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incandescent-eden · 6 years ago

Text

Glacerie

A short story about cute girls on a maybe kind of ice cream date

“Sorry it took so long!”

Alyona shook her head quickly to clear her thoughts, looking up at Ri’s smiling face and the two tall ice cream glasses she held, one in each hand. Ri shook her head slightly to shake a single dark pigtail off her left shoulder and readjust her bangs, but her smile never left her face.

“Oh, it- it wasn’t long at all!” Alyona replied hastily. “I was just! Thinking! Not that that took long, I just…” she blew air out of her mouth in frustration. “That was… Pfffft,” she blew again, unable to find the words. She pushed her hair out of her face nervously, knocking her glasses askew in the process. God, that’s embarrassing. Nice going, Alyona, she internally screamed, simultaneously panicking and hitting herself mentally.

“Did you get a haircut, Alyona?” Ri smiled as she set the ice cream down on the table and slid into the booth across from Alyona. Her short beige skirt against the red vinyl made a slight sliding sound. Alyona balked, remembering she was wearing an old gray hoodie and shapeless jeans. Ri had assured her that her pink cardigan and silky skirt were casual wear, but it still made Alyona self conscious in comparison.

“I - oh… yeah, haha,” she laughed nervously. Anxious as she was, it made her smile that Ri had noticed her hair, and even moreso that Ri used her short name ‘Alyona.’ Of course, she had asked to be referred to as such, and she and Ri were friends, after all, so it wasn’t really any indicator of anything more. Still, to hear Ri call her ‘Alyona,’ as if it were her pet name, the way her accent curved around the “L” sound, the slight pitch increase of her voice as she ended the question, even! It was enough to make Alyona smile and for her face to go hot despite the cool air conditioning tickling her cheeks.

Oh please god, don’t let it show, she thought. It was too late. She could already feel the flush rising in her cheeks, pink as the pastel pink walls behind her.

“It looks so beautiful!” Ri chirped. And with that, Alyona’s composure crumbled in parallel to the chocolate chip cookie in Ri’s ice cream sundae as Ri pushed it with her silver spoon. Alyona ducked her head, trying to slow her breathing. Luckily for her, Ri had just taken a big bite of her ice cream, and was thus too preoccupied to notice how red Alyona’s face had become.

Quite unluckily, however, Alyona happened to look up and see Ri’s face as she took her first spoonful of ice cream. She watched in adoration as Ri blinked happily, thirstily taking in the image: Ri’s dark chocolate eyes wide and shining with joy, her pink lips pursed around the end of her spoon curling into the biggest smile she could manage while her mouth was still full, the way her dark hair, the color of the cookie chunks in her cookies ‘n cream ice cream, seemed to shimmer in the rosy fluorescent lighting of the ice cream parlour. Alyona thought that perhaps her ice cream would taste bitter or sour or just like nothing, to be honest, compared to how Ri looked. Looked? Tasted? Internally, Alyona groaned. That sounded cheesy and pathetic even in her mind.

Suddenly, Ri looked up. Her brow crinkled in concern. “Do you not like peanut butter? I’m sorry if I got you a flavor you didn’t like” she said in regards to the untouched ice cream sundae in front of Alyona. The whipped cream was already melting into a white pool, the red cherry drowning in the sad swirl of cream, chocolate and peanut butter sauce, and chocolate sprinkles.

Alyona blushed as she looked glumly at the pathetic mess she had left in the midst of her ogling. She wished she could trade place with that cherry now; drowning in sticky cream was far preferable to getting caught staring at her crush like some creep.

“No, no, I love peanut butter!” She hurriedly scooped up some ice cream in her mouth and gave Ri an awkward thumbs up with the spoon still clutched in one hand. Some of the peanut butter sauce had gotten on the handle, sticking miserably to her fingers.

Ri smiled, obviously confused. “O-okay!” she answered cheerfully, choosing to disregard Alyona’s strange behavior, it seemed.

Damn it, Alyona internally cursed. Why was it so difficult to just act normal around Ri?

She didn’t notice it at first. The first time she saw Ri, she had just finished rehearsing her routine, and aerial silks required a lot of strength and concentration. If she had flushed, she attributed it to hanging upside down suspended by silks for the past few minutes. If her heart had beat extra quickly, she was sure it was just because of the adrenaline and rigor of her routine.

Then came the flutters. The first time Ri introduced herself, said the words, “Hi, I’m Mei Ri, but you can call me Ri,” Alyona’s heart leapt. She shook Ri’s hand and mumbled, “Elena,” before impulsively adding, “My friends call me Alyona!” Surely, she had told herself, that was just nerves. After all, meeting new people was stress inducing, and Alyona had never been good with new people. She disregarded the voice in her mind that said “oh, she’s cute” and the light fluttery feeling in her chest as she shook Ri’s hand, painfully aware that she was sweating.

“Can I call you Alyona, then? I would like to be friends, if you would, too!” Ri cheerfully asked as she shook Alyona’s hand.

Somewhere in her mind, she registered that Ri’s hand was cool, smooth, and altogether quite tiny within her own hand, and that voice again echoed something about how cute it was.

Friends. With Ri.

For a time, Alyona was able to ignore it. She told herself that whenever she noticed the shape of Ri’s lips, painted in carnation red for her acrobatics routine, or the warm, flickering brown of her eyes, or the way she squinted slightly when she smiled as if she was always truly happy to be doing whatever she was doing - all of those things, Alyona convinced herself, were just observations. They were just friends, after all.

She liked talking with Ri. Friends talk to each other. There was never a moment when she felt bored; surely, she was afraid Ri would be the one to find her boring, maybe dull or even stupid or annoying? But without ever needing Alyona’s prompting, Ri would smile and nod and laugh in all the right places. One time before a dress rehearsal, Alyona had rambled on and on and on about allusions in popular musicals of all the stupid things she could have possibly rambled about, and Ri had only interrupted her once, and even then, it was not so much an interruption as Alyona abruptly stopping herself mid sentence when she saw the wide grin that had suddenly bloomed on Ri’s face.

“Oh god, I must be boring you,” she had started to apologize, but Ri shushed her gently and with surprise.

“No!” Ri had blurted out.

It was the first time Alyona had truly heard her ‘blurt’ anything out, realizing with dread how often Ri must have heard her vomit words out without thinking.

“Wh-”

“You never bore me!” Ri had answered, somewhat defiantly. “I… sorry,” she laughed. “I just… I really like talking with you! You’re sweet and funny and passionate, and I’m happy to hear you talk. You might think you’re rambling, but I think it’s fun to listen to you. It’s silly, right?” And for the first time in the months that Alyona knew her, Ri looked away… shyly.

Alyona had been grateful for that because she could already feel her cheeks flooding with red, redder than Ri’s performance lipstick, lipstick that she wished to transfer onto her own lips by leaning down and kissing Ri hard so she would know how much what she just said meant to Alyona. In that moment, everything fell in place. Her thundering heart, the thoughts of Ri running through her mind always, the elation she felt when she saw Ri smile… Alyona Ledbedeva had fallen in love.

Of course, she thought, Ri only thought of them as friends. Everything pointed to it. Just two good friends, she told herself, and yet, she couldn’t help but hope whenever she got a text from Ri that it meant something more.

They were innocuous texts, really.

Simple things like “I hope you have a great day!” sent at six am from Ri. A heart affixed to the end of the message.

Simple things like “Wow! You look so pretty in your new costume - but you always look pretty [laughing emoji]” sent after the promo shots for the circus were shown to all the performers.

Simple things like “I love you and you’re a great person who is so funny and cute and gentle and smart and incredible and anyone would be lucky to date you!!!” after Alyona had texted that she had never dated anyone and was starting to worry that she would never find a girlfriend. Followed by a whole line of exclamation points and at least ten heart emojis.

Alyona had felt her throat close after that one, even though she should have been happy that her friend thought so highly of her. She considered, for a moment, abandoning her anxieties and texting back, “then how about you date me? ;^)” or something of the like. It would be easy enough to pass off as a joke. If Ri mentioned it was uncharacteristic, she could say she was tired. If Ri accepted for real, then all the better. It would be so easy to type it out. Hit send. Do it, just do it, just, once in your life! Just… do it!

She didn’t. Truth be told, she couldn’t. It was too big a risk.

Instead, she sent back “Thanks!” and a heart emoji of her own. She waited for the little subtext to say “Delivered” and then turned off her phone, not wanting to see Ri’s reply. Don’t think about Ri, she scolded herself. You know it would never happen! Ri is Ri! She’s amazing and talented and poised and graceful and always knows what to say and everyone loves her and she’s gorgeous, and you’re you!!! Don’t even think about it! Even as she mentally told herself off, though, her bones ached and her arms curled in a hold around her pillow tightly. Don’t think about her eyes and her smile and how inviting her lips look. Don’t think about what you feel for her. The tears rolled down her cheeks, slowly, at first, but quickly gaining traction. Her pillow was damp against her face, and her eyes felt prickly and hot to the point where she could not keep them open and she fell asleep. You’ll only ruin what you have now.

The texting resumed its normal course the following day, and for several weeks after, Alyona was happy even just receiving the mundane messages, asking how Ri’s day was, laughing at funny stories over texts when they had conflicting schedules and couldn’t meet up in person, basking in her presence when they could. There was always a part of her that dragged its feet and pessimistically pointed out that Ri wouldn’t date her, so she therefore should not entertain the hope. All the while, her hopeful side ignored her mind’s warnings, and her heart trilled and fluttered all the same whenever Ri called her over or giggled at her bad jokes or sent her a text.

Simple things like “There’s an ice cream parlour in the town we’re performing in! Wanna go together?”

The simplest things, Alyona realized, as she now sat in the very same ice cream parlour to which Ri referred in the text from yesterday, could be so damn complicated. Acting like a normal, functional human person while she was around Ri, for instance.

“You’re really quiet today,” Ri remarked. Alyona jumped, the spoon slick with melted ice cream falling to and bouncing off the turquoise table with a slight clink. Great job, she bitterly thought. “And jumpy,” Ri noted, worried. “Are you feeling okay? I hope I didn’t force you into coming, or make you uncomfortable in any way or anything.”

“Oh no! I just, um, didn’t sleep much last night, sorry if I worried you!” Alyona laughed nervously. It was the truth; she had been too excited at the prospect of spending the day with Ri at a cute ice cream parlor - a date worthy destination, her brain kept reminding her - to sleep.

“Not at all,” Ri shook her hands in front of her quickly. “I just… want you to be, you know, comfortable and… and happy!” She smiled at Alyona, the same smile she always had, but something felt different.

Neither of them spoke for a while, until Alyona cleared her throat awkwardly. She stared at the tall, dirty sundae glass in front of her, all sweet memories of the delicious peanut butter ice cream gone from her mind as words clamored to escape from her throat and out her mouth. She pushed them all down before finally asking “So… should we… uhhh, should we pay, and um… go?”

“Oh, I already paid!” Ri chirped. “It’s my treat!”

Alyona’s heart leapt and kept on running, refusing to slow down now. “Oh.” Friends pay for each other all the time! It was just a friends thing, she stubbornly told herself, even as she ecstatically thought: It’s a daaaaate!!!

“Thanks,” she finally awkwardly uttered before shoving her hand into her hoodie pocket and squeezing her wallet. She had brought extra money just in case she should have paid for Ri’s ice cream, but it looked like that was now out of the question. “I, uhhh, I can pay you back?” she offered as the two stepped out the front door of the ice cream parlor. The bell attached to the glass door tinkled merrily.

Ri regarded her as they stood in the doorway under the pink and purple striped awning. She looked pink herself, as if she was blushing. Or maybe it was just the light through the awning, throwing pink light at them. “No need,” she replied, smiling awkwardly, as if she didn’t know what to say or do. She fiddled with her purse for a bit, unable to look at Alyona.

That was weird for Ri, confident, self-assured, beautiful Ri. Alyona was perplexed. “I -” she started to insist, but Ri cut her off, finally smiling up at her.

“I had a fun date!” she said brightly.

Oh.

“W-was that a date?” Alyona stammered. Her own cheeks must have been pinker than Ri’s, pinker than the awning, pinker than… than… she couldn’t think.

“Doooo you want it to be a date?” Ri bit her lip, looking straight at Alyona before looking away, anticipating her answer. “I mean, it doesn’t have to be if you don’t want it to be! I just… really like you, and I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, and it’s fine if this isn’t a date!” She laughed. “I’m the one who’s worried about rambling to you right now.”

“Yes!” Alyona replied quickly. “I mean, yes, I want it to be a date, not yes you’re rambling um I really really like you, too, and I was afraid to ask because I thought you wouldn’t like me because you’re so perfect and confident and pretty and stylish and I’m me and I’m awkward and spacey and I’m you know… I’m… I’m rambling again, oh my god, this is so hard to say, I’m sorry, I just…I’m…”

“You’re perfect,” Ri giggled. Alyona felt tears push their way up to her eyes, hot and stinging once again. Oh, come ON, she thought. She couldn’t catch a break even when she was happy beyond words, it seemed.

“So… if this is a date,” Ri continued, holding out her hand, “would you mind if I held your hand while we walk back?”

Alyona stared at her before quickly putting her hand in Ri’s. “Y-yes! I mean no! I mean…” she exhaled. “I mean I would like to be girlfriends… if you would…”

Ri blinked. She knew those words. She smiled.

“I would.”

#I don't really get tumblr etiquette I'm so sorry alsdkfja;sdlkfj #beanpuff char[]#alyona #ri #cute #writeblr #short story #original story #fiction #wlw positivity #wlw ocs #original writing #writing #creative writing #vbp_writes

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elizabethrobertajones · 7 years ago

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13x11 watching notes

I take back at least 5 of the recent snide comments about Sam's jacket. D:

... aaarghhh being non-US is a pain. For having to rely on downloads, anyway. Pretty much just that :P

well it's nearly 5 but I have a download which started with a bunch of static over Donna recap I don't need, and then in to a vampire recap...

I love that it shows us Dean being a vampire, and the time he was turned, just because it really ought to be more of a thing, even as a lighthearted "I got turned into a vampire once but I'm fine" like idk in 12x16 trying to reassure Claire or something :P Well, no, but you know what I mean. Typical Dean!girl complaint that they don't spend enough time harping on all the various traumatic things he's been through, even if some of them are 1 episode MotW things which don't earn mytharc "remember this?" nods 7 seasons later.

That was a very short recap, scratchy bit I skipped aside.

Well this is a horrifying open :D Nice serial killer basement you got there. The same playing music while doing something horrific thing as Athena in Davy's last episode, but she was just being an undertaker doing her job, and this is clearly the baddie of the week at work, with his serial killer wall and leaving blood splatters on all his dirty horrifying equipment.

Still, you gotta have music while you work.

I can't prove anything withthis level of CBA but the truck stop looks like the one Sam got snatched from in 2x21, just because it's small and single story and all. It's probably been a bunch of other things knowing this show, like, idk, 4x01 and 10x03 and no one's ever added it all up :P

Other thoughts: it's "manny's" but the Y is out turning it into "MANN 'S" which means once again I'm just gonna say toxic masculinity may be the bad guy and it's not exactly subtle :P

If this is Donna's niece I love her already because of her bumper stickers - anti-guns and "think globally act locally"... the anti-gun sentiment is especially amusing because of the jokes about Donna's arsenal... There's a social responsibility to actually advocate AGAINST guns, but the entire monster hunter subculture is indistinguishable from weirdoes in the woods with a stockpile of weapons, as Victor pointed out for us back in season freakin 2. As local law enforcement it's more likely Donna would have access to and comfort with weapons and an ideal scenario is that people know about monsters in general and are equipped to fight them, that is, the law enforcement like Jody and Donna and other hunter-cops who actually can turn it into a part of their regular job, with the emotional responsibility less about crazy revenge missions because no one else will do it... But you know, that and an anti-gun sentiment completely undermine the show's entire set up, which is why this show has a bizarre second face of being equally favourite of republicans and democrats, because the take-it-into-your-own-hands and collect guns for legitimate self-defence scenarios super appeals to them.

IRL there are no monsters except the ones we make, is all I'll say >.>

But in the context of the show, and especially as she's gonna get kidnapped, the fact this world has different rules aka legitimate danger to personal safety from monsters, means the show's social conscience is always going to be skewed and conflicted, and the fact she's against guns is potentially not going to look good given her status as an innocent civilian who has no idea of the irony of her stance being undermined by the existence of monsters and her aunt's legitimate giant gun and flamethrower collection being a lifesaving boon >.>

Oh, gross, close ups on eating, making it look really horrific, with red tomato soup (blood) and slicing into a steak with a squelch (self-explanatory).

This is gonna be an arty, violent, gross episode, isn't it? :P Mental note to try and catch the director. Because with this voice over about psalms or something there's definitely a sort of ~mood~ being set.

Christ, the population of this diner is basically the cast of The Adventure Zone's latest thing (which is playing some cryptids in the woods Supernatural D&D knock off literally called "Monster of the Week" and I'm gonna keep recommending it :P) - anyways if you've seen the fanart I've been reblogging there's literally a character people are headcanoning to look almost exactly like this person with the curly hair. Minus the bunny rabbit.

I like the Aliens Are Watching Us guy as well. There was a conspiracy guy in 12x15 (also Davy) so I guess he's not done with this concept of people enjoying the wacky stories without realising they're a shade off, Ronald Resnik style. (Perez is possibly competing to be the new Edlund, if Yockey is taking after Robbie in tone... aka gently petting existing characters on the head while introducing amazing one offs)

Anyways definitely feeling the vibe of Would Not Go In This Place Unless Truly Desperate they want us to get :P

Okay the cashier is super creepy up close, taking too much delight in his power over her ability to leave and his leisure to decide if her ID is valid or not and mocking her name.

(Pointing out that "Hanscum" is old English is asking us to go look it up and ponder how it relates, right?)

Oh boy and there's the request for her to smile that makes him a Grade A Creep whether he's the monster or not.

So many creepy trucks and vans, the "Jesus Saves" van looking anything but salvation, and probably ANOTHER fake out bad guy with the window washer, just here to scare her... Holding up the window washer thingy like an axe murderer.... Whether he is affiliated with the murderer or not, we get a lingering shot on him and a red STOP beside his head

Aaand someone slashed her tyre while she was there....

Oh no, caltrops. It's a trap :(

AAAAH scary masked guy!

not the same mask as in the promo pictures, just a bag over his head and goggles. This time referecing over to 13x05 and the plague doctor masks - the same huge dead eyed look they have without any of the style :P Theeemes for the season though.

Oh no, we start the episode on Sam trying to have a lie in... Already awake before his alarm then grumpily staying in bed another two and a half hours. #relatable

is he okay?

I mean I know in general he is Not Okay but I guess this is going to take some unpicking :P

...

OH NO he resisted PANCAKES.

Dean is up and about and enjoying being home with comforts around him, and Sam...

Is still in bed at 10. I may cry.

Oh thank god Donna is calling him to get him to move.

He's resisted food which means everyone narrowing their eyes at him not touching his lizard in 13x10 gets a cookie for pointing out his issues and how he handles them re: food. I know lethargy and not wanting to get out of bed are huge signs of depression but we rarely see that side of Sam manifest, and mostly just see him casually not eating or having much interest in food offered to him so I think it may be one of the first times the story is actually set up to genuinely call attention to him having a depression lie-in and refusing to come out and get pancakes that Dean is making to celebrate having a kitchen again.

Anyway, now we get Donna angst. Hearing her cry is the absolute worst.

It's such a sharp shock, tbh, to go from Wayward Sisters where she was shown off as the fun comic relief, and have her in the same coat and all suddenly speaking in such a tiny voice, and sitting helplessly in her great big D-TRAIN truck which was like the cavalry arriving and betraying a character that pretty much never DOESN'T want to make a fun entrance and lighten the mood...

Oh Donna. :(

(This is especially painful having watched all the WS episodes up to this point in the last few months)

"BREAKDOWN" appears over Donna pulled over to the side of the road, having her quiet breakdown over this, in an episode about serial killers engineering a breakdown on the side of the road, after we saw Sam having a silent breakdown this morning

Lovely.

Someone turned the angst dial all the way back up to 11 after the break it was taking.

The Impala rolls respectfully and quietly up to Donna.

She looks small :(

I'd guess she's apologising for calling them because it's pretty much The Next Day or thereabouts give or take driving time. Like, she'd be assuming they need their "Just back from a parallel universe" downtime.

Also because if we add any extra time instead of assuming it's been back to back since, like, 12x19, then the tension about Cas evaporates and they leave him for weeks.

So let's say they saw Donna like, 2 days ago max.

Oh no and she feels the guilt of inspiring her to go off on her adventure, because she had fun and talked about it. This is not how fault works, D-Train :( You did nothing wrong. It's the serial killer who took her, no one else.

Sam tells her to just focus on the case rather than think about it which is A+ coping methods and how you end up like how Sam was this morning

Ew, Doug is here

Oh no Dean is leaving Sam and Donna together. Dean, no, you're the chirpy pancake-making one today - you have to prop 'em up :P

Oh boy, this is the real FBI isn't it? They were in the promo...

"First off, I'm not your son." Dean straightening up and trying to fake-authority figure bluster past the confidence of real authority.

Doug diving in to rescue him may be the only way out he has?

"Company man. You should have told me." "Didn't get a chance."

I think Dean doesn't know the codes to pass as FBI with whatever they'd immediately say to identify themselves with casual ease - like in 12x06 where at the hunter party he doesn't know not to say wendigo? There's just some stuff he probably can't know without, like, literally being the FBI and having their specific swagger and way of talking.

e.g. I don't think Dean would say "Company man" without sounding like he got it from TV

Oh dear, he doesn't have the field office - yeah he just diiiives around that one.

Not here on official business, the victim is my cousin, I'm just here to get some answers.

Makes Donna on a close family level to them - or at least that she's another branch of the same family officially like what Doug might think watching this exchange, knowing Dean is not Donna's brother/husband/whatever else on the closest level would make them share a niece.

... Obviously also a lovely message about how Donna's business is family business for them

"You and Donna are related!?"

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO?

How long was Dean chilling and making pancakes and not calling Cas??? Asmodeus has HAD to have had an accidental "is Dean trying to sext Cas?" confusion over the texts he's been getting in this time period.

... the fact that Cas is back next episode and for all intents and purposes the promo pics and premise would make me think it's Buckleming but it's actually Yockey and BL have 13x13 is like the one thing keeping me going :P

I hope I have that the right way around... Literally panic-checking my 13x12 tag before I continue, just for Cas's sake

"Amanda Tapping directed the episode written by Steve Yockey" Mmmmmmmm

Okay, soul soothed, continuing to watch Dean blustering through pretending Wayward Sisters was a family reunion, which is also adorable that Donna used an emergency family reunion as the excuse to go.

Well at least the FBI already seem to have done most of the work with having a map with red string, names and other victims. This parallels directly to the serial killer's collection, the red string mirroring the blood splatters that guy was leaving on it.

Pretty much gonna assume Mr FBI is the serial killer, or else as much of a problem as him.

Donna looks so tiny in this room full of men.

"Troopers got an anonymous tip" aka there's something fishy about it being called in - if Mr FBI is the killer, it makes his job more effective than waiting around for someone to find the car so he can get his rocks off on chasing himself around in circles :P

Bleeech Doug putting a hand on Donna's back to reassure her.

If you hadn't gathered I'm super not a fan of Doug being back because I think it's ridiculous to inflict another Doug on Donna, and especially when you're doing a dark episode actually doing emotional stuff with her for once, it's dragging out a joke that was from her first episode when we didn't know anything else about her. Defining her by her Dougs

Oh yeah her niece is called Wendy - I think that name was made up for Peter Pan? Or else boosted its popularity through the stratosphere to the point that you can make up a fake fact that the name was invented in Peter Pan. Either way, Wendy Darling associations - growing up, but doing the gap year before college is essentially putting off becoming an adult aka having a Peter Pan year...

If Mr FBI is the serial killer, calling himself "the Butterfly" is the most inconspicuous way to go about it, than "yeah I named him myself he's The Badass Slaughter Man" :P

It makes sense, as well, the way he migrates for the winter and back.

The pause before describing what happens to the victims and Donna saying "go on", not wanting to be talked down to or having her feelings saved just because she's personally invested/female and prone to hysterics/both

He's been chasing him for TWELVE YEARS without catching him

Aka this is the easiest thing ever: just get paid to suck at doing your job to find yourself :P

If he turns out not to be the killer this was at least a hilarious diversion imagining this

Oooh they've re-used the yellow panels for the motel screen which have a serious pedigree of being the yellow panels in the motel - but almost always in crosses or inverted crosses in the empty spaces between them. The new pattern doesn't really have any negative space image I can see.

Dean knows trucker lingo.

I assume this is something you pick up if you literally grow up routinely visiting truck stops and being exposed to truckers as the other wandering workers you'd find on the road most often as a hunter.

There's plenty of headcanons out there about Dean and truckers and picking things up as well.

He calls Wendy "Alice in Wonderland" which might be trucker lingo but also overlaps with the whole Wendy Darling then when talking about Victorian kids literature

Sam says it's stupid to use the trucker radio and then starts trying to argue down the case because he wants to go home and not-sleep some more. (ARGH it being a couple of weeks means Sam has spent a couple of weeks not sleeping)

He has a point about being fugitives and wanting to stay off the radar, but I kinda think he's just finding reasons and yelling about them because he's irritable (depressed, angry, no sleep) and wants to stop even though he couldn't say no to Donna to start with, now they're here it's time to start looking for exit ramps.

Dean says "Dad used it all the time" re: the radio so we're also invoking his ghost with some point to make on top of everything else :P

"So what do you want to do? Call up Donna and say 'sorry about your niece, these things happen! Later!' and head back to the bunker to mope some more?"

OH NO I mean of course Dean has noticed but holy crap he's actually calling it out immediately.

(Reminds me of season 1 when they had so little else going on they were constantly side-eyeing each other's nightmares and grumpiness levels and commenting on it - Dean especially while trying to work out what was wrong with Sam before he came out with the visions thing.)

Anyways we have it established in the same episode that Dean calls it out that Sam is moping around the Bunker, which honestly should not impress me as much as it does, except that they have had a very passive-aggressive last... 11 years :P

Dean thinks it's weird that Sam got up at 10 because he's Mr Rise and Freakin' Shine, and tbh there were people last year bitching about Davy's characterisation of these guys, but he has a very very direct way of exposing them and picking which bits to show up to catch them at their worst angles and I LOVE IT from a meta perspective, but perhaps it comes off weird to people who aren't primed to think of the characters in certain ways. Especially that they may act out of their normal patterns. In 12x15 Dean started the episode disgustingly dirty and not caring about the car or their home environment, which is obviously out of character. Sam "sleeping in" is out of character but this time we see it unfold and at least immediately have a clue that it's because something is wrong and have it called out far more obviously than in 12x15 where it was left for us to interpret, and some people wildly missed the mark by assuming it was just bad characterisation, instead of identifying past characterisation and playing with it as an exposure of something new

Also... Dean made pancakes because he knew Sam was upset. My heart.

I mean Sam didn't go for them, but again, 13x05, Sam trying to make Dean feel better, 13x11, Dean trying to make Sam feel better.

Uhoh. I am scared to see what Dean lists... "I know you're in a dark place. We lost Jack, Mom is... I think about 'em too. All the time."

He doesn't know Caaaas is lost tooooooo

my heart.

ALSO it's dramatic irony again, as it was at the beginning of the season - Dean not knowing about Cas's current state, in which we are wildly more equipped to tell him how he should be feeling...

I mean look at bisexualdemondean's inbox over Christmas with all the jokey needling from people reminding him to check on Cas or coughing into their sleeves about seeing what Asmodeus is up to, and obviously demon!Dean casually being like pfft whatever and paying it no heed because the very in character RP is savvy to this plot that Dean has no clue and seems to think he has no reason to worry, even if he hasn't seen Cas in a while. The show is making the same reaction as the anons who want him to look and the show Dean is obviously completely in the dark, minus the wink wink fourth wall break from the blogger behind the demon!Dean blog that they know full well what the anons are implying because they've seen the show...

why am I using this as an example? Because the show's been incredible with the dramatic irony this season and as a way of creating an emotive response from us it can not be overlooked as an element of the season, but also has a knife edge from causing a BUNCH of wank from people who don't get it that this is something Dean doesn't know, that the pain of watching him not knowing all this stuff is basically permanently setting up SOMETHING at his expense this season and constantly using what he doesn't know about what's happening to Cas as the lever to boot.

And idk I find it totally fascinating, and awesome, and really clever, but when the show is super clever the fandom as a mass entity seems to struggle, for whatever reasons.

Non-judgementally, it's like that MIB meme about panicky mobs of people aka fandoms, just as a mass entity. If you're reading this I assume you've been reading the other posts I made per episode where I've talked about this literally every time it comes up so as individuals you're probably not part of this :P

Oh heck I should not have pressed play. "You can't let it eat you up. Look when I was broken up you were there for me. Well I'm here for you now."

I love SalmonDean in the exact right quantities and this is the sort of thing that makes my stomach hurt with affection for them

Dean gives Sam the same message of putting your head down and focussing on the work.

Repress repress repress!!!!!!!

I think the radio is going to put an end to this - yeah

lol Dean is midnight rider

sounds like a woman on the other end? the static makes it hard to tell but the dudes all laugh off Dean's request like it's a hook up request for Wendy or just don't care, then this woman radios in with info

score one vs toxic masculinity

"it's a date"

Dean says he'll go check it out and tells Sam to hang back, I think to enforce his obligation to Donna while also giving him a chance to rest until needed, which is a nice arrangement.

Sam does the "Look obviously I'm here for Donna" and doesn't have a "but" - though it's left hanging that he's struggling. Whatever else is going on, he is saying he doesn't intend to bail, despite his earlier attempt to argue to go home

aaaaand back to the serial killer basement.

More masks, and Wendy with her eyes covered too

Wendy screaming and getting screamed back at, and mocked silently with the serial killer miming tears at her - not using his voice, definitely falling into this persona of the monster with a disregard for her feelings... the "Boo hoo" attitude again takes me back to toxic masculinity as the bad guy

And he tells her to smile (again if it's the UFO creep from the Truck Stop although honestly he looked too small to be this guy) - if it's not him it's once again just men being creeps.

"Sorry I'm late," Sam says, showing up after reluctantly dragging himself into work

my heart is breaking for this guy

Donna has been handed credit card history for Wendy so they'll probably be at the creepy truck stop soon - if that's not where Dean arranged to go already (I didn't catch where they arranged to meet)

Huh, Mr FBI called in Bible Guy who I assume had the Jesus Saves van, of all the potential suspects in that truck stop.

He's suuuuper creepy but I assume at this point, probably not the bad guy, if he's already here 15 minutes in.

Although he did have Wendy's bloody shirt so who knows... Doesn't look good.

He's called Pastor Diamond something or other which goes with how there's a diamond motel neeext episode... or 13x13. Yeah. Anyways, theeemes

He's already called out for having a history of lewd behaviour, then we add being creepy enough to keep a bloody shirt even if he isn't the killer.

(I assume the killer wouldn't be dumb enough to be caught with it)

OMG Dean's dressed as a trucker.

Which is to say, his normal plaid with a puffy vest over it.

And yaaaay it is mowhawk lady from the diner aka one of the main characters from TAZ Amnesty I mean what no she isn't a magician with a bunny. I'm so confused :P

Oh no, she didn't stop to pick Wendy up, and she made excuses to herself for why she couldn't stop and help out another woman in distress, and now feels the Guilt. Everyone feels very bad about what happened to Wendy but it's not helping her >.>

Donna has to stop to gather herself when they pull out Wendy's picture and start talking about how great she is.

Pfft and then Diamond whatever fuckhead is super racist about a guy with a Mexican-sounding name. Well he may not be the serial killer to be brought in so early but this is very much a story of how all the humans can be monsters if they try hard enough.

(I love the "Humans are the real monsters" stories and this one is great because who can you trust in that scenario, and it focuses on all sorts of things, like the trucker's responsibility to help and being a bad Samaritan etc is a lesser evil and she's definitely one of the nicer-seeming people, because she said Manny's gives her the creeps as well so she's on our side about it, but at the same time she's still mixed in with the social responsibility for allowing evil to happen... this probably isn't social commentary about current America at allllll)

Dean enlists Doug's help which is... great... and Doug shows up trying to be all shady in a hooded coat. Donna's adapting to the grittiness well... Doug sticks out like a sore thumb

I like that Dean's already staking out Manny's anyways.

Ewwww Doug just saying "I love Donna" blech

He's asking if Donna will be okay after never seeing her sad before but almost the first proper interaction Dean had with Donna seeing her as more than local police but as a person was seeing her deep dark pit of sadness about how Doug1 treated her, and told her she deserves better. He KNOWS Donna has a lot of sadness and self-worth issues she doesn't let on, and if Doug doesn't know about them after a year, he's not someone Donna opens up to. She opened up to Jody immediately, in contrast :P

"Not sure what you mean."

Doug lists some really superficial things they talk about as talking about "everything"

"I think she's hiding something from me"

Dean is like... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

He tells Doug he's going to be there for Donna and to trust her.

Maybe I just really hate Doug more and more but Dean's starting to remind me of the Lester conversation in 10x02 but just in bafflement about how Doug could possibly ~get~ Donna.

Meanwhile Donna looks like she's about to school Pastor Dickhead

He's sitting there with the lighting giving him a halo while playing butter won't melt in his mouth

And she's playing friendly cute Donna facade while telling him he's gonna be had for dinner for 2 days in the cells while getting him to talk

She's awesome.

Well that's super suspicious that the cashier closed early and chased after Wendy... We're halfway through so allowing for monster nonsense to get added in...

At this point because it took so long to get to a download, my mum insisted we watch the episode together while we ate so I now know everything that happened. D:

Ugh creepy pastor. ugh. the least he deserves is being reduced to crying by Donna while interrogating him.

Mr Totally Not The Bad Guy being like "But the shiiiirt" and Sam and Donna are too smart to think it makes sense for a moment. Sam says almost exactly what I would have done - hurr blurr I evaded capture for 12 years but here I am with a bloody shirt in my van

I mean the pastor is probably someone they were sizing up as potential eating and just hadn't got around to him yet, so he also worked as a fall guy

Anyway blatant "but if it isn't him who is it" cut to the cashier

The plot makes mores sense with hindsight that he cracks and shows Dean the video because they'd recognised the Winchesters' car and so he wasn't just playing dumb that he happened to know the website but his albi was being over here while the live cutting up was going on but that he confidently had the reassurance they didn't know he was a vampire so he could go along with whatever while leading them into a trap, and thinking that his day ended with packing up bits of Winchesters to go.

The "how they do it in the FBI" pathetic slap and then the Look that Donna gives Dean and the shifty look he gives back before turning to Doug and giving him another "but yeah it is" nod to back it up is an amazing silent exchange

Whoops Doug finds out about monsters. Dean has another "awkward" look caught between them

At this point Wendy being auctioned is really just bait to make them come

I will forgive Sam for not being more suspicious of Mr FBI on account of him having a very bad day but the point where he shows up and helps them investigate and Sam, now knowing it's monsters, doesn't fob him off harder but just says "alright follow me" is where I call impaired judgement

The caged halo lights are back and the creepy mask guy doesn't get to stand under one but one is directly behind Wendy in the video clip of her screaming

The trick with the radio is good because it works on us too knowing the torture is currently going on with that music playing.

And then we go to Doug being roughed up and turned because it's time to do all the reveals now we have the fake out, so Sam gets knocked out and Doug left as a distraction and the cashier to hold them up.

Oops Doug is a vampire. Doug growling is weird

Pfft and he just immediately attacks Donna. Dean is very quick thinking to immediately grab dead man's blood as soon as things start going.

"Well thanks for making it easy for me."

The vampire comes back to gloat and tell Dean that Sam's been got.

I love that Donna has no patience and just shoots the guy's knee out because we need to sort things out and Dean's showy machete waving ways aren't her style :P

"No no no get further back. He's a big boy, we need a wiiiide lens" I know it's terrible but I laughed SO HARD

"Hell soon as I saw that fancy car I knew who you were"

... we do always say is it a good idea that they keep driving it around? no. but will they stop? Never. :P

"The Butterfly" giving Sam a rough estimate of how many monsters there are - 100s of thousands - says the ones Sam and Dean see are too mean or stupid to "pass" which does lend itself to a double-edged fear of every day people being monsters... I think the implication with a corrupt FBI guy and the monsters we see all being white peeps is not a racist implication but more commentary on society being awful and so on, and I think using the racist preacher as the absolute scum of humanity is a good way to avoid too much weird implications about monsters - the BMoL had that creepy Brexit parallel which sort of cast monsters as immigrants which of course, considering they might well eat people, wasn't the neatest message.

I think this is a bit more tuned to 2018 anyway :P My concerns about the social commentary from earlier have mostly evaporated.

He thinks he's saving good honest American lives by feeding only people who won't be missed to the monsters - and he mentioned that the Mexican guy had a family which means he WOULD be missed - he's just racist too.

He's good at the whole auction voice thing though.

They really toned down the vampire cure thing because Dean barfed his guts up with it and now he's letting Donna give Doug the cure in the car as they drive.

In the *car*

"Let's begin the auction for Sam Winchester's HEART"

lemme tell you, even coming in at like 500k that's still not as much as it's worth. That is a priceless artefact there.

I absolutely adore the "you had no idea your aunt could do that" fight sequence :D

Like, she knows Donna's a cop, but having her just bust in and kill the guy...

What an aunt.

"There are many pieces to Sam Winchester but only one heart"

Honestly, devoid of context, I wanna see that on like 8 different artsy Sam edits.

Fake out Sam getting shot. "Since Dean's out there, quick and dirty."

Not quick enough.

Sam having a "huh, I'm not dead," moment. After we see the close up gunshot and that's why Sam and "The Butterfly" were both down to their white shirts, because there's just a mo where we aren't sure which one of them we're seeing even though it was aimed at Sam's head so it's clear just from seeing a shot to the heart that it wasn't Sam.

Also he wouldn't just randomly die, I say in a season where Dean randomly died already :P

Dean does those quips just for Sammy's benefit

I think Donna and Doug maaay not have been dating but she kinda realised she might like him now they've had a sort of adventure together...

"I was a vampire!" "For a couple of hours"

Ah well, bye bye Doug, thanks for breaking Donna's heart, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

This was a bit drawn out but I think it was important for Donna even if Doug is really annoying so I don't like watching him struggle on screen.

I think Donna really hoped she'd found someone in the life

Sam just sees it as completely inevitable and good for Donna that she doesn't have someone she cares about in the firing line.

Ow.

Ow ow ow ow.

Oh Donna as well... :(

I'm just in so much pain for Sam and Donna. Dean needs to hug 'em both.

He just gives Donna the pat on the shoulder while she cries.

Buuut now she's Doug-free for Wayward Sisters, hurrah!

She and Jody can bond and discover something in each other they didn't even know they were missing :3

That Jody's name isn't "Doug" for starters.

Dean's still harping on what Sam said to Donna, both telling her to get used to having no one close to you and just in general, yikes it's never good to hear someone you care about talking that way about caring about people and he should know he's BEEN there.

This is like the dark opposite of 11x04's optimistic Sam and "someone in the life" stuff.

Sam angrily stands his ground because he's a grumpy goose today "Was I wrong?"

it seems like Kaia set off his latest mood but also in losing Jack in the process of looking for Mary, who, also, is still gone and not seen for weeks before that, presumed dead... I would guess the fact that he was miserable in The Bad Place was the start of this, before Kaia died, and losing her really just symbolised how shitty everything is, the cherry on top of losing all the people they care about over and over.

After Dean spent the first part of the season his terrible way, now Sam's got his overdue depression and breakdown (tiiitle drop) that has been lurking below the surface...

... if we're lucky, as Sam fans, this might not just be a one-episode thing but actually, like, something that's going to happen in an ongoing way for Sam??

Sam denies he's in a dark place because everything he's saying is true, but Sam normally does repress and get optimistic about finding ways to research their way out of whatever hole they get themselves into this time.

Which ain't healthy but is how Sam manages to skim over the top of being in a dark place most times, meaning this is really hitting him hard now.

He also mentions Cas in his list of having mom and cas back and helping jack, accidentally playing into the dramatic irony in another way, of not knowing Cas is currently in trouble now as well but still listing him among the ones they've lost and that he's lost hope over...

"This ends one way for us, Dean."

And with that, the ginormous, grimy, rusty cog behind the entire mechanism, finally clunks around a slot, turning it from Dean as the dying bloody mindset Winchester to Sam, for the first time in a long time, and in a very curious way that Dean, who states it all the time, is now forced to evaluate and to think, do I really agree with it? I say it all the time but WOAH THAT IS HORRIFYING TO HEAR COMING OUT OF SAMMY'S MOUTH WHAT THE HELL WHO BELIVES THAT?

I'M CARVING THAT FUCKER A SLICE OF THE APPLE PIE LIFE AND HE'S GONNA SHUT UP AND EAT HIS DAMN LIZARD. PIE. I MEANT PIE.

Anyway then we end of that awful shot of Sam from the outside of the impala looking in on him which just makes us feel helpless about not being able to hug him, in my scientific opinion of what that shot is implying.

#13x11 #season 13 spoilers #my stuff

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noabsolutiion-blog · 6 years ago

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i’ll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife.

independent dean winchester blog. based on the cw’s supernatural. main verse is post hell - mark of cain. caught up to season 12. highly selective and private. mutuals only. penned by KAT.

#indie supernatural rp #indie spn rp #indie dean winchester rp #indie tvd rp #☆ | ▹ • ❛ pet my hair and call me pretty » self promo

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wiickedtm-blog · 6 years ago

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k asia tags

#❝ · • ‣ i’m waiting for my spaceship to come back for me » out of character #❝ · • ‣ i've decided all the haters everywhere can suck my dick » shit posting #❝ · • ‣ what's left of my heart's still made of gold » saved #❝ · • ‣ damn near anywhere is better than here » wishlist #❝ · • ‣ let the brain fill up with the good vibrations » psa #❝ · • ‣ pet my hair and call me pretty » self promo #❝ · • ‣ look at the lovely! go love the lovely! » promo #❝ · • ‣ sway your body to the beat » music #❝ · • ‣ just a rollin' stoner on a roll » crack #❝ · • ‣ this is right where it begins » starter call #❝ · • ‣ now heaven knows anything goes » open starter #❝ · • ‣ all these things on my mind » plot call #❝ · • ‣ come and play along with me tonight » memes #❝ · • ‣ come and paint the world with me » photoshop shit #❝ · • ‣ your love is my drug » mains #❝ · • ‣ i'm all strung out my heart is fried » ship call #❝ · • ‣ my friends all pretty and plastered » psc

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vulpesmischiefarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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#*+:｡.｡❛ pet my hair and call me pretty » self promo.#*+:｡.｡❛ look at the lovely! go love the lovely! » promo.#*+:｡.｡❛ sorry if you're starstruck blame it on the stardust » out of character.#*+:｡.｡❛ ignoring the problem » memes.#*+:｡.｡❛ i've decided all the haters everywhere can suck my dick » mun-isms.#*+:｡.｡❛ i don’t wanna be robin all the time » wishlist.#*+:｡.｡❛ i already did that today. twice » nsfw.#*+:｡.｡❛ sway your body to the beat » music.#*+:｡.｡❛ what's left of my heart's still made of gold » saved.#*+:｡.｡❛ heads or tails & fairytales in my mind » happy tag.#*+:｡.｡❛ running around the streets of beacon hills naked » crack.#*+:｡.｡❛ let the brain fill up with the good vibrations » psa.#*+:｡.｡❛ now heaven knows anything goes » starter call.#*+:｡.｡❛ all these things on my mind » plotting call.#*+:｡.｡❛ like a hyperactive spaz » open starter.#*+:｡.｡❛ my friends all pretty and plastered » permanent starter call.#*+:｡.｡❛ i'm all strung out my heart is fried » permanent ship call.#*+:｡.｡❛ your love is my drug » mains post.

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bewitchingconartist-blog · 7 years ago

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rolo tags !!!

#❝ · • ‣ sorry if you're starstruck blame it on the stardust » out of character #❝ · • ‣ i've decided all the haters everywhere can suck my dick » about the mun #❝ · • ‣ what's left of my heart's still made of gold » saved #❝ · • ‣ looking for a star-sent sign that i'll be alright » wishlist #❝ · • ‣ let the brain fill up with the good vibrations » psa #❝ · • ‣ pet my hair and call me pretty » self promo #❝ · • ‣ look at the lovely! go love the lovely! » promo #❝ · • ‣ sway your body to the beat » music #❝ · • ‣ just a rollin' stoner on a roll » crack #❝ · • ‣ this is right where it begins » starter call #❝ · • ‣ now heaven knows anything goes » open starter #❝ · • ‣ all these things on my mind » plot call #❝ · • ‣ come and play along with me tonight » memes #❝ · • ‣ come and paint the world with me » photoshop shit #❝ · • ‣ your love is my drug » mains #❝ · • ‣ i'm all strung out my heart is fried » ship call #❝ · • ‣ my friends all pretty and plastered » psc

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strawberryopossum · 8 years ago

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1-64!!!!!!!

....... You certainly want to know a lot... Here we go

---

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you?Sometimes, more like I doubt they have lives of their own, and it makes me anxious when I realize they do

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you?On a scale of 1-5? 7

3. The person you would never want to meet?I don’t know... The president?

4. What is your favorite word?Favorite word: DefenestrationFavorite word that I actually use daily: Fuck

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be?The older tree that has shriveled and died from Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared 2

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought?Y’all don’t wanna know that, the second thing I thought, though, was that I should probably brush my hair

7. What shirt are you wearing?An anarchy tank top I got from Hot Topic YEARS ago

8. What do you label yourself as?Labels are for soup cans I don’t know... If it’s asking for style wise, I dress like a goth video game character, if it’s asking about gender/sexuality, I’m a pan transdude

9. Bright room or dark room?Is this about lights or furniture/windows?? Cause I like lights on... But I like dark furniture, and windows freak me out, so they have to be covered... So... Dark room with a light on?

10. What were you doing at midnight last night?Writing out the last set of questions y’all wanted, I think

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far?I liked it when I wasn’t bornLess stress

12. Who told you they loved you last?My girlfriend

13. Your worst enemy?I dunno... My rival from Pokemon? Fucking Gary...

14. What is your current desktop picture?A FFXV promo pic, wallpaper thing

15. Do you like someone?Yaaaaaaaa ~

16. The last song you listened to?Heaven Knows by The Pretty Reckless

17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?See my answer to question #3

18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?Richard Spencer

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do?I don’t know... I’ve never thought about it, and I can’t think of anyone?

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional)My eyes, they’re the only thing I got going for me, right now

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?Well, I would have a flat chest, which would really be niceProbably the same thing I do everyday, try to take over the world sit in my room on my laptop, or go to the bookstore

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it?I’m not really good at anything, so I don’t think so

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of?Hm... I have an issue with really large glass windows

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal....... A grilled cheese with bacon? I’m a fairly boring person

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it?Probably get as many nights in a hotel as I could and get away from here for a couple days

26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go?London

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be?A restaurant over here called Medieval Times has really good frozen strawberry daiquiris

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?No running in my lobby

29. What is your favorite expletive?Fuck and all variations of it

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno?If my phone was in my pocket, then my laptop... If not, then my phone

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?Being born

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world!Uhh... Probably still London

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back?Carrie Fisher

34. What was your last dream about?I wrote about it earlier, there was wedding ring dropping, a rattlesnake, a giant bed, and the Aoba cake

35. Are you a good….[insert anything you’d like here]???? You didn’t tell me what you’re asking, so I’m skipping this for now

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital?Yes, several times

37. Have you ever built a snowman?Yeah, it wasn’t a very good one, but he had a hat

38. What is the color of your socks?I’m not wearing socks

39. What type of music do you like?I don’t have one particular type... I go from anything like Vocaloid, to various musicals, to The Pretty Reckless, to the soundtrack to Lazy Town

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?Sunsets, because I prefer night time

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor?Fudge

42. What football team do you support? (I will answer in terms of American football as well as soccer)I have no interest in the sportsball

43. Do you have any scars?Several

44. What do you want to be when you graduate?I’m going into video game design... Or at least, trying to

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?My body

46. Are you reliable?I like to think so

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be?Am I happy?

48. Do you hold grudges?I’m a very bitter and petty person... So, yes

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create?I will live out my childhood dream of having CatDog

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had?I dunno... Probably something with Kristina... There’s screenshots all over my blog

51. Are you a good liar?Yes

52. How long could you go without talking?As long as I felt like it, a lot of the time, I don’t have the energy to speak, anyway

53. What has been you worst haircut/style?I had an asymmetric bob onetime, only it wasn’t supposed to be an asymmetric bob... The lady cutting my hair was determined to make it look feminine, so my friend shaved it when I got back to my boyfriends house

54. Have you ever baked your own cake?I bake all the time

55. Can you do any accents other than your own?I used to could do a Russian accent... I was big on doing accents when I was super big into Hetalia

56. What do you like on your toast?If I have eggs, I’ll put them on my toast... But if not, I used to like grape jelly on my toast...

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of?I haven’t drawn anything in so long.... I started a zen tangle a year or so ago.... So, probably that

58. What would be you dream car?A convertible, 4-door, black Audi r8 The Regalia

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain.I sit in the shower, it’s warm, and I have a bathtub, so it’s nice

60. Do you believe in aliens?Yes

61. Do you often read your horoscope?I used to, but now I’m too lazy to check it every day

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?X *X-Files theme plays*

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?Dragons, definitely

64. What do you think about babies?Good in theory, good for some people, but being pregnant terrifies me, and I don’t want to be responsible for another human

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annaxkeating · 5 years ago

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29 Best Landing Page Examples of 2020 (For Your Swipe File)

Here’s our starting principle:

A polished, professional landing page can improve your conversion rates. (And a messy one can hurt them.)

Pretty simple, right? You’ve probably heard something similar before. But what the heck does it mean to be “polished” and “professional” on a landing page, anyway? And when it comes to conversions, what’s the magical x-factor that sets exceptional marketers apart?

With these questions in mind, we want to show off some fresh landing page examples to inspire your next creation. Go ahead and save their smartest, slickest, and snappiest elements for your swipe file.

Throughout, we’ll offer an Unbounce-certified perspective on what makes each page so darn good—and, occasionally, how each could be improved. (Incidentally, all of ’em show off what you can do with the Unbounce Builder.) Let’s go.

What makes a landing page effective?

Before looking at the examples, it’s worth highlighting some of the qualities that most great landing pages share. (Ain’t got time for that? Jump ahead for the top landing page examples.)

Here are a few fundamental practices of high-converting landing pages:

Use a clear and concise value statement (above the fold) so visitors understand the purpose of your page immediately.

Match your primary headline to the ad your visitor clicked to land on the page in the first place (or the button of the email CTA, for example).

Include social proof and testimonials to back up your claims.

Focus the whole page on a single offer, with just one primary call to action (CTA).

Use a conversion-centered layout to make your CTA stand out (think about whitespace, color, contrast, and directional cues).

Test new ideas using A/B testing. Sometimes what works will surprise you.

Not sure your own landing pages are hitting the mark? Try out Unbounce’s Landing Page Analyzer to get a personalized checklist of tactics that can kick your conversions up a notch.

The Best Landing Page Examples [Updated for 2020]

Athabasca University

Bariatric Eating

blow LTD.

Branch Furniture

Blue Forest Farms

Border Buddy

Bouquet Bar

Campaign Monitor

Class Creator

Coco Village

Fast Mask

Goby

Good Eggs

Grass Roots

HomeLoanGurus

Jet Pet

Mooala

NANOR

Panda7

Pared

Perfect Keto

Twinwoods Adventure

Roomeze

Smalls

Sundae

Wavehuggers

Western Rise

Woolx

Zumba

1. Athabasca University

Image courtesy of Athabasca University. (Click to see the whole thing.)

Athabasca University pioneered distance education in Canada in the 1970s. Today, it uses landing pages to boost its online enrolment initiatives, including this example representing its 14 certificate programs. It’s a smart choice since landing pages allow AU to focus a visitor’s attention on a particular slice of its many online program offerings.

Industry: Education

Why it inspires…

Smart copy: It might be worth testing out a more direct headline, but the copy here matches the school’s other branding initiatives elsewhere. It’s also very sharp. The target is clear: people who might further their education but don’t feel they have time to pursue it. This landing page says otherwise (in words and in its hero image).

You-oriented copy: This page is all about me (or, uh, “you”) and not about the “Great and Powerful” Athabasca University. Marketers working in education understand the need to appeal to self-interest better than many of their counterparts in other industries, who can slip into bragging. I’m not sure what part of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs calls for tech bro flexing, but AU does better by appealing to a desire for self-actualization.

Testimonials: A little bit of inspiration never hurts. Here, the social proof shows pathways to personal success before people make a significant investment. I’d test to see if doubling down doesn’t produce even better results here. Giving each testimonial more visibility and offering a smidge more biography—along with portraits to humanize them—might provide a little boost. (Of course, it might not. But that’s why we test!)

Z-pattern: This page is a classic example of a Z-pattern at work. That is—its visual hierarchy takes advantage of the way people typically scan a webpage. In this case, the eye is encouraged to travel from the Athabasca University logo to their tagline (“Open. Flexible. Everywhere.”), then diagonally across the heading to the supporting copy, and then finally right to the call to action. (Pow!) Other visual queues also encourage the eye to move down (including, cleverly, the pointed tip of Athabasca crest).

2. Bariatric Eating (Agency: Lifestyle Collective)

Image courtesy of Bariatric Eating and Lifestyle Collective. Click to see the whole thing.

Here’s a page for Bariatric Eating that shows why personality and style are so important to your landing page. You can easily imagine a version of this campaign that looks much more clinical and scientific—but the marketers over at Lifestyle Collective have infused it with a colorful and friendly design to make the subject matter much more approachable. The approach seems to be working too… This page has an impressive conversion rate of over 39%.

Industry: Food and Nutrition

Why it inspires…

Colorful design: The playful design extends to every element of the page. The font choices, the illustrations, the colors—everything comes together in a way that perfectly matches their brand personality.

SMS lead gen: Most commonly, lead generation landing pages are used to collect email addresses from visitors. Instead, this page asks for your mobile phone number so they can text you the PDF plan. This seems like a smart (and unique) way to get a direct line of communication with your prospects.

Collapsible FAQ: How do you make sure your landing page has enough info on it without overwhelming visitors? Hiding some of your wordiest sections with a slide-down button can help to keep things neat and tidy. (Check out this post in the Unbounce Community to find out how you can make collapsible sections on your landing pages.)

3. blow LTD.

Image courtesy of blow LTD.. (Click to see the whole thing.)

If you look past the buzzy “Uber for beauty” thing, UK brand blow LTD. solves a genuine problem in a genius way. They offer affordable, professional beauty services that come to you, and—more importantly—you can book an appointment with one of their pros straight from their app. Smartly, landing pages are a big part of their campaign strategy. The example, for instance, promotes in-home eyelash extensions in clever ways.

Industry: Beauty

Why it inspires…

Crystal-clear value statement: This landing page doesn’t mess around with cute copy (e.g., “Eyes That Amaze”). Instead, it clearly states the offer and relies on value (and maybe a little bit of novelty) to win over prospective customers. A promise doesn’t get more unambiguous than “Eyelash Extensions At Home,” and that’s precisely why this headline is so effective.

Promo code: Providing a promo code to visitors sweetens the pot, but it’s also doing something more. The call to action (“Book Eyelash Extensions”) redirects to their main website, where they might get distracted or frustrated. The promo provides extra motivation to carry visitors through to complete a booking. Want these savings? Then ya’d best use that code before you forget.

Social proof: People are understandably picky about who does their hair and makeup, so providing social proof is a must. The testimonials here have been selected to highlight the personalized nature of the experience too. Since blow LTD. only works if prospects feel they can trust their professionals, providing social proof helps humanize the service and start building relationships.

Simple steps: Looking further down the page, we might pause over the “How It Works” section. In this post-Uber world, the service offered by blow LTD. is pretty easy to understand, so why bother including a three-step breakdown of it? That’s just the point, though. This landing page includes these steps to highlight this simplicity. I mean, come on—step three is “Sit Back & Relax.” That’s something I can get behind.

Subtle app promotion: Rather than aggressively funneling visitors into an app, the landing page ends with a gentle reminder that you can download the app on your iPhone or Android. (I’d test a mobile variant of the CTA that goes straight to the app.) Some people will certainly get excited about booking with blow LTD. on the go, but visitors don’t feel too pressured to whip out their smartphone. Once a visitor has converted, there’ll be plenty of other opportunities to onboard them to the app.

4. Branch Furniture

Image courtesy of Branch Furniture. Click to see the whole thing.

As someone who had to recently furnish a home office, I know exactly how difficult it can be to find desks, chairs, and tables you like online. (And that was just for one person!) Branch Furniture understands that this can be a problem for office managers, which is why their landing page instantly reassures you that you’re in the right place. Their service makes it fast and easy to get your office furniture designed, shipped, and installed.

Industry: Office Furniture

Why it inspires…

Powerful headline: “Office Furniture Made Easy.” In just four words, you understand who this landing page is trying to target and what their unique selling proposition (USP) is. You don’t want to be building 100 desks for your new office Ikea-style, with nothing but a socket wrench and a dream. It seems like a much better idea to let Branch Furniture handle all those details for you.

Clever CTA copy: Although the page has multiple CTA buttons, they all end up taking you to the same place. Switching up the copy is a clever way to help visitors visualize the next steps of the process, whether you want to “Design My Office” or explore a specific product.

Expert consultation: You don’t have to furnish your office alone. The landing page highlights that this is a collaborative shopping experience, with a free design consultation and included installation fees.

5. Blue Forest Farms (Agency: Champ/Cannabis Creative)

Image courtesy of Blue Forest Farms. (Click to see the whole thing.)

We love this incredible design for Blue Forest Farms by Champ and Cannabis Creative. Hemp farmers sometimes have trouble disassociating themselves from cannabis culture. (Tie-dye colors, bong water, and that funky smell coming from your older brother’s van.) But this stellar B2B landing page takes modernized and, dare we say, adult approach to wholesale hemp oil extracts. From its clean design to persuasive copy, it makes a strong case that this is an industry that demands to be taken seriously.

Industry: Hemp

Why it inspires…

Expert copy: Unlike B2C landing pages, this page speaks to a professional crowd. By which I mean, people who know what it means when plant extract contains “natural terpenes” and has been “decarboxylated.” We might suggest going with a more impactful headline, but wholesalers are likely very aware of the benefits. Cutting to the chase can’t be a bad thing.

A ‘refined’ approach: Blue Forest Farms market hemp oil in several states, from crude oil to white label products ready for the market. Beyond just listing these options, this landing page lays out the process through which their hemp is refined, emphasizing the care and craft that go into it.

Low-intensity lead gen: I’ve seen shorter forms, but the lead gen here is relatively straightforward for B2B. (They could test including first and last name in the same field and change some of the language.) It’s smart to leave an optional field for additional notes since wholesale deals are far more complex than most.

Simple design: The kind of conversation that needs to happen in wholesale will stretch beyond a single landing page. Instead of cramming too much information onto the page, Blue Forest Farms keep it short and sweet to encourage contact as soon as possible.

6. Border Buddy

Image courtesy of Border Buddy. (Click to see the whole thing.)

Ever try to cross the border with a 10-pound wheel of Wisconsin cheddar strapped into the passenger seat (and disguised as your wife)? Me neither. But if I did, I’d want Border Buddy behind me. This landing page works by evoking common anxieties and then offering to solve them without fuss.

Industry: Customs

Why it works…

Presenting the problem: The headline starts with the pain and insecurity (“Importing and Exporting Is Hard”) that any visitor who hits this landing page from a PPC campaign is likely to be feeling. Crucially, though, the promise of a solution appears with equal clarity above the fold: “We do the hard part for you,” says Border Buddy. Perfect.

Simplicity: Bringing your purchases across the border can get very messy, so keeping this landing page clean is essential. There’s no more information here than what you need to know. No legalese either. You’ll have a customs broker worrying about all those small details for you.

Speed: At Unbounce, we have a lot to say about the impact that page speed can have on your conversion rates. But Border Buddy is already ahead of the curve on this one. On mobile, this landing page takes less than three seconds to hit first meaningful paint. Border Buddy avoids weighing down the page with unnecessary media or scripts, ensuring immediate visitor engagement. (Prepping an SVG version of their logo could shave a few kilobytes off of what’s already a very lean page.)

Unexpected vibrancy: Sometimes marketers associate the push for faster speeds with a need to sacrifice the visual appeal of a landing page. This example from Border Buddy shows it that doesn’t have to be the case. They’ve made careful choices in terms of font, layout, and visuals to maximize impact and reinforce branding (without distracting the visitor).

F-pattern: Like the Z-pattern, the F-pattern layout mimics the way our eyes move across the screen when we look at content. It reduces cognitive load and ensures that the key pieces of the message (including the call to action) are located in the places that they’ll most noticeable.

Slow-loading pages can cost you conversions. Find out more about optimizing your landing page for speed, like Border Buddy did, with Unbounce’s Speed Boost and AMP support.

7. Bouquet Bar (Agency: Power Digital Marketing)

Image courtesy of Bouquet Bar. (Click to see the whole thing.)

Power Digital Marketing created this gorgeous landing page for Bouquet Bar. Though other landing pages target specific holidays, this one says that you don’t need an excuse to treat someone you love (or, y’know, need to impress) to a bouquet. You can do it “Just Because.” Ryan Picardal, the designer who worked on it, describes their goals:

For a fairly new brand, our team realized that we needed to capitalize on not only driving sales from these landing pages, but also expanding their audience. In order to achieve that, we needed to focus on putting enticing messaging and imagery at the forefront, and ensure that all key benefits Bouquet Bar provides are clearly visible and eye-catching.

Industry: Florist/Gifts

Why it works…

Choose your own adventure: While maintaining focus is important, sometimes a single call to action doesn’t quite capture the types of visitors your landing page receives. In these cases, it can be quite effective to provide multiple options. For buyers who want to craft something personal, the first call to action invites you to create your own bouquet. But for those short on time or imagination, “curated selections” provide a shortcut to celebrating an important person or occasion.

Just Because: 75% of roses sold in the US are purchased by men for Valentine’s Day. And 25% of all adults report buying flowers as gifts on Mother’s Day. It’s likely Bouquet Bar does a significant amount of business around these two days, but the “just because” messaging here invites business during the other 363 days of the year.

The right color palette: This point touches on Bouquet Bar’s overall branding, but it’s worth pointing out in the context of the “Just Because” page. Orange, particularly the deep shade they’ve chosen, aligns with the brand’s warm, sophisticated personality. A lot of what gets labeled as the psychology of color is fairly dubious—using pink won’t suddenly make your funeral home appear more cheerful—but the accents here definitely support the identity that Bouquet Bar wants to establish.

Evocative photography: The gallery helps contextualize the product as an “expression of love, gratitude and friendship” by showcasing people receiving the gift. Images of people can be more effective at evoking emotions than words, so a company like Bouquet Bar is wise to employ them here. The photos also, much more practically, show scale. This can be a real concern when purchasing products sight unseen. It’s an excellent lesson for anyone practicing ecommerce.

8. Campaign Monitor (Agency: ConversionLab)

Image courtesy of Campaign Monitor and ConversionLab. Click to see the whole thing.

Here’s a SaaS landing page that gets it right. Built by the fine marketers over at ConversionLab, this page for the email marketing platform Campaign Monitor brings together many of the landing page best practices that help to boost your conversion rates. It includes clear, compelling copy. (Check.) It includes authentic social proof. (Check.) And it’s focused on a single, actionable goal: “Design Your First HTML Email Now.” (Oh baby, check.)

Industry: SaaS

Why it inspires…

Strong, specific CTA: I know we already mentioned this above, but how good is that main CTA button? No “Learn More” or “Get Started” here. Instead, it’s “Design Your First HTML Email Now.” The copy is so specific and immediate that you know exactly what will happen when you click-through to the next page. (And the objection-handling copy underneath makes it even stronger.)

Focus on the people first: In SaaS, it’s so easy to just choose a screenshot of the software and make that your hero image. But it’s always worth testing a variant with real photos of people, too. This can help you tap into the emotions of your visitors and can sometimes make them more likely to convert.

One singular message – Notice how many times the words “HTML emails” show up on the page? By staying focused on this one goal (and using these as keywords for your PPC ad campaigns) you can increase your odds of building a high-converting page.

9. Class Creator

Image courtesy of Class Creator. (Click to see the whole thing.)

Australia-based Class Creator uses this Unbounce landing page to make inroads in the US market (and, hopefully, help the company secure US partners) when school’s between sessions in their home country. The page showcases many of the product’s features as well as the primary benefits. It targets high-level decision-makers who need as much information as possible before they buy.

Industry: Education/SaaS

Why it works..

Breakin’ the rules: I know what you’re going to say. “That’s not a landing page. It’s a homepage. It breaks all the rules. Just look at that navigation bar! Look at all those different links. The Attention Ratio is out of control!” Grumble, grumble, grumble. But there’s a lesson here for anyone looking for landing page inspiration: stay flexible. Tim Bowman, Class Creator’s CEO, told me they’ve found it more success with this homepage than a traditional conversion-focused landing page. I wanted to include it here as an example of just what you can do.

Floating navigation bar: If you must include a navigation bar, it’s best to keep it in view at all times. This also lets Class Creator keep the primary call to action (“Demo School”) at the top of the page so that no scrolling is necessary for their visitors to find it.

The numbers don’t lie: Above the fold Class Creator marshals some pretty serious numbers as a form of social proof. They leverage the 10,000+ educators in 13 countries who’re already using their software as a powerful persuasive device.

Easy access to a product demo: In the SaaS space, it’s remarkably common to see companies throw up too many barriers between potential customers and demoing their product. (“Submit your firstborn for access to our 5-minute free trial.”) Class Creator knows that it’s essential for prospects to get their hands dirty with a demo or trial version of the software. This ensures that they get to evaluate the product in action, generating qualified leads (with a simple email form) and carrying them further down the funnel.

Smart use of lightboxes: This landing page (acting as a homepage) already has a ton to say about Class Creator. Relegating any additional information to lightboxes works to keep it out of the way. It’d certainly be worth their while testing different versions of this page that swap out features for benefits or put the testimonials in a more prevalent place.

Editor’s Note. If you’re looking for the creative freedom to make whatever you want, the Unbounce Builder offers that flexibility, whether you want to make a popup or sticky bar, a long-form landing page, or an SEO-optimized page. Learn more here.

10. Coco Village (Agency: J7 Media)

Image courtesy of Coco Village and J7 Media. Click to see the whole thing.

Even as a full-grown adult man, I still squealed with delight when I saw some of the beds and bedding sets on this landing page for Coco Village. (A treehouse bunkbed?! My inner child is dying of jealousy.) The marketers over at J7 Media, a Facebook Ads agency, did a phenomenal job on having this landing page show off a collection of different products, while still keeping it focused on a single, click-through goal.

Industry: Bedding

Why it inspires…

Focus on the sale: When you’re offering a big sale or discount, you want *everyone* to know about it. And visitors on this landing page can’t miss the fact that they’re offering “50% Off Beds and Bedding Sets.” Not only is that the main headline, but it’s also repeated under each product on every CTA. They even strikethrough the original prices to illustrate how much money you’ll be saving. Nice!

Shows off the goods: With ecommerce landing pages, it’s not always the best choice to focus on just one product or item. This page demonstrates how you can show off multiple different options for visitors while keeping them focused on one CTA goal.

Additional products: OK, so maybe you’re like me and think the beds look cool but you don’t really need one of those right now. That’s when the page hits with you some of the adorable pillows for sale, at much lower price points. (I may or may not be purchasing the one that looks like a snail for myself.)

11. Fast Mask (Agency: J7 Media)

Image courtesy of Fast Mask and J7 Media. Click to see the whole thing.

Here’s another example from J7 Media that’s all too timely. Fast Mask creates and sells bandanas and face masks that are designed to be used on a motorcycle, ATV, or while cycling. (I can think of another reason you might want one, though.) This page targets thrill-seekers and shows off some of the rad designs you can choose for your mask along with some of the different ways you can wear ‘em.

Industry: Clothing and Apparel

Why it inspires…

Highlight best-selling products: Fast Masks have over 100 different designs listed on their website, but this landing page shows off just five of their most popular options. It’s enough to give you a sense of the different styles available (from a Canadian flag to a Spider-Man mask) without turning the page into one big product list.

Focus on the benefits: A lot of visitors may be thinking about purchasing a face mask for the first time, so the landing page takes time to explain some of the key benefits of wearing one.

Keep your target audience in mind: This is a landing page that knows its audience. You can instantly tell you’re in the right place if you’re a thrill-seeker who enjoys motorcycles, paintball, snowboarding, hunting, or other extreme sports.

12. Goby

Image courtesy of Goby. Click to see the whole thing.

“Brushing perfected.” That’s what this landing page from Goby promises right at the top, giving visitors the confidence and curiosity to click-through. Not only does their award-winning electric toothbrush come with some impressive accolades, but it’s also affordable and backed up by a money-back guarantee. Now that’s worth a smile!

Industry: Dentistry

Why it inspires…

Anatomy of a Toothbrush: Check out the section of the page that breaks down every element of the toothbrush. Rather than just talk about these features in the copy, visitors can actually see for themselves the “Soft, Premium Bristles” and the “Oscillating Brush Head.”

Social impact message: Shoppers increasingly want to support brands that align with their values and give back to the community. That’s why we dig the section towards the bottom of the page that highlights how Goby is donating a percentage of every sale to the NYU College of Dentistry’s Global Student Outreach program.

Instagram photos: There are all sorts of great social proof on the page, but the carousel of Instagram photos at the bottom really puts the cherry on top. Not only does each pic somehow make a toothbrush look downright trendy, but the Instagram handles are also right there if you want to see for yourself what each influencer had to say. Nice!

13. Good Eggs

Image courtesy of Good Eggs. (Click to see the whole thing.)

The good people at Good Eggs know how to use slick marketing (just look at their rockin’ homepage!). In fact, I think a lot of their landing pages would be a great fit for this post about landing page design. This particular example, which promotes free coconut water, is no exception, but it also offers a masterclass in restraint. It shows how to use a promo to score conversions without becoming overbearing.

Industry: Grocery Delivery

Why it inspires…

Freebies: Free seems universally good. But in this case, the promise of free is doing more than appealing to our instinctual love of not paying for stuff. It builds goodwill, provides a sample of a product that Good Egg carries, and quickly establishes a lifestyle match between the service and the visitor. What do I mean by lifestyle match? Well, if you’re thrilled by the getting free coconut water from Harmless Harvest, you already know Good Eggs will be a great fit for you.

Added value: At first, I was taken aback by the headline here because I thought you’d hit harder with the whole free thing (like, I dunno, “Free Coconut Water” could work?). But it’s likely the average Good Eggs customer has more on their mind just getting a deal. Here, the promotion helps show off brand values of wellness, sustainability, and ethical labor practices. So it’s not just free, it’s also a good thing.

Testimonials: It can be a little risky to mention your competitors, but Good Eggs gets around this problem by letting a customer do it for them. Sometimes testimonials can get a little samey, repeating the same point in different voices. (That’s not always a bad thing.) Here, though, they’ve been carefully selected to reinforce the three value propositions listed above.

14. Grass Roots (Agency: MuteSix)

Image courtesy of Grass Roots and MuteSix. Click to see the whole thing.

There’s a growing demand for grass-fed meat, which is where this landing page from the Grass Roots Farmers’ Cooperative and the agency MuteSix comes into the mix. As you scroll through the page, you’re taken on the full customer journey—from problem aware (understanding why grass-fed meat is better), through consideration (seeing why you should choose Grass Roots as your protein provider), to making a purchase (“Claim Your $30 Off”).

Industry: Food and Nutrition

Why it inspires…

Feature video: At the top of the page is a 1-minute video featuring the founder and CEO of Bulletproof, Dave Asprey. It explains how challenging it can be to source high-quality grass-fed meat, and why Dave uses Grass Roots for the meat he can’t find in the grocery store. This sets the tone nicely for the rest of the page and gets you in the right mindset for making a purchase.

Storytelling approach: The entire page uses storytelling in a similar way, really getting you to buy into eating more grass-fed meat as a lifestyle choice. As you scroll, you can’t help but feel like you’ve been missing out on this healthier (and more tasty) style of beef, chicken, and bacon.

Strong social proof: Not only does this page show off that Grass Roots is the only Bulletproof-approved meat delivery company, it also promotes that they have over 500 5-star reviews and 7,000 happy customers. (“I’ll have what they’re having.”)

15. HomeLoanGurus (Agency: ConversionLab)

Image courtesy of HomeLoanGurus and ConversionLab. Click to see the whole thing.

Here’s another landing page example from the expert marketers over at ConversionLab. HomeLoanGurus is a service that connects homebuyers with lenders—even when you have a poor credit score. (Is 670 a bad credit score? I’m asking for a friend.) This landing page does an excellent job of explaining how their service works in simple terms and encouraging visitors to apply online for their first loan.

Industry: Finance and Insurance

Why it inspires…

Problem-focused: The headline here isn’t about the service—it’s about the visitor. “Poor credit score?” You know right away if this is the situation you’re dealing with, and the page immediately expresses empathy before suggesting HomeLoanGurus as a solution.

Process-oriented: Getting a home loan can be suuuuper complicated. There’s lots of paperwork, terminology, and regulations you have to wrap your head around. This landing page spells out the process in simple steps and helps to make it seem much easier for the visitor who might be worried about taking the first step.

Keep it short: Financial landing pages vary in length, but data from the most recent Conversion Benchmark Report (coming May 28th!) suggests that those with fewer than 200 words tend to convert best. This example shows how you can say a lot without making your page too long.

16. Jet Pet

Image courtesy of Jet Pet. (Click to see the whole thing.)

For every person living in Vancouver, there must be at least six dogs. Jet Pet understands this city’s love of pooches, and they’re big fans of using the Unbounce Builder to advertise their premium dog boarding service and three locations to locals. We’ve included it here because this landing page is an inspiration for anyone targeting a select geographic area.

Industry: Pet Care/Boarding

Why it works…

Clear value statement: A simple heading (“Dog Boarding Vancouver”) lets the searcher know they’ve hit the jackpot. For paid campaigns, Jet Pet can also use Unbounce’s Dynamic Keyword Replacement (DTR) to swap in a search keyword (“Dog Kennels Vancouver”) for improved message match. Then, when a prospect clicks on an ad in Google, they’re brought to a page with a headline that matches their expectations.

Two-stage form: Typically, using multi-step forms can lead to higher conversion rates than a single, long form. Here, a two-stage form reduces psychological friction in two ways. First, it minimizes the perceived effort in signing up for the service. (And even if the second form proves frustrating, someone who’s already filled out the first form is invested and more likely to continue onward. Sunk cost fallacy FTW.) Second, a two-stage form can delay asking for more “sensitive” questions until later.

Friendliness: Speaking of the form, I love that the first thing they ask you (and the only required field on the first page) is your dog’s name. I’d expect this question if I walked into one of their locations with my pup on a leash, but seeing the same question here made me smile. Jet Pet’s page is full of friendly gestures like this one that make them memorable.

Trust building: Trusting somebody else with your dog requires significant peace of mind. So it’s important that Jet Pet uses copy that builds that trust and leaves their customers feeling secure that they’ve left Fido with ”loving experts” who have his best interest in mind. The reassuring language that Jet Pet uses across the page reinforces this message, including emotionally loaded terms like “care,” “safe,” and “love.”

Video testimonials: You don’t always need a video to have an effective testimonial, but in Jet Pet’s case, I think this is a smart move. There’s a lot of questionable testimony out there, so showing actual dog owners speaking to the camera helps build further credibility. (I’d love to see the dogs in these videos too.)

17. Mooala (Agency: BuzzShift)

Image courtesy of Mooala. (Click to see the whole thing.)

So it turns out you can milk a banana. Who knew? (Mooala Organic, that’s who.) Created by BuzzShift, the landing page reflects the brand’s playfulness and sense of fun embodied by their mascot. It’s also straightforward in a way that inspires a lot of confidence in their product. Cameron Gawley, BuzzShift’s co-founder and CEO, puts the choices here in a whole-funnel context:

This specific page worked well in the consideration phase of our social ads. Our goal was to add value via a coupon, by capturing an email as a soft conversion and then nurture them forward in the rest of the journey. Most brands have a huge opportunity to grow lower their CPA and increase conversions by focusing more on awareness and consideration.

Industry: Beverages/Dairy Alternatives

Why it inspires…

From landing page to offline purchase: As Gawley points out, the promise of a coupon does double duty as a soft conversion. It builds an email nurture track and encourages an in-store purchase. Since tasting is believing, this is a crucial component of Mooala’s digital marketing strategy.

Meeting objections head-on: Banana haters gonna banana hate. But Mooala should be commended for immediately kicking one possible objection to the curb: “What is Bananamilk, you ask? It’s not a sugary-sweet banana smoothie, as you might think.” By boldly tackling this concern, the copy helps reset expectations and promote the product as “a light, dairy alternative that you can enjoy guilt-free.”

A smartly placed animation: Videos and animations can be extraordinarily useful, but they can also serve as a distraction if not positioned correctly. I love the inclusion of animation at the bottom of the page, where it’ll draw the eye toward the CTA instead of distracting from Mooala’s primary messaging.

Social queues: Encouraging visitors to follow the brand’s social media accounts increases the opportunities to be delightful and stay top of mind.

18. NANOR (Agency: Webistry)

Image courtesy of NANOR and Webistry. Click to see the whole thing.

With many ecommerce products, it’s as much about selling the experience as it is about selling the product. Take a look at this page for NANOR scented candles (created by the agency Webistry), and you get an immediate impression of the luxury that’s in store for you. It’s a beautiful page that just makes you want to light one of these bad boys up and get into the bubble bath with a glass of chardonnay.

Industry: Wellness/Gifts

Why it inspires…

Dark background: This landing page instantly stands out because of the black background. The coloring provides an upscale, premium atmosphere on the page that really helps to put the product in the best possible spotlight as a luxury experience.

Images you can practically smell: Some items are notoriously tricky to sell online. Candles, for example, seem like just the type of thing that most people would want to smell before they buy. (And until someone reinvents smell-o-vision for the modern era of advertising—that’s gonna be hard to pull off.) This page does a fantastic job of describing each candle aroma and showing off beautiful images of grapefruits, flowers, herbs, and spices to represent each fragrance.

“Add to cart” button: To make it easy for visitors to buy right on the landing page, Webistry used custom “Add to cart” buttons. Check out their post in the Unbounce Community to see how you can add a Shopify checkout to your landing page.

19. Panda7 (Agency: Webistry)

Image courtesy of Panda7 and Webistry. Click to see the whole thing.

Does anybody actually enjoy the process of getting car insurance? (Unless you’re a talking gecko, the answer is probably no.) You’ve got to contact multiple different insurers, compare their rates, and then painstakingly look through the contracts for hidden fees. But this landing page for Panda7 (another one built by Webistry) promises to make things much easier for drivers—their service lets you compare quotes from all the major insurers and buy car insurance within minutes. Yes, please.

Industry: Finance and Insurance

Why it inspires…

Clear benefits: The page makes it clear that there are two major benefits of using the service. First, it saves you time by letting you compare the best rates online. Second, it saves you money (up to 30%, in some cases). These two points are made over and over again in several different ways, so you can pick up on ‘em even if you’re skimming.

On-brand visuals: The page seamlessly integrates the royal purple brand color throughout the page, in everything from the illustrations to the background section colors. Very cohesive, and very professional looking.

Floating CTA header: Check out that floating header. The button smartly responsively changes from a phone number at the top of the page to the main “Compare Quotes” CTA as you scroll. Very cool.

20. Pared

Image courtesy of Pared. (Click to see the whole thing.)

We’re happy to show off this slick landing page from Pared, an app that matches (or, ahem, pairs) restaurants to pre-qualified kitchen staff. Like the example from Class Creator, Pared doesn’t need a complicated website to get their message out there. Unbounce’s drag-and-drop builder gives them the ability to make changes and track conversions. According to Dave Lu, Pared’s president and co-founder, it’s been effective, even three years later:

From day one, I was able to quickly pull together a website and landing page for my startup. Because of Unbounce, I can iterate and A/B test changes without needing to involve a designer or developer. This is tremendously liberating and powerful for any marketer.

Industry: Restaurants/Staffing

Why it inspires…

Speaks to its niche: Pared isn’t a service for everyone and they know it. Instead, they have a specific clientele whose needs they match in a big way. This landing page starts with one particular problem these people encounter: “Never be short-staffed again,” and goes from there. (They use other web assets for recruiting Pared Pros.)

Explainer video: The landing page includes a short explainer that runs viewers through the problem and their solution to it in simple, approachable language. App landing pages, in particular, benefit from these types of videos.

Big names and logos: The page includes logos from a wide variety of recognizable eateries and restaurants who use the service. It also includes killer testimonials from chef-owners at San Francisco institutions like Little Gem, Octavia, and Jaridiniere (now sadly gone).

21. Perfect Keto (Agency: Webistry)

Image courtesy of Perfect Keto and Webistry. Click to see the whole thing.

Here’s one more example from Webistry for Perfect Keto protein bars. The page does a great job not only selling these bars as the tasty treats that they are, but also highlighting their health and nutritional value. (Only three grams of net carbs in every bar? That means you could have six bars a day without coming out of ketosis!)

Industry: Food

Why it inspires…

Healthy social proof: The page includes testimonials from a number of different keto diet influencers and authors. (Including… Joe Rogan? Sure, why not.) But there’s a lot more social proof too—they show off having over 2,500 reviews and having their brand appear in publications such as Women’s Health, Reader’s Digest, and Popsugar.

Nailing the nutrition question: Keto dieters have to track their nutrition very closely, which is why this page is smart to include a close-up screenshot of the nutrition facts. Visitors can see for themselves the breakdown of calories in each bar, and examine each quality ingredient.

Includes use cases: About a third of the way down the page, I love the little section that tells you about what situations these keto bars are perfect for. From travel, to workouts, to grab-and-go breakfasts—you can imagine eating these as a snack or a meal in all sorts of different scenarios.

22. Twinwoods Adventure (Agency: Bluespark Digital)

Image courtesy of Twinwoods Adventure. (Click to see the whole thing.)

You need to see the real page for the full effect. This landing page for Twinwoods Adventure captures the thrill of indoor skydiving through a captivating (and humorous) hero animation and tons of incredible action shots. Bluespark Digital created a page that buzzes with energy and excitement while staying focused on the conversion.

Industry: Adventure

Why it inspires…

Capturing the experience: Twinwoods Adventure sell an experience, so social proof is critical in carrying visitors over the golden line from curiosity to conversion. (You can return a lousy product, after all, but bad experiences will be with you for life.) The page hits you with the double whammy of testimonials and review scores from Google, Facebook, and TripAdvisor.

Hype video: Some concepts demand video. Indoor skydiving is one of them. The mid-page video here does an incredible job of creating hype for the experience by showing off a range of skill levels. If you thought the wind tunnel was nothing but an oversized hairdryer, boy, you were wrong.

Keep the number handy: Like many of the pages we’ve featured, the design encourages scrolling downwards (clicking the arrow below the CTA carries you to the benefits). But Twinwoods likely do a lot of booking over the phone, so a floating phone number keeps that particular call-to-action visible no matter where people end up on the page.

Additional info: Before you get me into a jumpsuit, I’ve got more questions. (Like, where’d you guys get the wind tunnel anyway?) That’s why it’s a relief to find the info I need tucked away on the page. Arguably, these sections could be a little more evident as buttons, but Twinwoods Adventure smartly includes this additional info without stretching the page.

23. Roomeze (Agency: Snap Listings)

Image courtesy of Roomeze and Snap Listings. Click to see the whole thing.

I’ve had my share of bad roommate experiences, so I was immediately interested in this Roomeze landing page by Snap Listings. Their service promises to matchmake you with vetted roommates around New York City and get you set up in an apartment for less than $1,000 a month. I wonder if there’s a way to check to make sure your future roommates don’t play the trombone? (Because trust me. You don’t want a roommate who plays the trombone.)

Industry: Real Estate

Why it inspires…

Style for miles: Moving can be stressful, but it can also be a lot of fun. The colorful illustrations on this page capture the latter feeling, making you excited about the prospect of a fresh start with new roommates.

Compelling CTA: The main CTA on the page asks a question: “What can $1,000/mo get you?” If you’re at all familiar with New York City real estate, you know that a lot of places charge an arm and a leg for even a shoebox-sized apartment. The idea that you could find a potentially nice apartment for that price is very compelling.

Visual form: Check out the bottom of the page, where they ask you to fill out a simple form to take the first step. The UX here is pretty great, with the first two questions being simple checkboxes (including illustration visuals) to help get you started.

24. Smalls

Image courtesy of Smalls. Click to see the whole thing.

Have you ever tasted cat food? (No, me neither. That would be weird.) I’d imagine that most of it doesn’t taste great though, and it’s probably not too good for you either. But that’s why this landing page for Smalls Food for Cats caught my attention. Their subscription-box service offers human-grade quality food for your feline friends. No fakery, no filler. There are wet and dry varieties that give your cat fresher breath in just one month—which means you can finally see what your cat’s breath smells like when it doesn’t smell like cat food.

Industry: Pet Food/Subscription Boxes

Why it inspires…

Coupons: For subscription boxes, a coupon or discount can go a long way towards persuading visitors to give it a try. This page highlights that you can get 25% off your first box by using a sticky bar at the top of the page.

Colors: Orange! Yellow! Blue! The page breaks up each section with a different background color, giving the whole thing a fun and playful feel. (Check out those adorable illustrations in the benefits section, too.)

Cats: This landing page features over 11 fun photographs of cats enjoying the product, being held by their owners, and admiring themselves in the mirror (no doubt contemplating the delicious meal they just ate). The testimonials even show pictures of cats instead of people! Too. Much. Cuteness.

25. Sundae

Image courtesy of Sundae. Click to see the whole thing.

When you own real estate that is dated or damaged, sometimes you just want to sell it as quickly as possible (for as much money as possible, of course). That’s where this landing page from Sundae makes it easy for you—their service helps you sell your home quickly for the best price possible.

Industry: Real Estate

Why it inspires…

Minimalistic design: This landing page strips away almost all of the photography, animations, videos, and distractions that you find on other pages. It uses lots of white space to give you breathing room as you read, which is important in an industry that often clutters you with information and high-pressure sales tactics.

Self-identifying copy: There are lots of reasons for someone to use a service like Sundae, and this page smartly calls them out right near the top. Whether you’ve inherited an older piece of property that you can’t keep, have uncovered structural issues, or suffered from natural disaster damage—Sundae specializes in helping you sell your home off-market in any condition.

Persuasive comparison chart: It can sometimes be risky to directly compare your service to other options or competitors, but this page does it very well. They even highlight their two biggest benefits by putting them in all caps: “ZERO FEES” and “SELL AS-IS.”

26. Wavehuggers (Agency: Everett Andrew Marketing)

Image courtesy of Wavehuggers. (Click to see the whole thing.)

Created by Everett Andrew Marketing, this brilliant landing page connects safety and fun together through carefully selected visuals and clear, concise messaging. According to Mark Chapman, Founder and President of Everett Andrew, this design was all about standing out:

Our goal in creating the page was to cut through the clutter and crowded market of businesses here in southern California offering surf lessons—both on Google and Facebook. Getting each important conversion component (i.e. social proof, urgency, hero shot, CTA, etc.) into the page, mostly above the fold, was tricky but in the end we found a way to segment these out so each part catches the eye.

Industry: Surf Lessons

Why it inspires…

Yelp score: Even the crummiest of products or services can gather together a few positive testimonials. (“The CEO’s mom thinks we’re cool.”) That’s why high scores from Yelp, TripAdvisor, Amazon, or Google can complement testimonials, as they do here. It’s much more challenging to maintain strong scores on these sites. (Just remember that visitors can always verify your score for themselves.)

Timed special offer: Like many of the examples here, Wavehuggers add urgency to the landing page with a limited-time promotion. It may not seem like much—this kind of thing is almost a marketing cliche at this point—but even small tweaks like adding “for a limited time only” to a promo code can affect your conversion rates.

Safety, comfort, fun: Prospects are likely seeking out lessons to feel more comfortable on the water. Everything on this landing page focuses on the promise of a positive experience. The copy on this landing page reassures them throughout that surfing is “not as scary as you might think.”

Real customers: The photographs here don’t have the polish of some of the others on this list (see Western Rise below), but guess what? They shouldn’t. A stunning stock photograph of a professional surfer hanging ten would be far less effective than these visuals of kids having fun on their boards. From the cursive fonts to the hand-drawn arrows, Wavehuggers’ style reflects the relaxed vibes of surfer culture.

27. Western Rise

Image courtesy of Western Rise. (Click to see the whole thing.)

Sometimes when prepping a piece like this one, you end up buying the product. I’m very, very close to pulling the trigger on a pair of Western Rise’s AT Slim Rivet Pants. And why not? This sharp landing page quickly establishes the appeal of the product through visuals and copy that stresses the benefits of these “elevated” pants. It may be time to give up on my ratty jeans altogether.

Industry: Clothier

Why it works…

Bold visuals: These pants may be handmade in Los Angeles, but many of the photos here (including the hero shot) scream Brooklyn. It’s easy to imagine wearing the AT Slim Rivet Pants as you peddle your fixie through traffic, balancing a latte on your handlebars on the way to a chic rooftop cocktail party.

Stressing the benefits: I never thought I’d be writing about the common pain points associated with wearing pants, but here we are. On this landing page, Western Rise addresses them all. Jeans are prone to tearing and tend to overheat. Chinos get dirty and wrinkled. Dress pants are for squares, man. By promising versatility (“pants for all day, every day”) and keeping the benefits up front, Western Rise offers a solution to a problem you didn’t know you had.

“Tech specs”: Though there’s some clever copy on display here, Western Rise is extremely straightforward about the features of the AT Slim Rivet Pants in the “Tech specs” section on the page. They provide precise details about materials (“Durable Nylon Canvas” and “Gusseted Crotch”) and design (“Media Pocket” and “Extendable Hem”) in a clear, concise way.

28. Woolx

Image courtesy of Woolx and Zach Duncan. Click to see the whole thing.

This landing page from Woolx uses high-resolution photography and video backgrounds to give visitors an up-close and personal look at their Rory Sweater. The product is made from 100% Australian Merino wool (that’s a type of sheep, FYI) to provide a stylish, breathable, and ultra-comfy piece of clothing. Now I think I finally understand what “apres-ski chic” means.

Industry: Clothing/Apparel

Why it inspires…

Eye-catching photography: The photos here span the entire width of the landing page, meaning you can’t help but admire the details of the sweater and imagine yourself wearing it on a snowy winter day. (They’re also making me want to adopt a cute husky puppy, but maybe that part was unintentional.)

Sticky bar promotion: Check out that sticky bar at the top of the page offering a 10% discount for visitors. Limited-time offers like this are a great way to improve your click-through rate and get people to switch mindsets from browsing to buying.

Feature video: With apparel like this, it’s important to sell the lifestyle of the brand as much as it is to sell the product itself. The video on the page shows a woman preparing for an early-morning bike ride by lacing up her shoes and zipping up her sweater. It’s a subtle way of reinforcing who the target audience is.

29. Zumba (Agency: MuteSix)

Image courtesy of Zumba and MuteSix. Click to see the whole thing.

I’m not very good at most exercises. I don’t really have any dance skills. And I certainly don’t have good rhythm. But for some reason… I think I maybe want to become a Zumba instructor now? That’s how good this landing page for teaching Zumba (created by the agency, MuteSix) is. They make it seem totally accessible (and a whole lot of fun) to learn the steps and start teaching.

Industry: Fitness

Why it inspires…

Active photography: Zumba is all about movement, and this landing page captures that kinetic energy with high-res photos of people jumping, dancing, and laughing. The energy is practically radiating off the page, pumping you up to start your online training.

Inspiring copy: With words like “booty-shaking” and “fresh music” used throughout the page, the copywriting here helps to hype up visitors as well. Even better, they promise that you’ll “thrive as an instructor” and “be part of something big” when you sign up.

Supporting videos: With fitness programs, it’s always important to show some video content to give visitors a taste of what it’ll actually be like to try this themselves. The page uses a combination of professional videos and instructor-created content to give you an inside look into the world of Zumba.

ABT: Always Be Testing

There you have it. These are some of the best landing page examples we’ve come across here at Unbounce, selected to represent a wide swath of industries with many different conversion goals. They don’t follow every best practice out there, but we hope you’ve found some qualities in each to inspire you.

But we have one final piece of advice for you: no page is ever perfect—or, more to the point, every page can be better. And what works for one page (with one target market) won’t necessarily work for you. With this in mind, you should always be testing your landing pages. If you’ve got a page you’re already planning to tinker with, try running it through our Landing Page Analyzer for some actionable steps you can take.

Be the Michael Jordan of landing pages

When I was in middle school, I had a friend who gave up playing basketball after watching Michael Jordan in the NBA Finals. “I’ll never get anywhere near his level,” he told me, “so what’s the point?”

Great landing page examples like the ones above should inspire you. But sometimes seeing other people’s awesomeness can have the opposite effect.

But don’t give up!

The good news is that everything you see here was built with Unbounce’s drag-and-drop builder. Though many take advantage of custom scripts to kick it up a notch, all these examples started in the same place as you will—with a brand, a blank page, and a big idea. Heck, some of these inspiring landing pages even started as Unbounce landing page templates, though you’d never know it by looking at them. And we’re not tellin’.

So swipe a few ideas from these examples, load up your favorite template, and, yeah… be the Michael Jordan of landing pages.

If you’ve got a landing page you’d like to show off—yours or even somebody else’s—please share below.

from Digital https://unbounce.com/landing-page-examples/best-landing-page-examples/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

#digital marketing

0 notes

itsjessicaisreal · 5 years ago