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theadventuresofamuslimrevert · 3 years

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Losing a loved one is one of the major trials of life many of us will encounter. Grief from that loss is a natural reaction that takes a different trajectory for different people. Some people describe grief as a dark fog that is difficult to shake, others speak of the suffocating regret and anxiety that often accompany those feelings, still others speak about grief as waves that rise up and subside at different points.

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient, Who, when disaster strikes them, say, “Indeed we belong to Allah , and indeed to Him we will return.” Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the guided.” [Quran; 2:155-157]

Sometimes people are expect to follow a particular timeline of grief, but the reality is that the journey of grief is different for everyone. Counsellors and bereavement supporters often speak about the five stages of grief that were popularized in the famous book On Death and Dying by psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross namely: denial (as you begin to come to terms with the reality of the situation, denial begins to fade and difficult feelings may begin to surface), anger/anxiety (anger is the body’s natural reaction to threat and, oftentimes, there is no greater threat than the loss of someone you love or the loss of the way you envisioned life would be. Anger can also feel powerful during times when we feel powerless. You may experience nervousness, heart palpitations, restlessness, irritability, and/or difficulty breathing), bargaining (this stage often includes “If only…” statements due to the feelings of regret that come up with loss. This stage is characterized by an overwhelming desire for life to return to the way it was), depression (you might feel down and cry more often than you usually do. It may also feel like you have less motivation and find less enjoyment in activities you used to love. This stage can feel as though it’ll stretch on forever) and acceptance (it involves accepting the reality that this person is physically gone and that this new reality is the permanent reality. Acceptance does not mean that you’re “ok” with what happened. The loss of someone you love will likely never feel ok. The goal in this stage is to learn how to live with this loss and create a new normal despite the huge piece that is missing). However, recent research and understanding has concluded that grief can be an individualized and unpredictable experience and no two people’s experiences will be the same.

Let us look at some advice in the Quran and Sunnah to help us cope with grief and the loss of a loved one:

Shed tears as much as you want, but don’t let the tongue say what may displease Allah

Our Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) experienced grief at many points of his life, often at the loss of loved ones. During these experiences he taught us that grief is a natural emotion and that Allah does not hold us accountable for expressing sadness and pain in a permissible manner. Sadness does not negate the acceptance of Allah’s decree which is the very center of a believer’s journey in grief.

Narrated Anas bin Malik: We went with Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) to the blacksmith Abu Saif, and he was the husband of the wet-nurse of Ibrahim (the son of the Prophet). Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) took Ibrahim and kissed him and smelled him and later we entered Abu Saif’s house and at that time Ibrahim was in his last breaths, and the eyes of Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) (p.b.u.h) started shedding tears. `Abdur Rahman bin `Auf said, “O Allah’s Apostle, even you are weeping!” He said, “O Ibn `Auf, this is mercy.” Then he wept more and said, “The eyes are shedding tears and the heart is grieved, and we will not say except what pleases our Lord, O Ibrahim ! Indeed we are grieved by your separation.” [Hadith; Sahih al-Bukhari 1303]

We see the intensity of these emotions in the Prophet Yaʿqub عليه السلام when he was separated from his son Yusuf عليه السلام and he grieved so deeply that his eyes turned white (it’s said that he lost his sight) due to the extent to which he cried. His intense grief is expressed in the Qur’an (after all those years of losing his son) yet he was called to have beautiful patience (sabrun jameel):

And he turned away from them and said, “Oh, my sorrow over Joseph,” and his eyes became white from grief, for he was a suppressor. [Quran; 12:84]

Accept that all of us belong to Allah and all of us will return to Him

As we see from the hadith above where the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) was coping with grief, patience in Islam does not mean that we do not cry and that we do not express our emotions. What is forbidden is wailing and slapping one’s cheeks which was the culture at that time (the Arabs – women in particular – used to scream and wail during funerals or at someone’s death). As the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said the eyes shed tears and the heart is grieved but the tongue only says what is acceptable to Allah.

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant; from whatever direction the wind comes, it bends it, but when the wind becomes quiet, it becomes straight again. Similarly, a believer is afflicted with calamities (but he remains patient till Allah removes his difficulties.) And an impious wicked person is like a pine tree which keeps hard and straight till Allah cuts (breaks) it down when He wishes.” [Hadith; Sahih al-Bukhari 5644]

Make dua for yourself

As human beings, we attempt to cope with negative emotions in different ways. We often attempt to push away difficult emotions because they make us feel uncomfortable as it’s a painful process to sit with these feelings. We may try to distract ourselves or put on a fake smile. Some may even self-medicate through the use of drugs or alcohol to alleviate the pain they are feeling. When we are unable to grieve fully and an experience becomes a source of trauma, we are thrust into survival mode, which shuts down the executive functioning part of our brain and prevents us from thinking clearly. This is why we may react to situations in unhealthy ways or do things during times of stress that we would not have done during times of ease. This is one reason why some people struggle to worship Allah during times of extreme stress. When the “danger activation center” part of our brain is dominant, there is a decrease in self-awareness, our capacity to self-evaluate, and our ability to establish goals. All of these require advanced thought processes, which are very difficult to sustain during times of extreme stress. In order for any activity to help, our brain needs to register it. Research has shown an association between prayer and the ability to re-engage the “thinking” part of our brains.

Umm Salama, the wife of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:If any servant (of Allah) who suffers a calamity says:” We belong to Allah and to Him shall we return; O Allah, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange for it,” ‘ Allah will give him reward for affliction, and would give him something better than it in exchange. She (Umm Salama) said: When Abu Salama died. I uttered (these very words) as I was commanded (to do) by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). So Allah gave me better in exchange than him. i. e. (I was taken as the wife of) the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). [Hadith; Sahih Muslim 918 b]

When I lost my baby son Hamza, I remember one of my close friends messaged me this dua and reminded me to keep reciting it. I had not really known that dua at that time but I am so grateful for friends who guided me to the right words to say at such a confusing and overwhelming time when I almost lost my faith as a revert.

Stay among people who love you and would support you through this difficult journey

It is quite common to be engulfed by grief with the death of a loved one. However, one must not dwell in it much heaven knows i did but i soon realised this sends an invitation to Shaytan to become your company. Let the death of a loved be a lesson of detaching from Dunya and to hold Allah (glorified and exalted be he) in your heart above all others.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) visited Sa’d bin ‘Ubadah during his illness. He was accompanied by ‘Abdur-Rahman bin ‘Auf, Sa’d bin Abu Waqqas and ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud (May Allah be pleased with them). The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began to weep. When his Companions saw this, their tears also started flowing. He (ﷺ) said, “Do you not hear, Allah does not punish for the shedding of tears or the grief of the heart, but punishes or bestows mercy for the utterances of this (and he pointed to his tongue).” [Hadith; Riyad as-Salihin 925]

Remember that your patience is being rewarded more than you can imagine

These are words you should say even when you feel sad at the memory of a loss you faced in the past or when you miss your loved one or the life you had planned with them.

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “Allah says, ‘I have nothing to give but Paradise as a reward to my believer slave, who, if I cause his dear friend (or relative) to die, remains patient (and hopes for Allah’s Reward). [Hadith; Sahih al-Bukhari 6424]

Stay away from questioning Qadr of Allah (asking: why me? or if only!)

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘A slave (of Allah) shall not believe until he believes in Al-Qadar, its good and its bad, such that he knows that what struck him would not have missed him, and that what missed him would not have struck him.” [Hadith; Tirmidhi 2144]

Often one of the ways, Shaitan attacks us at times of calamity or a loss is to overwhelm us with questions of what if and why me? How did this happen? Would it have been prevented if I had just done this or that or gone to the hospital earlier or taken this or that medical intervention?? I blamed myself for my sons death so much over the last year (he passed away 25/07/2020) but after reading the following in last few weeks I've become to realise there was nothing I could do to prevent it as it was Allah's will.

“The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although both are good. Strive for that which will benefit you, seek the help of Allah, and do not feel helpless. If anything befalls you, do not say, “if only I had done such and such” rather say “Qaddara Allahu wa ma sha’a fa’ala (Allah has decreed and whatever he wills, He does).” For (saying) ‘If’ opens (the door) to the deeds of Satan.'” [Hadith; Ibn Majah 79]

These are some of the words my midwife told me to say when I heard the news of my baby passing away in my womb after 25weeks of pregnancy I am forever grateful to her for reminding me this at that trying time. Reminding ourselves we all have a path and a time to meet Allah and it is not the time be battling with the what if questions you are bombarded yourself with. I am grateful to Allah (swt) for giving me people in my life who were able to remind me of the right words to say and the right approach at such a difficult time. Remind yourself: whatever happened was decreed by Allah and nothing you or someone else did or did not do could have changed it. Focusing on the factors within your control, rather than on regrets and a desire to return to the less painful past, can help you to get through this stage.

But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not. [Quran; 2:216]

Turning back to our deen and our belief in Qadr is what helped us accept the death as something Allah had decreed at this exact time and this exact situation and there is nothing we could have done to have changed that. Changing the past is not feasible so channeling our energy into something unchangeable is a recipe for intense pain. Instead of “What if…” Focus on “What is…”: The one thing we consistently have within our control is what we choose to do with the present moment. Shifting our focus away from regrets of the past and worries about the future allows us to take advantage of the present moment. Allah (swt) talks about this attitude of remorse in the Quran:

O you who have believed, do not be like those who disbelieved and said about their brothers when they traveled through the land or went out to fight, “If they had been with us, they would not have died or have been killed,” so Allah makes that a regret within their hearts. And it is Allah who gives life and causes death, and Allah is Seeing of what you do. [Quran; 3:156]

Instead, turn to Allah and open your heart to Him

Death can serve as a reminder to those left behind about the temporariness of this life and the importance of working for our next lives. It forces us to reflect on what is meaningful and what is important. Turn to Allah and pour your heart out to Him, talk to Him about your pain, cry out to Him and ask Him to calm your heart and heal your pain. Ask Him to reunite you with your loved one in Jannah. Ask Him to give you strength and peace. When Prophet Yaqub (عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام) cried so much that he lost his eyesight after all those years of losing his son, his elder sons said:

They said, “By Allah , you will not cease remembering Joseph until you become fatally ill or become of those who perish.” He said, “I only complain of my suffering and my grief to Allah , and I know from Allah that which you do not know. O my sons, go and find out about Joseph and his brother and despair not of relief from Allah . Indeed, no one despairs of relief from Allah except the disbelieving people.” [Quran: 12:85-87]

Turn to Allah in sincere dua. No one else can heal your pain and give peace to your heart.

اللَّهُمَّ مُصَرِّفَ الْقُلُوبِ صَرِّفْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَى طَاعَتِكَ

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: “Verily, the hearts of all the sons of Adam are between the two fingers out of the fingers of the Compassionate Lord as one heart. He turns that to any (direction) He likes. Then Allahs Messenger (ﷺ) said: 0 Allah, the Turner of the hearts, turn our hearts to Thine obedience.” [Hadith; Sahih Muslim 265]

Journal to face and deal with your emotions so you don’t become hopeless

Writing to process your feelings is another helpful technique to help deal with your emotions and your grief ive found this out this week from advice from a sister who lost her father recently. She said that Writing out your thoughts and confusions will help sort them out, journals about your feelings from day to day, use gratitude journalings to focus on the blessings even at such difficult times, write letters to your loved one as if you are talking to them. All of this helps deal with the emotions and grief just as talking or counselling does as well.

“And that to your Lord is the finality. And that it is He who makes laugh and weep.” [Quran; 53:42-43]

Find meaning / gratitude in your life again and create the required changes

Grief expert, David Kessler says, “meaning comes through finding a way to sustain your love for the person after their death while you’re moving forward with your life. Loss is simply what happens to you in life. Meaning is what you make happen.”

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “When a young daughter of the Messenger of Allah was dying, the Messenger of Allah picked her up and held her to his chest, then he put his hand on her, and she died in front of the Messenger of Allah. Umm Ayman wept and the Messenger of Allah said ‘Oh Umm Ayman, do you weep while the Messenger of Allah is with you?’ She said: ‘Why shouldn’t I weep when the Messenger of Allah is weeping.” So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said “Verily, I am not weeping. Rather it is compassion.’ Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: ‘The believer is fine whatever the situation; even when his soul is being pulled from his body and he praises Allah, the Mighty and Sublime”‘ [Hadith; Sunan an-Nasa’i 1843]

Finding meaning cannot erase your grief; pain is a natural reaction to intense loss. However, it can help you move forward. The loss of someone or something dear to you can often lead to reevaluating your priorities in life. Allowing this loss to push you toward positive changes in your life is one of the most profound ways of creating meaning. Gratitude is one of the qualities of a believer. Gratitude is tied closely to the concept of patience. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) said:

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Strange are the ways of a believer for there is good in every affair of his and this is not the case with anyone else except in the case of a believer for if he has an occasion to feel delight, he thanks (God), thus there is a good for him in it, and if he gets into trouble and shows resignation (and endures it patiently), there is a good for him in it. [Hadith; Sahih Muslim 2999]

Gratitude is also an attitude during adversity. Although difficult to see, there are always blessings that accompany a difficult time. Look for the blessings and ease that Allah has brought with this difficulty. May be things were easier than they could have been, may be there were eases in other areas of your life, may be this test drew you closer to Allah (swt), may be it allowed you to reflect on the reality of your life and allowed you to give more in charity, may be it became a means of wiping away your sins and earning you reward.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “When a man’s child dies, Allah, the Exalted, asks His angels, ‘Have you taken out the life of the child of My slave?’ and they reply in the affirmative. He (SWT) then asks, ‘Have you taken the fruit of his heart?’ and they reply in the affirmative. Thereupon He asks, ‘What did my slave say?’ They say: ‘He praised You and said: Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un (We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return).’ Allah says: ‘Build a house for my slave in Jannah and name it Baitul-Hamd (the House of Praise).”‘ [Hadith; Riyad as-Salihin 922]

Know that sadness doesn’t last forever even if the memories do

“For indeed, with hardship ease. Indeed, with hardship ease.” [Quran; 94:6]

Remember this promise of Allah. Remember that every moment of sadness and pain, no matter how overwhelming, is a part of the process of healing. Instead of focusing on the stretch of days ahead of you with this loss feeling like a looming storm cloud over your future, focus on the one step you can take today to get through the day. When experiencing feelings of depression, putting one foot in front of the other can make a huge difference. Get adequate sleep and eat healthy. Your body and well-being are an amānah from Allah that you need to take care of. Find time to decompress, however that might work for you. For some people this may include praying, making dua, reading, art, working out, or engaging in a hobby.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar said: “I was with the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and a man from among the Ansar came to him and greeted the Prophet (ﷺ) with Salam. Then he said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, which of the believers is best?’ He said: ‘He who has the best manners among them.’ He said: ‘Which of them is wisest?’ He said: ‘The one who remembers death the most and is best in preparing for it. Those are the wisest.’” [Hadith; Ibn Majah 160]

Go through happy memories you experienced with them and remember your loved one in good words

Narrated Abu Al-Aswad: I came to Medina when an epidemic had broken out. While I was sitting with `Umar bin Al-Khattab a funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. `Umar said, “It has been affirmed to him.” And another funeral procession passed by and the people praised the deceased. `Umar said, “It has been affirmed to him.” A third (funeral procession) passed by and the people spoke badly of the deceased. He said, “It has been affirmed to him.” I (Abu Al-Aswad) asked, “O chief of the believers! What has been affirmed?” He replied, “I said the same as the Prophet (ﷺ) had said, that is: if four persons testify the piety of a Muslim, Allah will grant him Paradise.” We asked, “If three persons testify his piety?” He (the Prophet) replied, “Even three.” Then we asked, “If two?” He replied, “Even two.” [Hadith; Sahih al-Bukhari 1368]

Remembering the happy times you had with your deceased loved ones can be a bittersweet experience. Many will talk about how this can have a healing effect, others mention how it rekindles the pain in their heart. Sometimes different reactions may also depend on where you are on your grief journey. Remembering the good times you had with your loved one can help you in dealing with the grief and with slowly learning to remember them without always feeling the pain of separation. Reminding yourself that you still have hope of reuniting with them in the hereafter is another way to help you process the pain you are feeling.

It was narrated that ‘Aishah said: “Something bad was said in the presence of the Prophet about a person who had died. He said: ‘Do not say anything but good about your dead.”‘ [Hadith; Sunan an-Nasa’i 1935]

Make dua for your loved one and give charity on their behalf

Messenger of Allah(ﷺ) said: “A man will be raised in status in Paradise and will say: ‘Where did this come from?’ And it will be said: ‘From your son’s praying for forgiveness for you.'” [Hadith; Sunan Ibn Majah 3660]

Channel your grief in a productive way and think about what you can do for your loved one now. One of the ways we can benefit our deceased loved ones is by making sincere dua for them. We can also benefit our deceased loved ones by giving charity on their behalf.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, “When a man dies, his deeds come to an end except for three things: Sadaqah Jariyah (ceaseless charity); a knowledge which is beneficial, or a virtuous descendant who prays for him (for the deceased).” [Hadith; Riyad as-Salihin 1383]

Seek help and support others

Seek social support, go to counselling and therapy, talk to friends about how you feel. Attend a bereavement group if you can so you can see how others in your situation are coping. Check Children of Jannah or Eternal Gardens for bereavement support. One major indicator that someone needs professional help is if they demonstrate an impaired ability to function in their day-to-day life with their family, at work, socially, emotionally, and sometimes spiritually. Again, this doesn’t mean that the person is mentally ill, but that they would likely benefit from talking to someone with expertise in the field of mental health.

Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “A Muslim is a brother of another Muslim, so he should not oppress him, nor should he hand him over to an oppressor. Whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs; whoever brought his (Muslim) brother out of a discomfort, Allah will bring him out of the discomforts of the Day of Resurrection, and whoever screened a Muslim, Allah will screen him on the Day of Resurrection.” [Hadith; Sahih al-Bukhari 2442]

The aim of ta’ziyah is to strengthen the broken-hearted and give them hope at a time when their hope may be waning; it is to lighten the load of the bereaved. After the intense sadness of losing someone you care for deeply, you have the unique ability to empathize with the struggles others face in similar circumstances. Here are some things you can do for grieving families: Spend time with them without imposing yourself as a guest and expecting them to host you with food and drink. Offer to help by buying groceries, doing household chores, or watching their children.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Prepare food for the family of Ja’far for there came upon them an incident which has engaged them. [Hadith; Sunan Abi Dawud 3132]

Do what helps you through your journey of grief. Remember no two journeys are the same, so listen to your heart and give it what it needs. Sometimes you may need time to be alone, sometimes you may need to be around others you love. Sometimes you may need to talk about them, sometimes you may just need to sit quietly with your own thoughts. May Allah heal your pain, calm your heart and reunite you with your loved one in the hereafter.

I hope this helps who ever needs it see this right now...

Rest in peace my beautiful son Hamza until we meet again in jannah 🤲🤲

#islam #coping with grief #losses #allah #grief/mourning #prophet muhammad #hadith #holy quran

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smiting-finger · 5 years

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HP AU Headcanons

I just noticed that I’ve hit 500 followers ( ?! omg you guys!! (⁄ ⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄), so I cleaned up and expanded on some of my HP AU headcanons from the AO3 comments section.

Things that happen before fic #1

During the War, Wei Wuxian has at least ten different balls in the air, trying to keep the innocent Wen children (+elderly) from Jin Guangshan, including:

The Stygian Tiger Seal,

Becoming an Animagus (which no one knows about, and tbh he was hoping for something more combat-useful than a bunny, but hey, at least he’s not a dog),

Inferi (so many dead bodies lying around, and their ex-inhabitants aren’t using them, so he may as well--)

ANIMAL Inferi (because a bitch cannot be picky when a bitch has no army), but he mostly abandons the idea after the first few battles because if you’re looking to enchant things to work as an army, it’s easier to enchant 1000 of the same shape of thing than to enchant 3 each of 257 different things with different shapes, sizes and capabilities

Booby-trapping the fuck out of Yiling with:

Various blood arrays (ranging from magical versions of “surprise!-now-you’re-in-a-net-hanging-out-of-a-tree” and “surprise!-you’ve-fallen-into-a-hidden-hole” to “surprise!-now-your-head-is-gone”)

A man-eating tomb inspired by Nie Huaisang’s ancestral tomb, possibly made possible by an ancestral blade that Wei Wuxian pilfered “borrowed” from said ancestral tomb,

A magical oubliette - key to the storyline!

He was intending to stash the Stygian Tiger Seal in here to stop Jin Guangshan getting at it, because Jin Guangshan would either:

Fail to get in

Get in but fail to get out

Wei Wuxian either stocks the oubliette with necessities-for-life, or leaves enough loopholes in the spellwork so that anyone trapped in there would be able to access necessities-for-life (despite not being able to magic themselves out) because: 1) What if someone accidentally falls in, and 2) Although he’d be okay with Jin Guangshan dying, in the ideal outcome of his grand plan, they need him alive for Wizengamot trials, etc.

The plan is perfect, except that Jin Guangshan catches him in the act of stashing the seal, and in the ensuing struggle, Wei Wuxian gets himself (and the seal, thankfully) trapped.

(So he gives himself a pat on the back for making the oubliette liveable - “Thanks, past-me.”)

During the ten years, Wei Wuxian works on the magical equivalent of digging a hole out of a stone prison with a single spoon (slowly working on loosening various parts of his containment spells or trying to find a way to send a message to the outside world via his food-and-air loopholes), and also works on some other hobby projects in his spare time because the going is slow. To his credit, he’s actually almost got it by the time Nie Huaisang stumbles on his notes and gets him out.

In the meantime, Jin Guangshan has died, and Jin Guangyao has taken over his father’s:

position as Minister of Magic;

search for the Stygian Tiger seal.

Either because he’s looking for the Stygian Tiger seal, or because he’s noticed Nie Huaisang skirting a little too close to the truth behind his brother’s death and is following him, he stumbles upon Nie Huaisang freeing Wei Wuxian.

[Insert duelling]

Wei Wuxian gets wounded by a curse, turns into a rabbit when Jin Guangyao isn’t looking, flees into the forest and ends up at Gusu.

He never plans to try to cross the ward perimeter, but then he gets noticed by the dog...

Things that happen during fic #1

Once in Gusu, Wei Wuxian’s plan is to recover from the curse and then go back to have it out with Jin Guangyao.

His initial reason for not doing a “surprise!” reveal to Lan Wangji is that he’s not actually clear on what LWJ’s opinion of him as Yiling Patriarch is - i.e. what if it gets him turned in to the Ministry, the tender mercies of Jin Guangyao and a Wizengamot that’s Jin-controlled and/or already decided that Wei Wuxian is guilty?

(Lan Wangji blames himself for this: “a boy who would not accept his help because Lan Zhan failed to clearly tell him what he was offering.”)

His reasons for still not doing a “surprise!” reveal to Lan Wangji after 1) spending time with him, 2) spending time with the WWX-shaped hole in his life and 3) finally Getting It are that:

He also Gets that everyone and their dog (lul) already Get That, too

Jin Guangyao knows Wei Wuxian is at large, which therefore makes Lan Wangji suspect numero uno on the list of People Who Would Hide Wei Wuxian

(Wei Wuxian is proven 100% in the right regarding this when Jin Guangyao comes knocking for control over the Academy and Lan Wangji acts in precisely the way he does)

If Wei Wuxian is caught, he can at least keep Lan Wangji safe if Veritaserum shows that he actually knew nothing

He does, however, secretly change back at least twice to:

Talk to Lan Wangji while he’s asleep;

Break out of Lan Wangji’s rooms to go roaming around the school.

As soon as Wei Wuxian is recovered, he goes off to fight Jin Guangyao on his turf (before Jin Guangyao can come back to Gusu and try again).

Unfortunately, this coincides precisely with Jin Guangyao coming back to Gusu and trying again - they out-manoeuvre each other and each ends up at the other’s base.

Wei Wuxian is the first one to realise what’s happened and rushes back.

Being unconscious, Lan Wangji misses out on:

Nie Huaisang bringing out his vast stores of proof in re: the Jin machinations behind his brother’s death (and incidentally, his discovery of Wei Wuxian)

Jin Guangyao being bound and arrested by non-corrupt Aurors in front of Lan Xichen, the previously-Imperius-ed Jiang Cheng and Nie Huaisang, the retrieved-from-hiding teachers/students/Lan elders

Wei Wuxian taking advantage of this audience to be like “Now all of Gusu knows you’re evil!”

Wei Wuxian being proven to therefore be not (that) evil after all.

Especially given that the larger part of the jury is now from the generation who had their youth consumed by/were greatly changed by the War, and who mostly agree that the Jins shitting on the innocent Wens was kind of gross anyway (as represented by Lan Xichen).

Things that happen after fic #1

Wei Wuxian falls into teaching because:

During his ten years of being trapped, he invented some really neat magical things

Nothing better to do

Don’t want to leave Lan Wangji just yet (or: lol just try prying yourself out of the deathgrip Lan Wangji is using to metaphorically clutch you to his manly chest, I dare you)

Or rather, he hangs around because of the above, and then Lan Wangji helps him to demo something in class, and he’s like “Sure!”. And then Lan Xichen sees this and is like “hey can you help me demo something too”, and he’s like “Sure!” and -

(And then after this goes on a while, Lan Qiren is like “IF YOU’RE GONNA HANG AROUND AND EAT OUR FOOD YOU MAY AS WELL EARN YOUR KEEP” and also “WE MAY AS WELL PUT YOU ON PAYROLL TO AVOID EMPLOYMENT LAW VIOLATIONS AND ALSO FOR TAX PURPOSES”.)

Wei Wuxian totally enters his first class as a rabbit, and sits on the desk, nodding to each student as they come in. And then when everyone’s present, he stands on his hind legs like he’s going to teach as a rabbit, too, just to see what the students will do.

(If Jin Ling is in that class, the answer is: riot)

Lan Wangji is the kind of Professor who’s consistently a hard-arse because:

He wants to push you, as a student, to reach your full potential; and

He wants you, as a student, to have clear/consistent expectations to work and grow within.

On the other hand, Wei Wuxian is the kind of Professor who’s like “Everything is lalala” during term, and then suddenly the exam is diabolical, made up of 70% lateral-thinking/problem-solving and only 30% of things you actually studied because “That’s real life, kids.”

Now that Lan Wangji knows he’s the rabbit, Wei Wuxian uses his powers to do really dumbshit things like

Perve on Lan Wangji in the shower (Lan Wangji looks down, sees a little black nose under the cubicle door and is like “...”)

Perve on Lan Wangji while he’s changing in their room (Lan Wangji pulls off his shirt, sees a little black nose peeking out from under the bed, is like “...” and drops the shirt straight onto the rabbit’s head)

Upskirt Lan Wangji through his robes (Lan Xichen sees a little black shape running behind his brother in the halls, constantly darting forward to peek under the hem of his flowing robe and is like “...”)

Other things

When Lan Sizhui is five or six or something, he enters a stage of ultimate Lan-Wangji-hero-worship, where he dresses like his dad and follows him around, doing everything he does. So:

Lan Wangji sweeps down the school hallway, one arm in front and one arm behind (in true Chinese Gentleman Style), and a tiny Lan Sizhui follows behind, running slightly to keep up but also holding the same arm in front and the same arm behind.

Lan Wangji stops to look up at the moon, Lan Sizhui also stops to look up at the moon. Lan Wangji nods at students/his brother/a fellow teacher/his uncle, and tiny Lan Sizhui does the same, all the while darting little upwards glances at Lan Wangji to make sure he’s doing it right.

The students/Lan Xichen/teachers/Lan Qiren think this is adorable (”The Little Professor has graced me with his approval ;A;!”), so no one says anything in case Lan Sizhui gets self-conscious and stops.

And then before he knows it, Lan Sizhui has picked up all the things as habits and welp, this is who he is now.

In re: Wen Ning:

All the years Wei Wuxian is gone, with it being common knowledge that the Wen clan was completely wiped out in the War, Wen Ning thinks he’s alone and mostly wanders the Wizarding world by himself (not daring to go anywhere too populous in case he alarms people, but helping anyone he stumbles across if they’re in need - without being seen, if he can manage it).

Then Wei Wuxian comes back, and with him is Sizhui, and Wen Ning thinks, “Oh, I’m not alone! I have one family member and one friend!”

But actually, all the Gusu students have already adopted him, so he has an entire school of family, he just doesn’t know it yet.

One afternoon the students catch him playing two-man Quidditch with Wei Wuxian as goalie, and are like “!!! Why didn’t we think of that?!” so now Wen Ning plays in all the casual games, and the students fight over who gets to have them on their team.

In re: Mianmian:

Mianmian spends the years following the War as a wandering cursebreaker, disarming all the nasty magical mines/traps/offensive spells that now litter the country, helping magical folk who don’t have enough skill/expertise to deal with the problems themselves, as well as any hapless muggles who get unwittingly caught.

She probably meets her husband when she saves him from something.

She becomes a teacher after Lan Xichen finds out about her exploits and invites her to come back.

When her muggle husband comes to visit her workplace, he’s like “So this is where you grew up. Wow.” and he’s not even amazed by the magic, it’s that he picked the same day that Jiang Cheng came to visit Jin ling, so a rabbit shoots down the hallway and up Lan Wangji’s robes, a dog goes chasing after it, a shouting purple man goes charging after that (firing spells and yelling for Wei Wuxian to “COME BACK HERE!”), while being half-held back by a ... ghost? and it’s total bedlam.

And Mianmian is just like “Yup.”

#CQL #The Untamed #HP AU #Wangxian #陈情令，魔道祖师，#not-fic #mo dao zu shi

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peaceful-negotiator-kenobi · 4 years

Text

Beginners (Obi-Wan x Gender Neutral Reader)

Summary: Obi-Wan helps remind reader, who is insecure about being able to complete the trials to become a Jedi knight, that they’re worthy of becoming a Jedi and that their past failures don’t define them.

Length: ~ 1564 words

Warnings: Lots of fluff, cuteness and motivation (oh, and also cuddles because cuddles are great).

A/N: I stole the title from another really great movie starring Ewan McGregor, but the fic isn’t related to the movie (although I would highly recommend watching Beginners).

“There you are.”

Obi-Wan gives you a wide smile when he finds you sitting on the floor in the hallway outside of your chambers, back pressed up against the wall.

“Oh, hi Obi. I’m so sorry I completely forgot about joining you for meditation today. I’ve been . . . busy.”

You look down at the lightsaber in your hand that you’ve been meticulously taking apart and putting back together for the last hour.

“Busy with what?”

He comes and sits next to you on the floor, his eyes suddenly filled with concern as he realizes just how unlike you it is to miss any commitment--let alone a meditation session with your best friend.

“My trials are in a week, but my master doesn’t think I’m ready.”

You fasten the last piece back onto your lightsaber with a swift motion of your hand.

“I thought I should spend every second preparing so that I can prove my master wrong.”

You murmur, still avoiding eye contact.

Obi-Wan moves over to take your hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze.

“Is that what you’re worried about, not passing the trials? Because if it is, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. If you can’t pass the trials, then I sure as hell won’t be able to.”

You finally look over at Obi-Wan and flash him a smile.

“Thanks Obi. But I don’t think you realize just how bad of a Jedi Knight I’m going to be. I’m so incompetent I’ve often wondered why the Council hasn’t dismissed me from the Temple already.”

Obi-Wan looks back at you with such incredulity at your own self-assessment that he lets out a short laugh.

“Come on, let’s get a cup of tea in you first before you start trying to convince yourself that you’re secretly a Sith.”

Obi-Wan helps you up off of the floor and the two of you enter your chambers where you have an electric tea kettle and an assortment of tea to rival Master Yoda’s collection.

As you wait for the water to boil, you wander over to the balcony overlooking the city of Coruscant. You try not to look dramatic, but with your robes fluttering in the evening breeze and the stance you’ve taken with your arms spread out across the balcony railing, Obi-Wan can’t help but observe just how comically dramatic you look.

“Some tea, my liege?”

He hands you a mug of hot tea as he joins you. You give him a sarcastic side eye for the comment.

“So what’s this about being incompetent? It’s the first I’ve ever heard you associated with that term, and I’ve known you since we were younglings.”

Obi-Wan leans up against the balcony railing and casually sips his tea. You pause, the memory of a recent mission on a remote planet with your master still too painful and embarrassing for you to easily articulate. You value your friendship with Obi-Wan more than anything in the world and worry that you might lose his respect by revealing the truth to him. But, in the end, it is because you value your friendship so much that you decide to tell him the truth.

“I . . . I abandoned my post on my latest mission with my master.”

You search Obi-Wan’s face for any sign of horror or disgust, but you are only met with sympathetic features.

“I fell asleep while I was supposed to be looking out for any sign of trouble and my master was almost injured because of my incompetence. Had someone else not alerted him, he would have surely been shot and possibly killed by a droid.”

You reveal, continuing to search Obi-Wan’s features for some indication that you were, in-fact, as bad of a Jedi as you perceived you were. But he only sipped his tea quietly as he listened, his features never once yielding to your expectations.

“Y/N, you’re often right about a lot of things, but in this instance I must call you out for being so incredibly wrong about yourself. You’re not a bad Jedi because you fell asleep on the job one day--you’re overtired perhaps. You’d be a bad Jedi if you were unwilling to learn from your mistakes, or if you didn’t feel sorry about it. Besides, I’ve seen the way your master works you to the bone and, if I were you, I think I would have fallen asleep at my post countless times by now.”

Obi-Wan moves his free hand over to cover your own and gently massages it with his thumb. In exchange, you flash him a smile. He looks pleased at this change in your demeanor.

“But that doesn’t solve the problem of the pain I feel over disappointing my master. He told me directly after the incident that I wasn’t ready to take the trials--that I had done a very bad thing. I don’t know how to make my master trust me again.”

The sun had slipped below the horizon and darkness was now encroaching on the corner of the balcony where the two of you stood. You don’t wait for Obi-Wan to reply and you indicate that you should both move to the couch inside. Obi-Wan collects your mug with his own and sets them down in the sink before joining you on the plush cushion.

“It’s only natural to feel bad about the things we’ve done wrong, especially when those things affect other people, but we shouldn’t allow that pain to turn into shame. You made a mistake and you learned from it. In the end, it is not your master who decides your fate, but you. Only you are in control of your destiny. Besides, if he won’t allow you to take the trials, there is a way to appeal to the Council.”

He takes your hand again and looks you in the eyes, filled with the light of love and compassion. He hates seeing you so defeated, knowing how strong you really are.

“Thank you.”

You breath out, finally accepting his truth as your own. You give him a warm embrace that causes him to sink back into the sofa. He strokes your hair gently and the two of you sit there holding each other for a while in peaceful silence. He then places a gentle kiss on your forehead and loosens his embrace.

“Remember when we were both younglings and you used to let me crawl into bed with you when I had nightmares and was frightened that whatever I dreamt of would come true?”

You nod, smiling at the memory of a young Obi-Wan sneaking into your room in the middle of the night and poking your face until you woke up.

“Well, I have a feeling now’s an appropriate time to return the favor, if you would like me too.”

“You’re too good to me, Obi.”

You look down at your hands, a blush creeping onto your features.

“Nah, I do believe it has always been the other way around.”

You smile wildly, momentarily forgetting all about your worries.

The two of you get ready for bed and make the surprisingly difficult decision of who gets to spoon who. In the end, Obi-Wan wins out with the simple, but persuasive, argument that, of the two of you, he’s the expert big spoon.

You ask him teasingly what qualifies him as the expert. He only smiles at you suggestively and remarks:

“I get around.”

You throw a pillow at him from across the room.

“Ooo Obi-Wan broke the code.”

He only laughs as he throws the pillow right back at you.

The two of you get into bed and he wraps his arms around you, the warmth of his body heat and his skin pressed against your own luling you towards the brink of sleep.

“I lied.”

Obi-Wan suddenly whispers into your ear, bringing you back to the present moment.

“Hm?”

You murmur sleepily.

“I’m not an expert big spoon. I haven’t even slept in the same bed as someone else since you and I were kids. This is all very new to me.”

You take the arm he has draped over your torso and pull it closer to you.

“Well, you’re doing a very good job at it.”

He gently nuzzles your neck before placing a tentative kiss on it.

“Is this okay?”

He asks, not wanting to overstep any boundaries.

“Yes.”

You reply in a breathy whisper, already a pool of warm sensations at his touch.

He kisses your neck again before pulling away. The chill that fills the space where his body once rested hits you immediately and you almost turn around to see what’s the matter. Suddenly, you feel the pad of a fingertip brush a patch of exposed skin on your back.

It takes a moment to realize that Obi-Wan is tracing words into your skin. He does it slowly so you can feel the pattern of his letters and the sensation deeply relaxes you. He traces out “you can do this!” at first, but as you slowly drift off to sleep he begins tracing out something else so slowly and hesitantly that you don’t know what it says. You’re in the gentle ebb and flow of falling asleep when Obi-Wan returns to his place as big spoon and whispers into your ear in a low, melodic tone:

“I love you and I believe in you.”

#obi-wan X reader #obi-wan x gender neutral reader #fluff #cuddles #star wars imagine #soft obi-wan

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elsannabackwardsposts · 4 years

Note

I CANNOT believe I’m late for this but uhm!!! When they were training in the Southern Isles, I’m curious about what Elsa’s reaction was to Anna calling her “Elska” 😔😔

Hey Anon! I really needed a writing prompt break, and so I’m gonna do you one better than just answering this question.

I’ve written a 1,600 word BONUS FEATURE:

Elsa’s POV Chap. 20, final scene reaction. :)

Elsa Winters had always been a woman who put her all into everything she did, always given that additional responsibility with a pre-determined future’s demand hanging overhead. And her extra effort had to be there, with the looming role she was destined to one day inherit. It was ever present. Forever present, actually, if she even tried to recall to her earliest memories.

Her parents had pressed her studies, from as far back as she could remember. Academics first; completely limited in her extra circular activities all through her formative years. Homework, tutors, studying. Had she been of the age before discovering crew, she sometimes wondered if her parents would have put her through the traditional training to become a Debutante (but thank goodness that never happened). Instead, home life trained her in manners, poise, and professional behavior; preparedness that would one day propel her forward into the world with so much greatness and respect.

Despite all of that, there had been one thing, one little joy she had found and held close to heart in those young years; way before crew was destined to find its own home in her heart.

Her language studies.

She had already loved reading, losing herself in the many stories she could come across, but to explore meaning in foreign tongue was an adventure all on her own. Of course English had been the initial language to learn, taking priority in her elementary school scholastics. She enjoyed it and, with a natural born intelligence, easily excelled at every corner from the moment she memorized the alphabet.

But what may have been most amazing was that it was not just an activity that she herself loved, but a skillset that her parents actually commended. With how she picked up her second language so early on was the very first time she could ever recall feeling that semblance of pride coming from them.

Being able to converse with foreign clients with elegance in her prose and something close to native fluency would elevate her appearance by speech alone. The comprehension of detailed linguistic patterns, semantics, intonation, would also be an equal asset to dissuade any underhanded manipulation of a company trying to skirt past the reliance of an interpreter. And so, outside of school’s required language modes, she was asked to learn their neighboring country’s native tongues: some basics in Finnish for a non-Germanic input, as well as Danish and Swedish to expand on her own Nordic based language knowledge.

It was easy. Enough of the words in Danish were the same, even if pronunciation varied, while Swedish sounded so similar, but new word selection was more demanding; Finnish, she barely got a chance to begin, but internally (and never admittedly so) she was thankful that she could at least recall the bare minimum word for ‘summer’ over a decade later.

But it was just as she passed the precipice entering her teenage years that she recalled a wave of tension befalling the Winters household; her father’s ever astute, ever composed, attitude shifting greatly. The surrounding air feeling frigid for days, perhaps weeks, only heated by loud outbursts coming from her family’s study, painfully warming her ears if she opened her door a mere crack.

One day, her mother had finally enlightened her about a fallout deal that had occurred, causing a massive blow to company funds. Just as Elsa had been warned all of these years, a slip of interpretation between two national languages, Nordic to Slavic, had been a hit to her father; both fiscally, and in pride. It was that same evening that her mother told her that she would turn her studies away from the delicate intonation shifts of Finnish speech and onto the heavier, precision based consonant production of the language having felled her father’s plans.

Polish, it was. It was trickier, dependence on a new alphabet development, those dastardly consonants, a trial all its own. However, it was here, in the challenge, which Elsa began to see variants in terms. So many more words, varying descriptions of her thoughts being colored by arbitrary linguistic creations she’d never even considered, imagined. Not just one adjective, but four! It was a spark that she had found, realization hitting her like a ray of light, opening her eyes to something even more magical.

Emotions weren’t a thing she was allowed to express. A lady was polite and demur, but a business woman was stoic and firm. It was well ingrained, both in her mind and automatic mannerisms, that she was responsible to be both.

Yet having these many languages at her hand, on the tip of her tongue, categorized in her brain, associations were built, reaching to each and every aspect of her life.. including the untouched, unexplored confines of her emotions.

Of what her emotions were, or rather, could be.

In the privacy of her room, she would talk out loud, speaking to her few stuffed animals, listening to her echoes bouncing from the tall wallpapered walls, responding to her linguistic tapes in a one sided conversation flow. But it was an outlet. She could be as energetic, upset, angry, and colorfully descriptive as she wanted without concern for retaliation. She could describe her emotions, give them meaning through multiple words, infinite sound concoctions, and finally allow herself to learn what these unfamiliar feelings were, all thanks to the connection of something as unthought-of about as everyday language.

Polish stuck to her in particular. Maybe it was because of the extra effort she had to put in to learning it, or maybe it was the sense of responsibility to avenge her family’s name from a financial embarrassment.

Or maybe it was because, of all the languages she had been told to learn, Polish was the only one that her parents did not speak. Something she could call her own. Something she was free to use around the house, to express each and every thought she felt without fear for being told to stop; to actually be encouraged to say her mind all under the guise of ‘practice’.

It was during this period that she came to try out familial names, allowing herself the little pleasure to actually address her parents by terms of endearment that had been bred out of her vocabulary before she could remember; mamusia and tatuś. Stark contrasts from the formal ‘mother’ and ‘sir’ she was required to use at any other time in daily discussions. And without any close friends to practice on, she found a longing for use of such endearing names, but when put into real life social situations, joining crew and meeting Flynn, her sharing of these private language abilities was already farther away from socially acceptable than her own social ineptitude.

A longing to express closeness, forever tucked into the depths of her heart, stored within a language she held for family pride and family love; never expecting to find someone who both was allowed a chance into her heart while simultaneously drawing her mind to even think in the second language.

And yet, then she came to know the graceful grace of summer; Anna Grace Suvi.

It was a moment, so organic, filled with ease and contentedness, with friendly familiarity, and enjoying a favored topic, the most random language; a moment that she never foresaw an opportunity to share with anyone in her life. And it just.. happened. For the first time, not spoken to an audio tape conversation partner, not given to her favorite childhood toy, but given to an actual person. An actual friend. A friend she’d let deeper into this hidden part of her heart’s emotions than she realized.

“Anka.”

The embarrassment had been hot and flustering, at least after she recognized the error. More embarrassing was that she would never have even realized her slip had Anna not called her on it. Oh how natural had she felt around this girl.. but for how long?

Elsa had been quick to catch herself, spinning a tale, administering tricks that she was trained for, using supporting facts to hide misleading information in a genius guise. When Anna moved on, she silently vowed to never let that verbal slip up happen again, and she prayed that Anna would forget the entire incident by the time they reached that class lessen. A new semester should definitely put enough distance to erase such a stupid memory.

After consciously and successfully pushing that event aside, so many new worries now taxing her mind’s reserves, the brilliant blonde had certainly not expected to be wrong.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be the case.

Standing beneath the searing hot sun of the Southern Isles, sunblock painted cheeks red and burning from a reason farthest from sunburn, Elsa was left in an absolute stupor. Blue eyes watched the body of her Freshman Double’s partner running away with a merry pep in her step, but all the older girl could do was attempt to process the repeating term bouncing around in her skull.

“Elska.”

The knowledge that Anna had not just remembered the silly slip of tongue (and also had managed to piece the meaning together despite likely sleeping through most of her studies) should have been enough reason for why the Senior turned away, bracing herself against the hull of the prepared Double; tightly gripped fingers trembling along the carbon fiber, navy orbs wide eyed and blinking rapidly, each breath exhaled with a shudder. And she wished, really really wished, to the highest heavens, that that information was reason enough.

But as her heart pounded, she couldn’t mistake the initial trip; the flutter of delighted surprise, a zing shooting through her chest, and the wave of momentary elation. Finally, not just having discovered a person to express her yearning unspoken feelings of closeness to, but a person, for the first time in ever, to actually return the very same sentiment in a personally cherished language she shared with no one outside the privacy of her heart.

#elsanna #elsanna fanfiction #backwards elsanna #BONUS FEATURE #ask #Nothing is a spoiler #everything is either already known or wasn't a major thing to be addressed in the main plot anyway so enjoy! 😁

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kyouxa · 5 years

Text

Diabolik lovers Chaos Lineage: Reiji Sakamaki (Story 13)

In terms of the gameplay: The black choices lead up to a bad ending, the white choices lead up to a good ending. Please no reposting onto other sites, ask me before translating this into another language too! I’m an amateur translator, but I hope you do enjoy it anyway!♡

Monologue

An unique chess match performed in the church.

Fortunately, it ended with a checkmate by me who became the queen piece.

Place: Outside — Church

Yui: Checkmate... With this, we officially won the game.

Reiji: Yes, after all because you moved to the same square as Ruki, Orange truly lost this match.

Yui: (Because I moved to the same square as Ruki-kun, at the end...)

*Ruki comes closer*

Yui: Ruki-kun...

Ruki: No way, for Eve to defeat me like this... — It is really our loss.

Yui: Yes, we won. Sorry...

But, nobody got hurt and it was a really good match we had. Thank you for joining this battle.

Ruki: Even a compassion for the loser just makes the other person more miserable. You will dispose me anyways.

Reiji: That is not the true case. Even if I would plan on disposing you—

There still are two of my brothers in your household.

Kanato: Hah? Why are you looking at us?

Ayato: What are you talking about, shitty glasses!?

Reiji: I will start to explain it now. Yes, it is important for you too, Shu. Please listen to me as well.

Shu: What‘s that supposed to mean?

Yui: Reiji-san, by any chance...

Reiji: Yes, I will tell everyone now. All the informations that we have gathered together.

Since Ruki‘s memories are already shaking themselves, we may be able to fully trigger them.

Yui: I agree. If we tell them now, they might really remember...

Ruki: What are you talking about? Was it a condition that the loser is supposed to understand the winners mind now?

Do you pretend to be a hypocrite who goes around and tells people that he will save them?

Reiji: That is wrong. I am saying that I will be helpful for you. It is my freedom to handle the loser as I please after all.

And as you are now, you may be able to regain your true memories.

Ruki: Memories... ?

Reiji: Yes, I will start from the very beginning.

Place: Outside — Wide area

Kino: Ah, they‘re already done by now. I was really hoping for them to fight a little more.

It would be boring to just stay here. But if I go back I’ll surely get caught by them...

Guess I’ll just hide myself until everything’s over. See you later, with my noisy older brother, Eve.

Well... just don’t think this will be the ending of everything already.

Place: Outside — Church

Reiji: —Those are all the events that I and she have come to experience here. And, everyone’s original memories as well.

Yuma: You’re kidding me... Ruki is actually my big brother!?

Shu: So these guys are my brothers... ?

Ayato: The hell you‘re saying? Yours Truly can’t be related to someone like you!

Kanato: It’s already terrifying for me to only have four siblings, but now you‘re telling me we are six... that’s hell.

Shin: That story is surely just made up from him. It's not easy to rewrite anyone’s memories like that.

Yui: That's what I and Reiji-san thought about ourselves.

We both kept wondering what would the reason behind this mystery be.

But, we are definitely sure that it’s someone’s work. Everyone has messy memories and we are locked up in this space.

Because everyone is fighting, it surely must be someone else’s work.

Ruki: ... It really is hard to believe.

Reiji: I believe that you will not trust this right away. But, I want to do my best to make you believe in me.

To leave this space, we can not do this alone anymore. We need you to encourage us in our cooperation.

Yui: Ruki-kun... please.

Ruki: ...Alright.

Yui: Eh... !

Ruki: I was the one who got defeated. In addiction, there wouldn’t have been a point for you to hold into Eve, in other words, you bet your own life for her.

I might be able to understand the truth slowly. For now, we will cooperate.

Reiji: Thank you for your decision.

Yui: (Ruki-kun, he promised to cooperate... !)

Reiji: It is not what you probably expected, but it seems as if we have made a step forward.

Yui: Yes! Now you don't have to contend with everyone in Orange anymore.

Besides, if Ruki-kun and the others will follow you, it will be pretty reliable.

Reiji: Oh, it is just like I could not help myself alone anymore in this situation, that is all.

Yui: Eh... ? N-No... ! That's not the case!

Reiji: Fufu, I know. I just made fun of it.

Yui: Heh...

(But, I feel like the light has finally entered their minds once again. Reiji-san’s complexion is also getting brighter)

(If we continue to move forward step by step at a time, we surely will get out of here one day—)

???: This is certainly not proved.

Yui: Huh... ?

Shu: What is that voice...

???: Fight, seek and compete. Even though true love appeared in such a place like this—

Yuma: Who are ya!? Show yourself!

*bright light*

Yui: Kyaa!?

(What? It’s so bright... ngh!)

Socrates: This is a very bad situation ... It is already at the point where I have to interrupt you.

Yui: A light... are you talking?

Reiji: Who are you?

Socrates: My name is Socrates. I am the person who created this space, and rewrote your memories.

Reiji: Socrates... !?

Yui: Do you know that thing?

Reiji: Y-Yes... if my memories are correct, this person is one of my fathers dearest acquaintances.

Yui: Karlheinz-sama!?

Ayato: ...Karlheinz... ?

Socrates: This was unexpected. I did not know there was someone knowing about my existence.

Reiji: Socrates... that name. You have been spying on us since we all were children.

One of our fathers greatest acquaintances... However, why are you showing such barbarous manners?

Yui: Ngh, that’s right... Did you really mess up our memories and trapped us in this space?

Socrates: Indeed.

Yui: No... that can’t be!

Socrates: I wanted to try it out. Adam is ascertained by my friend. Whether it is really appropriate or not.

Yui: Adam... ? Did Karlheinz-sama identify that?

Reiji: I can not guess what happened, but could it be that you might have lost confidence in my father's thoughts?

Socrates: No. I just did not believe his words. I could not accept it without any certain proof, so I made one myself.

Yui: Is that the reason why you rewrote everyone’s memories? We’re still fighting each other!

Socrates: This is all about the love between Adam and Eve. To try the bond of those both.

Yui: Love, Bond... ?

Socrates: I erased the love and jealousy between both of them. If they would lose it, would they fall in love with each other again?

I wanted to have it proved by myself. Therefore, everyone's memories were rewritten and locked in this place.

In this miniature garden, or more likely this space that looks like a chess board.

Yui: Proofing... because of that... ?

(This stupid proof, it may have caused someone to lose their life in this space ...!)

Reiji: If I put trust into your words, she Eve, and myself as Adam were your personal test objects.

Together we were able to regain our memories and share hands once again.

There is no need to try this anymore. Would you please, release everyone’s memories so they can return?

Socrates: I can not do that.

Reiji: Why is that?

Socrates: It is hard to say that the desired outcome is finished by just holding hands together. That is definitely not enough.

With the king, in other words Adam. Only once you excluded all the others, Eve‘s heart will be yours for eternity.

Nothing else is enough.

Yui: Exclude others... are you saying that we are supposed to kill everyone? That’s messed up, we can't do that!

Socrates: Then you should live in this miniature garden forever.

Yui: Such... !

Reiji: Unfortunately, there is no conflict anymore. We already have a cooperative relationship with the Orange family.

Violet, we will stop this family for whatever it takes as well.

Socrates: Why would you do that? If you truly want to get out of this space, you just need to follow what I told you.

Just exclude all the others. Why do you hesitate to give an answer to that request?

Reiji: One thing to make everything disappear — I am aware of the stupidity behind that idea.

As a memory of my own past, I am firmly engraved in myself....

A similar tragedy from my past will not be repeated again. Even if you try to reluctant your will.

Yui: Reiji-san...

Socrates: ...So that is it. Is that really Adam's choice? I will respect that if it is.

But, this trials can not be interrupted.

Yui: Eh, after all... !

Socrates: As long as the last piece still remains on the board, or the rules are not broken...

This trial will never end. A miniature garden made like that. I can not release it that easily.

Yui: Such... !

Socrates: Never grieve again. Just keep fighting until the last piece disappears from the board.

If you refuse to kill each other, I might see myself forced to cut down the created flow.

It was me who supplied the supplies to live in this miniature garden in the first place. I might break this flow then.

Reiji: ...What was that?

Socrates: If you would run out of food, a human being as Eve will die, regardless of vampires and founders.

If you want to protect Eve, get rid of the others and become the only one surviving, Adam.

*bright light*

Yui: Wha... !?

(The light from before... ngh... what is this...)

Reiji: Yui, come here! I will not leave you!

Yui: Y-Yes!

Ruki: Nh... aghhh!?

Yui: Ruki-kun!?

Reiji: Do not move for now!

Shu: Kch... what’s... that...

Ruki: Shit... Aghhhh!!

Yui: Everyone... !

(I can't see anything. What is going on!?)

(My consciousness... is fading... )

Place: Outside — Church

Yui: N-Ngh...

(D-Did I faint? Everyone...)

(Oh, Reiji-san! I've been hugged by him all the time...)

Reiji: Uhh... what... ?

Yui: Are you okay?

Reiji: Yes, you seem safe as well... what about everyone else ...?

Yui: I don't know, I just woke up myself...

(Ngh, everyone has fallen. Did they faint as well? Or maybe—)

Reiji: Please wait. I will take a closer look.

Yui: Y-Yes...

*Reiji gets closer*

Reiji: ... It seems as if they have lost their consciousnesses as well. No one is dead.

After a while, they should wake up naturally once again.

Yui: Really? That’s good...

(Then what was the meaning behind the light before?)

That thing, Socrates-sama... That person himself is the one who locked us in here.

Reiji: Indeed. I never thought it would have been one of my fathers acquaintances.

He said that he is testing the bond between Adam and Eve. That means, we both are his personal test object.

And that person still needs to be convinced ...

Yui: Yes… he said that he wouldn’t be able to get us out of here, unless we exclude everyone.

Choices

1) — That's the only way (black)

2) — We can't do that (white) ♡ ♡ ♡

— That‘s the only way

Yui: It seems to be the only way. If we do so, we can get out of this miniature garden...

Reiji: At least, it would show him to be completely satisfied with our doing.

Yui: Such...

Reiji: However, I do not think it is the best option.

— We can’t do that ♡

Yui: But, we can’t do that. We need to escape from here before we might lose everyone...

Reiji: I highly agree. I do not want to follow such a crude way.

There should be another way that he will agree with.

Yui: That’s right. I’m sure there must be something...

end Choices

Reiji: But, all about the masterminds plan is starting to become clearer which makes me feel a little relieved.

Yui: Eh? Why is that?

Reiji: Doing such a large-scale play ... It was something I could not have thought of anyone would do, except for my father.

Yui: Ah...

Reiji: If the mastermind really is my father, what would you think about me as brother if I left Shu behind because of it...

To me, you might be wondering about my answer, or maybe you already expect something like this...

Yui: Reiji-san...

(Surely, if Karlheinz-sama really plans on making Reiji-san do such a thing, he maybe...)

*Yui reaches Reiji's hand*

Reiji: Oh, what are you doing?

Yui: I really want to hold hands ...

Reiji: I am sorry. I might have made you worried while saying something extra.

Yui: That’s not it... but I thought it would calm the both of us down if we did that.

Whoever is trying to separate the both of us will never be able to steal our love for each other.

Reiji: This is... Right now I am supposed to be on the dark side, as I have been told to ...

*Reiji comes closer*

Reiji: Thank you very much. There was no need to worry about this topic in the first place.

You were the one who chose me. With that as fact, I will never let myself feel bad about this anymore.

Yui: Yes. After all Reiji-san is a wonderful person. That was guaranteed for me from the very beginning.

Reiji: I approached to say something. For you, I would defeat any enemy.

*Reiji kisses Yui*

Yui: Kyaa!?

Reiji: Thank you for your kind words. Besides, my education seems to be more fruitful, so that was a part of my celebration.

Yui: I-I’m happy, but don't kiss me so suddenly...

Reiji: My own pride will not allow me to stay comforted. Please allow me to counterattack you next time then.

Yui: B-But...

(I do like it when he kisses me, but it's embarrassing because my face turns red all of the sudden...)

(But, it was good that Reiji-san laughed at me because of my reaction)

Shu: Ughh...

Yui: Eh... Shu-san!?

Reiji: Shu!

Shu: ... Be quiet. Don't scream at me, I just woke up ...

Reiji: Are you feeling bad?

Shu: I really do feel bad. Waking up is the worst after all ... I feel irritated ...

Reiji: It is not just your feeling, it seems to be your usual mood. Good grief, I really was worried for a moment.

Shu: I can't help it. It’s not like I can stay calm if an annoying old friend from our father appears.

That thing really annoyed me.

Yui: Eh? "An old friend"... ?

Reiji: You, do not tell me you remember...

Shu: Yes, I remember. I remembered all those nasty things.

Yui: Do you really remember everything... !?

Ruki: It’s not like he is the only one.

Yui: Ruki-kun!

Ruki: Apparently, it was the previous light. It might have been the power that woke me up.

If I recall everything, just what exactly was I doing... I was close to slash Yuma ...

Yui: Ruki-kun, you also remember. Is this...

Reiji: It seems to be true. That person... it is Socrates work.

The meaning of tampering us with our memories disappeared. That is why he decided to bring everyone’s memories back.

Yui: Then...

Ayato: Ugh... damn it... that old man! For him to do something like this to me!

This old man dares that!? Not with me, I want to break this guys bones right away!

*Kanato starts sobbing*

Kanato: Uhh ... that is too much. Because of Reiji my whole mind is wrapped up with this.

Once we finally get home, I will have to eat enough pudding to fill up the entire town.

Yui: Ayato and Kanato-kun... Do you remember everything as well?

Ayato: Hah? I didn‘t listen to any of your crap.

The only thing I see right before me is a lowkey forgotten yet blurry face with weird looking glasses on.

Reiji: As soon as you remembered, you can not keep quiet. You got no courtesy, Ayato.

Ayato: Heh, it’s been a long time since I heard that coming out of your mouth.

Yui: (They all remembered ...)

We really... did it... Reiji-san!

*Yui hugs Reiji*

Reiji: Oh ... hey you, you could have hurt yourself running towards me like this.

Good grief, you really are a person with no specifications.

Monologue

I buried my face in Reiji-san‘s chest and turned my arms around his back.

I don't know if I'm happy or just relieved, but my tears won't stop flowing from my face.

Ayato-kun and the others are working with us for now, it just feels like the usual daily behavior we used to see in the Sakamaki family.

And surprisingly one by one—

Carla-san who did not want to stay here, had recovered his memories as well.

But I can't help but be happy about this situation. This is because the memory revision was considered as unnecessary.

There is no longer any need for anyone to become the king. Instead, Reiji-san was forced to make a certain choice.

If we want to get out of here, we must exclude everyone... Those words are echoing in my head—

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an-obligatory-blog · 5 years

Text

a nahyuta headcanon

slash character-study-slash-analysis

I’ve been playing SoJ for the first time (I’ve watched a playthrough beforehand) and I got this sad thought about Nahyuta in the middle of Case 3

The headcanon is this: Nahyuta’s quirk of researching anything vaguely related to a case ridiculously thoroughly (ex. memorizing rakugo scripts when knowing the definition would’ve been enough probably, watching all of Retinz’s shows, etc.) is a product of his resignation to the belief that Ga’ran and DC Act won’t go away.

Explanation under read more. SoJ spoilers ofc. Warning: I might’ve gotten a lil long winded with this post.

First, let’s establish the kind of person Nahyuta as a prosecutor is.

He is known as the Last Rites Prosecutor because of his religious beliefs.

He has a big reputation as an international prosecutor, cracking hard, difficult cases

The skill that he is known for is his “foresight” (”seeing the karmic threads of fate”)

Note: This “foresight” is referring to him “predicting the flow of the trial”-- this isn’t him being omniscient, it’s has everything to do with information (ex. predicting the defense’s arguments, using inductive reasoning to shoot down the defense’s argument (see concluding that the twins in 6-2 are silent because of a prank plan w/o having the prank script revealed to him due to his observations))

He is thorough with his investigations-- this includes researching relentlessly any kind of information that’s vaguely related to the case as mentioned earlier. He does this more in the States than Khura’in for obvious reasons.

He doesn’t tolerate perjury from witnesses or when information is hidden from him

He slings insults towards the defense with his sharp-tongue and throws beads. (As you will know after finishing SoJ, much of this is because of Ga’ran’s influence. Him hating defense attorneys so fervently is an act.)

I would like to note that a lot of these characteristics aren’t unique to Nahyuta, especially his “foresight”-- prosecutors have laid traps for the defense before. Prosecutors have predicted the defense’s arguments before. Prosecutors have been... prosecutors. They do their job. For me personally, I find this understandable because at the end of the day, I thought it was ridiculous to expect that the new prosecutor is going to pull a special move in court to the point where it feels significant to the player. This applies to Blackquill and his “psychological manipulation.” Yes, it’s there, but it’s no wonder that people have said “they haven’t done anything that prosecutors haven’t done before” or at least, “it doesn’t feel like they have.” That’s because you do the same things in court as you have done before-- you point out contradictions and voila. New gameplay mechanics makes the trial flow feel different-- not whatever the prosecutor’s specialty is (specifically DD and SoJ as they are the main culprits for that).

But what it does do for Blackquill and Nahyuta is characterization. It characterizes who they are as a prosecutor. With Blackquill, not only does it relate to being Metis’s student, but also his behavior in court-- playing mind tricks with the judge and the defense and laughing, quietly or otherwise, when they fall for it.

So here, I want to draw your attention to how it relates to Nahyuta specifically. Forget about how “other prosecutors have done this before” for a moment and take this “foresight” as a specific character trait to Nahyuta.

What does this mean? Notice how I bolded the word “information” earlier. Nahyuta’s reputation and behavior as a prosecutor is centered around the concept of “information.” The information he knows but the defense doesn’t. The information he doesn’t know but deduces from other pieces of information. The information that he gathers from the Internet from late night studying or the information he goes to a burger joint to get. Etcetera. Etcetera.

Keep this in mind and let’s step back into the main plot of Spirit of Justice.

Khura’in’s legal system is in deep shit-- to put it simply. The Defense Culpability Act essentially eliminated defense attorneys from Khura’in from being active.

The burden of delivering justice, aka “giving what people deserve”, falls entirely on the prosecution’s side.

From the perspective of (AA) court, the only way for “justice” to be served is if the prosecution is absolutely correct. After all, if the prosecution’s charges are “just”, then the court’s decision will be “just.” If they aren’t, the verdict won’t be either. That’s how it works in Khura’in during this time.

So let’s say that you’re a prosecutor in this broken system, but you still want to serve justice-- what do you do? You have to be right.

This is where why Nahyuta being an international prosecutor is important-- he’s supposed to contrast Gaspen from 6-1, who despite being Chief Prosecutor, is still incompetent. Why? Because Gaspen doesn’t care about being right-- he cares about his win streak and he can get it easy if he stays in Khura’in because there are. No. Defense attorneys. Easy wins.

You can’t do that if you’re an international prosecutor. You’re going to face a lawyer in court some way or another and you can’t just pass by without some actual skill.

You cannot improve as a prosecutor if no one is there to point out the flaws of your arguments. You cannot improve as a prosecutor if you never face a lawyer in court. You cannot improve as a prosecutor if you remain as a domestic prosecutor in Khura’in.

That’s why Nahyuta is a “skilled” prosecutor and Gaspen is not.

But wait. Nahyuta is under Ga’ran’s thumb. If all Ga’ran wanted to do was to keep Nahyuta on a leash, why appoint Nahyuta to be an international prosecutor? Wouldn’t it be easier to watch him if he stayed domestic?

This is where the “headcanon” part of this post comes in (aka the part where I make up things): Nahyuta specifically requested to become an international prosecutor to make most of the broken system: a system that has no defense attorneys.

He could’ve done this from the get-go after gaining some trust, but I like the idea of him wanting to stay domestic at first to get close to Ga’ran and help the rebel cause, but after being blackmailed and now having his mother’s and sister’s lives on the line, he requested to be an international prosecutor. Why? Because that’s the only way he’ll ever get better at being a prosecutor-- the only way to minimize the chance of making a wrongful conviction in Khura’in because he can’t afford being wrong if he wants to serve justice. And it’s not like he can just back out as a prosecutor with Ga’ran breathing down his neck. Ga’ran allows this because there’s nothing to lose with having a better prosecutor and she can just keep watch on him from overseas easily (if Inga can have spies watching the civil trial, then Ga’ran can watch Nahyuta even if he’s flying everywhere). If he truly wants to make Khura’in broken ass system to “work” as much as possible, he’ll literally have to be the perfection a von Karma dreams to be-- not just in terms of win streak like Manfred, but an actual god of prosecutors. A prosecutor that is always right because he’s borderline all-knowing.

That is an absolutely ridiculous standard.

But with a shitty legal system like Khura’in’s... perhaps that’s the only way. I’m sure by now you see the connection between “wanting to be a borderline all-knowing god of law for the sake of salvaging Khura’in’s justice” and “having your entire reputation as a prosecutor center around information”. (You can connect this to Nahyuta’s aesthetic-- a holy man who’s eyes seem to pierce through your soul.)

Of course, this is the “only way” if you just accept that DCA or Ga’ran won’t go away. The “only way”... if you resign to Ga’ran’s regime.

I like this headcanon because adds a personal layer to the qualities Nahyuta has, but shares with past prosecutors. Hidden information pissing him off/catching him off guard, him being extremely thorough with investigation to the point of studying the most seemingly pointless shit... perhaps the important thing isn’t so much he can “read the karmic threads of fate” but him “wanting to read the karmic threads of fate” hah.

But we know that even being perfect isn’t enough. 6-3 proves that and that’s why it’s special in the narrative of SoJ.

We know by 6-1 that the DCA is bullshit and by 6-5 we then knew for certain that it was just a tool by Ga’ran to remain in power by silencing her opponents. But 6-3 shows that it runs deeper than “oh we need DAs bc what if the defendant is innocent”. Nah, in 6-3, the entire incident happened BECAUSE of the DCA. You can’t brush it off as the prosecutor being shitty like in 6-1. It didn’t matter if a godlike prosecutor came in and indicts the right person every time. Nah, you NEED the presence of DAs to argue a defendant’s case-- for a person to trust/feel safe around a legal system to serve exactly what they deserve, accounting for mitigating circumstances like self-defense. When there is no faith in the potential defendant’s case, of course they are going to do illegal shit like lie in court or frame another person to take the blame-- even if you should’ve had something like self-defense on your side. Pointing at “the right guy” isn’t enough to “serve justice”.

If Nahyuta deluded himself into thinking that “maybe if I study or try hard enough, maybe that’s the best Khura’in could ever have,” he probably snapped out of it by the end of 6-3 because no, it doesn’t matter how good of a prosecutor he is as an individual, the problem is much bigger than him. Fuck, maybe he’s extra pissy in 6-4 because of that and lashes at the much more inexperienced Athena. I don’t know that’s just a wild shot in the dark.

And of course, he stays silent for Rayfa’s and Amara’s sake until the very end.

...

The inspiration of this headcanon is how the writers of SoJ made Nahyuta being “hard to read” a deliberate character trait (that he shares with his mom). We know his behaviors and his motives behind his actions, but I feel like by the end of the game, his personal feelings throughout the game is a mystery. His acting and his poker face didn’t help in that regard. I wished there was more foreshadowing in that regard-- I will never not be salty that Athena’s hearing wasn’t used as foreshadowing in 6-4 that Nahyuta doesn’t believe what he says. (or hell, maybe even in 6-2 if they really wanted to).

I don’t think I would be nearly as passionate about this character as I am now if his personal feelings was a simple, open book, of course. Despite the writing flaws that I will gripe about time to time, he’s my favorite prosecutor at the end of the day.

Side note: I like to believe that he got a good impression and liking towards Ema as a detective because 1) forensics is without a doubt, a great source of information that Khura’in didn’t have before (to a large extent) and 2) in 6-2, Ema legit fingerprinted and analyzed everything out of passion and perhaps Nahyuta felt some sort of kinship with wanting to know everything.

#ace attorney #nahyuta sahdmadhi #ace attorney meta #spirit of justice #aa6 #apologies if I misremembered something #i have a lot of feelings about this elsa looking man #first post in a good while oof

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beevean · 5 years

Text

逆転裁判　逆転姉妹 Part 5 (開廷 1)

This part goes from April May giving her first testimony to the end of the trial. Here’s the first part of the trial, and here’s the first part of the entire case.

Sorry if this post is a little longer than others, but I managed to find very interesting things :D

1) Small difference. If you keep pressing April on her first statement Edgeworth will eventually come in and say to Phoenix “Mr. Wright! I will not have you badgering my witness!”. In Japanese he’s more insulting, saying “Defense! I want you to stop this despicable/cowardly conduct!” (“弁護人！卑劣な行為はやめてもらいたい！”)

2) I vaguely referenced it in previous posts, but now I can confirm: April is more “kawaii desu ne” in the Japanese version (for example she talks in third person, elongates vowels at the end, and sometimes uses childish words), and only slightly sexual, while in the English version it’s flipped and she’s much more sexually charged - a small example is how they replaced stars ★ with *wink*. It makes sense considering the different values in the two cultures - in Japan cuteness more appealing than sexiness, and it’s the other way around in the West. The English version put a lot more jokes regarding her, for example her being called “a big far liar” and taking offense only to being called “fat”.

3) Instead of asking “which hand do I hold my knife with”, April asks which hand does she hold chopsticks in. Of course :P

4) Another small difference that I liked. In English, Phoenix says, in response to the Judge asking him to withdraw his question, “But questions are all I have!”, while in Japanese he says “This method is my weapon!”. I like both versions, the English one flows better while the Japanese one highlights how asking questions is Phoenix’s most important asset in the courtroom.

5) If you mistakenly say that April couldn’t have heard the clock from the hotel, in English Edgeworth says “Without [proof], you have nothing. You ARE nothing.” In Japanese he doesn’t insult Phoenix at all, besides calling him rookie. (I guess it’s to compensate for calling him despicable earlier)

6) When Phoenix reveals Maya’s cellphone in court, and Edgeworth gets furious and mutters that he will cut Gumshoe’s salary for his incompetence, Phoenix thinks to himself “My heart goes out to you, Edgeworth. Not.” In Japanese, he simply says “Oh dear, poor thing” (“おやおや、かわいそうに...”), which might be about Gumshoe himself? It’s another case of the English version taking an ambiguous like and translating it to paint Phoenix as more antagonistic towards Edgeworth.

7) This has just been bothering me: the last time April snaps on the stand, she says “Shut up, all of you! What gives you the right to talk to ME like that! You... you LAWYER!”. In Japanese, at the end she says “このタコがぁ！” and... for the life of me I can’t understand the meaning. Does タコ here stand for “octopus”? “Kite”? “Callus”? What slang am I missing??

8) This one threw me for a loop. The GBA version of the game lacks a lot of dialogue compared to the DS port - and therefore the English version - after you ask April if she is the killer or why did she use the wiretap.

if you choose the first option, as soon as Phoenix asks if she did it, April says that at the time of the incident she was getting room service and they can try asking the bellboy, the Judge asks for Phoenix’s next course of action, and then you have to choose whether you want to call the bellboy or keep cross-examining April.

if you choose the second option, the dialogue immediately jumps from the Judge saying “While this court does not condone the defense's tone of speech, he has a point. Well, Miss May? Do you have an explanation for the court?” to April explaining her alibi like above.

In the DS version, there are extra tidbits like April insulting Phoenix, her accidentally revealing she used the wiretap, her guessing what Phoenix was thinking about her and swearing she can prove her innocence, or her saying that she asked for iced coffee and then explaining what it is (plus a bit of a joke where Phoenix repeats in hiragana the English nouns April says in katanaka, because I guess in Japan back in 2001 iced coffee wasn’t well know yet).

This surprised me because up to this point, there haven’t been significant differences in structure! Especially not between GBA and DS! I wonder why they felt the need to do this, and how much they re-wrote the script for the DS port.

8) The infamous “Objection! That was... objectionable!” is in Japanese “Objection! I raise an objection right away!”, with the Judge replying “Objection overruled right away”. とりあえず can mean “right away”, “for the time being”, “first of all” or “at once”, and every one of these options make Edgeworth sound delightfully awkward

9) At the very end of the trial, Edgeworth, instead of saying “T-these accusations are... ludicrous!” (because Phoenix just rubbed in his face how he manipulated the bellboy’s testimony), says “I cannot believe this”, which can either mean “I cannot believe these accusations” or, as I think, “I cannot believe I’ve been upstaged by this amateur”, which would mean that at least my boy is honest with his dishonesty. He also stops calling Phoenix キミ and uses キサマ, because he hasn’t been rude enough apparently.

Enjoy you boob-bouncing nightmares.

襲う　（おそう）　to attack

ちっちゃい　tiny, person with poor character

攻撃　（こうげき）　attack, assault

止め　（とどめ）　finishing blow

ぐったり　 limply, listlessly

それだけ　 no more than that. that is all

疑問　（ぎもん）　doubt, suspicion

ほぼ　almost

弟子　（でし）　pupil, apprentice

粗　（あら）　 flaw, fault, defect

卑怯　（ひきょう）　coward

どうやら　 possibly, apparently

弱点　（じゃくてん）　weak point

何気ない　（なにげない）　 casual, unconcerned, nonchalant

逸らかす　（はぐらかす）　to dodge

探りを入れる　（さぐりをいれる）　to probe, to investigate

突っ込む　（つっこむ）　 to delve into (a matter), to press (someone) about

きっかけ　 excuse, motive

卑劣　（ひれつ）　 mean, foul, cowardly

行為　（こうい）　act

すらっと　slender, slim

体型　（たいけい）　figure, body shape

完全に　（かんぜん）　completely, perfectly

ありえない　impossible, improbable

先ほど　（さきほど）　a short while ago

しかたない　it’s no use

反省　（はんせい）　 regret, remorse

参る　（まいる）　 to be defeated

いけない　 wrong, must not do

とってつけたよう　 out of place, forced, faked

取り上げる　（とりあげる）　to pick up

しんみり　quiet, solemn

遂に　（ついに）　finally, at last

尻尾を掴む　（しっぽをつかむ）　 to have something on someone, to catch someone out (lit.: to catch the tail)

教え込む　（おしえこむ）　to train to, to give an idea to

口走る　（くちばしる）　to blurt out

目くらまし　（めくらまし）　distraction, deceptive means

却下　（きゃっか）　rejection, dismissal

意義　（いぎ）　objection

納得する　（なっとく）　to agree, to consent

新人　（しんじん）　rookie

直接関係　（ちょくせつかんけい）　direct relation

切り替える　（きりかえる）　 to change, to exchange

空っぽ　（からっぽ）　empty, hollow

嘘つき　（うそつき）　liar

楽しませる　（たのしませる）　to amuse, to delight, to entertain

抜き取る　（ぬきとる）　to pull out

何やら　（なにやら）　some kind of

見落とす　（みおとす）　to overlook, to fail to notice

ぶつぶつ　grumble, complaint, mutter

筋が通る　（すじがとおる）　to make sense

保険する　（ほけん）　to safekeep, to keep in custody

どうだっていい　 not worth worrying about, trivial

とっとと　 at once, right away

死刑　（しけい）　death penalty

冷静　（れいせい）　 calmness, composure

マジ切れ　（まじぎれ）　being truly angry

傑作　（けっさく）　masterpiece, funny mistake

大失敗　（だいしっぱい）　massive failure

話にならない　（はなしにならない）　 not worth considering, out of the question

ごく　quite

要求する　（ようきゅう）　to demand

気安い　（きやすい）　relaxed, familiar

話しかける　（はなしかける）　to address someone

素顔　（すがお）　real face, face with no make-up

止めを刺す　（とどめをさす）　 to finish off, to deliver the coup de grace

無関係　（むかんけい）　unrelated

物凄い　（ものすごい）　extreme, incredible

寒い　（さむい）　 uninteresting, lame, dull

条件　（じょうけん）　condition, term

飲む　（のむ）　to accept a condition

崩す　（くずす） to destroy, to demolish

材料　（ざいりょう）　material, evidence

自動的　（じどうてき）　automatic

いかにも　indeed

招待　（しょうたい）　invitation

畏まる　（かしこまる）　to obey respectfully

きっかり　precisely, punctually

お仕舞い　（おしまい）　the end, being done for

管理　（かんり）　management (of a business)

気取る　（きどる）　 to affect, to act like (something one isn’t)

目を付ける　（めをつける）　to have an eye on, to zero in on

念を押す　（ねんをおす）　to make sure of, to emphasize

接吻　（せっぷん）　kiss

ホの字　（ほのじ）　the L-word*

印象付ける　（いんしょうづける）　to impress someone, to leave an impression

ご苦労様　（ごくろうさま）　I appreciate your efforts

食い下がる　（くいさがる）　 to refuse to back down, to persist

時点　（じてん）　point in time

言い分　（いいぶん）　one’s point, objection, excuse

痺れる　（しびれる）　 to become numb, to get an electric shock, to be mesmerized

取っ捕まる　（とつかまる）　to be caught

いい気味　（いいきみ）　 serves you right, it’s what you deserve

* basically the bellboy says that April might have given him a kiss because of “the L-word”, too shy to admit he thought she fell in love with him.

#ace attorney #gyakuten saiban #逆転裁判 #japanese #単語 #beev plays gyakuten saiban #i'm starting to get used to the boppy rudimentary objection theme #but only because it slaps regardless of anything #also i find april's transformation creepier than it should be #that snarl would be very hard to reproduce in a 3d game #but now that i know that there are differences between the gba and the ds version i'm afraid i'm going to miss stuff

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uhelenh-blog · 5 years

Text

the stuff Dreams are made of

A square clock is suspended from the ceiling. The short hand is placed on the eight and the long one waves past two. Below the clock, and on the floor, a banner with the Soweto Theatre and Joburg Theatre logos stands tall behind a close-together band set-up including keys, MPC table and a mic stand.

Having put down the rectangular case carrying the bass guitar he learned to play more out of a quest to be in a band that lives a DIY ethos than out of pure necessity, the rapper known as Solo has the microphone in a grip.

He steals a glance at Instro, who has an iPad in hand to control the sound, while his family chats away in a corner and young people in matching t-shirts come in and out of the room and band members quietly take their places.

“I dropped an EP on these boys’ heads,” Solo says into the mic, like it’s a conversation only between he and Instro. “In terms of buzz? ‘Bout as loud as the noise gets...” He stops.

It seems like it’s been lightyears since Solo shone with those opening lines on his 2014 single, Star Dust. He featured Proverb and Stogie T on the Star Dust remix. He released three albums - .Dreams. A. Plenty. (2014), Dreams. B. Plenty (2016) and C. Plenty. Dreams (2019) - and established himself as the Dapper Rapper on red carpets and racehorse events.

Solo co-founded BETR Gang with prolific producer and rapper, Buks, and the Gang got greater with the addition of permanent members that have included Al da 3rd, Solid and Th&o. Together, they put out concept albums and toured Mzansi and Europe. He married his longtime love, actress and singer, Dineo Moeketsi and showed the world this journey on Kwakuhle Kwethu, the TV special put together by the couple’s production company, Langa Enterprise Hub.

So when I’m watching him soundcheck Star Dust on a Friday evening in December, he is unfolding the answer to: what else does Solo plan to do? He aims to put on his first theatre production, The Dreamers ABCs, at the Joburg Theatre on December 17 and 18.

THE REASON

“The concept of a play was pitched to me by Reason,” Solo tells me. “He said he wanted to see what it would be like and I said: if we do this, then you will have a front row seat to everything.” Beyond being a rapper, Reason also runs a creative agency and has partnered with Solo on The Dreamers ABCs.

“Reason lives close to my place so there’s a frequency with which we see each other,” Solo explains. “One day in October, he hit me up and told me he’d be hopping onto the Ivyson Tour stage to perform a song he was featured on and wanted to know if I wanted to roll with him.”

“On the drive to the concert, we were just talking and I told him I knew I still had to put on one last show for the year because I wasn’t happy that the work we put in in terms of [Solo and the BETR Gang’s] Tour Dates and the consistency was interrupted. I was getting married. Sometimes I am capped by my ambition because I hope I can do everything. But I have gotten better in realising what’s not realistic and what to drop.”

He continues: “Reason openly admitted that this was his dream for his Azania album,” Solo recalls. “But he said because I had a whole trilogy of albums, he wanted to know how I’d feel about the last show of the year being a theatre production where I do A, B and C. I said: ‘say less, bro.’”

The Dreamers ABCs follows a young man who fantasises about becoming an aviator. Selected music from Solo’s albums is the bedrock of the young man’s trials and triumphs on this journey to realising his dreams. While collaborators like Langa Mavuso, Kabomo, Buks and Dineo will grace the stage and while there are similarities between the fictional character’s and Solo’s life, the rapper insists the story is not biographical. This is why he doesn’t place himself at the centre of the production.

THE REHEARSAL

It’s just four days before The Dreamers ABCs opens. When I arrive at 6pm, the actors are rehearsing but Solo and the rest of his band have not yet joined them. The musician who has the cables that are crucial to the band literally being plugged into rehearsal hasn’t yet arrived.

“Theatre is mostly conflict.” Those are Solo’s first words to me when I ask him how he’s been. He grins and says: “and then maybe there’s resolution.”

Since the play’s inception less than three months ago, Solo and his team has had to let go of a director. They’ve had to demystify myths that organisations hold about musicians and money. They’ve also had to assert their right to rehearse in specific rooms despite arriving to other artists being told they are meant to be in those rooms too. As we wait for the cables, Solo asks MPC player, producer and the artist in charge of the play’s visuals, Solid, to do him a, well, solid: to open the rehearsal room door about 15 minutes before we eventually enter.

When we get up to go into rehearsal, Solo stops his wife, sister, brother-in-law, Loot Love and Reason to ask them: “Have you guys been that side? Let me just give you some pointers: it’s super stuffy in there.” He chuckles.

But when we arrive at the Cas Coovadia Studio for Youth Development, it’s not stuffy at all. Solid leaving the door open worked. There. Resolution. It’s shortly after this that Solo starts with Star Dust. Then, the multi-talented troupe that ranges between 19 and 27 years old files into the studio and most of them sit on the floor. One of them loosely carries a paper plane made from a script page. He is the lead actor.

The short hand on the clock still rests on eight and the long hand swipes down to four. The scriptwriter and new director, Mli, addresses the seated cast. “We’re going to do a run-through now because we’re not that strong on the lines yet. So if you mess up, just keep flowing. But don’t mess up the cues.”

From the floor, a young lady with a straw hat starts her lines. She shakes her head, then stands up and starts over. Like a flight attendant, she welcomes us to the play and a journey “transporting you from .Dreams. A. Plenty. to C. Plenty. Dreams”. By the time beatboxing emanates from the floor, she seems chuffed with her delivery.

The troupe is a pleasure to watch. They can sing their butts off, they act and they genuinely seem like they’re having fun. Even Mli, seated in front of me, joyfully simulates running when the characters are required to. He’s into it.

Solo peppers his notes to the backing vocalists with some humour. He keeps them concise when he’s unhappy with the lead’s stage entrance during The Shame. Here, Mli takes his time to articulate Solo’s notes to the cast. Dineo joins them for The Frolic and silently raps Solo’s parts too. She shares smiles with the female backing vocalist and when they’re done, Dineo returns to the corner and Solo calls after her: “well done, mama. Thank you.”

THE RESOLUTION

For his last show of the year, Solo wears many hats. It’s interesting to see where he applies restraint and where he relishes in giving of himself. It harks back to a conversation we had while waiting for the cables.

He told me for the last two years, in the pursuit of his dreams, he has had to reconcile with not asking for permission. It was after his 30th birthday that he became more rooted in his own decisions and not just what will be acceptable to the broader public.

Again, it’s the idea of the theatre of life consisting of conflict and, maybe, resolution. “As long as my wife is good and the team is good about a decision,” he explained, “I don’t care about anyone else’s opinion.”

This makes it easy to believe there is no plan A, B or C for Solo. There is only the dreams. And before 2019 is over, he realises yet another one.

Oh! Before I forget: The Dreamers ABCs is at the Joburg Theatre on December 17 and 18. Tickets at Webtickets.

#Solo #BETR Gang #Solo and the BETR Gang #Helen Herimbi #music journalist #The Dreamers ABCs #hip hop #south african hip hop

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kaoruyogi · 8 years

Text

Trial by Fire (Ch. 17)

Now with art by the amazing @merwild!!!

Rating: E for Explicit/NSFW Content!

Check it out on AO3.

Masterpost

Newly posted to the Ferelden Central Branch Court Office, known to those in the industry as Skyhold, Deputy District Attorney Halise Lavellan, her 98% conviction rate, and her investigator, Sera, join with the most successful group in the entire District Attorney’s Office, affectionately nicknamed “The Inquisition.” Transferred to join the Skyhold Gang Taskforce, she meets back up with an old flame, and her new colleague, Cullen Rutherford. In light of his 97.8% conviction rate, the other DDAs and defense attorneys working out of Skyhold call him “The Lion.” When a major gang homicide lands on their desks, Cullen and Halise, or “Torch” to anyone familiar with her prosecution style, must do everything in their power to lock up a notorious shotcaller, and stay alive while doing it. The old flame also threatens to reignite and consume both of them…and they just might let it.

(Halise’s name is pronounced “Hah-Lee-Say”)

Warning: Depiction of torture below.

Chapter 17:

“No. This is ridiculous.” Cullen looked himself up and down in the mirror on the wall above the sinks in the men’s room of the office. Thank the Maker everyone had already gone home. The idea of stepping out of the restroom, let alone the office, with anyone around to see him dressed so…unlike himself was deeply embarrassing.

He eyed himself disdainfully. Halise had outfitted him to a precise set of specifications—obnoxious ones. He wore an oversized—“slouchy,” she’d called it—black beanie she’d crocheted years before, paired with matching thick-rimmed fake glasses. Under an open red, white, and gray flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a black and yellow tee shirt with the logo for the long defunct Andrastian hair metal band, Stryper, sat uncomfortably over his chest. At least he got to wear his own jeans and shoes.

“Oh, come on. I bet you look great! Well, acceptable,” Halise pleaded through the door. “Passable?” How unconvincing she was.

“Stuff it, General Uptight, I’m with Halise. You have to look like the type of prat who listens to Mumford & Sons and Bon Iver and that other shite.” Sera’s voice was muffled. She’d obviously pressed her face against the door.

“I do listen to Mumford & Sons,” he spat back, his eyes refusing to release him from the torment of his own reflection. The impish elf’s signature scoff and chortle were all the reply he needed to know what she thought of that.

“If you’re not coming out, I’m gonna come in there and drag you out,” Halise warned. “We’re going to be late if we have to wait much longer for you to come to terms with your douchier side.”

A heavy sigh pushed its way out of Cullen’s chest as he squared his shoulders. If he was going out there like that, he would damn sure own it. He turned and opened the bathroom door. Sera narrowly avoided tumbling through when it swung inward, but she caught herself before hitting the floor. Pity, that. Another raucous chortle rose up from her when she looked him up and down as he passed her by, but his eyes were locked on Halise.

He was almost instantly transported back to the day they first met. She wore the very same blue beanie over her loose red curls, accented by similar glasses to the ones he wore. They reminded him of the oversized sunglasses that had blocked his view of her stunning eyes. A loose sky blue shirt with a picture of Audrey Hepburn from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” billowed around her, the wide, scooped neck giving him the slightest peak at her pale cleavage. Skinny jeans and black and white Converse rounded out her trousseau. No bare feet. He actually felt a strange kind of longing to see her duo-chromatic toes. They’d been a constant presence in their tumultuous history. But they were caged away from his view behind cloth, rubber, and shoelaces. In an odd way, it made him feel as though her personality had been hidden away from view alongside them.

That was, until he looked back up to see her lips pressed together and nostrils flared, her shoulders rising and falling heavily as she tried desperately to suppress the grin working away at the corners of her mouth. There she was. Her bright eyes passed over him, a nod of approval bobbing her head as she chewed on the inside of her lip. “I hate to say you look good because I know you’ll never wear this stuff again and I quite frankly hope you don’t, but you look very good,” she purred.

Her tone and the look in her eye shot heat through his body like a lightning bolt. Despite feeling foolish in his state of dress, had Sera not been there and had they not had a meeting to go to, he might have taken her right there. He would have swept her off of her feet, ripped those jeans off, and rutted her into the Maker forsaken wall. Another heavy sigh rattled out of him. This was not the time to be thinking about such things. They did have a meeting to go to, and Sera was there. His hand crept up the back of his neck, feeling a flush rise up his cheeks at the inappropriateness of his thoughts. “T-Thank you, I suppose,” he replied.

Halise arched an eyebrow, the corner of her mouth curling under it as though they were both being pulled up by the same string. Cullen smiled back a bit self-consciously, causing her to cock her head at him. The moment between them was shattered by Sera’s brash voice. “Yeah, yeah, everyone looks good, now can we please go?” She passed by him, very intentionally bumping into him with her yellow plaid covered shoulder before casting a wide smile back at him and sticking her tongue out. He chuckled, following her and Halise, and unabashedly watching his girlfriend’s backside as they left the building.

He drove them to the Three Trout Bar, watching his rearview mirror to an almost obsessive degree. They would not be ambushed or attacked again. He knew Sera was still armed, but he’d also stowed a 9 mm handgun in his glove compartment that he planned to slip into his waistband before they went inside. He had a concealed carry permit—easier to get after being a Templar—but he’d never felt he needed it until then. For years he’d really just worried that he might use the gun in a fit of anxiety or one of his withdrawal-induced hallucinations. But in that moment, there were very real dangers that they may have been walking right into.

Halise braided her hair over her shoulder on the ride to the bar. She said it would make her less recognizable, but Cullen thought the outfit and fake glasses would have done that well enough. Still, the long braid cascading down her arm did have a certain charm about it, though she was right, it was very unlike her. She was wild and unbound. Even when her hair was gathered into a ponytail, her curls flowed about freely, their riotous brilliance undeterred by the single tiny binding. The string of knots forming the braid locked all that away from the world. Another piece of her obscured.

When they arrived at the Three Trout, Cullen sought out a parking spot in full view of the entire interior. He rounded the block several times before a woman moved her gargantuan minivan out of the parking space directly in front of the bar. Once parked, he leaned over Halise a bit, opening the glove compartment and stuffing the black handgun into his waistband behind his back. She cast him a worried glance while Sera barked something about being glad she wasn’t going to be the only one armed. He did his best to reassure her with his eyes and a soft touch on her forearm, though it clearly did little to accomplish his goal. They exited the vehicle in near silence, entering the bar as warily as they could without attracting attention.

From the moment they walked in, all he wanted to do was walk right back out. The obvious sense of pseudo-individualism and entitlement was overwhelming. It made itself plain in the aggressively mismatched bar stools, the haphazardly repurposed Maker-knew-what the owner intended to pass off as tables and chairs, and the sloppily written chalkboard drink menu behind the bar. As a group, he, Halise, and Sera made their way to the bar—dirty, unfinished wood, of course—with Sera elbowing some oaf with a man bun out of their way just enough to order from the selection of pompously named drinks. Who’s impractical mind thought of the names for them, anyway? “Get Hissing Wasted,” “Blades of Hess-Ale-Rian,” “The Ferelden Frostback.” Insipid and feckless.

“These drink names are fucking stupid,” Halise whispered as she turned away from the bar to face him. Mind reader.

Cullen smiled down at her, gratified to be on the receiving end of the little turn of her lips. Her eyes left his, scanning the room behind him while he watched his SUV out window. Every time someone walked by, which was all too frequently in this neighborhood filled with phony environmentalists who refused to drive, he held his breath. His body was ready to spring into action at any moment, taking down anyone who meant to do them harm by whatever means necessary.

“Do you think that’s him?” Halise murmured to Sera, who pivoted then to look at whoever the redhead was referring to.

“Fantastic fucking mustache, that!” the blonde elf quietly exclaimed. “He’s lookin’ at you. And at me. And at Cullen. And at the door. Bet you’re right. I’ll go see.”

Cullen turned—his hand in his back pocket, close to the gun—to watch Sera approach a sturdy looking gentleman in his mid-thirties with what was indeed a rather impressive horseshoe mustache. She leaned over with her hand on the waistband of her jeans, speaking quietly to the man before flicking a finger at Halise and Cullen to join them.

Trepidation welled up in his gut with every step toward the mustachioed man. Mercifully, the seat that faced the door was left unoccupied, allowing Cullen to slip in and watch his car whilst maintaining his ability to see their mysterious informant. Halise sat beside him, across from the man, with Sera on her other side.

“Ms. Lavellan, I presume?” the man asked. His accent sounded somewhat Orlesian but had a slight unidentifiable tinge to it.

Halise nodded. “Stroud?”

He nodded in return. “So this must be Mr. Rutherford and Sera…I’m sorry I couldn’t find your last name anyw—”

“Just Sera,” she clipped. Her blue eyes bored into the man next to her.

“Alright,” he said, his tone placating and passive. “I must apologize for the rather…clandestine nature of this meeting, and for my vagueness on our call, Ms. Lavellan. I’m afraid I’ve been targeted in an internal investigation by the FBI Wardens. An investigation which could only have sprung from false accusations made by one Warden in particular.”

Cullen’s eyes shot to his still undisturbed SUV, then to Halise, then back to Stroud. “If you’re under investigation,” she began, “why should we trust whatever it is you have to tell us?”

“I understand your hesitation, but this one Warden to whom I am referring…Well, to put it plainly, I believe he has ties to the Magisterium, and that he targeted me when he found out I was looking into him.” Stroud sighed through his nose, sparing a glance toward Cullen, who just leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. Was the man name dropping the notorious Tevinter cartel to cast off suspicion, or was he telling the truth?

He watched Halise’s methodical gaze slice right through Stroud, feeling a little overly satisfied at the way it so clearly unnerved him. “Okay, say I believe you, and there’s a Magister plant in the Wardens who’s trying to frame you for Mythal-knows-what, what does that have to do with the Corypheus case?” Her fingers laced together under her chin, her intelligent eyes never leaving the Warden.

Cullen was proud of her. He felt it so powerfully in that moment, it was undeniable. He knew she was exhausted, that fear likely sat very close to the forefront of her mind, but there she was, staring down a man she knew would be armed and suspected might harm her. Her face was the picture of perceptive serenity, body language unafraid and imposing. She was unstoppable.

“This Warden is pretending to run Archdemon as a confidential informant.”

It was as if all the air vanished from the bar in that instant. Every sound was silence, every breath a struggle in a vacuum. “There is a Warden…” Halise paused in her disbelief, “who knows who Archdemon is. And he’s pretending to run him as a CI?” Stroud nodded somberly. “And he didn’t bother to stop his C-fucking-I from blowing me to the Void?!” She leaned halfway across the table, and might have sprung the whole length if Sera’s arm hadn’t shot out to stop her momentum.

“You can see, Ms. Lavellan, why I had to speak to you about this in person, and why it couldn’t be at your office.” It wasn’t a question.

Cullen heard the long, shaky breath shudder out of Halise, and saw the thick swallow roll down her throat. He knew firsthand that composure and rational thought could be difficult things to regain when shocked and incensed. But he watched her expression shift, watched her lips come together once more, watched her eyes regain their focused determination.

“Is it safe to assume you have proof of all these accusations?” Stroud nodded again. “Then why haven’t you given it to your boss?”

“The Warden in charge of our office, Assistant Director Clarel, insists she’s following protocol in the investigation against me by not accepting any ‘retaliatory’ accusations or evidence. But I suspect the Magister, Warden Livius Erimond, has something over on her. I’ve checked our policy manual, and there’s nothing in it about retaliatory evidence. I’ve also tried to go over her head, but I either hear nothing for weeks or get a voicemail left on my machine after hours about following the chain of command. I’m getting nowhere.”

“And what about taking your evidence to the Ferelden Attorney General’s Office?” Cullen finally chimed in. There had to be some reason he was seeking out their help.

“Honestly,” Stroud started as he placed a large folder on the table, “I thought, given what happened, you might want to talk to Erimond first. See if he’s willing to give up Archdemon for your case against Corypheus once he sees this mountain of evidence. Maybe he’ll drop his allegations and I can get back to work in the field.” His hand sat atop the file, and he slid it back toward himself by the smallest margin, nearly making the three of them jump to grab it. “If you prefer, however, I can take it to the AG’s Office. But if I do that, I can’t guarantee Archdemon’s identity won’t remain sealed as a CI, or that you’ll have any access to him once the AGs get their hands on him.”

“Trap,” Sera almost shouted, drawing stern glares from Halise and Cullen. “Something stinks. This sounds like a trap. How do we know you’re not playing us, and we meet this Eri-mouth or whatever, and he kills us? Up close and personal-like.”

Everyone turned to Stroud once more. “You should come to our headquarters at Adamant when he’s there—”

“Stupid name for a headquarters,” Sera interrupted.

“Confront him in his office while there are a hundred other Wardens around, myself included,” he concluded, unperturbed.

Halise turned to Cullen, and they shared another communicative look. Her viridescent eyes asked if he thought it was a good idea. Without a word, he told her the he worried it might be dangerous, but she should go with her gut. A tiny tilt of her head said there would be other Wardens there, and they might not get another opportunity to discover Archdemon’s identity. A slow blink and nod was Cullen’s answer.

Halise’s nimble fingers lifted the file from the table and found space for it in her too-large gray leather tote bag. “Okay,” she said. “We’ll come by next week, after we’ve dealt with the Mayor’s diplomatic event this weekend.” Maker’s breath. Cullen had almost forgotten about that. “I’ll call you to arrange a time.”

Without another word or gesture exchanged, Cullen, Halise, and Sera stood and left the table. Cullen experimentally pressed the button on his key to unlock his car, doing his best not to flinch when the headlights gave their chipper blink. Nothing happened. Nothing and no one exploded. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. They were safe. At least for the rest of the day.

*****

Halise sat alone on her sectional the night of the meeting, her exhausted eyes wandering over the contents of the file Stroud had given her—photocopies, phone records, and photographs. She’d practically begged Cullen to come home with her, but he rebuffed her. He had other urgent business to deal with before he went home. What urgent business could someone possibly have at almost eight o’clock on a weeknight? Sera, Dorian, and Iron Bull were likewise occupied, as was everyone else in her office, it seemed. Were they all out having fun without her?

No. The odds were just that everyone was genuinely busy. They all had lives to lead outside the office, after all.

It was probably for the best, though. She only managed to focus on the evidence for about half an hour before sleep weighed her eyelids down to an untenable degree. As she ambled off to bed, she prayed to the Creators and whoever else might be listening not to have a nightmare like the one she’d had the night before.

But no one was listening.

Screams rang out through the empty cell blocks of Denerim Central Jail. Halise ran barefoot through every floor, searching every locked cell and alcove for the source of the blood curdling screaming. The echoing emptiness of the cells bounced the screams into her ears a thousand times over, each one dissipating just in time for the next to begin, making it that much harder to follow them to their point of origin.

Finally, amidst the wails and roars, she managed to find a single unlocked door. She flung it open with a rusty squeak and darted inside only to find herself in an observation room. A single stool, a light switch, and a nearly wall-sized piece of thick glass were the room’s only occupants, their eerie silence almost as deafening as the bawls and bellows emanating from the other side of the glass. Halise’s eyes followed her ears, turning to see what she already knew would be there.

A thick pool of blood, both coagulated and fresh, spread across the floor of the interrogation room. Strong, bare feet and the metallic legs of a chair bore a stark contrast to the smooth, almost placid blood. Halise’s eyes traced up bare legs, noting the soft blonde hair that wisped over their surfaces. Next, she saw the man’s torso and arms, smattered in a myriad of scars, both healed and open, some gushing blood to feed the ever expanding pool below. His face—Cullen’s face—was bruised and broken. The scar she’d always seen as such an attractive feature sat open again, jagged and bloody, exposing his wounded gums and teeth below. His autumnal eyes were blackened, nearly swollen shut by the severity of his injuries. Blood matted down his golden blonde curls, leaving a grotesque texture she could almost smell and feel through the thick glass.

Around Cullen’s writhing, screaming, tortured body strode his captors. His torturers. His tormentors. Corypheus and Archdemon, their bodies hideously deformed and larger than life, swirled around Cullen. Haunting crystalline formations jutted out of their bodies at ghastly angles, rending their sallow flesh in tattered pieces. Corypheus’s body looked as if it had been stretched skyward, his midsection terrifyingly slim and bony. Archdemon’s sharpened smile gleamed beneath skin that had gone almost scaly, his frayed, ratty hoodie stretched and hanging from his arms like wings.

With claws and instruments they cut and tore at Cullen’s body, wresting horrifying, nauseating cries from him with every touch. Tears poured from Halise’s eyes, blurring her vision of the atrocities being committed against the man she’d loved for most of her adult life. Instinctively, she flicked the light switch upward, lighting up the space in a way she knew would let those in the interrogation room see her. All eyes watched her, wry smiles twisting the faces of those evil men. Their grins grew when Halise slammed the side of her fist into the glass and screamed. They continued their victimization and tyranny even as she lifted the steel stool and smashed it into the window. It bounced off, leaving nary a scratch in its wake. She kicked at the clear surface until she felt the bones in her feet break and splinter, though there was no pain for her. No pain for her, but pain immeasurable for the man she loved.

Halise ran with a limping gait to the door of the observation room only to find that it, too, had been locked. She was trapped. Forced to watch as pure evil and malice stole the joy she’d only found again so recently. In a final act of what may have been malevolence or mercy, Corypheus hauled Cullen’s chin up, exposing his neck, and slit his throat from ear to ear, splashing hot blood across the glass. The ichor obscured his death from her view, but she could hear his choked gurgling and final rattled breath even through her own deafening screams.

Her eyes flew open with a sharp gasp. The inky darkness of her bedroom and the thick, sweat-dampened blankets on her bed enveloped her. Tears streaked down her cheeks while choked sobs pulsed through her chest. Suffocating, she kicked the blankets away from her body, exposing her sweat-slicked skin to the cool, climate-controlled air. She rolled onto her side, curling into herself as guilt-grated whimpers eked out of her dry lips.

She thought about calling Cullen—confirming to her mind that he was alive and well halfway across town—but she couldn’t do that to him two nights in a row. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her shins, huddled her chin against her knees, and wallowed in the misery of her visions until dawn brightened the sky on the other side of her curtains.

Her morning routine was an exercise in weary determination. She would get through the day, no matter how sleep-deprived or shaken she was. She would get through her Fen-damned day.

The obviousness of her exhaustion was made plain once more on her arrival at the office. Everyone she passed remarked about how “tired” or “awful” she looked, which by no means helped her self-esteem. Still, they were right. She felt awful, and had very little doubt that she looked it.

Cullen wore his worry in the furrow of his brow, the downcast corners of his lips, and the consternation of his tone. “Maker’s breath, Halise, are you alright?” he asked, letting his hand rest on her shoulder.

“I’m…Um…I’m just tired. I’m fine,” she muttered, walking past him to get to her desk. His gentle touch slipped from her shoulder down her arm, and she caught his fingers with hers for a moment before letting go.

He followed after her, his three or four footsteps audibly hesitant. When Halise took a seat at her desk and tapped her voicemail button, her messages played over the speakerphone as she scrubbed her hands down her face. Thank Mythal I don’t have court today, she thought. A couple of people on her witness list left her messages agreeing to testify against Corypheus. Apparently, standing up to the dick-biscuit after he tried to blow her up had garnered her some street cred.

Cullen hadn’t moved. He looked down at her, helpless apprehensiveness obvious in his eyes. Halise sighed, feeling worse as she returned his gaze. “I had the stupid nightmare again,” she finally murmured in answer to the question he hadn’t needed to ask. Her tone betrayed the shame she felt in her admission. He’d been dealing with nightmares for so long, and she couldn’t even manage for two nights. What a weak person she was.

He rounded her desk, kneeling beside her and pulling her into his arms so quickly her vision blurred. “Why didn’t you call me?” his muffled voice said into her neck.

“I didn’t want to bother you with it two nights in a row,” she answered, the sting of imminent tears making her feel even weaker. She hated crying at work.

“You could never bother me, my love.” His arms tightened, his powerful fingers holding fast onto her biceps. “I want you to call me when you have a nightmare. I want you to lean on me. I’m here to support you, both as your second chair and as your boyfriend. You have to trust that I mean that in every way.”

Halise let her hand come to rest on the back of his neck. “I do,” she replied softly, a few small tears slipping free of her resolve. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you. But will you stay with me tonight?”

“Of course I will. I’m sorry I didn’t last night,” he said, pulling back just enough to see her face. He swiped a thumb across her cheek to wipe away the moisture there while he continued. “I had to buy a tux for the Mayor’s event. It’s been quite some time since I last wore one.”

A tired grin swept up her lips and squinted her eyes. “Why didn’t you have me come with you? I’m sure I could have helped.”

“I—uh—asked Dorian and some of the other men from the office to join me,” he answered, looking a bit sheepish. “I wanted it to be a surprise. Plus, as it turns out, almost everyone needed something to wear. We saw Sera with Leliana, Cassandra, and Josephine while we were at the mall.”

A single grunt of a laugh pushed its way out of Halise’s nose. “So you guys really were all having fun without me.”

Cullen scoffed, “Hardly. I hate shopping, especially for clothes. Dorian and Solas, much to my surprise, seemed to have the greatest fondness for the exercise. Bull, Varric, Cole, and I sort of sat back and let them do the choosing. I went with one of Dorian’s choices.”

“I am very curious to see what he picked out for you. Though I’m sure it’s ‘of the highest quality’ and ‘painfully handsome,’” she smirked, mimicking Dorian’s voice and cadence.

“It’s as if you were there,” Cullen chuckled. He brushed a light kiss over her lips, but when her eyes closed, they chose to remain that way even after he moved away. “Are you sure you don’t need to go home? I know Cassandra would understand if you did.”

Before she could answer, a whisper of a knock tapped at their office door. Through sheer force of will, Halise managed to open her eyes enough to see Cole and Solas standing in their doorway. Cole’s face was almost expressionless, though his eyes looked just a bit concerned. Solas, on the other hand, let his brows knit together and a little frown curve his lips. Cole had a pillow in his hand. Where had he gotten that?

“I brought you this,” the ethereal young man said, holding up the very comfortable looking pillow. “We keep it for children to hold. It helps them feel better when they talk. But you should use it to take a nap. You’re very tired, and it will help you feel better.” He was disarmingly sweet and hopeful for someone who had to deal with those who, in Halise’s opinion, were the worst of the worst—the dregs of society. He was also a little blunt.

“I’d like to offer you my office for a couple of hours,” Solas added. “I can work at your desk, and you can sleep in the quiet seclusion for a time, if that is agreeable to you.” Always so proper. Somehow even more so than Cullen, if such a thing was possible.

Halise smiled wanly but warmly at the men in the doorway. Cullen gave her one little nod of approval, and another as a gesture for her to go. Reluctantly, she stood, crossed the room, and accepted the pillow from Cole. He smiled at her, a sight she so rarely saw from him. She murmured a quiet thank you to Solas and reminded all three of the men that they should come get her if anyone needed her. She had every intention of being back in an hour and a half. One good REM cycle was all she needed.

When she awoke three hours later, however, she cursed herself quietly. She felt better, to be sure, but knowing she’d missed hours of work dropped a pang of guilt onto her like a cinderblock. She stood from Solas’s too-comfortable chair—no wonder he was in his office all day—and wobbled back toward her office.

She stopped just outside her door when she heard Solas’s voice. “—that you and Ms. Lavellan have grown very close. I can see you care for her a great deal.” What an odd time for him to bring that up. Have they been sitting in total silence for the past three hours? she wondered.

The sound of Cullen clearing his throat almost made Halise laugh. She could practically see his hand at the back of his neck. “I do,” he finally replied.

“That is good to hear. Though, an admonishment, if I may—take care that your relationship does not affect the work either of you do. You are both true assets to Skyhold, and I would hate to see that negatively impacted should anything go awry.” He sounded so sincere, but there was a definite tinge of warning in his tone.

Halise didn’t know how to feel about him saying that. Part of her was flattered that he felt so strongly about their work, while another part was irritated that he would insert himself into their affairs in such a way. Cullen’s voice interrupted her thoughts before they could spiral any further. “Rest assured, Solas, nothing will go awry.” He sounded so certain, and that certainty grounded her as she stepped through the door into their office.

“Solas,” she grinned sincerely, “thank you so much for letting me use your office. I had an awesome nap, and I think I’m ready to get back at it. I really, really appreciate it.”

The elf smiled smoothly back at her, closing his laptop and rising from her desk. “I am very glad to hear it,” he said, darting his eyes to Cullen for just a split second. He took the pillow from her hand as he passed her, leaving their office as quietly as he’d come in.

Halise turned on her heel to face Cullen, putting her hands on his desk and leaning forward to kiss him. When their lips parted, he smirked at her, quirking up his scar—the scar that made him more attractive not because of its alluring appearance, but because of how strong he must have been to endure the pain of receiving it. “What was that for?”

“I just agree with you,” she said. “‘Nothing will go awry.’”

Mild embarrassment flushed his cheeks as she watched him. Silently, she prayed to the same entities that hadn’t listened in the night. She prayed that they would listen, and she prayed that she and Cullen were right.

Please let us be right.

*****

#cullen #cullen rutherford #commander cullen #cullen x inquisitor #cullen x lavellan #cullavellan #lavellan #halise #halise lavellan #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #da:i #fanfic #fic #modern au #trial by fire

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joeyrob1 · 4 years

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Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Review

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Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Review. Hot on the heels of our Amazon Machine Learning Review, we decided to do a review and compare against Microsoft Azure’s offering of Machine Learning services on the cloud. In short, we find Microsoft Azure Machine Learning services quite amazing and liked it better than Amazon’s Machine Learning services.

Free Trial Access

Nothing beats free trial access to test drive the system the system for free. Woo hoo! Free $200 credits remaining. I am beginning to sing “…This used to be my playground. This used to be my childhood dreams…”

Production Pricing

But we have to get real and check the real production pricing which can be found at Azure Machine Learning Pricing and copied below. The pricing model is unique. Base fee is low and hourly experiment fee is also low. I guess the bulk of the cost would show up if one publishes the API for production use and there is substantial transactional load on those API calls.

Azure Marketplace vs Machine Learning Studio

First thing I had to realize was how rich the Azure Machine Learning offerings were. There are pre-packaged working AI models available in the Azure MarketPlace For Machine Learning and there is Azure Machine Learning Studio where one can configure Machine Learning models using graphical interfaces. These are very different toolsets for different use cases.

Azure Marketplace

For example Azure MarketPlace has packaged services like the following, some of which might have been built using Azure Machine Learning Studio and many many more.

Customer Churn Prediction

Customer Churn Prediction is a churn analytics service built with Azure Machine Learning. It’s designed to predict the likelyhood of a customer (player, subscriber, user, etc.) ending his or her relationship with a company or service.

Text Analytics

Text Analytics API is a suite of text analytics services built with Azure Machine Learning. Just bring your unstructured text (English only), and use this API to perform sentiment analysis and key phrase extraction.

Recommendations

Recommendations API by Azure Machine Learning helps your customer discover items in your catalog. Customer activity on your website is used to recommend items and to improve conversion in your digital or physical store.

Frequently Bought Together

Frequently Bought Together is a market basket analysis API built with Azure Machine Learning. It helps your customers discover items in your catalog that are frequently purchased together. Use your purchase history to add recommendations to your website.

Binary Classifier API

Binary Classifier API is an example built with Microsoft Azure Machine Learning that fits a logistic regression model to user inputted data and outputs the predicted value for each of the observations in the data. Suppose you have a dataset and would like to predict a binary dependent variable based on the independent variables. ‘Logistic Regression’ is a popular statistical technique used for such predictions.

You can subscribe to a service in the marketplace and try to use it. For example, here we try the text analysis service.

It was very simple to set up. However, I was wondering why the supported languages didn’t include usual internet languages like Python and Ruby.

Experiment with Text Analytics

We went ahead and tried exploring the text analytics API in the browser without code.

We took some text from a Marketwatch article:

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/sp-pullback-may-be-investors-last-chance-2015-04-13

Text 1: As much as the market rallied this past week, we still have not seen dissipation of the bearishness in the financial media. Most seem way too focused on corporate earnings, and believe that will be the next shoe to drop, and cause the market to drop.

Key phrases identified were: “bearishness”,”financial media”,”market”,”past week”,”corporate earnings”,”dissipation”,”shoe”

Sentiment score was: 0.287 (I believe where 0 is very negative sentiment is 1 is very positive sentiment)

Text 2: The upcoming week should provide us with the answer to the question I posed in the title of this update. Keep in mind we have been looking at the last month as a consolidation setting us up for a strong rally toward 2200 in the S&P 500 and 132-136 in the IWM. So, if next week does not provide us with weakness in the equity market, and we take out the all-time highs, we are clearly heading much higher, and toward our long-time targets much sooner than later. But should the market be so kind as to provide us with one more pullback or even one more low toward 2021ES, it will likely be your last opportunity to enter for this next rally to 2182ES/2189SPX and 132-136 in the IWM.

Key phrases identified were: “strong rally”,”weakness”,”long-time targets”,”title”,”equity market”,”us”,”question”,”time highs”,”consolidation”,”answer”,”kind”,”upcoming week”,”SPX”,”update”,”pullback”,”month”,”opportunity”,”mind”,”IWM”

Sentiment score was: 0.99 (I wonder why the score was so high?)

Text 3: Oh no. The world is coming to a sad end.

Sentiment score was: 0.00 (Ok, this makes sense)

Text 4: Oh yes. The world is a beautiful place.

Sentiment score was: 0.88 (This makes sense too)

Text 5: Oh no. The world is a beautiful place.

Sentiment score was: 0.55 (Now, I am just fooling around and confusing everyone)

Overall, the Text Analytics service performed as I expected and is slightly better than other Text Analytics engines I have tried.

Azure Machine Learning Studio

Now, Azure Machine Learning Studio is what makes the whole experience rock. The graphical user interface is powerful and yet amazingly simple and intuitive to use. First you create a workspace like following

You can find plenty of documentations at:

http://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/services/machine-learning/

http://blogs.technet.com/b/machinelearning/

http://blogs.technet.com/b/machinelearning/archive/2015/04/09/exciting-new-templates-in-azure-ml.aspx

What is amazing is the array of samples and templates you can use for experiments eg binary classification, regression, credit risk anomaly detection, customer relationship prediction, flight delay prediction, prediction of student performance, twitter sentiment analysis, recognition of hand-writing, neural networks, online fraud detection, movie and production recommendations, time series forecasting etc.

You can see the full listing at the Machine Learning Gallery http://gallery.azureml.net/

Compared to the narrow set of possibilities at Amazon, this is where Azure really shines. Now I am wondering why I discovered Azure Machine Learning so late. Was it because I overlooked it in favour of open-source source libraries or typically open-source friendly vendors like Amazon and neglected to see how powerful Microsoft platforms can be?

Amazing UI in Azure Machine Learning Studio

The graphical UI in the Machine Learning Studio is wonderful to say the least. Feels like a sophisticated thick client but all in my Chrome Browser with animation, graphical flow charts to help you understand a complicated process.

I decided not to go easy on Azure and tried stress testing by running multiple concurrent model evaluations.

It does take quite a while to run some of the models. Filter Based Feature Selection was stuck for over 30 minutes for the Binary Classification of Twitter sentiment. The other experiments each only took about 5-10 minutes to complete which was acceptable.

The simple ability to share your results (eg on Twitter) is a nice friendly aspect great for their marketing too.

Conclusion

We have tried many machine learning platforms before from the powerful open-source ones like Python Sklearn, Mahout to open-source commercial ones like 0xData, Prediction.IO to large vendor on the cloud ones like Amazon Machine Learning and now Microsoft Azure.

In terms of being able to write code in however way you like and integrate easily into your code, Python Sklearn is probably still the most flexible but comes with a medium learning curve and only for developers. But if you want a Machine Learning service on the cloud for beginners to experts to even business users, with a powerful and intuitive user interface at a decent cost, I think Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio and Marketplace clearly outshines all other Machine Learning solutions on the cloud.

If you like our articles, please follow and like our Facebook page where we regularly share interesting posts.

RobustTechHouse is a leading tech company focusing on mobile app development in Singapore. If you are interested to engage RobustTechHouse on your projects, you can contact us here.

Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Review was originally published on RobustTechHouse - Mobile App Development Singapore

#Machine Learning #mobile #app #development #singapore

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shining-brat-blog · 7 years

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Uncan(e)ny Reactions | Shin | Chapter Two | Katherine

When Katherine thinks about it, she's been giving out a lot of gifts lately. Maybe she wants everyone to be a little more at ease since Aki’s trial, maybe she wants to make more friends, maybe she wants everyone to trusts her more. Who knows the answer? No one, really.

She found herself once again at this door, she had given Kohana a book not too long ago and now she's back with a gift for Shin! While she wanted to keep the cane, she thought its sleek style fitted Shin more. Maybe Shin would dance with it! That would be cool!

One hand held the cane behind her back as the other hand knocked, “Shin-sama! I have something for you!”

At this time of the day, Shin was usually bound to be out and about, training or wasting her time or chatting with people. At any given time of the day she was bound to be doing the same, really, and it was only due to the lucky circumstance of Kohana having mentioned in passing how little she was around that she had decided to spend a bit more time at what passed for her home while she was here. So when Katherine knocked, it was actually Shin who opened the door to their cabin.

When she did and found herself faced with her beautiful fan, her grin was the automatic, honest kind, with just a bit of smugness at being reminded that yes, she was that grea, great enough to have a fan, probably several even.

"Oh heeeey, it's you. Katherine. Kathy? I can call you Kathy, right?"

She stepped aside slightly, and nodded towards the interior of the cabin.

"Come right in, let me fix ya a drink."

"You can call me Kathy." You can call me whatever you want you beautiful graceful dancer...

"I'm glad I caught you at your cabin, Shin-sama." Katherine happily walked in, though side stepping so Shin wouldn't see the cane, "I actually came eariler to give Kohana a gift I thought she would like. When she opened the door she thought I was here for you but it did remind me I got something from the fortune machine that I thought you might like..."

Once inside and the door was closed Katherine revealed the gift: The sleek and stylish cane, "I think you might like it. It's very beautiful and I think it would fit you well. Maybe you can even dance with it, or just strut around the village." A gift? How thoughtful. Shin loved when fans brought her gift, particularly the self made kind- she fondly remembered one very loyal fan who brought her all manners of lunchboxes to her performances, all made with such love and dedication.... They did end up having to arrest her for apparently using that same dedication for going through her trash, but hey, it was nice while it lasted. And Shin had always thought her trash ought to be someone else's treasure.

Given that it had come from the machine, though, she doubted that Kathy's gift would be self made, so what could it be? Shin had given gifts from the machine, but had yet to receive one. What did it have in store for her?

Her face froze when she revealed what it was, smile stuck on her face but not the warm kind anymore while her eyes darted to Kathy's face, then back to the... the thing in her hands, then back to her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking, how much she knew. She didn't move, didn't flinch, just stared for a while, squinted. Then, finally, without ever so much as raising her hand to accept it, she spoke, and he voice was rough enough to make it sound like she'd only just woken up, and without any hint of the warmth and exctement that'd been there before, replaced by an underlying anger, a threat, even.

"Is this a joke?" Katherine had expected a warm acceptance of the gift. Shin would give her that award winning grin, take the gift, and maybe do a little move to ask if she looked good. It sounded like something a flirty woman with an ego bigger than the Earth would say and do. Much to Katherine's surprise, this is not the case. Her reaction to the gift was not what she expected at all.

Shin seemed... angry. A slowly growing anger to the gift. So much so that Katherine felt that she was in danger. The smile on her face dropped as she pulled the cane into her body, "N... No? Shin-sama, I thought you'd like it... I... Did I do something wrong?" Katherine was so confused. "Oh sure, suuuure why WOULDN'T I like it, right? Just bein so helpful and all that, ain't cha? Best intentions only here, givin the cripple a damn cane, who WOULDN'T love it!?" Shin's voice grew louder and more agitated with every moment she spent sending herself deeper into her way of thinking. She wasn't yelling yet, but she wasn't far off either. Seeing her grinding her teeth, gesturing sharply along to her words, it wasn't easy to tell whether she was taking things out on Katherine, or whether this was the restrained version- it sure did feel a little bit like she'd accidentally poked the surface of what may be turning out to be a sleeping volcano.

But it didn't break out. At least not more than it had already. Shin glared for a few seconds, but then, finally, squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples as if she were fighting off a headache. With a final sigh, she ran her hand through her hair. The tension wasn't gone, but when she opened her eyes at least she didn't look ready to start a fight. Angry, irritated still, but with an underlying sense of.... was it hurt...? Tiredness...? Something cold and hard to grasp underneath all the hot burning ire.

"Look."

She clapped her hands in front of her and took a deep breath. Steadied herself.

"I ain't... I ain't yellin at ya. I shouldn't a gotten angry, that wasn't cool, I ain't gettin angry at a... a /fan/, right? They're the ones who brought me here, right...."

There was the slight attempt at a smile, but somehow her words sounded more like an accusation than a compliment. At least she wasn't yelling anymore. "I... I-" This is REALLY wasn't what she was expecting as a reaction to the gift. Shin started her rant, speaking so angrily to a fan with only the best intentions. All Katherine wanted to do was give Shin a gift she thought would fit her but it seemed like the actress struck a cord with her.

Katherine whole vibe had a sudden shift before Shin was even finshed chewing her out. Katherine's face dropped to a neutral expression, not sad or scared as it was before. Her whole body became stiff in a upright posture, pressing the cane so deeply into her body that it looked like it would just go through her. It seems that her eyes glazed over during this shift. Regardless, it was a strange reaction to someone being yelled at.

Not really answering Shin's attempts to smooth this mess over, Katherine just bowed deeply. Her voice was cold, but not in a harsh way, more in an empty way. Cold and without feeling, like a robot for lack of a better term. "I am so sorry... I'm so sorry I make you angry, I'm sorry I disappoint you..." The familiar words flowed out of Katherine with ease. She was still bowing, showing no signs of stopping.

Her reaction was uncomfortable at best, it didn't match her other personality nor her look. It was like a child had gotten scolded and cannot do anything but admit regret for a reason they do not know. "Hey, hey, what's this all about..."

Shin knew what this was "all about". It was all about how she'd gone and screwed up. It was never, in any scenario, her intention to hurt a fan, but it had happened before, oh lord had it happened before. Shin was, by nature, a careless person when it came to the feelings and wishes of others. Her own thoughts and interests came and passed too quickly to pay attention to much else. That brought with it that she was also rarely ever there to deal with the fallout, that had always been Natsume. Oh, she was aware how many poor girls she'd comforted behind her back because she'd suddenly moved on. And to make matters worse, the few she had dealt with had been crying or yelling, in some cases slapping, but not... whatever this was. This just felt uncomfortable and awkward. On top of feeling guilty immediately, she also didn't know what to do. At least her anger was immediately replaced with that mixture.

She raised her hands, unsure whether she should follow her instincts and take her by the shoulders, but ended up sort of just hovering then above them for a while before dropping them back to her side.

"Now look, ya ain't got nothin to be sorry for. This... this is totally on me, see, I'm the asshole here, ya were just tryin ta get me a gift and I- shit, yellin at a fan. It's like, what is this, amateur hour? Am I right?"

She tried her hand at a laugh again, but it was somewhat a failure, coming out choked halfway through.

"And, and the gift? It's awesome lookin! And uh, Astaire did a dance number with a cane in Top Hat, ya seen that one? It's tap dancin, but ya know, if it's Astaire ya can bet ya sweet ass I wanted ta do it." Why was she acting like this? The thought hit Katherine while Shin was trying to smooth over the sitution she caused. Shin was someone she cared about. Katherine tried to do something nice for her, Was trying to make her happy but only ended up getting yelled at. Katherine now knows why she is acting like this. This sitution was different. Shin didn't have any power over her and how dare she yell at Katherine for trying to show some kindness.

Slowly Katherine stood up to her full height. There was a quiet rage look to her face, like her face was casting a shadow. Swiftly Kather held up the cane over her head, her hands gripping it tight. For a moment it looked like Kather might hit Shin over the head with her gift.

But she didn't.

Shin would hear a loud snapping sound of the nice wooden cane right next to her. Katherine had swing down at the floor next to the dancer so hard that she broke the cane in half. Once again she stood straight, holding the upper half the cane out to Shin before dropping it in front of her.

Without another word Katherine walked out of the cabin, leaving Shin with... whatever the hell just happened. Shin wasn't easily intimidated, and at first when Katherine straightened up she was even relieved. No more bowing, no more... whatever that had been. But then she saw her expression, and did something that was unusual for her: She shrunk back. A little. Unnoticably really. And out of surprise more than anything. But she did shrink back from the taller woman, now suddenly embodying the dangerous warrior side of amazons instead of just their body type.

whoops

She tensed when she raised the cane, ready to defend herself or strike, anticipating a strike that was sure to come.... but didn't. Instead, a loud snapping sound as it hit the floor, and broke in two. Shin stared. She stared at the cane. Then back up at Katherine, still glaring, angry. She wasn't sure what she'd done. Or rather, she knew what she'd done, but she hadn't expected her to switch from apologetic to agressive so quickly.

She wasn't sure what to do now either. All she could really do was watch her leave, and so she did, watched her walk away. Only when she was out of earshot did her words return.

"What the hell?"

She mumbled to herself, looking back at the cane. Slowly, she closed the door. That was... weird. That was more than weird. She bent down and picked up the wooden gift she hadn't wanted at all just minutes ago. She still didn't really want it, but now it felt akin to a piece of evidence, broken once in the middle, and why?

She sighed deeply.

"Well done, Shin, real fuckin well done. Messed up that one good."

#Shinobu Fukui #Shin done fucked up #but it is some what reasonable #still

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webmarketing15 · 8 years

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How to Choose a Good SEO Company for Your Business or Website – Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

When it comes to choosing a reputable company to manage your SEO, there’s both a right way and a wrong way to go about the hiring process. In today’s Whiteboard Friday, Rand identifies common pitfalls to avoid and advice to take when it comes to selecting an agency or consultant to optimize your site for search engines. SEOs, take note: there are great ideas here for how to market yourselves to clients, as well!

http://ift.tt/2jaOy6Z

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

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we’re going to chat about how to choose a good SEO company, a consultant or an agency. It could be an independent person. What I want to do as we get into this is help you to understand some of the mechanics behind SEO consulting work. This is a critical hire, because if SEO is important to your business, then the choice of which company or person to use is going to have a huge impact, probably one of the biggest impacts on whether you get great results. There are a bunch of mistakes that people make when they go down this selecting an SEO company path.

Don’t make these mistakes

Mistake #1: Using Google as your filter

The logic makes a lot of sense here if you think about it simplistically. Simplistic thinking is a good SEO company will do a great job ranking for SEO company or SEO consultant or SEO consultant plus my city name. So if I’m looking for the best SEO in Seattle, I have only to Google "best SEO Seattle" and surely the number-one company will show up at the top. But, unfortunately, what happens is most of the very good companies, the ones that are in high demand, the ones that do consistently great work and get great referrals, they don’t actually need to rank here. They’re overwhelmed with clients all the time because their clients refer them to people and lots of people in their network refer folks to them. They have a high retention of clients. Lots of people are very satisfied. They’re making plenty of money and they’re incredibly busy, so they don’t spend any work optimizing their own website to get new clients.

As a result, you are often left with some of the dregs here. Many of the companies that rank well for best SEO plus city name or best SEO plus a region or plus a particular specialty, like best ecommerce SEO, are not the best. They are, in fact, the folks who are simply without any client work and so they’re concentrating all their energy on trying to get new clients. Sometimes, maybe, you can find some good folks in there. It’s just not a great filter.

Mistake #2: Trusting "Top SEO" lists

Many people will search for "best SEOs" or "best SEO consultants" or "best SEO companies," "best SEO companies United States." They’ll get to a website like, I don’t know, bestSEOs.com or topSEOs.com. There are a number of these types of websites that are essentially just aggregators. Their business model is they try and rank for terms like this, and then they sell those listings, the listings on their page, to SEO firms and companies. Back when Moz was a consulting company many, many years ago, they’d call us up and they’d say, "Hey, do you want to be number 3, we can make you number 3 on the best SEO companies list for $20,000 a year. Or we can make you number 1, but you’re going to have to pay $75,000 a year."

That is not a great… I mean it’s a great model for them. Don’t get me wrong. But that pay-to-play scheme is not trustworthy for you as a consumer of SEO companies. You would never trust someone that said, "Oh well, what’s the best restaurant in this particular region?" You’d never go to a list where the restaurants just paid. That would give you the conglomerates and the people who can afford to spend the most and the worst. Don’t trust those types of lists.

There are a few lists, there are a few websites, places like getcredo.com run by John Doherty. There’s obviously Moz’s recommended SEO list, which is just my personal recommendations and the recommendations of my network. You can’t pay to be on there. You can’t pay to be listed. Some of those are more trustworthy. We’ll try and link to a few of those good ones at the end of this whiteboard.

Mistake #3: Believing there’s a "secret sauce"

Mistake number three is believing the sales pitch that unfortunately many I’m going to say low-quality SEO consultants use, which is there’s a secret sauce. There are no secret sauces in SEO. If you hear like, "This is how Google works blah, blah, blah, and then here’s how we do our secret optimization techniques. I can’t tell you what those are. It’s a proprietary methodology, but it works really well," that’s baloney. You should reject that. If you ask, "How do you do it," and they say, "I’m sorry I can’t tell you, it’s a secret or it’s proprietary," that is a very, very bad sign. No one has a secret proprietary process. SEO is a very, very open field. It’s well understood. It has origins in a lot of secrecy, but that is not the way it is today and you should never accept that as an answer. That is a red flag.

My recommended process for choosing an SEO company:

Step 1

I want you to establish, sit down with your team, with your CEO, with your executive team, your board, whoever you’ve got, and figure out the goals you’re trying to achieve with SEO. Why do you want to do SEO? Why do you want to rank organically for keywords? Then, figure out how you’re going to judge success versus failure. In this process, there are good goals and bad goals.

Good goals:

I want to get in front of a lot of people who are researching this, and so we need traffic from these specific groups. I know that they perform searches for this. Great.

We’re trying to boost revenue, and we’re trying to boost it through new sales and SEO is a sales driving channel. Fine, great.

We’re trying to boost downloads or free sign-ups or free trials. Also a fine goal.

We’re trying to boost sentiment for our brand. Maybe if you Googled some of our branded terms today, there are some poor reviews, there’s lots of good reviews that rank below them, and we want to push the good reviews up and the bad reviews down. Fine. Sentiment, that could be something you’re driving as well. You know a lot of people are researching your brand or branded terms. Those are all good goals.

Bad goals:

We just want traffic, more traffic. Why? Well, because we want it. Terrible, terrible goal. Traffic is not a goal in and of itself. If you say, "Well, we want more traffic because we know search traffic converts well for us and here are the statistics on it," fine, terrific. Now it’s a revenue driving thing.

Rankings alone, unfortunately this is a vanity thing that many people have where they want to rank for something simply because they want to rank for it. Usually a bad sign for SEO companies considering clients. You shouldn’t have that on your goals list. That’s not a positive goal.

Beating a particular competitor out for specific keywords or phrases. Again, not a great goal. Doesn’t drive directly to revenue. Doesn’t drive directly to organizational goals.

Vanity metrics. I still see people who are saying, "Hey, does anyone know a great SEO company that can help bring our domain authority up or our Majestic trust flow up or, worst of all, our Google PageRank up?" Google dropped PageRank years ago. It’s terrible. Vanity metrics, bad ideas too.

Step 2

Once you have a list of these good goals that you’re trying to optimize for, my suggestion is that you should assemble a list of usually three to five is I think sort of the right comfort zone. You can do more if you have the bandwidth to evaluate more, but three to five, at least, consultants or agencies. Those could be by a bunch of criteria. You might say, "Hey, look we really need someone in our region so that we can meet with them in person or at least someone who can fly to us on a regular basis." Maybe that’s a requirement for you. Or you might say, "That’s not important. Remote is great." Fine, wonderful. You might say something like, "Our price range or our budget is this particular thing."

You want to find whatever those criteria are and make sure you’ve got a list of three to five folks that you can consider against one another. Have some conversations with them and dig into references.

Good sources:

Your friends and personal networks and professional networks as well.

Similar non-competitive companies. You will find that if you’re, for example, in a B2B space or in an ecommerce space and there’s a non-competitive ecommerce company whom you’re friendly with, you can build those relationships. You should certainly already have those relationships. Talking to those folks about who they use and whether they were successful, great way to find some good people.

Industry insiders. If you’re watching Whiteboard Friday here on Moz, chances are good that you follow some great SEO people on Twitter, which is a very popular network for SEOs, or that you read SEO blogs. You can reach out to some of those influential insiders with whom you have a relationship or whose opinion you really like and care about and ask them who they would recommend.

Good questions to ask:

By the way, I like asking SEO companies: What process are you going to use to accomplish our goals, and why do you use those particular processes? That’s a really smart one to start with.

Ask them about their communication and reporting process. How often? What’s their cadence like? What metrics do they report on? What do they need you to collect? Why do they collect those metrics? How do those match up to your goals and how do they align?

What work and resources will you have to commit internally? You should know that before you go into any arrangement, because it could get very complex. If your SEO company says, "Great here’s a list of recommendations," and you say, "Fine, we don’t have the development bandwidth, or we don’t have the content creation bandwidth, or we don’t have the visual or UI or UX exchange bandwidth to make any of those. So what do we do?" Well, now you’re road blocked. You should’ve had that conversation much earlier in time. *By the way, SEO usually requires some intensive resource allotment. So you should plan for that ahead of time.

What do you do when things aren’t working? I love asking that question, and I like asking for specific examples of when things haven’t gone right and what they’ve done to fix that in the past and work around it.

I like asking broadly. Especially when you open a conversation, especially if you’re feeling like, hey I want to get to know this company’s approach to SEO and their understanding of Google, you can ask them something like, "Hey, tell me how does Google rank results, and how do you as a company influence them?" You should hear good answers about, yes, this is how Google does things, and here’s how we know that and here’s how we do our process of influencing those results. That’s great.

Step 3

I like to recommend that folks choose on these four things:

The trust that you’ve established with a company. That’s through references, through the conversation, through people that you’ve talked to in your network.

Through referrals. If you hear great referrals and you trust those referral sources, that’s a wonderful signal.

Through communication style match. If your communication style, even if everything else is good, but when you have conversations, you walk away from them feeling a little frustrated, maybe you got the things you needed, but it didn’t flow smoothly, I would suggest that maybe that’s a cultural mismatch and you should look for another provider.

Price and contract structure. Many SEO firms have a contract structure that’s month-to-month and that has a certain length of time. You should expect to pay some upfront payment and then some ongoing monthly fee. There’s usually a time at which the payment will recur and the contract will renew. It’s pretty similar to a lot of other services, consulting types of agreements, so you should expect that. If you’re seeing very non-standard stuff, that can be a bad thing sometimes, but not always. A lot of times SEOs have more creative pricing, and that’s all right.

Pro tips

Three pro tips:

If SEO needs to be a core competency at your company, bring it in-house. An agency or consultant can never do as much with as much resources, with as much communication, as someone in-house can do. Starting with a consultant externally and then bringing someone in-house is a fine way to go.

If the quality SEO folks that you’re considering are too pricy, my suggestion might be to say, "Okay, how about you just advise us on the work, and we’ll hire an in-house person, maybe who’s more beginner-level and you coach that person?" That can work well, again especially if you have that budget to bring that person in-house.

Remember that SEO is not for everyone. SEO is extremely competitive. Page 1 gets 95% plus of the clicks. The top 3 or 4 results are getting more than 70% of those clicks, 65% or 70%. So a lot of the time, if you can’t afford yet to do SEO or to engage in it seriously, it may not be all that valuable to go from ranking on page five for a lot of your key terms to page two or the bottom of page one. Unless you have the budget and the energy to really commit yourself to SEO, it might be a channel you consider later down the road.

All right, everyone, hope you’ve enjoyed this edition of Whiteboard Friday. Would love to hear your thoughts on how you’ve picked good SEO companies in the past and the experiences you’ve had there. We’ll see you again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care.

Resources

Rand’s Recommended List

Moz Local SEO Trusted Providers

Credo

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

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tracisimpson · 8 years

Text

How to Choose a Good SEO Company for Your Business or Website - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

When it comes to choosing a reputable company to manage your SEO, there's both a right way and a wrong way to go about the hiring process. In today's Whiteboard Friday, Rand identifies common pitfalls to avoid and advice to take when it comes to selecting an agency or consultant to optimize your site for search engines. SEOs, take note: there are great ideas here for how to market yourselves to clients, as well!

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

Video Transcription

Howdy, Moz fans, and welcome to another edition of Whiteboard Friday. This week we're going to chat about how to choose a good SEO company, a consultant or an agency. It could be an independent person. What I want to do as we get into this is help you to understand some of the mechanics behind SEO consulting work. This is a critical hire, because if SEO is important to your business, then the choice of which company or person to use is going to have a huge impact, probably one of the biggest impacts on whether you get great results. There are a bunch of mistakes that people make when they go down this selecting an SEO company path.

Don't make these mistakes

Mistake #1: Using Google as your filter

The logic makes a lot of sense here if you think about it simplistically. Simplistic thinking is a good SEO company will do a great job ranking for SEO company or SEO consultant or SEO consultant plus my city name. So if I'm looking for the best SEO in Seattle, I have only to Google "best SEO Seattle" and surely the number-one company will show up at the top. But, unfortunately, what happens is most of the very good companies, the ones that are in high demand, the ones that do consistently great work and get great referrals, they don't actually need to rank here. They're overwhelmed with clients all the time because their clients refer them to people and lots of people in their network refer folks to them. They have a high retention of clients. Lots of people are very satisfied. They're making plenty of money and they're incredibly busy, so they don't spend any work optimizing their own website to get new clients.

As a result, you are often left with some of the dregs here. Many of the companies that rank well for best SEO plus city name or best SEO plus a region or plus a particular specialty, like best ecommerce SEO, are not the best. They are, in fact, the folks who are simply without any client work and so they're concentrating all their energy on trying to get new clients. Sometimes, maybe, you can find some good folks in there. It's just not a great filter.

Mistake #2: Trusting "Top SEO" lists

Many people will search for "best SEOs" or "best SEO consultants" or "best SEO companies," "best SEO companies United States." They'll get to a website like, I don't know, bestSEOs.com or topSEOs.com. There are a number of these types of websites that are essentially just aggregators. Their business model is they try and rank for terms like this, and then they sell those listings, the listings on their page, to SEO firms and companies. Back when Moz was a consulting company many, many years ago, they'd call us up and they'd say, "Hey, do you want to be number 3, we can make you number 3 on the best SEO companies list for $20,000 a year. Or we can make you number 1, but you're going to have to pay $75,000 a year."

That is not a great... I mean it's a great model for them. Don't get me wrong. But that pay-to-play scheme is not trustworthy for you as a consumer of SEO companies. You would never trust someone that said, "Oh well, what's the best restaurant in this particular region?" You'd never go to a list where the restaurants just paid. That would give you the conglomerates and the people who can afford to spend the most and the worst. Don't trust those types of lists.

There are a few lists, there are a few websites, places like getcredo.com run by John Doherty. There's obviously Moz's recommended SEO list, which is just my personal recommendations and the recommendations of my network. You can't pay to be on there. You can't pay to be listed. Some of those are more trustworthy. We'll try and link to a few of those good ones at the end of this whiteboard.

Mistake #3: Believing there's a "secret sauce"

Mistake number three is believing the sales pitch that unfortunately many I'm going to say low-quality SEO consultants use, which is there's a secret sauce. There are no secret sauces in SEO. If you hear like, "This is how Google works blah, blah, blah, and then here's how we do our secret optimization techniques. I can't tell you what those are. It's a proprietary methodology, but it works really well," that's baloney. You should reject that. If you ask, "How do you do it," and they say, "I'm sorry I can't tell you, it's a secret or it's proprietary," that is a very, very bad sign. No one has a secret proprietary process. SEO is a very, very open field. It's well understood. It has origins in a lot of secrecy, but that is not the way it is today and you should never accept that as an answer. That is a red flag.

My recommended process for choosing an SEO company:

Step 1

I want you to establish, sit down with your team, with your CEO, with your executive team, your board, whoever you've got, and figure out the goals you're trying to achieve with SEO. Why do you want to do SEO? Why do you want to rank organically for keywords? Then, figure out how you're going to judge success versus failure. In this process, there are good goals and bad goals.

Good goals:

I want to get in front of a lot of people who are researching this, and so we need traffic from these specific groups. I know that they perform searches for this. Great.

We're trying to boost revenue, and we're trying to boost it through new sales and SEO is a sales driving channel. Fine, great.

We're trying to boost downloads or free sign-ups or free trials. Also a fine goal.

We're trying to boost sentiment for our brand. Maybe if you Googled some of our branded terms today, there are some poor reviews, there's lots of good reviews that rank below them, and we want to push the good reviews up and the bad reviews down. Fine. Sentiment, that could be something you're driving as well. You know a lot of people are researching your brand or branded terms. Those are all good goals.

Bad goals:

Rankings alone, unfortunately this is a vanity thing that many people have where they want to rank for something simply because they want to rank for it. Usually a bad sign for SEO companies considering clients. You shouldn't have that on your goals list. That's not a positive goal.

Beating a particular competitor out for specific keywords or phrases. Again, not a great goal. Doesn't drive directly to revenue. Doesn't drive directly to organizational goals.

Step 2

Once you have a list of these good goals that you're trying to optimize for, my suggestion is that you should assemble a list of usually three to five is I think sort of the right comfort zone. You can do more if you have the bandwidth to evaluate more, but three to five, at least, consultants or agencies. Those could be by a bunch of criteria. You might say, "Hey, look we really need someone in our region so that we can meet with them in person or at least someone who can fly to us on a regular basis." Maybe that's a requirement for you. Or you might say, "That's not important. Remote is great." Fine, wonderful. You might say something like, "Our price range or our budget is this particular thing."

You want to find whatever those criteria are and make sure you've got a list of three to five folks that you can consider against one another. Have some conversations with them and dig into references.

Good sources:

Your friends and personal networks and professional networks as well.

Similar non-competitive companies. You will find that if you're, for example, in a B2B space or in an ecommerce space and there's a non-competitive ecommerce company whom you're friendly with, you can build those relationships. You should certainly already have those relationships. Talking to those folks about who they use and whether they were successful, great way to find some good people.

Industry insiders. If you're watching Whiteboard Friday here on Moz, chances are good that you follow some great SEO people on Twitter, which is a very popular network for SEOs, or that you read SEO blogs. You can reach out to some of those influential insiders with whom you have a relationship or whose opinion you really like and care about and ask them who they would recommend.

Good questions to ask:

By the way, I like asking SEO companies: What process are you going to use to accomplish our goals, and why do you use those particular processes? That's a really smart one to start with.

Ask them about their communication and reporting process. How often? What's their cadence like? What metrics do they report on? What do they need you to collect? Why do they collect those metrics? How do those match up to your goals and how do they align?

What work and resources will you have to commit internally? You should know that before you go into any arrangement, because it could get very complex. If your SEO company says, "Great here's a list of recommendations," and you say, "Fine, we don't have the development bandwidth, or we don't have the content creation bandwidth, or we don't have the visual or UI or UX exchange bandwidth to make any of those. So what do we do?" Well, now you're road blocked. You should've had that conversation much earlier in time. *By the way, SEO usually requires some intensive resource allotment. So you should plan for that ahead of time.

What do you do when things aren't working? I love asking that question, and I like asking for specific examples of when things haven't gone right and what they've done to fix that in the past and work around it.

I like asking broadly. Especially when you open a conversation, especially if you're feeling like, hey I want to get to know this company's approach to SEO and their understanding of Google, you can ask them something like, "Hey, tell me how does Google rank results, and how do you as a company influence them?" You should hear good answers about, yes, this is how Google does things, and here's how we know that and here's how we do our process of influencing those results. That's great.

Step 3

I like to recommend that folks choose on these four things:

The trust that you've established with a company. That's through references, through the conversation, through people that you've talked to in your network.

Through referrals. If you hear great referrals and you trust those referral sources, that's a wonderful signal.

Through communication style match. If your communication style, even if everything else is good, but when you have conversations, you walk away from them feeling a little frustrated, maybe you got the things you needed, but it didn't flow smoothly, I would suggest that maybe that's a cultural mismatch and you should look for another provider.

Price and contract structure. Many SEO firms have a contract structure that's month-to-month and that has a certain length of time. You should expect to pay some upfront payment and then some ongoing monthly fee. There's usually a time at which the payment will recur and the contract will renew. It's pretty similar to a lot of other services, consulting types of agreements, so you should expect that. If you're seeing very non-standard stuff, that can be a bad thing sometimes, but not always. A lot of times SEOs have more creative pricing, and that's all right.

Pro tips

Three pro tips:

If the quality SEO folks that you're considering are too pricy, my suggestion might be to say, "Okay, how about you just advise us on the work, and we'll hire an in-house person, maybe who's more beginner-level and you coach that person?" That can work well, again especially if you have that budget to bring that person in-house.

Remember that SEO is not for everyone. SEO is extremely competitive. Page 1 gets 95% plus of the clicks. The top 3 or 4 results are getting more than 70% of those clicks, 65% or 70%. So a lot of the time, if you can't afford yet to do SEO or to engage in it seriously, it may not be all that valuable to go from ranking on page five for a lot of your key terms to page two or the bottom of page one. Unless you have the budget and the energy to really commit yourself to SEO, it might be a channel you consider later down the road.

All right, everyone, hope you've enjoyed this edition of Whiteboard Friday. Would love to hear your thoughts on how you've picked good SEO companies in the past and the experiences you've had there. We'll see you again next week for another edition of Whiteboard Friday. Take care.

Resources

Rand's Recommended List

Moz Local SEO Trusted Providers

Credo

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

#The Moz Blog Blogger

0 notes

whitelabelseoreseller · 8 years

Text

How to Choose a Good SEO Company for Your Business or Website - Whiteboard Friday

Posted by randfish

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

Video Transcription

Don't make these mistakes

Mistake #1: Using Google as your filter

The logic makes a lot of sense here if you think about it simplistically. Simplistic thinking is a good SEO company will do a great job ranking for SEO company or SEO consultant or SEO consultant plus my city name. So if I'm looking for the best SEO in Seattle, I have only to Google "best SEO Seattle" and surely the number-one company will show up at the top. But, unfortunately, what happens is most of the very good companies, the ones that are in high demand, the ones that do consistently great work and get great referrals, they don't actually need to rank here. They're overwhelmed with clients all the time because their clients refer them to people and lots of people in their network refer folks to them. They have a high retention of clients. Lots of people are very satisfied. They're making plenty of money and they're incredibly busy, so they don't spend any work optimizing their own website to get new clients.

As a result, you are often left with some of the dregs here. Many of the companies that rank well for best SEO plus city name or best SEO plus a region or plus a particular specialty, like best ecommerce SEO, are not the best. They are, in fact, the folks who are simply without any client work and so they're concentrating all their energy on trying to get new clients. Sometimes, maybe, you can find some good folks in there. It's just not a great filter.

Mistake #2: Trusting "Top SEO" lists

Mistake #3: Believing there's a "secret sauce"

My recommended process for choosing an SEO company:

Step 1

Good goals:

I want to get in front of a lot of people who are researching this, and so we need traffic from these specific groups. I know that they perform searches for this. Great.

We're trying to boost revenue, and we're trying to boost it through new sales and SEO is a sales driving channel. Fine, great.

We're trying to boost downloads or free sign-ups or free trials. Also a fine goal.

Bad goals:

Rankings alone, unfortunately this is a vanity thing that many people have where they want to rank for something simply because they want to rank for it. Usually a bad sign for SEO companies considering clients. You shouldn't have that on your goals list. That's not a positive goal.

Beating a particular competitor out for specific keywords or phrases. Again, not a great goal. Doesn't drive directly to revenue. Doesn't drive directly to organizational goals.

Step 2

Good sources:

Your friends and personal networks and professional networks as well.

Good questions to ask:

By the way, I like asking SEO companies: What process are you going to use to accomplish our goals, and why do you use those particular processes? That's a really smart one to start with.

What work and resources will you have to commit internally? You should know that before you go into any arrangement, because it could get very complex. If your SEO company says, "Great here's a list of recommendations," and you say, "Fine, we don't have the development bandwidth, or we don't have the content creation bandwidth, or we don't have the visual or UI or UX exchange bandwidth to make any of those. So what do we do?" Well, now you're road blocked. You should've had that conversation much earlier in time. *By the way, SEO usually requires some intensive resource allotment. So you should plan for that ahead of time.

Step 3

I like to recommend that folks choose on these four things:

The trust that you've established with a company. That's through references, through the conversation, through people that you've talked to in your network.

Through referrals. If you hear great referrals and you trust those referral sources, that's a wonderful signal.

Through communication style match. If your communication style, even if everything else is good, but when you have conversations, you walk away from them feeling a little frustrated, maybe you got the things you needed, but it didn't flow smoothly, I would suggest that maybe that's a cultural mismatch and you should look for another provider.

Pro tips

Three pro tips:

Remember that SEO is not for everyone. SEO is extremely competitive. Page 1 gets 95% plus of the clicks. The top 3 or 4 results are getting more than 70% of those clicks, 65% or 70%. So a lot of the time, if you can't afford yet to do SEO or to engage in it seriously, it may not be all that valuable to go from ranking on page five for a lot of your key terms to page two or the bottom of page one. Unless you have the budget and the energy to really commit yourself to SEO, it might be a channel you consider later down the road.

Resources

Rand's Recommended List

Moz Local SEO Trusted Providers

Credo

Video transcription by Speechpad.com

from The Moz Blog http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/9375/5216651

#The Moz Blog

0 notes