to be written, tracking pixels need to be installed and email series require to be produced. That's what it takes to succeed. Consider that the next time you're constructing out a sales funnel. This complex and elaborate principle in business can actually take you from a total unknown to a worldwide powerhouse quickly through the art of scaling out a highly-converting offer. Don't attempt to take faster ways or implement hacks, and put in the time if you're wanting to eventually reap the results and benefits . So What Is BossFunnels All About? Bossfunnels is a smart drag and drop funnel contractor with all the functions that clickfunnels, leadpages ETC have! But there's a lot more ... Bossfunnels develops VIRAL funnels, so your consumers can construct enormous lists and get severe amounts of traffic. Promoting this incredibly high quality product you can give your consumers something that they will enjoy and use for many years to come. Here's Are Some Secret Benefits You Might Be Interested In Getting: Done-For-You Funnels In 1-Click. Free Viral Traffic In Seconds Built-In ... No Hosting, Coding Or Design ... 3-Figure A Day Tutorials Consisted Of. No Regular monthly Fees ... Enjoy Sales While You Sleep ... Be Your Own Boss ... 180-Day Refund Warranty ... Get or get results Paid $500 ...

[thatguyben]

What is a Funnel or Salesfunnel and do I really need a Funnel for my business

One of the core concepts in the digital marketing market is the sales funnel . While odd sounding initially, this single core principle can take a service from practically non-existent and unknown to multi-million-dollar marketing machine with mass saturation, seemingly overnight. There are competent professionals who have actually constructed a career around executing this single principle in company. Just envision a real-world funnel if you're questioning what a sales funnel is. At the top of that funnel, some compound is gathered, which filters down towards one finite destination. In sales, something similar occurs. At the top, lots of visitors arrive who may enter your funnel. Unlike the real-world funnel, not all who go into the sales funnel will reemerge out from the other end. To much better comprehend the concept of a sales funnel and just how you can implement it in your own business, let's take a look at the following image from Shutterstock. On the left side of the image, you see a magnet. That magnet is drawing in clients, which takes place a number of ways. From blogging to social networks to paid advertisements and whatever in between, how the visitors arrive to your site has some influence on the success of your funnel. Stage 1: Awareness When those visitors (we can call them potential customers) in fact do show up, what's more crucial about the sales funnel is what happens. Through a range of means, a lot of which you've currently seen, such as email newsletter signups, ebook downloads, online tests and more, those prospects participate in your sales funnel through an enticing deal. The objective of your entire sale funnel and platform is to solve your consumer's problem. When you understand the problem, and you build content to draw them in, then offer them a services or product to fix their issue, that's when the genuine magic happens. Nevertheless, getting to that stage takes work and you need to garner their awareness first. Once the possibility is in the proverbial funnel, you've peaked their awareness. That's the very first phase of the funnel. Getting a possibility aware of you is no simple feat. Relying on how they've arrived to your site ( naturally or through a paid ad), those clients may view your funnel in a different way and your opt-in rates will differ considerably. For instance, when a customer discovers you naturally through a Google search for example, that implies you have some aspect of authority. When you have authority, potential customers are most likely to enter into your funnel because they understand that if they discovered you relevantly, that whatever it is that you're supplying need to be of a great worth. That's simply the nature of SEO and organic search. Obviously, regardless of how they participate in your funnel, your goal as a marketer is to move them through the multiple phases that will take them from possibility to purchaser. And once they're mindful of you, you need to construct their interest. To do this, you need to develop a relationship with the customer. You might have attracted them with a fantastic deal (lead magnet) to get their email address, but actually moving them through the funnel is a far greater obstacle. The truth? People are wise. They're not just going to buy anything from anyone unless they feel there's an immense quantity of value to be had there. Thus, your funnel requirements to built that worth and bake it in through a range of means. Most importantly, you have to create a strong bond with your possibility, and that occurs by being relatable, sincere and transparent in your e-mail warming series. Phase 2: Interest You get the prospects interest through an email series. You begin to relate stories to them that tie into who you are and how you  have actually shown up to this point in your life. Brunson, in his book, Specialist Secrets, calls this the Appealing Character. Are you the reluctant hero whose journey took place practically by mistake, however you feel like you owe it to yourself and the world to convey something of excellent value? Or, are you a leader, an evangelist or an adventurer ? How you position yourself is entirely as much as you, however your message should be constant throughout your entire "pitch" and it needs to be steeped in the fact. Your backstory, and simply how you convey that through parables, character defects and polarity, has much to do with simply how well you can "hook" in your potential customers to produce a mass movement. Naturally, implementing this isn't easy. You require to first establish your stories, then select how you're going to communicate those stories and at what drip-rate. Your first e-mail or 2 may go out on the day they initially signup, then one email per day might go out afterwards. How much of that will be story-based and how much will be pitches? In a recent discussion I had with Perry Belcher, co-founder of Native Commerce Media, he told me that you likewise require to train your potential customers to click on links. For instance, you could have them click a link of what interests them or connect them to a post or eventually to a product and services that you're selling, but you require to train them to develop a routine of clicking on those links from the very start. Stage 3: Decision The next stage is the decision. Getting prospects to decide isn't simple. The best method to get them there? Beyond the art of story telling, developing the practice and copywriting of link-clicking, you require to have lots and great deals of consumer evaluations and reviews. This is among the most effective manner ins which you can get individuals to act. Naturally, if you're going the paid ad path, you could likewise utilize Facebook and Google re-targeting to keep that awareness and interest level high. For instance, if you  have actually ever observed after leaving a particular site, that you begin to see their advertisement everywhere, there's a particular factor for that. If they've currently entered your sales funnel, especially , this is a really effective method to get them to act. You could show them re-targeting ads that have video testimonials or evaluations by other consumers. If you have media publications that have written about you, you might take that opportunity to highlight those. It's just an included component of exposure when they see this in your sales funnel and you follow them around with re-targeting. However you get them to decide to act, flipping that switch isn't easy. You require to present them with a fantastic opportunity and use Robert Cialdini's 6 principles, detailed in his 1984 book, Influence, in one method or another to move them through this stage: Concept of reciprocity-- This is achieved by providing great deals of value, either through whatever it is that you supplied them as a complimentary deal (lead magnet) in the very beginning, or in an ongoing exchange through your e-mails. Concept of commitment & consistency-- When people devote to something, they're far more most likely to buy from you. That's why getting them to consent to something like a totally free + shipping deal or by agreeing with something you've stated in some method. This is a effective principle in sales and if you take notice of a few of the very best marketers on the planet, you'll observe that they work fervently to get your commitment to something, even if it's very little in the beginning. When individuals like you (i.e. they relate to your stories) they are more likely to acquire something from you, concept of taste--. How well you craft your story and convey that to your prospects is going to play a huge role in whether they choose to act or not. Principle of authority-- Just how much authority do your services or items have? Are their reputable individuals in your community that have endorsed it? Scientific research studies that are backing it? Are you yourself an authority? All these aspects come into play in this procedure. Concept of social proof-- Do you have social evidence? Are people on social media talking or raving about how excellent your service or products are? Do you have some other kind of social evidence? Very popular books? Something else? If you do have them, it's importnat that you present this to prospects. Principle of scarcity-- How much scarcity have you baked into your e-mail series? Once again, individuals are smart, however when you apply the principle of deficiency, as in there are only a limited quantity of some offer or time left prior to a discount rate ends or slots readily available for an online class, it lures people to act. Stage 4: Action The final phase of the sales funnel is the action that you're planning them to carry out. This is the purchase. Again, how well you move them through the various phases is going to set you up with a specific conversion for this action. If 100 individuals click on your deal and 10 individuals enter your sales funnel however just buy people purchase, then you have a 2 percent conversion. Nevertheless, the finest part about this, and the most effective route that business owners take to scale their services, is that if you understand that sending out 100 individuals to your website costs you $200, for example, however you get two individuals to convert at $300 each, then you have a $600 return on $200 invested (300 percent). When you know that, that's when the entire video game modifications and you can definitely scale your offers. This how the world's smartest marketers scale out their services. They know the conversion worth and they've fine-tuned and improved their sales funnels, so they go after this with a revenge by merely scaling out their offers. If you understand that, by investing $1 you're going to get $3 back, you will considerably invest $1 consistently. Get the point? Getting to this stage is no simple accomplishment. It takes an huge quantity of work and effort plus tracking. By implementing sales funnel software application, such as the platform constructed by Brunson, you can absolutely reduce the headache, but there's still lots of work to be done. Copy requirements to be composed, tracking pixels require to be installed and email sequences require to be created. That's what it takes to prosper. Think about that the next time you're constructing out a sales funnel. This complex and complex principle in company can actually take you from a total unidentified to a global powerhouse rapidly through the art of scaling out a highly-converting deal. Do not attempt to take faster ways or execute hacks, and put in the time if you're seeking to ultimately reap the outcomes and benefits . So What Is BossFunnels All About? Bossfunnels is a wise drag and drop funnel contractor with all the functions that clickfunnels, leadpages ETC have! However there's much more ... Bossfunnels develops VIRAL funnels, so your customers can develop massive lists and get extreme quantities of traffic. Promoting this incredibly high quality item you can give your customers something that they will enjoy and use for many years to come. Here's Are Some Secret Benefits You Might Be Interested In Getting: Done-For-You Funnels In 1-Click. Free Viral Traffic In Seconds Integrated ... No Hosting, Coding Or Style ... 3-Figure A Day Tutorials Included. No Monthly Fees ... Enjoy Sales While You Sleep ... Be Your Own Manager ... 180-Day Cash Back Assurance ... Get Outcomes Or Get Paid $500 ...