#I’m just going to ignore that I don’t have the artistic skills to formulate the pattern.

[softly-and-suddenly]

How do I tell the nice lady at the yarn store that I’m learning how to knit in pursuit of the ultimate goal of designing a sweater that has a dead albatross hanging down on the front of it and says “'God save thee, ancient Mariner! / From the fiends, that plague thee thus!— / Why look'st thou so?” On the back? Time sensitive question pls respond

[ideal-girl]

I didn’t include this as part on that original submission because it’s a really shallow reason; especially for a serious topic, but a partial reason I have problems with your recent posts and rebloggings about the Israelis people (the people, not the government); or more accurately, the TONS and SERIES of posts about it, is because, well, I’ve sent like multiple submissions that I’ve been waiting for like weeks or so. Submissions that you promised you would write a response to in like a Wednesday, or “this Friday”, and then days or weeks go by and you never did them. To the point that I suggested you write rough drafts first. So the fact that these submissions still haven’t been responded to yet meanwhile you’re posting or reblogging a recurring series of uncomfortably negative and rather malice-filled (or insensitive) content (you literally made a post saying “Death to all of them”) makes it feel like you’re intentionally ignoring them (even if I don’t think or believe that’s the case). I guess you’re venting or whatever, but it feels like an overload… (there’s more to it but it’s political reasons and you said you didn’t want to touch the subject anymore) It wouldn’t be so bad if, again, you didn’t write outright statements saying that your responses can be done on said specific days… and then it doesn’t show up (like those gifs or the mega post for example). I’m trying to be patient, but with what you were doing recently it’s wearing thin.

Nia: 

I'm not reblogging or reposting anything to antagonize or spite you. 

I just reblog and repost things that are relevant to my blog's primary purpose ("aesthetics"), but I also reblog and repost things that are out of my blog's scope, like Palestine vs Israel, because it's hard to ignore an active war and/or genocide. 

I understand that I have disappointed you in giving false updates about your submissions, but I cannot always control exactly how my life is going to be on a given day.

You can control the publication and presentation of your work by posting it on your own blog.

I'm not being dismissive of you; I genuinely believe that all artists, designers, writers, or general "content creators", even as hobbyists, should be in control of their work by having their own space that cannot be encumbered by other people's unreliableness, spitefulness, etc. Tumblr is a great place for that, but I tend to like Substack even better. 

It's easier for me to reblog or repost something than it is to give my thoughtful opinion, even in bullet points. I still have to put cognitive effort into reading and interpreting stories, and it may take me awhile to formulate thoughts in my brain that I want to express on paper and on my blog. I'm willing to just publish and tag your submissions without my commentary because that's so much easier, but you do have the expectation that I give a response more complex than "it's gud!" I cannot always do that, even if I want to. 

That's just how it is! 

You need to understand that @ideal-girl, and it's many iterations, belongs to me. Your work, although I post and comment on it, belongs to you. You have the right and the obligation to protect and control it, not me. I do not recommend that anyone rely on someone else's space for anything when it comes to their work, and they should not expect someone else to labor for their work either.

If you want GIFs, you should create them yourself. 

If you want a particular story, you should write it yourself. You have the skill for that. I don't even know why this is even be spoken about! When you realized that I didn't have the time or interest to write particular stories or commentaries, then you should have done it yourself. This includes questions you had about Sam's Ex, which I'm using as an example of labor that should have been done by you, but that was done by me. I didn't mind interpreting and characterizing him, but he was your character. You knew him better than me and you should have been the one to understand his mindset and motives. You should have been telling me about him, not the other way around. 

I will be very clear: I liked giving commentary on your stories and I liked answering your questions about your characters when I could. You just have to understand that many of the tasks you asked me to complete are for the author, not the audience. You would understand that if you had your own blog or "space" that requires you to sustain your own authorship. I cannot do that for you here; this is @ideal-girl, nowhere else. 

We do not need to have a "falling out" to part ways. You can make the mature decision to not interact with me. I thought you had already done that after you wrote that rant accusing me of exploiting the Palestine just to spite (Israeli) Jews and to incite ethnic and/or racial violence towards them. You made that accusation, along with some other ones in that same vein, because you didn't see me post fundraisers in support of Palestine and because I provided evidence that racist people do weaponize identity politics and historical trauma to justify being racist. 

I do post things that are purely about the Palestine, with little to no relation to Israel and/or Jews. You will have to go into my archive and scroll through my blog to find those things. I also reblog fundraisers. I also reblog articles that implicate Israel and its complicit citizens, which includes racist people and pedophiles who I have the right to dislike and even wish death on, if they're gonna wish death on children and masturbate to their suffering. 

I will not go back and forth with you about this subject. 

I read that it was racist to challenge racism in particular communities, which I disagree with. I also read that no one in particular communities weaponizes identity politics and historical trauma, which I disagree with. I gave evidence of racism in particular communities and how they weaponize identity politics and historical trauma. My case-in-point was zionistbiker2024, who is Jewish, who is racist, and who exploits his identity and historical trauma to spread disinformation that people are forced to accept if they don't want to be branded Anti-Semitic.

I used him as my case-in-point because the "particular community" in question was Jewish. If the argument was that it's racist to challenge Black people's racism and that Black people never weaponize identity politics or historical trauma, I would have posted jumeisex instead because she does that. It just wasn't the case and so I didn't need to post her. 

FYI: I considered posting jumeisex anyways to "prove" that I confront and challenge all bigots, not just Jews. However, pandering and virtue-signaling is for the weak. It's up to you to understand context and circumstances and to stop attributing malicious intent to someone just because you don't like or understand how they live their life. You accused me of exploiting the Palestine out of spite for Jews because I don't even post fundraisers. I actually did, without intention, discover and reblog fundraisers. These are the posts you consider antagonistic and spiteful towards you, but that's what you wanted from my blog. I gave it to you, not even thinking about you, and you are still upset. 

There's something within you that you need to handle on your own. 

You have to figure out why you feel entitled to my blog, why you attribute malicious intent to my posts without even engaging with them, and why you have certain values (restorative justice, good publicity, "individualism", etc) that you only reserve for certain people but that should apply to everyone.

You said that your patience is wearing thin; my patience is beyond that. I can't keep reassuring you that I don't hate Jews because your belief in my Anti-Semitism is disingenuous anyways. If you read my personal posts in good faith, you would have been able to understand my intentions and my beliefs. You would have understood that they were not rooted in bigotry, but in facts that undermine some of the racist beliefs that are held within some people about the ancestral land being killed for.  

The Palestine, before it was even called the Palestine, was already full of life before the Twelve Tribes decided to join forces and create the Kingdom of Israel. Therefore, Jews have always shared their ancestral land with other communities, and so they are not any more entitled to it than them. This is something you don't agree with but you can't prove me wrong, and so you decided to label me a bigot and end there. There are plenty of other things you dislike about me but that you can't make reasonable criticisms over, and so you criticize my character as if that's meaningful to me. 

We do not need to have a "falling out" to part ways.

That's why I didn't respond to your submission that vilified me for my beliefs and behaviors that are not vicious or bigoted at all. I skimmed through the other one, because what's the point of responding?

I'm not going to waste my time continuing to explain why I post things, why I believe things, why I wish death on necrophiliac pedophiles, even if they are Jewish and/or Israeli, the implications of accusing people of being racist for being anti-racist, what people mean when they wish death on a country (which means death to an oppressive empire and its enablers, which often includes citizens), how decolonialism is inherently violent but not inherently bigoted, and everything else. You're not going to engage with what I say in good faith merely because you don't want to.

You have the right to dislike me, just like you have the right and the obligation and to protect and control your work. You don't have a right to my blog or the right to insult me or defame me because you don't like my opinions or my neglect of your submissions. This isn't a serious thing for me because this is my domain, but you should reconsider the way you treat people when you are disappointed in them.

I was very kind to you in letting you post on my blog when I was more active, and I was very kind to you in explaining over and over again what my beliefs are and why I behave in a particular way to make you understand that I wasn't being Anti-Semitic, I wasn't exploiting the Palestine, or trying to find an excuse to discredit and defame Israel (zionistbiker2024, jumeisex, etc, just appeared on the apps I was using). You still continued to attribute intentional malice and bigotry to my actions, but never gave any clear, definitive examples of that. You just assumed things or sympathized with necrophilic pedophiles (who I wished death on) because of identity politics. That's okay. You life your life. 

We don't need to have a "falling out". We don't have to disrespect or defame each other. We don't need to have a prolonged discussion about anything. 

@ideal-girl, which is my blog, is no longer the best place for your work. I recommend that you get your own space so that you can protect and control your portfolio, and not be reliant on inconsistent, spiteful, or bigoted people like me (allegedly) to maintain and post it. I also recommend that you go into my archive, find your submissions, and make a copy of them so that you can always have them, even if my blog gets terminated or something. This is only if you need to do that and this is just my suggestion. You life your life. 

I will post everything of yours that's in my inbox before I post this response, and then we can be done. We don't have to become enemies just because my blog doesn't pander to you anymore. We can just...stop. 

[tasteofyizhan]

« people in China aren’t aware » LMAO so we, as non Chinese are aware of what’s happening in their country but them, not at all? Okay so different anon there I don’t know what the muslim anon said to you but I’m not even Muslim and I’m honestly shock about how this fandom turned out to be. I don’t necessarily talk about idols here, just how people reacted to the whole thing in general. It isn’t even an issue, it’s literally about f*cking human rights and we’re talking about human lives. The proofs and people are there. Stop being ignorant. You guys just choose to close your eyes. Someone needs to criticize this government. They do not regulate their industries. Cereal laced with rat poison, buildings that collapse, enslaving the Uyghurs.

Anon, I can’t tell whether you’re a troll or not, and I normally don’t post asks like this, but this is clearly a controversial issue that has bothered a lot of people, so I’m going to use this to set out my opinion once and for all. I won’t be addressing it any further after this.

1) Why aren’t Chinese citizens speaking out against this?

I’m not sure where you got this quote “people in China aren’t aware”, but I’m guessing it came from this previous post. I’m going to urge you to read @potteresque-ire‘s incredibly informative post here on the amount of propaganda that Chinese citizens are bombarded with on a daily basis. The media is controlled by the CCP, the Internet is controlled and monitored by the CCP, and the citizens are taught CCP’s revisionist history and CCP propaganda from birth. Heck, even their social media is controlled by the CCP. When you are exposed to this amount of propaganda your whole life, who do you think Chinese citizens will believe when their country tells them that other countries are making up lies about human rights abuses occurring in China in order to tarnish China’s name because the world is afraid of China’s economic might? You don’t even have to look far - just go on W*ibo and read a sampling of the posts there supporting Xinjiang cotton, and that should tell you a lot. Now, @potteresque-ire has also helpfully compiled how these “re-education camps” are framed in the Western media and in the Chinese media here. I’m going to ask you to watch those videos, and then ask you to exercise your critical thinking skills and reflect on what an average Chinese citizen might be exposed to on a daily basis, and how that shapes their belief. 

Now, even if the Chinese citizens do believe that human rights violations occurred in Xinjiang, can they express this opinion? Well, not if they don’t want to run afoul of the morality guidelines for citizens. From the article I linked:

The guidelines, focusing heavily on promoting patriotism, also called for the formulation of “national etiquette” for things such as singing the national anthem, raising the national flag, or ceremonies for when one joins the ruling Chinese communist party (CCP).

Such etiquette should “enhance people’s attitude toward the party and country and organise a collective sense of identity and belonging”, according to the document, released by the party’s central committee and the state council.

2) Why aren’t GG/DD speaking out against this?

Leaving aside whether GGDD believe that there are human rights violations occurring Xinjiang, something that I see happening is international fans expressing outrage at their response. I am going to point you to a previous post on to explain why they made the statements they made. Heck, you know what, I’m just going to paste what I wrote in that previous post here: 

The reality is that as performers, GG DD are also very limited by what they are allowed to support/say. This isn’t something that fans are making up to defend them - in March, the CCP passed new guidelines in wake of the ZS scandal that explicitly states that any performer who breaches these guidelines can face a lifetime ban. One of these guidelines is for performers to “ardently love the motherland, support the Party’s line, principle and policies… and consciously accept [government] and societal supervision.”

From the Variety article that I linked:

First and foremost, artists will be punished for violating China’s constitution, “endangering national unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” endangering national security, or “harming national honor and interests.” The second ban is on “inciting ethnic hatred.. or undermining ethnic unity.” The cocktail of above terms are charges frequently levelled at those speaking up about human rights violations, particularly related to the fraught regions of Xinjiang or Tibet.

Realistically, there is nothing that they can say. As soon as they speak out against the CCP, as soon as they fail to express support for the CCP’s policies or for the CCP’s narrative, they’re finished. They will never work again. I am not exaggerating about this last point. Again, from the Variety article:

Beyond issuing performance bans, the committee will try to “implement cross-industry joint punishment,” working with players in other fields to bar violators from financial or cultural success via other channels like endorsement deals. Violators may also have their awards and other honors revoked, and will be subject to a measure of critical “re-education.”

This is the reality that they live in. They live and work in a country that is deeply manipulative and oppressive, and which has almost complete control over how they were brought up, how they were educated, and which currently holds the reins over their livelihood and their future. 

Am I disappointed at their respective statements? Yes I am, but given the reality of life under an oppressive regime, I am not the least bit surprised, and more importantly, nor do I fault them.

[thebeethathums]

Observers - 57

Pairing: Sherlock Holmes x Reader

It took a considerable amount of will power for you not to touch anything and everything when the three of you arrived at the crime scene: the backstage of a West End theater. There were costumes, props, and sets everywhere and you were quick to fall into your curious observation mode, slowing your pace considerably to take it all in. You were just about to wander off towards a very interesting looking dress covered with sequins on a rack across the way when Sherlock sharply stated, “Hand.” 

You froze and blinked at him in confusion, “What?” “Give me your hand,” he demanded impatiently and you pursed your lips at him, “Why should I?” He rolled his eyes and grabbed your hand before you could pull away, John looking on in interested amusement, “Because I can’t have you wandering off like I know you were just about to. Now come on.” Dragging your feet so that he had to tug you the rest of the way to your destination, you whined, “I’m not a child, Sherlock. I would have caught up.” Sherlock ignored you and you pouted at John, who just shook his head and chuckled, following after the two of you, “It’s for your own good, Squeak. Remember what happened last time you wandered off at a crime scene?” 

You pulled a face but picked up your feet as you grumbled, “Fine,” and took the opportunity to lace your fingers with Sherlock’s, an action that turned John’s expression to a scowl. The two of you stepped into the dressing room where the body was, Lestrade raising an eyebrow at your connected state before you used your free hand to tug on Sherlock’s sleeve, looking up at him, “Can I look around now? I highly doubt there’s some thug lurking with all of Lestrade’s team about and I promise I’ll stay in this room.”  

Giving you a look that said you’d better or there would be consequences, he set your hand free and you skirted around the body to examine something that had caught your eye on the other side of the room, leaving Sherlock his space to look at the body. Lestrade stepped over next to John, nodding in your direction, “Any idea what’s going on there?” “Yes and no,” John sighed, “There’s some sort of relationship between them but I don’t think even they know what it is.” “And you’re okay with-“ “John,” Sherlock interjected in a demanding tone and John shrugged at Lestrade before going to see what he wanted. He soon saw why Sherlock had called him, crouching down next to the body to get a better look at the few areas of skin that had been removed, “This was done postmortem… there’s not enough blood otherwise and I don’t think the body has been moved. Why would somebody take his skin?” “Is it possible we’ve got a Hannibal?” you wondered aloud and John gave you a quizzical look, “A what?” “Hannibal Lecter? You know... Hannibal the Cannibal. Skin is a delicacy in some cultures.” Your brother looked a bit perturbed, glancing back at the body with a new sense of disgust, and Sherlock shook his head, “A cannibal wouldn’t leave the rest of the body… It’s more likely that it was for some sort of experiment. I sometimes use skin in my work.” You shrugged, “The locations of the wounds are where the skin is likely to be most tender and not toughened by the elements… who’s to say cannibals can’t be picky eaters? It was just a thought.” Sherlock considered this as you turned to Lestrade who was standing with his mouth a little agape at the conversation he’d just witnessed, “Did your team remove anything from this room before we got here?” Lestrade shook his head, “No. We left everything as is.” Sherlock stood, fixing his usual demanding gaze on you, “What do you see?” You pursed your lips, “It might be nothing…” “It’s never nothing, (F/n).” John assured, joining the three of you, and you continued, “He seems like a proud man, a little narcissistic but what actor isn’t, and extremely organized, likely a mental tick or mild OCD, yet there is a piece of his costume missing- the hat. I don’t think it was simply misplaced- he wouldn’t have allowed that- but there’s a chance that it needed repair or alteration and is being kept elsewhere in the theater. I didn’t see it in the immediate area when we walked in but I also didn’t get a chance to explore further.” “The killer could have taken it as a souvenir,” John offered and Sherlock flatly demanded, “Make sure it isn’t here, Lestrade. I need to speak with his castmates,” and strode out. You and John followed him out to find the other main cast members- a tall ranting man, a weeping woman with long auburn locks, and a short distraught looking teenage boy. Sherlock paused, formulating a plan as you let out a soft groan, “I hate actors. So hard to get an accurate read.” You stepped up beside him, letting your eyes take in all that you could see from the three before giving a smirk and shaking your head, “Sherlock-” “I see it. You take him, I’ll take her,” he hummed, stalking off towards them and leaving you to explain to John as you nodded toward the kid, “Just be sympathetic.” Sherlock ‘accidentally’ knocked over a rack of costumes into a table with props right next to the ranting man, the sound of shattering ceramic resounding in the air as a number of props clattered to the floor. The result was instantaneous with the actor ceasing his rant to screech at Sherlock about respect for the theater and his profession and so on. You were quick to sweep in between the two of them grabbing Sherlock’s ear and yanking him down to you as growled, “Didn’t I tell you to keep your clumsy feet away from anything that could be broken? These people work for hours on end to create magic night after night. I expect you to respect them and their tools… Apologize.” “Save it. The damage is already done,” the tall actor hissed, storming off in tiff to yell at someone to fix it, and Sherlock gave you a discreet smirk before you turned to follow him, playing the understanding fan as you called apologies after him. John approached Sherlock, who was rubbing his ear with a dejected look on his face, “She can get a little passionate about things like this- the artistic side you know… Are you alright?” The weeping woman interrupted before Sherlock could answer, revealing an American accent, “I’m sorry that jerk got you in trouble with her… He takes everything too seriously. It’s not like the show can go on without our departed castmate anyways.” “It’s quite alright,” Sherlock hurried, playing up his British accent as he rummaged through his pockets with very convincing mock nervousness to find a tissue to offer her, “That’s a terrible shame. I’m sure you would have stolen the stage, Miss…” “Grommer. Natalie Grommer,” she supplied in a purr, taking it from him as her demeanor changed, the fake tears immediately disappearing. “The stage lights would have loved those cheekbones of yours,” she hummed as she extended a hand to him, which he took, leaning to press a kiss to her knuckles as she giggled, “And a gentleman to boot.” A slightly astounded John watched as Sherlock escorted her to a quieter corner and the stunned look on his face drew the attention of the teen just like you’d planned, “I sorry about them… they’re really good at their jobs but they don’t really care about the murder. They’re just peeved that the show is off now that we’re a cast member short.” “And you?” John asked, giving the boy a sympathetic smile, finally understanding what you’d meant, “Do you care?” The boy’s lip trembled as he nodded, “He was my friend…” The three of you talked to your respective actors for a moment until you returned to rescue Sherlock from the very handsy Natalie with a snapped, “Holmes!” that gave John an excuse to leave his conversation with the teen. They fell into step next to you as you stalked out and John asked, “Where are we going exactly?” “Home,” you and Sherlock said in sync and you rubbed your temple with a soft sigh as you expanded, “It wasn’t any of them, though that was fairly obvious from the start. We just had to be sure… actors can be emotionally tricky.” Sherlock snorted, “They claim to be masters of deception yet they so easily believed us. Idiots,” and then launched into his deductions, “It was someone he knew from the lack of struggle. Killer has a knowledge of and access to some sort of fast-acting poison, likely administered with a needle, as well as skill with a scalpel. With the missing hat, it is likely that they are either a practiced methodical killer or have some sort of emotional connection to the victim. Not family. He has no living family. Possibly a partner. He’s gay. Closet case…” He continued but dropped to a mumble as the three of you slid into a cab and you leaned against John with a soft yawn as he huffed, “How do you do that?” “Do what, Johnny?” “Know what he’s thinking.” You chuckled, “I have no idea what he’s thinking, John. I just assume he sees what I see and then read his face. If anything he knows what I’m thinking or maybe we just think similarly in certain situations… I don’t know. Does it matter?” “I suppose not,” he murmured, winding an arm around your shoulder and pressing a kiss against your temple as you snuggled into his side sleepily. Seeing the two of you in action and finally noticing your ability to communicate by just looking at each other, got John wondering about your relationship. He thought about it for a moment, considering that maybe the two of you were more suited for each other than he’d originally determined, before resting his cheek on your head as he fought off a headache.

TAGS <3:

@team-free-sherlock @multifandom-ramblings @madshelily @severusminerva @yes-but-theyre-my-dorks @smitemewiththysherlock @not-fandom-addicted @unknownwonder @deducingdevil @aviien @mrsfrankensteinsworld @lolamurphy @bakerstreethound @musical-doll-x @protectteamfreewill @delightful-pirate @lilcutekittykat @broke-and-overwhelmed @adri1ii @turtle-at-the-disco @fanfictionsilove @chasedbyhowlingwolves @thorkyrie-rights

[modestlyabsurd]

Survival (Loki x Reader)

Shlap!

Snow dust falls from the target area - Loki's back.

After all, he said you needed to work on  your throwing aim. What better way to practice than with an endless supply of harmless snowballs?

Harmlessness, you soon realized, depends on the person throwing the snowball. The velocity can vary depending on a person's strength and accuracy as well as the density of the -

SMACK!

- snow.

You wiped off the bitter cold dust from your face, checking for blood at the same time, whilst struggling not to laugh out loud and possibly cause an avalanche. Damn, he's a good aim. Gravity wasn't even on his side, as you stood a good fifty feet above him on a hill.

Your hill was tiny compared to the black, shadowy mountains with white tips in the distance. They contrasted beautifully against the pale blue sky, a color scheme surely created by a celestial artist.

Nature was the only place left that housed art like this.

The snow had let up that morning. The first time since arriving to the little abandoned cabin that the visibility had improved enough to go outside. You and Loki were dangerously low on food at the worst time of year, leaving no choice but to trudge through roughly 18 inches of snow to find more. Your chances were slim, but possible.

It had to be possible.

Luckily the snowball firing hadn't dampened your clothes. Loki's jacket - that he'd miraculously managed to keep up with throughout this mess - was holding up like brand new.

You'd only had one winter coat, the one you're wearing now, which he'd refused to the death to take or even share. One day in the previous summer while scavenging what used to've been an old folks' home, you found various medicines, and he found himself a good quality coat for the winter. Dark blue windbreaker material with thermal lining, a hood, a zipper, and large black buttons all the way up. One button was violently ripped off, but that didn't bother him a bit.

Your matching water-resistant snow pants were coming in great handy as well. Thin but effective.

You and Loki both had cut your hair short. Safer, easier to care for. Normally you thought it looked pretty rough, but you reconsider after seeing how the black fringe frames his features against the bleak, white canvas. The little snowflakes sprinkled throughout it. The pinkness of his skin. Loki might as well have been a piece of art himself, but you'd never tell him that.

You finger-whistle to him as an acknowledgement of his superior throwing skills. He has never been able to do that; no matter how hard he tries, nothing but pathetic raspberries come out.

He finds your whistling ability both annoying and incredibly sexy.

As he crouches to gather another snowball, desperately, you remember something basic. You fall to your knees, hold your breath, and roll down the hill before he can strike again.

When you land perfectly at his feet - in a fit of laughter - Loki is at a loss for words. "Can't," you giggle, "can't hit a moving target!"

"You've paid attention, I see," he says in a balanced voice although his face betrays him. He's nearly laughing himself.

Getting up from the snow is much harder than falling and rolling into it, even with the help of Loki's extended arm. You're dizzy, you're giggly, you're happy. You fall into Loki and nearly knock him over on twinkle toes.

His emotions confuse him, especially in these dire straits the realms are in, so he chooses to ignore them as much as possible. But in times like this, with you being so infectiously exuberant and being in his arms, you make that very hard.

He feigns indifference while his heart is soaring.

"Whew! I have always wanted to do that!" The high from spinning so much is amazing.

"You're such a child."

"I may be a child, but you're a - "

"Shh!" Loki's withdraws his hands as his attention quickly diverts over your shoulder.

You draw your pistol. He draws his crossbow.

He begins walking very slowly to make as little noise as is possible with the crunching of snow. You begin to follow.

A hand juts out, his palm pressing your stomach. A silent way of saying "Stay back."

You obey, but peek around his tall frame. A thin tree sits alone, its few limbs weighted down with snow. Loki inched closer to the base of the tree with his crossbow ready to fire on a dime. Dead silence. Another step closer. You desperately try to see what he sees.

Shadows and broken limbs. Snow. You see a bit of red. You step to the side of Loki, holding a breath in your chest. You see a pool of red.

He goes painfully closer to inspect the scene while you scan his six o'clock. Nothing but perfectly undisturbed hills of snow for miles and miles.

"Dinner."

You cut your head toward him. "Huh?"

He's crouched in front of the tree's base. He looks up at you, wide eyed, a few teeth peeking from dark red lips in a small smile.

He stands and raises a massive three foot long gray rabbit by its ears. "Dinner, my dear."

You stared at the monstrously sized rabbit hanging from Loki's hand for a good minute. Its wound was through the side of the head; a kill shot.

Not your kill.

"We didn't hunt that, Loki! We can't steal it!" You whisper-yelled.

"I'm not stealing it," he says calmly, "I found it. Perhaps another animal caused his demise."

"Loki, no."

"What? Are you saying that this doesn't look appetizing to you at all? At your rate, we stole the cabin as well." He's stepping out from beneath the small tree. A blood stain lays atop snow in the shadows.

"That's different. Someone else killed this. Recently! The blood's still flowing! He hasn't been out here long!"

"I didn't hear any gunfire. Did you?"

It had been dead silent in these mountains ever since you arrived. "Well, no. Could've been a stab wound or an arrow," you paused, trying to formulate a better explanation. Nothing came. Loki was already trekking back toward the cabin; the dead, slowly bleeding gray rabbit in hand. His gloves are going to need washing.

He wasn't really giving you a choice. When it came down to it, you were both really hungry. "Wait a minute."

"Yes?" He stopped and turned halfway toward you, leg cocked out to balance himself.

You swallowed. "Are we just gonna ignore the fact that that thing is five times bigger than normal?"

Loki lifted and twirled the rabbit a bit to examine it. It hung limply from his fist, eyes open, jaw dropped, big front teeth bloodied.

"Probably just a large breed."

"Something isn't right, Loki. It doesn't look right." You looked at it further, "Its eyes look blind. And its coat doesn't look healthy."

"Always the overthinker," Loki smirked. "Have you not seen the people we've encountered? They make this look like a pet store rabbit. Everyone is going to have some degree of mange about them, especially the animals." He furrows his brow, "I mean, darling, have you seen a mirror as of late?"

That earned him a nice punch to the ribs.

Doubled over, faking most of the pain, he croaked, "My brittle bones. Cruel, cruel woman."

You shared a laugh. A sharp cutting gust of wind encouraged you to finally give in to his persuasion, so you started again to the cabin.

It wasn't far away, you two had only ventured maybe fifty yards out. If the owners were still alive, you would likely still be trespassing. Now, none of that mattered. No more property line disputes, no fences, no parcels of land. No distinction. Just survival. Just free, open Earth - if you can find some without monsters.

Fifty yards seemed like a hell of a lot more when walking in shin-deep snow all the way. Loki seemed to have no problems, what with his spider length legs and genetic strength and acclamation to extreme temperatures. But he had to be hungry.

No matter what he says about his superior Asgardian metabolism, you knew he hadn't eaten in over a week. You could see the effects taking their slow but sure toll on his body; his already thin build became much more skeletal and gaunt, elbows and hip bones sticking out more than they should. He'd been sleeping long hours over the last couple nights even though you hadn't done much running or hiding. You didn't know a lot of the specific biology of Asgardians or Jötuns, but common sense says it all.

Any food you came across - be it sparse as it was - Loki would give to you, claiming that your weak body needed to replenish its energy. That he didn't need more sustainance just yet. The last time this happened was four days ago when you began nearing the end of your stock; he assured you with a charming glint in his eye that he was fine and that you were the one growing weak.

Such a liar.

The same concern for you had reappeared in him that morning, causing you to wander out scavenging for the first time since arriving to this new place. And anyone else would be ecstatic about finding game out here, much less not even having to use your own ammo to kill it. Being who you are, something still didn't sit right.

The rabbit resembled more of a small dog in size. You couldn't stop staring at it as Loki adjusted his grip from carrying it by the ears to holding it by a front leg. A much too long leg.

"How much do you think that thing weighs anyway?"

"Oh, he's not heavy."

"It sure looks heavy."

"Why don't you have a go?" he gestured for you to hold it.

Your fists curled against your chest. "I don't want to."

"What?" he feigned shock, "The ever so tough monster killing machine that you've become is afraid of touching a dead bunny? Come on, then."

"No, I really don't - "

The rabbit was thrown upon yout chest. Out of normal habit, your arms tried to catch the thing that was thrown at them; it took a couple seconds for your eyes to catch up to the situation at hand: that fucking bloody rabbit. You ropped it to the snowy ground with a lifeless flop.

"Just a few pounds, wouldn't you say?" said Loki, barely trying to hide his mischievous grin.

"A few pounds hell! That thing weighs at least twenty pounds!" You said, brushing off scraggly gray hairs from your jacket. "Pick it up, asshole."

He bent to gently grab it off the snow, clear green eyes looking up at you, "Now now, no name calling."

"No throwing dead shit at me."

He laughed a real laugh. "Fair enough."

You eventually made it back to the wooden door of the log cabin, damn fucking rabbit in hand. You and Loki were torn on whether to leave it outside for sanitary reasons, or to bring it inside to avoid drawing unwanted attention with the smell of fresh kill. You naturally vouched to leave it outside.

Loki compromised, that he would skin and clean the rabbit inside, but cook it outside. You didn't like every aspect of that.

"There's no telling what it's been into out here. I don't really want to bring whatever that may be - Loki." Your eyes cut to the rabbit in his hand.

"Loki!"

The presumed dead animal moved. Its mouth opened wider. Its eyes grew whiter.

Loki dropped the animal like a hot frying pan. It started snarling, unnatural sharp teeth baring wildly. Squirming on its back, helplessly injured, but very much alive. Your pistols were pointed.

"What?" breathed Loki.

"It's fucking infected."

"How? Animals cannot be infected with human disease," he said in more of a question than a statement.

"Clearly they can! I told you something wasn't right!" Loki stepped toward the screeching creature that was maybe at one time a rabbit.

"Back up!" It lunged for his ankle. "What the fuck are you doing? Shoot it!"

For some reason you both seemed to be paralyzed with something along the lines of fear. Both of your guns were drawn, pointed, fingers on the triggers, but couldn't pull it.

It lunged for you next.

A scream.

Loki shot twice. He hit the spine. But it didn't die. It only flinched in pain.

You shot it directly between its nasty evil eyes.

It fell over. No more screeching or snarling. Its face was frozen in time. More blood, now black rather than red, seeped from the wound.

You took a single step closer to examine the animal once more. Tired of taking chances. You stomped its head with the heel of your boot.

Eight times.

"It's gone, dear! It's gone!" Loki's desperate voice and hands pull you from your rage. You hadn't felt the trails of hot tears down your cheeks until he held your face against his chest. "It's gone. It's gone. It's alright," he repeated into your ear.

The sounds of his coos, your ugly, raw sobs, and the ruthless howl of winter wind consumed everything. You knew something was wrong, you knew it. But frankly, you're too weak now to argue that point.

You still don't have enough food.

[thisdiscontentedwinter]

A long-ass response to nonnie dude

First of all, you said nothing about what made this cute guy accomplished. So he’s cute and has married rich? So what? What are his actual accomplishments? Has he mastered a difficult skill? Has he made himself a better person with more integrity or self-discipline? You need to rethink the definition of success. “Not to mention, I feel like a failure since I thought I had been doing better for a whole year” Doing better doesn’t mean “doing better than other people” or “doing better than random people on the internet who only portray the things that they want you to see,” it means doing or being better than you yourself were before. Congrats, you have succeeded! You’re right, time isn’t stopping. So you have two choices in life: 1) follow your passions and do what makes you happy 2) not do what makes you happy, and live and die miserable, regretting your life as you live it, and regretting it when you’re dying, and all the while you will be inflicted by guilt, regret, anxiety, and depression, etc.

And you’re saying that it’s too late to do number 1) because you’re already 26 and can’t earn money from it right now? (As if it’s not possible to earn money from it later!) I can’t formulate it into words how ridiculous it sounds to me that you can’t do what makes you happy if you can’t earn money from it. Is happiness only worthwhile if it comes with money? Lol, what sort of nonsense. “Reading and looking at beautiful works of fine art makes me feel elated and alive, but I can’t do it because it doesn’t make me money!” You see how nonsensical this is? (How many fics - or traditionally pusblished books - do you think would exist if people only wrote for money, not for the love of it?) You’re going to die one day, so what the fuck do you have to lose by doing what makes you happy? You have your life to lose by doing what makes you unhappy, btw. So you’re 26. Let’s say you live until 66, ‘cause I slept 2 ½ hours and did 3 hours of taekwondo today and don’t want to do any math - so you have 40 years left. 40 years (and you’ll probably live longer, if you take proper care of yourself) is enough to master several skills, or several instruments and several languages, if you wish to stick to only those two. Even if you only master them by age 65, you spent your life doing the things you love doing, so wtf did you actully lose by doing them? Also, why do you measure success by money? Isn’t doing what you love and developing yourself as a person, whether you ever get money for it or not, a much better measure of success? Or do you consider all the artists who were ahead of their time and died in poverty failures, or think they should’ve done something else since they never earned money from their art? If not, why do you have this double standard for youself? “I’m 26 now, but I feel I can never get away from my parents’ rules & influence.” That’s literally nothing but a feeling you have. It’s not actually stopping you, which you’ll notice if you actually do something outside of your parents’ influence. People are always justifying how they can’t do things because of some feeling or other, but it’s possible to have the feeling and choose to work from another part of you - a part that’s courageous, for instance, or passionate about music or languages. Feelings are irrational as shit, and you’d do well not to think you are your feelings, but look at them logically and as moods that will pass. I was really jealous a couple of months ago, but I looked at it objectively, deemed it bullshit, had several good laughs over how dumb my own feelings were, and did nothing about my jealousy except logic it away. I didn’t take it to heart - it’s just a feeling, a fleeting thing based on the experiences I’ve had in my life. It doesn’t really have much to do with reality. Your parents aren’t stopping you here with feelings - you are. Idk what your living or financial situation is, but if you’re only able to do what you love secretly, then fucking do it secretly. If it helps, I took until 30 (I’m 32 now) to figure out what I want. I absolutely wasted my 20s. I could now throw in the towel because of my age, and my life thereafter would be a fairly meaningless passage of time, going from one thing to the next. But time (my life) will pass regardless of what I do with it, so I can waste it or do something fucking useful with it, whether it brings me financial success or not. And let me tell you, I’m far happier broke and uneducated than my highly educated saving-for-a-house friend who lets her parents’ and society’s bs get to her, and determines success by external markers - marriage, owning a home, etc. She doesn’t like her job despite being educated for it: she chose it for financial security, which she isn’t even getting like she thought she would. She has so much anxiety and depression and feels like a failure because she’s not married and doesn’t have her house, despite her being way more successful than I am in all of these external ways. Measuring success this way will only bring discontentment, because there will always be people richer and whatever - but also because it’s external. I believe that real, lasting happiness comes from internal things - such as sense of accomplishment by skill acquisition, i.e. mastery; growing as a person via self-reflection, or devoting yourself to a cause bigger than you, such as a charity or art, etc. I think you know this, too, because you said music and languages instead of money and a good-looking partner! (Speaking of looks - you will be far more attractive when you speak several languages, sing, and play an instrument or two, whether you make a penny for it or not. If you live a bitter, regretful life, even if you’re a rich engineer, you will be less attractive, 'cause it absolutely shows. If you want to be more attractive, do what makes you happy.) Also, you are FAR ahead of most people because you know what you want. Most have no clue and thus spend their lives passively consuming and ignoring the fact that they’re wasting their lives in meaningless mediocrity. Your problem now is that, having achieved this knowledge, you can’t waste away your life and make-believe that it was well spent - you’ll know it wasn’t, because you know what you really want. So you can choose a life of increasing anxiety and physical & psychological sufferings, or simply do what you love. It’s that simple. Here are a few of my favourite quotes to end this long thing (whoops, sorry) with: “Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, in all the small uncaring ways.” (Stephen Vincent Benet) “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” (Marcus Aurelius) “Your task is simply to find the one or few things that you can excel in, and then make it your primary business in life to excel in those ways. To do otherwise, to disregard the treasures with which you are at least potentially gifted, is simply to waste your life - a path to nothingness.” (paraphrased from an Academy of Ideas video - I highly recommend them, the self-improvement playlist is a wake-up call after wake-up call. I listen to them regularly and take notes. You can find Academy of Ideas on YouTube.) “You’re no longer a child but an adult. If you’re negligent and lazy, keep delaying and making a collection of one good intention after another, naming day after day on which you’ll start to take care of yourself, you’ll just go on without getting better, and you’ll live and die miserable.” (Epictetus) “We are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it.” (Seneca) “If you plan on being anything less than you’re capable of being, you’ll probably be unhappy all the days of your life.” (Abraham Maslow) “If we delay the changes necessary in our life to truly live a fulfilling life, awareness of our mortality will give rise to nagging and increasingly intense feelings of guilt and regret. We will have chosen the safe road - the road of death, and we’ll spend our remaining days fleeing from the fact that we’re wasting our life.” (paraphrased from an Academy of Ideas video, or from The Way of Individuation by Jolande Jacobi) (All of these quotes I took from Academy of Ideas, actually. Good stuff.)

DW: I think there’s some great advice in here, and--so importantly to the original anon--there are a bunch of us out here who think you’re doing an amazing job at turning your mindset around and learning to become more forgiving of yourself, and more proud of your accomplishments! 

[manikas-whims]

A Chance at Redemption [13]

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A/N: Hey guys!

Um..eh hem..please just don't kill me. You can all gang up and beat the shit out of me but do realise that I am human too. Since the past 3 years my life has been a mess and let's just say some personal things are making it really hard for me to write.

I’d like to thank you lovely readers *blows a kiss* I started this fic on a whim and its really a surprise treat to find out that people are actually giving it positive responses. I mean I can just never thank you people enough..

An important thing before you proceed onto the chapter: I may be gone for long but I'll never leave my fics unfinished. I know the pain one feels when coming across a plot of their liking only to realise that it has been left unfinished for xyz years. I'll complete all my fanfics. It's a pinky-swear with you loves. ♥

And as I say, "In the world of writers, those who go on hiatuses are trash but those who abandon their books are worse than trash." XD

Alright! Um..let's have a short recap of everything that has happened so far in this tale:-

The fourth shinobi war's victors were Uchihas who now rule the whole shinobi world with Madara as the self-claimed Hokage. Naruto is no more and Kakashi is in a coma. Sai and Sakura are the only members of Team 7 and they work together along with a few other rebels under the name of FoK. Sai also happens to work in the anbu directly under the Uchihas, thus, acting as a double agent. In order to stop the annihilation of the Hyuga Clan which was planned by the Uchihas, Sakura decides to make a deal with Sasuke. She offers herself to him in a bond of marriage in exchange for the lives of many innocent Hyugas. When her marriage is revealed to the whole world, she is treated as a traitor amongst the rebels. Later on, she finds out that the head of the Hyuga Clan, Hiashi has been assassinated and begins to doubt Sasuke's promise to her. Caught up in his anger Neji reveals about his knowledge of the planned annihilation and just as the Uchihas are about to interrogate him, Sai comes in and takes him to the funeral held for Hiashi in excuse to actually save his neck. Sasuke recalls and is confused about how Sakura and Neji came to know of this annihilation and questions her directly. He then realises how Sai may have been the one who told those two but the question is 'why'. He leaves Sakura for the time being and heads to the burial grounds with the thought of interrogating both Neji and Sai.

If this summary didn't help out much, feel free to read the previous chapters :3

Now back to the chapter..

Chapter 13: Moving Forward

"My hands are drenched in sin..

..but that doesn't mean I'm heartless."

-Suigetsu Hozuki

The two have been sitting silently in his small apartment for an hour now, both lost in deep thought about the next step that they must take. Or rather, the necessary step that they must take now that Neji has literally jeopardized their cover by lashing out in front of the Uchihas. And in doing so, he has also threatened Sai and Sakura's neck along with the whole secret about the FoK.

Sai watched the Hyuga Prodigy meditate with barely concealed interest. He can't help himself from wondering about what would've happened to this man had he not shown up at the Hokage's room when he did. Who knows? Maybe Neji would've earned himself a death sentence? Or worst! Maybe he would've been tortured to the point where he would've been left with no choice but to spill-out everything about their small group of rebels?! The thought in itself is terrorising. The ex-root nin shook his head and decided to distract himself with something less scary. And weirdly, his distraction came in the form of Neji's periodic inhale and exhale of the surrounding air.

Sai gazed at the continuously inflating and deflating chest of the Hyuga. With eyes closed, Neji tried focusing more on controlling his chakra. Sai felt fascinated by him and pondered on whether he must capture this moment on one of his canvases. It'll be a lovely addition to his growing collection of paintings. But not just Neji, Sai is fascinated by all the different people around him. They can teach him important things about life just as much as his team-mates do. Well..talking about teammates, none are currently available to help Sai with his emotional problems. Now that Sakura is betrothed to the infamous second grandson of Madara Uchiha, he is left with no other choice but to resort back to his guide books. How he wishes to discuss about all such things with her.

"Can you stop staring?" muttered the Hyuga, eyes still closed in concentration.

The artist tried an apologetic smile in a similar manner that he has read about in a book but the Hyuga only frowned. It's a mystery how he can understand the ex-root nin's fake expression even with his eyes shut like that. Nonetheless, Sai spoke, "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to formulate a plan about what I can do with you now that you've landed the three of us in such a conundrum."

"Three?" Neji asked, inhaling yet again.

"Yes", Sai picked up a sketch-pad and a brush as he began with a rough sketch of the long-haired prodigy, "You, me and Sakura. The Uchihas may let the matter go but Sasuke won't sit still until he reaches the very bottom of this whole thing."

A long sigh left the prodigy's lips and he stood-up, breaking the calm atmosphere that he had created with his meditation. "You're right. Besides, we only have an hour until the funeral ceremony gets over."

"Yes and I bet that Sasuke will come at you the instant that funeral ends. And he will not let this go until he uncovers every last speck of detail about us." Sai added gravely.

"Well, he'll probably torture me to the point I can take it no more and then make me talk. So I came up with this idea while I was meditating." He said and Sai urged him to go on, "What if he never finds me? Like Sakura did with that disguise of hers'."

Sai shook his head in negation, "Before we can delve any further into this thought I'd like to remind you that Ugly is a pro at chakra control unlike you or myself. So we need to do something else about hiding your identity. Just a simple henge won't work in your case."

Neji nodded in understanding. He knew that Sai would mention this and so, he moved on to his next suggestion "In that case..how about this?"

With the arrival of the Hokage and his minions at the Sacred Hyuga Burial Grounds, an elderly Hyuga member began the Funeral Ceremony by a long prayer in respect of the departed one. And as everyone closed their eyes in prayer, Sasuke Uchiha scanned the whole place, his obsidians looking around in pursuit of a certain Ex-Root assassin and a Prodigy from the Hyuga Clan. But even under the effects of his eternal mangekyou sharingan, he was unable to locate any matching suspects. From what he can recall, it was Sai who had practically dragged a frightened-looking Neji Hyuga out of the Hokage's office, right when Neji spilled-out his knowledge about the annihilation of the Hyuga Clan. There's no need to have any great deduction skills to figure out that the two are hiding- no- conspiring something! And whatever it is that they are plotting to accomplish, is also known to Sakura. It's ridiculous how he completely ignored the fact that she proposed a deal of marriage with him in exchange for the lives of the Hyugas. He must've been more focused and paid attention to how she came to know about that annihilation. But oh well..thanks to his distracting ex-teammate, he let his guard down and failed in noticing how suspicious her and Neji's involvement in this whole matter is.

Taking another glance around the place, he grit his teeth. There were literally no traces of any of the two suspects he's been searching for. Where did they disappear off to? Or what exactly are they doing as of right now? Are they initiating their plans already? Has the first step already been put in action? More importantly, he doesn't even know what they are working on!

Dammit!

He took a long breath to calm his flaring nerves and decided to do one last scan of the area. The first person that his eyes fell upon was Hinata Hyuga. He frowned as he watched the young Hyuga Princess' eyes closed in respect for her father. Its not like she can ever replace her father. There's only one person worthy enough of this position and that is Neji Hyuga from the branch family but even Sasuke knows that the main family will never allow something like this. The Hyugas aren't any less than the Uchihas when it comes to biasing.

He turned his head slightly back and found a former comrade, Shikamaru Nara standing directly behind him with his parents and a blonde, pigtailed woman. He recognises her because he had faced her once when he was still a willing shinobi of the Leaf. He is well-aware about her presence in this village. Well, it's not like she is the only one as after the war ended in their victory, the whole world of shinobi turned into a big mess of panicky civilians and ninja alike. Due to this haphazardness, a lot of the people were unable to return to their respective homelands. And since then, the village gates have been under constant surveillance because of which nobody is allowed to enter or leave at their free will. If there's any need to depart, the individual will first have to consult the nasty Hokage himself.

"What is it Uchiha?" an edgy, feminine tone asked him and it took him a moment to realize that it was the same blonde woman. At her side, Shikamaru scratched his jaw uneasily.

Such firm was her gaze that Sasuke felt himself unable to utter even a word to her.

She smirked teasingly, "Stop staring at me. You're a married man now."

The remark was spewed at him out of spite and disgust she feels towards him for chaining her pink-haired friend in a bond of marriage. And it was more than enough to spur his emotions. He narrowed his eyebrows and glared at her in what he thinks is his most menacing look but it didn't even make her budge. If anything, her lips only curved further upwards. It's almost like she's trying to spite him into some sort of outburst. Anyways, why the hell is she even gazing at him so smugly when her eyes are supposed to be closed in prayer like everyone else's?

"What?" she gestured with a nudge of her head, "Don't have a comeback?"

Comeback? How dare she? Who does she think she is, trying a childish banter with him? Him? He can kill her right here if he wants to but since he has always been surrounded by idiots like her, he knows how to keep his anger in check. His eyes shifted slightly from her face when he noticed some movement. It was the young Nara's palm that sneakily encircled her wrist, signalling her to stop. She turned her head towards Shikamaru and stared at him questioningly.

The young Nara ignored her look and instead bowed his head to Sasuke, "I'm sorry. The edginess is just a part of her personality. She doesn't mean to taunt you."

Sasuke watched her expression change as she heard those words. A big smile settled upon her lips. A big mocking smile and she herself apologised to him, ofcourse in a manner that ridiculed him even further. His fingers were itching to just strangle that little neck of hers but just as he motioned his hands, all eyes flew open.

The ceremony was over and a couple of eyes glanced confusedly between him, Shikamaru and the blonde girl, wondering exactly what was going on. With a heavy sigh, Sasuke managed to alleviate some of his anger and left the burial grounds in search of Neji Hyuga instead.

Behind him, Shikamaru released a breath in relief.

When she woke up, the whole apartment shook by the intensity of her horrified scream. Her shoulders shook with fear as she could still feel those crimson orbs boring holes into her frightful emeralds. And here she thought that those nightmares were finally gone...Surprise! Surprise! They had never really left..They were just lurking in the depths of her dark thoughts laced in fear, anticipating the right time to launch an attack. She can still remember that dream along with all of the vivid details. The dense chakra that was surrounding the aura of that avenger- Sasuke! He charged his left hand with a chidori and struck it right into the heart of her innocent, blond teammate, ending his life then and there. And as Sasuke did so, the blood went splashing all around him, drenching every inch of his skin in that Hokage-wannabe's blood. She can still remember herself sitting there, kneeling right before the whole scenario, tears streaming down her cheeks endlessly. Every time in her vision, he would turn around at this very moment and his piercing crimsons would clash with her scared emeralds. And he would inch closer towards her, pressing his lips against hers, smearing them with that very same blood of her dead teammate...

Just the shear memory made her scream again and that too, louder this time...Immediately, the door to her room burst open and in stepped the two sycophants that Sasuke has left to keep watch on her at all times. She lifted her eyelids slightly and flashed them a menacing glare.

"What do you want?" She whispered hoarsely in an irate tone.

The minute her scream reached their ears, Suigetsu and Juugo slammed the door open and ran in to check-up on the situation, completely prepared for whatever it was awaiting their entrance behind her door. Shockingly, they only found her gnawing at the skin of her innocently beautiful face. A second passed with her glaring at them, her fingernails digging painfully into her cheeks and them confusedly staring back at her.

"What do you want?" She whispered in a tight tone.

"We heard you scream. Are you alright?" Juugo asked with genuine concern swirling in his scarlet-red irises.

"You can tell Sasuke that I'm dealing well with all his confinements." She answered in a sarcastic tone.

"For your kind info, Sasuke never asked us to do this." Suigetsu spoke, his hand gripping the hilt of his huge blade a bit too hard.

No doubt they have been sent here by Sasuke to make sure that she is safe. Why? Well..because now that she is an Uchiha, as entitled by Madara himself, there are people who will try and grasp every chance they can to kill the young bride of his grandson. They have been sent here for the sole purpose of her protection at all costs but they aren't supposed to tell her about this. Heh! "She will understand..."- those were the exact words spoken by their young boss. Sasuke doesn't want them to tell her. She will understand?! How?! Last time that Suigetsu checked, she wasn't a psychic and she isn't one now! So the chances of her understanding Sasuke's motives without them having to explain it to her are very slim.

"Yeah..Yeah..Just like he never asked you to keep me locked-up at my apartment." She uttered with excruciating emphasis on every word.

"Huh..." Suigetsu exhaled audibly and closed his eyes, "Now listen-"

"I'm an Uchiha right?! Then..why was I restricted to attend Hiashi Hyuga's funeral?!" She yelled, tears clouding her mesmerizing irises.

He wants to tell her so badly about Sasuke's intentions but he simply cannot go against his master's orders. Frustrated at the fact and at himself, he closed his eyes and heaved a long sigh. When he re-opened them, he found the young medic already out of her bed, standing in her black, knee-high boots. And that sight alone, made him release another long sigh. Seriously? Does she ever stay at home and sleep like a normal girl must? No? Well..Karin did..

Karin.. He sighed. That redhead was kinda bitchy but Suigetsu has to admit that he misses her.

The swordsman rubbed his eyes to keep himself from overreacting and asked the pinkette, "Where are you going?"

She bade him no response, which is not even surprising anymore. He has gotten pretty used to her weird antics. And so, as she made her way out of her bedroom and left her apartment, him and Juugo were left with no other choice but to follow her. A sense of déjà vu passed his thoughts as Juugo closed the main door of her apartment.

Blood had started to ooze out from the places she had been gnawing at on her cheeks. Why isn't she healing herself? He thought but then immediately felt like smacking himself. Ofcourse it has to do with that stupid bracelet that Kabuto has put on her. Healing is an intricate procedure and requires a lot of chakra and focus.

"Do you enjoy this?" Suigetsu asked, sweat trickling down his brow.

"Enjoy what?" she asked as she continued marching in the direction of only god knows what place.

"Getting us all worked-up!" the swordsman yelled, finally losing his cool. Her lack of concern for her own skin irked him even more. Karin would've never let even a single scar stay on her cheek. Karin would've tried everything in her might to look pretty every single fucking day. Karin would..Karin isn't here anymore..

He sighed in frustration and tried to focus on Sakura again."You know Sasuke won't be pleased when he finds out-"

"Does it look like I care?" she drawled out.

"Well..you must. Because when he finds out, he's gonna kill us all." Suigetsu tried his best to emphasize the 'kill' part but the young medic continued walking. And yet again, he moved his lips to shout some sense into her head but a large hand on his shoulder stopped him from doing so. He glanced at the shaky palm and then at it's equally fidgety owner- Juugo. The expression on his face was enough to convey that he was controlling his anger the best he could and so, Suigetsu decided to let the matter go. For the time being atleast. Afterall, it's fine as long as Sasuke is the one who kills them. He will grant a quick, merciful death. An enraged Juugo on the other hand, will tear him and Sakura to shreds but only after making sure to beat them to a pulp. Suigetsu doesn't want such a death. And he's damn sure Sakura shares the same thoughts.

The déjà vu hit Suigetsu yet again as they entered the rusty, old building of the Konoha Hospital. If they are here, then ofcourse the pinkette wants to see none other than her half-dead mentor. Crossing the dirty halls that led towards the secluded ward, Suigetsu and Juugo watched in silence as the small key was inserted into the hole and the knob was turned. Sakura walked in with a heaviness in her heart and before the minds of the former S-class nins could comprehend what was happening, she threw herself over the unmoving body of the infamous copy-nin. Unexpectedly loud sobs reached the men's ears and they watched in shock the continuous shaking of the young medic's shoulders as she shed tears.

What Suigetsu had heard from his buddy Sai was the fact that team 7 is not just a team but a family. It was hard to believe those words when he had first heard them but it is far-easier to understand their depth now that he is experiencing them with his very own eyes. His eyes remained fixated on Sakura as she wept over the silver-haired man's form as if he was actually her father. Okay, maybe not. But in his own way, Kakashi is like a father to team 7.

"You.." they heard her sob out in a soft yet shrill tone, her tears mixing with the dried blood on her cheeks, "You said that you won't let me shoulder the burden on my own. You promised..."

The whole room went quiet again, followed by the hysterical sobbing of the pink-haired kunoichi. With her face burrowed into the chest of her former teacher, her hands clutched at the fabric of his shirt and she cried. She cried and cried and cried..and they watched. Both Suigetsu and Juugo were unable to look away from the pitiful sight before their eyes. It made them contemplate and question their own acts. Are they on the right side? Ofcourse not. Can they help her out of this? Maybe? Maybe not. Who knows? At this point, the only thing that is clear to them is that she doesn't belong anywhere near that Uchiha den.

"You know why I married him.." she lifted her head and whispered to the sleeping man, "You know exactly why.. So pleaassse..wake up, Sensei. Wake up and take away some of my burden..." She gazed hopefully at the man lying on the stretcher but her words proved to be futile. The man didn't even budge. Juugo honestly felt an ache in his heart. He maybe on the wrong side but he isn't a bad person. He wants to help Sakura. He genuinely does. He just has no idea where or how to begin..

Three hours passed in that hospital ward with Sakura talking to her comatose sensei and Suigetsu discussing with Juugo about how to actually handle being guards to such a fragile girl. One misstep and she'll break.

Sakura wiped her teary face with the back of her sweaty palms and turned around to find Sasu- her husband's faithful sycophants waiting for her. Bidding them no signal, she walked right past them out of the room, knowing they'll undoubtedly follow.

Now that she has freely let out her emotional pain to someone, she is ready to sacrifice herself and stand next to the Uchihas. All her friends think of her as a traitor and it's better this way. Atleast her false betrayal will act as a positive motivator. It'll rile their sentimental connections to her and help them realise their goal much easily. The rebels will work far-better in her absence.

Upon reaching her small apartment, she felt an intense gaze pierce through her carefully constructed mask of apathy. She knew exactly whom those eyes belonged to and without even an ounce of fear in her form, she tilted her face, her emeralds meeting the onyxes. By the deep frown marring his face, it was obvious that he wasn't pleased about something and clearly that "something" is linked with her. Still, she climbed the three short steps up the porch and stood directly in front of him, awaiting his angry tirade.

"Where were you?" he gritted out.

"Not a matter of your concern." came her curt response.

He exhaled a breath through his nose and she watched his nostrils flare in unbridled anger.Such a Sasuke-thing to do. She scoffed inwardly and watched the riled up Uchiha inch closer towards her. She kept her gaze. She wasn't intimidated by him in the least. He has already tried to kill her twice so she isn't much scared of dying by his hands. Much to her surprise though, a heavy, shiny object swished in between her and him, breaking the tense atmosphere in an instant-Suigetsu's huge sword. Taking a long breath, Sasuke turned to the side to face the intrusive person and his eyes changed to red, the black tomoes spinning wildly as he seethed at the man. Sakura's eyes on the other hand widened in actual shock when she found that it was Suigetsu who had intervened between them. Why did he?

The white-haired rogue-nin simply stared at his master, his lips a thin line that expressed no emotion whatsoever. When he had decided to serve Sasuke, he had planned to stay out of his boss's way..he had planned to stay out of trouble. But things have changed. He has changed. Watching this pink-haired medic weep in front of her unresponsive sensei stirred something in him. And if this is the last bit of good that he has within him, then he surely wants to utilise it to his best. His inner conflict has finally ended and he has reached a conclusion. He maybe working under the Uchihas but he'll properly safeguard Sakura Haruno. It's better to die the death of a kind bodyguard than an S-class shinobi who used to kill for fun.

"I'm-We're sorry, Sasuke-sama." Juugo was the one who spoke-up for his lean partner, nodding his head at the swordsman in agreement. If Suigetsu is ready then he is too. Afterall, he had never wanted to be the bad guy. It's just life offered him limited options and he had to choose the least bad from amongst them. But now as he glanced between his master and his newfound bride, who also happens to be a kind woman, he has changed his mind from just 'spending the days and dying' to doing something good for the sake of redemption..to achieve true piece at the time of his demise.

"We can't let your hostile nature hurt Sakura-san because this is exactly what you had ordered us to do." He explained honestly.

If anything one of Sasuke's eyebrows arched high up in question of such insolence. He had expected eventual discord and disrespect from Suigetsu. He has never been able to trust the mist-nin but he had always expected Juugo to be a faithful one. So what exactly did Sakura do to win over his dogs? Moments of him glaring ferociously at them did nothing to melt their determination to protect the young kunoichi. They stood before her like a shield and the pinkette watched in silent amazement. It's almost as if she hadn't expected them to protect her.

With his sharingan now faded back to reveal his beautiful greyish-onyx orbs, he sighed raggedly and asked her again in a much calmer tone, "Where were you?"

She scoffed, only this time not inwardly. She shook her head at him and countered his query with a question of her own, "Why do you even care?"

Sasuke's left hand moved and he grabbed tightly onto the hilt of his kusanagi. Sakura's eyes followed, noticing the subtle action of the man she had fallen for. And with a piercing gaze, he gritted out, "Because Neji Hyuga was found dead an hour ago and I don't want to find out that my wife was behind his murder."

Sakura gulped calmly in the eerie silence that followed his words. And then, she shrieked, "WHAT!?"

Alright, so this marks the end of the chapter. I know its not the best one but I still hope you guys liked it..:)

What do you think about Neji's death?

Or Suigetsu and Juugo's newfound fealty towards Sakura?

More angst in the coming chapters.

And once again, thanks for being such patient readers. I really love you guys..♡

AND IF YOU CAN THEN PLEASE SUPPORT ME ON KOFI

My family is facing some issues and it’d be of great help..

Don't forget to share your thoughts about this chapter cuz believe me or not, I read all your comments. They are fun to read and always keep me motivated! :D

And do let me know if you find any errors.

Hopefully I'll make another update soon..:3

Until Next Time...

~Manika

|MASTERLIST|

|SUPPORT ME ON KOFI|

[team-crtq]

How to give criticism and critique

Hey, guess who's back? Yup, it’s Regalia. I decided to make a post on how to give criticism and critique. I know people say that you don’t have to be a chef to know when a dish is too salty, which is true, however, it doesn’t change the fact that criticism and giving a critique are both learned skills. So while yes, anyone can tell you a dish is too salty (and it would technically count as criticism/critique) only someone who has learned how to give criticisms and critiques can tell you more than “it is too salty”. 

However, being an artist and part of communities where critiques are a classroom subject, I wanted to write a guide and include some helpful tips and pointers on how to give critiques. 

Tl;dr: Every bolded part.

It takes time and practice

Like I said earlier, it takes time and practice to give critiques. The only way to get better is to give them. No one is born being able to give good critiques and even I can have trouble forming good ones. It also takes time, there is nothing wrong with taking a moment to fully gather your thoughts, impressions, etc. rather than blurting out (or typing) the first thing that comes to mind. A good way to practice the fundamentals of a critique is to use the critique or criticism sandwich: Compliment, something you didn’t like, something that can be improved, first impressions and thoughts, and lastly another compliment. 

The reason the “critique sandwich” is recommended so much is so you can learn the fundamentals of giving a critique. As with any skill, you shouldn’t ignore the fundamentals because they help you get better. The process of a critique sandwich also helps better organize your thoughts because it is easy to say something you don’t like something but forget to say what you do like. While you won’t always follow that formula exactly, knowing it will help you formulate critiques.

Learning to take critiques

As odd as it sounds, learning to take critiques can help you formulate better critiques. Going to be a little honest here, but I find many people who say “You don’t have to be a chef to know when a dish is salty” or “I’m brutally honest” in response to someone telling them their criticism or critique were ineffective, delivered poorly, etc. to be finding a way of deflecting the criticism they themselves received. Sometimes you have to be told that your criticisms are worded in a way that is ineffective or doesn’t serve any purpose beyond just letting you speak. It helps you get better at giving critiques.

Set the tone for your critique

In order to give a good critique, first, you must be able to set the tone of it. The tone you set will be how the criticism is received. If the initial tone is snide, mocking, etc. then people will view your critique in that way. If your intention is to only be snide, mocking, etc. towards someone then it’s fine to just call it what it is, you don’t have to call it critique or criticism.

It is important to be aware of the tone you set for your critiques. Starting the critique out with “This is absolute shit and I hate it.” will be the tone the rest of your critique takes and honestly? It may ruin many points that you make because you already have said that it is shit and you hate it. The point of a critique shouldn’t be to needlessly hurt someone’s feelings or to boost your own ego, first and foremost, it should be about helping the person receiving it. If you don’t care about helping that person, your critique will show that and may make the audience and person receiving it wonder why they should even bother listening when you don’t even want to help. 

Personal story time! Don’t worry it’s short not too long. 

In my art class, there was someone who actually gave “brutally honest” critiques. They would often say things that were needlessly hurtful either intentionally or unintentionally. During a class critique over portraits, I showed mine. I did the grid assignment of Heath Ledger’s Joker realistically and a self portrait of myself in my more natural style which is anime / manga based. Their thoughts on my assignment were this

“I find anime and manga to be a cop out and I think it is a disgusting and immature style of art for anyone in college. Even though you did your grid portrait realistically the fact that you did your own self portrait in that style has caused me to lose any and all respect for you as an artist.”

Compare that to my professors critique and thoughts on my work which were

“I think the anime like style is a cop out, however, seeing it next to your Heath Ledger I rather like it. It is expressive and shows the ability to illustrate something in a different way. Looking at your portrait, it looks whimsical and mysterious in a way. A tad dark too. I like that you put them side by side because it makes both of them stronger than if they were stand alone.”

My professor also used it as a moment to re-illiterate that we’re supposed to be a class and help each other and that the purpose of a critique isn’t to hurt or degrade anyone intentionally or unintentionally. The purpose is to better ourselves and each other. 

Okay, storytime over. Now, you could see the difference between the critique I got from my classmate and the one from my professor. The tone my classmate set was negative and it showed in both what they said and how they said it. Truth be told, there was nothing they really liked about it and it felt like I was just standing there letting them talk down to me rather than getting feedback. Sure, it’s technically feedback but why should I take it when they’ve blatantly said they have no respect for me as an artist?

I still recognize that it was a critique and knew that they didn’t respect me as an artist, however, with them not having any respect for me, I also didn’t care what they thought of me or my works at that point. What may have been intended to encourage me to move away from drawing animanga style art did nothing of the sort because their tone blocked out the intention. It came off more like the intention was to just say something negative. 

Compared to my professor’s critique even though he said that he personally thinks the animanga style is a cop out, he also said that he liked seeing it next to my Heath Ledger. The tone he set was positive and uplifting, even if he had something negative to say. His critique encouraged me to consider doing more portraits of celebs or incorporating more realism into my own personal style of art or to even do both side by side again. 

The tone you set for your critique is arguably the most important tip because your critique follows your tone. If you set your tone to be mocking, the critique will follow that regardless of any good points you make. If you set your tone to be positive and uplifting, despite negative points you might make the critique still follows the tone you set. If your intention is to help, the tone you set should fall in line with it otherwise, your intention can be missed on the audience.

You vs I

One of the things I learned while doing and receiving critiques are the “You vs I” statements. Preferably, you want to limit the number of “You” statements as possible or balance them out with “I” statements. Take this for example

“You should have used blue because red is too distracting.” compared to, “I think you should have used blue because I think that red is too distracting.”

While both statements contain the same point of red being too distracting, the tone they have is different. The first one can read more like an objective fact and as if they actually did something objectively wrong rather than you personally finding the red distracting. One thing to remember about critiques is that they are subjective even though they can contain objective statements. Another thing is that a “You” statement can put blame on someone for a wrongdoing or perceived wrongdoing and it points the finger at the person receiving the critique either objectively or subjectively. An “I” statement, on the other hand, allows the person giving the critique to assume responsibility for their own feelings and perception rather than putting those feelings onto the person giving the critique.

You either want your critique to have limited “You” statements or find ways of balancing “You” statements with “I” statements and you don’t want to overuse either. 

Your critique isn’t the end all be all, no one’s is. 

One thing that inhibits people’s ability to give an effective critique is when they think that the critique they gave should be the end of it. Truth be told, no one’s critique is the “end” of it because varying opinions and critiques exist. No one’s critique has to be taken and you shouldn’t treat it as if it is a personal offense when yours isn’t. 

Sometimes it happens. I’ve given critiques to people and they refused to take any advice I tried to give, it’s nothing personal. Maybe they enjoy doing it that way, maybe they don’t care to hear my opinion, maybe they don’t have the resources to take my critique at the moment but might in the future, etc. it can be any reason. 

No one’s critique is absolute gospel so you shouldn’t treat yours like it is and likewise, while there is nothing wrong with taking the critique and advice you shouldn’t treat the words of the person giving it to you as gospel. There is nothing inherently wrong with disagreeing in part or in whole of someone’s critique. One person may think it is too sweet, another may think it needs more salt, and another can think that it needs more sugar. 

If Thomas Keller and Gordon Ramsay were critiquing a dish, they likely won’t have the same exact opinion. They may agree in some parts and disagree with others. However, it’s unlikely that either will take it as a personal offense if one disagrees with the other. They’re more likely to agree to disagree or come to a more mutual understanding and shake hands and both come out with additional knowledge or something to consider. 

Disagreement shouldn’t be a personal offense.

Don’t insult the person. 

It shouldn’t have to be said, but surprisingly, it does. You should refrain from blatantly insulting the person you are giving the critique to and this somewhat overlaps with “You vs I” along with the tone for your critique. Of course, no one is infallible and an insult or perceived insult may get slipped in but it shouldn’t be intentional or compose the bulk of your critique. In the heat of the moment or debate, someone may get called a dumbass or idiot. We’re human, it happens sometimes.Gordon Ramsay has made a career off of insulting people and calling them donuts, however, it still remains that he ultimately wants to help the person and wants to offer guidance and assistance. The desire to insult someone shouldn’t come before or above the desire to help. He doesn’t go around insulting people just because he can and he’s also given praise to people for doing well or improving. 

You should to the best of your ability keep a calm and level head. Yes, some people can say some things that make you want to slam your head into a desk and you may call them an idiot in response, however, the intention going into it shouldn’t be to just insult someone because why not. If you just want to insult someone, call it what it is... an insult / personal attack instead of a critique. If you must call someone a dumbass or an idiot, at least explain why or how you ended up at that conclusion or why you feel that way. 

Explain yourself

One of the easiest ways to develop a well-rounded critique is to just explain yourself. If you think that something is bad, why do you think that? If you think something is sexist, why do you think that? If you like something, why do you like it? If you dislike it why do you dislike it?

Explaining yourself can go along way in helping the person receiving the critique to understand your thoughts and for you to understand your thoughts as well. It also allows for the person receiving the critique to explain why they agree, disagree, or what their thoughts are and open the doors to a discussion.

If you just leave it as “I don’t like this.” then it only leaves the person to either agree or disagree and it doesn't explain why you don’t like something or why you feel something can/should be improved upon. Same goes for if you do like it. 

Explaining why you feel that way or why you feel something is wrong can help pave the way to understanding and coming to a mutual agreement. While you may end up having to agree to disagree, having an open path of discussion is important. 

Sometimes your critique isn’t a critique.

The truth is that just not everything is a critique. Sometime’s its just venting or pointing out you don’t like something. Those things are fine, they just aren’t critiques. They’re just as they are, venting and pointing out things you don’t like. Not everything has to be a critique. 

In that same vein, praising something isn’t a critique either. It’s just praise. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these things, but it's important to realize they aren’t critiques. You don’t have to make something that wasn't intended to be a critique a critique. 

Critiques are not inherently negative and should build

They aren’t. Many people think that a critique needs to be negative or can only contain negative things in order for it to be a critique, which simply isn’t true. Ignoring that positive critiques exist is a detriment to giving good critiques. There is a reason “constructive criticism” is a term because it is meant to build something up, not tear it down. 

Yes, sometimes you have to tear something down to get to the core and foundation, the basics, however, it is done in order to build a better foundation-- not just to tear it down and leave the foundation as broken as it was. 

If you don’t have anything truly negative or positive to say, that’s fine as well. However, a critique should something that builds something up or makes it better, not just tearing it down or tearing into it just for the sake of doing it. If a building has a bad foundation, you have to tear it down in order to fix the foundation and build something on top of a good one. However, what is the point of tearing it down if you aren’t going to bother fixing the foundation and just build something else bad on top of it?

Phew.... this was longer than I expected it to be, but these are all of the tips I could think of, compile, and explain how to create better critiques. Of course, these are more like guidelines than hard and fast rules, however, they’re meant to guide you to making good critiques. 

I hope that this is helpful, even if you only take or use one part ‘cause boy my hands are tired.

- Regalia

[ulyssessklein]

This is how musicians should use Facebook Live to get results! (Part 1)

I’m going to say something that is going to upset a lot of musicians.

I totally understand why you feel the way you do when you complain about fans at shows constantly having their phones out and taking pictures or videos of the performance instead of just watching it without using mobile devices.

But with cell phones, cameras, and social media all playing such a major role in society and the way we communicate, we have to understand that they are not going away any time soon. So we can either keep bitching about them…or we can find a way to make them work to our own advantage.

This was the internal dialogue I was having in my own mind a few months ago while driving to Austintown, Ohio to work with the lead vocalist of one of my client-bands, Amanda Jones & the Family Band.

And it was during that 30-minute commute on Interstate 80 that I started kicking around an idea, one that I knew Amanda and her band would be the perfect band to experiment with.

This article, the first of two parts, is a detailed look at that idea, how we implemented and rehearsed it, and some of the important decisions that had to be made going into it. The second part, which I’ll release in the next week or two, will delve into what happened the night of the show, problems that arose and how we dealt with them, and will include video of the entire Facebook Live broadcast as well as video shot from the floor of the venue.

But I’m also going to talk about the things that could have gone better than they did as well as what I think we should do differently the next time we attempt something like this. Even the most planned out shows can have things go wrong or pop up forcing musicians to think on their feet and adapt. Like boxing legend Mike Tyson used to say…everybody has a plan until they get punched.

THE PEOPLE INVOLVED

It would be a good idea to introduce you to the folks involved and why all of this went down in the manner that it did.

For those of you reading this not already familiar with me, I’m Wade Sutton from Rocket to the Stars – Artist Development and Music PR. I work with bands all over the world (thanks to Skype) and provide to them an array of PR-related services like bio and press release writing (I have an extensive journalism background), website and press kit creation, and more.

I also help artists hone their live performance skills and assist in the production of their live shows. I previously founded and directed one of the largest singing competitions on the US East Coast, one that saw the live attendance at the show’s annual finals surpassing an estimated 27,000 people.

The band involved in this little experiment is from an area just outside of Youngstown, Ohio, which is about half way between Pittsburgh and Cleveland. They have been clients of mine for about one year and we were just recently beginning to really dig into their live show.

The lead singer, Amanda, has been singing for several years but didn’t truly throw everything she had into music until after graduating from Mt Union University in Ohio. The band, Amanda Jones & The Family Band, is just that: a family band. Amanda’s father, Michael, is the acoustic guitar player. Her sister, Brittany, is the keyboard player. Brittany’s husband, Nathan, is on bass. The drummer, Frank, and electric guitarist, David, are not relatives but have been with the band for some time now.

When they first started performing, they were a Sugarland tribute band. It isn’t difficult to figure out why because Amanda at times sounds strikingly similar to Jennifer Nettles. But wanting to be something more than a tribute band, they began putting more time and energy into writing original music. The current set list is made of up a healthy combination of originals and covers. And while their music would most certainly fall under the country genre, their original music, individual style, personal likeability, and energy gives them an incredible amount of crossover appeal.

They also don’t burn out their local audience, instead making it a point to book dates outside the Youngstown area, including shows in Cleveland, the Pittsburgh market, and even down into West Virginia.

The band has also received its fair share of media coverage as well. They have performed live (more than once) on the television morning news program on Cleveland’s FOX TV affiliate in addition to making multiple appearances on Froggy radio in Pittsburgh.

So this is a group that has worked hard to grow beyond being a local band and, while they aren’t famous or well-known, they are performing and operating on a regional level.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT

Back to the day I was driving to work with Amanda.

This idea of artists blasting audiences for using their phones at shows was weighing on me and I kept coming back to one question: If fans at a live show will have their phones out, what can we do that will get them to use those phones in a manner that benefits the bands?

I knew a couple of things going into this. I wanted it to be something that involved Facebook Live and I wanted it to be something much different than what people typically see of a FB Live broadcast.

Using Facebook Live in a different way

I began formulating an idea that was born from two immensely popular performances I had seen over the past few years.

The first source of inspiration for the idea was a U2 performance I saw a couple of years ago in which the band invited a member of the audience to join them on stage. The woman they selected was given a cell phone tied to the band’s Periscope account. For one song, the fan was given free reign to walk around the stage showing whatever she wanted on camera and it was all broadcast live on Periscope. If I remember correctly, this all happened in that time period between when Twitter really started pushing Periscope (in direct competition with Meerkat) but before FB announced that it was working on the now popular Facebook Live feature.

The second source of inspiration for the idea was when Bruce Springsteen performed during the Super Bowl halftime show several years ago. The thing about that particular show that I always carried with me after watching it wasn’t how much energy Springsteen had on stage but was how he interacted with the cameras in addition to playing to the live audience. It created a sense of breaking the fourth wall and made for a television broadcast that was much more engaging for those watching on TV.

So taking those two performances as sources of inspiration, I knew we wanted to do something that was extremely engaging for both the audience attending the show live as well as the folks watching on Facebook AND we wanted to create something that would encourage people to share the video AND we wanted to walk away from it with incredible footage that the band could then re-purpose and use for marketing materials, including a sizzle reel that could be shown at trade conventions or to send to colleges at which the band is hoping to be booked.

Why is most Facebook Live concert footage boring?

There is an inherent problem with the vast majority of Facebook Live broadcasts done by music artists wanting to air portions of their live show. More often than not, the artist places their phone on a tripod (or has somebody else hold it) and the phone is situated off to the side of the stage. The artist then performs for their audience and totally ignores the camera. So it leaves the viewer watching online feeling like they are a fly on the wall…a passive observer.

It results in a very strong feeling of detachment for the viewer, something that is in direct opposition of the engaging experience artists should be trying to create for fans.

What were we going to do different with FB Live?

When I arrived for my appointment with Amanda, the idea was pretty much fleshed out and we immediately began planning it:

We were going to take a three song portion of an upcoming live show, put together a high-energy performance for those three songs, and broadcast it live on Facebook Live… we were going to have the camera operator moving around on the stage with the band. This meant making sure the camera operator knew everything that was going on performance-wise so she would have the camera on the appropriate band member at any given time and so we could capture specific angles at specific times. And, most importantly, the band was going to be performing to the camera as much as the audience at the venue.

We were essentially creating a live mini-television production for FB Live.

We then decided to add an additional layer by erecting a video screen at the venue on which the broadcast would be shown as it was happening live. The reason we did that was because we wanted to encourage fans at the show to break out their phones, share the broadcast with their own Facebook friends, and leave comments so they could see their own names and comments pop up on the screen next to the stage…all things that would make Facebook detect the video as “interesting content” and hopefully push it into more people’s news feeds.

WHAT WE HAD TO DECIDE

In planning out this three song broadcast, we had to make some pretty important decisions. The two things that jumped out immediately were figuring out what three songs would be performed during that broadcast and during what live show would the broadcast take place.

Choosing the right songs to broadcast via Facebook Live

As far as what three songs we would use, we took a look at all of the band’s options. As I said previously, their set list includes a combination of originals and covers. I suggested to Amanda that we stick to using only originals for the broadcast. As many musicians know, Universal Music Group has been on a tear pulling down covers of their songs done by music artists and posted on Facebook. Even though we could have used covers owned by other publishing companies, I felt the broadcast and video content was too important for the band to risk butting heads with any publishing companies. And it wasn’t like they were lacking quality originals that could be used for the broadcast.

I also wanted them to use originals that were upbeat because the performances during that broadcast were going to utilize an extensive amount of movement. I wanted the entire broadcast to be full of energy so anything remotely close to a ballad was tossed from the start. We eventually whittled it down to three songs: “Jones Family Reunion,” “Ready to Fall,” and “Wine, Whiskey, and Beer.”

“Jones Family Reunion” was the perfect song to start the broadcast with for several reasons. Not only is it a very fun and upbeat song, it also does an incredible job reinforcing one of the most interesting aspects of the band’s branding in that most of the members are family. That was extremely important because it is one of the things about the band that a lot of fans remember when they are first exposed to them. So starting the broadcast with that song allowed us to introduce people watching it to one of the things about them that is different from most other bands out there and it was done in a very high-energy manner.

“Ready to Fall” was a natural fit for the second slot. It gave us an opportunity to do a song that was about falling in love but wasn’t a weepy, slow song. And while it was upbeat, it was one we could bring down the visual energy (for the first half) by having Amanda sing at the mic stand and putting more attention on the lyrics for a period of time. We did this on purpose because we wanted to come out of this song and ramp up the visual energy for the end of the broadcast but we needed the audience to SEE the energy increasing over that time period. Doing so keeps the show visually interesting for both the audience at the venue and watching on Facebook Live.

“Wine, Whiskey, and Beer” was the finale for the three song broadcast. The song is a fan favorite and includes a call-and-response. It was also a very appropriate song to continue increasing the visual energy coming out of “Ready to Fall,” enabling us to keep a very natural flow to the show and the Facebook Live broadcast. It also gave us an opportunity to show that even though the band’s performances are branded as something that families can take their kids to, the band can still let loose in a manner that parents would be okay with having their children at the show. It is a party…but it is a controlled party.

So all three of the songs were selected because not only were they catchy and energetic, they all had their own way of reinforcing the band’s brand and image. This is an area in which I’ve always felt too few bands are giving their attention and it is holding them back in a big way.

Choosing the right gig to broadcast via Facebook Live

The next thing on our plate was figuring out at which show this Facebook Live performance was going to take place. We had several options available to us but there were two that stood out: the band’s appearance at WinterFest in downtown Cleveland or at their show at a venue called Bootlegger’s near Yankee Lake, Ohio.

WinterFest was a great opportunity for them. It was a performance that was tied directly to a much bigger event (so they weren’t solely responsible for bringing in the crowd) and it was one at which a lot of people were expected to turn out. But there were some cons to trying to do the broadcast there. Because the show was going to be outdoors on a November Cleveland day, I was concerned the wind would nix any plans to erect the video screen on which the FB Live broadcast would be shown. One strong gust and that thing would have been sailing into the air and out over Lake Erie. And even though we knew attendance for the festival was expected to be pretty high, we knew attendees would have a lot of things to do and look at and we didn’t know to what extent that would suck people away from the stage to do other things. Lastly, WinterFest was right around the corner from when we started fleshing out this idea and we wouldn’t have very much time to rehearse for it.

Bootlegger’s was the other attractive option. The band had performed there on two other occasions and, both times, had big turnouts. The venue is pretty much in the band’s backyard and, like I said earlier, they make it a point to not over-saturate the local market by doing too many shows locally. The show was booked for late January and gave us more time to prepare. And, most importantly, we discovered that the venue had just spent major cash on a new lighting and effects system that would blow people’s socks off. Having decided that we wanted to take video from this performance to use for marketing purposes, this was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

We circled the Bootlegger’s date as the show during which the Facebook Live broadcast would take place.

INTO THE REHEARSAL ROOM

We set aside two Sunday afternoons to work on the production of the broadcast, with each session lasting two hours.

In helping the band with this, I had to focus on two things: Making sure their performances were planned out with a lot of energy and I had to work with the camera operator on walk her through everything we would need her to do. Remember that she needed to know everything that was going on during the performance, where on stage it was happening, and where she was going to have to be to get the best angle. A friend of the band, Alyce, volunteered to be the camera operator so I asked that she be present at both rehearsals.

We addressed the performances first. Fortunately, the band brings a lot of experience to the stage as well as a willingness to try new things, is fantastic at accepting coaching (a rarity in this business, believe it or not), and already came in with a greater than average level of energy and enthusiasm. So it wasn’t difficult to get them to ratchet the energy up a few more levels. We then focused on creating visuals that would stick out to people watching the show. This included sections in the broadcast in which Amanda was on her knees with Michael and Nathan on either side of her, Amanda tossing beach balls out into the crowd, and Amanda actually singing while riding on Nate’s shoulders while he walked around playing bass during the finale of the broadcast.

It was all stuff that would look great performance-wise even without the impressive lighting at the venue. Since we had only a couple of hours to sort everything out, we took a “broad strokes” approach creating and working on these very cool visuals in cleaning up any major problems that popped up.

While we were hammering down all the movements that would take place during the broadcast, we also had to hash out things like when Amanda and members of the band would be performing to the camera operated by Alyce vs when they were performing to the crowd attending the show at Bootlegger’s. Proving that they were in fact the perfect band to run this little experiment with, the band had no problem hamming it up for the camera during rehearsal.

Positioning the camera operator

Once all of that was done, we had to address the final layer: Alyce’s presence on the stage during the show. I wanted to make this as easy as possible for her so grabbed Brittany’s iPhone (the same one we would be using for the Facebook Live broadcast) and I had the band run through each of the three songs while I recorded the video as if we were doing the FB Live broadcast. We then sent the video file to Alyce so she could study before the second two-hour session. It basically provided her with a video walk-through of where she had to be and where the camera had to be pointed at any given time.

The second two-hour session was spent doing repeated run-throughs of the three song set. We also worked on Amanda’s delivery during the transitions when she would direct the crowd to sign-up for the band’s e-mail list, give them the rundown on the merchandise giveaway that was being run through sharing the FB Live video, and directing the audience on the call-and-response going into the last song. And this gave Alyce several opportunities to operate the camera through the entire set while we made adjustments to the performances and added more movements to the show.

We wrapped up that second rehearsal with a ten-minute FB Live broadcast during which the band and I discussed the work that went into it.

WRAPPING UP PART 1

So now you know about everything leading into the show and the Facebook Live broadcast. In Part 2, you will get a very detailed look at everything that took place during the show, problems that popped up, things that went exactly the way we were hoping as well as aspects of the show that could have gone better, and you will get to see the actual Facebook Live broadcast in its entirety as well as video of the performance shot from the floor.

Additionally, if you haven’t already grabbed yourself a free copy of my music business book, The $150,000 Music Degree, you can do so by jumping over to www.GiftFromWade.com.

  The post This is how musicians should use Facebook Live to get results! (Part 1) appeared first on DIY Musician Blog.