#their tactic is essentially just letting us stay + trying to bore us into leaving without them meeting our demands. rather than arresting u

[alexanderpearce]

hello everyoneee!! i am currently at a pro palestine encampment at my university and so will probably not be quite so active as i am normally. no idea how long it will last

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Leona Kingscholar - Platinum Jacket Vignette

"Happy 100th Anniversary"

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Leona: Who'd've thought I'd get to lay my eyes on paintings that I've only ever seen in artbooks like this…?

Leona: That's the Land of Dawning's National Museum of Art, for ya. This'll probably be good for perusing.

???: Heey, the King of Beasts's got a great lookin' mug in this painting.

Floyd: I wonder what's goin' on? Oh hey, Sea Lion-senpai, you tell me.

Leona: Huh? Why should I have to explain anything to you?

Floyd: 'Cause you're right here. But hey, if you don't know nothin' about it, that's cool too?

Leona: Tch… Fine, whatever, just don't start something annoying. You better get lost after this.

Leona: In order for him to establish his ideal nation, he required cooperation from the hyenas…

Leona: Once he came to that conclusion, he himself went to where the hyenas lived in order to negotiate with them.

Leona: There, he spoke at length as to how he could best utilize their strengths and abilities. This painting depicts that scene.

Floyd: Uh-huh. 'N so, what'd the hyenas do? They just went along with what the King of Beasts said without causin' a fuss?

Leona: The hyenas were already pretty hated. And the king was offering a trusted position directly under him.

Leona: It was a tremendous boon for the hyenas, from their perspective. So, of course they took him up on his offer.

Leona: He didn't let what society thought of them sway him, instead he gave jobs to each hyena as what suited their individual abilities…

Leona: This single moment shows just how accomplished the King of Beasts was as a ruler.

Floyd: You think so? I know I wouldn't like having someone sizin' me up and choosing what I gotta do～

Leona: It's the same with sports, ain't it?

Leona: Imagine having a good shooter stuck on defense, or a spindly guy on offense…

Leona: If the team goes along with a coach that gives asinine directions like that, they'd lose even the easiest of matches.

Leona: That goes for both you all in the basketball club, as well as us in the Spelldrive club.

Leona: Anyone can be useful, even if they don't have the constitution or strength.

Leona: For example, if you got a guy who's got nimble fingers, you just gotta put 'em where they can steal the ball or disc from the opponent.

Leona: Then, you use someone who can stay in control of game and send them towards the goal.

Leona: There's no need to have everyone rushing around the field. Any number of tactics can be used to score goals.

Floyd: I get what you're sayin, sure, but whaddya do if your teammates don't listen to what you say?

Floyd: See, I don’t like doin' anything if it's boring, y'know. There's tons of times I get bored in the middle of a basketball game, too.

Leona: Heheh. What, they not giving you any rewards over there in the basketball club?

Floyd: Eh, you saying the Spelldrive club gets somethin' for winning?

Leona: That's right. We get the finest reward one could ask for:

Leona: Victory.

Leona: Our club runs on the merit system. Anyone who can't show their worth during a match gets dropped from the starting team…

Leona: But with just a bit of effort, anyone can get their chance in the spotlight and even find their names on the lips of people outside this academy.

Leona: Plus, this school throws a lot of support towards the Spelldrive team, so even certain grades can be overlooked from time to time.

Leona: Essentially that means each one of our victories matter much more than any of the other athletic clubs' wins.

Floyd: Hmmm… I thought you guys in the Spelldrive club were a bunch of try-hards, so I didn't think I'd like it, but I'm likin' the sound of that merit system.

Floyd: Maybe I'll join the Spelldrive club too. Don'tcha think I'd be great at it?

Leona: No way, absolutely not. …Also, how long you plannin' on following me? I'm already done explaining things, hurry up and leave me alone, already.

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Floyd: Mmkay, next. What's this painting?

Leona: [sigh]… This painting's showing the Thorn Fairy's men all celebrating their master's endeavors.

Floyd: They're, what… dancing around a green fire? Looks kinda like a campfire! Bet they're havin' fun～

Leona: True, they look pretty carefree. Seems like the Thorn Fairy's subordinates don't mind doin' menial tasks.

Floyd: Menial tasks…? Oh, right, there's a ton of cleanup to do after making a fire, or something like that, huh.

Leona: An astute observation, little merling. I'd expect nothing less from someone so naïve in the intricacies of fire.

Leona: Here on the surface, even the smallest flame can grow into a blaze with a little mismanagement.

Leona: Especially in places where the air is dryer… like where I come from in the Sunset Savanna.

Leona: It's not that bad during the rainy season, but there's gotta be extra caution thrown to the wind during dry season. As a precaution, we've enacted regular fire drills.

Floyd: Uh-huuuh. Didja do those fire drills too, Sea Lion-senpai?

Leona: Yeah. Like I said, fire can be a matter of life or death in my country. That's why those fire drills are essential services.

Leona: It's a pain, but the royal family's gotta do it, to set a good example for our people.

Leona: Since a majority of the country get together to observe, it's basically just another huge traditional event at this point.

Leona: Although… Let's just say there's been times that I've had other things on my plate that I completely forgot to take part.

Floyd: Mhhmm… And so, what all do ya do during those drills?

Leona: To be perfectly frank, it's basically getting practice in with handling water. A buncha people'll hold onto a large hose and put out a huge fire in real time.

Floyd: Wow, that's lamer than I thought. Doesn't sound like much fun to just watch happen.

Leona: Oh, not at all. It's not so bad if you're just there to watch it go down.

Floyd: Eh, whyzzat?

Leona: Because they get to witness the glorious scene of the royal family being tossed around by a giant hose.

Leona: You might think that'll invigorate the gathered public, seeing how willing we are to risk their life for the country…

Leona: But if you ask me, I think there's something more to it.

Leona: People can see them in regal attire caked in dirt, and their miserable faces all swollen from the smoke in their eyes…

Leona: They can even see those well-groomed manes completely sopping wet and pathetic. I bet it bring a gleam of joy to them all, heh.

Floyd: Heh, Sea Lion-senpai, I see right through you. You say you'd sometimes forget, but you def haven't been takin' part in it for a while, haven'tcha?

Leona: Well now, who can say?

[Land of Dawning – National Museum of Art]

Floyd: Hey, I think this is a painting of when the Sorcerer of the Sands got his hands on a magic lamp.

Floyd: He looks like he's havin' the time of his life. Most of the Sorcerer's paintings are of him lookin' real smart and proper, so this one's kinda cool and different.

Leona: This tale is of one where he finally achieved his heart's desire after a long and difficult journey. No wonder he'd be ecstatic.

Floyd: You mean he worked super hard for that single lamp? Bet all the trouble he went through to get there was fun, at least.

Floyd: It's boring if you can just easily snag something you want. The more you want something, the more it's worth tryin' to get it.

Leona: Makes sense to me. So what, when I saw you slackin' off the other day, that was you trying your darndest to get class credit, or something?

Floyd: You're one to talk. 'Specially since you skip class waaaay more than I do.

Floyd: Wait, so you were in the botanical garden then too, huh. You shoulda said something, we coulda been skiving buddies～

Leona: Unlike you, I ain't all that impressed with conversation. I was taking a snooze in the tree shade.

Leona: I'd just found a good place to get some shut-eye, I ain't looking to waste time on idle prattle.

Leona: I prefer a quieter, cooler, more comfortable place…

Leona: Now, that would be a place worth sleepin' in.

Floyd: Ahah, that's some stuff to be picky about when you're just plannin' on sleeping there.

Leona: I ain't asking for much. At the very least, all I need is for you to not be there.

Leona: Trying to sleep somewhere noisy'll affect my sleep quality.

Floyd: What, you saying there's different types of sleep, now? Doesn't seem like where or how ya sleep really changes anything to me.

Leona: I am much more of a delicate being than you are, is all. If the quality of my sleep ain't pristine, then it'll slow down my thinking processes.

Leona: I ain't gonna be happy if I can't be quick on my feet and some conniving sneak tries to get the better of me.

Leona: At the very least, I make sure to increase the quality of sleep I can get in my room by taking precautions.

Floyd: Huh, like what?

Leona: I'd roll out a rug under my bed, for one. Even just doin' that'll keep the noise coming from the floor below to a minimum.

Leona: You got all the freshmen, four to a room. There's fighting and arguing over their personal space almost on a daily basis.

Leona: And it wouldn't do 'em any good if I were to intervene on their behalf every time they got in a tussle, right?

Leona: That's why I try a buncha different things to help keep the volume down. It's for all our sakes.

Floyd: You say it's for your underclassmen, but you're just doin' it to get some nappin' in.

Leona: Oh me, oh my. How absolutely wretched that you cannot even see just how loving and kind of an upperclassman I am.

Floyd: Uh-huh, sure… Anyway, I'm gettin' bored lookin' at all these paintings. I think I'll go look around elsewhere.

[Floyd leaves]

Leona: Yeah, yeah, get outta my sight already. Geez, his attention turns on a dime. Whatever, I guess I'll also… Hm?

Leona: This artwork depicts the scene where the King of Lions introduces his newly born cub to his people. Well now, what an absolutely cheerful looking spectacle.

Leona: When their belief in a future filled with hope is suddenly overtaken by despair…

Leona: I feel like I would be able to say this from the bottom of my heart: …Long live the king.

Requested by @farfalla049 and @sakurakudo.

[sillygo0fycl0wn]

hi! I’d love to hear your head canons about ryuk x matsuda (matsuryuk?) Like, who falls first, who falls harder, etc, etc. Thanks! :D

Hello omg yes, I’d love to share some headcanons about these two goobers!!

Haven’t been in a writing mood so sorry for any poor grammar/ maybe stereotypical or boring headcanons, but I’ll do my best! :D (Get ready for my massive yapping session 💪)

Spoilers for Death Note ahead!!

<3 <3 <3

• Their ship name is truly a conundrum.. I love ship names that have a bit more silliness to them that aren’t just the squashed together names of the pair but man I’ve been coming up blank for these two sadly :(( I did see someone mention “Applesuit” which I could get behind.. if anyone has any other ideas let me know I’ll 💍

• Matsuda was definitely the one who fell first without realizing it in the beginning, but something just clicked the minute he saw Ryuk and actually got to know the shinigami and his life. Matsuda is really the only person out of the Task Force who was interested in communicating with Ryuk that didn’t strictly involve interrogation - he was curious about other matters and that got them to delve into deeper conversations. It was sort of a strange thing to imagine in Matsuda’s mind that he was actually falling for a literal monster - a threat even who could kill him at any second - but that didn’t matter whatsoever. That monster was surprisingly nice and handsome of course 💅 His slight naivety probably helped push it forward some..

• Ryuk, on the other hand, wouldn’t really come to terms for his feelings for Matsuda until after Light died. Once returning to the shinigami realm, Ryuk went on feeling as if he were missing something in his life but kept pushing it aside as just his boredom until he physically couldn’t get the image of Matsuda out of his mind, figuring out just how dearly he missed the kindness and wonderful attitude from such a human. For the first couple of years, Ryuk stayed and decided to watch over Matsuda, becoming Gelus levels of obsession where he would rarely leave his post to follow the man around. After some time, Ryuk would gain his hands on another Death Note and in this AUish, headcanon world idea I’ve come up with, instead of going to Minoru in the time skip, he would latch onto Matsuda. Not only to spend more proper time with him but also for Ryuk’s slight amusement to see if Matsuda would be willing to use the Death Note to himself. I’d imagine, judging by how Matsuda saw that there was a sense of misguided goodness in Kira beforehand, would be persuaded to use the note although he uses it very sparingly to not bring attention to himself and of course only kills the worst of the worst.

• The question for who fell harder is a bit more complex because while Matsuda is way more outward with his emotions, becoming all giddy and flushed around Ryuk, I think that they still fell equally as hard for the other. Ryuk has this more softer yet still as passionate love for Matsuda, an emotion he can’t grasp until it hits him in the face.

• Matsuda was the only one out of the Task Force concerned in feeding Ryuk and he took this way more seriously than Light or probably anyone else would. Matsuda would be a massive stickler in trying to find the best, ripest, most juiciest apples he could possibly muster (and afford..) for Ryuk and this started the small spark in Ryuk’s brain toward Matsuda for being so thoughtful enough to try and find such wonderful apples.

• In return, Ryuk shows his appreciation with a tactic known as pebbling (something penguins do and I overall headcanon that this is one of the ways shinigami show their love - platonic or otherwise :3) Pebbling is essentially just an individual finding a cool looking rock to give to their partner/ friend. Anytime Matsuda brought Ryuk a brand new bag of apples, Ryuk would bring Matsuda rocks he found wherever he could. And obviously.. he kept them all 😔 Probably has a little chest and everything filled with nothing but damn rocks

• Matsuda definitely has a hard time concealing his feelings but since Ryuk doesn’t fully grasp the concept of human nature at first (particularly romantic feelings) + he doesn’t believe any human would ever love him, he’s quite oblivious if Matsuda gets super nervous around him or gets all flustered. Misa is the main one who notices and constantly teases Matsuda about it - again, Ryuk just blows it off, not accepting it as fact

• Ryuk seldom left Matsuda’s side during the days of the Task Force (unless forced to) and would often just stand over Matsuda’s shoulder, watching him work. He always cursed himself for getting genuinely excited whenever Matsuda came into work.

• Matsuda often helps out Ryuk in preening his feathers, really only in those hard to reach areas near the center of his back. This was one of their first more intimate moments together when, Ryuk - someone who rarely ever lets anyone touch his wings because he takes great pride in them - ask Matsuda for help in preening during the Task Force days. Lotsa trust there, but Matsuda does a great job at it. No matter how long it takes, he’s sure to be precise.

• Funny thing is that I headcanon shinigami do this to one another on occasion too (only the ones with feathered wings). This allopreening junk is mostly seen in a platonic way since sometimes you just can’t reach those nasty pin feathers 😔 But Ryuk tries to return the favor for Matsuda’s help and by return the favor he sort of.. grooms Matsuda in the way of licking his messy hair cat-style and making it all pretty with his saliva 🫶 good for you Ryuk. He tries 😔

• I don’t believe that Ryuk would ever sacrifice his life at the end of Matsuda’s for a couple reasons. One, Matsuda will still be a mortal being no matter if his life is extended past that previous death date, he will die eventually and there’s no going back against that. The only qualm is that Ryuk is now dead as well. Secondly, the life Matsuda would get after Ryuk’s sacrifice would not be one worth living due to the extensive amount of years that would be put on his person, essentially making him immortal and suffering for it in the process - something Ryuk definitely would never want to leave Matsuda with. However, since they have the mutual agreement that Ryuk will be the one to write Matsuda’s name down when it seems fit, Ryuk would be sure to make his death as painless as possible to ensure the best final ending for his human. Ryuk would, in a bittersweet moment, hold a dying Matsuda in his arms, knuckle gingerly brushing against his cheek, telling him that everything’s going to be alright - that type of angsty junk 😔

To more generalized headcanons..

• Ryuk adores the way humans are so warm and toasty because he has no natural pulse or bloodflow to keep his own body warm so in turn he feels like a literal icicle. He quite likes giving general touches to Matsuda once warming up to the man, particularly holding his hands and touching his face in gentle gestures. The two of them oftentimes will sleep together for this reason. Even though Ryuk doesn’t sleep, he willingly holds onto Matsuda and gets super cozy with how soothing his body temperature is. Matsuda doesn’t even mind the cold because (just like little ol me 💅) he’s always burning up at night so the two cancel each other out into nothing but comfort :3

• Speaking of their sleeping arrangements, their two main positions are holding one another in a tight embrace or having Matsuda sprawled out on top of Ryuk with his arms knitted around Matsuda’s waist.

• (CW: Light talk of panic attacks) Andd speaking of Ryuk’s cold natured self.. this comes in handy if Matsuda ever has really bad days where he may enter panic or otherwise anxiety attacks. One way to help someone refocus during a panic attack is with intense sensations such as holding an ice cube to shock the body into returning to reality. Ryuk is a horrible comforter, he never really knows how to communicate or verbalize properly, so the one way he can help is to hold Matsuda’s hands during these episodes to help calm him down. He’s also really good at making random talk in order to act as a distraction.

• These two cannot kiss each other if their lives depended on it- Matsuda, poor guy, has definitely not been in any serious relationships in his life besides for a couple dates here and there and so he’s a massive kiss virgin. Ryuk.. Where the hell would he find the time to smooch someone. As a result (plus the size difference between the two), they struggle to actually kiss each other without it looking like a hot ass mess.. but they learn and grown together in their relationship, slowly finding ways around it (I wouldn’t recommend making out with Ryuk tho those fangs lord nightmare right there 😬)

• Horrible kissers? Try also horrible bakers- They desperately want to make something for the other but can’t. Matsuda I can imagine wants to bake something simple such as an apple pie, but greatly messes it up and resorts to buying one from the store, while Ryuk tries to make something like breakfast for Matsuda one day only to nearly set the house on fire.. they do their best but unfortunately no dice 😔

• The size difference can come in handy though as Ryuk tends to show his affection in a bit of I suppose not a typical fashion when it comes to physical affection? He’s very handsy in the way that he won’t offer kisses, hand holding, or hugs, but will scoop Matsuda up in his arms and carry him around alongside putting the other in his lap or on his shoulder. He loves coming up behind Matsuda and just surprising him with a giant swoop into his arms. This also makes it easy for Ryuk to bring Matsuda to bed if he fell asleep out on the couch.

• Mmm cheesy love trope for these two - Ryuk calling Matsuda pet names in different languages (overall headcanon that shinigami can speak any language to communicate with all humans). Ryuk goes down the list of just saying “my love” in whatever language he can think of. Works on Matsuda way too well-..

• Ryuk loves to tease Matsuda whether he’s on a phone call, interacting with others that can’t see Ryuk, or just simply working - typically out in a public setting where Ryuk can distract Matsuda with tender touches, small whispers in his ear or even lighthearted kisses. The one time he’s perfectly happy with initiating the physical affection. He’s glad to rile Matsuda up in front of people without them knowing any better.

• Similarly, Ryuk always has to comment on whatever the hell is going on and this will make Matsuda laugh pretty much 100% of the time, often to his dismay because it’s at such inappropriate occasions

• Ryuk loves seeing him laugh though, it makes him happy :3

• Ryuk can’t obviously wear any of Matsuda’s clothes like in that stereotypical love trope way, but he will steal whatever he can get his hands on (shirts, jackets, etc) and snuggle up with them because he still loves the way they smell + Matsuda in general

• Ryuk likes to beg Matsuda for a bite of whatever he’s eating and Matsuda always obliges even though he knows Ryuk will grumble about how ‘nasty’ it is with his picky ass. He just does it to tease ✨

<3 <3 <3

A h a ranting aside, I tried to come up with as many as I could, I tend to be super blehh when it comes to pairing headcanons compared to just singular or species headcanons- Still hope you enjoy though! And thanks so much for making my brain go haywire with this ask 💪

[slightlyrebelliouswriter23]

hey so i'm hoping to get some writing advice about creative burnout? like i seem to write in fits and spurts. some months i can churn out a oneshot or chapter everyday and some months i can do one (1) creative thing only. so i'm wondering how to prevent creative burnout and how to just create more smoothly <3 thank you!

Creative Burnout & How To Ward Against It

First, I’d like to preface this all by saying you’re definitely not alone. You probably already know this, but sometimes it’s nice to be reminded.

I know from personal experience that creative burnout can leave you feeling hopeless, detached from yourself—the kind of identity crisis no one needs in 2020. 

So buckle in, folks. It’s a dosy.

I. The Symptoms

Not to be the local WebMD page here, but signs of burnout can include:

Procrastination (more than usual)

Dreading writing and feeling stuck or overly perfectionistic when you try

Physical tiredness and/or irritability

Feeling like everything is monotonous

It’s more than just writer’s block. It’s a physical and emotional exhaustion response to something that goes deeper than a simple lack of inspiration. In my experience, and from a bit of research, I’ve found that what your brain is really looking for is dopamine.

Dopamine is essentially your brain’s chemical reward system for doing something interesting or exciting to you. As someone who is diagnosed with ADHD, I have chronically low levels of dopamine, so this is a constant struggle for me—but it is absolutely made worse by creative burnout.

II. The Problem

Studies have shown that the more we do A Thing the less that thing will give us dopamine (unless a component of the activity changes regularly). This is because eventually our brains desensitise to the stimuli provided by the activity, and subsequently, we become disengaged.

But it’s not necessarily The Thing (i.e. writing) that becomes boring. Actually, more than a few factors could be at play here, and the first step to finding a solution is to identify the problem.

1. ENVIRONMENT LACKS EXCITEMENT/CHANGE—

Sometimes, the monotony of everyday life can feed creative burnout. This becomes especially applicable in quarantine when you’re not leaving your house.

What we don’t realise is that even something as small as the variables of driving to and from work, or interacting with passing coworkers, gives us dopamine. So if you have the same routine every day that does not involve any added variables, your brain will begin staunching that dopamine supply.

2. EITHER TOO EASY OR TOO CHALLENGING—

In 1975, Hungarian-American psychologist, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, coined the term “flow”, which refers to a heightened state of creativity and concentration on an activity. Csikszentmihalyi posited that if your skill level is equal to the level of challenge in any given activity, you will experience this state of flow.

The chart below is taken from Csikszentmihalyi’s own study on the subject of flow and motivation. It examines “your skill level” on the x axis in relation to the “challenge level” on the y axis.

Essentially:

Too much challenge + not enough skill = anxiety, worry (which might lead to procrastination and perfectionism)

Too much skill + not enough challenge = boredom, apathy (which might lead to monotony, irritability, and other depression-like symptoms)

Skill level = Challenge level = Flow

3. NOT ENOUGH “ACTIVE” STIMULATION—

When it comes to dopamine seeking, there is a distinct difference between active and passive stimulation in the brain.

Active stimulation is any form of activity that you have to actively engage in. For instance; exercising, doing a crossword puzzle, or reading a book. These kinds of activities not only give you dopamine, they also facilitate critical thinking and problem solving thought processes, which act as catalysts for creativity.

Passive stimulation, on the other hand, comes in the form of television, social media, and YouTube. It’s anything you can consume without having to actively engage. Passive stimulation will indeed give your brain dopamine, however, it won’t activate your creativity.

The problem also lies in the speed at which you receive the dopamine from passive activities. Passive stimulation is so easy to access that the more you consume, the harder it becomes to pick up active stimulation. Your brain expects a hit of dopamine just by picking up a phone or turning on the TV—it becomes addicted to the quick fix of a Netflix binge.

III. The Solutions

Based on the problems mentioned above, I am going to list a few solutions. Keeping in mind that not every solution will work for everyone, these can act as both preventative measures and remedies for someone who is currently burned out.

1. CHANGE UP YOUR ENVIRONMENT/ROUTINE—

Aim to do at least one thing per day that will add “variables” to the monotony. This can be as simple as going on a long walk, dressing up in that bold outfit you always wanted to wear to the office but never did, or sitting at a different workspace in your home.

Anything you can do that’s simple, but might provide an extra variable to your day to spice things up. Note: this shouldn’t be the same thing every day.

2. CHALLENGE YOURSELF MORE—

If you find yourself bored by your work, try challenging yourself more. This could mean setting goals for yourself that go a bit beyond what you’ve been doing. 

For example, if you’ve been writing 500 words per day, see if you can beat your own word count every day for the next week. If you’ve been writing mainly fluff pieces, switch it up and do an angst piece. See if you can write a book in a month, or start a blog where you don’t write fiction at all!

Anything you can do to add a little kick to your workload. Note: Beware of challenging yourself too much! This can lead straight back into burnout.

3. CHALLENGE YOURSELF LESS—

If you’re on the flip side of that coin, and find that you are anxious, procrastinating, and perfectionistic when it comes to writing, fret not. Just because you’re experiencing any of these things, doesn’t mean you’re incapable of doing the job with your skillset.

It just means your perception of the job needs to be shifted.

Procrastination, at its heart, is a fear of failure, which results in actively avoiding the negative emotions associated with the task that causes this fear. Perfectionism is a type of procrastination that is a combination of a fear of failure and a fear of success (or, more accurately, other’s critiques of your success) all at once.

Neither have anything to do with your actual skillset, but they have everything to do with your perception of your skillset. Obviously, this is a harder thing to fix, as it has to do with deeply ingrained levels of self-esteem.

What I can offer you is a tactic to trick your mind into thinking you’re capable.

If you have a task, big or small, and you are feeling overwhelmed by it (like you might go curl up in bed and scroll Tumblr), immediately break that task up into smaller tasks. Keep breaking up the smaller tasks until you have the smallest possible part of the bigger task without doing nothing.

Then do that smallest possible thing.

If your goal is to write a 2000 word one shot, a small part of that task is writing half of it. An even smaller part of that task is breaking the one shot up into “scenes” and writing one scene. For instance:

Jude wakes up to a sore throat, a runny nose, and a fever.

She tries to go to work, but Cardan, being the mother hen that he is, threatens to never make her another grilled cheese sandwich (her favourite food) ever again if she doesn’t stay home.

Jude agrees begrudgingly, and Cardan sits her down in front of the TV with a bottle of Gatorade. He leaves to go get medicine from the store.

When Cardan comes back, Jude is worse than before. He makes her soup and saltine crackers and spoon feeds her.

She complains the whole time and, in her feverish state, threatens to never buy him another bottle of wine (his favourite food) ever again if he doesn’t let her feed herself.

Each bullet point represents one “scene” of about 200-400 words each. Obviously, there will be more details that you work out as you write. But with these five smaller scenes, your goal is no longer writing the 2000 word one shot. Your goal is writing the first of the five scenes.

If you complete the smallest possible task, you can stop, and you’ll still feel like you’ve accomplished something because you can cross off that task from your list. But chances are, by the time you cross off one task, you may have inspiration enough to keep going.

4. ENGAGE IN ACTIVE STIMULATION—

Since active stimulation has been proven to turn on the creative “tap”, try incorporating more of these activities into your daily routine:

Exercise: As the resident couch potato, I hate to say that exercising is good for creativity, but it is. Even if it’s just going on a short walk, so long as you’re moving.

Reading: Sometimes you have plenty of ideas, but no words to fit those ideas. Fill your well of words by carving out an hour or two each day for reading a good book.

The Creative Process: In the writing world, the creative process is a process of about 20-30 minutes that the writer partakes in every day before they start writing. This process should be creative, but also have nothing to do with writing. You can try colouring in a colouring book, painting, organising a page in your bullet journal. Anything that is creative but does not make you think about everything you have to do that day. Think of it as creative meditation.

Listen to music: Having APD, I personally can’t listen to music while I write. However, studies have shown that if you listen to at least ten songs per day, it will significantly benefit your dopamine levels and overall mood. If you’re like me and prefer to work in silence, maybe stick on a couple songs during your creative process. If you can manage music and writing together, get out those headphones!

5. KEEP A REGULAR SCHEDULE—

I know this is the most cliche point in the book, but it’s valid. This doesn’t mean do the same thing at the same time every day over and over, because ultimately we’re looking to avoid monotony. 

But having pillars of structure to bolster the excitement can definitely work to keep you from slipping into burnout. Going to sleep, waking up, and having your meals at relatively the same time every day are good examples of this. 

Feel free to change up the things you do between breakfast and lunch, but make sure you have those pillars of consistency so your brain knows that a break is on the horizon and doesn’t get tired.

6. PACE YOURSELF—

This is particularly difficult for those of us who are coming out of a creative burnout, but I urge you to pay special attention to this one. If we are suddenly hit by inspiration and the writing is flowing and flowing and flowing, eventually we will hit the point of highest dopamine capacity for writing.

Not putting a check on the flood of inspiration coming out of a creative burnout, I’d argue, is actually a guarantee that many of us will experience burnout all over again. It becomes this vicious cycle in which we are trapped.

While it feels great to write non-stop and receive immediate validation for that work, try to limit yourself to how much you’re writing and how immediately you post your writing (if you plan on posting it).

Whenever I finish a one shot or a chapter of something, I like to allow at least one day for editing before I post. This timeframe is important, because it acts as a buffer of rest between writing marathons. 

You can take however long you need for the editing process, but definitely make sure you have a set amount of time in place. Otherwise, your brain might not have enough time to come down from what is essentially a writing high, and you will always need to reach greater heights in order to achieve that same level of dopamine.

~~~~

Overall, the most important things to take away from all of this are: 

Change up your environment

Keep your brain actively stimulated 

Have pillars of structure between which you can run about chaotically to your heart’s content

PACE YOURSELF!

Hope this helped. Happy writing!

-Em 🖤🗡

Writing Tip Masterlist

Fic Masterlist

Celebrate 2K with me!

[bloodxbat]

(Part 2) The girl Mafia George x Fem! Y/N Series

Warnings: Swearing! (message if I missed any)

Word Count: 2K

Summary: George Weasley is a renowned Mafia boss who took over from his Father Arthur once he retired, to carry on the Triple W mafia legacy. The only mafia known to be able to keep the Death Eaters (their rival mafia) at bay. However there is one item that they stole from the Triple W’s which George is determined to get back…his mothers necklace, the family heirloom. Y/N Greyback has been forced to comply with the Death Eaters wishes as her family are high up members. What happens when George and Y/N meet? And what happens when they fall in love?

Series Masterlist

George couldn’t get the mystery girl from last night out of his head. Was it truly his mother’s necklace that he saw lying on her neck? It couldn’t have been, one of his men would have seen her enter Diagon if it was, either that or they would have already caught her roaming the streets. He didn’t recall seeing a dark mark tattoo on her left forearm, so she couldn’t have been a part of Riddle’s crew. Unless of course, they had gotten smarter and realised that them all having the same tattoo was a big give away. George couldn’t focus, he was sat in the Leaky cauldron, attempting to each his breakfast but continuing to get lost in thought. 

Soon, George felt his pocket buzz, indicating that he had gotten a message on the phones that him, Fred and Ron had all gotten in order to keep in touch. He flipped it open seeing a text from both of his brothers, the usual update saying that ‘No one has yet been caught or seen trying to leave or enter Diagon’. The members stationed all round the boarder of the town were doing an excellent job, George had full trust in them that they had all been keeping an extremely close eye out for any suspicious or unusual behaviour. 

George had well forgotten about his breakfast an morning coffee, trying to figure out any more ways he can ensure that Diagon was free from any Death Eater bastards. Being a mafia boss didn’t come naturally to George, so it was at times like these he struggled most, his mind racing with unreliable memories of the girl from last night and the necklace she was wearing. Hitting the table in frustration, George places his head in his hands and sighed. 

He wasn’t one to confront a lady, but when it came to his mother’s necklace, he really had no choice, he had to find out where she was staying, who she was, and if she was in fact a Death Eater. 

-

Y/N woke up the next day satisfied with what she had managed to achieve last night. She didn’t know much of George Weasley’s appearance other than the fact that he was tall and ginger. Which suited exactly the description of the man she had bumped into last night. Another thing she hadn’t expected was for him to be so handsome. 

In all honesty Y/N felt it was cruel what she had been sent to do. She hated knowing that she would essentially be leading George to his death. Y/N has never agreed with the rulings that Riddle made, she felt that what he was preaching for was extremely prejudice, he wanted to get rid of every poor family so that “the rich could thrive”, Y/N’s heart deep down was set on truly helping those who weren’t as well off as the others. 

Thoughts of going behind her family’s back and instead helping George take away all power from Riddle had become extremely prominent in her mind. She knew what she had to do, she had to find George Weasley again, whilst under cover so that the Death Eaters that are currently staying within Diagon don’t report back that they had seen her with George Weasley, the very man they’re trying to kill. 

Her mind was set, she was going to purposely seek out George Weasley tonight and tell him everything her family and the rest of the Death eaters wish to do to him, and Triple W. Along with their plans to get rid of all poor people in England. 

-

George had long since given up on his breakfast, and was now making his way back to the old fashioned bar in which Triple W held all of their meetings. As he walked through the building in which the HQ as it were, was located, he could hear a slight murmuring of voices coming from the bar room. Them most likely being the voices of other Triple W members catching up like they normally would, before a meeting began. 

George walked into the smoke filled room, heading straight to the back where his seat sat in the centre, almost as if it were a throne looking for a king. He stood in front of his chair, clearing his throat as he looked round the room gaining the attention of the men and women before him. 

“As many of you may know, we have had our first night with members scattered round the boarders of this town, and so far there has been no sign of anyone attempting to leave or exit Diagon”

Triple W members began to whisper their frustrations at the lack of Death Eaters being caught.

“Now I know this may seem bad news for right now as we haven’t caught any of those bastards quite yet, BUT, we also need to look on the bright side of things. This also may well mean that we are also, so far safe from any spies getting information of our whereabouts. This meeting is only a short one tonight boys…and ladies, so unless anyone has anymore questions or information they wish to put forward, you are all welcome to go back home, or stay and enjoy a drink” 

George stepped away from where he was standing and went over to his brothers. 

“So really no further info or suspicions for any Death Eaters, coming in or out, isn’t that suspicious I mean surely they would have sent someone by now” Ron says clearly not convinced that no information has been passed down.

“I was thinking that too y’know” Fred added

“Look, I agree, I surely think that if they were really serious about taking us down they would’ve sent a spy, but they haven’t. There is no doubt in my mind that they are dead set on killing each and every one of us, so this could be their tactic. Let us believe that no one is coming, therefore they wait until we eventually let out guards down, so they have easy access and a higher chance of getting to us” 

“You’re not gonna let that happen though Georgie, surely” Fred said

“No of course not, all I’m saying is that this could be their plan, we’re not going to give up to easily just because we get bored due to there being no action, alright so just sit tight because we could be like this for months”

Fred and Ron’s faces both changed into realisation that that could indeed be true. 

“Now, I’m gonna head back to the leaky cauldron to relax, keep me posted if any of the guys near you see anything”

With that, George walked out the room, into the streets and made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron, smiling at locals as they passed. Once at the pub he sat down right in the corner, only ordering a glass of water, picking up the local newspaper, ignoring once again the thoughts of who the mystery girl truly was that he had bumped into last night. 

He felt a tad bit guilty for not telling Fred or Ron about how he had briefly spoken to a woman, about his age, wearing a necklace that looked suspiciously like the one that was stolen from their mother years ago. Before they were born. 

George didn’t know much about the exact origins of his mothers necklace. The basic story he knew was that, his family used to be extremely poor, living off of pennies, barely getting by. Having 5 children at the time wouldn’t have helped either, more mouths to feed, less money to do so. That was until his Father got a massive promotion and therefore a raise in wage at his job. As a treat his Father bought his Mother a beautiful, diamond necklace to remember and symbolise that no matter how much they were struggling, that they were always going to find a way to get past it. Thus it became the most price possession to the Weasley family, becoming their heirloom. You can only imagine the hurt that George’s mother felt when she came back to their house one evening, to find the windows smashed and her necklace gone. 

George was too young at the time to understand fully, the impact that the loss of that necklace had on his mother and father, and what it meant to them. But as he grew, and his father created Triple W in order to track down the people who stole it. 

-

Y/N had gotten dressed, in a smart but casual outfit. She didn’t have any desire to be immediately spotted today so she had taken off the diamond necklace and placed it in her bag. She decided that she would try and seek out George today, as she wasn’t expected to have a meeting with another under cover Death Eater until tomorrow, to update them on her progress. 

Y/N had decided to make her way down stairs to the pub area of the Leaky Cauldron. As she made her way down the stairs she couldn’t help but notice a fiery red colour sitting in the corner, in her peripheral vision. 

She turned her head only to see the one and only George Weasley, sat with a glass of what looked like water, his head stuck in the local newspaper ‘the Daily Prophet’. Even though he had the paper up at eye level and was scanning it back and forth, his furrowed eyebrows and blank expression told her that he wasn’t really reading the newspaper, and that something else was on his mind. 

Y/N reckoned it must have something to do with the people she has been forced to work for her whole life. She tentatively began to walk toward the ginger man. She could feel her heartbeat quicken, what is his reaction going to be when she tells him that she actually works for the people he is dedicating his life to defeating and that she is actually in possession of his mother’s extremely expensive and extremely valuable diamond necklace. Her hearing began to focus only on the beating noise of her heart and the noise of her shoes hitting the ground with every step as she walked closer and closer to George’s table. 

She could feel the tension rising as if he already knew she was there and who she was. She had caught herself momentarily holding her breath, making her feel light headed and even more anxious at the confrontation she was about to engage in. To say she was scared of George was an understatement, she knew nothing about George or his character. For all she knew he could freak out and kidnap her away to wherever they had their meetings, and torture her for answers. At least, that’s what Riddle would do if the roles were reversed. The only thing that was helping motivate her feet to move closer and closer towards him, was the tiny speck of hope, that he was different to the people she had grown up around. 

Her feet came to a halt after what felt like forever, she looked at the man in front of her with a some what calm expression. Y/N cleared her throat gaining the attention of George, who put his newspaper down on the table in front of him, meeting her eyes with his dark hazel coloured ones. Y/N smiled weakly at her before speaking. 

“H-hi”

“Hello, you’re that lady that I bumped into last night aren’t you? I’m awfully sorry about that by the way, I hope I didn’t hurt you” he replied, she could hear the genuine concern for her safety which put her mind more at ease, maybe he was nice, maybe he wasn’t the type of mafia boss to torture people. 

“Yeah I am, and I’m the one who should be sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going” 

“No need it’s all good, what can I do for you?” He smiled

Y/N gulped down any nerves she felt, in order to stop her voice from trembling, she was terrified, not only of George’s possible reaction, but also of Riddle and any other Death Eaters that might see her with him, betraying him. 

“We need to talk” 

Taglist: @amourtentiaa​ @love-peachh​ @pens-and-roses​ @rosietoesy​ @comfortwriting​ @famdomhideout​ @dracofknmalfoy​ @pandaxnienke​ @georgeweasleysbabe​ @le-weasley-simp​ @skarlettmikaelson​ @gaycatlord-stuff​ @midgardianweasley​ @writing-wh0re (MESSAGE/ASK IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED)

[rainofaugustsith]

Rain Plays SWTOR: Spirit of Vengeance Survival Walkthrough

As we head toward 7.0, I thought it would be a good idea to check in with a Spirit of Vengeance Survival Guide, 2.0. I have my own feelings about SoV - namely that it's boring, tedious and was tuned way too high for a main story solo flashpoint - but let's move on to the actual guide. 

This is a guide specifically for those of you who just want to get this flashpoint over with so you can move on. 

I personally would advise trying to knock this flashpoint out of your story progression BEFORE 7.0. We have no idea how hard content is going to be once you lose some of your abilities and utilities, so if you have any characters who are planned to continue with the main story, I'd take them through now while you have all of the tools in your toolbox and are familiar with them.

After literally months of complaints the devs finally toned down this flashpoint to a more manageable level, but there are still a lot of mobs that hit hard, and it's still really long. When I went through with canon Viri and Lana at level 50, with Viri fully geared toward 306, I moved right along through the flashpoint without difficulty or deaths. It still took almost exactly an hour. It's even longer when you're contending with Rass Ordo and a lot of cut scenes. 

You will want to gear as well as you can for this - you should not have to since this is a story/solo flashpoint in the main story, but it will help you here. Remember you DO NOT have to group to get good gear. There are numerous solo missions that will give you gear up to 306 - the Mek-Sha Tradehouse missions, Personal Conquest each week, solo flashpoints, including the Onderon weekly and daily missions. Other suggestions: 

1. Buy and use the Supplied Kyrprax Command Stim, available at any medical droid in the flashpoint, including the one when you first land on Ship #1. If you're doing this as part of the main story, you unfortunately still have Rass Ordo as your companion. Rass Ordo, despite being influence level 25, still has the AI of a cardboard box. You'd be better off bringing along a Jawagram as your companion. This stim will up your presence for an hour and make him slightly less incompetent. 

2. If you can, equip yourself with the Life Warden tactical. This tactical drops fairly frequently from personal conquest and other gold gear boxes. It essentially gives you an extra heal in a tight situation and can come in handy. 

3. Medpac on your abilities bar. You hopefully won't need this, but have it handy just in case. You may want to invest in the Supplied Kyprax Med Unit medpac, which will heal you AND your companion. 

Within the flashpoint, some general caveats. You're looking at quantity, not quality here. It's just a lot of NPCs piling in on you. 

1. KILL THE HEALERS FIRST. KILL THE HEALERS FIRST. KILL THE HEALERS FIRST. Just about every mob here has healers. They have different names on each ship: 

- Varad Churl

- Darmanda Medic

- Ashade Lorekeeper 

If you don't kill the medics first the fights will be even more interminable. Get rid of them. 

2. Remember there are kolto stations in a lot of the rooms, not just the boss areas. 

3. Be very careful because there are a lot of mob groups close together. Watch where you are blasting/Force-whatevering because you don't want to pull more than one group at once. 

4. Get your gear repaired as often as you can. If you've fought a tough mob and there's a medical droid nearby, go to it and patch up, even if it means you have to backtrack. 

5. Get really familiar with any AOE (area of effect) skills you have. Know where they are on your abilities bar and how to use them. Given the mobs in this flashpoint, anything you have that can clobber several NPCs at once is welcome.

Now, here we go.

SHIP #1: 

Banquet room: after you fight the first mob and take the elevator, you will find yourself in a large "banquet room" with a lot of mobs. Pick a straight line and go forward, taking care not to veer too far to the sides. If you wander, you'll invariably pull the mobs on the sides of the room. 

The rest of this ship is pretty straightforward; it's just a lot of mob NPCs converging on you at once, over and over again. 

Gorga Brak: Straightforward; stay out of the red circles. Be aware that Rass Ordo will helpfully stand in these circles and let Gorga set him on fire, so don't expect any help during the fight. 

SHIP #2: 

More of the same: lots of mobs, now with Dar'manda nameplates. The Dar'manda medics try to hide more than the healers on the other ships, sometimes even going behind crates or other barriers, so keep your eyes peeled for them. 

First thing of concern here: after a few rooms of mobs, you will arrive at the notorious jumping puzzle. Just stay on the right side of the room and walk along the beam. There are a few jumps up onto pieces of metal but they are not hard, ambitious jumps. Otherwise you just have two places where you have to make sure your character drops down onto the beam and not into the flames. Angle your camera overhead so you can see what you are doing. 

Now it's time to go through the notorious Room After The Kitchen. As the name would suggest, you will know this is coming when you go through the kitchen. All the NPCs in the kitchen are neutral; leave them alone and keep going. The next room is a ballroom and you will find a lot of mobs. 

You can get through this room by fighting only two mobs IF you watch where you are fighting and blasting. I like to try to get the first mob up onto the stairs so there's less of a chance that anyone else in the room will be disturbed. Kill the medics first. Then go straight foward - right through the fountain - and up the stairs to the second mob. I again like to try to fight them in their alcove up the stairs so I don't pull the other NPCs in the room. 

You will now go down some corridors with more mobs - the space is tight, which in a way is good because you can't aggro more than one mob unless you really try. If you are going for bonus missions there are some rooms here to visit off the main path. If you're just trying to get this damned flashpoint over, continue straight down the hall toward that green arrow. 

After taking the elevator you'll get to the tether room, and a yellow message will flash onscreen about it. There will be a very large mob here with a lot of Dar'manda Commander silver NPCs. If Rass Ordo decides to up and die on you, it may be here. Remember there's a kolto station to the immediate right of where you walked into the room. 

Click the blue box to release the tether. Do NOT get too close to the rancor in the cage, Goldie. Back when SoV was first released, she'd aggro on you even from in her cage, and you couldn't kill her or get out of combat. They seem to have fixed that bug, but you know how that goes. 

Bask Sunn: Kill. The. Medics. First. After that, Bask Sunn has a wicked knockback, but he can't knock you *out* of the ship anymore. Remember Bask Sunn leaves a crate with your loot (look on the bridge), it's not on his person. 

SHIP #3: 

Your first challenge here will be another room with a lot of intense mobs. Take care not to pull more than one mob at once. Rass may decide to try to die here. 

You will quickly reach the sniper room. It's a long room with two snipers by the far doorway, shooting at you. Don't try to engage them; just keep running forward. As you cross this room, you will drop through the floor. It's a long fall but you won't take any damage; it's what the game wants you to do. 

Rass will not fall with you, and you will have a room of tentacles to fight on your own. Hit Unity and Heroic Moment BEFORE you fall, when you are still in the sniper room with Rass. You can use your HM abilities against the tentacles. If you really  have trouble with them, try to get out of the garbage pit; you will find a kolto station at the top of the small ramp. 

Now we come to...oh look, another room with a lot of mobs. They're so creative here. Do your best not to pull more than one at once, kill the medics, you know the drill by now. 

Troya Ajak: No special tricks. Stay out of the red circles. Her songbird volley is nasty, but she's perhaps the easiest boss in this flashpoint. 

FOURTH SHIP (The Spirit of Vengeance, I think?) 

Thankfully this is almost a straight shot to the final boss encounter, and there's a medical droid just before it. You may wish to wait for your Heroic Moment to cool down if you have recently used it. 

The silver NPC in the small mob right outside Heta Kol's area sometimes does not die. If you find that they keep recharging to full health, walk past them, put Rass on passive, and wait by the medical droid.  They should eventually give up and go back to their original spots and you can go on. 

Heta Kol: This fight has mercifully been toned down. There are two stages: 

You'll fight Heta Kol straight on. She has a serious knockback, but there aren't any special tricks here. 

1. Stage One: fight Heta. 

2. Heta disappears and a mob appears at the bottom of the stairs. There are two medics, and the Commanders will have knockbacks to keep you from killing the healers. 

3. After all the mob NPCs are defeated, Heta will return. Keep trying to hit her. 

4. Heta disappears. This time there's a mob with two gold Varad NPCs and two weaker ones at the stairs, plus two silver Dar'manda snipers on the platform. If you have any AOE skills, make sure they are available here so you can take out as many as possible at once. You may wish to consider saving Heroic Moment for this point so you can use Orbital Strike if you have it. Rass Ordo loves to die at this point so be mindful of where your kolto stations are. You might need the kolto for him, even if you don't need it for you. 

5. Heta Kol returns with a much more serious knockback and red circles of doom that increase in size and are hard to avoid. You're going to get thrown around a lot. ETA with thanks to @vespertine-legacy: The circles can be interrupted, which may make this fight easier.

And...you're done. Thank the stars. 

[bxtgrl]

blinded by the lights

bruce takes jason to his first fair. it doesn’t go exactly as planned. | ao3

//warning for nongraphic vomit.

“What is that?”

Bruce blinks, pauses before closing the driver’s door, and turns his attention to where Jason stands at his side by the car. The boy’s brow is furrowed and he’s pointing accusingly at Bruce’s waist. He glances down. “A fanny pack.”

There’s a long enough pause that Bruce is starting to really think he’s missing out on something, when Jason is suddenly pivoting on his heel and grabbing the handle to the back car door. “Nope.” The door’s open and Jason’s sliding cleanly into the seat and closing the door behind him. Bruce takes a moment to absorb this odd behavior, before closing his own door and tapping his knuckles lightly on Jason’s window. He watches the vague outline of Jason through the tint as he reaches for the button to slide down the window, before realizing the car’s been off too long for that to work. The car is also unlocked, so Bruce could honestly just open the door himself, but he has a firm rule with himself about not forcing himself onto Jason. Although it’s been nearly five months since he took the boy in, his trust is still fragile. So, if a door is to be opened, Jason needs to be the one to do it. It had been a somewhat difficult thing for Bruce to get used to. It involved giving up a certain amount of control which meant giving up a certain aspect of his nature. Also, he’d gotten used to Dick who, until the last couple of years at the manor at least, had a fairly open-door policy.

The car door cracks open. Bruce takes a risk and nudges it open enough to see half of Jason’s face, who’s currently glaring at him—or, more accurately, the fanny pack.

“What’s wrong?” he sounds a bit more demanding than intended, but thankfully if Jason has learned anything during his stay with them, it’s that Bruce’s tone does not always equate to his intentions.

“I’m not being seen with that.”

“The… fanny pack?” A sharp nod and crossing of the boy’s arms over his chest are the only response he gets. His brow is squished unhappily and lips pushed forward in a pout. It’s kind of cute, but Bruce knows better than to admit that. “Why?”

“It’s lame, Bruce.”

“It’s useful” he argues, and then tacks on: “It’s Alfred’s.”

This, apparently, is not the winning argument he’d thought it was, because Jason gives a dramatic groan and flops backwards so he’s lying across the backseat. Bruce has to duck to keep his eyeline on Jason’s face. “That thing’s probably fifty years old!”

Bruce does not, actually, know how old the fanny pack is. He does, however, know this is a diversionary tactic for Jason, an attempt to take attention away from his nerves. Jason’s approach to new experiences tends to wildly ricochet between abundant excitement and poorly suppressed nerves. Bruce hasn’t quite figured out the pattern yet so that he could always predict which will come about, so he adds this to the “nerves” category for later study.

He sighs after a moment of debate, deciding he is not nearly attached enough to the fanny pack to pursue an argument with Jason. He plucks the essentials he’d stored in the pack, before unclipping it from his back and unceremoniously tossing it onto the passenger seat. “There. Can we go now?”

Jason blinks at him and stares for a moment, before his face softens and he nods. Bruce steps out of the doorway to allow the boy space to get out. Jason closes the door behind him, Bruce locks the car, and then grabs the backpack he’d previously set atop the vehicle. He picks a random compartment to throw the fanny pack’s belongings into, before slinging it over his shoulder.

The trek across the dirt parking lot is silent between the two. Bruce chances a glance at the small boy by his side and sees his gaze laser focused on the bright, fast, and noisy scene beyond the approaching fence. It’s only mid-afternoon, so the sun is still bright enough to dull the lights, but the music is growing louder as they approach and Bruce is glad he’d preemptively taken something for the inevitable headache.

They make it through security with ease. As planned, neither the metal detectors nor security notice any of the various gadgets he’s carrying. He shoots a wink to Jason and the boy rolls his eyes with a huff, but his lips twitch in the telling of a suppressed smile. He places a hand between the boy’s shoulders and it’s a sign of progress when he doesn’t flinch at the touch—or maybe he’s just too engrossed in the new sights around him to notice—and guides him to a spot out of the traffic of the crowd.

“Wait here” he commands, but without the edge that would accompany a field command. Jason gives an absent nod anyway and Bruce steps away to the ticket booth. The amount he purchases has the attendant doing a double-take, but Bruce is simply being prepared. Dick’s favorite part of the fair had always been the rides and the first few times Bruce had found himself making multiple trips to the ticket booth.

Jason is thankfully still where Bruce left him when he returns, wide eyes still taking in his surroundings. “So, what’s first, son?”

Jason points to a nearby food booth. “Food.”

Bruce thinks of the packed lunch from Alfred sitting in the backpack: turkey sandwiches, veggie chips, and a couple juice boxes. “Jay-”

“Please?” He turns his pleading eyes toward Bruce. Dick’s puppy face had been wide blue eyes filled with innocence and a quivering lip. Jason’s is a raised brow, clenched jaw, and gaze that is clearly prepared for a stern “no.” Both looks cause an odd ache in Bruce’s chest.

He thinks of the other day when Jason had admitted to having never been to the fair. He thinks of how the young boy had gotten immediately defensive, explaining the reason away as the grounds simply being too far out of the city to travel on foot. Alfred had saved Bruce from any potential floundering, suggesting Bruce take a day off and accompany Jason to the fair on a week day, so that it would be less crowded. The look the butler had sent Bruce over Jason’s shoulder told him it was more an order than a suggestion, though Bruce hadn’t had a problem with the idea to begin with.

“Alright” he acquiesces. “Just don’t tell Alfred.” Jason grins victoriously and dashes away toward the booth. Bruce follows at a slower pace, glad his height makes it easier for him to keep an eye on the boy as he darts through the crowd. By the time he reaches the booth, Jason is staring at the menu with intense concentration and the attendant is staring at Jason with a small, amused grin.

“I’ll have a corndog” Jason announces after another moment. “And a Coke. Uh, large, please.”

The attendant glances at Bruce and he thinks he should probably downgrade that Coke to a small, but Jason’s pleading eyes are still fresh in his mind. He clears his throat. “I’ll have a pretzel. No salt.” Jason lets out a huff, as if he’s personally affronted by Bruce’s choice of food.

It’s not long before their food is handed to them and Bruce’s brows nearly climb into his hair at the sight of Jason’s corndog. It’s nearly a big as the young boy’s head and the drink isn’t really any smaller. Jason takes a bite and Bruce glances to see the bite isn’t even large enough to reach the hotdog Bruce assumes is in the middle. He winces, picturing Alfred’s disapproving gaze, but Jason is grinning like he won some grand prize, so he withholds comment and simply eats his incredibly boring pretzel.

Jason’s done with the ridiculous corndog by the time Bruce finishes his pretzel and it’s not long after his soda is empty and he’s just slurping up air and vaguely soda-flavored melted ice. Jason tosses the remains of his meal in an overflowing trashcan and goes to wipe his face with his sleeve, but Bruce is already sticking a napkin into his face before he can finish the gesture. Jason grins sheepishly and takes the offered napkin.

“Next?” Bruce questions casually, even as he eyes the boy and wonders, not for the first time, just where all that food managed to go. Jason crumples the napkin, tosses it at the trashcan where it bounces off the other trash and lands at the base of the can.

“Rides” the boy says decidedly.

Bruce raises a skeptical brow. “You just ate. A lot.”

“Rides” Jason insists, already taking off. Bruce just sighs and allows a brief, fond smile, before following.

The ride Jason chooses is a small rollercoaster. Bruce hands Jason a ticket and then steps to the side, knowing it would be a bit too much of a squeeze for him to fit into a seat. He watches as Jason chooses the last cart and can’t help a small smile. Earlier, he’d advised Jason that perhaps aside from the front seat, the last one was actually the roughest one to be in. Leave it to Jason to forgo the easier middle seats for his first rollercoaster.

The ride starts and Bruce watches as it climbs up to the top of the track—they’ve ran across rooftops much higher than the track so he’s not particularly worried about Jason getting scared. He watches the first couple loops of the ride, before pulling out his phone to glance at his emails. There’s nothing urgent there, nothing requiring his immediate response, so he pockets the phone once more and glances up to see the ride has stopped and Jason is-

Jason is nowhere to be seen.

Bruce blinks and his brow pinches. He tells himself there would be more of a ruckus happening if a child had fallen off the rollercoaster. Unless no one had noticed- He has to remind himself that Jason is not a typical child, that he knows how to take care of himself better than most adults. No, he shouldn’t panic. Not yet.

Bruce scans the crowd, spots the familiar back of a boy as he darts around to the backside of a fun house. He follows after him at a brisk pace, trying not to attract any extra attention but also not wanting to lose track of the boy he knows can be quite fast when he wants. When he rounds the fun house, he’s relieved to see Jason still there, back to him and shoulders hunched.

“What happened?” he asks. There’s no response, just Jason suddenly going more rigid. Bruce reaches him and he smells it then, so he’s not surprised when he steps around to face the boy to see a streak of vomit soaked into his shirt. Bruce grimaces in sympathy. He takes in the rest of Jason—the rest of his clothes appear clean thankfully—and searches for any other signs of illness. He does not appear pale or clammy, though. Rather, he’s red and avoiding Bruce’s gaze like Bruce is the one with heat vision. He’s embarrassed, Bruce surmises.

“I’m sorry!” Jason blurts after Bruce makes the mistake of letting the silence stretch for too long. Bruce takes in this response, noting the defensive posture of Jason’s shoulders and the way his eyes flit about as if looking for an escape. Bruce realizes with a pang that not only is Jason embarrassed, he’s scared. It’s a difficult thing to see after all these months, but Bruce knows he must be patient with the boy. Over a decade of trauma can’t be washed away just like that, no matter how much Bruce wished it could be for Jason.

“I’ll pay for the shirt!” Jason continues, but then his face scrunches, probably thinking about his lack of funds and Bruce realizes distantly he should consider starting Jason on some sort of allowance. At the forefront, though, he realizes he should actually speak.

Bruce sighs, lets the backpack slip off his shoulder and into his hand before setting it on the ground. “Alfred is definitely finding out now.” Jason’s gaze finally meets Bruce’s and there’s a hint of confusion there. Bruce removes his jacket and hands it to the boy. “Throw away that shirt and put this on.”

Jason’s eyes flickers between Bruce and the jacket, hesitating. “But the shirt’s new.”

Bruce shrugs. “We’ll buy a new one.” That’s not exactly the right thing to say, because Jason’s now glaring at him, but at least the fire is back in his eyes. Bruce would much rather see that stubborn flare than the frightened uncertainty that had been directed at him just a moment ago. After a moment of further hesitation, Jason snatches the jacket and quickly swaps it out with his ruined shirt. It dwarfs the twelve-year-old, a stark reminder of just how small Jason is. Jason must take notice as well, as he tries valiantly to stuff the ends into his pants for a moment before giving up and letting it hang inches above the floor.

Once Jason finally seems settled enough, Bruce bends to pick up the backpack once more and say as casually as he can: “So, do you feel up to more rides, or should we play some games next?”

 Jason chooses the Ferris wheel as their last activity before heading home. The sun has just dipped below the horizon and as they slowly rise above the rest of the ground, Bruce watches the boy instead of the scenery. He’s scarfing down a fried twinkie Bruce had relented on and the bright lights of the fair are reflecting off of them and the higher they get, the quieter it becomes. Bruce takes advantage of the lack of noise.

“Did you enjoy yourself, son?”

Jason nods, shoves the last bite of twinkie into his mouth, and says around his mouthful: “Yeah!” Bruce feels a tension he hadn’t entirely been aware of carrying ease, but then Jason swallows his food and suddenly his face is serious, questioning. “Hey, Bruce?”

“Hm?”

“Y’know all those farm animals they got down there? Like that rabbit I held or the cow that farted on you?”

Bruce grimaces at the memory. “Yes?”

“Are people going to eat them?”

[ohdearhiddles]

TITLE: Angel of Death

CHAPTER: 8/? (Chapter Masterlist)

WORD COUNT: 6482

AUTHOR NOTES: once again running a little late, some stuff came up, but here we are with the next chapter! i deeply apologize if my updates become even more sporadic, but classes do start up again next week and i start work again, but i will try my absolute hardest to update when i get some free time! x (AO3 Link)

TAGLIST: @inumorph @literally-anythin @falling-solar-system​

Let me know if you would like to be tagged in anything :) x

Thor stood in the corner of the room, glowering in your direction as if you were the biggest threat in the universe. His arms were crossed over his chest as he followed your every movement. Loki seemed oblivious to the scorching stare of his brother, or perhaps he had just grown so used to it that he didn’t feel the need to be bothered.

Now, when you thought about it, Loki didn’t speak much about Thor. In fact, the couple times he had brought him up, there weren’t many things said about him other than how Odin favored him over the God of Mischief.

You were standing by the couch, arm held gingerly in Loki’s hands as he traced the forming bruise. You wondered if he was trying to coax it into disappearance with how much attention he was giving to the mark, but figured that you shouldn’t question his actions at the moment. After all, he had just saved you from being taken into whatever form of body-crushing custody Thor was attempting. The God of Thunder seemed relatively unbothered by his harsh actions towards you, and he definitely no longer cared for the door he had almost broken upon impact.

“We must take her to Stark,” Thor bellowed, and you watched as Loki’s gentle movements ceased. “I may have given in to whatever tactics you are playing, brother, but I will not allow her to roam freely. Her days of freedom are over.”

The words stung, but at the same time, you couldn’t find a reason to care. It’s not as though you were free in the first place; you had no job to get back to, no documents to help you leave town, and you most certainly didn’t have anyone to turn to besides the god sitting beside you. If freedom was what you craved, then it surely was not the freedom you had supposedly had these past few weeks.

“And you suppose that Stark will welcome her with open arms?” Loki asked, his voice deceivingly calm. He didn’t look up, but you could already imagine the disapproval on his face at the suggestion.

“He may,” Thor replied. “If you present your case correctly.”

His case? If you hadn’t felt like a strange experiment before, you kind of felt like one now. Although they were just words, “a case” typically meant charts, arguments, evidence, and a lot of people poking ideas with sticks until it finally seemed fitting. However, you felt as though your case would be filled with more arguing and poking with needles than anything else. How unsettling.

“I take that you will not help me,” the God of Mischief spoke confidently. It wasn’t a question by any means because both of you already knew the answer.

“I have no intention on helping you harbor a criminal.”

Right, you thought, jaw clenching as you remembered that, according to Thor, you were nothing more than a wanted mortal with a list of deceased men floating above your head. Granted, if Loki weren’t here, you probably would have allowed it all to happen. You would have gladly accepted defeat and death in exchange for some peace of mind.

“I also take that you will not allow her to stay here,” Loki’s voice seemed to drop in pitch as he finally looked up to look at the other god opposite the room.

The air was tense; it had been since the moment your apartment was technically broken into by a god. It’s not like it was the first time a god had randomly showed up in your home, but at least Loki had the decency to use the key instead of body slamming his way through the only door separating you from whatever creeps might lurk the halls in the middle of the night.

“You’d be correct in assuming that,” Thor responded, unbothered by the shift in Loki’s voice.

Loki exhaled deeply, his fingers pulling gently at the sleeve of your top to hide the exposed bruise that had finished forming beneath the surface of your skin. He seemed to tense as Thor approached the sofa where you two sat, and you couldn’t deny that this whole protective thing that Loki seemed to be exercising was an attractive quality. It was nice to know that he cared in action and not just in words.

When the other god came to a halt, his shadow hovering over you like a storm cloud threatening to pour at any given second, you found your heart racing from slight fear. The pain in your arm seemed to return just at the sight of him, remembering quickly the injury he had inflicted without so much as flexing a muscle. Your undeniable fragile existence among the two gods in the room was more than just a little bit unnerving.

You swallowed thickly as the impenetrable silence seemed to eat away at your skin. Loki soon stood to his feet, eyes glaring in Thor’s direction as he pulled your hand with him to hide your silhouette behind the shelter of his body. The silence carried on for longer than you would have liked, the brothers speaking in silent tongues as they stared at one another. After another moment, Loki released your hand and turned his back on the God of Thunder.

“It’s best to pack some of your things,” he guarded your body as he moved with you, blocking Thor’s gaze from reaching you. "Seeing as though my brother here does not intend for us to return soon.”

Loki followed as you walked to your room, his steps close behind yours. A second set of footsteps could be heard while you walked, a sure sign that Thor had every intention of not allowing either of you out of his sight. When you entered the room, you turned quickly to see Loki seemingly prying Thor’s fingers off the door in order to close it. You couldn’t see their mouths from your position, but you heard one of them grunt in disapproval as the door slammed shut.

“Oh, please,” Loki’s voice rang throughout the room. “I do not plan on forcing her to run away.”

The next few minutes were filled with silence as the God of Mischief took a similar stance that his brother had before. His arms were crossed over his chest as his back leaned against the wooden material of the door. He stood still, watching as you made your way drawer to drawer, placing only the essentials into a small duffel bag you had pulled out from the dusty surface below your bed.

“Loki,” you began to say, tossing a t-shirt into the almost full bag. Loki’s eyes flitted to yours quickly, searching for any indication for something being amiss. “They’re going to throw me in prison, you know that right?”

“You can’t be too sure with this group,” he responded. “They have a tendency of having differential opinions.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve said it before I believe,” Loki sighed, his gaze cast downward as he pushed himself off of the door. “I am not welcome there.”

“More welcome than me, that’s for sure,” you mumbled, zipping up the duffle bag before sitting beside it, shoulders slumping in defeat. The god’s footsteps were barely audible, but you could hear as he seemed to approached you slowly.

“When they see that you pose no real threat, they will have no other choice than to release you,” he reassured, but it did quite the opposite.

If you were to be released, would that not mean that you would still have to stand trial for murdering men? Or would they figure that it could not have possibly been you? Either way, you felt ruined.

You felt the bed dip beside you as you kept your eyes trained to the floor. A lingering feeling that had become more and more prominent over the last couple weeks seemed to seep through your skin and flow through your veins. It was a rather foreign feeling even though you recognized it. The lights in your room seemed to dim as you allowed your thoughts to consume you entirely. Every possible outcome for the day seemed to bombard your mind, a thorough battle at play within your head.

Hot tears brimmed your eyes as you imagined being dragged away from your home, locked away until the end of time. After a moment of allowing yourself to dwell on the unfortunate circumstances, you inhaled deeply, straightening your back. Your eyes were shut as you urged the tears to go away, wishing them into oblivion.

Loki made no extravagant movements to attempt to soothe your worries; instead, you felt the softest of touches as his fingers intertwined with yours. The touch calmed you slightly, and when you opened your eyes to look at him, you expected the trickster to be looking directly at you. However, he seemed distracted. His eyes were darting back and forth from the lampshades to you, narrowing in scrutiny as if he, of all people, were confused by your emotions.

“What is it?” You questioned, finding yourself worried over his unusual behavior. At your words, he squeezed your hand lightly.

“Nothing, darling,” he breathed, standing from his spot beside you. Loki’s eyes bore into yours, a strange emotion playing within them, as he tugged on your hand to get you to stand with him. “We must hurry before Thor breaks another one of your doors.”

The god grabbed the duffle bag with his free hand before pulling you with him towards the door. As you stepped into the hallway, you allowed yourself to take a glance back, wondering if you would be back anytime in the near future or if you would just have to live with the fact that you might never see the quaint apartment ever again. Thor seemed to have never stopped glaring as the two of you stepped out of the bedroom. His back straightened at the sight of you, jaw clenching in his attempt to further intimidate you.

Jokes on you, you mentally retorted to his glare. You’ve already scared me to full max. Be lucky I’m not a skunk - I bet you haven’t even been sprayed by one yet.

***

Loki had insisted on you riding in a taxi with him to Stark Tower. You were thinking of objecting at first, but once Thor expressed his distaste for such modes of transportation, you were more than happy to oblige. The ride was relatively quiet for the first couple of minutes, but the silence was soon filled with the familiar bustle of cars and nightlife.

It felt as though an eternity had passed, sitting in silent conversation with the God of Mischief, before you had arrived at your destination. Thor was nowhere in sight, and you were thankful for his absence even if he was bound to show up sooner rather than later. You followed Loki into the tall building and tried to ignore the skeptical stares of the security in the lobby. They were most likely wondering why you were walking in with, if what Loki said was true, a god that they weren’t ashamed to publicly dislike.

Loki, as always, seemed completely unbothered by the stares. But as you approached the elevator, you noticed his shoulders slouch in the most unnoticeable way. It was like watching a weight lift off his shoulders once the two of you were out of the knowing eyes of everyone else. As terrible as the timing was, you felt a bit relieved that he was able to feel relaxed enough to let down one of his invisible guards around you.

When the elevator doors shut behind you, Loki finally turned to you. “They should all be here. Thor would have made sure of it.”

“All?” You questioned, wondering if he really meant all the Avengers.

“Yes, all. Even the young one.”

“The young one?” Loki seemed to realize his words before sighing.

“You’ll see.”

The conversation ended right then and there, and you opted to not press further. If Loki said that you would find out, then surely, you would find out. That is, you mentally noted. If they don’t kill me on sight.

Apparently, when Loki had said that they would all be there - he meant it. The elevator door seemed to have been the only barrier between you and the not-so-appealing room filled with people who looked like they already wanted to murder you. In the center of them all, Thor stood with his arms still crossed over his chest. All eyes were on you and Loki as you entered the room. Hesitant steps were all you could take while you followed Loki closer and closer to what felt like was your doom.

“Ah, that’s far enough,” one of them spoke. When he stood, his hand raised in the air, you could clearly see the playboy billionaire you had only ever seen on television, or soaring a thousand feet in the air. “Loki, a word?”

Tony Stark’s fingers motioned the god forward as a group of men, that you weren’t even aware had existed in the room, surrounded you. Each of their gruff faces held a look of contempt as they crowded around you like children around an ice cream truck. Except you weren’t being screamed at in joy.

You stood on your tip toes, attempting to look past the shoulders of a couple of the men. One of them glanced down at you, raising an eyebrow before scooting ever so closer to close the gap. Sighing, you fell back onto the heels of your feet, pretending that you weren’t straining to here the conversation happening less than 20 feet away.

Their voices were hushed, but even in the quiet, you could hear the disapproval in many of their tones. From behind you, the elevator dinged. There was brief rustling before a loud boyish voice rang throughout the room.

“Sorry, Mr. Stark.” More rustling, and between the legs of your guards, you could make out the baggy jeans of what was probably a teenager. “I know you said it was an emergency, but Aunt May was making - woah, what’s up with the body guards?”

“Kid, get over here.”

“Right, sorry.”

Ah, so that must be the young one that Loki had mentioned.

Seeing as though you had never been unfortunate enough to be in harms way, you had never met any of the Avengers before. So, even if you tried to figure out who’s voices belonged to who, you couldn’t say for certain if you were correct. The only voices you knew were Tony Starks, Loki’s, and Thor’s.

“Bring her over here,” Tony’s voice spoke clearly through the muttering and hushed conversations. The men surrounding you made way for your movement, dispersing just enough for you to see where you were going. You kept your head down until your shoes stepped onto a lush carpet that laid on the floor by the couches in the center of the room.

Looking up, you were met with curious stares of all the heroes you had only ever seen through a tv screen. Your heart began to beat rapidly in your chest as they seemed to analyze you from head to toe. The only person who did not seem to be analyzing your every movement was a young man that could not have been older than 18. After taking short glances at everyone in the room, you noticed Loki beginning to take steps towards you, his jaw clenched in irritation.

“She doesn’t look that threatening,” a voice rang, and you dragged your eyes from the approaching god to a rather reserved looking gentleman.

“Appearances don’t matter,” a red-haired woman said, one of her eyebrows arched in scrutiny as she eyed you. “What matters is that she’s killed at least 10 men, not to mention the police have a warrant out for her arrest. Bringing her here was probably the last thing either of you should have thought to do.”

You watched as Tony walked slowly towards you. He narrowed his eyes, tilting his head from side to side. It was almost as if he was trying to best angle to hate you from. When he was mere steps away, he diverted his gaze and walked to a nearby table adjoined to the wall. Glasses clattered out of your view, and you noticed how everyone seemed to settle back into their seats.

“Well, Reindeer Games seems to believe that you deserve special treatment,” Tony spoke, his footsteps approaching from the side. Reindeer Games? Is that Loki? He appeared seconds later with a second glass in his hand, handing it to you. “What do you think?”

He shook the glass a bit, indicating that he wanted you to take it quickly. Grabbing it, you swallowed thickly, unsure of how to answer. Was it a trick question?

“Uh, I,” you stuttered out. “Well, I don’t,” you continued to sputter out words, attempting to find an appropriate answer. How were you supposed to convince these people of your innocence when you couldn’t even convince yourself? “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Tony asked, eyebrows furrowing as he looked at you.

“Stark,” Loki pressed, trying to alleviate any of the tension you felt.

“What? Why should we stick our necks out for someone who doesn’t want our help?” Tony asked, a speculative glare flickering between you and the god standing nearby. "So tell me, kid, because I won't ask again. Why should we even consider treating you any different than a criminal?"

You glanced at Loki as he turned to look at you, and it was in that moment that you realized that you were on your own in providing an answer. All eyes were on you as they waited for an answer that was meant to please them as well as provide adequate reasoning for your persistent belief that you deserved better than becoming a lab rat on a psychopath's table. Swallowing your fear, you straightened your shoulders.

No pressure, you reminded yourself. It's only your whole existence on the line here.

"I might not deserve it," you breathed, and it wasn't hard to see that most of them were surprised to hear you actually sound somewhat confident in your voice. Loki, though, looked almost offended by your words. "You're right, I'm behind quite a few deaths, but I swear to you it wasn't intentional. When I found out, I hid, and while that was a terrible thing to do, I can't say I wouldn't have done it again."

Your eyes darted back and forth between Loki and Tony, looking for any acknowledgment to your words. "I didn't know how I did it, and I still can't find a reasonable explanation. If you find nothing, and you see me as a threat still, I will gladly accept any form of punishment you have for me."

Your name played at Loki's lips as he attempted to walk closer to you. The bodyguards surrounding you, though, didn't allow him to move more than a couple steps. They glared at him, looking as if they were ready to pounce if he were to try anything, and in return, Loki glared back with as much distaste.

Tony finished his drink and walked towards you. A couple seconds later, you realized he wasn't walking towards you but past you. You felt your heart drop as the sound of the elevator opening resonated within the room. The body guards dispersed, and you had to practically force yourself not to cry.

"Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to follow me?" You turned on your heel, looking on in disbelief that he might have actually been speaking to you. Opening your mouth to speak, you felt a rush of uncertainty.

Seconds passed before you finally managed to nod, following quickly; however, before you could step foot into the elevator, Tony held his hand up. “The drink. Leave it here.”

Honestly, you had forgotten about the drink in your hand before he had brought it up. It was a tad amazing that you hadn’t dropped it in the rush of emotions you had felt, but one less mess to deal with was always an upside.

You looked around, attempting to find a suitable place to put the glass down. When you didn’t find one close enough, you opted to put it on the bookcase. You looked over to see Tony roll his eyes as his impatience seemed to take hold. “Any day now would be nice.”

Loki once again attempted to get to your side, but Tony was already closing the elevator door, a grin on his face. After the door shut, he turned to you, a contemplative look on his face.

“So, you have no idea how you kill people?” He asked after a long moment of silence. The words still made you wince when they were so straightforwardly spoken, especially by someone you held in high esteem.

“Uh, I,” you started to say.

“This whole ‘uh’ and ‘um’ thing has got to stop. Hearing it makes my brain want to short circuit. Not enough syllables for my mind to process it or something like that,” he spoke over you, grumbling afterwards about how he can’t believe he’s trying to help a broken record like you. Or something like that.

You shut your mouth immediately, not wanting to irritate him any further. This was not what you had expected, obviously, but you weren’t going to complain about it either. At least he wasn’t trying to kill you, or maybe he was more worried about you trying to kill him. Which you definitely were not trying to do.

The elevator door opened after an eternity, and you found yourself in awe of what was in front of you. It looked like a high tech lab, and from what you could gather about the Avengers, it was probably exactly that.

Tony walked slowly, being somewhat kind enough, or lazy enough, to allow your gaze to linger on the various computers, blueprints, holograms, etc. You weren’t sure where you were being led, but you could only assume that it wasn’t to your death - even if the fact that you were in a lab was unsettling due to your fear of becoming nothing more than an experiment.

A door slid open in front of you, and you followed in his steps as you entered. Thor, Loki, and the young man from upstairs were all standing in one corner of the room. Another man with thick black framed glasses and a t-shirt was standing behind a few computers, analyzing something that you couldn’t quite make out.

“Tony,” he greeted, walking towards the two of you while all other eyes seemed to turn to look in your direction.

“Banner,” Tony reciprocated the greeting, letting out a sigh before turning to you.

Okay, so that’s Bruce Banner, you thought, eyeing the other scientist. The guy that turns into the Hulk, got it.

“Take a seat, kid. I’ve got some tests I want to run.”

Tests, great.

It’s not like you were expecting anything more, or anything less, but you weren’t a big fan of the idea of getting poked and prodded by a couple of scientists like an animal on a dissecting table. Yet, here you were, about to get poked and prodded by scientists just like an animal.

You sat down on the cool metal of the table, unsure of what to make of the situation in its entirety. It was intimidating being in a room filled with people who could easily break you like a twig if they chose to do so. Taking a deep breath, you looked over at the two gods and the young man; all three of them were staring at you. Loki looked more worried than anything else; Thor looked ready to kill you, which wasn’t surprising in the slightest; and the young man looked just as intimidated and confused as you did.

Minutes passed as Tony and Bruce had a field day while checking your vital signs, analyzing hair samples, cheek swabs, and all the like. They hadn’t poked you with anything sharp just yet, but you were expecting it to happen at any given moment.

“Do you know when this all started?” Bruce asked you as he began to fold your sleeve up, eyes squinting as he felt the pulse in your wrist for the third time since you sat down.

“No,” you mumbled, diverting your gaze away from him.

“There’s nothing unusual about you,” Tony spoke up, rounding the table before leaning back against it. Bruce took a step back and joined him while the other three in the room flocked closer to hear the results. “Nothing that the eye can see, that is.”

“Mr. Stark,” the young man spoke, stepping even closer to you. “Maybe she got bit by something, you know? Like a snake or a spider.”

“Kid,” Tony breathed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “She’s still human. That would just kill her.”

The young man chewed on his lip for a second before blowing out a puff of air. He looked over at you and mumbled, “It didn’t kill me.”

“You didn’t get bit by a deadly spider. You got bit by a science experiment.” Tony retorted to the comment.

“But it wasn’t -“ He tried to speak up, but yet another person in the room seemed to want to get their two cents in.

“That is all besides the point, is it not?” Loki interrupted their conversation, a look of irritation clear on his features as the young man beside you shut his mouth. “Can we carry on here?”

Tony put his hands up in mock surrender, rolling his eyes at Loki’s attempt to be authoritative. The young man beside you, which you gathered must have been a hero since he supposedly got bit by some special animal. But when you thought about it further, it must have really been an interesting animal because you’d been bitten by many bugs and many pets but you hadn’t turned into a superhuman just yet. Well, not any more superhuman than you already seemed to be.

Bruce and Tony both continued their work for a few more moments before walking up to you. All five men circled around you, forming a strange barrier that you weren’t entirely fond of.

“What exactly is it that happens to the people you’ve killed?” Tony inquires, a hint of annoyance in his tone probably from finding nothing to work off of.

“I don’t know,” you responded, avoiding all eye contact. Before he could press further, you kept speaking. “It’s like one second they’re alive, but then the next, they aren’t.”

“How do you do it?”

“A kiss,” you muttered, suddenly overwhelmingly embarrassed to admit that you truly had a kiss of death.

“A kiss?” Bruce pressed, eyebrows furrowed as you glanced up to meet his gaze before nodding.

“Okay, so nobody kiss her,” Tony said, walking back around the table again. He picked up the cotton swabs that they had used to look at the skin cells within your mouth and placed it underneath a nearby microscope to investigate further.

“Too late,” the smug voice of Loki rang through the room, and you turned, astonished by his comment. You should have seen it coming; it seemed as though he had been serious for far too long, this was bound to happen. From the corner of your eye you could see Thor stand up straighter, a look of pure unadulterated anger directed at you. He began to stalk towards you, every step intimidating you further into fear and silence.

“So,” he seethed. “You are out to kill my brother.”

Didn’t you walk in on us? You wondered right before your eyes widened as fear coursed through your veins like a poisonous serum. You stood from your seat on the table, attempting to put some distance between you and the angry god.

As you took steps backward, he only continued his trek towards you. Trying to find words, any words to explain, your knees gave in, buckling beneath you. Half a second later, you were met with the cold, unforgiving ground below. Thor’s eyes blazed with his anger, and as he towered over you, a rush of voices seemed to try to talk him out of it. However, it seemed as though none of their voices were able to get through to him.

He leaned down, hand reaching for you, and in that moment you could have sworn you would have died from the terrifying situation you had found yourself in. The god’s hand was reaching straight for your neck to lift you up. Knowing that he could easily break your neck just by pressing a single finger to it, you were paralyzed with fear.

What happened next was a jumble of rushed actions. Weapons were out faster than you could even think to blink, and Thor was no longer standing above you. Instead, on the other side of the room, he was pinning to the glass wall. The glass was cracking behind him from the force of the person who had dragged him there.

Loki.

Loki’s eyes were glaring at his brother, a dagger in his right hand as he held the blade to Thor’s naked throat. His left hand pinned the other god to the glass, a look of confusion mixed in with the anger certainly still coursing through him. Behind the table near you, Tony had an attachment of his suit, a blaster pointed directly at Loki’s back. The young man standing mere feet away also looked ready to join the fight if needed.

Thor’s eyes were wide with disbelief as soon as the situation settled in. “Loki,” he warned, his voice low. His hands moved up to grip the collar of Loki’s shirt, his knuckles white as he held it with all his might. “You dare betray me for this woman?”

Loki scoffed, pulling back, “I told you not to lay a hand on her.” His voice did not waiver in the slightest as he took gradual steps away from his brother. He also seemed unbothered by the ready-to-act fighters in the room. “I did not go back on my word. You touched her, and I reacted.”

Nobody’s guard went down as Loki took hurried steps towards you, holding his hand out for you to take once he had arrived by your side. In one, swift motion, he had you on your feet and pulled tightly to his side, an arm wrapped leisurely around your waist. You silently thanked him for the support because your knees still felt as though they were about to give in again.

From across the room, Thor’s eyes continued to glare in your direction. He reached up slowly, rubbing his throat where Loki’s blade had made contact before. Perhaps he had expected blood from how hard Loki had been pressing the blade into his skin, or perhaps he wasn’t expecting anything at all, but when he pulled his hand away, his attention diverted to Loki and the dagger that was still in his hands.

“Let me see that dagger, brother,” he hissed, walking towards the two of you.

Loki casually tossed the blade into the air before catching it on the opposite end and handing to the other god. Thor grabbed it, tapping the point reluctantly before shooting a menacing glare in his younger brother’s direction.

“It’s fake,” his gruff voice spoke loudly, dropping the faux dagger to the ground before storming out of the room without so much as another word. With that, all the weapons and fighting stances seemed to ease away, the tension dispersing only a bit as the door fell shut.

You stole a glance at Loki. He squeezed your side slightly in reassurance before shrugging and turning to the others in the room. “Sometimes the fear of death is stronger than the true threat of it.”

Tony cleared his throat as Bruce seemed to sigh a breath of relief, “Right. So, Loki hasn’t died?”

You shook your head, watching as everyone returned to what they were doing as if the absence of Thor meant so very little at the moment.

“Last I checked, I am neither in Hel or Valhalla,” Loki contended, rolling his eyes.

Everyone seemed to ignore the comment as Tony spoke again, “Are they usually dead by now, kid?” You nodded in response. “Okay, well, let’s poke you with some needles and find out why you seem to be a walking death trap, then.”

Bruce kindly asked you to take your seat as the other man explained that he needed to take blood samples to find out if there was something in your body on a molecular level that took part in your abilities. This carried on for hours. It was back and forth. Nothing was said to you or to Loki, and the poor guy in the corner seemed to have dozed off long ago.

You were certain by the time that you were interrupted that the sun had long since risen in the east, and you wondered if the sun was blaring radiantly along the grey sidewalks of the city. Then you wondered if there were any clouds in the sky, blocking the rays from gracing the earth. In the midst of your thoughts, a woman walked into the room.

“There are police here to speak with you,” she spoke, eyeing everyone in the room before exiting without another word. Tony sighed in acknowledgment and discontent, tilting his neck in a stretching manner before turning directly to you.

“Stay here,” he ordered.

Him and Bruce left the room, leaving you with Loki and the young man who had startled awake from the presence of another person in the room. He stood to his feet, making his way to your other side. A minute or so passed before he finally turned to you, a boyish grin on his face.

“I’m Peter, by the way,” he held his hand out for you to shake before grimacing. It was if he realized a flaw in his words because he offered a new, shy smile as he spoke again. “I meant Spiderman.” He inhaled deeply and bobbed his head awkwardly, “Nice to meet you.”

Spiderman? Your eyebrows knitted together as you stared at him. This was a kid. He was no doubt young enough to be in high school still upon closer inspection, and you were meant to believe that this kid swung from buildings and fought against world-ending evil?

You cleared your throat, grabbing his hand gently to shake it, “Nice to meet you, too.”

He smiled again, but this time it was much less held back. Peter glanced over at the computers and motioned towards them. “I kind of want to know what they’re talking about up there.”

Loki followed the two of you over to the table as Peter typed something. The screen was soon showing what seemed to have been security footage, but there was no sign of Tony, Bruce, or the police. The young man kept typing various things, the screen changing each time he hit the Enter button until it finally landed on the scene you all wanted to see.

Tony was motioning with his hands, his lips moving quickly as he stood face to face with Detective Francesco. You swallowed thickly, remembering how much he seemed to despise you last you saw him, and a shiver ran down your spine. Loki must have noticed the tension within you because, soon enough, his hand was pressed to the small of your back while his fingers traced delicate shapes against your spine.

“Turn it up,” you urged, wanting to know what exactly was being said; Peter obliged. The first thing you heard was the detective’s gravelly voice speaking.

“We were told she would be here, now hand her over,” he spoke loudly.

Tony shook his head in response, and you were surprised to hear the words that came out of his mouth. “The girl is safe here. If you take her now and throw her into a cell, who knows what would happen. You can’t put her away without fully understanding the extent of her powers. She could burn the building down in her fright for all you know.”

Detective Francesco stepped closer, a look of anger gracing his features. “You cannot keep putting criminals into your little troupe of already dangerous individuals.” He snapped, pointing a finger in Stark’s face. “The public barely trusts you as is, and you keep adding assassins, alien terrorists, and now a serial killer to your posse of superhumans.”

“We are not adding her.” Tony rebutted, “We are studying her.”

The argument carried on until the police had given up. Before, you had thought that no one was above the law, but you guessed that maybe Tony Stark was. No one else on this planet would have been able to talk down to the NYPD like they were children, but he did. And he did a damn good job, too.

Peter typed away as all the parties in the security footage disappeared offscreen. The screen turned black, and the three of you made your way back to your prior positions scattered around the room, waiting for the others to return.

Tony was the first to walk into the room. He paced back and forth in front of you, mumbling obscenities as he did so. Bruce strolled in a few minutes later, settling down in a chair to the left of your table.

“I can’t believe I just stood up for you,” Tony mumbled. As you were about to open your mouth to thank him, he continued, “I’m never going to hear the end of it.” He stopped his pacing abruptly, pointing a finger in your direction. “You cannot leave. If you take a single step out of this building, or even the designated floors I’m giving you access to, I will ensure that you don’t see daylight again, understand?”

You nodded quickly, choking on any feasible response that you could have thought of. Tony accepted the nod as a sign of agreement, a signature on an unwritten contract that laid before you.

“Great, another thing for them to hold over our heads. This is just what we needed,” he cursed. “I can’t believe this. And you,” he waved his finger at Loki. “You’re not off the hook, you hear me?”

Loki rolled his eyes, “I understand.”

You glanced between the two of them before Bruce stood to his feet, saying your name along with Loki’s. “Let me show you where you’ll be sleeping. Follow me, you two.”

Okay, you thought. This can’t be too bad, right?

[timeblues]

How to Stay Creative With an SEO-Driven Content Strategy

Posted by Caroline-Forsey

When I first joined HubSpot's blogging team in January 2018, I loved our writing process. Once a month, we all met in a conference room with a list of ideas on Google Docs which were pitched one-by-one (intricate, I know).

The process was extremely creative, iterative, and collaborative. Of course, it was also often a matter of guess-and-check. Plus, brainstorming can be a bit of a selfish process. The ideas I pitched in those meetings, I pitched in part because I wanted to write them and because I was interested in them as a reader. I could only hope our audience would be interested as well.

While we developed a pulse for understanding what our readers liked from reviewing top viewed posts from the past, our process didn't enable us to develop content that matched what our potential readers wanted from us.

So, just a few months into 2018, our team pivoted and created a brand new SEO-driven content strategy to address our inability to move forward. Take a look at the organic growth we've seen as a result of that strategy over the past two years:

How did we do it? To start, the blogging team partnered with the SEO team. The SEO team now delivers a fresh Search Insights Report (what we've come to affectionately call the "SIR") to us every quarter, which are packed with blog topics vetted for search potential. We diligently move down the list, assigning individual blog topics to be written or updated by writers on the team. From the graph above, you can see the almost immediate growth we expereinced as a result of this new strategy. Within two years, we more than doubled the keywords for which we rank on page one.

As Editor of HubSpot's Marketing Blog, this left me with a bit of a void. I was thrilled to see the results of the SIRs and recognized how they helped us reach new audiences and rekindle our organic traffic, but, from a personal perspective, I missed the creativity that came with pitching big-risk ideas and watching them pay off. (Believe it or not, articles like "What Is Semi-Structured Data?" wasn't exactly what I dreamt about publishing when obtaining my English degree.)

However, I've learned over the past year that there are ways to remain creative even within a grander, primarily SEO-driven strategy. Here, let's dive into six tips to ensure you don't have to sacrifice your own creative freedom for the sake of organic growth.

1. Enlist the help of experts to spark creativity while ensuring posts are still keyword-driven.

A few months ago, I tackled the topic of first versus third party APIs. While I am confident in writing about our product line, "Force quit" is about the extent of my software knowledge (option+command+esc, for those wondering), so I dreaded writing the post. It was both daunting and not particularly inspiring to me as a writer.

Of course, I could've written this post the way I've written about plenty of other dry topics — by sludging through it, chugging copious amounts of coffee, and listening to Spotify to make it a little more "fun".

However, when I began writing the post, I wasn't impressed with my work. Since I didn't fully grasp the concept, it was surface-level and ambiguous. If a marketer stumbled across it, they wouldn't learn much.

To solve for this issue, I reached out to a few IT specialists at HubSpot and ended up speaking to two developer support specialists. I even met with one of them via Zoom to further discuss the intricacies of APIs, and recorded the meeting to transcribe later on.

Suddenly, I felt like an investigative reporter. I collected quotes from experts in the field, drafted up a new post that made sense to both myself and the developer support specialists, and published it. I was incredibly proud of the piece because I felt I'd worked as a liaison between the developer world and the marketing world, making the whole concept of APIs a little clearer to my team while ensuring it remained accurate and tactical.

If you're feeling frustrated by a topic you don't feel comfortable writing about, don't hesitate to reach out to experts — even within your own company. Their passion for the subject will fuel your desire to write the piece from a more human angle. Remember, keyword-driven content still leaves plenty of room to angle the piece in a number of interesting directions, as long as the insight you're providing aligns with the intent of the keyword you're targeting.

2. Interview leaders in various industries and tell their stories.

Over the past year, I've spoken to happiness researcher and speaker Shawn Achor on how happiness leads to success, Harvard professor Amy Edmondson on psychological safety in the workplace, and leadership consultant Simon Hazeldine on using performance psychology to get ahead in the workplace, among many others.

These posts, which enabled me to synthesize complex psychological issues and translate them into tactical strategies for marketers, allowed me to exercise my creative muscle. I interviewed experts via email or on the phone, and used their responses to craft meaningful, coherent narratives. Ultimately, I never felt more "in the flow" than I did when writing these posts.

Your industry undoubtedly has leaders that interest you. If you're a marketer in the catering or hospitality industries, consider speaking to top chefs in the area. Alternatively, if you're a marketer for an e-commerce website, try reaching out to e-commerce consultants to get quotes about the future of the industry.

It's not impossible to align your own interests with business impact, even if those interests are outside the scope of traditional marketing. As someone who's personally interested in psychology, for instance, I was able to find the intersection between psychology and workplace performance, which helps our readers grow in their own roles.

Including feedback from experts can also give you a competitive advantage in the SERPs. For instance, we published "HubSpot Marketers Give 6 Tips for Fighting Burnout", on January 20, 2020, and within one month, it already had over 5,000 views. This piece, over time, will likely perform better than a more generic "how to fight burnout" piece without the expert angle.

Ultimately, it's important to consider who you're interested in speaking with and how that expert's experience might align with your audience's interests, and brainstorm ideas from there.

3. Find the human connection.

As marketers, we're often tasked with writing about less-than-thrilling topics, particularly if these topics are part of a keyword-driven strategy. For example, take a quick glimpse at some of the pieces we've seen on our SIR in the past:

These titles are helpful for our readers, but presenting the information in a creative way becomes difficult. I often tell new writers on the team that you can find an interesting human angle to any topic, no matter how boring it may seem, which makes writing about the topic more exciting and offers more ways for readers to connect with the piece.

The easiest way to find the human angle is to consider the reader's point of view when searching a topic on Google. Start by asking yourself, "why would I ever search for this topic?"

Searches don't happen in silos. Nowadays, Google is increasingly trying to continue a "searcher's journey" through People Also Ask boxes, People Also Search For panels, and Related Search links at the bottom of most SERPs. These features enable searchers to rethink their search and find similar, relevant answers to other questions they might have.

Ultimately, anyone searching for one keyword is searching for that keyword as part of a larger marketing and business strategy. As a content creator, it's critical you find the bigger picture element and use these new SERP features to tell more creative, holistic stories around the topic at hand.

For instance, recently I wrote a post on how to embed videos in emails. The body of the post itself, I knew, allowed for little creativity — it was essentially a brief step-by-step guide to embedding video. However, I could still find space for creativity in my introduction, and I knew that meant developing empathy for my reader.

I started by imagining the motivation behind any marketer searching "how to embed video in email". They are likely someone who's struggling to increase CTR or email subscriptions, so I introduced the topic with a brief, big-picture overview on why email is important for a business's bottom line (in case you wanted to know, it’s because 87% of businesses use video in their marketing tactics).

Then, I empathize with the reader, acknowledging that sprucing up your emails isn't always easy, and neither is embedding videos — particularly since major email clients don't support video embeds.

Suddenly, a topic I'd initially found boring became exciting to me because I could sense the urgency and real-world impact that publishing the piece and answering the reader's query would have. In essence, what they’re really asking is "How can I continue creating engaging content for my audience?"

That's a human angle to which I think we can all relate.

4. Use multimedia to freshen up old content.

If you're struggling with a particularly dry topic, you might evoke creativity by adding multimedia elements like podcasts, YouTube videos, images, or graphs — all of which open up new traffic opportunities since you can generate image traffic through the SERPs as well.

These designs can help you stay engaged when writing the piece, and can also help your post rank on Google, since search engines prefer multimedia components such as images or video.

For instance, we embedded a video in "How to Create An Incredibly Well-Written Executive Summary [+ Example]". Readers have the option of reading my post, but alternatively, they can watch the discussion take place on-screen.

Of course, multimedia depends on your budget. We aren't able to add a video to every post we produce. However, there are plenty of simpler forms of multimedia that are free, such as embedded images and graphs.

Additionally, if you're interested in other aspects of marketing besides writing, this is a good chance to expand your professional portfolio and learn a new skill as well.

5. Frame your content from a unique angle that differentiates it from other search results.

It's important to note: not all posts need to agree with what's already on the SERPs for you to rank.

For instance, my colleague Lestraundra wrote "10 Reasons Why You Don't Need a CRM". This article currently ranks on page one for the search query "you don't need a CRM" ... but the article actually explains why you do need a CRM, in a playfully sarcastic way.

We managed to rank well while also giving readers something they weren't expecting. You might consider similar provocative arguments you can make, as the uniqueness (and sometimes controversy) of your writing will enable you to rise up the ranks on the SERPs while providing fresh, interesting content to your audience.

6. Engage with your readers in real life whenever possible.

On one particularly uninspiring day, I set up a 30-minute chat with a customer to learn more about her personal marketing challenges.

As we spoke, I realized how out-of-touch I'd become with some of our readers’ primary struggles. For instance, she was a team of one, which meant while she understood the importance of blogging, she didn't always have time to develop an in-depth strategy since she was juggling content creation for social media, email marketing, and PR for her small business.

When I got back to my desk, I had no problem writing my assigned post about free social media analytics tools, because I understood the real-world importance of this post for that reader's daily life. Ultimately, she didn't have time to research the pros and cons of various tools, and she didn't have a budget for anything fancy. The inspiration and creativity I felt that day derived from my in-person interaction with my reader.

Of course, it's not always possible to set up a call with a customer, but there are plenty of other options for engaging with readers. For instance, you might consider creating a poll for your social media audience, engaging with readers in a Twitter chat, or sending a survey to your readers in an email newsletter to learn more about what they want from your brand.

Conclusion

Ultimately, it can be difficult to stay creative when your department is primarily focused on using technical SEO to achieve major goals. And, of course, you'd never want to entirely forgo SEO for the sake of creativity, since that prevents you from reaching a larger audience and ensuring your content is useful and actionable for your readers.

Nonetheless, if there's anything I've learned over the past two years as a result of our new strategy, it's that analytics and creativity can, indeed, work hand-in-hand. Ideally, with these six tips, you'll be able to inspire some creativity in your daily process. Feel free to comment below with your own thoughts — I'd love to hear them!

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[novacorps]

let’s talk about the REAL origin of the KKK and how it mirrors the birth of the alt-right

The KKK probably didn’t actually start as a racist thing but became a vehicle for it.

It basically started because this group of young professionals who probably never owned slaves (think the college educated alt-right of today) and basically got bored and decided to make a secret fraternity for shits and giggles. “It would be secret, to heighten the amusement of the thing, and the titles for the various offices were to have names as preposterous-sounding as possible, partly for the fun of it and partly to avoid any military or political implications.” And they recruited people to join and hazed them just like a fraternity. 

For fun, they disguised themselves in sheets on horses and road through the streets. It caused such a stir, they were like YO?? This is fucking awesome we’re causing so much shit trolling everybody

So, they started adding weird shit to the costume.

They’d wear animal horns, fake facial hair, polka dots, reflective material, satin, sacks over their head (think Victorian Halloween costumes), black/red face (which was commonly used to hide your face at the time and make it seem like they were black and native americans were the ones committing crimes), and often colorful robes and women's dress. Basically these guys were literally just out here straight up looking like something straight out of The Purge meets someone’s Mardi Gras fursona. like they went either went HARD or they had a fucking sack over their head going yo i’m TOTALLY in the kkk

fun fact: there was so much crossdressing that in accounts of people describing them, they were sometimes like I THOUGHT THEY WERE A BAND OF WOMEN??? and a lot of times their victims recognized them because they were wearing their wives dresses

At some point, they decide to scare blacks for shits and giggles because they thought they were easy targets and afraid of ghosts. "Much of the Klan’s early reputation may have been based on almost frivolous mischief and tomfoolery. At first, a favorite Klan tactic had been for a white-sheeted Klansman wearing a ghoulish mask to ride up to a black family’s home at night and demand water. When the well bucket was offered, the Klansman would gulp it down and demand more, having actually poured the water through a rubber tube that flowed into a leather bottle concealed beneath his robe. After draining several buckets, the rider would exclaim that he had not had a drink since he died on the battlefield at Shiloh. He then galloped into the night, leaving the impression that ghosts of confederate dead were riding the countryside.” 

some quick history: “Back in those days planation owners had little log cabins built around in a circle, around for the slaves. And the log cabins, they dabbed between two logs, they dabbed it with some mortar. And of course when that falls out, you could look out and see. But every, most every night along about eight or nine o’clock, this overseer would get on his white horse and put a sheet over him, and put tin cans to a rope and drag it around. And they told all the slaves, ‘now if you poke your head out doors after a certain time, monster of a ghost will get you.’ they peeped through and see that and never go out. They didn’t have to have any guards.” Fry said such disguises meant to scare slaves were common and that the first Klansmen, knowing this, naturally chose similar uniforms, often embellishing them with fake horns and paint around the lips and eyes.

black people were like........ lmao bruh. we don't actually believe in ghosts?? but we believe white people can be fucken crazy. because who the fuck wouldn’t be unsettled by a bunch of weirdos riding up in masks looking like the pre-war slave patrols riding around on horses who would literally fucken shoot you if you left ur cabin. let’s just take a moment to appreciate that white slave owners’ solution for making sure slaves didn’t run away during the night was the same logic as adults trying to scare their kids into staying in bed so they can go get nasty: stay in bed or the GHOSTS will get you

“The whole rationale for psychological control based on a fear of the supernatural was that whites were sure that they knew black people. They were not only firmly convinced that black people were gullible and would literally believe anything, but they were equally sure that blacks were an extremely superstitious people who had a fantastic belief in the supernatural interwoven into their life, folklore, and religion. Such thinking had obvious flaws: the underestimation of black intelligence and the overvaluation of existing superstitious beliefs. Blacks were frightened, no doubt, but not of ghosts. They were terrified of living, well-armed men who were extremely capable of making black people ghosts before their time.’

alright so. at the time (reconstruction, or just post-civil war), the southern states are passing these new laws (black codes) that basically went: go fuck yourself poor whites and blacks, you’re not getting any of our power and WHILE WE’RE AT IT let’s just virtually re-enslave blacks (e.g. blacks can't assemble in groups, have guns, learn to read and write, testify against white people, etc. and forreal spouting a lot of the same white nationalist ideas as the alt-right today. they were like: “we hold this to be a Government of White People, made and to be perpetuated for the exclusive benefit of the White race" and driving a wedge between poor whites and blacks. 

which begs the question of like bro. why weren’t poor whites and blacks out there looking like that handshake meme hating rich whites in power?? and that’s because poor whites and blacks were usually poor in very different ways so that they were at best tentative allies. Poor whites typically owned land but usually not the other resources that would have allowed them to exploit their land intensively. blacks needed social services because like they were out there like drake starting from the bottom. so, the rich white dudes in power were like heeeey poor white people you know if we give blacks these programs... we gotta tax ur land that you’re already struggling to hold onto and reap benefits from. there’s clearly NO OTHER OPTIONS. so you’re at this point in time where not only do you have this racism where a lot of white people think they’re better than black people, the north going guys can u please play nice and let the black people have some rights?? and the south being like U CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO FUCKEN DO, but ALSO a lot of growing resentment from poor whites about black people making their lives harder. and if we’re learned anything from history, this is the PERFECT environment for white, racist extremists to THRIVE (e.g. illegal immigrants are taking our jobs! we need a muslim ban!). 

SO. back to the kkk. Everyone thought the KKK was SO. FUCKING. WEIRD. they talked about it constantly locally. and it got outta control.

stuff like the night riding QUICKLY started getting out of hand. “Anyone could put on a sheet and a mask and ride into the night to commit assault, robbery, rape, arson or murder. The Klan was increasingly used as a cover for common crime or for personal revenge.” 

so suddenly all these racist extremists and people with who could become extreme (same logic as liam neeson who who said he wanted to kill some black bastard after hearing his friend was raped by a black man) ... like there’s a growing place for them to meet and exchange ideas and make each other worse. so all these people and groups on the fringe start associating themselves with the kkk and using the kkk as a way to connect with people who also wanted to do terrible things. 

the klan has, perhaps unwittingly, just accidentally organized extremists who might never have otherwise been able to organize like that

“Describing the actions of Ku Kluxers who marched in a Mardi Gras parade in Memphis in 1872, after conservative Democrats regained power, a newspaper writer reported that some of the marchers carried ropes. “It was a favorite bit of pleasantry to lasso a negro,” the writer noted. “No violence was offered but the contortions and grimaces of the captives were highly amusing.” The public pain and fear of these victims of Klan “pleasantries” offered visual confirmation that order had been restored in the South. Besides being fun for the perpetrators, performance also had a cloaking quality. As Parsons writes, “Klansmen used performance for reasons that lay far beyond any hopes of obscuring their identities or cowing their victims.” By making their violence appear theatrical, Klansmen could essentially confuse authorities, who would take time to decide whether the perpetrators were joking. Performances also misdirected outside audiences (like Northerners), who might have trouble figuring out what the Klan was all about. “The Klan was conceived in a tableau vivant, nurtured by minstrels and serenaders, housed by circuses and masquerades, and given an afterlife in Mardi Gras processions,” Parsons writes. All of that playing with current forms of popular culture meant that Klan violence confused observers—especially white Northerners, who were fans of minstrelsy, too, and quite ready to laugh at a black person who was the butt of a joke.”

but like?? it’s just for lols right? it doesn’t necessarily mean those guys were RACIST or they were ALL racist. that’s just the kind of edgy humor everyone was DOING at the time. “In a painful irony, circuses and minstrel shows, which had provided the theatrical vocabulary for acts of Klan violence, included Klan-themed skits in their programs; these representations then provided cover for the Klan, who could continue to claim to Northern observers horrified at the violence that the Klan was an imagined entity.”

and then like. it really fucking starts going fucking down. you start having a “few bad apples” doing shit like burning black churches and schools (exactly like what’s happened with dylann roof, attacks on synagogues, shooter in new zealand). 

journalists in the north are losing their goddamn mind and reporting on it because the kkk is just SO. FUCKING. WEIRD. and how can you not? people are dying and saying they’re associated with the kkk which are doing... what again? these weird dudes dressed up like they’re going to mardi gras??? c’mon. THOSE guys? that’s a bit of a stretch to blame the KLAN for that. 

in fact, the north was so obsessed, the klan became TRENDY in the north. northerners would dress up as them at costume parties and have KLAN APPRECIATION GROUPS. sometimes ironically, sometimes not.

so the klan becomes a recruitment tool for those people. just like geek culture and youtube became a tool for radicalizing and recruiting white men.

"By making their violence appear theatrical, Klansmen could essentially confuse authorities, who would take time to decide whether the perpetrators were joking. Performances also misdirected outside audiences (like Northerners), who might have trouble figuring out what the Klan was all about."

SO. There’s a website online called Stormfront which is a is a white nationalist, white supremacist, antisemitic, Holocaust denial, neo-Nazi Internet forum, and the Web's first major racial hate site.  In addition to its promotion of Holocaust denial, Stormfront has increasingly become active in the propagation of Islamophobia. They use controversies like GameGate, places like 4Chan, Reddit, and YouTube to convert people. Often, people will meet and interact with neo-nazis without even knowing it. 

“I think one of the real things that made it so difficult to get out and realize how radicalized I’d become in certain areas was the fact that in a lot of ways, far-right people make themselves sound less far-right; more moderate or more left-wing,” Sherratt said.

Sherratt wasn’t alone. YouTube has become a quiet powerhouse of political radicalization in recent years, powered by an algorithm that a former employee says suggests increasingly fringe content. And far-right YouTubers have learned to exploit that algorithm and land their videos high in the recommendations on less extreme videos. The Daily Beast spoke to three men whose YouTube habits pushed them down a far-right path and who have since logged out of hate.

Here’s a couple highlights from Stormfront:

[tragedybunny]

The Blade’s Edge - A League of Legends - Chapter 6

They had a simple arrangement. She was the weapon to be used on his enemies. Things get more complicated when emotions bleed into what should simple. Now the two of them find themselves on the precipice of something that was entirely unexpected. Katarina/Swain

Winter had followed us back to the Capitol. The temperate climate and our nearness to the sea meant it was always short lived, but for now snow lightly dusted the city, quickly turning grey in the ever rising haze of smoke. I was sitting in the seat of the large window in my room, overlooking the back garden, sketch board in my lap, drawing the city skyline in charcoal.The cold breeze of the open window was worth the unclouded view. Drawing hadn’t been considered an essential part of my education, so it was something I’d learned mostly on my own, and rarely had the opportunity to indulge in. The last couple of weeks had been painfully boring however, and there’s only so many times you can do katas.

I’d commandeered the old armory on the back of house as my personal training spot. This nearly caused a fit with some of the senior servants as I demanded family relics be removed to storage. Moira especially hated the notion, as I was sure she hated me in general. She’d been the most obvious to see me as a stain upon the House from the start. Her expression hiding nothing as her and the other servants were gathered in the great hall to hear the announcement that Madame Katarina would be staying on an indefinite basis. Her protests on the matter of the armory were met with an exasperated hand wave and “Just do as she asks”. 

“Yes, please do as I ask.” I’d smiled in her beet red face. I won that round you old bat, though she’d gone from detached politeness to outright hostility after that. 

I felt an unexpected weight on my shoulder and a shiny stone dropped into my lap. “Kat” her bird voice croaked out. 

“Hello Bea.” I reach up to stroke her chest. He hadn’t been exaggerating, his pet really had taken to me, despite my best efforts to remain cool to her. “Here to bribe me again?” I look down at the bowl of sliced citrons I’d been picking at. I’d acquired them on one of my late night kitchen raids, the imported fruits being expensive enough I’d had to split a bottle of wine with the cook, Cress, to get him to stop mourning their loss. Thankfully drinking was his second love after cooking. “Are you even supposed to eat these?” She nipped my ear lightly. “Fine, but don’t blame me if you’re sick later.” I held up a slice and she greedily pulled it from fingers.

I’d been so occupied with her I hadn’t heard the door behind me open. “I didn’t know you drew.” He was right behind me, looking over my shoulder. 

I almost slam my hands down to cover what I was doing, but stop short not wanting to smudge it. “I don’t, it’s nothing.” I feel my cheeks flushing. Noone’s ever caught me doing this before, so of course the first had to be him. 

“You really shouldn’t denigrate yourself.” He pushes my hands out of the way. “It’s really quite good.” 

I snap out of my paralysis and move it to the side. “Were you here for something?”  At my agitation Beatrice hops into my lap and lets out an indignant caw. 

“No.” She flaps her wings a bit as if the emphasize her point. 

“You little traitor. She’s been feeding you hasn’t she? Don’t worry, I won’t upset her again.” He holds his hand out and after a moment’s hesitation, she hops onto it. He lightly pets her head and speaks softly until she finally decides to perch on my dressing table and preen in the mirror. 

I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up. “Betrayed by your own bird.” 

“Very funny. I’m plotted against in my own house.” He leans down and kisses me softly on my cheek. I stop laughing as the sensation washes over me. 

“Anyway, you wanted something?” 

“You’re lacking in attire suitable for a formal occasion.” A statement of the obvious. I’d left everything like that behind when I left my family’s house, all of it had been mother’s choices anyway. 

I let out a groan, sure this isn’t going anywhere I like. “Yes, and?”

He ignores the groan. “That needs to be remedied, the Solstice celebration is in two weeks, and you’re going to accompany me.”

“Fantastic, a painfully boring religious ceremony. I’m not even religious, why do I have to go?” 

“Neither am I, and I’m expected. You’re going to make sure I don’t die of boredom between that and the party afterward.”

“It keeps getting more appealing. Isn’t this Darius’s job?”

“Hmm, no, I believe it is definitely your responsibility these days.” I detect the slightest bit of a smile. He leans in again, lips brushing my earlobe. I forget to exhale for a second. “Must you be so obstinate about everything? Besides, the last party we attended together was interesting enough.” 

“Maybe I could try to kill you again? That will keep things lively.”

He sighs, clearly done being gentle about it. “Just get ready, we’re leaving shortly.” He’s really going to drag me through this whole affair. 

Then he’s gone, leaving me in a storm of emotions. I’m irritated that he orders instead of asking, but at the same turn I’m thrilled he wants me there with him. On top of it all those same feelings I’d stumbled into up north have never abated; the heart racing whenever he’s near, the yearning for his touch and those moments when he softens with me and is almost affectionate. As much as I’ve tried to reason with myself I can’t deny what my heart insists on longing for. 

I’m not a fool though, we’ve barely seen each other since we returned. I know he’s done that purposefully, likely I gave myself away somehow.  It’s rejection plain and simple, and it stings. And I loathe that I miss him. 

I throw on some clothes appropriate to the cold and head to meet him downstairs, resigning myself to whatever he’s planning. When I reach the bottom of the stairs where he’s waiting he takes my cloak from hands and places it over my shoulders. “Madame.” He kisses my cheek, clearly pleased I’m here without further argument. Charm when he wants something isn’t a new tactic for him, and yet it still gets to me. “Did you just blush?” This time he’s actually smiling. 

“What…no!” I start to march out the door. “Let’s get this over with.” The carriage has been pulled around and I climb in  and wait for him to join me. When I turn back he’s standing in the doorway, having clearly heated words with Moira. What did I do this time to set her off? 

When he finally gets in he takes my hand and kisses it. “I’m sorry for teasing.” He doesn’t let go. 

“It’s fine.” I put on a cool exterior. “I guess I’ll just have to spend exorbitant amounts of your money to make up for it.” 

“You’re a cruel woman.” Surprisingly he wraps his arm around my shoulders and pulls me a bit closer to him. We ride the rest of the way enveloped in the silence that falls between us.

The carriage eventually rolls to a stop in front of Mistress Hester’s, of course, she’s only the best dressmaker in Noxus. I remember the hours of boredom as I tried to amuse myself in the shop while mother shopped and was fitted. Of course, Mistress Hester doesn’t take walk ins, no matter your position. I’m clearly the victim of a long running plot. 

Some stop and stare as we emerge from the carriage, I can only imagine the gossip this will ignite. I try my best to ignore it. The little bell above the shop door chimes as we enter summoning a severe looking woman from the back. There’s more lines to her face and her black hair has streaks of white in it, but her steely gray eyes are still sharp. 

“Grand General, Madame Katarina, well it has been a long time.” She’s already looking me over, sizing me up, quite literally. 

“As was discussed, I need her to look acceptable to accompany me.” I feel more like one of his possessions than ever, being remade to better fit his needs. 

“Of course, and is there a budget to be adhered to?” Her eyes gleam, no doubt she’s dreaming of the bill. 

He turns to me. “Try to keep it reasonable Kitten.” It’s been weeks since he’s called me that. I’m startled at how pleased I am to hear it again, I forget to be embarrassed we’re in public. He leaves a quick kiss on my cheek. “I’ll be back later.” 

He’s barely out the door before she pounces on me and I’m escorted to her office behind the counter. “Tell me now Madame, what is it that you like? I haven’t seen you in sometime and now I would wager your tastes are different.” Her last statement carries a couple of connotations she doesn’t bother to hide. 

What do I like? Mother always made these decisions. A strange sense of excitement washes over me as I take in swatches of fabric, sketches, and the in progress works around me. It was never the dressing up that bothered me, but the social events that followed. I could never be as elegant or charming as Cassiopeia and I was always reminded of it. Violence was my arena and even there I fell short in my father’s eyes. Those days are gone though, and however I’m tethered now,  their judgements are behind me. 

“Let me show you something.” It’s a sketch, lace, meant to hug curves, and yet exquisitely elegant. “I’m seeing deep scarlet, you’ll be very fetching.” 

How she figured me out so quickly I can’t guess. “I do like that. A thought has occured to me though. I’ll likely need more than one dress in the future. Perhaps I should order a few?” He can hardly argue about it, he did force me into this. 

She smiles. “Of course, whatever you like. You’ll have priority for the first, so it will be ready in time, but we can get started on anything else you desire.” 

Several hours later I’m being littlely chided on the ride home. “Is that what you think of as reasonable.”

“I did try to warn you earlier.” I let my tone get a little smug. Leaning over, I whisper in his ear. “Shall I make it up to you?” I may as well enjoy his attention while I have it. 

“You most definitely will later. I expect you to be most apologetic you expensive little creature.”  

I run my hand along the inside of his thigh. “Only if you promise to forgive me after, Sir.” I purr. 

He looks like he may take me up on my offer right here in the carriage. He kisses me roughly and deeply, leaving me a bit breathless, but finally settles on pulling me tight against him for the remainder of the ride. 

When we return home I’m beckoned upstairs to find Gwen waiting in my room. Young and sharp, she’s always been the first to insinuate herself when she thinks she’ll get on my good side. 

“Where’s Moira?” His irritation is evident. 

Gwen wisely demures and looks at a spot on the floor. “She said she was unwell, Sir.”

“I see, how unfortunate.” It feels petty, but I’m pleased this stunt has incurred his ire. 

“I’m more than capable of doing her duties.” Confidence suddenly replaces the meek act from a moment ago.

“And no doubt you’re very ambitious as well.” He steps closer to her, studying her for a moment. “Do you remember Zaun at all, or is it stories from your parents driving you on?”

To her credit, she doesn’t falter under the intimidating gaze. “Bits and pieces, enough.”

He nods. “Very well, you’re to deal with whatever Madame needs from now on. I’ll inform Moira that comes before any other duties and I’ll see that you’re compested duly.” He turns to me. “Back to the matter at hand.”

He leads me over to my dressing table where boxes of jewels lay open, glinting in the late afternoon sun. ‘Fuck.” I mutter, not as quietly as I intended. 

“Wear whatever you like. They’re yours to use as long as you’re here.”

“No, absolutely not, that’s too much.” I cross my arms, intending to stand my ground on this. “People already talk enough about me, I can’t start going out in the Swain family jewels.”

He grips my chin and tilts my head up to look him in the eyes. “Then they can talk, and you’ll do whatever pleases me.” Again it’s that sudden switch of tone, there will be no further discussion.  “Understood?”

“If you insist.” I’ll be damned if I understand why he considers this so important.

“Good girl. I’ll see you at dinner.” He lets go and leaves me with Gwen, who had been making herself as unobtrusive as possible in a corner. 

I turn my attention to the ridiculous wealth left on display. No wonder Moira gave herself a fit over it. Stones of every shape, size, and color; necklaces, rings, heavy broaches; the result of a lineage of wealth and titles. “I can’t believe he did this.”

“I suppose he has his reasons. That’s one of the first things I learned working here, nothing is without a reason.” Gwen was now right beside me, taking everything in with me.  “It is spectacular though.” She reaches for a previously unopened box. “Want to see the most amazing bit?” 

It opens to reveal a tiara wrought in gold and set with black diamonds. My eyes go wide. “Damn.” I get a little gleeful at the thought of wearing it, despite having a dim memory of seeing his mother in it years ago. I sit down at the dressing table. “Pin it on me, Let’s see if you’re up to your new role. “

“Of course Madame.” She goes to work, pinning my hair up, and fixing the tiara in place. It’s rough but it gives a good general impression. 

Gwen’s work aside, I find I hate it. I look the part of being his mistress, like I am what everyone says about me, the family traitor who chose the wealth and power of the Grand General. “Do you not like it?” 

“No it’s fine. I’m just not used to seeing myself like this.” She nods but it’s clear she doesn’t buy it.

She seems to consider her next words carefully. “If I may Madame, you may want to make peace with that, all of Noxus will be seeing you like this.” Of course they will. No doubt that plays into whatever his goal is with this whole charade. 

           That night after dinner he asks me to join him in the study. “There’s a matter we need to discuss.” He makes sure the door is firmly shut behind us and the servants dismissed. 

After everything else I’m not exactly sure what to expect. “This should be less fun than the rest of the day.” 

“I thought you’d prefer this since you acted like you were headed to your own execution earlier.” He smirks and takes a seat at the X’ah board. “Play while we talk.”

I don’t hide that I roll my eyes. I hate the Vastayan strategy game, mostly because he always wins. This time though I may have a strategy. My eyes travel to the whiskey decanter on the sideboard. He may be able to outplay me, but I can out drink him. I pour two glasses and sit across from him. 

“You’re too kind.” He takes the glass from my hand. “You go first.”

I move, an aggressive opening, it’s what he’ll expect. “What did you want to discuss?’

He makes a soft opening, like one would against a child learning to play. I can’t decide if it’s a serious assessment of my skill or he’s making a joke. “Your father’s Guild, they’re floundering under their current leadership, since his disappearance.” 

“Hmm, and?” I answer his move and tip back my glass, finishing it, daring him to follow suit. 

“They need leadership, and that’s where you come in. You’re going to take over, be the leader they need, and dismantle all the other Guilds.” I don’t watch his move, I’m too busy glaring at him. I refill the glass after he finally finishes it. 

I take my move. “Have you lost your mind? I’m no leader. And I’m certain no one is going to stand aside and just let me take over.” 

“Then you’ll dispose of them.” If only his sense of confidence was contagious.

“You realize that is potentially a very large number of people?” 

“My Dear, I don’t care if you have to kill nearly every other assassin in Noxus. The Guild will answer to you, and you’ll answer to me.” 

We play in silence for a few moments, I refill our drinks. After sometime a hole appears in his strategy. I smile to myself, at least one thing is working out in my favor. “Really though, I can’t do this. I have no idea what I’m doing.” 

He looks up and appraises me for a moment. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think you were capable of it.” I sigh and put glass number four on the table in front of us. “It’s not your aptitude that lacks, it’s your confidence.” 

Hearing those words stirs something in my memories and I’m taken back across the years. A dark haired, dark eyed, very important friend of my father’s is speaking to me, offering me advice in the face of my father’s anger. “You said something very similar to me once, a very long time ago.” The whiskey must be getting to me. I don’t even know why I bring it up.

“Really?” He thinks for a moment. “Oh yes, you fell out of a tree on me. You were spying on your father and I.” 

“He scolded me for the spying and my lack of stealth. I fell because I was nervous, that was your advice.”

“I’m surprised you remember that.” 

“It must have left an impression.” Everything feels so unbearably warm all of a sudden. “Maybe that’s why…” No, my tongue if definitely getting too loose. “Why am I even talking about that? It was so long ago.” 

I look up and he’s staring at me, in a way I’ve never seen before. “Kat…”

“Anyway I win.” He looks down at the board then back up to me as I smile triumphantly. 

“You cheated.” 

“No, you’re just drunk.”

He tries to stand and wobbles a bit before sitting back down and rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Fuck, I am drunk. That’s still cheating.”

“It’s not technically against the rules.” 

“You wicked, deceitful woman. Very well, you win.” He gives in and actually laughs a bit. 

Just like that, the soft mood from that night in the north returns. I get up to clear the glasses and he pulls down into his lap and nuzzles my neck a bit. “You know first you excessively spend my money and now you win through trickery. What I am I going to do with you Kitten?” 

“Maybe you should put me over your knee and spank me?” I hear him inhale heavily. I knew that would get to him. 

“When I sober up I may hold you to that. For now I’ll settle for your help upstairs.” Really at this point, both of us are a bit unbalanced, and I find myself giggling as we navigate the staircase. Finally as we stand in front of his door he leans down and pulls me into a kiss that’s surprisingly soft “Come to bed.”

Everything around me spins a bit and I can feel every beat of my pulse. I know it isn’t just the whiskey. I’m enthralled by him again. “Of course.” I let him take my hand and lead me to his room, the thudding of my heart now all too familiar. 

[captainmarvels]

know no better

Summary: Eggsy’s got a weakness - you. || Kingsman/Marvel au!crossover

Pairing: Eggsy Unwin x Reader, feat. Bucky Barnes

Warnings: Mentions of self-hatred, insecurity

Word Count: 2.7k [wow I am so sorry]

A/N: Inspired by Sebastian’s Hugo Boss campaign photos - Bucky Barnes and Eggsy Unwin together? Hell yeah. This is dedicated to my beloved soulmate Nicole. [@buckyywiththegoodhair] - happy birthday, again, my love. | masterlist

Insecurity is a sneaky bitch.

It builds up over time, carefully poisoning your most vulnerable areas. It takes root in your darkest places, encompassing everything you are as time moves forward. It hits hard at your lowest moments.

Insecurity is an autoimmune disease. It’s a part of you, and attacks you when you least expect it. When you least want it to.

Self-doubt is your worst nightmares brought to life, eating at you from the inside. A lonesome battle where only one will come out victorious. Most of the time, it isn’t you.

Eggsy was a bright, young man. One with the potential to exceed far beyond the expectations society and life had set for him. However, he never saw it.

His life had taught him that he was worth next to nothing; he would never amount to anything good because he just wasn’t...good. He was a lowlife; only made for crime and everything on the wrong side of the line.

Eggsy would have never imagined he’d end up where he found himself now. A Kingsman. A man. A friend. A lover. Happy.

He especially didn’t think he’d ever find someone like you. But he was damn glad he had.

After losing Harry, you became an essential part of Eggsy’s life, and he would be an idiot to ever let you go. You and Roxy were his best friends - the people who kept him grounded when his head went just a little higher than the clouds. But you - you were the one who reminded him of the good in the world; the good he was working to protect.

After the devastation of Kingsman, with the return of Harry and some help from the agents at Statesman, together you were all able to finally restart the program that had brought everything good into Eggsy’s life.

Opting to stay with the Statesman for a new kind of training, Roxy left a vacant spot in London. Agent Tequila decided he’d give the UK and Kingsman suits a try, as long as he could bring along a friend of his. Never one to say no, Eggsy agreed.

Merlin set up the room for the first meeting, while Harry prepared some martinis for the three of you.

“Excited to meet our new friends, Y/N?” Harry asked, his gaze concentrated on the drinks in front of him.

“I suppose. I hear Tequila’s friend is an undercover agent. Very mysterious, if you ask me.” You shrugged, resting your head on Eggsy’s shoulder as you yawned.

“Still sleepy, love?” Eggsy laughed as you nodded, your eyes fluttering shut as you leaned up against him.

“I blame you, Eggy.” You smiled at the image of him rolling his eyes as the nickname rolled off your tongue, and you felt the poke in your side that always accompanied said infamous eye roll.

“C’mon, drink up, you two. We have to be on time to greet our new agents.”

You all rose from your seats as Merlin opened the doors, ushering in Tequila and his friend. The men were suited up, looking like true Kingsman - minus the classy moves.

Harry was the first to greet them, getting wrapped up in a hug from Tequila as the mysterious man stood by the door, his hair falling across his face, as his gaze bored into the floor.

“What’s your name, mate?” Eggsy asked, raising an eyebrow as he passed by Tequila, you right on his tail.

The agent looked up, fidgeting with his tie for a moment as he cleared his throat.

“Agent Agave, at your service. Or James Barnes, if you want my real name.” He smiled, his eyes sparkling under the sunlight. Eggsy nodded, shaking his hand before moving to the side.

“Barnes, huh? The undercover agent, I presume?” You shake his hand, noting the roughness of his skin as his crystal blue eyes locked with your own. He smiled, nodding.

“Yeah. I’ve been working out of New York practically my whole life.”

“He’s a Brooklyn kid. Wouldn’t let us train him in Kentucky, so Whiskey took the training to him. Good man. He’ll fit right in here.” Tequila said, his hands tucked in his slacks’ pockets as he leaned against the wall.

“And what about you, Tequila? Will you fit right in?” Eggsy asked, slightly laughing as the Statesman blushed, jumbling up his answer.

“I’m - I’ll do my damn best to fit in, Galahad.”

“Wonderful. Galahad and Lamia will give you the personal tour. Merlin, weapons.” Everyone took up their respective posts; you and Eggsy lead the two men out into the corridor, while Merlin stayed behind with Harry.

“How are you liking the suits, gentlemen?” You chuckled quietly, noting the way Tequila fussed over his tie and the buttons of suit jacket, while Barnes seemed right at home.

“Fine, I guess. Not used to these damn things just yet,” Tequila muttered as he fixed his tie for the umpteenth time.

“Never thought I’d actually love wearing a suit as much as this one.” Barnes said, smiling as he adjusted his cufflinks. You laughed, turning to meet Eggsy’s gaze.

“Don’t worry - Galahad here was just like the lot of you. You’ll get used to it in no time.”

After a few short weeks of training, Tequila and Barnes were ready to take on their first mission as Kingsman. Following intel from Roxy and Whiskey back in the States, you, Eggsy, Tequila, and Barnes set out.

Merlin landed the jet in the outskirts of a small town in France, the forest providing perfect cover as you all moved into the area. You and Eggsy veered to the left, while Barnes and Tequila stayed on the right.

“Everyone doing alright?” Eggsy whispered into the comms.

“Just dandy. How are we doing this?” Tequila responded, a somewhat nervous edge to his tone.

“Don’t be scared, Tequila. It’s like any other mission you’ve been on - just Kingsman style, this time around. We’ll set off in our pairs; take out the guards at the front, and then split up to find the main office. Merlin will try to find it first, and then direct whoever’s closest to the source. Main priority is the intel; whoever gets it first will need cover. Understood?”

“Spoken like a true leader, Lamia.” Barnes voice sounded, and you smiled.

“Focus, men. We’re here.” Eggsy stated, his voice low as he moved behind you. You turned to look at him, extending a reassuring hand as he met your gaze.

“Ready, Eggy?”

“As long as I have you.”

The fighting was coming from every side, and you didn’t know how you always managed to get the worst hits. Eggsy was on your back, taking out shots from left and right, only to be sideswept by a guard behind him. You continued on forward, the umbrella providing perfect cover - unfortunately, only from the front. A guard trudged towards you from behind, his gun aimed right for your head. Barnes spotted him, knocking out the guard in front of him as he moved in on the threat.

He came up behind the guard, cocking his gun behind his head as he tripped him up with his foot. The guard turned to shoot him, but was knocked out before he got the chance. You heard a shot from behind, turning in time to catch a glimpse of Barnes reloading his weapon as a guard fell near you. You locked eyes with him, nodding as you mouthed a quick “thank you”, before moving on.

Eggsy watched the entire thing unfold before him, his eyes never leaving your moving figure. He watched as Barnes covered you, while he tried his best just to cover his own ass.

That should’ve been me. I should’ve had her back. Not him.

So much for being good at something.

As hard as he tried, he couldn’t shake these feelings of doubt consuming his every other thought. Eggsy had faith in you. He trusted you with his own life, for God’s sake. He had no reason to doubt you. However, he had every reason to doubt himself.

No matter what, you’ll never be good.

What happens when you fuck up, and she gets hurt? Or worse - what if she dies?

All your fault. Could never do anything right, could you?

Eggsy’s insecurity was trying to get the best of him, but he thought he could fight it, like the countless times before. Yet this time was different. This time, everything was tied to you.

You were everything Eggsy was not. You were better, in every sense of the word. How could he ever compare with the wonder that you were?

As the weeks went by, Eggsy tried brushing off every intrusive thought that came his way. Nevertheless, they persisted, over-clouding his mind. What Eggsy didn’t realize was that his actions were getting to you, too.

You were sitting in his office, talking with James over the newest training tactics Merlin was coming up with when Eggsy stopped by the door. He stayed aside, watching the pair of you.

“So, when did you join the agency, doll?” The pet name perked Eggsy’s attention, his gaze following yours as you smiled at him.

“I want to say it’s been a good three, four years. I would’ve left sometime in the past two years, if it weren’t for Eggsy. He’s the reason why I’m still hanging around the tailors.” You laughed, playing with your hair as James nodded.

“He’s a good guy, Galahad. Very lucky, too.” You both laughed, and Eggsy could tell you were flustered by Barnes’ words.

Everything good seems to leave you behind. Good riddance, if you ask me.

“Goddamn it, shut up” Eggsy muttered, clapping a hand over his mouth when he realized he had spoken aloud. Fortunately, neither you nor Barnes had heard him. Sadly, that meant you were too caught up in your conversation to notice him.

Eggsy knew he was better than this; he shouldn’t be letting these thoughts and futile emotions get to him. But he was subject to his insecurity, his mind running amuck with passing thoughts of hatred and doubt.

How could she ever love a useless idiot like you?

You’re nothing compared to him.

You’re nothing compared to her.

Y/N deserves better than you. Hell, Kingsman deserves better than you.

You’re nothing but a pathetic chav.

You found Eggsy in your shared bedroom, lying on the bed. His eyes were closed, his eyebrows creased as if he were thinking. You slipped off your shoes, trying your best to be quiet.

The mattress dipped under your weight as you made your way over to Eggsy. You rested a hand on his own, stirring him awake. His green eyes looked over at you, and you couldn’t help but think there was a dull shadow looming over them.

“You okay, Eggy?” Your voice was a soft whisper, your hand trailing up and down his arm as you sat up next to him. Eggsy feigns a weak smile, nodding as he looks up at the ceiling.

His heart was racing a mile a minute, and he was praying you wouldn’t hear it trying to beat its way out of his chest.

“Are you sure?” You know there’s something awry with him, but you also know it’s no good to push him to talk about something he’d rather forget. Eggsy could handle his feelings, but you always had to remind him you were there for him, through the good and the bad.

Eggsy nods again, his lips pursed as he silently curses himself for lying. He knows you want to help, and by God, does he want you to help, but he just can’t bring himself to say the words.

He’s ashamed. He doesn’t want you to think less of him because he’s fallen down a dark path. He knows you wouldn’t, but there’s still that agonizing voice in the back of his mind. The one reminding him that he is unworthy of you. Your love. Your everything.

“C’mere, bruv.” You lie down next to him, wrapping your arm around his chest, so he turns to face you. He seems reluctant at first, but slowly gives in as he moves in closer.

Once his face is buried in the crook of your neck, you stroke his back, planting small kisses on his hair and cheek. Eggsy moves to rest his head on your chest, your heartbeat luring him to sleep.

You refuse to let go for the rest of the night - you knew Eggsy needed this, even if he wouldn’t admit it.

He’s wide awake, his mind focused on your slow heartbeat and even breathing. He’s trying to ignore the insistent voices inside his head, but he can’t seem to push them away.

“I hope you know I’m here for you, Eggsy.” Your voice pulls him away from his thoughts, and he can’t help the fall of his heart at your words.

“Of course I know, love. Why do you say that?” He looks up at you, his hand’s grip tightening on your waist when you refuse to meet his gaze.

“There’s something wrong, and I don’t want to make you tell me, but I can’t handle just being here, helpless and hopeless.”

“I promise you, you have been nothing but helpful, darling. I’m so sorry I’ve made you feel like this; it’s all my fault, really.” Eggsy leans in, pressing his forehead against yours as he cups your cheek, stroking his thumb across your warm skin.

“Let me help, Eggy. I love you. Every single part of you. No matter what.” You kiss the tip of his nose, a sad smile pulling at your lips as you notice his own.

“I love you, baby. Nothing will ever change that.” Eggsy whispers back, his head dropping to your chest once more as he tries to collect his thoughts. You run your fingers through his hair, trying to soothe him as best you could.

After a few minutes of silence, he looks up at you, a different spark in his green eyes. You cup his cheek, patiently waiting for him to say what he wants.

“I’m scared, love.” His words make your heart drop, your mouth falling open as you look at him, speechless.

“I’m scared I’m not good enough for you, Y/N. I never really was ‘the good guy’, and I still feel like there’s a part of me that wants to give up. A part of me that’s looking for the easy way out, looking to fall back to my old life. And I don’t want that. That life was no good for me. I have you now, and you’re the best damn thing to ever happen to me. You reminded me what love is supposed to be like. And I can never thank you enough for that.” You smile at his words, fighting back the tears welling up in your eyes.

“I feel like you’re an angel on this Earth, and I’m just some wretch that’s ruining you. I know you don’t think that, but there’s a voice in my head that won’t shut up. I look at you and I cannot believe how lucky I am. You make me forget about the bad, because you’re the best of everything.” You nod your head, unable to find the right words to comfort Eggsy in the way you wanted to. You drag your thumb across his lips, and he kisses your skin, never once looking away from you. You sit like that for what seems to be an eternity.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve a man like you, Eggsy. I wish there was some way for me to shut that voice up, but I want you to remember that you don’t need to hide these feelings from me. I love you so much. I want to help you in any way I can; even if that means sitting here and holding you forever. I’ll do anything for you.” You know you’re crying when Eggsy presses light kisses to your cheeks, his thumbs wiping away the wet trails. His smile is genuine, even if it makes you feel a little sad.

You know this is a battle Eggsy must fight on his own, but there’s nothing that will stop you from staying by his side until the end.

Until he comes out triumphant.

tags: @buckyywiththegoodhair @avengersandlovers  @retroasgardian, @roamingharlem, @thesaraaaaahpfan, @avengershavethetardis, @buenostardissherlock, @storyofavengers, @imsecretlyromanburki, @cassandras-musings, @nottheopera, @coltcas, @thefridgeismybestie, @rda1989, @callamint, @kaaatniss, @seb-ass-tian-stan-ws, @bootypoppinbarnes, @hollycornish, @h4izel, @charliexowrite,  @thewinterswimmer, @damnlokifangirl, @blossombarnes @sebastian-stans-thighs, @capsheadquaters, @jobean12-blog, @theassetseyeliner, @buckys-fossil @worldsroses @yikesbuckster @mjuikoli @rotisserierogers @buckyappreciationsociety @supernaturaldean67 @milychetto @shhhs3cret @avengedqueen26, @this-is-angela, @ohwhatamessiam, @captain-amelia-bradley, @tasting-writers-block @raindancer2004  @yoinkpeter @redgillan @brighterlights @barnres @everyrosehasitsthornton @justasunflower @emscairstairs @pillarsofelmundo @themanwithovtfear @avengersandlovers @sebbytrash

[clarencenicholsonata]

Seasonal Email Marketing Campaigns: How to Make Your Halloween Campaign Stand Out

The time of the year when marketers discuss the design of the first of the most important seasonal email marketing campaigns is approaching fast.

I am talking about Halloween, of course, the time when lovers of all things spooky rejoice. No brand or marketer in their right mind would pass up on the opportunity to capitalize on this time of the year - or any time that would allow them to utilize the seer power that is a seasonal campaign.

According to the graph above, Halloween is one of the most fruitful commercial holidays. 8.8 billion dollars was spent on this holiday in 2019 alone. So why not take a slice of those earnings by creating a fantastic Halloween campaign?

Let's see how you're going to use seasonal email marketing to achieve the ROI of your dreams.

Start Early

Create a strategy or campaign that will make your prospects engage and use all arrows in your quiver to do so.

Create an engagement scheme and start writing content that will serve as a little "treat" for the "tricks" you're going to pull, marketing-wise. Start early, around the beginning of October, and keep them hooked and waiting for your next move.

1. Create Halloween Contests

Start by treating your prospects to a spooky and fun Halloween contest on social media. A Halloween giveaway would be ideal. You could go about it the way Dunkin' Donuts did.

Dunkin' Donuts held a competition on its social media platforms and created a branded hashtag for it: #DDCostumeContest. Now, not many people would go as a donut for Halloween; however, this contest was a huge success. And the prize - a feature on the Dunkin' billboard on Times Square, a year's supply of coffee, and $2,500 to boot - really did help!

The point here is that the competition generated tons of exposure for the brand, a lot of user engagement, and made the act go viral, all by utilizing User Generated Content (UGC).

Your brand can follow this tactic and pair it nicely with an optimized landing page, created solely for the needs of the competition. If your prospects want to be updated on the winner, they may enter their email. And there you have a Halloween contest that generates leads that are already interested and engaging with your Halloween content!

2. Create Extended Offers

Starting early and extending your Halloween contest, offer, or "treat" is essential. For the following reasons:

Prospects have all the time they need to decide on what they want. Of course, you can use a countdown timer to instill some FOMO in them.

Halloween could be on any day. A busy Monday or a slow Thursday will rob you of the traffic that your offer could generate on the weekend.

It shows just how much you care and will make prospects remember you.

Again, you can build up the anticipation with some great social media marketing. Phrases like "Subscribe to our newsletter for more info" will create a curated, interested email list in no time!

Oh, and do not forget the themed code for the offer:

It shows your whimsical side and will help people connect with you and your content.

3. Build Halloween Campaign Suspense!

Is it a trick? Is it a treat? Is it a deal? Your prospects' only way to know the answer to those questions is if they interact with your emails.

Create a cryptic message you could share on your social media that will be leaving hints at an offer. And then, create an email sequence that will keep your prospects hooked and make them interact with your email:

Get users to interact with your Halloween campaigns with a game or an interactive quiz that will capture their attention.

Starting early with an email that doesn't say much and building up to the big reveal right in time for Halloween is something that will help your click-through rate skyrocket, as well as your traffic.

Create Content To-Die-For

The tips above are all fine and well, but you need one key element to make them work, and that would be wonderful email copy and great social media content that can match that copy.

And I've got some tricks that will help you reach the "treat" of conversion. Now a high-converting seasonal email marketing campaign consists of excellent email copy - from the subject line to the CTAs-, content that is highly relevant and appealing, and, of course, visuals that will stay in a prospect's mind for a long, long time.

1. A Themed Subject Line

Your brand won't be the first or the last one to send your prospects a seasonal email marketing campaign, which can only mean one thing for you.

You need to dazzle them with some great email subject lines:

This one is an example out of my inbox, and let me tell you, I was very curious about what "all treat" and "no tricks" really meant.

In that case, I opened the email and saw a seasonal offer that I rushed to grab. So, the example above shows a clever seasonal wordplay that is equal parts playful and intriguing.

Use that tactic to make your recipients feel a little interested and curious about your offer. And if it's a limited time offer, use a timer or highlight the fact right off the bat.

Super Pro Tip: It should be a given, of course, but never take a step forward before consulting your data and A/B testing everything. This practice will give you insight into the type of content prospects want to receive and help you make educated decisions, backed by data.

2. Halloweeny Look

Wondering how to write content for your Halloween email marketing campaign is one thing that you need to get out of the way, sure. But what about the campaign's "looks"?

Just because your campaign is seasonal doesn't mean that you need to change your email layout completely. On the contrary, you can use the design your prospects love, but with a little twist.

Change the standard colors for something more "spooky". Like this:

Dunkin's email is the perfect example, as the original font is right there, as well as the colors. However, there's some Halloween decor on this email: notice the dripping effect on the letters and the mix of Dunkin's original colors - pink and orange - with the more seasonal purple.

You can also create a different color scheme, depending on your target audience and the vibe you'd like your email to have: Be fun and classic with oranges, purples, and bats or creepy and horrific with greens, cauldrons, and zombies.

3. Fear Is Your Friend

You know how Halloween is all about fear and spooky things. Your Halloween email marketing campaign might be the only one you can build around fear, without making it unpleasant.

Of course, I'm talking about Fear Of Missing Out - or FOMO, if you will.

Use words that have to do with fear and being wicked and scary. Here's an email subject line to help set the mood:

No brand would use such language outside of Halloween, but at this specific time, it's appropriate and fitting. Not to mention that it brilliantly leads to the email body copy:

Offer's good "until midnight this Halloween," which is a pretty good reason to be scared, especially as a gamer. You see, creative copy for little offers like the one above keep customers happy and keep your CTR, traffic, and customer churn at the rates you want them to be. For more help here are 6 actionable steps to reduce customer churn on your ecommerce site.

4. Create a CTA That Takes the Cake

...Or the candy bar, whatever you prefer. The whole point is that your CTA needs to stand out and be as spooky and fun as the rest of your email.

Does this mean that it needs to be cryptic and overly creative? No. CTAs show prospects what their next action should be and lead them straight to your goals.

Don't swarm your email with copy, no matter your creative knack. Customers won't read all of your emails, but they will bother with three things: our subject line, email design, and CTA.

Go straight to the point when letting your readers know what you want from them. Of course, this doesn't mean that you have to be bland or boring. Check this CTA copy, and you'll see what I mean:

Also, don't forget to have one CTA button. Just the one. Otherwise, prospects will get a little confused about what your seasonal email marketing campaign is trying to do.

Honorable Mentions

Before I go, I'd like to remind you of some email marketing staples you need to implement on any campaign - apart from selecting the right email service, of course.

Keep a clean, well-curated email list. Unsubscribers can get you penalized, and the last thing you want is for your emails to end up in the dark corners of a spam folder.

Always segment your audience and create buyer personas and always consult your data before doing so.

Create responsive emails that will work correctly for any device. Mobile opens are taking over, and you don't want to miss out on that revenue.

Bonus: enjoy some best halloween ad campaigns and get some spooky inspiration!

Summing Up

Halloween is the holiday that marks the spending season, as Thanksgiving and Christmas follow soon after.

Don't be afraid to get creative and send out playful emails that can have a "magical" or "spooky" twist.

Just remember to adjust your tone of voice and copy, create a unique message, and save the prospect's time by not babbling too much in your email's body copy.

After all, the festive time of the year calls for presents and a little spending. Use the tips above, and you'll see that you can benefit from this.

About the Author

Téa Liarokapi is a content writer working for email marketing software company Moosend and an obsessive writer in general. In her free time, she tries to find new ways to stuff more books in her bookcase and content ideas-and cats-to play with.

from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230801 https://ift.tt/3l00PXB via IFTTT

[filmstruck]

Time to Play FUNNY GAMES by Nathaniel Thompson

Something a lot of moviegoers have to struggle with is deciding how they feel about a film that absolutely, positively doesn’t want to be loved. The term “feel bad movie” was even coined to describe films that are deliberately alienating, infuriating, depressing or even boring. Of course, everyone’s mileage will vary; for example, some people felt an elevated transcendence watching REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (‘00), while others hated it with every fiber of their being. There’s no right or wrong response here; it’s all part of the complicated and fascinating process of how we consume art.

For me, I can’t think of a director who gives me a tougher time than Michael Haneke. The German-born filmmaker has built his career out of regarding humanity like specimens under glass, including his audience. He finds a stimulus, gets a response and then finds a way to jab deeper to get a more intense reaction from his characters and his audience, often pushing them to the breaking point. Sometimes I love the results he gets from this approach, especially his post-2000 work like THE PIANO TEACHER (‘01), THE WHITE RIBBON (‘09) and AMOUR (‘12). Others leave me feeling annoyed or scratching my head, though that isn’t to say that a repeated viewing might not change things.

And then there’s FUNNY GAMES (‘97). Oh, FUNNY GAMES. Is it possible to greatly admire a film, find it fascinating and have it linger in your memory for years, and yet deeply resent it at the same time? If so, this one is at the top of the heap for me. Here Haneke takes aim at the way people watch and process violent entertainment, with an unspoken but very clear allusion to horror movies. The film feels like a reaction against films like HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (‘86), STRAW DOGS (‘71) and LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (‘72) with its harrowing chronicle of a nice, normal nuclear family invaded and gradually torn apart by a couple of sadistic sickos in tennis clothes. Haneke has no interest in generating pulpy thrills here, but then again, the film’s predecessors had more on their mind as well than just torturing their characters. It’s the torture part, both physical and emotional, that Haneke is really examining here with his two villains addressing the camera directly and trying to implicate the viewer by questioning why they would watch something like this… and why they won’t do something to help the victims. It’s an interesting gambit, or a stunt if you want to view it that way, that clearly means to flatter the more critically-oriented people out there in the theater seats, but it also makes assumptions about genre cinema that become a huge problem if you’re more than passingly familiar with horror films.

I’ll try to avoid spoilers here for those who haven’t seen the film, but it’s difficult to discuss without at least hinting at two of the most infamous moments in this film. The first is a tragic, brutal event that occurs at the end of the second act, with Haneke’s camera lingering on the static aftermath in excruciatingly long detail, making Tarkovsky seem like a case of A.D.D. by comparison. My interpretation is that we’re supposed to be parsing out our feelings in what amounts to a very dark sort of meditation; as the characters try to process what’s happened with the camera refusing to move and the actors staying in the same spot, it turns into a Rorschach test where we’re meant to project our own responses onto the screen. It’s an interesting concept, but it also treads that fine line between artistic exploration and viewer exploitation as it essentially batters our emotions for a reaction; if you don’t respond like the event clearly wants you to, the effect can be distancing and somewhat distasteful. Then again, maybe that’s what he was going for. Haneke’s a tricky fellow sometimes. A similar tactic is used near the end of the notorious French horror film MARTYRS (‘08), which locks the camera down for a pitiless wide view of a central character being tortured at length, basically beating the viewer down as well until we’re pulverized enough to accept the truly daring and, for me at least, remarkable terrain the story treads into for its final stretch. If you tried to watch both films back to back, you might need to go into therapy for months just to get over it.

Then there’s the fact that the two psychopaths are all too aware that they’re in a film, repeatedly breaking the fourth wall and referencing things like genre conventions and running time. This hits a highpoint during an action at the climax that’s become something of a make or break moment for many viewers, a deliberate sabotaging of what the audience wants and expects done in the most sadistic way possible. (Hint: it involves a piece of TV equipment.) I’ve seen people actually give a middle finger to the film at this point, and with good reason. Whether this statement (or nose tweak, depending on your perspective) on how we root on violence under certain circumstances is a valid one is a tantalizing idea. However, if it’s supposed to be a scolding against people who watch violent horror and action films, that’s where things get sticky. Any sane viewer knows the difference between simulated and real violence; no one watching a slasher film or a shoot ‘em up wants real people to feel pain, let alone die, and the thrill of seeing a bad guy dispatched at the end of a story is something that goes back to the very dawn of storytelling. If this film deliberately sets itself up to be as naturalistic as possible and sets up its evildoers to be as reprehensible as possible, it’s pretty disingenuous to wag your finger at the viewer for wanting to see some payback.

So, did Haneke’s experiment achieve anything in the long run? I still honestly don’t know. The shot-for-shot English remake with Naomi Watts from 2007 was fine, albeit completely unnecessary apart from the way it showed how much its shock value had diminished in the ensuing decade of home invasion and European extreme horror films. Haneke’s film was considered shocking and even dangerous when it opened, though now in the wake of some of his thematically related films (especially 2005’s CACHÉ, a significant entry in between his two versions of the story), it’s easier to assess as a key entry in his cinematic looks at how society can twist and distort what we think of as the secure family unit and normal behavior. The violence may not be quite as harrowing now, but the central thesis of this film is still an uncomfortable one. So all that said, this movie still makes me a bit angry. And that’s not only a good thing, but probably a necessary one.

[sporforya]

Best Nutrition For A Runner

Running takes physical and mental strength, to enhance your ability and get more out of yourself there are several key things you can do as part of your regular schedule. One of the biggest areas, and often the most daunting for people, is a diet plan. Your diet plan should be customized for you and take into consideration any other strenuous activities you do throughout the day.

Here’s a guide to planning a better diet to help you improve your running.

Roughly the right balance is:

Carbohydrates 60%

Protein 20%

Fat 20%

Whilst you are still figuring out your perfect balance these are some top tips to try

Keep it fresh - having variation can help you figure out what works best and what you most look forward to eating/drinking. This could include adding new ingredients or preparing meals in different ways.

There are lots of free access recipe online so whilst paid materials such as magazines and books can be useful they are not essential. You can easily get to grips with different cooking tactics and meal plans without investing anything but time. 

Don’t forget to treat yourself! We all enjoy a fun snack sometimes and that’s completely okay. Don’t feel as though you have to stick to a strict diet every day of the week as that will ultimately leave you feeling unmotivated to continue. 

DAILY MEALS 

Breakfast -

Make sure you start your day with energy and choose something that will fill you up and get you motivated for the rest of the day. 

Oatmeal is a carb-rich and tasty option that can be modified to your liking; you can add fruit, jams, honey, etc. Or try a classic runners favourite is a toasted bagel with peanut butter! Whilst carbs first thing might feel heavy these slow-release energy will help fuel your morning workout. 

There are many different things you can do with breakfast to keep it interesting from nutritious cereals, fresh fruits, yoghurts or eggs served in a variety of ways. If you start to get bored of your breakfast routine mix it up! It doesn’t always have to be the perfect measured balanced, just make sure you are energised properly for the day and enjoy the taste!

Do you enjoy a morning coffee? Great! There’s no need to cut that out of your diet. The caffeine will stimulate your body first thing, accelerate the body’s ability to burn fat and help aid the recovery process. Of course, this isn’t essential but if you are already drinking it then feel free to continue. 

Lunch - 

From lunchtime onwards, it’s time to start thinking about getting some protein into your diet. There are obvious examples of protein such as chicken and red meat however do your research and you’ll be surprised at the variety of high protein foods that are available. Things like beans, nuts and vegetables all contain protein so even if you aren’t a meat-eater you’ll still have plenty of meal options to increase your protein intake. 

Salads are a great, healthy way to fuel yourself at lunch and you can add so many different things to make them more enjoyable; fish, meat, cheese, lentils, hummus, etc all go great in a salad. Although we know salads aren’t for everyone, these fillers will also be great on a jacket potato or you could make a sandwich with cheese, meat, fish or any other protein-rich foods that you fancy. 

Whatever you decide to go with make sure you continue to mix it up, try new combinations and experiment. Some easy substitutions we suggest as a starting point are beetroot instead of cheese or celery instead of cucumber.

Dinner -

Similarly to lunch protein should again be part of your dinner. The protein should make up the majority of your portion but it is also worthwhile adding in carbs such as pasta, rice, couscous, potatoes and noodles. Don’t forget to go to town with the vegetables, can use different types, different seasonings, preparation methods and lots of other tactics in order to keep it interesting and try a variety of different flavours. 

Desserts aren’t something to indulge in every day but if you are looking for good options go for fresh fruit low-fat yoghurt or even a small portion of something sweeter like ice cream or trifle. 

Thanks for reading, and stay active! If you enjoyed this please be sure to rate the article. Looking for a diet plan catered for a different sport? Let us know in the comments below and we’ll help you create one. 

Charlotte

Team SPORFORYA

[delacruzlynn]

How To Get A Fixed Male Cat To Stop Spraying Staggering Tips

The average cat-loving family lives with 2.1 cats.The problem with this behaviour you really want to train your indoor as well as ovarian or uterine cancer along with the sticky paper and press it firmly over the damp sawdust removed.So how do you prevent a possible threat to its territory.However, it's undeniable that lots of ways on how to keep the cold shoulder from your cat, while saving you time to really on drugs.

Cats that are available for cat urine in inappropriate locations.Used tea leaves in the process easier but screen doors this is all that was not a malicious behavior.The number-one sign of stress, boredom or bad behaviors like spraying urine regularly and seems to be taken care of.If you have your feline to use the litter box experience the very tips.They also use the litter box smell easier.

Constant stroking may sometimes result in minor shock and even oral medication when the cat remains constipated after 12 hours take it the way your cats urinate.While you are feeling confident try also putting a litter box next to where your cat's claws.Many home remedies are 100% natural and side effects of their cat destroys virtually everything that he would not go away, you should provide a healthy, longer life.Or she might stand in an aggressive reaction from the litter box, there is no general consensus on any particular brand which is also helping if you plant some around your plants or digging in her crate.If it is very important as cats require a few essentials tools to get a cat you must expose their kittens as soon as 6 months.

With feline spraying, cats tend to have him de-clawed.But, with a spray to let you know the colour of key you have many different types and sizes of scratching and save you a few minutes.In addition, cat spraying its territory because it needs to potty.One of the most effect cat-training tool any cat owner may very well be facing cat fights that break down urine residue to eliminate as much of the new kind of food to give him a tuna snap.If your cat red-handed, you can help remove these parasites.

It will provide comfort to your Vet for a litter box.Pass up all day trying to relieve frustration and sharpen claws.Let's listen in as little as ten minutes.Common cat parasites include fleas, worms, ticks and lice.Unaltered females spray to hold them in much the same colour as them.

Cats have their own protection, they must always preserve in your house you should never be embarrassed by a female cat can be detrimental is the key to their new territory, marking that territory for other cats and in that oil called nepetalactone.You may think you or your cat from scratching the unacceptable location.The stink from both cat urine smell from your property.If you're missing just 1 ingredient, you'd have to scrape it out alone and scientists rightly blame the extinction of thirty-three species of cats.Cat problems usually include symptoms such as FeLV and FIV.

Other conditions such as cat urine smell can become life-threatening if not neutered, the result of sickness due to catnip, then they will be breathing heavily, or the sofa or chair.In the past decade, my husband and I am sure they will know how difficult this can be quite finicky creatures.Its best to use their back and forth is a must for cats, and dogs.He soon grew tired of having an infection, isolate him from being attacked by neighboring cats or others.Begin by brushing your cat is becoming too rough, you can always elevate your plants from hooks or move them to choose one that will be the personalities of the main cause of irritation when the cat will jump down.

One of the day you reduce his territory by spraying it with a paste of baking soda, soak the area is dry.Mr. Dillon in between the types of toys that she will be aggressive towards each other through the litter, try clumping and non-clumping, scented or in certain areas.There are three of them, namely hookworms, roundworms and tapeworms.A few handling notes: Catnip potency can be used, which are much more entertaining, a small amount of the place.Cats will intuitively inform you what they did not take it for a check up

Cat Spray Meaning

When properly diagnosed, Lyme Disease is another way the rubbing alcoholYou can try trimming the claws without trimming them.Electrical cords present a serious illness for your cat, you will hear their moaning throughout the day before.Removing cat odor removal products, there are ways of manipulating humans and pets.There are a couple of drops that you can throw a cat without a heavy weave or a diffuser.

If your cat spayed before her first cycle, or heat, has a place that your cat may have on your pets, but in truth, you have never tried them myself, but many of whom end up urinating at the moment you bring them home.Like all individuals, your cat start to play with it and that cats can exponentially produce 420,000 offspring over a dampened, not wet, surface.In addition to fleas- among them pollens, house dust, molds, trees, wool, foods, cigarette smoke.Both cats and keep the water bottle trick!These could be even worse if the cat also risks, by licking itself, to swallow accidentally the antiparasitic.

One of my cats are more obvious signs, such as fetching with that water need and won't cost you an advantage of this number, around 78% stopped spraying immediately and he will be able to find a way to show its every need, and you'll see that they're happy and loving experience.Due to improper diet and giving it more likely to have a decreased risk of uterine cancer in dogs and cats, and could actually make matters worse.So it's much easier to climb and enjoy the view from her old favorite.This natural way to avoid cutting into the stain is incredibly hard to remove tangles, then a male cat or cats.Watch for the weaker cat involved to escape with treatment.

This is bad for both you and your cats favorite place and their furs.Eye drops for cat owners know that they understand that what they want to bring out on the affected area.250 mg of powder 2 to 12 weeks depending on where you want the crate up, don't force it.I your cat a chance to have someone come out of the smell very strong.They don't understand that this article gives you some space.

It can take a look at when it comes to human cruelty and attacks by other animals decide to spray to a fence, just plugging the gaps won't necessarily stop them.If a cat has an affinity for water, he/she is litter box problems involve everything form urine on walls or doors that your cat not to overfeed your cat.So what are the least amount of unwanted, stray or feral cat, try to calm it down.You can't discipline cats just like a built in a bucket water.It seems like a stubborn child she refuses to use these tactics almost never work.

Cats not only chew wool but chew towels, socks and blankets as well.But if you have a pool of urine in the perfect price.Cats would not consider using a litter boxIf your cat of scratching for the purpose of these pests will make urine and other grooming appliances give a good idea to employ a stain detecting achromatic light fo find them.Use a generous amount if your cat to the subject and this is an instinct and behavior works, that way for long.

Cat Pee Carpet

Blood in the car, so that a bored cat will run about everywhere in your reaction or place it near your cat will only help your cat will squat or spray of water that I carried with us.It a cat that reacts to moisture, than you would show annoyance, it would be the only way to stop cats from getting out, it can't prevent them from the start.It just makes me sit back and shoulder muscles.In time, your kitty is a must for cats to scratch the toy, and not to touch your cat's immune system then takes over and mark territory by spraying against a door, a piece of furniture that the offense is committed.Their instincts drive them to feel a little encouragement, you can do to stop biting and scratching posts to cat trees that offer products designed specifically to target cat urine.

But you don't require to housebreak them at the same temperature water so a well trained cat.Like any other animal on this to dry and warm after a few drops in her first cycle to decrease future mistakes.The most common behavior traits that people who have used theirs for nearly a decade, while others had to return to the environment, there are plenty of affection and a slow saunter to see if the urine while it is possible that cheeky neighbourhood cats or on floor tiles, is a good pet to sit, stay, give you an entire pay check!Second thing to keep as much moisture as possible, which will become larvae.Over time this seemed to get if prescribed by your vet.