#and looking at this post. this is certainly a list heavily influenced by choices i seem to have made

[itwoodbeprefect]

i was tagged by @redgoldblue. thank you!!

Rules: List 10 songs you really like rn, each by a different artist, and then tag 10 ppl to do the same.

i’m interpreting “really like rn” as “have actually listened to intentionally multiple times in the recent past”, not necessarily as “think are the pinnacle of music”. i’m saying this because a decent percentage of this list is just straight up the top gun soundtrack and i’m pretty sure someone is going to notice.

pink cadillac - bruce springsteen

how silly can you get - nick rivers/val kilmer

danger zone - kenny loggins

joshua - dolly parton

sense of humor - darren hayes

take my breath away - berlin

dirty work - steely dan

like the way i do - melissa etheridge

great balls of fire - jerry lee lewis

i’m probably not going to hit 10 but here are some names: @littlestarsailor @girlonastring @smileylover99 @dannosteve223 @eg515 @spaceradars

as always, feel free not to do this if you don’t feel like it!

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Humans 101.”

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I have had the WORST motivation the past few weeks, but I thought you might like to see some more of Krill. Hope you all have a great day!

Krill walked up the university hallway turning his head to look out the window at the vast expanse of space before him. It had been a very long time since he had been to University, in the Vrul sense of the word, which was less like University and more like on the job training, but he had recently accepted an assignment at the Intergalactic Institute of Biological Science. Granted, he wasn’t a real professor, not fully, but an adjunct who had signed on to do a series of lectures for the next few months while he waited for Admiral Vir’s return. 

Since Simon had become acting Captain of the ship, it seemed that there was less and less reason for him to be there. She wasn’t experienced enough to take on the real dangerous assignments that the Admiral had excelled at, and due to her rule following nature, and the assignments they were sent on, mostly diplomatic and exploratory in nature, Krill had found less and less use for himself on the ship. He didn’t expect to be gone forever, and he doubted he would be able to leave at this point.

He couldn’t return to his home planet, not now there was a standing order for his termination, which he was planning to avoid with great prejudice. Though he found it wildly Ironic that they had asked him to come teach, when many of the professors at the school were, in fact, other Vrul.

It was with this small piece of amusement that he scuttled into the lecture room: Large and circular with seats rising on all sides and a projection hub right in the middle. The room was already packed full despite him being five minutes early. He had been told his lecture series would be popular, but he hadn’t expected there to be standing room only, and even then, there were students sitting on the floor, and a few Vrul floating in the air high above other students' heads.

He moved to the center of the room to set up his projections and, from the corner of his eye watched as a few of the front row students shifted back slightly. The Tesraki, Rundi and Finnari students didn’t seem to notice, but the Vrul students certainly did, sarong at him like he was some sort of freak.

He  could hear the whispering, and he reveled in it.

It was nice to be intimidating sometimes.

Overhead the lights flashed once, and then twice, and the entire room went quiet expectantly looking down at him with their wide eyes.

He drew himself up Resting two of his hands together and another two behind his back as he began pacing his way around the projection field. Students Continued to whisper quietly, “Good morning class, My name is Dr. Krill Galaxy renowned trauma surgeon, and the galactic leading expert in xeno-medicine with an emphasis in humanity.”

There was a uiet muttering around the room.

“I have been acting medical officer aboard the UNSC Omen once Harbinger for more than two years, and I have practiced surgery in hospitals From Andromeda and Irus to the milky way and Earth.”

More shifting wide eyes and some nervous muttering.

He looked around the room shrewdly at all the new faces, “How many of you are interested in working with the intergalactic community.”

A slow raise of hands.

“Then I should probably let you know. Humanity has begun to profuse through all the major sectors of space, business, government, shipping, sales, medical. Humans are everywhere, and humans can do anything. If you wish to work in the wider intergalactic community, you will be working with humans, and many of you will work extremely closely with humans.”

Nervous expressions all around.

“I noticed many of you, the Vrul students especially have noticed the strange effect that spending time with humans can have on an individual.”

He looked around and saw some acknowledgement.

“The colloquial term for it is called the humanizing phenomenon and it will happen to you no matter how hard you try. Scientists have said that you will become more aggressive in order to interact with humans, your movements will become more predatory, you will come to focus on facial cues and the pitch of voices to determine emotion, and soon,you will even begin to utilize human body language in order to communicate better with them.” He motioned to himself, “Out of all the alien species,I have spent the most time with humans, and as you can see, I communicate primarily in a way that humans would understand, mostly with nonverbal body cues. I don’t often use my helium sack as I get in the way with keeping up with humans.” he turned to look around at the room, “Human’s no longer scare me. As pack animals, your social influence is often more important than your physical influence. Given the fact that I have built myself up in social influence within a human pack, I no longer worry myself with being round humans. In fact, I Have never been safer in my entire life.”

His antenna vibrated slightlin amusement, “In fact it is well known that I already have a termination order placed on my head by the Vrul council.”

There was a shocked gasp from certain Vrul parts of the room.

He swaggered about the room a little smugly. He didn’t usually get reactions like this from people.

“They actually took me from an assembly meeting with the GA and brought me back for termination, but one of my humans, as I certainly do consider them mine as much as they consider me theirs, came and rescued me single handedly.”

Another murmuring from around the room.

“How did he do it?”

They waited.

“He used his complex human vocal cords and clapping to simulate a beat. In that way he disabled all the guards, and climbed his way up the guiding rope to the council chamber.”

More soft muttering.

“If you make friends with a human, you are probably as safe as you are ever going to be, especially if you happen to become friends with a very audacious human=, in which case there is nothing that they will not do for you.” He spun on the spot, “Enough for introductions, I will please have you open your files to page one of the textbook, and we will go over a brief discussion of human mechanical anatomy.”

There was a shuffling around the room as Data pads were produced.

Krill brought up an anatomical projection of a human. Looking up it amused him to know that this anatomical model, the one used in almost every nonhuman textbook, was modeled on one single human, that being Adam Vir, all accept for the right leg of course, which was modeled on another human of similar height.

“Humans are are omnivorous bipeds with an endoskeletal structure supported by a vascular system. I know a lot of you have been wrongfully told that humans are primarily carnivores, though that is not true, while human can eat a variety of foods, there are humans that choose to live without eating meat, and they can be sustained on a herbivore diet if they wish. As you can see here, the front facing eyes of the human mark them off as a predator species, though this isn’t always the perfect indicator. Vrul eyes are on the front, but, as we know, Vrul also have prismatic vision that is more closely related that of insects on an earth-like planet.” he glanced around the room, “These predator classifications only exist for a class of alien known as the vascular type, which uses a pump to push fluid through the body. As you know Vrul, Burg, Gromm, and Lumins as well as a few others are not represented in this category.”

“Can anyone tell me which species ARE classified as the vascular subtype.”

There was a raised hand and he pointed, “You there.”

“I can provide a short list sir, Tesraki, Rundi, Humans, and Drev to name a few, but the Drev are a notable outlier for this rule because their war-like culture has supported the slow movement of the eyes towards the front of the face despite them being a herbivore species.”

Krill nodded, “Very good. Yes, humans are in fact a REAL predator species, however it is important to note that the greater 80% of human diets are supported by fruits and vegetables. Based on the amount and distribution of consumed foods, humans are actually closer to herbivores in their dietary choices than they are carnivores.”

There was a soft muttering around the room. Either disbelief or interest, he couldn't tell.

“Historically, humans would have evolved from tree dwelling omnivores, though their diets would also have been primarily fruit, and maybe insects as hunting only really came after they moved to land based travel on two legs. As far as earth animals are concerned, humans are not a top tier predator, and years of life in padded habitats using technology have actually dulled their hunting senses and abilities. A human COULD take a chunk out of you with their teeth, but they certainly wouldn’t WANT to. It would definitely be a last resort. Following that, humans only eat cooked meat as they can grow very sick on consuming certain raw products.”

The class shifted and whispered to each other.

“Yes, I know you have been told many strange and odd things about humans, but most of those are heavily exaggerated. However, it is true that humans are more versatile than most of us. Humans can run, walk, climb, throw, jump and swim, and while they don’t do any of those particularly well, their ability to do all of them  to some degree makes them the most versatile alien in the GA. Furthermore humans also have a multitude of senses, ones that are common to most of us balance, heat cold, pain, etcetera, but there is one sense that they have which is very uncommon in the galaxy, and that is a sense of smell.”

All around him, students were taking notes, “This is the ability for a human to detect particles in the air and, often, identify their sources. Everything sheds particles, and the human nose can pick up those particles. For instance humans generally like the smell of Iotans because Iotins shed compounds similar to foods that humans like to eat. Once upon a time it might have been used to help humans detect poison or other predators, but like I have said before, a human is a middleman in abilities. All of a human’s senses are relatively dull in comparison to some of their earth counterparts.”

He turned to his projector and flipped it to the anatomical structure of a dog, one that had been oddled off the only dog that many aliens had ever met.

Waffles the admiral’s dog.

“This creature’s sense of smell is powerful enough,they have been known to track a sent trail for miles through densely wooded forests. They can smell a change in hormone and pheromone levels on other creatures, and are even being used to detect certain diseases. The best a human can do is smell a cooking meal.”

He walked in a wide circle looking out at the students, some of them looking excited, others staring on in trepidation.

“Human eyesight is on a similar level to their smell. Humans have binocular vision which makes their depth perception quite good. A human is perfectly capable of snatching a flying object out of the air as their predatory instincts draw them to movement. This also makes humans very adept at navigating through obstacles like they might once have had to do in trees. Furthermore, it allows them to guess distance to prey during hunting.” He switched to a picture of a drev, “However humans do not have the best vision out of all aliens species. While the acuity of a human and a Drev are similar, Drev can detect Ultraviolet wavelengths where humans can only see the visible spectrum.” He looked at some of the Vrul, “Take solace in the knowledge that you can see thermal where humans cannot. They have relatively poor night vision, but better than that of you or I and far better than the Drev who traded the use of multiple cones to very frew light sensing rods.”

He looked up from his lecturing, “Are there any questions so far.”

Every had in the room shot into the air.

He paused to look at them faces lit by the glowing bluish light of the hologram behind him and sighed, he supposed this is what he was here for.

“Let’s star in the back then, shall we.”

One of the hands went down.

“Sir, is it true that humans are capable of surviving cortical tissue damage.”

Krill snorted, a sound he probably shouldnt have been able to make since he didn’t have a nose but one he had learned how to make because it expressed a very important emotion when interacting with humans. The entire class looked at him funny.

He sighed, “Yes, The first surgery I preformed on a human involved removing an eight inch steel rod from an eye socket which had gone into cortical tissue. To this day that human… well hes been doing fine, a bit of a dumbass sometimes, but I think that was a part of his personality before brain damage.”

They stared at him confused until Krill realised that dumbass probably wasn’t in their vocabulary. It probably translated to silent butt or idiot butt which didn’t have the same kind of ring to it.

Krill waved a hand, “In certain cases humans have been known to survive with only one hemisphere of their brain.”

A chorus of disbelief, “It is true, in certain cases where electrical abnormalities n the brain cause convulsions, surgeons intentionally remove half the brain to increase quality of life. There are a couple of downsides to this of course, like the inability to play musical instruments, but most humans still live a productive and fulfilling life after the procedure.”

More hands shot up again.

He turned and chose one at Random.

“Can humans smell fear”

Krill frowned, “No humans can’t smell fear. Whoever told you that was smoking something.”The class stared blankly at him until he picked another hand.

“Are you worried that the humans will ever…. Turn on you?”

Krill raised his hands into the air in exasperation, “They are SENTIENT beings not wild animals  Humans have strict social rules like you or anyone else. It would be illegal for them to hurt me , and I doubt they would let it happen at all. Humans aren’t feral. In fact my partner aboard the ship is Doctor Katie Quinn, and she is just as experienced in the field of medicine as I am. SHe can match me in almost any medical procedure and she only has two cortical hemispheres, and less than half the amount of hands.”

He frowned at the room, “I have no idea where ou all got these ideas from. Humans are thinking creatures not animals. The reason they survived on their planet is not because they are the strongest predator, but because they are the smartest, just like you or I. the only difference between us is that the Human planet is so hostile, they have been forced to keep some of their more instinctive tendencies.”

More hands raised.

“Have you seen one of these larger earth animals, sir?”

“Yes on plenty of occasions.” He flipped his diagram back to that of a dog, “This animal here is called a dog, the ancestral  evolution of the wolf, which is just a much larger version of this animal here. These animals are higher on the food chain that humans and have the ability to easily outrun, attack and rip the throat out of a human.” He paused as the class pulled back, “Which is why humans often use them in security, protection and law enforcement, because no human wants to fight one of these creatures.” He smiled a bit grimly, “Also humans just love to keep them as pets.”

There was an uproar around the room.

How could anyone want to keep something that could rip their face off as a pet.

Krill raised a hand to quiet down the room, “I know, I know, it all sounds very strange, but you must understand, humans and dogs are both descended from highly social pack groups. At one point a human took wolf cubs and began raising them and breeding them for desirable traits. As wolves are pack animals they slowly would have begun to see humans as members of their own pack family. In this humans molded a creature into being one of their greatest allies. Dogs rely on humans and humans rely on dogs for many jobs. Humans love dogs and dogs love humans. In fact, humans have bred this animal so extensively that dogs are one of the only creatures on their own planet capable of reading human facial expressions.”

He pulled up an image from his personal files, one where Adam sat on the floor, and the dog Waffles sat next to him. He made a face as her long, pink tongue ran up the side of his cheek.

The class gasped.

“She could easily use this opportunity to kill him.” krill said, “But she never would.” He turned to another image of himself standing next to the dog, a hand resting on her back.

More gasping.

Krill was somewhat amused. “Humans, as I said are social in the extreme, and this fact is going to be our best ally when meeting them. Anyone and anything can become part of a human pack. In fact, this instinct in humans is so strong that inanimate objects can easily be accepted into a human’s pack. They routinely name plants and attribute personalities to them. I once conducted an experiment where I placed fake eyes.” Googly eyes to be exact, “On a waste receptacle, and the humans named him Mr. Rubbish and began throwing away their items exclusively in that specific receptacle as ‘Offerings’ to Mr Rubbish….. That is not a joke, that actually happened.” He appraised them with a stern look, “Befriending humans is the most important thing you can do, and probably one of the easiest things as well. If you find yourself incapable of making friends with a human, its probably time to look at yourself personally because you must be horrible.” he pointed to himself, “I will openly admit that my personality isn’t exactly the easiest to be around, and yet I still managed it on accident.”

His lecture continued for some minutes, covering more anatomy, bone structures and some interesting facts about their internal organs.

However he was forced to stop as little lights began blinking overhead, and he went to dismiss the class, “Next week we will be discussing the effects of adrenaline on humans as a special treat to those who decide to return after this first lecture. And for your assignment, I want you to find one news article that perpetuates a myth about humans and write a short essay debunking it. Since this is the first week I am going lenient on assignments but by the end of the term I do expect full essays at publishable quality.”

Everyone in the class stood, and he found himself suddenly swarmed by a mass of figures.

It seemed as if he was going to be here for a while.

Little did Krill know that his lecture series was becoming so popular that the administration was going to have to upgrade his lecture hall two more times in the concurrent weeks.

Everyone wanted to know about humans.

[zorosboyfriend]

the antithesis of sin

Frankly I did not like the newest event at all and I sat down to type this immediately after I finished. This is somewhat rushed and not as polished as I’d like it to be but I have to be up for work in a few hours and couldn’t wait to post it. It’s also up on Ao3 for anyone who’d prefer to read it there.

It had all happened so fast that even now you were still struggling to process what had happened. After he’d excused himself earlier, Satan had approached you once more and invited you to accompany him to the library. You’d agreed, partially because you were worried for him and partially because the current atmosphere in the House of Lamentation was deeply unsettling and you wanted a brief reprieve. It had only been half a day since Simeon had gifted them those bangles but word spread quickly in the Devildom and a group of lesser demons had cornered you two on your way to the library. Satan had immediately stepped in front of you, but rather than decimating them, as you all knew he was capable of doing, he’d merely stood there, patiently letting them hurl abuses his way. Things had only escalated from there and when one of them shoved Satan, sending him stumbling back as they raised their hand to strike him, you’d seen red.

It was the sheer audacity of you flinging yourself forward with a guttural yell that allowed you to knock the demon to the ground. There was no universe in which you presented an actual threat to him but you saw a flicker of fear in his eyes as you brought your fists crashing down on him, one, two, three times. You’d mindlessly lashed out and as a result, had caught your hands on the demon’s horns, leaving little speckles of your blood across his face and you continued to swing even as you were dragged off him.

Only the realization that it was Satan currently holding you calmed you down and you didn’t fight him when he set you down against a nearby tree. You let your head list sideways, leaning heavily on the tree as you shook, heart-pumping rapidly from the adrenaline still coursing through you. Something in the air had shifted and you knew instinctively that Satan had broken free from the spell’s influence.

The seconds dragged on and each minute felt like an eternity but by the time Satan returned to you you’d managed to settle down somewhat. You didn’t protest when he picked you up and neither of you spoke as he began the walk back, any plans of going to the library forgotten. None of the others disturbed you as you moved through the hallways and you hadn’t seen a single sign of any of them by the time Satan set you down on the edge of your bathtub so that he could tend to your hands.

You stared blankly ahead as Satan dabbed away the blood still oozing sluggishly from your knuckles. He occasionally muttered a small apology whenever the cloth caught on the edges of the split skin but you didn't respond, what little energy you could muster going towards the increasingly harder task of keeping your breathing controlled and steady. It wasn't until your gaze drifted towards him that you finally reacted, speaking up for the first time since he'd brought you home.

"My blood’s getting all over your clothes." You reached out with the hand he'd already bandaged, tugging clumsily at the edge of his fluttering sleeves, fingers already swollen and stiff with pain. "It's going to stain."

He paused in his ministrations, looking down at himself briefly. With an ease belying his usual reluctance to appear as anything other than neat and put together, he stood and ripped through the front of his top, shrugging off the tattered coat along with the accompanying white feather boa. Left in nothing more than his white pants and scuffed leather shoes, he kicked away the offending clothing and kneeled back down in front of you.

"What you did was foolish." He peered up at you from under his lashes, moving hesitantly as he resumed his previous task, though he quickly settled back into a brisk but gentle pace.

"I know." You didn't meet his gaze, fixating your eyes on a point beyond his left shoulder even when he finally looked away.

"I would have been fine without your interference."

"I know."

"You could have been hurt much, much worse than this. You're incredibly lucky that you didn't sustain an injury worse than some bruised and bleeding hands."

"I know."

Satan huffed and you saw the tension in his shoulders as he took a deep, shuddering breath. "Can you look at me?"

You didn't respond, still staring at some point just beyond him.

"Please."

The tired tone of his voice and the way it wavered so slightly that it would have been imperceptible to anyone who knew him less, tugged at the knot in your chest and you finally turned towards him. You'd been so out of it that you hadn't even noticed that he'd finished wrapping up your hand and now simply held it between his own, thumb rubbing soothing circles into your palm.

"You didn't have to act out on my behalf. I know I was not… myself at the time, but I was and am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I know. But you don't always have to do everything on your own. Especially--" you paused, sucking in a deep breath as you fought back the rising urge to cry "--especially not after what Simeon did to all of you. He had no right to strip you of your will like that, no right to try and control your anger just because he found it unsightly!"

Your chest heaved with each breath as tears began to drip slowly down your face, muffled sobs echoing in the confines of the bathroom. Your vision was blurred but you could still see the shape of Satan’s hand as he reached up to cup your face, brushing away some of the tears with an achingly tender touch. You spoke up again, speech halting and voice faltering as you tried to put your feelings into words. “Your anger, your wrath, is yours and yours alone. It isn’t mine, it isn’t Lucifer’s and it certainly isn’t Simeon’s. If you wanted to find a way to let go of some of that anger, then you’d have my support in every way I could offer it to you. But it would have to be your choice to take those steps and even then, you’d still have a right to your anger.”

You slumped forward, letting Satan guide you until your forehead was resting against the crown of his head, blonde strands tickling at your nose as he took the brunt of your weight against himself. The hand still holding yours had shifted so that he was cradling yours against his chest, his other arm snaking around your back so that he could take a fistful of your shirt and hold you closer. You let your own arm fall along his shoulder, hand draped across the nape of his neck. “You are Satan, one of the Seven Rulers of Hell, Wrath incarnate. I would not have you any other way.”

“Thank you,” he said simply, warm breath fanning across your collarbone.

You two sat together quietly for some time, holding on to each other even as Satan’s hair grew damp from your tears and your hand started to grow numb from its awkward positioning. Eventually, the silence was broken by a snort and you sat up, ignoring the discomfort of sitting upright after being hunched over for so long in favor of looking at Satan questioningly.

He shook his head, lips pulling up into a small smile as he composed himself. “It’s nothing, really. I was just thinking that Lucifer is going to be livid when he hears that you injured yourself by hitting a demon with your bare hands.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that as well, giving his hand a squeeze. “You’re probably right but, well. I’d take that over all the righteousness and piety any time.”

“Yeah,” Satan said softly, squeezing your hand back, “me too.”

[the-darklings]

—we’re good at bad ideas, my love;

pairing: loki x reader

4k drabble celebration: [o6/22]: “I can’t wait any longer.”

word count: 2.1k+ (what can I even say?)

warnings: nada

notes: All prompts for this challenge come from “Super Sappy Lines Prompt List” created by @tiptoe39. Sadly, I can’t link the list without Tumblr sniping this post but you can find a link to it on my tumblr.

. . .

You were surprised you managed to sneak up on him.

Either he was losing his touch (doubtful), or he was too preoccupied with whatever he was scheming (more likely).

The blade slid against the elegant curve of his neck and he stilled.

“You shouldn't be here, silver-tongue,” you hummed behind him, and pressed another dragger against his ribs when he made a move to grab his own weapon. “It’s a dangerous place for a princeling like you to venture to.”

Loki had always been fast—annoyingly, brilliantly, fast. He pivoted on his feet, his own dagger pointed at your throat in a blink of an eye before he flattered upon taking in your face. The piercing hostility melted from his features and into soft disbelief and confusion.

“(Name)?”

You heard the ring of relieved disbelief in his voice, and suppressed a smile at the immediate and calculating way his green eyes started tracing over your features.

“I thought you dead,” he spoke after another moment, and his words felt heavy despite their softness.

“Likewise,” you countered coolly, taking in how different he looked from the prince you once knew. “Last I heard you were dead. Clearly, that’s old news. Though I suppose I should have known better than to trust the word of mouth.”

“Indeed you should have,” he noted, and there was a bite to his words that made your jaw clench.

You wanted to ask him a thousand things: how he had ended up in Sakaar, what happened in Asgard, where was Thor, and most importantly, if what the whispers said about him was true.  

If he had truly aligned himself with the one individual whose name no one dared to speak out loud. If he had truly tried to take over Midgard, and served under the Mad Titan himself. The Titan was practically a myth on Sakaar, yet no one dared to speak ill of him—at least not in public. His influence hung over the universe like a dark shroud, and the thought that Loki had…

“Well, it’s truly difficult to keep up-to-date with Asgard news when one is banished,” you pointed out drily, and the subdued iciness of your tone made Loki’s eyes narrow. He looked different; somehow hollowed out and torn down all at once, unmade. There was a new sharpness to his gaze—still cutting, still far too clever for his own good—that pierced you though. “It wasn’t exactly easy or pleasant news to hear—”

“Did you mourn?”

A million things were packed into the quiet question. His face had smoothed out, giving away nothing as always. He was far too good at this game of words. You had an appreciation for his methods but little patience for them. You had slowly learned how to adapt his method for your own survival. That tends to happen when you spend all your spare time around someone like him though. Or you did.

Once you had been inseparable.

But now—even though you hadn’t been this close physically in years—it felt like a bottomless chasm had opened up between you.

“Yes.”

It felt uncomfortable to admit it. Neither of you had ever been much for heartfelt exchanges of sentimentality. The closest he had come to sentiment was the day you were banished. You could still recall the fervent burn in his eyes when he swore that he was going get you back no matter what.

But that was then.

Years and years of waiting and bitter longing stood between you now.

And here you both were. At the edge of the universe, reunited once again.

“What’s the deal with your new outfit?” you finally forced out, realising that he wasn’t going to say anything else. You couldn’t quite read his expression, and it felt safer to fill the silence with something. Loki always loved to talk.

“What’s the deal with your hair? It looks abysmal.”

A strangled—and dare you say it, relieved—laugh slipped past your lips, and his expression softened too, a smug grin tugging his own lips upwards. And just like that, the suffocating tension disappeared, making it easier to breathe.

This. This you had missed terribly. The easy, near antagonistic relationship between you. And the trust and the respect, and…

Perhaps just him too.

“What are you doing here, Loki? Where are the others?” you spoke, sheathing your blades, and noting that he had already put his away. Still quick with his hands too. “How did you end up in this garbage dump?”

Eyes crinkling, he approached you with that familiar swagger in his step, “They’re not here. And maybe I can’t wait any longer for them to show up, and came to take over and rule this planet myself.”

You made a thoughtful noise at the back of your throat, folding your hands over your chest, and gazing at him for a long moment. Loki always liked being clever. Always liked explaining his grand schemes and seeing how quickly you managed to catch on to all the little nuances in his plan. It had been one of his favourite games to play—aside from making Thor’s life a living misery. Once it had been harmless fun, but now…

“Well for one, you should not underestimate the Grandmaster,” you told him mildly, watching his expression sharpen with interest. A new source of information, that's what you effectively just made yourself, and this felt familiar too. How many times had you both done this routine before? Too many times to count. “He’s far smarter and ruthless than you think. Don’t let the frivolous act fool you. And taking over this world? Have you forgotten what happened in Niflheim?”

Loki’s eyes twinkled with mirth, and in that spark of life, you saw the mischievous prince you once knew so well.

“Oh, Niflheim was a delight,” he practically purred, his smile all teeth like the memory woke up something buried deep down; something dear to him.

And you could understand it. It was a simpler time then. Just you and him, with Thor and Warrior Three, sometimes joining in. The Nine Realms had seemed like your playground then. But that was a long, long time ago.

“No. Niflheim was most certainly not a delight,” you pointed out incredulously, your expression twisting in disbelief. “Did you hit your head or something? I was thrown to prison because you were a little shit and decided it was a good idea to—”

“Help me take this place,” he cut you off, grabbing you by the shoulder, and you felt the air in your lungs burn. Loki’s eyes were aflame with that familiar fire, the drive you once believed would get him the throne. You had never expected this though. “You and me, just like the old days. We take this place for ourselves and the rest of the universe can rot for all I care. Just like Niflheim,” he added, softer, and you exhaled sharply.

Niflheim held many memories for you both. But there were some that needed to stay buried.    

You stared at him for a long moment, and you saw the flicker of realisation in his eyes—perhaps even disappointment—as his hand dropped from your shoulder suddenly. “You’re not going to help me,” he pointed out flatly, but much to your surprise it lacked malice.

“Loki…” you began unsurely, before you swallowed heavily, shaking your head and turning away. “Things are not what they once were. We’ve changed. Perhaps not for the better. I can’t just close my eyes and forget everything that has happened to me. I can’t just go back to the way things were between us.”

“And why not?”

Sharper, colder. This was a tone that matched the man all those rumours talked about. A maniac who tried to destroy Jotunheim. Who obeyed the order of the most hated and feared individual in the galaxy.

“Because you abandoned me,” you snapped angrily, turning to face him. A violent throb of rage and bitterness pulsed with every escalated beat of your heart, and you swallowed shakily. “Left me behind when you swore that you were going to get me back. I sacrificed my freedom, my home, so you could walk away unscathed because I cared for you. Because it was you and me against the universe, remember? I—I trusted you and you threw that trust back in my damn face.”

His face went slack at your outburst. You wished you had a moment to gloat at the fact that for once in your life, you managed to render Loki speechless, and not the other way around. But instead, the rage you had harboured for years crumbled to nothing in your chest, leaving a hollow hole in you that made you feel—

Lost, lonely, helplessly adrift.

If nothing else, you had always had your unlikely, improbable—never should have worked in a million years but somehow did—friendship with Loki.

Even when you had nothing else—a real home, fancy titles, or riches of any kind—you had your trickster. And for so very long, it had been enough.

You were each other’s number one choice.  

Loki envied and loved Thor in equal measure, but you had always known in the way you often exchanged secretive looks and unfailingly had each other’s backs, that you were irreplaceable to him.

And you were wrong.

You had been so stupidly, naively wrong, it made you feel ashamed.

“I searched for you,” Loki’s voice was low but serious, “I did not abandon you. I searched for you.”

Something that didn’t even resemble a smile twisted your mouth, “Not hard enough. Not nearly hard enough, and you know it.”

You saw his jaw clench, eyes blazing but before he could spin you another pretty lie, you reached out first. Your fingers brushed against his cheek and you felt him still under your touch. So helplessly caught in the moment, you almost forgot to speak.

“My trickster,” you addressed him quietly, and hated the note of affection that bled into your words. “I am not cruel, and I will not punish you for this. For old times’ sake, I will help you survive this place, gain a foothold too, if I can. But nothing more and nothing less. I want to be free of you after this.”

His cheek was cool when your lips brushed against it, and you felt his strangled exhale at the contact. You savoured the moment too. The last one you would ever allow yourself.

“I’m glad you live, trickster,” you told him honestly and pulled back, giving him a sad smile. “It would be an awfully boring universe without you in it.”

Loki’s lips were parted slightly, his eyes flickering quickly over your features.

“Thief…”

Your heart stuttered in your chest at the old, teasing nickname he had bestowed upon you so long ago. He rarely called you by it, but he always managed to weave some muted, teasing fondness into the word that once upon a time made you grin and shove him playfully.

Truthfully, there was nothing you would not give to go back to that time.

But you had no such power, and never would.

“We should go,” you stressed weakly, looking away from his keen gaze. “This is not the most secure location, and we have work to do.”

He grabbed your wrist before you could step around him, and when you turned to him, his gaze was gutting in its intensity. Loki had always been full of chaos and mischief; it often felt like it was in his very blood, like he was born for it, ready to unleash it upon others and revel in the chaotic mess after.

But you saw how different he now was too. It was true that some things were unchanged. But some things, you imagined, would never be truly recovered. For you or him.

“This conversation is not over,” he said easily, all matter-of-fact and so sure of himself. It almost made your heart ache. Once, you had taken so much comfort from his quiet confidence: in his plans, in himself, in you. “We will speak of this again.”

“Still a demanding princeling bastard, I see,” you replied dully, forcing the teasing tone into your words.

There was a glimmer of something like relief in his eyes, but it was a gone in a blink. “It’s king now, actually.”

“Hmm...no.”

“You would disrespect your king?”

“Sure I would.”

“Witch.”

You swallowed a sob, your grin almost pained, but it was tinged with relief too, “Bastard.”

Maybe some things could never be recovered.

But maybe better things could be built in their place.

. . .

an: I somehow wrote this whole thing in one sitting in a span of few hours, and you all know I love backstories and angst so this was my favourite type of story to write. Ahh, I might write more for it, I found this dynamic highly enjoyable. Thank you for reading! <33

[hollowedrpg]

CONGRATULATIONS, CAISEY! — You’ve been accepted for the role of Lily Potter. I’m so glad you decided to rework your application. It’s clear you understand not only who Lily is, but how she fits into this verse. Lily is trying her best to appear as though she’s doing fine, as though she’s ready to take up arms and fight again, but in truth, she’s struggling more than she ever has. I also really liked your addition that she’s suffering from postpartum depression. I think that fits into how I envisioned her as a mother, and I can’t wait to see where you take her from here. 

Thank you so much for applying. Please create your account and send in the link, track the right tags, and follow everyone on the follow list. Welcome to Hollowed Souls!

ooc.

name: Caisey

age: 27 on the 25th

preferred pronouns: she/her

timezone: EST

activity: 7ish! I work weekday mornings/afternoons, but my weekends and evenings are free.

are you applying for more than one character?: just one!

how do you feel about your character dying?: Lily is living on borrowed time, honestly. She was never intended to live through this; she doesn’t know this, obviously, but it was her death that ensured Voldemort’s first defeat through protecting Harry from him. I would find it narratively justified for her to die protecting Harry.

anything else?: I wrote the app out of order (basically from the bottom up), so I feel like I should apologize if that messes with the coherency at all.

ic details.

full name: Lily June Potter, née Evans

Lily: from the flower. In the Victorian language of flowers, lilies are used to symbolize love and affection; in Christian religion, lilies are often used to represent purity and virtue.

June: from the Roman goddess Juno, associated with marriage, military, and the community.

date of birth: January 30th. Aquarius sun, Pisces moon, Taurus rising.

Sun in Aquarius: “You carry a lot on your shoulders and have need to fight for the underdog. It’s in your tenth house, meaning you feel the need to distinguish yourself from others through career, goals, success, and responsibility.”

Moon in Pisces: “You feel vulnerable much of the time, and desperately wish for a partner who deeply understands you. It’s in your tenth house, meaning you find security and safety through career success and responsibility.”

Taurus Rising: “You give people the impression that you are reliable, settled, sensible, and deliberate, though sometimes stubborn.”

former hogwarts house: Gryffindor. Severus told her that she would be perfect for Slytherin; since he was her sole fount of information about the magical world before her letter arrived, Lily believed him. When she made the suggestion, however, the Hat laughed in her face–so to speak–and Lily’s immediate anger caused it to place her in Gryffindor. Though the Hat could have made a case for Ravenclaw easily enough, Lily’s instincts lie in loyalty and daring. The pluck that led her to argue vehemently with a sentient hat within seconds of making its acquaintance has served her well throughout her life.

sexuality: pansexual panromantic

gender/pronouns: cis female, she/her

face claim change: none!

more.

how do you interpret this character’s personality? how will you play them? include two weaknesses & two strengths.

Strengths: Magnetic, kind, hardworking, selfless

Weaknesses: Selfish, obstinate, anxious, proud

Lily’s never been a failure at anything before. She has struggled, certainly; nothing has ever been easy, necessarily, or accomplished without effort. She has always been adept at identifying what was necessary to achieve her goals or tackle a problem. She’s the golden girl: compassionate, smart, hardworking. Even bigotry from being Muggleborn hardly phased her, except to strengthen her desire to fight back against the so-called “blood purists.” Lily is vivacious, empathetic, and convinced of her ideals–she married the love of her life, joined forces against the evil wizard trying to murder people like her, excitedly looked forward to her son’s birth.

There’s a reason she was given a place in Order recruitment: she’s gregarious and likeable, especially with the endearing pregnant belly and a baby ready to kick whenever a new palm pressed against her stomach. Being genuine and earnest has always come naturally to her, and it’s drawn people to her for her entire life, made some things easier than they might have been otherwise. It’s true that this has led her to take elements of her life for granted: finding a job post-graduation was easier due to Slughorn’s influence, and James’ family funds smoothed over her financial concerns when she discovered she was pregnant. She has experienced a considerable amount of bullying and bigotry, but because unconditional love and support has always existed in her life, Lily has developed a selfish streak. She expects the love to always exist–she expects to be able to find a solution to the problems she encounters–she expects to be capable of overcoming her struggles–and when these things fail to be true, she stumbles and grows resentful. Lily strives to better herself through acknowledging these tendencies whenever she finds them in herself and surrounding herself with people who aren’t afraid to call her out, people who challenge her and make her better (James and Marlene chief amongst them–without them, she indulges the introspection, finding herself unable to break the cycle of seeing the world through a specific filter designed by her life experiences).

She needs a project to focus on to keep her anxieties at bay; inactivity makes her fret over things she can’t control, and she’s never enjoyed an aimless lifestyle. Typically, these projects are exercises in discovering purpose, usually with a humanitarian angle or some sort of personal growth intention. When Lily finds something to focus on, she truly can make an impact; she is idealistic almost to a fault, having come from a Muggle world and introduced to a world of magic possibilities at an impressionable age. She believes strongly in making the world a better place and in her own ability to do so.

The way she is now is more accurately reflected below; the war has changed everything for Lily and she is, at present, a combination of the optimistic, driven woman who happens to be a wife and mother described here and the grieving, guilt-ridden widow and struggling mother described below.

how has the war affected this character, emotionally and otherwise?

The Lily described above exists primarily in the shadows now. She’s not gone, not entirely, but she’s treading water in the shallows, while in the depths lurks a haunted woman with a sad smile and perpetually red-rimmed eyes. Every day, she wakes up in her worst nightmare and must push through the hours as if she isn’t rotting slowly from the inside.

She sees her life in flashes, like scenes of a book she’s read countless times. Moments blurred between chapters–how did she get from the tent to the house? Where did Harry get that toy? Is that voice she hears calling her name a faint memory of Marlene or is it actually Pandora trying to get her attention? Her grief casts a pall on everything, dampening any other emotions in her life.

Without James or Marlene, she has nothing and nobody left to rely on, her only living friends sunken in their own despair. Lily knows everyone is sensitive and this makes her wary of reaching out and burdening anyone else with her problems. They all praise her for “holding up so well” and pat her gently on the arm, like she might fly into pieces if they touch her too hard; it feels like everyone is holding her at arm’s length. Nobody wants to take responsibility for handling her emotional state, and she can’t be responsible for handling anyone else’s. She worries constantly, her emotional state strained without anything to focus her energies on: are they only allowing her to stay with them out of guilt? Do they care more about Harry, the prophesied one, than her? She was only part of the Order because of James–maybe that’s all she is to them. James’ widow.

She wonders if she has outlived her usefulness. She wants to help, but everything has changed in her life. Is she expected to just be the widow and single mother now? How much agency can she still have, now that everyone sees her differently? Will they listen to her opinions or give her a choice if she wants to leave? Will they take Harry from her if they feel she can’t protect him better than they can?

She feels she must keep up appearances of being the resilient, unflappable Lily Evans Potter she has always been, even without any of the supports that made that Lily possible. She wants the Order to be proud of her–she wants to keep being their golden girl–and she’s clinging desperately to all she has left. Her pride won’t let her ask anyone for help as long as she can see how much they are struggling, and her fear that she might lose what little she has left won’t let her admit that she is falling apart.

where does this character currently stand? with those who wish to hide in godric’s hollow until the war ends, with those who wish to rebuild the order and continue fighting the war, or on neither side? Why?

Lily wants to fight. She always imagined herself going down swinging, James at her back, taking down their killers with them. They were young and the war seemed more like a game back then.

If she didn’t have Harry, it would be an easy answer: get back in the fray, find the rest of the Order, track down any survivors who might join their cause now that the Death Eaters have made their stance on murder clear. Lily has never been one to sit and wait. Even while heavily pregnant she insisted on being involved, even if it was just in recruitment. She’s of the opinion that now is the best time to band together, recruit in a frenzy, and strike back while Voldemort is least expecting it–they might be weak now but so is he, and the Death Eaters might be cowed by a show of force from the organization they thought was beaten. To stop now would be to admit defeat.

That said, she’s also scared. Staying in the Hollow isn’t a long-term option, obviously, but going back into the fight means risking the little they have left. A second blow to their ranks could be the last; if they can’t find more survivors, if their forces don’t grow, then that’s the end of the war. The Death Eaters rule through fear and if they’re not stopped, they could continue their massacre in another town, maybe a Muggle one this time.

And now she has Harry to think of, and this godforsaken prophecy that cost James his life, nearly took Harry the way they got the Longbottom boy. Recruitment, at least, seems like the safest option to move them in the right direction: toward rebuilding and fighting anew.

How is Lily coping with being a new mother in the midst of a war?

She never really planned to be a mother. It seemed inevitable, of course, once she committed to marrying James; a natural trajectory of being in that kind of a relationship. But she didn’t really plan for it–she didn’t want kids the same way James did. Oh, of course she wanted children with him, but when she pictured it, it was always in peacetime–and she was always much older. And then she was pregnant, suddenly, and James was transported with happiness, so she had to keep it, and then she and the baby became a unit: a source of hope and new life amidst the threat of war. Her pregnant belly was a buoy keeping their heads above water, and everyone wanted to touch her, like she was some witch Madonna bringing a messiah into their world. If she thought too hard about it, it was disconcerting, but she didn’t think too much about it–she had enough to think about just preparing for the baby to arrive.

James was a better parent than her, or at least a more natural one. Lily admired how easy fatherhood was for him; while she struggled with postpartum depression and the necessary change in her priorities, he willingly shouldered as much parental responsibility as he physically could. She loved Harry, loved being his mother, but she had to struggle to find that love. James, Marlene, and eventually Molly Weasley worked to convince her that she was not a failure as a mother, and eventually she believed them.

And then they were all gone, and all the things she learned about parenting seemed to disappear from her mind the moment James left her side. She had no idea how to be a mother–especially not a single one. Muscle memory seems to take over much of the time, and maternal instinct fills in the gaps, but Lily struggles most with keeping her emotions in check enough to prioritize Harry. Sometimes he reminds her so much of James that she can hardly stand to look at him, and sometimes she is so overwhelmed by the grief that permeates Godric’s Hollow now that she can’t bring herself to let him go when he squirms. The routine that she relied on is gone, and she struggles to establish a new one, to deal with Harry’s distress every time he asks for James and she can’t explain to him that Dada is gone forever. When she desperately needs a break, she can arrange for someone to babysit, but the moment he is out of her sight a panic grips her chest–her nightmares are of Voldemort reappearing in the Hollow with James’ dead body at his feet, Harry dangling, lifeless, in his grip.

The worst part is that she still can’t shake the desire to maintain appearances. Everyone thinks she is so brave, so resilient: she can’t let them know she’s a terrible mother and falling apart at the seams. As long as Harry is happy and healthy, they’ll never notice the weight she’s losing, the hesitation when she talks, the red rims around her eyes that never fade. By sheer force of will, Lily will prove to everyone and herself that she is strong enough to get through this.

extra.

Pinboard: https://pin.it/tvyj7td56b5ave

Relationships with others:

Marlene: The love of her life, James notwithstanding. The one woman Lily thought she would always be able to rely on. Even now, she struggles to speak of her best friend in the past tense, catching herself mid-sentence in the mistake; sometimes she still thinks she can see Marlene entering or exiting a room, only to realize it was actually Charity or Pandora with the light catching their hair just right. Marlene kept her bright and optimistic–lifted her head up even when she was in the depths of postpartum depression. James was her counterpart, but Marlene was her North Star.

Remus: With James and Marlene gone, Remus is the closest friend Lily has left. He has always been one of her closest confidants–the first person she trusted at Hogwarts after watching Severus join the table of green and silver. True, he became more James’ friend than hers over the years, but she appreciates how steadfast a friend he has been more than she can say. When she tried to push him away, he refused in a patient sort of way. She knows he is struggling, and she hates herself for not doing a better job of supporting him.

Sirius: Lily is afraid of him. She’s always loved him like her brother–or, rather, she’s loved him like James’ brother, because she has always relied on James to bridge the gap in her relationship with Sirius. They agreed, together, to make Sirius godfather, but right now, she doesn’t feel comfortable leaving Harry alone with him. This Sirius isn’t the same one she used to trust with her son’s life.

Alice: Oh, the guilt–it’s strongest when she looks at Alice. They were never really friends to begin with, and now Lily feels responsible for Alice’s grief. She can’t bring herself to make eye contact with the other woman, and she always self-consciously grabs up Harry if they are ever in the same room as her, stops him from getting too close. Seeing Alice’s steep decline into grief and the ensuing marital problems makes Lily feel lucky for still having her son–but then miserable for not being a better mother to him. Perhaps, she finds herself wondering, things would have been better if they’d gotten to Harry instead of Neville; at least Alice and Frank planned to have their son. Maybe they deserved to keep him more than she deserved to keep Harry.

Frank: She avoids him, as she does Alice, but for different reasons. Frank is fueled by vengeance, same as Sirius, and that scares her. But he doesn’t have the same emptiness that Alice seems to; his search for answers seems at least vaguely productive, and she wonders if maybe she could lend her efforts to helping him. If she could ever overcome her guilt about Harry’s survival, she might even offer someday.

Arthur: She wants to get closer to him, and she certainly has the opportunity, since Harry often plays with his sons, but Lily was more in contact with Molly than him and doesn’t even recall a single time she was left alone in a room with him before James’ death. She’s intimidated by someone who handles all those children so deftly, without complaint, and she’s afraid that he’s going to judge her for her inadequacies as a parent.

if I were…

if i were a season, i’d be fall.

if i were a time of day, i’d be midday–a few minutes past noon, when the sun is at its hottest and the world is at its brightest.

if i were a type of weather, i’d be a brisk wind.

if i were a scent, i’d be a garden in full bloom, blossoms open and full, the mixture of scents of the various flowers almost overwhelming.

if i were a plant, i’d be an orange lily.

if i were an element, i’d be fire, dependent on a counterpart to stay alive.

if i were a color, i’d be blood orange.

if i were a song, i’d be “Wish that You Were Here” by Florence + the Machine.

if i were an item of clothing, i’d be a headband.

if i were an object, i’d be a quill.

if i were one of the seven deadly sins, i’d be pride.

if i were one of the seven heavenly virtues, i’d be kindness.

if i were a god/goddess, i’d be Nike/Victoria.

The Candlelight Vigil

She could have used Harry as an excuse not to attend. Past his bedtime–really much easier if we keep him on a schedule—he’s too young to understand and might ruin it—Lily rehearsed several versions of the conversation she planned to open with Charity. When it came down to it, though, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not attending would probably bring more attention to her grief than she liked; suffering in private seemed so self-indulgent amidst the public signs of mourning that existed everywhere in the Hollow. At least at the vigil she would be expected to grieve. If it was more than she could endure, she could always leave early and it would be dark enough that nobody would demand an explanation. She should at least try.

It was late for Harry, of course, but he was delighted by the nighttime activity and the flickering lights and if she couldn’t keep him from talking he at least acquiesced to her request he keep his voice to a stage whisper. Lily didn’t expect to feel closure tonight, but the sense of community that the vigil sparked was enough. They might be all that was left of the Order, but they were enough to keep it going. To honor James’ and Marlene’s sacrifice.

Harry fell asleep on her shoulder before too long so she left early, quietly thanking Charity on her way out, walking slowly lest she jostle him too much. Glenda’s voice cut through the blanketed sobriety of the nighttime air and Harry awoke with a cry. She was too far away to hear everything clearly but Lily hurried back to the cemetery the instant the broadcast ended. Another headquarters? Did that mean Glenda knew about this one and would send people to them, like she (inadvertently) had sent Greta? Good news? Could some of the presumed dead still be alive?

The chatter and speculation was unbearable, especially when Harry began to cry, a toddler roused far past his bedtime too upset to be soothed back to sleep anywhere other than a bed. Tearing herself away from the feverish conversation should have been easy—but even as her head spun and ached Lily felt the adrenaline pumping through the night. Who had Glenda found?

[steal-this-idea]

Babylon 5 rewatch continues...

Now with a LINK to the original post that I had let grow to unreasonable length instead of forcing the two people who will see this scroll through ever last piece of dumb shit I’ve had to say first!

JUMP TO ORIGINAL LONG POST HERE

(Learning Curve)

I’ve taken the talk on meditation to heart (the “anyone can meditate in silence” bit) to the point where I think I can become impatient or even annoyed by those who insist upon quiet to do so (think especially for certain sports like golf and tennis...like, if you’re to the point where you’re a professional, some asshole in the stands should be able to neither faze you nor distract you)

If garlic stinks then what’s saffron? (the meal where Garibaldi starts laying into Lochley’s past and Zack is obliquely commenting on it, asking if anyone thinks the food tastes funny, suggesting saffron when it starts getting awkward and concluding garlic after Lochley puts Garibaldi in his place)

Continuing my Takashima just disappeared rant: N’grath, our season 1 praying mantis gangster, gets a mention in this episode but Lt.Cmdr. Takashima? Who’s she?

I do love that the Minbari are an advanced race but not an impassionate one...which honestly makes them scarier, as the Earth-Minbari War shown to us throughout “In the Beginning” demonstrated...

Meaning does not exist independently... I wonder if this episode is where I got that idea from?

(Strange Relations)

I don’t hate the ex-wife of Sheridan revelation of Capt. Lochley. If anything, it kinda complements how Cmdr. Sinclair got appointed to run Babylon 5. I assume, like with the Minbari when the station first came online, Sheridan insisted on veto power over anyone EarthGov might select to run Babylon 5. I wonder if Capt. Lochley was far down the list too?

Zip ties: Still good enough for the 23½ century :-)

The bottle tossing Hyach is at it again...

(Secrets of the Soul)

I do like Season 5 being like a mirror of Season 1 and giving us more standalone type episodes which allows us to be given closer looks at members of the (former) League of Non-Aligned Worlds. This episode, the Hyach; the next episode, the Brakir; and the one after that, the Drazi.

And I have to say this again. Even when he’s cheesy, I don’t hate Byron.

I think Lyta made me love bangs :-)

I liked the detail of the Drazi record not being in English

Also, why didn’t we learn Byron’s secrets too? While, yes, dramatic effect for the later episode, sure...why not? I suppose also Lyta’s walls coming down during her intimacy may have simply flooded everything else out too. Hard to say. I also wonder why Lyta’s eyes went black during their lovemaking when, since this is a Vorlon-influenced memory, they should’ve glowed white? Again, I’m sure it had something to do with dramatic effect...

(Day of the Dead)

I love that Capt. Lochley hates Rebo & Zooty. It’s like, ugh...these hacks :-)

And I also love Delenn’s reaction to one of their jokes. I wonder what Mira Furlan was thinking about to get herself to laugh so heartily and convincingly?

Nice that the guest spots got end credits billing and not upfront so as not to spoil the surprise (unlike what happened with Anna Sheridan). I wonder if that cost TNT a fine with the Screen Actors Guild? I know Lucas always had to pay a fine to get out of putting traditional title screen credits over the start of each Star Wars film.

I presume there is plenty of A.U. fiction out there about who the other characters would have met had they been on the other side of the line?

Do you think Kosh would have appeared in its encounter suit to Sheridan had he been there or would it have been more open like in the death dream sequence (or even in its true squid-like form)?

(In the Kingdom of the Blind)

The Centauri are ultra racist. That dude’s not even attempting discretion: he’s gonna talk shit about Narns right in front of a Narn with not even a hint of concern that G’Kar might understand what he’s saying or be capable of feeling hurt by it.

As much as I hate what Byron did after learning how telepaths came to be and what they were intended for, I also can’t imagine an equivalent shock that could so forcefully shake the very foundations of my world and thus how I would react to such knowledge...

Would the Drakh have worked better if they didn’t have visible sclera? I just can’t help but feel if their eyes were entirely black or red instead of looking human, if it would have increased their visual menace or just made them look goofy?

But that lighting on the Drakh’s reveal though...magnificent

Isn’t that a Brakiri warship? How could it have been unarmed? I’m not in any way justifying the attack on them but, like, of *all* the ships you could’ve used to illustrate an attack on a commercial transport...

(A Tragedy of Telepaths)

I’ll admit I’ve tried using the “There’s No Bomb” technique in my desperate attempts to quell my allergies. Trying to tell my itchy, runny nose that, despite its objections, there’s no need to sneeze. There’s. No need. To sneeze...

Can’t say it ever worked though...

Byron just dropping that some worlds developed telepaths naturally which seems strange because I thought I recalled JMS mentioning that if a species were to develop telepathy they’d never advance to civilization. Being a telepath would just be another technique a predator could use to snare prey and/or a technique a prey animal could use to avoid being eaten.

Still, if I’m going to grant him this, I wonder if the Soul Hunters were an example of natural telepaths? The behavior of the two we meet in the show’s second episode is reminiscent of telepath behavior we witness in later episodes (like Byron sensing that man’s impending death and the Soul Hunter being able to pick up on Delenn’s secrets as the machine she was hooked up to slowly killed her). Were Soul Hunters like vultures originally? Always feeling for the impending death of an animal so they could eat that night? But that particular ability wouldn’t necessarily have prevented the kind of generalization necessary for the development of language, tools, and technology so the ability served them rather than limited them and as they developed and went to the stars, the idea of preserving special souls became of paramount importance to their raison d’être. Comments? Concerns? Good idea? Poorly thought out idea?

G’KAR: Would you like some jala? It’s cold.

LONDO: Get that away from me. Jala needs to be hot. It takes heat to cultivate its flavor. To consume cold jala is to insult a Centauri. I don’t even know where you got it.

G’KAR: I saw it on a tray heading into the south end of the palace. I assumed no one would mind if I took it.

LONDO: That’s right. Only Narns can stomach it cold.

It would be interesting to have a culture which marks the peaces rather than the wars. I don’t even know if that would be so far-fetched to imagine such a people given the Incas made “constellations” out of the dark parts of the sky as well as its luminous parts.

Byron’s demand for compensation is SOOO much more reasonable than his threat of blackmail. It’s a shame he didn’t think of it first...

Is the Interstellar Alliance basically the Minbari Empire? Minbar’s going to be the home office of the ISA. After the White Star fleet (which really cannot be rebuilt), the Minbari military is the strongest in the known galaxy and I have to assume it is their fleet the ISA would lean on in the event of a major war between powers. I don’t know. I just think of it like if we were to form an EarthGov right now and it actually had real power, its power would almost certainly be heavily reliant on U.S. military might, making an EarthGov like a de facto U.S. empire, no? It’s outside the scope of Babylon 5, but I wonder if such a thing will come up in the ISA’s future?

Babylon 5 did for me with telepaths what Buffy the Vampire Slayer did for vampires. I can no longer accept any alternative :-)

(Phoenix Rising)

I wonder how this telepath colony plot would have unfolded differently had Byron had the foresight to have some non-human telepaths among them so they wouldn’t be wholly under Earth’s jurisdiction?

Do you think Bester spoke to his underlings at the briefing because he *had* to or was it solely for our, the viewer’s, benefit? I just think back to when Bester first met with Sinclair...

Regarding Bester’s “How stupid do you think I am?” speech: I’m so glad JMS didn’t pad the scene by going to commercial as the music climaxed with Garibaldi holding a PPG to him. That immediate release of dramatic tension because there never was any there to begin with; that subversion of expectations, was an effective choice.

I don’t drink but after that scene, I’d probably start drinking too...

Peter’s telekinesis seems underwhelming. I suppose I could blame it on the show’s ability to do that special effect (the ring Eilerson fires in that episode of Crusade was an effect done well). But how hard was he casting those objects? I feel like I could throw harder and more accurately; like his telekinesis was really an inefficient way to go about things, y’know?

I know from reading around that had Claudia Christian remained on the show, she would’ve been the one to fall for Byron and I have to admit it’s still hard imagining Ivanova in that role. I think I’m glad she didn’t not because it would be unbelievable but just that it would be yet another tragic love and broken trust story for her and it’s like, damn, give this woman a break already...hasn’t she suffered enough?

Did Byron program his followers with that hymn? The way they gather around him before he immolates them is practically instinctual. I suppose it’s not so far-fetched. Byron *is* a strong P12 and more than once he desperately tried to get back to his people in order to calm them down suggesting his hold over them may not have been charisma alone. I don’t know...

(The Ragged Edge)

The Drazi with the vomit bag on the shuttle, haha. I love those touches they put into the show :-)

Is it my imagination or is G’Kar’s room less red?

[aion-rsa]

Oscars 2021: Frontrunners and Predictions

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This is weird, right? In a normal year this kind of article would have been written closer to New Year’s Day, and the awards season red carpets would’ve been rolled up weeks ago. But 2020 really was a weird experience, to put it mildly. And among other problems, it caused the Oscars race to bleed all the way into April. Indeed, it’s mid-March and the weekly Sunday night ceremonies have barely begun.

Nevertheless, and despite hand-wringing from this time last year about whether there would even be anything worthy of nomination in 2020, we’ve just come through a resilient and even hopeful period for quality cinema. Movie theaters remain largely closed throughout the U.S. and Europe, yet filmmakers have found a way to get their passion projects out via streaming, video-on-demand, and for a precious few in limited capacity movie theaters. Through it all, the industry endured and quality work found an eager audience anxious for the catharsis of shared art—or at least a good Borat joke.

Thus the weekend before Oscar nominations are officially announced, we are providing our final predictions of who’s leading the race for Best Picture, and where the frontrunners might also stand in other Academy Award categories. The movies below are ranked from most likely to get a Best Picture nod to least likely.

Nomadland

The obvious frontrunner has long been Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland. This held true months before the Searchlight Pictures release picked up Best Picture prizes at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards in the last two weeks… but those certainly helped.

As a beautiful and lyrical elegy to the people America has left behind, and the fascinating American Nomad culture that has flourished from these hardships, Nomadland struck us as a modern day Grapes of Wrath when we saw the film at TIFF last year. In fact, the movie won the coveted People’s Choice Award at that festival, a feat achieved by recent Best Picture frontrunners La La Land and Green Book, with the latter succeeding at winning the top prize.

More impressive than tea leaves derived from historical precedent though is that Nomadland is the rare major Hollywood release from a studio (Searchlight Pictures, which is the prestige arm of the now Disney-owned 20th Century Studios) that opened in theaters for a limited period of time before debuting on Hulu last month. That commitment to the theatrical experience—although not absurdly so—will play well to Academy voters who’ve long resisted awarding streaming originals the Best Picture over the last decade.

Read more

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Nomadland Review: A Modern Day Grapes of Wrath

By David Crow

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Nomadland: How Bob Wells’ Real Life Story Grounds a Quiet Depiction of Grief

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Additionally, Nomadland is an achievement wherein the line between narrative storytelling and documentary filmmaking is blurred. That unusual alchemy has become Zhao’s specialty, and in a year of acute self-consciousness, finally awarding the talented Chinese filmmaker with Best Picture and probably Best Director is a refreshing nigh inevitability. Also expect nominations for Best Actress thanks to the ever riveting Frances McDormand’s haunting turn, as well as nods in Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and other technical categories.

The Trial of the Chicago 7

The new old adage of “if it wasn’t a Netflix movie…” applies heavily to Aaron Sorkin’s otherwise Academy-friendly The Trial of the Chicago 7. A truly terrific drama that recounts a gross miscarriage of justice enacted against eight men deemed “radical” for protesting the Vietnam War by the Nixon administration, The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a life-affirming period piece about a subject near and dear to Baby Boomers’ hearts: the culture war of the 1960s. The fact Sorkin finds direct parallels between its story about civil unrest and social injustice during the Civil Rights movement and modern demands for social justice at the tail-end of the Trump Years makes it doubly potent.

Read more

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The Trial of the Chicago 7: Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin Were the Martin and Lewis of the Radical Left

By Tony Sokol

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Aaron Sorkin: Donald Trump Made The Trial of the Chicago 7 Movie Possible

By David Crow

(It probably also doesn’t hurt its chances that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s powerhouse performance as Black Panther Bobby Seale is supporting while Eddie Redmayne’s all-American embodiment of the New Left is the closest the film’s ensemble has to a lead). Sorkin’s ability to turn dialogue into spectacle has long appealed to the Academy, with his scripts previously earning him three Oscar nominations, and one win for The Social Network. We imagine though that he’ll again have the best chance to win in the Best Original Screenplay category, as Chicago 7’s Netflix status might just make it first runner-up, as Roma was to Green Book. However, don’t be surprised if Sacha Baron Cohen also pulls an upset in the Best Supporting Actor category for his resurrection of Abbie Hoffman’s ghost.

The movie is also a near lock for the Best Editing prize.

Minari

One of the best films of 2020, Minari has had a quiet ascent to the top. In actuality, the film has been cruelly misrepresented by other awards bodies. Categorized as a “foreign language film” by the Golden Globes’ Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as well as the Critics Choice Awards, this all-American story about Korean American immigrants attempting to make a go of it as Arkansas farmers is as American as Apple pie. And Lee Isaac Chung’s visibly semi-autobiographical portrait of his young family in the 1980s heartland, complete with a nuanced empathy for the plight of his parents and even his grandmother, make this one of the most beautiful triumphs about the human spirit committed to cinema this year.

The film was snubbed by the Globes from the Best Picture race, but the much more prescient Hollywood guilds, including the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), the Directors Guild of America (DGA), and the Producers Guild of America (PGA), have all recognized Minari’s brilliance. Indeed, Chung getting into the competitive DGA short-list speaks highly of its competitiveness. One year after Parasite shocked the world by winning Best Picture, here’s an American story that supported the theatrical experience thanks to A24, and whose inclusion speaks well about the future of American cinema. Putting it in its rightful place at the top of the ticket, as opposed to Best International Film, is also a very good look. Hopefully, nominations will also include Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Perhaps showing the relative sparseness of this year’s cinematic offerings, I suspect we’re already past the point on this list where contenders have a sincere shot at winning Best Picture. However, a movie like Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom will surely be nominated. As a sledgehammer film about the pressures on Black artists in America, and the corrosive influence of white money used to appropriate that art, George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom hits like a ton of bricks.

Read more

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Ma Rainey’s Life and Reign as the Mother of the Blues

By Tony Sokol

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Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom Ending Explained

By Tony Sokol

This is in no small part due to the harrowing performances of both the late great Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis. Expect both to be nominated in the Leading performance categories, with Boseman as close to a lock as possible for winning the Best Actor prize with his final, heartbreaking performance. The movie should also do well in the Adapted Screenplay, Costume, Makeup, and Production Design categories. 

Mank

A personal favorite of mine from 2020, Mank is an admittedly acquired taste. A meticulously researched and authentic portrait of the creative process and the uglier side of Hollywood’s Golden Age, David Fincher’s Netflix production is less a love letter to the industry than an affectionate middle finger. That abrasiveness has rubbed some audiences the wrong way, as does its expectation you know about the the debate of authorial credit on Citizen Kane. Nonetheless, this is a swaggering triumph of presentation and performance.

Ergo expect a large amount of nominations for Best Director (Fincher), Best Actor (Gary Oldman), Best Supporting Actress (Amanda Seyfried), Best Original Screenplay (Jack Fincher), and multiple technical nominations including Cinematography, Editing, Score, Costumes, and Production Design. For above the line nominations though, the best shot at a win may be Seyfried’s enigmatic turn as Marion Davies. Although, given the chances of two performances below, she’s now the underdog in that race.

Promising Young Woman

One of the most original and talked about movies of 2020, Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman is a pitch black comedy/tragedy that’s as intentionally uncomfortable as it is bleakly amusing. A passion play for the post-#MeToo era that examines our culture’s treatment of women through the gaze of an avenging loner named Cassandra (Carey Mulligan), this soon-to-be millennial cult classic may honestly be too outside-the-box and ballsy (pardon the phrase) for the the typically more conventional, older sensibilities of Academy voters when considering the top prize.

Read more

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Promising Young Woman: Director Emerald Fennell Breaks Down the Ending

By Rosie Fletcher

Movies

Mank and Amanda Seyfried’s Quest to Save Marion Davies from Citizen Kane

By David Crow

Still, expect Fennell to also get nominated for Best Director while also being the frontrunner to win the Best Original Screenplay Oscar over Sorkin. It is a long established tradition for the Academy to award the most challenging (and stylish) Best Picture contenders a Screenplay Oscar over Picture or Director. Meanwhile, Carey Mulligan is likewise the frontrunner in the Best Actress category—deservedly so.

One Night in Miami

Despite premiering on the globally accessible Amazon Prime, Regina King’s One Night in Miami feels like it’s fallen a bit under the radar for most folks. Which is a shame, because this is a superb directorial debut for King and one of the most thought-provoking movies of 2020. Another adaptation of a play about the intersection between the soft power of celebrity and the hard responsibility of Black art, we personally argue One Night in Miami is the more challenging and intriguing adaptation: one that imagines what words might’ve been said on a mysterious night shared by Cassius Clay (soon to be renamed Muhammad Ali), Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown.

Read more

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The Internal Debate Within the Writer of One Night in Miami and Soul

By David Crow

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Judas and the Black Messiah Ending Shows Horrific Legacy of COINTELPRO

By David Crow

With this being such an actor’s showcase, as well as one directed by a great actress herself, expect the Academy’s large thespian wing to power this into a Best Picture nomination. Leslie Odom Jr. also appears to likely be nominated for Best Supporting Actor due to his turn as Sam Cooke, as will Kemp Powers’ adaptation of his own play likely land him in the Best Adapted Screenplay race. However, after the DGA snub, I fear King will be ignored in the Best Director category.

Judas and the Black Messiah

At this point, we are examining films on the bubble of actually getting a Best Picture nomination. One contender that may yet squeeze in is Shaka King’s fearless depiction of the death of Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton. Executed by police officers working on intelligence gathered by the FBI, the film of Hampton’s life is told from the vantage of William O’Neal, the man who betrayed Hampton to the feds.

A film with a more revolutionary heart than the similarly themed The Trial of the Chicago 7—in fact, Hampton is a supporting character in the Sorkin picture—Judas might be too zealous for more conservative Oscar voters; it also is a little narratively messier. It should be nominated for Best Picture, and its odds grew with a nod from the PGAs, which remains the best prognosticator for this category. However, it very well may wind up with only nominations for Daniel Kaluuya in the Best Supporting Actor category and a nod for Best Original Song.

On the plus side, Kaluuya is the clear and away frontrunner for Best Supporting Actor after winning in the same race at the Globes and CCAs.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Borat 2 is a legitimate Oscar contender. Brave new world, indeed. While I’m still skeptical about it actually getting into the Best Picture race, that idea doesn’t seem impossible after Borat Subsequent Moviefilm earned a dark horse nomination at the PGAs. Granted the producers guild is always more eager to shower love on successful audience entertainments than the Oscars, hence Deadpool and Wonder Woman also getting recent PGA nominations while being shut out by the Academy. But those movies didn’t have a scene where a fictional character unmasked Rudy Giuliani as a dishonest creeper with his hand down his pants. So…

Read more

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Maria Bakalova is Ready to Do Borat 3 in ‘Five Minutes’

By David Crow

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Borat 2: Sacha Baron Cohen Reveals Dangerous Deleted Scene

By David Crow

Either way, expect Borat 2 to pick up a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Maria Bakalova’s star-making turn as Borat’s daughter, Tutar. It’s a performance that demanded as much spontaneity and improvisation as Baron Cohen’s, with Bakalova arguably being even more impressive as she also creates a sincere heartbeat underneath the snark. The performance was snubbed from winning a category it should’ve been a shoo-in for at the Golden Globes—Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical—but Bakalova recovered momentum by winning in the more 1:1 Supporting Actress category at the Critics Choice. She faces steep competition from Olivia Colman in The Father and Amanda Seyfried in Mank, but neither of them embarrassed Donald Trump’s personal lawyer weeks ahead of the election he was trying to undermine.

The Father

As someone who has watched a loved one suffer from dementia and the effects of aging, I can attest that Florian Zeller’s The Father is an accurate, and arguably too devastating of a portrait of a mind in deterioration. For that depressing element, I suspect Zeller’s film will play too tragically for Academy voters, who tend to prefer life-affirming stories in the Best Picture category. But The Father has an outside shot for nomination. And it will definitely get nominations for Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Supporting Actress (Olivia Colman), and Best Adapted Screenplay. The odds makers similarly say Colman’s the frontrunner in her category (even though she’s lost the major awards thus far), although I still have my doubts about that too.

Sound of Metal

Darius Marder’s depiction of a punk rock drummer going through early hearing loss got a boost of confidence from the PGAs nominating it for Best Picture. I could also see it sneaking into a Best Picture slot over Judas and the Black Messiah and Borat 2, especially with its story of a man learning to live again. However, it will most likely walk away solely with a nomination for Riz Ahmed in the Best Actor category.

Da 5 Bloods

Spike Lee’s follow-up to BlacKkKlansman may be one Netflix film too many for Academy voters this year. Which is a shame since this is an underrated slice of cinema that merges Vietnam War dramas with Treasure of the Sierra Madre thriller elements, and Lee’s singular dreamlike stylizations. At the very least, Delroy Lindo should be nominated for Best Actor. However, I fear Da 5 Bloods will be shut out, save for perhaps a Best Cinematography nomination.

News of the World

An underrated Paul Greengrass Western starring Tom Hanks, this is old school moviemaking that I suspect would’ve found a larger audience in a normal year. Instead it opened to mostly closed theaters and has gone strangely overlooked. At the very least child actor Helena Zengel should be considered for Best Supporting Actress for her poignant turn as a child torn between two worlds. However, this may only end up nominated in a handful of technical categories, with its best chance at a nod being for James Newton Howard’s rousing score.

Soul

Pixar’s Soul is excellent and will almost certainly pick up Oscars for Best Animated Film and Best Original Score. That might also be the extent of its nominations.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Lee Daniels’ by the numbers musical biopic about one of the defining voices of jazz being hounded to her death by the federal government will not be nominated for Best Picture. Sadly, this is a movie that should’ve been much better. Still, Andra Day will definitely be nominated for Best Actress.

Pieces of a Woman

An interesting (if somewhat cold) piece of cinema, Kornél Mundruczó’s Pieces of a Woman was always a long-shot before allegations of abuse against star Shia LaBeouf took it entirely out of the Best Picture running. Yet you can expect Vanessa Kirby to be nominated in the fifth spot for Best Actress for her raw essay of a woman who’s lost her child. Ellen Burstyn also has a dark horse shot at getting in for Best Supporting Actress thanks to her ruthless depiction of a grandmother denied.

Academy Award nominations are announced on Monday morning, March 15.

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[randylavalley]

FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER VISITING TORONTO

Toronto is one of my much-loved cities worldwide. I have actually lived here for over 3 years currently and also I'm still yet to get ill of it, and for a person who has wanderlust running through my veins, that's claiming something.

But there's something that constantly seems ahead up when I fulfill travelers abroad that have visited Toronto, and also it's typically that it's an incredibly underrated city. Individuals think about taking a trip to New york city, Chicago, London, Vancouver, but why don't they consider taking a trip to Toronto?

Expedia.ca recently asked me what my main reasons were for people to visit my city, so I wish by the time you're done analysis this article you'll be reserving your airplane ticket to come see me!

It's a modern hub

Toronto is house to nearly all of the world's culture groups, with fifty percent of Toronto's populace being born beyond Canada and also over 180 languages as well as languages talked. So there ought to be no surprise that Toronto has actually been said to be among the most multicultural cities in the world.

Because of the multiculturalism in the city, neighbourhoods and also areas have actually established around these cultures. From Little Italy to Chinatown, as you go through the streets of Toronto, you ought to anticipate to stroll in and out of pockets of what seems like a various country. This is among my favourite components concerning the city, due to the fact that as a person that likes to travel, I can go explore a brand-new culture without also leaving!

In addition to the areas that you can check out at any time of the year, cultural occasions and events are of lots. In the summer season especially, you can discover at the very least one celebration taking place in the city every weekend break, yet when it comes to cultural occasions, a few of the celebrations the city hosts are:

Event of India

Preference of the Danforth (Greek).

Caribana.

Taste of Little Italy.

There's a varied (and yummy) food scene.

I don't understand about you, however one of the most crucial things to me when taking a trip is the food that I can try. When I travel, I'm continuously asked what "Canada food" is like, and also my answer is always that it's extremely heavily influenced by various other societies. A city like Toronto is an excellent instance of that as each area and street is lined with dining establishments large and small. If you're wanting to accomplish a specific yearning, there's no question that you will certainly locate a place in this city that does it surprisingly.

From remarkable Thai food at Pai or Khao San Roadway, to the local market suppliers at one of the World's Best Food Markets (as ranked by National Geographic), St. Lawrence Market, there is seriously something for every type of eater.

The arts and culture.

Toronto is additionally loaded with galleries for almost every rate of interest, and also you can capture some remarkable performances too!

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) features short-term exhibitions and also long-term galleries, plus deal totally free ROM walks that allow people check out and discover different parts of the city.

The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) flaunts long-term collections and also rotating exhibits for every one of you art enthusiasts out there.

For those searching for even more distinct museums, The Hockey Hall of Fame lies in the heart of midtown as well as is house to the Stanley Mug, The Bata Shoe Museum has over 1,000 shoes on display screen from different eras, and The Fabric Gallery of Canada brings you back 2,000 years through different garments, fabrics and materials.

3 years back, Ripley's likewise opened up an outstanding fish tank in the heart of the city (right near Heavy steam Whistle Brewery) which can be fantastic for kids as well as us huge kids too! In some areas there are relocating floors that bring you via a passage of fish, sharks and also various other sea urchins.

Finally, if you're looking to be amused, Toronto has some of the most effective performances you'll discover in Canada. You can catch a ballet at the National Ballet of Canada, pay attention to the musical marvels of the Toronto Chamber Orchestra, or the check out among the Broadway reveals that routinely hit the Toronto theaters and also place on some remarkable efficiencies. I've directly seen whatever from The Nutcracker, to the Lion King and Mom Mia!

The excellent regional breweries and also beer.

The one point I do understand about Torontonians is that they enjoy beer, and also they enjoy craft beer and supporting neighborhood breweries. Toronto has a wonderful beer scene as well as there are a lot of bars as well as bars throughout the city that use a vast choice of brews from Toronto as well as the surrounding areas. The Toronto Star assembled this great list as well as overview for beer fans in Toronto, but some local favourites, and tourist must-dos are:.

Steam Whistle Brewery:. Found in a 17 acre park in the downtown core on the grounds of the previous railway, this is just one of the best spots in the city. Vapor Whistle sits right under the CN Tower, and best alongside the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team. They offer one sort of beer, as well as you can take a tour of their really great center.

Amsterdam Brewhouse:. Situated precisely the water, the Amsterdam Brewhouse is home to some wonderful beer, as well as no matter what type of beer you enjoy, they possibly have something for you to attempt. Order a flight to try their various mixtures, or attempt among their seasonal favourites. On top of that, this brewery has one of the very best patio areas in the city that is located precisely the water.

Mill Street Brew Bar:. Situated in the heart of the Distillery District, a historic and also stunning neighbourhood, Mill Street beer has actually come to be a Toronto staple and can be located at most bars, clubs and also restaurants in the city.

Benefit Suggestion: I likewise just recently found Trinity Commons in Kensington Market (an unusual neighbourhood in the city) which has a truly trendy rustic/modern area and a mean beer checklist!

On top of the fantastic breweries, Toronto likewise holds a collection of beer occasions. My favourite, and the biggest is the Toronto Festival of Beer that takes place each July, yet other prominent ones the Winter months Craft Beer Event every January, as well as the Roundhouse Craft Beer Celebration every August, both held by Vapor Whistle Developing. Plus, those are just 3 of the many various other smaller events that occur for beer enthusiasts around the city.

There's something for everyone.

Last but not least, my 5th and also essential factor to see Toronto is that there is properly something for everybody. This post only touches on a few of the amazing things the city needs to use, yet there actually is so much extra. Whether you're an adventurer who desires exterior sporting activities and activities, or a foodie who is wanting to eat their way with the most effective food scenes, Toronto can be a wonderful spot to add to your must-travel checklists!

The post “ FIVE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER VISITING TORONTO “ was first appeared on twirl the globe

Toronto Naturopathic Doctor - Dr. Amauri Caversan, ND

[mjvliteraryblog-blog]

Why Book Reviews Are So Important

  Photo by Chris Benson on Unsplash

“Disappointing”; “deflating”; “soul-destroying”; and, “a real jolt back to Earth!”  These are just a few things authors have said to me after self-publishing their book, and realizing what comes next.

It’s such a shame!  As an author, I know full well the amount of hard work, passion and dedication which goes into writing a book: the first drafts; second drafts; third drafts… rewriting; editing; proofreading.  This is not to mention all the work which goes into the self-publishing process itself: the conversion to formats; getting the metadata right; formatting page and text, over and over, because you just can’t get it to display properly; getting the dimensions correct.  Then, downloading ��� or even purchasing – your proof copy, only to find that it is still wrong!  (Scream!!)   So, to finally get it right, publish your book and draw a line underneath it is a massive achievement, a weight off your shoulders and a moment for celebration.  Now, you can ensure it’s on Goodreads and Amazon, sit back, do a bit of social media and wait for the sales – and subsequently the reviews – to start coming in, creating a self-fulfilling cycle.  

So, where are they!?

Unfortunately for the self-publishing author, promoting and selling your book is a full-time job, which requires expertise and investment of time - and often money.  Simply put, it is a business.  And, as we all know about business, you need to speculate to accumulate; in any industry, those with time and money to promote themselves will invariably be more successful than those without it.  That said, few businesses are as competitive as the book industry: over a million new books are self-published every year – that’s over 2700 per day!  Can you imagine any other industry in which you are up against that level of competition?  Therefore, whilst of course a promotion budget definitely helps, it may not be enough; there is another thing which a book as a product relies on heavily, to stand out from the crowd – perhaps more so than any other business: customer (or in this case, reader) reviews.

THINK ABOUT THE PEOPLE BUYING THE BOOKS

Buying books – particularly fiction books – is often an impulse.  Unless a reader is looking to purchase a specific title (in which case, they will probably do so via your link somewhere), it is safe to assume that they are probably browsing; as an unknown, self-published author, this is probably going to be your customer base.  So, whilst not exactly relevant to this specific blog, it is still important at this point to advise of the following: ensure your book’s tags and keywords in all the blurb and copy are spot-on and comprehensive.  If a reader is browsing for the following, for example: a medical thriller set in a Dystopian future, then you need to make sure your book’s description and metadata include those keywords, or you haven’t a hope of being found.  Your author name, whilst obviously a relevant keyword, is meaningless to them and is not what they are looking for – if it were, of course there would be no need for any of this.  Imagine looking for your book on a book-market stall, using the same search criteria: “medical, sci-fi, future” – even then, in a big market, there will probably be hundreds of matching titles.  Your potential customer, therefore, needs some other means of making their decision.

The first, of course, and the most purist-driven, is the cover.  People are drawn to a book’s cover when browsing in a bookshop – if it falls under their preferred genre – so this has to be eye-catching and relevant (read the blog: “Do People Actually Judge A Book By Its Cover?  Why Your Book’s Cheap Exterior Might Be Hiding A Literary Gem”).  However, that applies when browsing in person.  Online – where a self-published author will most certainly be trying to sell their book – readers will probably have narrowed their criteria even further, and the most common way online shoppers do this is by customer reviews.  According to latest research by Qualtrix (2019), 93% of people say that their online purchasing decisions are influenced by reviews.  Therefore, it would seem that those searching by a book’s cover are unlikely to see past a mediocre one, whereas those searching by review rating are less likely to care about the cover at all!

Simply put, customer reviews are a must for any new business, but especially books by unknown authors.

HOW DO I GET BOOK REVIEWS?

Many of you are now thinking that this much is obvious, and that the issue isn’t whether to get reviews – you already know that you need them – the issue is how to get them.

If you search book reviewers online you will be inundated with blogs and websites by readers who just love to read books in your genre – there are literally hundreds; perhaps thousands.  Of course, to locate then contact them all would take weeks, to be optimistic.  To make life easier for you, just assume that the best of them can usually be found on the following lists (myself included):

·         BOOK BLOGGER LIST

·         KINDLE BOOK REVIEW

·         BOOK REVIEWERS’ DIRECTORY

·         TWEET YOUR BOOKS

Whilst all excellent resources, sometimes the information can be a little out of date.  Often you’ll find, when your visit the individual bloggers’ sites, that they have restricted the service, or suspended it altogether.  There is a very simple reason for this: they are utterly overwhelmed by submissions (at the time of writing this blog I have well over 200 books on my TBR list!).  If you are able to send them your book, many will reply outright that they simply aren’t able to read it, or that you should come back in a few months; some say they’ll do their best.  The number of reviewers able or willing to say yes straight away is far smaller than that which are not.  Moreover, if a reviewer agrees to add your book to their list and promises to read it, bear in mind that it may be months before they actually get around to doing so. There are no guarantees at all.

At MJV, we have compiled a comprehensive global list of reviewers, including preferred genres and first name contacts, and can contact all relevant bloggers on your behalf.  To find out more about the MJV reviewer service, visit https://www.mjvliterary.com/reviewer-submissions.php

SHOULD I EVER PAY FOR A BOOK REVIEW?

This is a contentious issue amongst many authors.  If you search this question online you will find many people who say you absolutely should never pay for a review of your book.  Their arguments against doing so are most commonly, though not exclusively:

1.       There are literally hundreds of reviewers out there willing to read your book for free;

and, more importantly:

2.       How can a paid book review be considered impartial and honest?

The first is pretty self-explanatory, and of course true, but as mentioned above, “willing” and “able” are not necessarily the same thing.  But, as a blogger who offers both free and paid reviews, I have to say that I find the second insinuation – that payment somehow indicates bribery or coercion for a positive book review – particularly insulting.  There are many paid services, in many industries, to which this allegation can be equally applied, yet it isn’t, so why book reviews?

This is where a reviewer’s policy comes in particularly important, which you should always read, and certainly if your review is a paid one.  Any reviewer of any integrity should ALWAYS stipulate, very clearly, that paying in no way implies or guarantees a positive review, and has no bearing at all upon the rating he/she gives.  My own policy clearly states “I do not offer favourable reviews in exchange for Premium payment” (www.mattmcavoy.com).  If you are intending to pay for positive reviews, there are plenty of bogus offers out there, on websites such as Fiverr and even eBay, which can provide these in the same way as fake followers and likes on social media.  If you do choose to undertake these services, consider that this makes you as active a participant in these online scams as the vendors, and live with the fact that your book reviews are not genuine; I would strongly urge you to follow your conscience in this respect.  Decent, ethical reviewers may offer a paid service, but they should not be tarred with the same brush as the corrupt ones.  Whether you choose to pay for a review is your choice, but don’t expect that you are buying a guaranteed positive one, because with any decent reviewer, blogger or influencer, you will not be.

So, why do some ethical book reviewers offer paid reviews?  Simple: to guarantee your book will be read and your review posted within a timeframe, and no other reason.  Payment may enable them to prioritize your book in a way that other work commitments may restrain them from so doing, and they can reasonably be expected to post before or on a specific day, as stipulated by the authors – for example, to coincide with a book launch.  The alternative option may only be to sit on their TBR shelf and wait for something which may never happen.

AND FINALLY…  PROBLEMS POSTING AMAZON REVIEWS

Aah… Amazon (shaking head emoji)!

This website, I’m afraid, is a law unto itself.  I challenge you to find one habitual book reviewer who has not argued at least once with Amazon about having their reviews suddenly, indiscriminately and unexpectedly removed.  Their interactive features are monitored by bots, and these bots, frankly, are quite mad.  Imagine the Mad Hatter’s tea party with A.I. guests, and you’ll probably see Amazon’s review bots there.  They are ruthless, and they remove reviews simply in response to their voices in their own heads!

The reasons they cite are usually related to their posting policy, which is generic and ambiguous at best.  It is also dynamic and constantly changing to provide a more secure and genuine customer experience – in other words, what is acceptable today may not be tomorrow; you’ll simply never know; I gave up trying to second-guess them long ago. Obviously they do this to tackle the very same scam artists mentioned earlier, and it will only get tougher, in response to the currently ongoing TripAdvisor fake reviews scandal.  Whilst this is understandable and admirable, the problem with Amazon is their proactive approach, and their unofficial policy: “if in any doubt, shoot first, and don’t ask questions at all.”  Often, bloggers don’t know their reviews have been removed until the author has complained to us, and we can offer no explanation.  Incidentally, I recently had reviews removed because I hadn’t spent enough money on Amazon (genuinely) – I bought a few things for $50, and my reviews were reinstated.

  Photo by Pinho on Unsplash

The simple fact is that nobody can guarantee the longevity of their reviews on Amazon – if they say they can, they are lying to you or themselves.  The review might be posted easily enough, but whether it is still there a year later is anyone’s guess - even Amazon don’t know what their policy will be then.  In a nutshell, don’t expect reviews to stay on Amazon – expect to keep having to work, tirelessly, to get them and keep the cycle going.  This is very concerning, to be honest, because Amazon is undoubtedly where most self-published authors are trying to sell their books.  If only there was another way.

If you would like your book reviewed, send it to Matt McAvoy at https://www.mattmcavoy.com/your-book-reviews.php

[krestmarketinggroup-blog]

Paid Social for Content Marketing Launches - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by  KaneJamison   Stuck in a content marketing rut? Relying on your existing newsletter, social followers, or email outreach won’t do your launches justice. Boosting your signal with paid social both introduces your brand to new audiences and improves your launch’s traffic and results. In today’s Whiteboard Friday, we’re welcoming back our good friend Kane Jamison to highlight four straightforward, actionable tactics you can start using ASAP.

               Click on the whiteboard image above to open a high-resolution version in a new tab!

         Video Transcription  Howdy, Moz fans. My name is Kane. I’m the founder of a content marketing agency here in Seattle called  Content Harmony , and we do a lot of content marketing projects where we use paid social to launch them and get better traffic and results.

So I spoke about this, this past year at  MozCon , and what I want to do today is share some of those tactics with you and help you get started with launching your content with some paid traction and not just relying on your email outreach or maybe your own existing email newsletter and social followers. 

Especially for a lot of companies that are just getting started with content marketing, that audience development component is really important. A lot of people just don’t have a significant market share of their industry subscribed to their newsletter. So it’s great to use paid social in order to reach new people, get them over to your most important content projects, or even just get them over to your week-to-week blog content. 

  Social teaser content   So the first thing I want to start with is expanding a little bit beyond just your average image ad. A lot of social networks, especially Facebook, are promoting video heavily nowadays. You can use that to get a lot  cheaper engagement  than you can from a typical image ad. If you’ve logged in to your Facebook feed lately, you’ve probably noticed that aside from birth announcements, there’s a lot of videos filling up the feed. So as an advertiser, if you want to blend in well with that, using video as a teaser or a sampler for the content that you’re producing is a great way to kind of look natural and look like you belong in the user’s feed.

  So different things you can do include:

     Short animated videos  explaining what the project is and why you did it. 

  Maybe doing talking head videos with some of your executives or staff or marketing team , just talking on screen with whatever in the background about the project you created and kind of drumming up interest to actually get people over to the site.  

 So that can be really great for  team recognition  if you’re trying to build thought leadership in your space. It’s a great way to introduce the face of your team members that might be speaking at industry conferences and events. It’s a great way to just get people recognizing their name or maybe just help them feel closer to your company because they recognize their voice and face. 

So everybody’s instant reaction, of course, is, “I don’t have the budget for video.” That’s okay. You don’t need to be a videography expert to create decent social ads. There’s a lot of great tools out there.

     Soapbox by Wistia  is a great one, that’s been released recently, that allows you to do kind of a webcam combined with your browser type of video. There are also tools like... 

  Bigvu.tv  

  Shakr  

  Promo , which is a tool by a company called Slidely, I think. 

  All of those tools are great ways to create short, 20-second, 60-second types of videos. They let you create captions. So if you’re scrolling through a social feed and you see an autoplay video, there’s a good chance that the audio on that is turned off, so you can create captions to let people know what the video is about if it’s not instantly obvious from the video itself. So that’s a great way to get cheaper distribution than you might get from your typical image ad, and it’s really going to stick out to users because most other companies aren’t spending the time to do that.

  Lookalike audiences   

 Another really valuable tactic is to create lookalike audiences from your best customers. Now, you can track your best customers in a couple of ways: 

  You could have a pixel , a Facebook pixel or another network pixel on your website that just tracks the people that have been to the site a number of times or that have been through the shopping cart at a certain dollar value. 

  We can take our email list  and use the emails of customers that have ordered from us or just the emails of customers that are on our newsletter that seem like they open up every newsletter and they really like our content. 

  We can upload those into a custom audience in the social network of our choice and then create what’s called a lookalike audience. In this case, I’d recommend what’s called a “one percent lookalike audience.” So if you’re targeting people in the US, it means the one percent of people in the US that appear most like your audience. So if your audience is men ages 35 to 45, typically that are interested in a specific topic, the lookalike audience will probably be a lot of other men in a similar age group that like similar topics.

  So Facebook is making that choice, which means you may or may not get the perfect audience right from the start. So it’s great to test additional filters on top of the default lookalike audience. So, for example, you could target people by household income. You could target people by additional interests that may or may not be obvious from the custom audience, just to make sure you’re only reaching the users that are interested in your topic. Whatever it might be, if this is going to end up being three or four million people at one percent of the country, it’s probably good to go ahead and filter that down to a smaller audience that’s a little bit closer to your exact target that you want to reach. So excellent way to create brand awareness with that target audience.

  Influencers   

 The next thing I’d like you to test is getting your ads and your content in front of influencers in your space. That could mean...

    Bloggers  

    Journalists  

 Or it could just mean people like  page managers in Facebook , people that have access to a Facebook page that can share updates. Those could be  social media managers . That could be bloggers. That could even be  somebody running the page for the local church or a PTA group . Regardless, those people are probably going to have a lot of contacts, be likely to share things with friends and family or followers on social media. 

  Higher cost but embedded value

  When you start running ads to this type of group, you’re going to find that it costs a little bit more per click. If you’re used to paying $0.50 to $1.00 per click, you might end up paying $1.00 or $2.00 per click to reach this audience. That’s okay. There’s a lot more embedded value with this audience than the typical user, because they’re likely, on average, to have more reach, more followers, more influence.

  Test share-focused CTAs

  It’s worth testing share focus call to actions. What that means is encouraging people to share this with some people they know that might be interested. Post it to their page even is something worth testing. It may or may not work every time, but certainly valuable to test.

  Filters

  So the way we recommend reaching most of these users is through something like a  job title  filter. Somebody says they’re a blogger, says they’re an editor-in-chief, that’s the clearest way to reach them. They may not always have that as their job title, so you could also do employers. That’s another good example.

  I recommend combining that with  broad interests . So if I am targeting journalists because I have a new research piece out, it’s great for us to attach interests that are relevant to our space. If we’re in health care, we might target people interested in health care and the FDA and other big companies in the space that they’d likely be following for updates. If we’re in fashion, we might just be selecting people that are fans of big brands, Nordstrom and others like that. Whatever it is, you can take this audience of a few hundred thousand or whatever it might be down to just a few thousand and really focus on the people that are most likely to be writing about or influential in your space.

  Retarget non-subscribers   

 The fourth thing you can test is retargeting non-subscribers. So a big goal of content marketing is having those pop-ups or call to actions on the site to get people to download a bigger piece of content, download a checklist, whatever it might be so that we can get them on our email newsletter. There’s a lot of people that are going to click out of that. 90% to 95% of the people that visit your site or more probably aren’t going to take that call to action. 

So what we can do is convert this into more of a social ad unit and just show the same messaging to the people that didn’t sign up on the site. Maybe they just hate pop-ups by default. They will never sign up for them. That’s okay. They might be more receptive to a lead ad in Facebook that says “subscribe” or “download” instead of something that pops up on their screen.

  Keep testing new messaging

  The other thing we can do is start testing new messages and new content. Maybe this offer wasn’t interesting to them because they don’t need that guide, but maybe they need your checklist instead, or maybe they’d just like your email drip series that has an educational component to it. So keep testing different types of messaging. Just because this one wasn’t valuable doesn’t mean your other content isn’t interesting to them, and it doesn’t mean they’re not interested in your email list.

  Redo split tests from your site

  We can keep testing messaging. So if we are testing messaging on our site, we might take the top two or three and test that messaging on ads. We might find that different messaging works better on social than it does on pop-ups or banners on the site. So it’s worth redoing split tests that seemed conclusive on your site because things might be different on the social media network.

   So that’s it for today. What I’d love for you guys to do is if you have some great examples of targeting that’s worked for you, messaging that’s worked for you, or just other paid social tactics that have worked really well for your content marketing campaigns, I’d love to  hear examples of that in the comments  on the post, and we’d be happy to answer questions you guys have on how to actually get some of this stuff done. Whether it’s targeting questions, how to set up lookalike audiences, anything like that, we’d be happy to answer questions there as well.

  So that’s it for me today. Thanks, Moz fans. We’ll see you next time.

      Video transcription  by  Speechpad.com 

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[itssoquietintheworldtonight]

Best PS4 Games 2019: Essential PlayStation 4 Launches

Are you appreciating the listing of best ps2 games and additionally great old games. If you like playing Grand Theft Auto video games, after that also take a look at the most effective games like GTA. If your dream is to endure hours-long Grand Prix races in classic F1 style, then this is the ready you. The races can in fact be exceptionally difficult and also are never ever on a shut track. They are likewise linked with the passions that ladies have to make sure that the games themselves have ended up being very popular. The GTA video game series has become one of the prominent games. HARRY POTTER as well as the Order of Phoenix metro is a game which is based upon the 5th version of HARRY POTTER movie series. The video game is embeded in the imaginary community, called Heaven City. Embed in a post-apocalyptic globe where a worldwide infection has transformed most of human beings right into mindless zombie creatures referred to as "Freakers," Days Gone guarantees an exhilarating survival scary tale chock packed with blood and also intestines. Set in the imaginary Redview Area, Rivals let's you grab as well as play a range of obstacles as either a racer or a cop. There's also one video game that is pretty prominent to play online where you as well as your pals race with no type of transport. How to Choose Video Games for Kids Devices keep the game enjoyable and also intriguing, kind of like a the real world Mario Kart, as well as there are lots of chances to race as well as wreckage online opponents. It might be the same video game as it is in reality, however it includes a degree of availability that can turn a plain mid-day into an around enjoyable day. Developed by Codemasters (the exact same programmer as Dust Rally), F1 2016 is considered among the best Formula One auto racing games about-- if not the very best F1 video game. Probably, yet that doesn't quit you getting several of the older video games above for a discount rate cost in the meantime. When you have realized the three languages over then you have a terrific possibility to be able to set a computer game. It additionally supplies excellent image top quality, that makes it a terrific all-around option for the individual who needs premium gaming performance. For all gaming fanatic, here we bring you out with a few of the most effective PS2 Gamings 2019 with its abundant background of legacy. PS2 was thought about the best gaming console of its time and it still obtains a foot into the market. Exactly how the time flies when you're upgrading from a 32-bit resolution to upwards of 4K. But regardless of how many years go by, Lara still handles to locate a place in our hearts. Identity will certainly occur in an imaginary land in the eastern USA, heavily influenced the Carolinas and Georgia. The video game story is about a young man named Wander who goes into a restricted land. The game has soo lots of rip off codes and soo numerous objective's which brings way too much enjoyable. We Applaud takes an enjoyable customizable method to this brand-new style, the game looks like it will certainly offer a lot of various choices so each person having fun can have a distinct experience. Broken web servers afflicted the multiplayer experience for months, and also Sony kept delaying a PlayStation And also edition that many people thought it would certainly never ever see the light of day. We're doing playthroughs as well as reviews of several of one of the most popular video games plus on-line members-only contests where you can battle for splendor playing today's most significant multiplayer titles. I understand that there are already ps3 as well as ps4 making excellent modification as well as it is late to post Ideal PS2 Games. That claimed, Driveclub ultimately became a great racing game, with several of the very best graphics offered on the PS4. As well as, providing to do something with your son out in public is not constantly gotten with wonderful enthusiasm. This weapon would most definitely create a mass amount of demolition and also damage, by calling out a beam of light that would certainly bring death from the sky. Teachers ought to produce circumstances to guarantee that their women students are investing an equivalent quantity of time in hands-on activities. It started from the household, the participants, then the parts of your house and then the rooms, so the youngsters are gradually learning what is all about a family. Carl discovers his old friends and family in chaos, and over the course of the game he tries to re-establish his old gang, clashes with corrupt polices, as well as gradually unravels the truth behind his mother's murder. Controls lean much more towards an arcade-style racer, yet it makes for an accessible as well as thrilling auto racing video game. You'll be spending a lot of time with your designer and also agent, the former will investigate and establish new upgrades for your racing team, while the last manages your team's agreements. For now, Forza Motorsport 7 continues to be the standard for console racing as well as it will certainly be seventh heaven for all Forza fans all over. F1 2016 is additionally chock-full of great little information, like the enhancement of the parade lap-- the warm-up tour before a motorsport race where motorists examine the security of the track and automobiles by cruising around at slow rates. Compete several of the most loved automobiles of our time in wonderful high definition. At first it appears like a silly component to the game, yet it promptly comes to be a nice regimen that allowed's you bend the wheels and also brakes prior to relieving right into a long race session. I don't suggest it as an initial project, yet you can always give it a go. For 2-4 players. Doom had not been the initial FPS ever before however possibly it was the one that make the genre popular. Probably hailed as one of the best auto racing games there is, Need for Rate is a timeless favorite among the cars and truck fanatics. Okay, Need For Speed Underground 2 shook. The most "arcade-y" of the lot, Need for Rate: Competitors is the least likely racing game to damage your simulator itch, however it's a complete blast to play.

[tensecondsbeforesunrise]

Finest PS4 Gamings 2019: Vital PlayStation 4 Releases

Are you enjoying the listing of ideal ps2 games as well as likewise excellent old games. If you like playing Grand Burglary Auto video games, after that additionally check out the very best games like GTA. If your dream is to endure hours-long Grand Prix races in timeless F1 style, then this is the ready you. The races can really be exceptionally challenging and are never on a shut track. They are also linked with the interests that ladies have to ensure that the games themselves have come to be very popular. The GTA video game series has actually turned into one of the popular video games. HARRY POTTER and also the Order of Phoenix az is a game which is based upon the fifth version of HARRY POTTER flick series. The video game is set in the imaginary town, called Paradise City. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a worldwide virus has actually transformed most of humans right into meaningless zombie creatures known as "Freakers," Days Gone guarantees an awesome survival scary story chock packed with blood and digestive tracts. Embed in the imaginary Redview County, Competitors allow's you grab and play a variety of obstacles as either a racer or a police. There's also one video game that is rather preferred to play online where you as well as your good friends race without any sort of transportation. How to Choose Video Games for Kids Devices keep the game enjoyable and intriguing, sort of like a the real world Mario Kart, and also there are plenty of possibilities to race and also accident online opponents. It might be the same game as it remains in reality, however it includes a level of access that can transform a dull mid-day right into an all over enjoyable day. Established by Codemasters (the exact same developer as Dust Rally), F1 2016 is regarded as among the very best Solution One racing video games around-- if not the best F1 video game. Most likely, but that doesn't stop you getting a few of the older video games over for a price cut price in the meanwhile. Once you have actually comprehended the 3 languages over then you have a fantastic chance to be able to configure a computer game. It additionally uses excellent photo quality, that makes it a terrific all-around choice for the individual that desires premium gaming performance. For all gaming fanatic, below we bring you out with several of the most effective PS2 Gamings 2019 with its bountiful background of heritage. PS2 was considered the most effective video gaming console of its time and also it still acquires a foot into the market. How the time flies when you're updating from a 32-bit resolution to upwards of 4K. But despite how many years pass, Lara still manages to locate a place in our hearts. Identification will certainly happen in a fictional land in the eastern United States, heavily influenced the Carolinas and Georgia. The video game story is about a young man called Wander that goes into a prohibited land. The video game has soo many cheat codes as well as soo numerous mission's which brings excessive enjoyable. We Support takes a fun personalized technique to this brand-new genre, the video game resembles it will provide a great deal of various choices so each person playing can have an unique experience. Busted servers pestered the multiplayer experience for months, and also Sony kept postponing a PlayStation Plus version that most individuals thought it would never ever see the light of day. We're doing playthroughs and evaluations of a few of one of the most prominent video games plus online members-only contests where you can fight for glory having fun today's greatest multiplayer titles. I understand that there are currently ps3 and also ps4 making great change as well as it is late to post Best PS2 Gamings. That stated, Driveclub ultimately became an excellent racing video game, with some of the very best graphics readily available on the PS4. And, providing to do something with your kid out in public is not always gotten with excellent eagerness. This weapon would most definitely create a mass quantity of demolition as well as damages, by calling out a beam of light that would bring death from the sky. Educators must produce circumstances to make certain that their women trainees are investing an equivalent quantity of time in hands-on activities. It started from the family, the participants, then the parts of the house and then the areas, so the youngsters are gradually learning what is all about a family members. Carl locates his old friends and family in disarray, and also over the course of the game he attempts to re-establish his old gang, clashes with corrupt polices, and also slowly unwinds the fact behind his mom's murder. Controls lean extra toward an arcade-style racer, yet it creates an accessible as well as exhilarating racing game. You'll be investing a great deal of time with your designer and representative, the former will certainly look into as well as develop new upgrades for your auto racing team, while the last handles your team's agreements. For now, Forza Motorsport 7 stays the standard for console racing and also it will certainly be seventh paradise for all Forza fans all over. F1 2016 is also chock-full of great little details, like the addition of the parade lap-- the warm-up ride before a motorsport race where chauffeurs inspect the safety of the track and cars and trucks by travelling around at slow-moving speeds. Race some of the most enjoyed autos of our time in remarkable high definition. Initially it looks like an unreasonable element to the video game, but it quickly ends up being a nice routine that let's you flex the wheels as well as brakes before relieving right into a lengthy race session. I do not advise it as an initial task, but you can constantly try. For 2-4 players. Doom wasn't the very first FPS ever before yet probably it was the one that make the style well-known. Possibly hailed as one of the most effective racing games there is, Required for Rate is an ageless favorite among the car fanatics. Okay, Requirement For Rate Underground 2 rocked. The most "arcade-y" of the number, Required for Rate: Opponents is the least likely auto racing video game to scratch your simulator itch, however it's an overall blast to play.

[trainsinanime]

Logan

About a day has passed, I’m mostly awake again now, and I know more people on my timeline have seen the movie, so I think it’s time to dive in and talk about it in detail. Which requires spoilers for absolutely everything, so don’t read this yet if you’re planning on watching the movie soon.

I’ve already said that this movie is great in every way; the best X-Men movie yet (even including Deadpool), and quite possibly my favorite Marvel movie. I mean, Avengers 1 was nice and all, but now that the novelty value has worn off, it’s really just very nice; and Guardians of the Galaxy’s soundtrack was making promises that the movie sometimes struggled to keep.

Hugh Jackman is amazing in this. Patrick Stewart is even better, doing perhaps his best acting since „there are four lights!“. Both portray characters that are broken, full of history, portraying most of the things that need to be said without words. All their emotions are genuine, beautiful and heartbreaking. But we already knew these guys were great. What’s really amazing is that Dafne Keen as Laura cannot only keep up, she often ends up stealing the scene. Careful and guarded, then suddenly full of wonder, weary beyond her young age and incredibly badass, she does it all and it’s perfect. And most of that without ever speaking.

The movie is beautifully shot and directed, which you already knew if you saw the trailers. Most people talk about how it’s a western, and it is. But the really important thing is how human this movie is; how close it gets to its characters and their emotions. It all works.

Now for some things I wanted to discuss in more detail:

Why no post-credit scene tho?

After so many years of patiently sitting through the credits and wondering why movies always need someone to grip keys, it’s certainly unexpected to have it missing here. It’s nice that Marjorie Liu and Kyle Host got special thanks.

While I did sympathise with the disappointment that could be heard throughout my theatre, I think it was the right choice. The movie didn’t need a post-credit scene, and any post-credit scene would have made it weaker. Post-credit scenes are hints for what comes next, but this movie is all about providing closure, and it does so beautifully.

Whatever happens next, if something happens next, is a new story. Not a new part of this one.

What is the locomotive on the mexican freight train?

No idea; I think it’s entirely fictional. The lack of windows implies automatic operation. The closest thing visually would be the GE U50 (which has been out of service since 1977) and maybe the E60C, but both of these are a big stretch honestly. So my guess is entirely fictional, just like the automated trucks.

Gabriela: A reference to All-New Wolverine?

Maybe, but I’m guessing it’s just a coincidence and that both projects were developed more or less in parallel, without either one influencing the other to any meaningful degree. If they had wanted to reference Tom Taylor’s work, they could have put him on the „Special thanks“ list after all.

Could automated trucks really be built without a cab, just the pure container ending there?

Yes! The idea of a truck without a cab in front of the trailer is not actually new; the Steinwinter 2040 was a prototype built int he 1980s. That one still had a cab, of course, and the concept ultimately never went anywhere - while there was a lot of interest, nobody wanted to fund a series production. This approach would make a lot of sense for a fully autonomous vehicle, as well, where the issues of visiblity and crash safety are less pronounced.

I don’t know whether it makes enough sense to actually happen; even for automated road trains, some sort of shield before the trailer would make sense aerodynamically (if the aerodynamics of container haulage interest you, then don’t forget to google „UP Arrowedge“). I’m also not sure that we’ll be in a place for fully automated trucks by 2029. I guess it works if we have a head canon where these trucks are limited to motorways and a few well-defined roads between loading areas and motorways. We can almost already do that today. „Platooning“, i.e. automated control of multiple trucks together as if they were one very long truck, is already being trialled as well.

Generally speaking, one of the big problems of trucks is that they have to carry a person around. The cab is dead weight and takes up lots of space. Getting rid of it makes trucks much more attractive compared to trains. They still have the disadvantage that they have lots of small (by railway standards) diesel engines instead of one big one, and that rubber wheels on roads have much higher friction than steel wheels on steel rails, but every little bit helps. If such technology is available, you can be sure that there will be much more freight hauled on overloaded road networks, increasing traffic jams, and much less on energy-efficient, economically and ecologically superior railroads. Progress!

Is there anything wrong with the movie?

Nothing major, I guess. X-24 is ultimately a waste. He could have worked as a contrast to Logan, but the movie never goes there, so he’s just a CGI-heavy obstacle. In general, the movie suffers heavily from forgettable Marvel movie villain syndrome; nobody will remember who Pierce was two months from now. Finally, compared to Laura, the other kids that show up in the third act are just not that interesting.

Mind you, what this boils down to is „at times, the movie almost drops down to the level of Iron Man“.

Will Laura become the new Wolverine now?

God, I hope not. That would be incredibly stupid. Laura is her own character, always has been, and putting her into someone else’s shoes does disservice both to the original character and to her own history.

Yes, it works well in All-New Wolverine by Tom Taylor. But the reason why it works there is because Laura didn’t. actually become Wolverine. She’s just using the name and costume. It’s still clearly a Laura book just as much as the ones with X-23 in the title. There’s no overlap with Logan’s history, with Logan’s usual modes of operation and so on. It works, but giving her the name is entirely unnecessary for that.

In general, what does this movie set up?

No idea. There are certainly some hints dropped that can be picked up elsewhere, but it seems just as likely that future X-Men movies will ignore it and leave it in some sort of canonical timey-wimey limbo, presumably the same one that Deadpool is in.

I’d be okay with that. Ultimately, no amount of setup can ever change whether this was a good movie, and it was.

Isn’t this movie taking a woman’s story and turning it into an accessory to a man’s?

This is a point I heard on Twitter shortly after the first trailer dropped. Having seen the movie, I can confidently say: Yes, kind of.

Obviously, the movie is called Logan, and it’s ultimately him that is the star. But it’s also notable how little women there are besides Laura. Sarah Kinney, her mother in the comics (it’s complicated because comics) is absent. Her closest equivalent, Gabriela (reference to the current comic or just coincidence? I’m leaning coincidence), gets killed fairly soon, but she also has far less impact on the story. Sarah was in many ways one of the masterminds of Laura’s torture; she had agency, culpability, guilt and internal conflict. Gabriela doesn’t get any of that depth.

There’s also the part where the three surviving mutants are all men, despite X-Men being pretty balanced ever since Claremont. The movie’s plot is carefully constructed so that it seems inevitable that these are the folks involved, but it’s not like that was the only choice.

(If you’ll allow an aside: They could, for example, have chosen Kitty Pryde instead of Caliban. Just make her a former mutant hunter. After all, there’s precedence for randomly giving Kitty powers that actually belong to Rachel.)

I think the movie can get away with this simply because it is so damn great, and because Laura in particular is so great here. I know some people will weigh things differently and come to a different conclusion here (though I don’t expect there to be very many).

If the stretch limousine is a 2024 Chrysler, and FCA plans to use the Giorgio platform for basically all their RWD stuff going forward, then doesn’t that mean someone did a stretch limo of a car with a transaxle platform and a carbon-fibre drive shaft?

That’s where my mind is going to anyway. My head canon is that they swapped the carbon fibre driveshaft for a cheap one made of steel, though I have no idea whether that is more or less realistic than any alternative. Either way I would assume this car isn’t that great for high-performance driving.

By the way, this is once more a movie that is full of FCA cars but doesn’t have any Alfa Romeos. I hated that about Batman v Superman. Here, I think it fits. This movie works if the heroes are driving an American truck; it would never work with a Stelvio. In Batman v Superman, though, they even brought in an IVECO truck (from the truck division of CNH which is the industrial arm/sister of FCA) to an ostensibly American city, even though that company’s products where never sold in the US, so the odd Giulietta wouldn’t have hurt, would it? Basically, fuck Batman v Superman.

With people praising Logan, will they now give the DCEU the second look it deserves?

I actually found a person on Tumblr who said that, then forgot to save a link so I guess I’ll have to sub-tumble them. Sorry. Dear person, if you read this: No. While you are correct that there are high-level similarities between the two, if you look in detail you’ll find that everything that actually matters is done well in Logan and badly in the DCEU. For one example, see the paragraph about the cars and product placement right above.

If that’s not sufficient, then let me put it like this: In its efforts to be dark, gritty and mature, the DCEU has thrown out plot, relatable characters, and all forms of fun except pee jokes. That is a major misunderstanding of mature. Logan is mature, gritty, violent, not the slightest bit flashy and so on. But at its core, it’s about humans relating to each other. It’s about them coming together, not finding ways to divide them. It’s violent, but it’s also all about the cost of that violence and about finding a way out of that cycle.

Perhaps most importantly: This movie takes comics, the old brightly coloured ones that are silly and full of flashy costumes, the very thing that both the DCEU (and the original Old Man Logan comic…) tried to abolish to show us how mature they are… and tells us how important it is to believe in them. That by believing in the „childish immature crap“ from the comics, we find together, and we get the strength to get us to where we’re going. Because it’s not actually childish to dream of a better world at all, as our hero has to learn; it’s what makes us human.

So pack in all your pitchforks, dear DCEU fans, when you hear that Logan is getting much better reviews than any DC movie ever, and that it’s making much more money. It’s not because people like Marvel more. It’s because DC keeps making shitty movies whenever they’re not made out of Lego.

(I do hope Wonder Woman won’t be shitty, but based on the trailers, the most I’m hoping for is „a little less shitty“. Sorry.)

What about that MovieBob Video? Will attempts at copying Logan lead to a new comics crash?

I’m talking about this video here. And let me just say that while I respect Bob a lot, he’s also wrong a lot. That guy thought Cars 2 was a better movie than Cars 1, after all. This video, to me, feels like a guy with too much time on his hands thinking too much about stuff that happened decades ago.

The fundamental problem with his argument is that comic book movies are in the mainstream, and they’re being made because they get mainstream levels of money. There was a good (short-term) business case for going fans-only for the comics industry in the 1990s. That’s just not the case today.

It’s certainly possible that Logan will inspire studios to try dark and gritty deconstructions of superheroes… but DC’s been doing that for years with questionable success and no influence whatsoever on the company that makes the good ones, i.e. Marvel.

What I do find fascinating is that between this, Deadpool and Legion, we’re now in a place where Fox’s X-Men movies may just be the inventive, innovative and weird superhero franchise, and the bits and pieces and preview animations that have come out for the New Mutants movie hint that it may be going in that general direction as well. That would be an awesome way for things to develop, and the X-Men certainly have their share of characters that fit that description. Of course, it seems like Fox landed in this place almost by accident, so any attempts to prolong it or end it or pretty much do anything with it seem incredibly dangerous. We’ll see how it turns out.

[rufousnmacska]

Child of Peace 13 - Chosen

Manorian adventures post EoS

(There is a note at the end about pronunciations. Apologies - this chapter has a pretty big info-dump. Hopefully the ending will make up for it!)

entire work on ao3

master list of chapters

Mate.

Manon didn’t move. She couldn’t have said ‘mate’, she thought. Witches don’t have mate bonds. Crochans must have another meaning for it. Unwilling to consider it any further, she pushed it away and went back into their rooms, finding Dorian already asleep. The stress of the past few days had caught up to him.

She left him and wandered into the washroom. It was dominated by a stone basin, large enough for a person to stretch out in. Manon tested the faucet, expecting cold water. These caves and tunnels were beyond belief, even without considering the presence of plumbing. Hot water poured out and she quickly plugged the basin, letting it fill up. She stripped off her flying leathers and filthy clothes, eased herself in, lay back and closed her eyes.

The past week had been brutal, leaving Manon little time to process all that had happened. Dorian had forgiven her for lying about what she’d learned in the witch mirror. He’d thought her theory that the Crochans possessed the final wyrdkey a good one. And she’d told him about the spells Elena had shown her and Aelin. When she’d balked at telling him how the spells would kill the magic wielder, Dorian had insisted on knowing. To his credit, he hadn’t reacted outwardly, but Manon could feel his inner doubt. And fear. She’d tried to reassure him, promising to do whatever it took to keep it from happening. But he’d seemed resigned to his fate and nothing she said could change that. So, she’d let him drop the subject.  She had become resigned to something too. Something she’d kept to herself - if no alternative was found, she had no intention of letting him face death alone.

And then, almost immediately, they’d found the Crochan village. And Vesta. Manon felt the tears start, so she took a deep breath and dipped under the water. Even after seeing her and saying goodbye, it still didn’t seem real. She knew it would take a long time for it to sink in. She stayed under until she was no longer able to hold her breath, sitting back up with a gasp. Knowing she could not ignore it, she forced herself to think about what Vesta’s death was meant to convey. Other than the obvious threat from the Yellowlegs, and the Blackbeak Matron. They knew her plans, knew roughly where she was. They’d found the Crochans.

But it was personal too in that they’d hoped to break her. Manon supposed they’d been successful. The sight of Vesta had snapped something inside her. She’d been unable to hold anything in - all her emotions had burst from her, leaving her numb. When the Crochans had appeared, she’d seen them and known who they were. But she’d been in shock, unable to really make sense of what was happening, or to even care. Having been without sleep for days, the few hours she’d just received had somewhat revived her. Without Dorian and Fallon though, she might still be in a catatonic state. So, while her enemies had succeeded, they’d also eventually failed. She was stronger than they’d realized, stronger than she’d realized. She wiped away a few stray tears and took a deep breath. Just as importantly, she had strong people around her, willing to help when she was unable to shoulder the weight of loss by herself.

Manon turned her thoughts back to Vesta. She must have been captured at Morath, likely tortured, though her body had shown little sign of injury. Manon wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not, thinking about the methods available to the Matron. She was confident Vesta would not have broken and confessed their destination. Unless perhaps the information had been forcibly taken from her mind. Maybe using valg magic. And what of the rest of the Thirteen who had been with Vesta? Had they been captured as well? Were they still being held? Or were they dead?

She shook her head. Dwelling on those details wouldn’t change anything. If the others were alive, she knew Sorrel would find them. Vesta was gone. And Manon would make those who did it pay dearly. Perhaps with their heads, she thought darkly, her Ironteeth blood lust rising inside her. A few days ago, she might have pushed back at the thought, insisting she should no longer be that witch. But now, it soothed her. She was reminded of Dorian’s line between killing for pleasure or for necessity. She supposed an argument could be made against the need for revenge. Especially when considering witch history - centuries of blood feuds, death begetting death. Fuck argument, she thought. The Blackbeak Matron and Iskra were evil filth. Dangerous to the world, not just her and the Thirteen. Revenge would certainly be a part of her motivation, but other lives were at risk if they were not dealt with. While she washed and dried off, Manon entertained herself with visions of that revenge. Visions of Iskra and the Matron, rendered helpless by Wind Cleaver, begging for their miserable lives. If she felt generous, she’d end them quickly. Doubtful, she thought. Nothing would incline her towards generosity when it came to those two.

Wrapped in a towel, Manon went into the bedroom. Dorian was still sleeping and she smiled at how he lay - on his stomach, sprawled across the entire bed. Dressing in the simple clothes left by the Crochans, she kissed his cheek and returned to the front room, aimlessly poking through storage baskets and containers. Trying desperately to keep her mind from returning to what Catrin had said. Despite her earlier attempts to explain it away, she had heard the witch correctly. Knew exactly what she’d meant by the word. Mate. Manon sat down heavily in a large, cushioned chair. Damned gods. Do they think this is funny? They have nothing better to do than fuck with peoples’ lives?!

Manon didn’t have a problem with the idea of fate, or being guided by a god or goddess. She’d heard of most deities, but she’d been raised worshiping the Three-Faced Goddess. She was no zealot like the Bluebloods. But she had faith in her goddess, and had felt connections and pushes here and there throughout her life. And, she had to admit it had been happening much more frequently in recent months. The more she thought about it… A memory sprang forward. Her frantic search for Elide in the dungeons of Morath. She’d felt a force, heard a voice even, guiding her to the witchling. But it hadn’t sounded or felt like the Three-Faced Goddess. Elide was guided by Anneith. Could she have been pushing Manon to save her chosen one? Was it common for the gods to do that? Influence someone they had not selected to guide? She sighed. These were questions for Ghislaine. Or Dorian.

Mate.

No, the problem wasn’t really with her. It was with him. Choice had never really been part of her upbringing and she’d never taken issue with that. And with her faith in the Three-Faced Goddess, she was relatively unconcerned with the question of fate versus free will. When she considered the role the Matron would have had in that way of thinking though... Maybe my acceptance of fate is not such a good thing, she thought. But regardless of her influences, that was her worldview. She was not like Ghislaine or other witches she knew. She didn’t feel the need to analyze or worry over something that had no impact on the here and now. She trusted her goddess and she trusted herself, recent events notwithstanding.

Dorian however… They’d never spoken of anything so philosophical but she had the distinct impression he was not one to let fate or the gods determine any part of his life. His life seemed to have been devoid of choice, despite the many privileges that accompanied his title as prince. Controlled by his father, then the valg prince that invaded his mind and body… She understood completely why he would be reluctant about a bond like this. Yes, he’d accepted his role in Elena’s plan. You can’t get more preordained than that, she thought, her anger rising at the memory of Elena’s mistake and how the cost had been pushed off on innocents. But that impacted the world, his friends, not just himself. Sacrificing his choice, not to mention his life, to save them… That didn’t surprise her. Being told who to love was a different matter.

Manon rubbed her eyes. She was thinking herself to the point of madness. There was absolutely nothing to be done about it right now. She needed sleep. Then, in the morning, she would talk to him about it. Not wanting to wake him, she curled up in the chair and pulled a nearby blanket over herself. After what felt like hours, she finally fell asleep.

Dorian woke to voices in the outer room. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep so quickly last night. But as soon as he’d hit the mattress, he was out. The bed was even still made beneath him.

He sat up and stretched. He could hear Manon in the other room. “ - rather similar practices. We have a short ceremony - candles, a recitation. Ironteeth cremate their dead and then spread the ashes in the sky. Fallon and I can both ride on Abraxos.”

Aven said, “Does the time of day hold any importance in the ceremony? Or would this evening be suitable?”

“No, this evening would be fine. Thank you.”

Dorian walked out of the bedroom. “Good morning ladies.” Aven looked at him, amused. Manon sat at the table with her, giving him an odd look he couldn’t quite interpret.

“I’ve brought breakfast,” Aven said. “And news that the hold has been lifted on your magic. Your weapons will be returned shortly as well.” She snapped her fingers. “There you go!”

Dorian laughed and wasted no time testing it, chilling the air around them and creating a small flame in his hand. “Thank you! Not using it can be uncomfortable.” He playfully narrowed his eyes at her. “Were you controlling it this whole time?”

She smiled. “Not the whole time. But I have the power to restore it. No one else here will be able to suppress it from now on.” He caught her eyes as they roamed around his head. “Perhaps you’d like to freshen up before eating?”

He turned towards the washroom and caught his reflection in the mirror, just visible through the partly open door. His dark hair was sticking up in places and the shadow of whiskers he’d tried to keep under control was about to become a full beard soon. Spinning back around to the witches, he smiled, bowed low, and went in to clean himself up. Both had returned his smile though only Aven had blushed. As he filled the basin, he idly wondered if Ironteeth witches even could blush. He supposed with their blue blood it would look rather odd.

Hurrying through his routine, Dorian realized he left his clean clothes in the bedroom. Standing back to remain unseen, he cracked the door and poked his head out to ask Manon to get them. But she was already there and holding two stacks - one provided by the Crochans, one from his packs.

She smirked. “I thought you might need these. Though, I wasn’t sure which style you’d prefer.”

Silently, she said, You are a shameless flirt.

I just want her to like me Witchling.

He looked between the stacks. Manon was wearing a blue knit sweater over dark leggings. Clothing similar in its simplicity to what Aven wore. Except what Manon wore was decidedly un-grandmother-like. His eyes trailed down her body and back up again.

Lucky for you we have company.

She arched an eyebrow. Now how is that lucky? She flashed a wicked grin, shoved the clothes into his arms and shut the door. Dorian laughed as he got dressed, then went out to join them.

Aven had brought fresh bread, jam and soft cheese to spread on it, fruit, and tea. Dorian’s quizzical expression must have been obvious as Aven said. “I was just telling Manon about the topside villages where we keep goats, chickens, other livestock, and grow all of our crops.”

“Villages? Plural?”

She smiled. “Yes. Our underground, we call it the Maze, runs for many miles. It connects to all of our villages above. And it’s a safe haven when we need to hide. You are in a less inhabited offshoot here. But the rest of this end of the Maze is rather full at the moment.”

Dorian noticed the apology in her voice, and the sadness in her eyes. He wondered how many from the village had been able to escape. Relatively few bodies had been found so he was hopeful that most had made it to the Maze before the Yellowlegs attack. Not wanting to press the issue, he remained quiet and ate. He glanced towards Manon and saw that she looked uncomfortable.

What’s wrong?

She didn’t reply or look at him, instead she took his hand under the table.

“I have a question,” she said, looking at Aven, who nodded for Manon to continue.

“Catrin said something to me last night that I didn’t quite understand.” Silently, she told Dorian, You were already asleep.

Aven shook her head in disappointment. “I hope she wasn’t rude. She can be somewhat abrasive at times.”

“Oh no. She was fine. Very helpful in fact,” Manon said. “But she mentioned something about witches…” She dropped his hand. “Something the Ironteeth were told was not possible. But perhaps for your clan, it is.”

Aven looked back and forth between them. Dorian was beyond confused. “What’s going on?” he asked. His confusion was quickly turning into worry. “What did she say?”

Manon stared at Aven and said, “That witches could have mates.”

Dorian froze. Slowly, he asked, “What…do you mean by ‘mate’? Like the Fae mating bond?”

Manon didn’t answer, which was answer enough. Aven continued to look at each of them, until finally she said, “I thought you knew. The way you both acted… It is a gift of our Fae blood.”

Not sure what to do or say but unable to sit still, Dorian stood and walked around the room. The temperature in the room dropped and he noticed ice crystals forming in the wake of his steps. “Are you saying Manon and I are mates? Bonded? By some magical force in her blood?” His tone was much harsher than he’d intended and he sensed Manon slump. Not visibly, but emotionally. After taking a moment to try to calm himself, he sat back down and said, “I love her. And that has nothing to do with blood or magic…or…or some damned god who gets off on messing with peoples’ lives.” He hadn’t calmed down. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Not at Manon or Aven. “Damn it!” He smacked the table and stood again. “Isn’t it enough that they require me or Aelin to die for them? Where does it end? They won’t even let me choose who I love?”

Manon was watching him, a sad but understanding expression on her face. She didn’t look surprised by his outburst. And that made it somehow worse. That she understood him so completely and accepted him as he was… It was one of many reasons why he loved her. But… Was it really understanding and acceptance? Or just some fucking trick of magic letting her read his thoughts?

“That’s why we can communicate without speaking. Why it never worked with anyone else. It’s not from magic.” Manon’s jaw had dropped slightly, realizing he was right. “At least, not magical in the way we thought it was.”

Aven nodded. “That is a part of the bond, not your magic. You were able to do it here even with your magic suppressed, yes?”

Dorian didn’t answer, he thought he might be sick. But Manon asked, “How does it work?”

Aven nodded for him to sit. “You think you had no choice in this Dorian.” He saw her eyes flick to the pale band of skin around his neck and back up to his face. “I understand why that would bother you. But in this case, you are wrong. Neither of you have knowledge about witch bonds it seems. Let’s change that.”

She gestured again for Dorian to sit, the set of her eyes more demanding this time. He looked at Manon and realized how she must be taking his reaction. So, he sat. Under the table, he took Manon’s hand and clasped it tightly. He felt her relax at his touch, and was about to send her a thought but caught himself at the last second. It felt wrong all of a sudden. Like he was no longer controlling anything he did or said when it came to her. The notion made his stomach roil again, and he hated himself - hated the gods! - for associating doubt with her. He looked at Aven, trying to extinguish the angry expression he knew was on his face. She was smiling at him. Always smiling. He thought that if he were a more cynical person, her smile could become like a thorn in his side. But instead, he found it was comforting, trustworthy, sweet. He finally felt a little calmer, so he nodded for her to explain.

“Our bonds come from our Fae ancestors. The gods have nothing to do with it. But remember, some of our blood is valg. They have nothing comparable to a bond, but their blood impacts witch bonds in several ways. The Fae have two types - mate and carranam. Carranam bonds are platonic connections involving magic and power. It requires the sharing of blood for the magic to unite between the two parties. Making each more powerful, or allowing one to use the other’s power.

“Witches have a platonic bond, called a chymariad bond. It doesn’t involve the blood sharing and isn’t necessarily about combining power. It can involve a family member, friend, or even a wyvern,” Aven said, nodding to Manon. “The simplest explanation is that it is a positive connection with another being.”

He glanced over to see Manon deep in thought. Eventually, she said, “That’s something I could feel? Like the loom of the Three-Faced Goddess?”

Aven nodded. “Yes exactly! You are both connected. Each chymariad bond has different strengths, different qualities or abilities associated with it. Your bond to Abraxos is very strong I imagine. Can you communicate with him as well?” Manon nodded. “And you chose each other?”

“Yes. Immediately actually. I felt him chose me. He saved my life and I saved his.” She was quiet for a minute. “I must have a bond with Asterin. My cousin and Second,” she explained to Aven. “Sometimes I could sense her presence, or feel… I can’t quite explain it. Almost like a string between us.”

“Yes, another strong connection, but with qualities very different from Abraxos I think,” Aven said. “Chymariad bonds are varied and complex, sometimes difficult to understand or describe. But that does not mean they are any less strong than a carranam bond. Another way our valg ancestry affects witch bonds is that we have a third kind that the Fae do not. An elyniad bond.” She paused then said, “I suppose you could call it…an enemy bond. It is also a powerful connection. But negative, destructive, poisonous. Nothing like the other two. It often ends in one of the bonded killing the other.”

Dorian immediately thought of the Matron, and he knew by Manon’s face that she had too.

“The cariad bond, our mate bond, is interesting. I can’t actually say for sure if the valg blood is the cause for its differences from the Fae mate bond. Witches were first made from Fae and valg of course. But our kind has bred with humans for centuries. I think that is the true source of the difference. It seems unlikely that valg blood would account for it…” She trailed off, sitting in quiet thought for several moments.

“Account for what? How is it different?” Dorian asked. He hoped he’d kept the eagerness from his voice. The possibility that his feelings for Manon had been influenced by outside forces of any kind was infuriating. But if it involved the valg in even a remote way… He began to reach for his neck but caught himself.

Aven chuckled. “Sorry. I can drift away in my own thoughts sometimes. The difference Dorian,” she raised her eyebrows at him, “is choice.”

Manon tilted her head. “I thought the Fae bond involved choice.”

“It does. To a certain extent,” Aven said. “But again, that might only be due to centuries of breeding with humans. I’ve seen mate bonds between purebred Fae that were particularly feral in nature. Very different than the cariad bond.”

Not for the first time, Dorian wondered at Aven’s age. Most Fae in Erilea had been hunted and killed by his father. But even before that, to have a purebred Fae ancestry on this continent would have been unusual. Doranelle though… He let it go and turned his attention back to her.

“So yes, there is choice. A Fae bond can be rejected. But it’s exceedingly rare. Usually, the pull is too strong to overcome. A cariad bond however, is almost entirely reliant on choice. In fact, you two had the potential to form any of the three bonds” She focused on Dorian. “You mentioned the gods’ curse on Elena’s heirs.”

He arched an eyebrow in surprise. “I don’t think I used those terms.”

The old witch waved a dismissive hand. “We will discuss that another time.”

He looked at Manon. She shrugged but he caught the quirk of her mouth, the glint in her eye. They’d been right to come here for help against Erawan.

“It’s certainly possible the gods did things to bring you two together for other reasons. But your choices,” she looked them both in the eye, “your actions determined whether a bond formed, and what kind of bond it would be. A witch bond of any type cannot be controlled by outside forces. I don’t know the specifics of how you met, but I would guess that it could have easily resulted in a chymariad bond or an elyniad bond. And, unlike the Fae bonds, ours can take time to develop. A choice can be made instantly upon meeting and the two bonded go on from there. But it can just as easily take multiple interactions, over weeks or months, to determine the bond.” She shook her head. “I have many theories about them but not much evidence to back it up. I think the longer it takes to develop, the stronger it is, regardless of the type of bond.” Looking at Manon, she said, “But your bond with Abraxos doesn’t seem to follow that logic. So,” she shrugged, “who knows?”

“So, the gods forced us to meet but everything else was our own doing,” Dorian said with hesitation.

“No and yes,” she said smiling. “No, they did not force you to meet. You are giving those fools too much credit Dorian. With one or two rare exceptions, they cannot outright control humans or Fae, or even valg. Much as they’d like to. What they can do is select someone to guide or influence. Then nudge that person in a direction they want them to go. They can put a fork in the road and hope that you take the route they favor. But you decide whether to go right or left or turn back around. Or leave the road entirely. I admit that it might be difficult to ignore those nudges. You might turn around and later find another fork. And some people simply give in to it against their better judgment because they think it is easier to obey. But, they cannot control you.”

He remembered Aelin’s possession by Deanna in Skull’s Bay. “The exceptions?”

Aven’s smile disappeared as she glanced to his chest, where he’d secured the two wyrdkeys in an inside pocket. “I think you know of one. The other is through prophetic vision. That method is quite rare but has happened.”

Manon asked, “And how is it that a witch can form a bond with a human?”

“It doesn’t take very much Fae blood to create a witch bond. Dorian has some through several different ancestors. A drop in the bloodline can be enough, though the amount may influence the strength of the bond. We don’t really understand the bond with our familiars. But if I had to guess, I’d say your bond with Abraxos is a gift directly from the Three-Faced Goddess herself.”

Manon frowned. “So any witch can form a bond? Not just those with Crochan blood?”

Aven’s face saddened. “Yes Witchling. This is not restricted to our clan. I imagine the Ironteeth have either been misled by your leaders, or the knowledge was simply lost through time.” She looked down at her hands. “I suspect it was the former as two of your matrons were born well before the Witch Wars and would have been aware of witch bonds.”

Manon just nodded, unsurprised by the accusation. “The current Yellowlegs and Blueblood matrons are only a couple of centuries old. Baba Yellowlegs was killed last year.”

A slight chill ran up Dorian’s spine at the pleased smile on Aven’s face. She may look like a grandmother from children’s books, but she was as deadly as any Ironteeth witch. Unlike his ability with the Fae warriors or Aelin, he couldn’t get a read on her magic. And he knew it wasn’t because she lacked it. She was so strong in magic, so powerful, that he couldn’t even sense it in her. Either she was cloaking it completely, or it was at a level he simply couldn’t register or comprehend.

Aven broke their silence. “I’m afraid I have a prior engagement to attend to and I’m already late. If you wish to visit your wyverns again, please do so. I will be back this evening to prepare the ceremony.” She reached across the table and patted Dorian’s arm. “Don’t forget Dorian. Unfortunately there are many things we cannot control in our lives. But this,” she gestured between him and Manon. “This is something you both chose. The cariad bond is incredibly powerful. In some ways, more than the Fae mate bond. But it only strengthens and expands upon that which was already there.” She stood and walked to the door.

Dorian and Manon looked at each other. They both knew she was right. Especially about the circumstances of their first meeting. Dorian had practically begged Manon to kill him that day in Oakwald. She could have slit his throat easily. And later, she could have done nothing and let Aelin kill him. Or the Yellowlegs. He could have let Rowan draw every last breath of air from her lungs. Or let her sink to the bottom of the sea. He knew she was thinking the exact same things. They’d been given so many opportunities to turn away. So many chances to leave the other and go on with their lives. And they’d made so many excuses - owed life debts, simple curiosity, a common goal to defeat Erawan. Those things weren’t lies, but they were still excuses. Still diversions from what they’d both been afraid to admit until recently.

Manon turned and nodded to Aven. He only heard the door click, too busy still watching Manon. His mate. He’d been wrong yesterday. When he’d thought she had never looked more beautiful. As she turned back to face him, his breath caught. The lights made her eyes glow like molten gold. Her hair, wavy and loose and hanging down her back, looked like moonlit strands of silk. Her lips, slowly spreading into a smile, were a soft, pale pink that he suddenly wanted to touch, with his finger, his tongue…

“Hello Princeling.”

He tore his gaze from her mouth and looked into her eyes. In them, he saw how much she loved him. He felt her love for him too, along with her acceptance of all that he was, good or bad. And he felt that she chose him. No one else. He was hers. He reached over and caressed her cheek. He gathered together all of the love, gratitude, and awe he felt for her and shared them. Along with his acceptance of all that she was, good or bad. She was his. He had chosen her and no one else.

“Hello Witchling.”

Manon had never seen Dorian’s eyes look the way they did now. She’d been lost in them many times, had seen them dance in the light of campfires, darken in desire. But this was different. They shimmered like brilliant, blue flame,  Intense and all-consuming. She stared into them and could see his love for her. He blinked, and the movement of his long dark lashes brought her out of her daze. He was grinning, dimples in full bloom on his cheeks.

He really is beautiful, she thought, then immediately regretted it when his grin turned into a cocky smirk.

He stood, bringing her with him, pulling her as he backed into the bedroom. Undoubtedly, Witchling. But i don’t hold a candle to you.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, while he just laughed. When he reached the edge of the bed, she surprised him by pushing him back onto it. Crawling on top of him, she straddled his waist. “Perhaps I can make your eyes roll Princeling.”

“I think I’d prefer it if you called me King,” he said, crossing his arms behind his head. Before she could stop herself, she sighed and glared at him. Dorian laughed again and sat up, wrapping his arms around her. “It‘s just so easy. And I cannot resist how cute you look when you’re exasperated with me.”

“Cute? Cute?! Witches are not cute!” She was only partially faking the pissed off tone in her voice.

He just smiled. But then his expression turned devious and he bent his head and ran his nose down her neck. And along her collarbone, while he slowly dragged his hands from her knees up her thighs. When they reached her waist, they slipped under her sweater and spread across her bare back. She tried to retain some of her feigned anger when he met her gaze, if only to continue with their teasing. But Dorian’s expression told her he knew. He could feel her body and mind responding to him. Wanting him. Wanting more. Wanting everything. His knowing wasn’t just from the bond. It was obvious in her rapid breathing, the way she was beginning to move her hips against him. But still, she liked the game. “Damn bond,” she growled, pushing him back down on the bed and wiping the smug look off his face with a slow, deep kiss.

Manon took her time kissing him, working them both into a frenzied mix of need and want and… More. Her fingers moved lazily through his dark hair, still damp from his bath. His hands clutched her ass, helping to push her against him. When she released his mouth, running her tongue along his bottom lip, he had to catch his breath. He made to roll her over so she was beneath him, but she sat up and held him firmly between her legs. “Oh no,” she purred, wagging a finger back and forth. “If I am to call you ‘King’, then that makes me your Queen. Yes?”

He sat up and slowly took her finger into his mouth, rolling his tongue around and around…

Manon’s pulse was racing and her lips parted, watching him. She enjoyed the teasing and games with Dorian. Once, they’d even managed to carry it on for a while before finally giving in to their desire.

This… This was not going to be one of those times. Especially not after he released her finger and ran his tongue through her mouth. And definitely not after he finished the kiss and said with a deep, raspy voice, “You’ve been my Queen for awhile now Manon. But it seems you didn’t know that. I’d be more than happy to try to convince you.” His eyes bore into her, flaming blue again, and she had no doubt hers were burning just as bright.

Dorian lifted her sweater off and she pushed up on her knees so he could pull her pants down. She reached for his but he stopped her. “Oh no, my Queen.”

He took her by the hips to hold her in place, then slid down underneath her, stopping when his face was between her thighs. The whole time he’d moved, his eyes had not left hers. Manon was almost panting with anticipation. He pulled her down so his tongue could reach her, but he just teased, barely grazing her entrance. Her entire body shuddered at the slight touch. When his fingers slid into her, finding her wet and warm, Dorian growled, “This isn’t from a bond.” She moaned her agreement and began moving against them.

She felt the full pressure of his tongue - finally! - as his fingers moved inside her, working in tandem with the motion of her hips. She wound her fingers through his hair and he moved his free hand up to caress her breast. With his real hands otherwise occupied, Dorian used his magic to hold her up, allowing her to be completely taken over by sensation.

Manon wanted this to last forever but also craved the release he was bringing her to. The rhythm he set with his tongue and fingers…his other hand brushing over her nipple… She moaned with each stroke, each lick.

She felt the warmth rising inside her. So close, she was so close now. Dorian felt it too as he curled his fingers a certain way - “Oh gods…” - and rubbed his tongue along a certain spot. Manon exploded, unable to breathe, arching her back and rocking her hips as the heat coursed through her. She was too overcome by the intensity of her orgasm to bother with something as trivial as breathing. When she began to come down from her high, her hands still clutching his head, she finally gasped in air.

Still using his magic to support her, Dorian pushed himself towards the head of the bed, then eased Manon down onto his waist. She immediately collapsed onto his chest, still trying to catch her breath. He hugged her close, letting her hair fall into his face.

After several moments, she adjusted her position to lay her head on his shoulder. He felt her smile as she said, “Alright. I believe you. I am your Queen.”

He laughed and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want more convincing?”

“Shit,” she muttered. She propped her head up to look at him. “You obviously misheard me Dorian.” She drew out his name, stressing her accent and making his heart skip a beat. “I said I did not believe you.” She gave him a mischievous grin.

He returned it as he brought his hand to his mouth and licked the fingers that had just been inside her. Her lips parted and he watched her eyes become dark, sensed her pulse speed up.

In an instant he had them rolled over so he knelt above her. He took off his shirt as Manon reached for his pants. When she pulled them down and released him, he saw her eyes wander down his body. She drew her bottom lip in between her teeth, then brought her eyes back up to meet his.

Using his magic, he took hold of her wrists and stretched them above her head. She twisted and arched her back, spreading her legs for him. “Manon…” He groaned her name, almost as a warning.

She smiled wickedly in reply, then purred, “Would you like me to command you my King?”

He smirked at her impatience and said, “At least give me a chance. I might know what I’m doing. And I intend to take my time doing it.”

Manon’s eyes flashed and she raised her hips towards him.

With a slowness he’d come to savor, Dorian guided himself into her. Her eyelids fluttered and she threw her head back.The sensation of being inside Manon, her replying moan… He didn’t think the slow restraint of that first, delicious thrust was something he’d be able to replicate. But he certainly planned to try.

He lifted her hips further off the bed, almost pulling himself out of her. As slowly as he could bear, he pushed deep inside her. She gasped and her eyes flew open. Dorian froze and asked, “Did I hurt you?”

“No… No. Don’t stop. Please… Again.”

Another thrust and her knees clenched around him. He moved inside her, unhurried, losing himself in the sensation, in the noises she was making. She rolled her hips against him, meeting his slow, steady pace. But seeing her writhe beneath him like that threatened to send him over the edge. Dorian dropped her hips and released his magical hold on her wrists. She immediately pulled him down on top of her and kissed him.

He reached a hand down between them, lightly stroking the spot where his tongue had recently been. Manon moaned into his mouth and dragged her nails down his back. She broke away from the kiss, panting, biting at his earlobe. He sped up the movement of his hand, and the long, deep thrusts inside her.

When Manon cried out, arching her back, he felt her tighten around him, each spasm drawing him closer and closer and closer… As she came, her iron nails shot out, scratching shallow lines up his back. He’d been so close already, but the pulse of pain drove him into a mind-numbing release of his own.

Breathing heavily into her ear, Dorian said, “So much for taking the edge off.”

Manon laughed and wrapped her arms tightly around him. “Did I hurt you?” She stretched to look around his shoulder and examine his back.

“No,” he said with a low laugh. “Not at all.” He rolled off and lay beside her, pulling a thick blanket over them. “If you’d like I can try to hold off on my healing magic.” She looked at him, confused. “So that I’m permanently marked as your mate.”

She snorted. “That’s your decision. I certainly don’t feel the need to visibly stake my claim to you.” She turned, kissed his cheek, and lay her head on his chest, her arm draped over him. “I am your Queen and you are my King.”

“Mmmmm,” he sighed contentedly, brushing his hand through her hair. “I miss hearing you call me Princeling.”

He twisted his head to see her close her eyes.

“I told you. I can still tell you’re rolling your eyes.”

Before she could respond, with a laugh or a smack he wasn’t sure, he said, “I love you Manon.” He tilted her head up and kissed her. He felt her mouth quirk into a smile and she pulled away.

“I love you too Dorian. Or is it King? Princeling? Mate? Perhaps… Errand boy who will now be at my beck and call?”

“All of the above, Witchling,” he answered with a laugh, rolling her back on top of him. “All of the above.”

Manon laced her hands together on his chest, resting her chin on them. “No ‘Queen’,” she said petulantly, playing into his game. “Perhaps this requires more convincing.”

In a rough voice, Dorian asked, “You thought we were done?”

Warmth and desire spread through her. She’d been wanting to try something with him for a while but had always held back. Now though… They were mates. Chosen, accepted, loved.

Holding his gaze, Manon extended a single iron nail and drew it lightly across his chest. Small beads of blood pooled along the length of the scratch. Dorian gasped. Manon smiled, sensing his reaction was not from pain. She slowly brought her finger to her mouth and licked his blood from her nail. She closed her eyes and sighed. His taste brought to mind a winter storm raging over the ocean. Power and ice and salt and wind. She opened her eyes to see him watching her, his own eyes dark with want.

“I’m far from done with you Princeling.”

He grinned. "Good.”

To be continued…

Note - I’m using mostly Welsh (or Welsh-based) words for the Crochans, mainly because Rhiannon is a Welsh name.

Cariad is Welsh for love/dear/sweetheart, roughly pronounced - cah-ree-ahd.

Chymariad is based on the Welsh word chymar which means mate/peer/companion. The ch- sounds like the -ch in Bach, or the Scottish -ch in loch. So using that as a guide to the start of the word, it would be something like - ch-mah-ree-ahd.

Elyniad is based on the Welsh word elyn which is enemy/foe, roughly pronounced el-in-e-ahd.

These are from google translate so if anyone who is familiar with the Welsh language knows other meanings that might make these problematic, or better pronunciations (I’m awful at spelling out pronunciations), PLEASE let me know.

Aven (ah-ven in my head), came from a book (From Girl to Goddess) that includes a chapter on the Welsh tale, The Cauldron of Cerridwen. In it, the cauldron of the deep is also known as Aven.

Annabee is just a name I saw somewhere and thought it was cool.

All other names have come from Welsh name websites.

Again, please feel free to comment or message me about any of these.

[goodra-king]

How Mapping Your Customer Journey Can Improve the Customer Experience

How Mapping Your Customer Journey Can Improve the Customer Experience written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing

When you’re driving to an unfamiliar location, you pull up directions on Google Maps. When you’re hiking a new path in your favorite state park, you stop at the trailhead to check the posted map. You never go into a physical journey without taking stock of where you’re headed. So why wouldn’t you do the same for the customer journey?

Understanding where your customers go when they’re interacting with your business can help transform your marketing efforts. Here, I’ll walk you through the steps of customer journey mapping—everything from what it is to why it matters so much.

What is Mapping the Customer Journey?

Let’s start with the basics. Mapping the customer journey requires you to create a visual representation of every interaction a customer has with your business that leads them to a certain conversion. This might be the path they carve from discovery of your brand, at the very top of the marketing hourglass, to signing up for your email newsletter. Or perhaps it’s a look at the steps they take between clicking on your social ad for a given product and purchasing the item.

In order to create a map, you should conduct interviews with real customers. Ask them how they discovered your brand. Find out about their experience interacting with your website. Take stock of where else they found you on the web (social media or local listings sites, perhaps?). And collect feedback on their ease of making a purchase and getting support from your team, if they needed it.

You should also take the time to do your own research. Pretend you’re a customer searching for a solution that you offer, and go onto the web. Google yourself or a related search term, and walk through the process of navigating your website. Check out your social profiles, and see where they lead you. Sometimes you’ll discover something new and interesting about your own online presence when you experience it through the lens of a customer’s journey.

By creating customer journey maps for the steps that lead to those important conversion moments along the broader journey, you can gain a deeper understanding of the people who love your brand. When you can wrap your head around how your customers behave and why they do it, you can refine your marketing tactics and messaging to best complement those behaviors.

Understand the Complexities of the Journey

Today’s customer journeys are incredibly complex. In the olden days, someone would read a print ad, catch your commercial on the television or radio, or maybe simply see the sign out in front of your store and stop on by. Now, with dozens of digital channels to consider, it’s hard to know exactly when and where someone encountered your brand.

And even if you’re aware of some of their interactions with your business—because they happened online and you’re able to track them—it’s hard to know which point of contact is the one that ultimately pushed them towards the conversion.

Mapping the customer journey helps you to understand all that. Perhaps in customer interviews, you keep hearing about a blog post from a local influencer that mentions your business and drives a lot of traffic your way. That’s valuable information! Consider reaching out to that blogger to see if they’d like to become a part of your strategic partner network.

Or maybe you take your own website out for a spin. You have an online booking portal for folks who want to make appointments, but you discover that for first-time users, there’s a lengthy registration process. It requires lots of clicks and form-filling, and can be a source of frustration. Now that you’ve experienced that hurdle first-hand, you understand your booking system could be driving customers away, and you can take steps to change it!

Learn What Matters to Your Customers

What you think matters to your customers and what actually matters to your customers are sometimes two different things. Sure, there’s something to be said for generic best practices; they can be a great starting-point for any brand looking to establish a solid web presence.

But what’s right for a competitor or someone in another industry isn’t always right for you. Perhaps you’ve heard that Yelp is the best local listings site for your industry. So you spent countless hours building out your Yelp profile and driving all of your customers to review you there. But then, you discover that most of your customers are searching for solutions on Google Maps. That means they’re coming across your much sparser Google My Business profile.

As you discover more about the customer journey from your conversations with actual customers and your own experience navigating test journeys, you’ll want to make tweaks to your approach. Maybe that’s changing wording on your social media’s homepage that makes it easier for customers to understand what you do. Maybe it’s rearranging your website’s navigation bar to remove some of the steps it currently takes for prospects to request a demo.

Whatever modification to the journey you want to try, it’s a good idea to implement A/B testing in your process. Display the new element to half of your audience, and keep things the same for the other half. Then measure conversions for each group. If things improve with your adjustment, you know you’re on the right track. If things remain the same (or conversions decrease), it’s best to test another new approach.

Find New Customer Segments (or Redefine Existing Ones)

The way in which you market your business and the shape of the customer journey are inextricably linked. By that I mean, you need to market your business in a way that suits the typical trajectory for the customer journey. But the way that you market your business can also have an influence on the shape of the journey.

Sometimes, your marketing efforts might have you missing out on specific segments of the population who could be interested in your product. Or, there might be a way for you to optimize your current marketing to get your existing customers to return or make larger purchases.

Let’s say you run a yoga studio. You already have some clearly defined personas for your business: young professionals focused on wellness, people looking to reduce stress and anxiety, and pregnant women and new moms.

Perhaps in speaking with those moms in your postpartum segment, you realize that what they appreciate about your studio isn’t the ability to move a little. And it’s not about getting out of the house and away from the newborn for an hour or two on Wednesday mornings. What they love is the community of other new moms, with whom they can share their struggles and successes.

Once you understand that the problem you’re solving for these moms is really about community, not fitness, you can refine your marketing approach. Create a Facebook group that’s a place for yoga moms to come together. They can share tips, commiserate about the horrors of sleep-regression, and even organize playdates for their little ones! Suddenly, you’ve become the architect of this impactful community. New moms who otherwise might not have tried yoga—but who love your Facebook group—might feel compelled to stop in for a class.

By better understanding your existing customers, you can create additional stops along the customer journey to address their needs and attract similar prospects.

Meet Customers Where They Are

Rather than directing your outbound marketing efforts to anyone under the sun, when you understand the customer journey you can develop stronger inbound tactics in the places where your fans are already congregating.

Let’s say you run a catering company. You’ve been advertising heavily on Instagram. Because it’s a visually-based social network, it’s a great place for you to show off your beautifully-plated food.

However, your typical client is more established—it’s not cheap to throw a lavish, catered soiree, after all! For the most part, they’re in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. Statistically, Instagram is not the place to go to interact with people above the age of 30. Less than 40 precent of those in their 30s are on the platform; only 16 percent of the 50-and-over set are on Instagram.

So stop wasting money on Instagram ads. Instead, invest in inbound tactics elsewhere where you’re more likely to bump into your actual customers. Get on Facebook, the social network of choice for most people 40 and older. Work on building out your referral network and case studies, since word-of-mouth matters a lot in the local catering business.

When you’re able to find your prospects and greet them on their turf, you build trust and reduce ad spend. You can certainly still advertise! In fact, when it’s focused on those spaces where your clientele actually gather online, you get a much greater ROI.

The customer journey is only going to get more complex. Digital marketing continues to grow, and new channels for reaching customers develop. When you understand where your customers are and where they want to go, you can create a smoother customer journey—one that guides them right to your desired conversion.

from http://bit.ly/35H2tWZ