#Hilariously enough. There may or may not be a subtle hint above.

[bashfulkisser]

Plopping myself in a corner because I may or may not have unlocked an embarrassing, yet fairly popular crush

[reinepadova]

To Be Seen

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“The person who removes a mountain, begins by carrying away small stones.”

Sweet, bright, and floral – words that encapsulate the enticing smell wafting up from a beautifully carved tea tray, with the decanted water flowing down into its grooves to a catch basin underneath. Two pinming tea cups, already warmed and rinsed – painted in a beautiful array of geometric patterns – are a matched set with the tea pitcher currently pouring the first infusion.

“Your tea, Miss.” A large gloved hand – dark and unassuming, except for the dull shimmer of a large jade ring at its thumb, and a shining topaz gem cut in a sharp diamond at the wrist – pushed the filled drink with practiced ease near a seated figure, whose garbs of soft greens, subtle blues, and hints of black, signify a distant relation to the deceased.

“Thank you,” the figure said, her hand reaching for a cup, her head tilted to the unadorned wall. Though her arms seem relaxed, her shoulders were stiff, while her legs were tucked sideways, like a force of habit. She made a fine picture of poise and sophistication from afar, but perfectly humble in her mourning up close.

The host hummed graciously, savoring his first sip, noting the elegance in her figure despite the rather defensive posture. Hmm. If she remains unmoving, pain shall spread on her lower back.

“This drink is made from an evergreen shrub, which grows abundant at Jueyun Karst,” he began, calm dignity resonating in his voice. “It is said to be a place where the adepti enjoy their seclusion, hence the people's reluctance to disturb it's grounds. As such, these leaves are very rare. Only skilled herb gatherers that inherited the wisdom – and the courage – to traverse these lands are able to obtain them.”

“I see,” she replied, an empty cup waiting for a second infusion. He obliged and continued.

“Notice it's yellow hue? It is an accidental discovery. The color of dried tea leaves is normally green, with a taste that range from bittersweet to nutty, or from floral to oceanic. Some, on the other hand, would go so far as to liken it to simple vegetation. 'Grassy', they would say. Hmm. Tea may not be their beverage of choice.”

“Fascinating,” his guest replied, even tone barely hiding polite disinterest. He quirked a slight brow but remained undeterred - he's had encounters with people more ornery in years past.

As curious as her passively hostile behavior towards him has been for the past few days, he shall not stoop low to the level of the ignorant – like those at the marketplace, who circulate hearsays that leave much to be desired. He's only grateful young Mei is spared, for he may start questioning the integrity of his people.

He turned auric eyes down to his cup, watching the idle swirl of the liquid within.

He may only know just the surface of her troubles – like the vague taste of anguish from the void of her dreams – but he's determined to release the pressure through the cracks of her facade, like flushing steam from a smoking mount.

He knows beneath a calm mountain, lies a dissonance that could erupt, painfully and forcefully, at any given moment.

“But years ago, it is said a farmer had forgotten to dry out a batch of these leaves. And a cloth, flung free from a drying line, landed from above, sealing the warm moisture on them shut for a full summer's day. To the farmer's delight, the taste of the finished tea turned light and mellow, and the so-called grassy flavor gone without consequence. This procedure  is now known as 'sealing yellow', the widely accepted finish for the tea we enjoy now.”

“How interesting.”

“Quite so.”

Hmm. Mayhaps the origins of tea may not be of interest?

Silence reigned heavily on the two tea companions, like too much burnt incense hanging in the air. A low cough from one tried to break through the discomfort, while the other remained resolutely silent.

“Would you prefer a different drink? We have other varieties that may be more palatable for your taste.”

The lady seem to snap out of thought, shaking her head insistently while eyeing the gloved hand that moved to remove her cup. “No. That's unnecessary. This will do. Thank you for your service,” she dismissed, gently but concisely, with an unconscious hand rubbing at her eyes.

“Is there nothing else I may assist in?” he asked, subdued, concern coloring his words. His uncharacteristically tilted head missed entirely by the lady's distraction.

“No,” came the tired reply, an undertone of exasperation escaping in the same breath.

“...nothing at all?”

She seem to take a deep breath, holding it for a minute, before letting it out in one, even sigh.

Not far from the one-sided conversation, peeking at the side of a privacy screen, the seventy-seventh director of Wangsheng looked on, a feline smile stretched across her face. She watched, with growing giddiness, at the most hilarious drama she'd ever witness in her waking years yet!

“Hu Tao-zhǔrèn? Should we not intervene?” Ferrylady whispered, glancing worriedly at the guest lounge herself. She wanted to help dispel such a morose atmosphere, as ironic as that is, for it is her duty for an honored guest, as well as to their noble consultant.

“Shhh~ Not now, Ferrylady. This is getting good.”

“But, madam, this has been going on for three days. Progress is no where to be found.”

“Exactly. This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to this place!”

"Madam. 'Exciting' is counterproductive to what we strive for in this business."

Ferrylady knew her young boss would have squealed if not for their absolute need for discretion.

No good thing comes from eavesdropping such a private exchange after all.

Hu Tao just hushed her again, silently crawling forward to get a better view. The shadow of the large vase their dear consultant insisted they buy the other day made for a good hiding spot. Something about its story being a distraction for the distraught passed through her mind.

“Miss Ferrylady?  H-Hu-zhǔrèn? Why are you crouching down there?”

The two snapped their attention to their new employee, who wore a very bemused expression while pulling at the collar of his stiff uniform.

“Shh! Meng, do you want the troubled souls in the parlor to catch your feet? Drop down behind us now and complete the formation. This is your first assignment~” Hu Tao murmured seriously, an unreadable twinkle reflecting in her eyes. Meng would have gasped out loud if he hadn't slapped his hands over his mouth.

He swiftly did as he was told, back brushing against the wall in the cramped space, before he swiveled worried eyes all around them. Ferrylady just sighed, familiar with their director's ways of keeping someone quiet.

“Now keep quiet for the next half hour you two. Act Two is about to begin~”

-{-}-

Stella mildly wondered if it would be child neglect to jump from the pier right outside the parlor, leaving Mei all alone. It's the only thing she could think of right now to prevent herself from strangling this, this – ugh! This persistent man!

She knows there is a custom of not speaking with customers, out of respect for old tradition – but this one seem to have missed the memo.

Before the day Mei's grandmother passed, the old woman had enough breath to tell her where she wished to have her wake, what she and Mei should wear, what their manners should be during mourning period, and other matters relating to Mei's future.

But despite her meticulous notetaking – her brushstrokes needed lots of work, she knows – Stella still felt unprepared for the kind of reception she received at the infamous Wangsheng ever since their return back at the Harbor.

After tucking in a sleepy Mei in her room, Stella went straight to the parlor, placing three of the Glaze Lilies in the simple pots she requested in advance, nestling them in between wreaths of white flowers surrounding the covered body.

When she finished burning the joss paper for a final offering, she jumped at the male voice directly from behind her. Whirling around, her heart skipped a beat, brows falling low at his short salutation.

The gentleman before her wore a suit that was subtle in opulence, and elegant in form – a large contrast to the uniform worn by the undertakers that assisted her and Mei before taking off to Qingce Village. She noted the thick rings that contrasted against his gloves – rings worn on the thumb, symbolizing the authority the wearer wields, as well as the arrogance boasting of wealth. Her brow had twitched.

“Good evening. May I ask why is the boss of Wangsheng seeing me?” she inquired, arms crossed. Its the only explanation for someone of importance to act like a host in the dark hall.

Despite the hammering beat in her chest, and the lost of color from her face, she stood tall with a firm stance – bracing herself in case this man mocks her for her ignorance. But when no sound of condescension came, she felt unsettled, and focused on his shining tie instead.

It's an unfortunate habit she has around these types she has yet to break, but a good enough technique to show they still have her attention. They usually have some sort of trinket on them – a silken pocket square, an heirloom brooch, or a collar clip – so its not difficult to direct her eye near their neck. 

She could have glanced up to a point near their ear, to give the illusion of eye contact - but she didn’t want to remember their face, she has no interest to know of it, to know of them. She has no plans of interacting with this person ever, if she could manage it.

But she was brought out of her thoughts by a sudden chuckle, a smooth and sonorous sound, like rumbling thunder in the distance. It was not taunting or haughty, like she had expected. It sounds like a relief of tension – like heavy rainfall after a long dry spell. Stella took a step back, surprised at her passing thought that it sounded attractive. “I am not the boss of this hallowed hall, much to the confusion of most. You are not the only one who assume so. I am merely one of its consultants. Wangsheng caters to all needs, no matter the status, affiliation, or ethnicity. Hence its forthright pursuit for various advisors in order to fulfill any request – for the benefit of the living, and those that have passed.

I myself do my best to be of assistance to any of our customers, when present.”

“That's, uh, nice?” Stella stuttered, utterly speechless. Not because the explanation lacked clarity – it’s actually worded very eloquently – but because this man, this consultant, was still talking to her, despite the lack of eye contact – a discourtesy these types would easily recognize. It was practically beaten into her head that it was a shameful habit, growing up – that no man would want to be her husband if she does not get over it.

Which motivated her more to never want marriage.

She could feel his eyes roving over her face, the path of their focus mostly resting on her cheeks –surprisingly, never straying down. “Indeed. And if I may say so, you seem to need a boost of energy. Or perhaps a good rest. We offer drinks that could assist you with either. If you allow it, I will prepare it to your liking.”

She tucked her head down, not knowing what to say. Not because she felt flattered or embarrassed by the attention of such an attractive-sounding individual.

But... the thing is –

She hates men.

She really, really hates men.

Growing up in a household that treated her more like a prize than a living being, she had no real choice on how to live her life. Powerful men of elevated backgrounds would strut before her, fluttering their clothes made from rare threads to show off their affluence, leering in greed and unwanted desire at her place behind a special dais – layers of gauzy silks the only physical protection she has from their disgusting gazes. But they were never thick enough for her to block out the absolutely dark intentions in their eyes, nor the reverberating hunger in their sleazy words. It made her skin crawl badly every time – feeling phantom insect's feet trail up and down her arms, creeping sludge up her throat, until it claw up to the sensitive skin of her scalp. No matter how much she bathes in scorching hot water after every encounter, skin scrubbed raw and red, she never manages to erase the feeling right away. Only in sleep could she hope to find peace.

If she even could.

They tell her that her feelings were irrelevant. Her treatment – expected. After all, everyone is led to believe she inherited attributes that show she has the blood of those that dwell in the heavens – in the upper universe that human beings could only dream to reach. And thus her body is seen as a sacred vessel, a carrier for future generations to come – perfect beings that would never suffer from mortal wounds, or mortal illnesses. The mother that shall birth the perfect world. You are one being that can propagate, and produce the most flawless humans the world has ever seen. Humans that would become the paragon for everyone else to aspire to! –

Stella scoffed mutely, unfolding her arms, before stepping back into place. That was what her foolish cousin had thought. Had believed. Had obsessed.

He was a brilliant scholar. A specialist of the unknown. And a zealous believer of their family's history and sacred roots. His fixation with perfection is a flaw in and of itself. A selfish desire that eventually led to everyone's death – especially one she held most dear – Selene. Her sister by name, if not by direct blood. The only relative that actually cared for her, that loved her, that protected her when no one else would.

Selene was the one that taught her how to sing – how to hone the beauty in her voice. She taught her how to fight – with a weapon used by an ancestor who fought her fate until the last of her breath. 

Selene taught a many great things, especially other skills that would have otherwise been useless if she was still in her own world – a world that pampered her like a sacred idol, with wings clipped short in a gilded cage.

The very memory of Selene dying in her arms serve as a reminder to never be selfish. To be mindful. To remember that even just one person's open hand is enough to live life for.

But, right now, with her muscles straining from holding her stiff position for so long, she is very much in a mindset to defy her own oath.

She really hates men.

But... she's trying not to. She has to not to – for Meilin's sake:

Most of the fishmongers at the harbor are men – Mei loves seafood.

Most of the chefs are men – Mei loves well-cooked food.

All of the guards are men – Mei trusts them to protect their house and harbor.

If not for Mei, Stella would have gone to live as a hermit by now, fishing or hunting for her own meals, cultivate her own harvests, or protect herself from foolish thieves.

For Mei, she will persevere. For Mei, she will try.

But –

She really hates men.

Specifically, this type of man.

Those greedy monsters cloaked in beauty and money. That speak well of culture and knowledge – both useless, and worthless. For it is a mere show of having been educated on knowledge the masses could not afford to have.

Her heart had not skipped a beat because she finds him attractive   – she still doesn’t know what he looks like. But from his clothes, his manners, his flowery words, she could only conclude one thing: this is the type of husband her family had wanted. The traditional type that wanted a traditional wife.

Out of all the typical traits that kind of wife should have: bearing many children, many perfect children, was the main goal. All the while she must always be silent, until spoken to. Be obedient without question. And wise enough to know her place  – while being the perfect trophy her husband could boast about.

Stella took deep, silent breaths, controlling her thoughts from making her jump to conclusions.

She had to tread carefully with any man in this world. The people at the market were nice enough so far. Respectful of deals, and follows through with their word. 

But, she's not blind to the staring – both the subtle, and the obvious. 

Her face, unfortunately, is one of the attributes she inherited from their family's progenitor, their beloved ancestor, and it's been described as appealing at worse, and magnificent at best. 

But she pays these no mind. Complements are empty words after all. Especially when they find out she can no longer produce children. That's alright. She has long accepted that any who show interest in her, will soon disregard it after they learn of her disability. Traditional men especially, will throw her away.

That's why – although she has her oath for Selene, and a promise for Gran-gran and Mei – she herself could never give an eternal vow to anyone. Not anymore.

Not after what she's done to herself.

But despite her cold aloofness day after day, night after night, this man remained persistent. Kept pestering to cater to her needs, when she made it perfectly clear the Ferrylady was doing a great job of taking care of her already. That he should focus on more important clientele than her.

Unfortunately, it's the sixth day now of Gran-gran's funeral, and she's still being served personally by the stubborn consultant with the alluring voice, who wouldn't stop inquiring if she was able to get a good night's sleep after clearly seeing she isn't. She knows the bags under her eyes are getting darker, and the whites of her eyes turning red with dryness.

It's times like this she misses those blissful sleep of white nothingness – the long morning nap, and the night she and Mei had to camp out before arriving at the harbor. The only explanation for them was the presence of that little guardian that wrapped around her snuggly like a giant tree in its branches – one made out of scales, and gems, and warmth. 

Ah. But it isn't a tree, is it? It was a dragon – or so Mei said. A legendary creature that is normally large and serpentine in form and built – either something that brings about disorder and chaos, or something that protects with might and force.

“Good thing Mr. Guardian is the protector type!” Mei had added brightly, even though Stella knew the little girl was extremely disheartened to see it disappear in the distance after escorting them to the edge of Liyue Harbor, fluffy tail flickering in a silent wave.

She will admit to miss its strange, yet comforting presence. The soothing calm she can feel as she stares at its amber eyes – whether out of vexation or gratitude. It would wrap around her like a thick blanket, enveloping her in a warmth she could feel in her bones, and in her heart.

Ah, well. Maybe she'll look to tame one of the strays around the area. See which ones are easy to domesticate. Maybe, one of them would have eyes as gold as Mr. Guardian. Maybe then she'll be able to cuddle up to something and get some much needed sleep.

-{-}-

As the lady continued to fantasize of respite, a lost look entering her eyes, Morax thought now is the right time for a change. Where diplomacy fails, action may succeed.

When her hand moved to subtly rest at her waist, trying to reach her back, and a pained look briefly passed over her expression, he acted – for the first time – without a second thought.

“You have not slept well after I left, have you?”

Morax murmured low, well aware of their audience in the background, but reached out to her nonetheless, touching the tip of her nose, hoping his action would trigger a memory, their memory, together.

He patiently waited for her indignant squeals and sputters to subside, staring steadily at her face until her angry gaze focused back on his.

She turned silent immediately, a great confusion painted her features. Her hand hovered close to his face – no doubt to slap him for his boldness.

The quiet this time was not uncomfortable – it felt very nostalgic, like the thrum of water drops on stone, or the hum of rocks being mined from the earth.

The kind of silence that defined their first meeting, letting her tug him free from her pack, and staring at him with open bewilderment – with awe-filled curiosity set deep in her exquisite eyes.

“...Mr. Guardian?” she uttered, like a secret, both hopeful and afraid. She withdrew her hand to cover her mouth, while her body sagged heavily on her chair. 

Sitting still was never a problem, but the want to comfort made his hand ache. He could only smile for now, to acknowledge the charming moniker, and to prevent from startling her further.

Blinking once, she took in his face. Blinking twice, she fisted her hand. 

She suddenly covered her eyes, rubbing them incessantly, as if his image burned her physically and she's trying to find relief. He gave in and reached out, holding them still – something he could not do before lest he hurt her with his claws.

When she focused back on him, eyes turning anxious, Morax slowly lifted a third infused cup, carefully wrapped her fingers around it, before slowly letting go. He rested his arms at his sides and turned entirely to her – hoping his body language was open enough for her to let down her guard, just as she always was while he was Exuvia. He noticed her sitting up straight against her chair, eyes asking questions upon questions mutely in the air.

A dull thud from behind them went unnoticed.

“Please. Have a drink. Let it soothe your nerves. 

The sea breeze outside will do much good for your head. Let me escort you to where the water meets the wall. And there, we might be afforded better privacy for your questions,” Morax softly besieged. He cut his gaze to the screen behind them, letting his focus rest on it for some time. Nearly silent sets of feet scurried away after a moment.

“Okay,” the lady consented, breaking through his concentration. When Morax gazed back, she took a long, slow sip, seeming to finally savor the tea he served, making him sit a little straighter in his seat. Her eyes softened slowly, and watered as recognition set in, which in turn made him tug at the corner of his lips in relief.

-{-}-

A knock was heard, before the slide of the door reached Meng's ears. “Yahooo. How is she? Have you revived Ferrylady yet?” 

“Uhm, I'm afraid not, ma'am. Maybe this is a good thing? It's better if she has her rest for the night,” Meng whispered back, blowing the lantern light out as his co-worker rested heavily on her bed.

The director and undertaker silently went out, walking away from the sleeping quarters as both thought back on the circumstances of the Ferrylady's fainting. “Yeah. Might as well~ Zhongli-xiānsheng certainly put her in quite a shock. I almost saw her spirit escape from her! Too bad it happened before we got to see what our consultant did to make our guest putty in his hands. Looks like that hermit strikes again! At least this time the lady seems like his age – physically I mean – and totally not like his stuffy personality. I like her~” Hu Tao sang, thinking of giving the lady a small discount on the incense she'll need to use tomorrow.

“W-would it really be alright to leave them alone?” Meng asked, nervously pulling at his gloves.

“Hmm? Any concerns I should know about? Oh! Is she one of those pretending to play 'hard to get', but actually wants to snatch Zhongli-xiānsheng for herself~?” Hu Tao asked, fluttering her eyes exaggeratedly.

“No, Hu-zhǔrèn! You got it entirely wrong.”

“Oh?”

Meng furrowed his brow, organizing his thoughts. “From what I heard, as well as my own experience in assisting her, she tends to avoid men. All men. Except maybe the kids and the grandpas. I saw her hand quake once when I accidentally brushed hands with her trying to move her potted plants for her.”

“I didn't think you had it in you. You sly dog~”

“No no no,  Hu-zhǔrèn! You misunderstand again!” Meng waved his arms frantically in front on him. “I mean... yes! I'll admit she's very beautiful. A-and she seems considerate, and kind. But she's a little, uhh, too beautiful? Even I know I'm not a good match for her. But her skittish behavior makes me feel like, like scum – like the lowest of the low,” he said dejectedly, shoulders falling. “She makes me feel guilty for even breathing in her space.”

Hu Tao hummed, a finger on her lips, before her brows quirked up in surprise at Meng’s suddenly spirited stance. “A few of the guys at the wharf noticed too, and speculated something must have happened to her. It's really sad to think of the possibilities. But we all talked about it, and agreed to do our best to be gentle in our interactions with her. No touch. Keep a good distance. And watch our words. We don’t want her to feel like we’re boars on the prowl.”

“Wow. Well done, Meng,” whistled Hu Tao, smiling wide.

“E-erm. Thank you?” Meng scratched at his head, face turning red in embarrassment.

“That's the longest I've heard you speak. Ever! I'm so proud of you~ You're not such a pitiful scaredy cat aftercall,” Hu Tao hooted in glee.

“W-what? M-madam...” Meng groaned, head falling down on his chest in dismay.

Hu Tao giggled softly, and changed her carefree stance. She gently patted him on the shoulder to get his attention. “Just kidding~ You really have to lighten up.

But, I didn't lie. What you're doing is very honorable. And even if you're too common for someone like her, I'm sure in time she'll notice and appreciate what you all are doing.”

Was that supposed to be comforting? Ugh. I still don't understand the director. I have so much to learn.

“Besiiides. If you guys are honorable already as ordinary citizens, what more someone of  Zhongli-xiānsheng's caliber?”

Meng nodded, smiling brightly. “You're absolutely right, ma'am. I should not have doubted his intentions.”

“Maybe by now, he's escorting her home. So let's have faith in our reliable consultant!”

“Yes, ma'am!”

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A/N: Just to clarify, Hu Tao meant Zhongli is such a devastating lady-killer. He just doesn’t know it. And yes, more eye-flirting with these two. Sighs. He has such pretty eyes. Updated again on 04/15/2021 because I’m my own biggest critic.

Gong fu style of serving tea is so mesmerizing to watch. I can see Zhongli do it every time.

Fun fact: In ancient China, yellow tea was indeed considered very rare. And since yellow is the traditional imperial color, only emperors are able to enjoy it. Unless they deem a guest fit to be served the tea - which is considered a high honor.

Zhongli’s rerun banner is coming up sooner than I thought. I should have known Genshin would have a mid-anniversary thing too. Or something like it. I panicked, caved in, and bought the Blessing of the Welkin. His mats are not readyyyy aiyaah

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Follower Tag:  @meladollsims

[raspberryfanfics]

nejiten fanfic binging guide

My recommended Nejiten fics. All stories are complete and are good enough to be reread again and again:)

Narutoverse

Exceptions by IncessantOblivion — The first Nejiten fic I have ever read, also one of the closest to my hearts. Though the author admits it, it does have themes of sexism and homophobia, but not strong. It portrays Tenten as extremely inexperienced and though I’m not a fan of authors who write her that way, I’m glad she is shown as independent otherwise. Despite the criticism and obvious flaws, the romantic scenes are written perfectly and I get a huge wave of feels every time I reread it. Besides the slight hints of sexism, this story is the most favourited Nejiten story on FFn for a reason: you’re so emotionally connected to it. My chest literally constricts every time I read it, it’s so good. 

Land of Pretend + Reality by trilliumgt — The first story, (Land of Pretend), despite being without a super solid storyline, is just so heart-wrenching. I’m pretty sure I cried the first time I read this and the sequel but even if it didn’t trigger as much as an emotional reaction, it was surprisingly not boring. Though “Reality” wasn’t as “feel-triggering”, it was very well thought out. 

About a Daddy and a Nanny by syaoran no hime — Perhaps one of my favourite Nejiten fics of all time. I was originally skeptical of this fic because of the title since Daddy and Nanny fics can be ridiculously degrading. They tend to be overly cliche where the female character is a useless Mary Sue. Yet when I gave it a shot, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was most definitely not cliche in the slightest. It may not be the best fic I’ve read in terms of romanticness, however, the humour is unbeatable. Before class, I had read this on my phone and couldn’t stop laughing because the author writes Tenten to have an alter-ego nanny, (very minor spoiler), and she is absolutely hilarious. The romance lies in the unspoken words and the reminiscence, not in the make-outs, but in a way, that just makes it what it is. It’s the type of fic that makes you wanna laugh and cry and smash your screen at the same time. The story is so so sooo good.

SharpBladed Spirit by FenixPhoenix — Dark and a little gruesome, therefore rated M. It isn’t so much a romance, rather an adventure story with a side serving of the two love interests. Nonetheless, it’s captivating, character development is phenomenal, and every character is strong and moves on the plot.

On Qipao Flirting and Buying Drinks by needdl — While this is only a two-shot, it is such a beautifully written story. The best part of it isn’t the romance, but the reactions to change and change itself. Characters change in subtle ways and the creative ways of expressing Neji’s reactions to Tenten becoming more and more feminine make me smile constantly. What I also love is that it has a slight feminist viewpoint to it in the fact that she embraces her femininity, which is the whole point of feminism (in which femininity is embraced just as much as masculinity and the belief that all are equal, which hopefully you are up to date to because it’s 2020 for kami’s sake). Anyways, the first part of the story is absolute pure fluff but if you read the second part, (especially on Ao3)...well that is some hot stuff let me tell ya.

In Front of Every Star by NessieGG — A short story with lots of fluff, angst, and feminism. (YAY!) It loaded with small snippets of moments, sadness, and really makes you think about your own values. Would you leave the love of your life to save your home country? What I love about this story is that the pain the characters feel may be selfish but they are completely realistic. It reflects off of our own lives, trying to let go of our feelings after letting go of the person. Every piece of it is flawless.

Ms X by Blade Rewind — This was the second-ever Nejiten fic I’ve read, and though short in the chapters, it certainly gives a lot of content. It’s light, airy, fun, and a little bit cliche, but in a strangely good way. The writer executes a classic plot with grace and humour and there isn't’ a point where you wanna die because of the unoriginality. 

On Sex by Lotos-eater — I was skeptical about this at first because sometimes titles like these indicate really bad smut, which is almost as bad as an overused cliche. However, this was exactly the opposite. While there is certainly mature content, it isn’t in the way you’d think. Sex is portrayed as an obstacle in this story and approaching it is awkward in every way. Kissing is awkward, touching is awkward, in fact, this is a romantic story with no romance whatsoever. I don’t know how the author pulled it off, but it was simply amazing. It is hard to read not because it is bad, but because you can really empathize with the Neji and Tenten as they try to have sex with non-existent chemistry. Yet my favourite part of this story is the amount of complexity within each character and the way Gai is written in a much more different light. I never imagined Gai to have a dark side and this story executes it perfectly.

Alternate Universes

Complexities of Blackmail by Aquarius Galuxy — I read the summary for this one and was impressed at the word count so I quickly jumped aboard my first AG Nejiten fic train and just...wow. So like, I don’t know where to start. It’s a military space AU and what I love is that up to a certain point, everyone’s backstory until Naruto Shippuden era is almost exactly the same as the Narutoverse. Team Gai is a predeveloped relationship but had deteriorated. Blackmail is very explicit, lots of smut, but damn is it quality smut. It might not be your cup of tea, but if you don’t mind it, this story is amazing. Neji is slightly out of character, but you can understand why with his motivations, even though I personally wouldn’t write a story with the situation. Development is great, chemistry is over the top fantastic, and there’s a perfect amount of angst. It is a bit lengthy but so worth it. Every other character involved is so unique, I loved seeing Izumo and Kotetsu getting a bigger role, Ino was so in character; highly, highly recommend.

f 2-8, ISO 100 by Aquarius Galuxy — Of course, we have another AG fic and this one has sex scenes, but not as *cough* rough *cough* as Blackmail. The maturity mostly comes from the fact that Tenten is a photographer and art can sometimes be...graphic. Yet I have an appreciation for this fic since it states that art is art and the fact that AG came up with the photography is like aiming a shot, (since Tenten never misses). Neji is a politician and pianist, which is a suitable career that both covers his genius and soft side. Once again, great chemistry. This fic flows like a river, it’s so beautiful.

Cutting Water by Nessie GG — A historic AU in which Tenten the leader of a prestigious clan in China and Neji is an ambassador from Japan. Reads more as an adventure and friendship story resulting in romance in the last few chapters rather than just romance. The details are amazing and the style of the writing makes it so elegant, perfect for the time period. It’s the type of story that mysterious and sophisticated at the same time.

Perfidy by KNO — Similar to Cutting Water as it is a historical AU. Its backstory is vaguely similar to Mulan, however, in this case, the hot general doesn’t forgive her immediately. Tenten, who was saved from dressing as a guy to serve in the army, is sent to train another generation of female soldiers. It’s a great story, a great plot, though it does tend to run on uselessly at times. However, it is solid otherwise. 

Breathe Again by Kicho-Keynote — A modern AU in which Neji is an army veteran. The story is slightly dark, as it deals with PTSD and triggering situations. Each character is complex and the development is simply amazing. Everyone has visible flaws, relationships are so well-developed, and it has brought me to tears several times. There are several mentions of ShinoTen, and even though it’s not my favourite couple, it plays a huge role in the story so just a warning. Thankfully, it doesn’t go into detail about their personal lives and it still is a Nejiten story, despite other love interests. It also runs on at parts but overall, it’s extremely well developed.

Authors

Aquarius Galuxy @aquariusgaluxy — The “Papabay” of Nejiten fics. Every story is beautiful, perfect, and intimate. Chemistry is always there. Everything is so beautiful and each has a different mood. Nothing is half-assed and it is just...I wish AG was still active I love those works so much.

KNO @zealousheart — If Aquarius Galuxy is the “Papabay” of Nejiten fics, then KNO is the “Ghost Bananas”. KNO’s work is creative, light, complex, and meaningful. The best part is, if you compare the earlier works to the more recent ones, you can really see the difference in skill level and how much KNO has improved.

Goldberry — Do you need one-shots? Goldberry has plenty. Though there are only a couple stories, there are one-shot collections, drabbles, and a whole bucketload of one-shots I haven’t even got to. It’s pure Nejiten Heaven

NessieGG — More one-shots but guess what? They’re all AU one-shots! Now, this is Nejiten AU heaven!

needdl — All of needdl’s works are filled with fluff. They are adorable, sweet, yet some of them are sincere and romantic. 

Cyberwolf — There are so many short light drabbles from Cyberwolf, each an idea that seemingly came from random thoughts but ended up on FFN for all of us to read.

MOST OTHER AUTHORS MENTIONED IN THE SUGGESTED STORIES ALSO HAVE OTHER NEJITEN WORKS, JUST NOT AS PLENTIFUL OR MOSTLY NEJITEN AS THE ONES LISTED ABOVE. I SUGGEST YOU CHECK OUT THEIR PROFILES AS WELL!

[wheredidthe80sgo]

Should I read All For The Game?

A fan’s perspective, in case you were wondering whether or not you needed this mafia-sports series in your life (hint: I think you do).

(This post was made by a fan for people who may want to become fans. I was unsure about first reading something so different to other books I’ve read, so I thought that I should just put this out there for people who might feel the same way.)

Reasons to read AFTG:

1. The fandom: I’m starting with one of my favourite things about AFTG. While the fandom is small, it’s dedicated. There is fanart and textposts and fanfiction all over the place from these dedicated people. It was so nice to read a book series and walk into a place where other people are already there, and continuing to contribute to it. And from my pov, there really isn’t that much drama which is nice (although I am on the outskirts).

2. The writing: considering you won’t find AFTG in your local bookstore as it wasn’t published by a company, the writing and storytelling is well done. Sure, it reads like a fanfiction, but sometimes it’s nice to read something self-indulgent rather than literary masterpiece. Nora did well with the world-building and the grammar and spelling is all correct (which I wanted to mention since the writing was something I was hesitant about when reading it for the first time).

3. The actual storyline: yes, it has the Japanese mafia and a made up sport, but AFTG is nothing if not entertaining. There are twists and turns which I did not expect (the end of The Raven King anyone?) and there’s always something to keep you guessing and wanting more. It might sound ridiculous, but watching Neil Josten run from the yakuza is good fun. And, like I said before, this is no literary masterpiece like Dickens or Tolstoy, so just go with it and have fun.

4. The characters: the cast of characters is one thing I love especially about these books. Yes, most of them are assholes, but somehow you fall in love with them one by one. Our protagonist, Neil Josten, is one hell of a messed up kid, and yet makes you laugh and cry many times, or maybe that’s just me. Andrew Minyard, our blond midget, is, in my one opinion, the most interesting character in the series, and certainly provides the books with something... unique. Surrounding our two leads is the Palmetto State Foxes, and a lot of them: Andrew’s twin, Aaron; their cousin, Nicky; Kevin Day, former Exy superstar; Dan Wilds, team captain and badass; Matt Boyd, Dan’s boyfriend and resident Bro; Renee Walker, good girl with a mysterious past; Allison Reynolds, beautiful heiress; Seth Gordon, absolute asshole and Allison’s sometimes boyfriend; Wymack, coach; Abby, team nurse; and Bee Dobson, their therapist. The Foxes are an extremely dysfunctional bunch, yet come together as a family (eventually). They’re moving in times, hilarious in others, and always, always brilliant. Along with the main characters, there are side characters, such as Jean Moreau and Jeremy Knox, who absolutely steal your hearts while being present in less than ten scenes (less than five for Jeremy!!). Also, if you try hard enough, the characters can all be very gay. Personally, out of all of the characters mentioned above, the only straight ones to me are Aaron and Wymack, but it’ s really up to your personal opinion. The fandom certainly has a lot of opinions on this.

5. The sports: now, I’m not a huge sports fan, but when I tell you I actually got excited for the Exy matches, I mean it. A brutal lacrosse-type game, Exy is complicated and hard to understand, yet keeps you excited. Yes, it has lots of subplots related to the yakuza, but AFTG is a sports series at heart, and Exy is certainly fun. Plus, Kevin and Neil’s over-the-top obsessions are certainly a great running gag and guaranteed to make you laugh and/or sigh at least once.

6. The relationships: finally, we arrive. As a hopeless romantic, I always need romance in my books to keep me interested, and AFTG certainly delivers. On your first read, it may not be as obvious who the intended romance is, but by the time you get to the third book (spoiler alert!!) Andrew and Neil kick off their romance and it is beautiful. Featuring one of only two representations of demisexual characters I’ve ever seen in books, AFTG is romantic and very gay while featuring things like PTSD, assault and consent throughout. I may not be the best person to talk about this, but the way consent is handled is absolutely beautiful. If you research the fandom, you would know that one of the main things Andrew and Neil are known for is ‘yes or no’. The subtle way these two handle their relationship is a great way to represent consent, showing how it doesn’t need to spoil the mood. Not only does the series have great romantic relationships, but also familial connections. The Foxes are super dysfunctional (especially a few people in particular), but they do end up being a found family, which is always something to look forward to.

7. The aesthetic: orange, white and black, cigarettes, rooftops, gay pining, knives and guns; need I say more?

Although!! While I love these books for everything they are, I understand that other people have different experiences so I feel like I should mention there are a few things in the series that could potentially trigger people, so I just want to add a trigger warning: mentions of rape/abuse, drugs and alcohol use, homophobia, explicit violence, swearing, sex (not so explicit) , use and mention of things like knives and guns, quite a bit of torture (mainly talked about, or described in flashbacks except for one scene in the third book). All of the Foxes have traumatic backstories and as they’re being targeted by the yakuza so some really bad things happen over the series to a few characters. 

In conclusion (if you didn’t want to read all that), All For The Game is one of my favourite book series of all time, so of course I’m a little biased, but it truly is a good series. Very much something to read when you don’t want to take it too seriously, it has a dedicated fan base with great characters, relationships and a killer aesthetic. Everyone should say thank you Nora Sakavic for bringing this into our world (although we all collectively disregarded her canon pretty quickly). Yes, it has fanfic tropes (quite a few, now that I think about it) and it gets pretty ridiculous and cringe-worthy sometimes, but it also means a lot to a lot of people like me, and hopefully, if you’d like, it could mean something to you too.

[angrylizardjacket]

Run to Paradise {Nikki Sixx} Part 24

24. thus is winged cupid painted blind

Summary: Mick calls Lola out, which is not good. Roxie stabs Tommy, which is much worse.

Warnings: high impact swearing & (non-explicit) stabbing with a pen

ragtag bunch of misfits: @starlalove @toofasttofallinlove  @xrosegoldwolfx @obsessivesky  @trpwthme @lovehelpmewrite @angelicjoonie23  @marvelismylifffe  @lilytalebi @glitterdreamsz  @freddiessmallnipples @crazysaladchopshop @inthebackofmycarlaytheirbodies @dramatique-moi @missqueeniewrites @calspixie  @aryssav @catsoo12  @sweetshutter @silvertonguedserpent  @shamelessobsessions @lavenderbones22  @keepcalm-and-beyou @scarecrowmax  @nicholeh7 @unknownoblivion

{masterlist}

After getting back from brunch, getting back to the tour bus, Tommy's acting... weird. Of course Lola knows why, her smile sharp as knives at Roxie's distrustful glare the next day. If she was feeling particularly petty, she might have feigned sweetness, pretending to make amends for the months of mistrust, but she is content enough in her good mood to not make Tommy squirm with discomfort too much, since he's doing plenty of that on his own.

Roxie's stuck on him like a magnet, when they're on the bus, ignoring the rest of the band, acting sweet and kind and completely too-faced.

"Babe, where were you last night?" She pleads, practically curled up on him as they sit at the back of the bus. Everyone can hear them, can hear Roxie's fake worry, and Lola rolls her eyes, carefully pulling a baggie and razor from her pocket to start cutting up lines of coke on the table beside Nikki.

"Fell asleep in a gutter somewhere," Tommy snorts, wrapping an arm around her, sounding as calm and casual as he ever did. "Woke up to some junkies tryna'..." he trails off, spots Lola wearing a secretive little smile, talking quietly with Nikki at the front of the bus. She looks... happy. Happier than she has all tour. Tommy clears his throat, turning his smile up to a billion watts when he directs it at Roxie, "tryna' rob me, but it's all cool." He lies, "it all worked out."

And Roxie makes like she's worried, makes a show of cooing over him, and seems happy enough to snuggle with him for the moment, to take comfort in his without his mother around, with Lola keeping her distance. With Roxie wrapped in his arms, he can feel the sting of the nail marks Lola's left down his back. At the front of the bus, Nikki asks her what she'd gotten up to last night, and she doesn't even glance at Tommy as her smile widens, tells him that he doesn't wanna know.

"That's my girl," Nikki's sharp grin mirrors her, and he punches her in the shoulder lightly before going in for a line. Mick groans and takes a sip of his vodka.

Lola seems to be settling down again; she still drinks and snorts and fucks along with the rest of them, but she doesn't go out looking for a fight. She and Tommy don't really speak that often, but something's changed between them, even a blind man could see it, and it agitates Roxie more as each day goes on.

"You two are not nearly as subtle as you think you are," Mick tells Lola when she's delivering him his booze before a show. Lola's answering smile doesn't quiet reach her eyes.

"Me and who? You know I'm not good at subtle," but she still takes the makeup brush from him when he offers it, a silent question that he already knows the answer to. She dips the brush into the loose, dark powder and starts patting it just beneath his cheekbones.

"It's not healthy -"

"Don't talk to me about healthy, you old geezer," though her tone is teasing, there's a hint of warning in it. She starts blending out the black contour near his jaw. Mick is obediently quiet as she does his cheeks, his mouth opening as she begins applying his eyeshadow without needing to be prompted.

"To stake all your happiness on one person, and have it be our idiot drummer of all people, is fuckin' stupid."

They let the statement hang in the silence; Mick's eyes are still closed, but Lola's paused in her movements.

"I don't think you're stupid," he adds gently, and Lola leans back, sitting back against the mirror, her ankles crossed and makeup still in hand. She makes a half-amused, mostly disbelieving sound, and Mick, as a show of good humour, smiles a little, "I don't think you're that stupid." He amends, which gets Lola to laugh.

"You're an asshole," it's fond, as is the smile on her face. But then her expression, her shoulders, and the moment, drop. Moving off the counter top, she gestures for Mick to close his eyes again so she could finish, and her expression is hard. "But I don't know what you mean; sure I'm loyal to the band, but Tommy's happily engaged, we haven't -"

"Oh girlie, I'm sick of your bullshit, you know?" He finally snaps, "you're not loyal, you're just selfish; I've seen it happen with Vince, I've seen it happen with Tommy, and if Nikki ever falls in love, I'm sure you'll get yourself a hattrick, girlie." It's more honest, more spiteful than he intends it to be, and Lola's paused with the brush pressing against his closed eyelid. But he won't apologise.

The words sting so much worse than she's willing to let on.

There's so many things she wants to tell him, to scream at him, to throw, instead, what she says is;

"It's not fucking selfish to want to protect the people we love." It comes as a hiss, and the brush is moved from his eye. He hears her throws it down to the counter, hears her step away, but doesn't hear her leave. His eyes open, and she's a few feet away, haloed by the shitty, florescent bulb above; she's got her arms crossed, scowling at him. "Roxie is using him."

"Says who-"

"Says fucking everyone; says the fact that she fucked Nikki while she knew Tommy's parents were in town, says the fact that she's always demanding and demanding and demanding and even fucking Vince is sick of her, says the fact that Tommy still loves me-" and her eyes go wide, like she hadn't quite meant to let that slip, but it's out there nonetheless, and Mick sees the way her hands shake before she folds her arms again, defiant and furious. "Go be someone else's consciousness, Jiminy-Cricket-acting prick."

It's like several consecutive gut punches as everything she's saying, everything she's implying dawns on him, but she just seems to get more riled up in his silence. He'd never thought of her as someone who'd be a fan of Disney, in any capacity; the idea that Lola, who he'd always known as young, was also once actually small, fragile, and a fan of cartoons? It's almost painful to think.

"I may have made myself judge, jury, and executioner, but I will never stand in the way of what makes them truly happy," she spits, leaning over to look Mick in the eyes, "and if this band breaks up because of me, it's not because I fucked over one of my boys," she sneered, "it's because I gouged your fucking eyes out."

So now she's not on speaking terms with Mick, which Nikki thinks is hilarious, Doc thinks is a pain, and Vince and Tommy are pretty ambivalent about.

Roxie doesn't care; the sweet mask she'd been wearing since meeting his parents had been cracking as each day passed. She'd been dwelling, angry and mistrustful and insecure; she'd seen Tommy and Lola talking quietly together before a show, seen them share a smile, a laugh, a cigarette, and something about it made her skin crawl.

The problem was never that she and Lola were too different, the problem was that Roxie had always been aware that she and Lola, for all they hated each other, were different versions of the same person. They lie and steal and cheat their way through life, hot and sharp and mean, but Lola was here first. If Roxie had been here first, she knows she would have been just as territorial; Lola's found herself in the middle of a very good thing, she doesn't do well with interlopers, as Roxie may be, but Roxie is anything if not ambitious.

It had been going well enough, to keep Tommy to herself, Lola unwittingly helping her in the beginning, but now with Tommy's parents, with whatever's up with him and Lola, it had gotten under Roxie's skin. If she was being honest, she didn't exactly trust Tommy around other women, but he at least tried to be faithful, but Lola, she knew exactly how to play on Tommy's heartstrings, and absolutely would, if given half a chance.

So maybe sleeping with Nikki was deliberate, was spiteful, because Tommy had once drunkenly, and a little forlornly, made mention of how Lola 'was head over heels for Nikki' and that she sort of always has been. She saw the look in Lola's eyes when she came out of Nikki's dressing room, and in that one moment, it was worth it.

But it had ended up pushing Lola and Tommy back together, and Roxie wasn't stupid.

She was just sick and tired of feeling like a second-rate version of Lola.

Like she was a consolidation prize, just a version that Tommy didn't have to share. But Tommy was rich and stupid, and Roxie was ambitious, and thinks that if Lola could get him to love her, then Roxie would be able to too.

But even his parents could see it, and they'd barely met!

Why did Tommy have to call her his fiance? He should have at least made sure his parents liked her before telling them that she would be family. But fuck, it must run in the family; his mother's comment had stuck with her, had kept playing in her head.

"Like Lola."

"Your mom's a cunt." The words, deliberate and precise, come from Roxie one afternoon barely a week later, sore from being stuck on the tour bus all day, in her head about everything that's been going on, while Tommy had been waxing poetic to Nikki about a drum setup he'd seen in his dreams.

He'd just turned to ask her for a pen to draw up his ideas after ignoring her for most of the day, and yeah she's got a pen, buried somewhere in the bottom of her bag, so she gets it for him, but tells him exactly what she's thinking, playing with the pen. Of course, to no surprise, it riles up Tommy.

"What? Why would you say that?" But his attention is finally on her, and she'd take a fight over being ignored.

"Because she is," Roxie tells him, deliberate, like talking to a child, "she's a cunt."

"Quit it," Tommy warned, "give me the pen, alright?" After a beat, he makes a face when she doesn't even make a move to.

"I don't even know why you told them," Roxie continues, voice raising, catching the attention of the others, who had been trying their best not to watch the inevitable argument began to unfold. "It's not like she has anything to do with us getting married."

"Baby," Tommy tried to calm her down, turning back around, "it's sweet, it's tradition."

"Which tradition?" Roxie snarled, "The mandatory meeting of the cunt?!" Storming up to him, her lip curled in anger, she could feel the plastic pen in her iron grip.

"Don't call her that again, you hear me?" Tommy demanded, voice low and dangerous, standing, matching her toe to toe and towering over her, eyes blazing with a fury, trying to put her in her place.

After a moment, he seems satisfied that she won't try anything, and goes to sit back down, still crackling with an irritated energy, but Roxie seems to feed off of it, stabbing the pen into his back when he goes back to paying attention to anything but her.

"Here's your pen!" She spat, and the bus seems to light up around them. Tommy's flinching away, surprise and slight fear in his eyes, while Nikki looks on, concerned, but hazily high.

"Ow! What the fuck is wrong with you?" He gasps, looking up at her, pain radiating across his shoulder and back.

"Fuck you!" Roxie spits, as she feels someone trying to catch her hands; spinning, she sees it's Lola, wearing a stony expression, watching with fury written all over her face, "fuck you too!" Roxie continues, shoving Lola hard, sending the girl stumbling back before she turns back to Tommy, "and fuck your mother!"

"That's it, this fucking bitch is out of here!" Tommy shouted, hollering for the driver to pull over. He drags Roxie down the aisle, with everyone watching in shock. Lola looks murderous. "Get the fuck off my bus! Get the fuck out!"

Roxie won't back down, not here, not now; she shoves Tommy too, and it feels like a slap in the face when Lola catches him before he hits the table.

"You're such a spoiled little mama's boy," Roxie snarls, "'cause you wanna crawl back inside her cunt -"

Tommy punches her.

There's regret on his face the moments after is happens, breathless, watching as she wipes the blood from her split lip, shock and hurt written all over her. It's like he can't even believe what he's done.

"I told you not to say that," is what comes out of his mouth, breathless, a little frantic, before racing to the back of the bus, escaping to the only place he could. Everyone else looks shocked, like they can't believe her, like they can't believe him, like this whole situation is fucked. Except Lola. Stone cold and dead silent, she gives Roxie the single most withering look the other woman had ever received in her life.

"Stop the bus." Lola orders, her gaze flicking to the others in turn. Her gaze lingers on Mick, who won't look at her. Finally, she looks back at Roxie. "Get your shit," her voice is still level, terrifyingly so, "and get the fuck off the bus."

"We are in the middle of nowhere." Roxie tried, but there's a tremble in her voice, her hands shake a little, finally coming to terms with what had happened, what she and Tommy had both done.

"Get off this bus, or I will kill you."

With that, she turns, and all eyes are on her as she opens one of the cupboards, pulls out the medical kit, and follows Tommy to the back of the bus. She slams the sliding door closed.

Lola seems to be angry almost by default, loud voice, gnashing teeth, bloody knuckles, violent and ill-tempered, she was a fighter through and through. This is the first time any of them had seen her truly, and terrifyingly, furious. They'd always joked about her being the muscle of the group, but this is the first time they'd truly realised what that could mean; what she was willing to do for them.

"This is crazy, you know he's in love with her, right?" Roxie sat on one of the chairs by the front, tears pricking her eyes as the adrenaline starts to leave her system and her legs become too weak to keep her standing. Her words are a Hail Mary pass as she turns on Nikki, trying to drive a wedge before the bus pulled over and the good thing she had going comes to an abrupt end.

"We all are, dude," he admits easily, high as hell where everyone else is still on edge, but his smile is blurry, "if you figured that out, why are you still here?"

In the back, Tommy's got his head in his hands, sitting on one of the beds when Lola finds him. Looking up, fear and regret in his red-rimmed eyes, he heaves a shaky sigh seeing it was Lola. No words pass between them; she's still radiating that dark, protective energy, and Tommy's aghast at his own actions. She opens the medical kit, pauses, and reaches beneath one of the beds for a bottle of booze, setting it down in his lap.

Her hands are gentle as she pulls the pen from his back, and he winces and grunts quietly in pain as she does. The bus stops, and there's the sound of Roxie's heels angrily stomping around the bus, and quiet, furious talking. Lola keeps working, unscrews the bottle where it still sits in Tommy's lap, and directs him to drink some. After he takes a swig, she lifts his shirt, prompts him to take it off, he does, and blood begins to trail from the wound down the smooth plane of his back. Their medical equipment is woefully understocked.

Outside, Roxie is shouting. The engine is still running.

Lola wipes away the blood as best she can, patting the wound with antiseptic ointment which makes Tommy swear under his breath. He's drunk a quarter of the bottle by the time she's dressing the wound, and the bus has started up again. Vince and Nikki are talking in the main cabin, but they don't sound particularly somber.

"Don't say 'I told you so'." Tommy's voice is very small, speaking when he hears the lid of the medical kit close. Lola pauses.

Gently, slowly, she runs her fingertips down his spine. His head is still in his hands, and he hasn't made a move, but Lola sits behind him, her legs crossed, as close as she can, and she rests her forehead on his back, a quiet moment of solidarity. Now is not the time to be petty, or cruel.

"I'm sorry this is how it went down." And she means it, with her whole heart she means it. "I'm sorry you got stabbed." She wants to say I'm sorry I didn't stop her / didn't hold her back / didn't take the hit, but the words are stuck on her tongue. Tommy's breathing is shaky.

"I can't... can't believe I..." and he can't vocalise it, just looks down at his hands in abstract horror. Lola's quiet, reaching forward, she gently takes one of his hands in hers, lacing their fingers together.

"She did... stab you." Lola says flatly, and Tommy hums in quiet agreement; "you... she said some awful things about your mother; being protective sometimes means you'll do terrible things for the people you love," she murmurs, eyes closed. He gives her hand a squeeze, and heaves a sigh. They stay like that for a long while, and slowly, Lola feels the rise and fall of his chest become steadier with time.

[askanaroace]

You recently reblogged something from an aro who likes Crazy Ex GF, can you recommend other shows/movies/etc that have aro/ace visibility? Thanksthanksthanks

Hi there! Sorry this has taken so long. ^^;;

I just want to make a clarification here that there’s a difference between aro/ace visibility and aro/ace friendliness. Aro/ace visibility would include some form of aro/ace rep, while aro/ace friendliness would be stories that aren’t super focused on romance/sex (or at least in the normal way we expect) that aro/ace people may be more comfortable watching or just relate to on some personal level as a result.

That being said, I want to clarify that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has a lot of romance and sex in it! I absolutely adore the show, and it absolutely does play with and flip common romantic tropes, but there’s no aro/ace rep or really visibility in it. But to get to the end of flipping the amatonormative script, our protag spends the vast majority of the show chasing a relationship. So for any who saw that post, do know there’s a lot of romance and sex in CEG, even though it does play with common tropes!

That aside...

A new blog @aro-test has popped up to go over if media has a romantic subplot or not, so it’s definitely a blog of interest! I also suggest @representativecharacters, which has a great tagging system you can use to look for a variety of rep. I’ve also got a variety of tags I try to keep up on: representation, book recs, and comic recs so far. As for things I could think of off the top of my head, trying to hit rep/friendliness in a variety of ways (in the order I thought of them; there’s only explicit rep if I mention it):

Shows

BoJack Horseman - to be honest, I still haven’t tried one, but it does have an explicitly asexual character.

Shadowhunters - another show with a canon ace character I haven’t gotten to watch (but really want to).

Steven Universe - okay, this is a children’s show and it’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea (I didn’t really even notice the inconsistent art style until people pointed it out), but I’m suggesting it because: a) there is an overreaching plot that runs the course of the show; it’s not just disconnected segments like something like Spongebob may be, b) there’s a lot of episodes to go through, and c) there really is not a lot of romance in it (and as a kid’s show, there also isn’t anything really sexual - I don’t even remember catching any subtle innuendo like a lot of kid’s movies these days have). There are a couple characters in relationships or who are kind of flirty/pining, but it’s mostly background and subtle, and the main plot is more about finding and having confidence in who you are. I’m also suggesting this one because unlike some other kids shows I could cover, the characters here are either human or very human-like. I don’t know about others, but I personally don’t feel very represented by, say, cartoon horses. ^^;;

Sex Education - There’s some debate on this one, but I personally really enjoyed the first season and am going to remain optimistic for any future seasons. There is sex and romance in this show, but the main character isn’t interested in a sexual relationship and is also repulsed by masturbation. The controversy comes in because the potential ace character’s actions are thought by others to be a result of some form of sexual trauma when he was younger (likely coming from living with his sex therapist mother who is not so subtle with the men she sleeps with). However, he’s really the first character who really seems to put my high school experiences on TV, so I think the show is worth it.

Avatar the Last Airbender - okay, another kid’s show, but a great kids show. There is some romance in this, but it’s definitely not the focus, and if you just look away fast enough at the last 30 seconds of the last episode, you can pretend the romantic subplot that never really existed also never got started. =p But seriously, great show that focuses more on friendship and empathy justice more than anything else.

Jessica Jones - unfortunately, the show is really going downhill as the seasons progress IMO, but I’ve easily read Jessica as similar to myself: caedromantic. There’s sex and there is minor romance between other characters, but Jessica herself seems more focused on herself and her semi-superhero-status than anything else.

Black Summer - I’m still very pissed off that (spoiler: they killed off the deaf character of color), but the first season of the show was very much focused on the drama and horror and survival of the beginning of the zombie outbreak, so it was aro/ace friendly.

Pose - there is some hints/lead ins to sex and some characters in romantic relationships, but by and large the focus is on queer poc and the world they have carved out for themselves. I would say the main relationship type is found family, which I adore.

One Day At a Time - I’m honestly purely recommending this one for a moment in s3 (tad spoilery but I’ll keep names out of it) where two characters are thinking of having sex, one freaks out, and the other gives a really heartfelt speech on how it’s okay to take things slow and it would in fact be okay if they never had sex. It’s more of a family show, so there’s nothing very explicit. There is some romance. But s3 completely exceeded expectations with that scene, so I’m throwing the show up here as a rec.

Z-Nation - there’s some on and off romantic (and some sexy times, but I think these both get less and less as seasons go on) subplots, but again, the focus is on zombies. And honestly, I love a zombie take like in Z-Nation where there are still outlets where people come together and they don’t all just automatically kill each other on sight. >.>

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - our protag is getting out of a marriage, so there are allusions/discussions to and about that, but in the first season (couldn’t watch the second as I moved and don’t have my own prime account) the focus was definitely on Mrs. Maisel finding herself and figuring out how to do things without a husband. And she doesn’t do this by trying to wrangle up a new husband. She does it by chasing a career she enjoys just for herself.

Good Girls - there is romance and IIRC some sex in this show, but by and large, the romantic relationships are kind of broken and falling apart, while the core group of friends must stick together and keep each other together.

Into the Badlands - awesome karate action show with bits and pieces of romantic subplots but largely action-focused.

The X-Files - so Scully and Mulder end up together-ish (I don’t think it really happened until the movies, but I don’t clearly remember), but I’m not alone in seeing Scully and Mulder as really more queerplatonic than anything else. Also the werelizard episode of the re-start is hilarious.

Movies

A Wrinkle in Time - I found this movie cathartic to watch. Really beautiful. Really sweet. Really pure. It was beautiful and the focus was absolutely on familial relationships. I really loved at the end of the movie when the parents got the kiss, not the two kids, who we got to see just being kids still.

Men in Black - I love the MIB series and am very much looking forward to Thompson’s and Hemsworth’s upcoming version. These movies I think are both aro and ace friendly and just super fun to watch.

How to Train Your Dragon - (I’d ask how kids shows/movies keep ending up on here, but I don’t need to ask, lol) while Hiccup and Astrid become a couple, they’re really not overtly romantic (and definitely not sexual) and the focus is on friendship and family and dragons.

Webcomics

Rock and Riot - haven’t started it yet, but I think the entire main cast or close to it is aspec in some way, and it looks really cute.

Mistlands - another one with a ton of queer rep including aspec characters that I haven’t started, but have followed here on tumblr, and really look forward to starting.

Girls With Slingshots - this one’s definitely pretty sexual and romantic, but there is an ace character introduced partially through, and I really enjoyed the run of this comic. It’s one of the few webcomics I actually started and kept up with over the years.

Books

Books I’m not going to get into here not only because of my book rec tag above but also because there are some queer rep blogs out there you can search asexual/ace or aromantic/aro on, and they’ve already done a much better job sharing these books than I ever could! Check out @ya-pride, @lgbtqreads, @harmonyinkpress, and the #books tag on @fuckyeahasexual.

Hope this is something like what you were looking for!

.

Anyone feel free to make your own recs!

x

[dreamsinger-rose]

Review - Trolls

First off, if you’d like to see other stuff I’ve written, on Fanfiction.net I am Dreamsinger. On Amazon, my usually-very-comprehensive reviews are under Gemseeker.

For my first post I thought I’d start with a review I wrote about a movie I fell in love with recently - Dreamworks’ Trolls. I posted a shorter version of this review on Amazon. I couldn’t post the whole thing - apparently it was too long! LOL.  Feel free to make a comment - or multiple ones, seeing as how I go through quite a few different points that may be easier to discuss separately. I’m looking forward to hearing what you all have to say :) 

Funny, clever and heartwarming. Characters you care about- one has PTSD. Catchy music, gorgeous colorful animation

This is a funny, funny movie. Make no doubt about that. But there are a lot of touching, subtle messages in this movie as well. Don't get me wrong, you can look at it two ways - on the surface it's a comical, musical adventure about a pair of not-quite-friends who team up to rescue a group of trolls kidnapped by a monster called a bergen who wants to eat them. Kind of generic, right?

But as a story writer with an interest in psychology, I see a lot more going on, if you only care to notice. Without going too much into spoiler territory, here's what stood out to me and made Trolls a beloved favorite of mine.

The troll world is fantastically unique, a place where the laws of science, particularly physics and biology, are very different from our world. For example, trolls use their hair for all sorts of things; it moves and stretches at will. There are certain trolls whose bodies produce cupcakes (that are apparently edible); others produce sparkly glitter that is used in various creative and/or defensive ways. Oddly enough, I don't find this offensive; what appear to be fart jokes aren't, not quite. Also, trolls' skin and hair colors can change rather dramatically. This fact becomes hugely significant later.

Troll culture has some rather unique points – clothing is apparently optional. The glitter-trolls don't wear clothes, but there are no embarrassing bits displayed, so I’m fine with that. There is a charming custom called Hug Time, where every hour, trolls are supposed to participate in group hugs. Trolls actively teach their children that everyone deserves to be happy - that it's important to care about others and live in harmony. They also have this tragic backstory that is not gone into much in the movie; namely, that older trolls must have had friends and loved ones eaten by the bergens in the past, which makes me wonder if they have something of the mentality of oppressed people, who feel a strong need to stick together.

The animation is absolutely gorgeous, with brilliant colors that appeal to the artist in me. But even more so, what struck me the first time I saw Trolls was that none of the characters -not one- fit what we think of as traditional beauty. There are no "beautiful people" here, just regular people who work and laugh and go on dates and -successfully- fall in love. That's a powerful message. Think about it.

What I love most about Trolls is how so many of the characters learn from each other and grow into better people. The troll princess, Poppy, is cheerful, fun-loving and well-meaning at the beginning, but when disaster strikes, she takes on the responsibility of rescuing her friends, despite knowing nothing about the world outside her village. I admire her leadership and positive thinking – she is a great role model for the other characters. Her funny, upbeat song "Get Back Up Again" is one I've used myself to get through tough times...

In conflicts with other characters that could easily have ended badly, Poppy demonstrates a lot of compassion and forgiveness, as well as the ability to just "roll with it". Those are valuable people skills, and really impressed me. She isn't perfect, though - she can be pushy, manipulative and irritating. Poppy is the personification of hope, which is all the more heartbreaking when she finally breaks down and ends up being the one who needs help herself. She also demonstrates resiliency, and is able to bounce back and make good decisions despite all that happens to her.

The character Bridget (her name means "strength", by the way) is a simple, caring bergen who could easily have been the star of a Cinderella-type story all by herself. A scullery maid hopelessly in love and despairing of ever having the courage to tell him, she begins to change when she meets the trolls. By the end of the film you feel so proud of her for stepping up and doing what she feels is the right, no matter what it costs her. From her, we learn self-confidence, self-sacrifice and courage. A truly admirable, and likable, character. Her voice actress' singing is phenomenal. She can do everything from tremulous love songs to disco funk.

My favorite character, hands down, is Branch. "I don't sing, and I don't relax. This is the way I am, and I like it!" He's easily the most complicated person I've seen in an animated film in a long, long time. While he is prone to outbursts of temper and paranoia that the other trolls find tiresome, (truly, he is hilarious in these scenes!) Branch is also very caring, more than he wants to admit, even to himself. As the only gray troll in the village, his color is more significant than we realize at first. He has a dark past that is hinted at almost from the start, and a lot of emotional issues (related to guilt, of all things), to overcome. I admit it; my heart goes out to him.

I love his character design. He wears a vest that reminds me of gingerbread house trim, all rows of overlapping half-circles or semi-arches, worn with a pair of endearingly clumsily-sewn shorts. One of the other characters even comments on his vest, which makes me wonder if it was a gift from someone special… Branch is also the first young character I've ever seen with crow's-feet, premature stress-induced wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, something that gives his face a remarkable amount of character.

Despite his problems, Branch is portrayed as a strong character, who is methodical, resourceful and intelligent, good at mechanical engineering, physically capable and agile. He demonstrates a certain wry sense of humor at times. He is all the more brave for facing his fears out of love for a certain someone. A small spoiler that I think most of us would guess anyway, seeing as how he is voiced by Justin Timberlake: Branch's song True Colors is one of the sweetest, most charming songs I've ever heard. (I bought the Trolls music right afterward.)

The voice talent, as I've said above, is excellent. Every song is sung with so many fine nuances (Poppy's voice trembles, Branch has the most delicate, sensitive tone I think I've ever heard). I like how Poppy's voice goes husky when she's feeling emotional. I love how Branch's voice cracks when he's nervous or upset. I find the fact that three of the other trolls have different accents from the rest fascinating, making me speculate on whether there is more than one troll village out there.

There are very few areas of which I'm critical; one being the use of a few religious terms like "Oh, my God" and "angel", but as they are used in a non-religious way I can accept that. There is no swearing and aside from the glitter/cupcake jokes, no actual toilet humor, which is often the reason I won't buy an otherwise decent movie.

One area that I wish had been explained, even briefly, is how bergens justified eating trolls, seeing as how they can talk with them. Did they think they were just some kind of silly animal that happened to be able to speak/sing? It makes it harder to sympathize with the bergens, even after we see how miserably depressed they all are.

"Happiness isn't something you put inside you; it's already there. Sometimes you just need someone to help you find it." -A quote from Poppy with massively significant undertones, so subtle I didn't see it until I'd seen the movie several times. Bergens have what they consider a good reason to eat trolls –they believe it makes a bergen "truly happy". Sounds kind of addictive, doesn't it? Is that reason all the current bergens believe themselves to be miserable (BTW, why do they have a roller rink/pizza parlor if they're so unhappy?), even those bergens who have never eaten a troll? Because most of them were addicted and even twenty years later still long for what they perceived as “true happiness”?

Don't forget to check out the bonus content. There's a series of clips called Troll To Troll, where Poppy and Branch engage in amusing dialog that helped me understand Branch's character better. While he's often described as a grumpy loner in other reviews, the Branch in the clips seemed to be more social and less angry, with his biggest emotional problems relating to anxiety, not hostility.

Final notes: There's a reference in one of the songs called "Sunshine Day" from the Brady Bunch. 

Although Poppy is portrayed as the main character, Branch and Bridget are really the true protagonists. They grow and change more than anyone else.

Overall, I believe that Dreamworks did a fantastic job on Trolls. I feel that a lot of the people who worked on it have some background in psychology, (or suffer from anxiety or depression or know people who do) since many of their films have a strong emphasis on emotions, and Trolls is one of the best movies they have ever produced. (Thank you, Dreamworks!)

Be sure to check out the Trolls holiday special, and the cartoon series based on the movie, too. There’s also a two-minute short called Trolla-Palooza Tour, where we get to see Branch play the electric guitar.

There’s lots more I could go into, especially now that the TV series is out (still not sure if it counts as canon or not) so please comment/reblog, and thanks for reading this massive post ^_^

[scrawnydutchman]

Rick and Morty Season 3 Ranked Worst to Best (Spoilers)

Well friends, the long awaited Season 3 of the hit show Rick and Morty has come to a close. It will not be time again to get schwifty until Season 4 hits. When will it hit? Who knows? But do Mr. Poopy Butthole a favour and don’t waste your life waiting for it like you did waiting for Season 3. Anyways, now that the third season has ended, what did I think overall? Well, to be honest . . . it was very hit and miss. It doesn’t feel right to call any of these episodes bad, because bad by Rick and Morty standards is truthfully still leagues above the vast majority of television right now. But some episodes ARE undeniably stronger than others, and while Season 3 was no doubt a joy ride it DID end up being a lot more bittersweet than previous seasons. Seeing as there are 10 episodes altogether, I felt it was appropriate to rank these episodes from worst to best. This is purely my opinion; if you disagree with this list it’s totally fine. If you enjoyed the lower ranked episodes I’m glad you did, if you think other episodes are overrated that’s fair enough. Alright, enough padding, let’s get into it!

10. The Rickchurian Mortydate (The Finale)

You know, seeing as this is the note the season goes out on, it’s a damn shame how underwhelming it is. I still stand by that by Rick and Morty standards the worst episode is still leagues above most television, but man of man does this episode feel like a misfire for multiple reasons. For one, the whole episode feels like it’s on fast forward. Something about the pacing is incredibly off; there’s no time to process any of the still clever one liners. That’s probably due to all the shit they shove into this episode that isn’t handled nearly as gracefully as other entries in this list. While we’re on the subject, this episode feels the need to throw TONS of shit at you and just go in any random direction with no clear reason as to why. This series has a reputation for deliberately subverting expectations, but up until this point it’s done so in a way that feels logical and just as right as any presumptions we as the audience may have had. It has a Minecraft reference in it. . . I guess . . . but then it just immediately dismisses it by saying South Park did it. If they’re trying to avoid doing stuff that’s already been done then why even bring it up? It’s just misplaced randomness and not particularly clever. What’s most disappointing about this episode though is the fact that it basically undid everything Season 3 established. Beth and Jerry are back together, Beth literally states that the 4th Season will be like Season 1 but more streamlined (I thought forth wall breaking was Rick’s thing?), and the storytelling possibilities about Beth’s clone choice are pretty much thrown right out the window, so you can just disregard the fan theory I wrote (or maybe they’re not? IDK that whole aspect was so rushed and confusing). The finale had some great jokes (like Rick being afraid of pirates got a chuckle out of me) and it has a good amount of outrageousness, but more than a concise and tight episode this feels like a constant throwing of shit at the wall to see what sticks, and sadly the wall is clean for the most part. All well. Maybe Season 4 will do great things as a result of this setup and I’ll think differently about this episode in retrospect. Until then, it’s a pretty shallow conclusion.

9. The ABCS of Beth (Episode 9)

Before anyone calls it out on me, the rest of this list is NOT in order of chronological release of episode in reverse. ANYWAYS, Before the finale I felt this was the weakest entry in the series. My biggest issue with it is how on the nose all of the character analysis is. This may be the least thematically subtle episode in a series that involves a character turning into a Pickle with a family therapy subplot. It even goes as far as having Beth summarize the plot of what happened to Tommy like she was reciting a book report. And then when Tommy describes what he’s been up to via disturbing childrens play it’s not any information we didn’t already know. Then you have the subplot of Jerry being called out for being a closeted racist and sexist, ALSO verbally explained by Summer. This episode is a bad case of tell-don’t-show, which is a mentality you ABSOLUTELY want to avoid when you make a film or tv show. Being Rick and Morty it’s still got some good jokes (like the bit where Rick shows Beth’s old toys is hilarious) and the ending is nice and sweet (as well as the only hint of subtlety throughout the whole ride) but beyond that it’s basically just characters giving their own synopsis so you don’t have to think about it and a hard reliance on incest and cannabilism humor. 

8. Rickmancing the Stone (Episode 2)

Rick and Morty does Mad Max?? Based on premise alone you would think this would be a memorable ride of absolute mayhem, not unlike the franchise it homages. But that’s the real and unfortunate irony about this entry . . . it’s probably the most forgettable episode of the bunch. I remember Morty getting a huge muscular arm and Rick helping Morty drown a guy . . . that was funny. I remember Summer getting involved with a deadbeat apocalypse survivor . . . that was . . . . funny? I remember Jerry getting gusts of wind muttering “loser” to him. All of it is . . . not very impactful if I’m honest. Some might argue it’s memorability is a result of it being one of the earliest episodes in the season, but in contrast to it the premiere happened way sooner and it had some of the most memorable events of the whole series. Truthfully if any episode of the series was supposed to have the crazy fast pacing of the finale, I think it should have been this one. This is the perfect setup to just throw a bunch of crazy insane and violent shit at the viewers for no rhyme or reason. It does that SOMETIMES but not nearly enough. By the end it just becomes super mundane and downplayed. I get that’s supposed to be the joke because it’s meant to be a subversion of Mad Max, but the joke unfortunately doesn’t pay off that well. 

7. Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender (Episode 4)

Apparently this is series Co-Creator Dan Harmon’s least favorite episode according to some leaked audio footage. Personally I like this episode overall for a multitude of reasons (though they may be largely due to my biases as both an animator and superhero fan). For one, this may be the most beautifully animated and stylized entry in the season. The power effects are cool, the designs and overall concepts of the Vindicators are nice, it has some creative visuals and nice use of colour. Visually speaking the most mindblowing thing about this episode is Million Ants. The way he moves, the way he morphs into different shapes, the way his model is constantly shifting and morphing and how he’s very clearly hand drawn frame by frame (most of the time at least). Million Ants alone may be the best animation the show has ever done. The episode also has the bit about Morty thinking Rick is finally confessing that he loves him, only to find Rick meant to make that message for Noob Noob, which is easily the hardest I ever laughed the entire season (INCLUDING the Szechuan sauce bit). But the episode isn’t without it’s problems sadly. I actually watched a pretty good video analyzing why this episode isn’t as strong as others, and it pointed out that it goes against Dan Harmon’s treasured “Hero’s Journey” story arc, by having Morty’s change of heart about the Vindicators happen way too quickly. I’ll link to the video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQWTbLWYxI

It also has the unfortunate handicap of having the heroes be too difficult to like right out the gate, as we are only merely told of their heroic feats rather than shown them. Once again, we’re told what to think verbally by the main characters. Also, the dabbing at the end was beyond cringeworthy. In fact, come to think of it, there are a LOT of moments in this season that are like that, where it’s just a reference to something topical that sticks out like a sore thumb. The dabbing, the Minecraft bit, Beth saying “fake news”. Is there someone on the Rick and Morty staff that insists there must be an arbitrarily shoehorned pop culture reference every episode? All well, that aside this is a solid episode IMO. Not the best, but solid.

6. Pickle Rick (Episode 3)

Ah yes, who could forget the most quoted and frequently referenced episode in the whole series, all because of one strange punchline? This episode is very likable for similar reasons to episode 4. It has very imaginative visuals and some of the best animation in the whole series, especially that fight scene with the rats. It’s a very clever, funny and action packed homage to Die Hard and other gun towing action films like it, and it’s got some of the funniest bits of dialogue and surreal humor in the season. Some people were turned off by the family therapy scenes, and yeah, I’d be lying if I said they didn’t carry the same issues of spelling out character synopsis that the other episodes have. But I felt they were still a nice subplot that make great stark contrast to the ongoing outrageousness of the main plot. The calming and soothing voice of Dr. Wong makes the intense gore of Pickle Rick’s fight stand out all the more in comparison. Plus I liked her little monologue at the end as I thought it was one of the few bits of verbal explanation in the show that was warranted and welcome. Not much else to say about this one. I’M PICKLE RIIIIIICK!!!

5. Morty’s Mind Blowers (Episode 8)

Alright, enough bitching about flaws. Let’s talk about the REAL shining moments in the series!! This episode is Season 3′s alternative to interdimensional cable. While I was initially pretty disappointed that this was their stand in, that sentiment was immediately put at ease when I was gift wrapped the funniest, most grotesque and most deliciously pessimistic clip show I’ve ever received in my life (thankfully it’s clips we never saw though). The episode is all about going through the memories Rick had removed from Morty’s mind, whether it’s because Morty begged him to or because it’s something Rick wanted removed, and like what you would think every clip is outrageous, surreal and gut wrenchingly dark. The bit about the dictator squirrels was great, the bit about the smudge on the lens is hilarious, we finally get to see a character dubbed by a fan who won a contest (great job btw) and the episode isn’t without it’s nice dosage of references to the past. It’s pretty fantastic and is just as entertaining as Interdimensional cable (that said, I DO want IC3 sometime in the future). After a whole season dealing with family drama, trust issues, loss in faith and other depressing themes, it’s nice to take a break and have an episode that’s a pure comedy from beginning to end.

4. The Rickshank Redemption (Season Premiere)

Here it is. The Season Premiere. The answer to the questions we’ve been holding onto for nearly 2 years after the finale to Season 2. It’s also the best April Fools day prank Adult Swim has ever pulled. Delaying Samurai Jack was WORTH IT!!! Like I said, this episode managed to answer the most tantalizing questions for us after the heartbreaking finale of Season 2. Not only did it do that, but it gave us the most hilarious and epic answer we could have possibly hoped for. You think Rick did everything he did to prove he really did love his family? You think the reason he is who he is is because he’s had to suffer the tragic fate of losing his family before? FUCK THAT!!! It was all an elaborate scheme to get back at every authority that ever did wrong by him. He rekt the intergalactic government, the Council of Ricks AND Jerry all in 20 minutes of pure hilarity and intense espionage. And best of all, he made up that shit about loving his family. HE JUST NEEDS THAT SZECHUAN SAUCE MORTY!! I said before that the Noob Noob bit is the hardest I ever laughed in the series, but the Szechuan sauce is a VERY close second. This was the absolute perfect way to kick off the season and to stoke our fires in anticipation for future episodes.

3. Rest and Ricklaxation (Episode 6)

Of all the entries to Season 3, this episode feels the most like Season 1. While the majority of Season 3 is some sort of switch up to the status quo where either Rick goes on an adventure with a different member of the family or Morty isn’t his usual worried or panicking self (and is notably turning into an unapologetic pessimist), this one goes back to the roots of the shows good ol’ fashion premise of Rick taking his timid grandson on a life changing, dream crushing adventure. Not only is it a refreshing back-to-basics episode with great morbid humor, but it actually has a very interesting and fresh commentary on what it means to be a good person, told in a more tongue-and-cheek way than other episodes have talked about their core themes. The episode is all about Rick and Morty removing their ‘toxicity’ (I.E. what they hate most about themselves) and their toxicity manifesting into negative unhealthy versions of them. The point the episode gets across though is that personality traits aren’t necessarily good or bad in all circumstances. Sometimes it’s good to be shy and timid and sometimes it’s good to be forceful and upfront. Sometimes it’s bad to be confident and it’s bad to be passive. The episodes point is that everybody has things about themselves they would rather not have but the truth is, every facet of our being is what makes us who we are and it isn’t actually healthy to go into any extreme. It’s a heartwarming message about self acceptance told in a hilarious, cruel and dark way that Rick and Morty always does. What’s not to love?

2. The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (Episode 5)

This episode is beat for beat, pound for pound, consistently, the funniest episode of the whole season and QUITE POSSIBLY the whole show. It’s comedic writing and execution is right up there with The Rick’s Must be Crazy, which is my favorite episode of the show. It has SO many great lines, my favorite being “Momma’s coming, baby! Momma’s coming AND SHE CARES ABOUT YOUR TITTIES!”. It has great bits of dark humor with one of the most fucked up scenes in the show being when the kid unknowingly kills his sister for good. It has great fake outs like the gif you see above this paragraph. It’s just a consistent laugh riot. Throw that in with a great Attack on Titan homage and of course the sexy and sinister voice of Clancy Brown as the main antagonist (has he ever played a hero character in his whole career) and you got a badass entry to the show. Also, much like million ants or the pickle rick vs. rats fight, it features some of the most damn impressive animation in the show between the rollercoaster fight and the tripping balls scene. GOD what a good episode. This is in my top 3 of the whole show for sure.

1. The Ricklantis Mixup/Tales from the Citadel (Episode 7)

Any followers of my blog who have read my article “Why the Ricklantis Mixup should be awarded” could see this coming as the number one spot. But can you blame me?? This episode is a MASTERPIECE, not just by Rick and Morty Standards which are already super high, but for television in general. If you want to know my full thoughts on this episode, go back and read my article about it, because what I would type here doesn’t do it justice. The worldbuilding, the multiple perspectives, the likability of all the characters, the humor, the animation, the personality, the performance of nearly every character by Justin Roiland, the core themes of prejudice and societal norms, the storytelling leading up to THE MOST BADASS TWIST ENDING OF THE WHOLE SHOW. Everything about this episode is simply perfect. It’s mindblowing that this was achieved in 20 minutes. I’ve said before that The Rick’s Must be Crazy is my favorite episode of the show, but that’s in terms of very subjective variables. Objectively, this episode is the most brilliantly constructed and executed. If by some horrible tragedy all but one Rick and Morty episode had to be wiped from existence, to me this is the one that needs to survive.

So yeah. Season 3 was the most hit and miss of the show thus far. But I’d like to reiterate that I don’t think I can call any of these episodes bad. There’s something likable in all of them and it’s still some of the best entertainment you can find today. In spite of how nasty I may have come across earlier in the list, when this show misses, it only misses by a little. When it hits, BY GOD ALMIGHTY does it hit. All I can say to end this post is Season 4 cannot get here soon enough.

[meganmazing]

An All Phlint Rec List!

One guess which pairing I fell head-first into this time...

Need more time? No problem, I’ll give you a hint. It involves SHEILD’s #1 eye in the sky and his long-suffering, slightly anal-retentive handler. The purple Avenger and the dead-not-dead agent. You know them, and if you don’t already love them, these fics will fix that for you. Sorry in advance for how long this is, but there are so many fics and I have too many feelings.

Some of them even feature Pizza Dog, because we are a blessed fandom.

Most of these are rated Explicit, but not all! I even mention a G-rated fic, and I’m proud of me for branching out my recs. I don’t read non-con/dub-con, and I’m not usually into ABO stuff, so you won’t find any of that here, if it’s a concern. Just in case, read the tags! I also don’t read unhappy endings, becasue I’m not about that life.  

Click the bold titles (sometimes the little lines indicating a link aren’t there, but the link still is) and don’t forget to leave kudos/comments on the ones you love, to spread that love to the authors! And as always, there will always be more fics that I love/bookmark/scream about in my bookmarks page on my ao3 account: megamazing

College AU

Launch Your Assault by foxxcub  Words: 30k  Rating: E

Phil Coulson was more than halfway through his six year plan, and everything was chugging along nicely.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t foreseen a cocky junior Art major waltzing into his life, or his floor.

So this is within the same universe as Bulletproof, a stony College AU fic, but I never read that one. Phlint College AU’s I love, but not so much with stony? I have weirdly subjective preferences when it comes to fics.

However, I will rec this one with my dying breath. It is Phil’s POV, and I have such a soft spot for college age Phil now, thanks to this story. As a college student myself, I felt that everything was really realistic and I believed everything. More than that, I want to give both the boys a hug. They need it after this. 

Also, as you’ll see later on in this list, I love the “fuck buddies” trope with hidden feelings that are so not hidden it’s embarrassing. And heartbreaking. As much as I want to hug Phil, I also think he needs a swift kick or seven.  

Safety Not Guaranteed by foxxcub  words: 4k+ (nearly 5k) Rating: M

Phil was informed of the Sigma Iota tradition of White Elephant two weeks before Christmas break. He’d heard of other chapters on campus having holiday parties and had figured the SI’s did the same.

But he was quickly learning the SI’s didn’t do things quite like other fraternities.

Short, sweet, and funny. Of course this would happen to them, within a group of people where blatant, verbal communication is a practically a foreign notion. I laughed, I sympathetically cringed, and there are sexytimes, too. What’s not to love here, really? (Wade has a great cameo, too, so of course this was going on the list)

I'll Learn To Dance If You Promise Not To Laugh by torakowalski  words: 10k+ rating: E

A College AU in which there are long distance relationships, misunderstandings, and no one actually spends any time in college.

The insecurity in this fic kills me in the best way. Clint puts on an act sometimes, acting stronger and suaver than maybe he feels. When your bf is older and cooler and smarter and too good for you, what else can you do? Naturally, that strategy works great until it doesn’t. 

Thor, Darcy, and Jane are wonderful and I just want more of them! I would never have pictured them as Phil’s roommates, but it works so well and watching Clint interact with them is great. 

Everyone deserves a hug: Clint for being a sweet idiot, Phil for being a well-meaning moron, and the roommate squad for putting up with their shit and making it fun.  

(more torakowalski fics in the final section, because I’m in love with their work and need to throw more at you)

Other AU

Kindergarten ‘verse by soniclipstick (veriscence)  total words: 38k+ Respective ratings: E, G, and E

Kindergarten teacher Clint Barton has never been in a healthy stable relationship in his life. Hell, mostly he doesn't bother leaving his house unless his best friend drags him out for 'socialising'. He's happy with his life as a hermit; he has a dog, and fifteen sticky tiny humans to teach core skills to. That's more than enough commitment for him

But that's all about to change when the new school year brings along with it some major surprises, such as Phil Coulson, the widowed father of one of his students and owner of the bluest eyes Clint's ever seen.

(summary from the first fic in the series)

I am rec’ing the whole series here, because I want to curl up and live in the world the author created. It has everyone you could think of wanting to see from both general Marvel canon and also Agents of SHIELD. Look, as I’m writing this, I want to go back and re-read the first fic. As the author states in the tags, it’s totally Fraction’s Hawkeye, aka my favorite and the best (soz MCU Clint, you’re cool too, sometimes).

This could have been so stupid. It’s a kindergarten teacher AU, it very easily could have been something I read two paragraphs of and clicked away. But it isn’t. When the author says fluff and angst, they mean it. It hurt my heart and made me giddy by turns. Also, sexytimes. But the feelings! I connected so much with Clint in this, and felt so much for Phil, and the payoff feels so earned by the time it happens.

The supporting cast is phenomenal, and it may be my favorite of this whole list, which is saying a lot because I love them all. Even the smaller cameos were hilarious and made me smile.

EVEN IF YOU READ NO OTHER FIC ON THIS LIST, READ THIS SERIES.

Pre-Avengers (mostly)

Slow and Soft by onthewaters  Words: 23k Rating: E 

When Coulson adds Barton to his team, he expects smartassery. Except there isn't any...

This is it. This is the story I was looking for and craving without even knowing it. That may make zero sense, but I don’t know how else to put it. The writing and the storytelling here are on another level, and I mean that in the best possible way. It shows them getting together - including the beginning of the incredible friendship between the trio (Nat, Clint, and Phil) and Nat and Clint's bond - as well as the most believable/subtle pinning I’ve read in awhile. 

Phil's characterization is the best in this one. It’s his POV, and his personality just shines. This is one of the ones I really treasure, and I won’t apologize for how extra I am about it. 

Operation Snapdragon by Laura Kaye (laurakaye) words: 10k+ rating: E

They’d decided to call it Operation Snapdragon, Jasper had explained, because snapdragons meant “deception” in the language of flowers.

It would be more accurate to call it Operation Rip Out Phil's Heart And Grind It Beneath The Feet Of Mobsters, but apparently there wasn't a flower for that.

The humor is on point, and I am a sucker for pining!Phil and sarcasm. It’s a fake marriage fic, where they’re undercover as a couple. Tell me that doesn’t sound perfect for these two. BUT WAIT, there’s more: they’re already a thing before the fake marriage mission, and Phil has been feeling insecure in the relationship! Voicing concerns in a healthy manner is out of the question, naturally. Idiots.

It takes place over six months, featuring flashbacks to how Phil ended up in a strip club run by the mob, smiling lovingly at his husband while a mobster talks about how great they are together. 

Plenty of miscommunication on par with the trope, and you just want to give Clint a hug, becasue you know what’s going on, but Phil can’t catch a hint. It has art at the end, too, which is adorable.

The Clothes that Make the Man by orderlychaos  words: 17k+ rating: E

There was something comforting in the way Clint could focus on Coulson’s dry, deadpan tone as bullets and explosions sounded around him. Come rain, hail or bursts of experimental weaponry, Agent Coulson would be there, calm and controlled in that damn suit, like the personification of order against chaos.

However, contrary to rumour, Phil Coulson was not born in a suit. This is the story of how Clint Barton glimpsed the man underneath and fell in love.

(Or five times Clint saw Phil outside of a suit and the one time he wore a suit himself).

IT’S A FIVE AND ONE, boys, we’ve made it. This my favorite trope in all of fanfiction history. It’s also pre-avengers for the first half, but then kinda after? Coulson isn’t dead and doesn’t appear to ever have been, but in the later chapters, the Avengers are a thing? I’m not sure about timelines. It’s an AU, and it’s awesome. 

The important part is that there’s Clint POV and insecurity on both sides, as well as really sweet moments and pinning galore. Plus, it’s rated E, so obviously that too. It’s fairly lighthearted in general as well (meaning there are feelings and angst but there aren’t feelings and angst, if you know what I mean), and after some of the angst on this list, lighthearted fics are a gift. 

Coulson Lives - Reunion

Give a Dog a Bone by  Laura Kaye (laurakaye)  Words: 86k+ Rating: E

What do you do when your dead best friend turns up alive after three years? a) yell at him b) hug him c) ignore him to his face while following him around the Tower like a creeper d) maybe fall in love with him a little e) all of the above

Best summary, or best summary? 

This does not have enough kudos or recognition. I know it’s at nearly 960, and that’s a great amount, but it deserves so much more! I still think about this story, and it’s another one I want to re-read soon. 

When I mentioned Pizza Dog, this is one of the ones I had in mind.   

And Kate!!! His friendship with Kate is everything I’ve ever wanted. And his friendship with Tony, and obviously Nat. Basically, I love Clint having friends and getting to be petty becasue holy shit he deserves to be petty after everything SHIELD has put them all through. At the same time, nothing feels like Phil!whump or emotionally beating a character down unnecessarily. 

Clint does everything I want him to, and some stuff I didn’t even know I wanted him to do. There is so much pain, as you’d expect, but there is so much payoff and the balance is perfect. I connect with Clint’s characterization in general, but especially here. Just yes. 

Phil’s journey with the loss of his hand and adjusting to life with a prosthetic is also really cool, and something I hardly ever see. Same goes for Clint’s hearing loss. He isn’t deal, but and is completely capable/confident in himself, but there are struggles at times that make me wonder if the author has personal experience because it’s stuff I recognize from my mom’s experiences.  

doesn't matter if I bleed by t_fic (topaz), topaz, topaz119 (topaz)  Words: 25k+ Rating: E

Clint's never pretended to be deep. He's just the guy who sits back and watches, the guy who makes the shot when he needs to. He's seen a lot of crap in his time, sat through a lot of fucked-up scenes to get to where he needs to be, but this, now--he can't stand another second of it.

This feels like an argument for why the pairing works, and I loved it. It really deep dives into the issues all three of them - Clint, Nat, and Phil - have in a way that feels so real and relatable to me, personally, that it cut me right to the core. I still can't get over the incredible friendship between Clint and Nat in this. I loved every minute, and every win was so, so deserved. I want to curl up and live in the world the author created, tbh. Also, there are sexytimes. Can't forget those.

Tony also has the line early on that nearly made me cry: "Someone has some serious fucking explaining to do, because you," he pokes at Coulson, "we fucking buried you." The scene is already so emotionally charged, and then this and it kills me becasue of all the off-page backstory and emotional weight it gives for the rest of the story.

I’m emo and dramatic about all of these, but I mean it when I say it feels like proof for why Clint and Phil work. Just, yes.

Coulson Lives - some point after the off-page reunion

The Best Bad Ideas by copperbadge words: 17k+  rating: M

When Clint Barton put on the Captain America costume for a mission, he didn't count on Phil Coulson's reaction. Coulson didn't count on Clint crashing his new team to do something about it.

Oh yeah, you read that right. It’s just as funny as it sounds, and all of a sudden you get hit with the angst and it works. Even so, this one is a lot lighter and it’s fun. Cap and Co’s reactions are just as funny, and the gossip sessions between the ensemble are some of my favorite bits. (side note: why have I never considered the badass-ery that would be a Nat and Melinda May friendship?) 

Pine Lake Oasis by infiniteeight  words: 32k+  rating: E

When SHIELD gets intel that an arms dealer might soon be receiving Chitauri technology, Fury sends Clint and Coulson undercover to establish surveillance, ingratiate themselves with the arms dealer and his right hand man, and possibly intercept the sale. The catch? The arms dealer and his lieutenant are apparently posing as a couple, which means the best way for Clint and Coulson to get close is to pose as a couple, too. The longer the op goes on, the more Clint wonders which relationship is more real.

MORE PRETEND MARRIED TROPES! We can never have too many, in my humble opinion. This one is very different from the mobster one, because it’s set in suberbia with plenty of nosy neighbors and also some arms dealers who are also posing as a couple. Frankly, I’m not sure anyone is posing as anything in this fic when it comes to feelings. 

The domesticity in this story is so good and it’s so sad watching them get used to it and hearing Clint think it can’t last...but then! And everything feels earned by the end, instead of just tossed in. You watch them get closer over the course of the story and I love it. 

They’re sassy and sarcastic and funny, and so true to the characters we’ve come to love that it all feels so believable. 

Just torakowalski Fics 

(Yes. I did add a whole section just for one author. If I hadn’t, every category would be overrun, and there are so many good fics out there! But this author gets me, and more importantly, gets Clint and Phil, so it had to be done.)

Been Looking at You Forever  words: 18k+ (closer to 19k)  rating: E

Clint and Phil are friends. Friends who have sex. That’s all there is to it. Honestly. 

Fuckbuddies with a healthy dose of accidental relationship because whoops, who knew “casual” sex with hidden feelings would lead to complications and more feelings?? Set post-Avengers movie, and including all the main faves as side characters. 

Guys, I’ll be real with you for a second. I don’t ship either stucky or Tony/Pepper, and yet this has both as background but blatant relationships. And I still don’t ship them, but I believed it within the story and I wasn’t bothered? If that doesn’t tell you how good of a writer tora is...

I am addicted to the way they write Clint and Phil, and the fact that it doesn’t look like they’ll be writing more for that pairing makes me hold on tighter to the stories we do have. Sure, the premise of this fic is a trope, but the relationships between the characters puts it on another level for me. This one will make you crave more of this trope out of all your fave pairings, trust me.

And All the Clocks Came Back to Life  Words: 4k+ Rating: T

Phil Coulson isn't a big fan of birthdays, but they're better than being dead.

Pizza Dog is a character again, and so is my favorite apartment complex in Marvel Comics continuity. This is the sweetest story (it’s also the shortest one on this list *gasp*) and it doesn’t have anything explicit, which I know some people prefer, but trust me. The way tora writes these boys is so worth the read. I have the warm-fuzzies just thinking about this fic again - I dare you not to feel like smiling with this one. Naturally, there are grounded feels too, and I just want to protect Clint with my whole being. Luckily, I’m pretty sure Coulson does, too. 

Both characterizations are on point.

Keeping the World at Bay  Words: 25k+ Rating: E

Finding out that Phil's alive and working with a new team isn't easy for Clint, and neither is helping Captain America track down the brainwashed Hydra assassin that used to be Bucky Barnes. 

This is another one where I still don’t ship stucky, but god damnit I’m here for everything in this fic. Clint gets to be fucking amazing in this one, both physically and on an emotional connective-ness level. It uses his own neuroses and backlog of problem/coping mechanisms and puts them to use in the best way. You know, if you’ve seen the movie Age of Ultron (meh movie overall but there are elements I adored) that Clint has the potential to fill the mentor position so well. He gets to do that here, or at least begin down that sort of path, and I loved it. 

For all my stony babes, I urge you to give it a shot. Just this once, let me peer pressure you.

I am also always here for Clint getting to be pissed off, because HELLO, he’s got a right. And my heart went out to Phil so hard. Guys, it’s a double reunion fic, as well as the first time potential best friends meet, why are you sleeping on this??

Back to The Place You Are  Words: 7k+  Rating: E 

Phil Coulson was sitting two tables over from Clint and wearing his Dress Blues. This was making concentrating on anything else pretty much impossible.

Normally, I am Not A Fan of fics where they are broken up from the get-go. Or maybe I just have to be in the right mood/mind set for that brand of angst. AND YET. This fic.  

It’s Tony and Pepper’s wedding, and naturally Phil has to dress the part right? Clint should have been prepared, but clearly, he was not. This one is pretty much smut with angst and feels, and like Clint, I was not prepared for how much I would love reading it. 

What We've Got Here Is Enough words: 7k+ rating: E

They don’t fuck in the Avengers’ Mansion, that’s rule number one of Having A Secret Relationship With Your Ex-Handler.

This one was great, and involves how the rest of the team finds out about their relationship. Not a ton to say aside from what I’ve already said about how tora writes these two! 

Want more recommendations? Let me know! Maybe I ship what you ship and we can scream about the great fanfic together. 

[vermillionworks]

Applying Horror To Webcomics

Hello, I'm SarahN, author/artist of the vampire webcomic, DANIEL.

I also wrote the post on Writing Vampires quite a while ago. Honestly, I'm not sure if this one will be as good as that one for a couple of reasons... One is because I tend to have a hard time putting my thoughts on writing horror into words for some reason. That and I think because horror is such a broad genre, it's hard to suggest guidelines for it.

A few of my suggestions are based on opinion. So if you don't agree with me on some things, that's fine, I expect that, so there's no reason to message me with a rant about why I'm wrong about so and so. XD If you REALLY don't agree with something, then just ignore it and continue with your own plans.

Secondly, I also feel like I had a lot more "trial and error" experience with writing vampires than I have with horror in general. So yeah, I believe I have a BIT of knowledge on the subject but by no means consider myself an expert.

Nonetheless, trying this out anyway since people showed an interest in me doing this.

Sooo, click "Keep Reading" to see my rambles on the subject! (There’s some horror gifs in here and please excuse any typos.)

First, A Word About Jump Scares

For the most part, forget about trying to make your readers jump out of their seats and run away with a webcomic, that's near impossible to do unless your reader is VERY sensitive (and if they are that sensitive, they probably won't be sticking around anyway). Besides, there is more than one way to 'scare' people.

Your aim instead is to plant an idea in the readers' heads that leaves them unnerved and maybe, just maybe, make them lose a little sleep (not a guarantee, but nothing wrong with a momentary creep-out either XD).

If you're REALLY looking to use jump scares in a comic, then you might want to consider making a comic VIDEO instead, or going the Bongcheon-Dong Ghost route (IF YOU LOOK UP THIS COMIC, YOU WILL BE JUMP-SCARED) and learn to make some clever coding to 'possess' the reader's mouse to shoot downwards (thus 'animating' the comic) and have sound effects play in the background at the same time.

Otherwise most webcomic pages are static images that people see right when the page loads, so throwing people off with an unexpected sight is hard to do. However, if you don't have a need to publish your comic and you want to catch readers off guard with imagery a little, consider the vertical "webtoon" look that's big these days. It works well for horror, I think, though even that is not essential to apply good horror to webcomics.

Frankly, I find jump scares overrated in general anyway. Anyone can catch someone off guard; startle them. They're sometimes a good, momentary thrill, but don't usually have a long lasting impact like good atmosphere, slow building tension, and terrifying ideas can, and I find that is really what horror is about.

The Power Of Disturbing Imagery & Actions

These are kind of no-brainer suggestions, but here it is anyway.

There are LOTS of options with disturbing imagery and there is no better medium for it than webcomics. A person's body twisting unnaturally, monsters, possession, a walking sin against nature, mind fuckery, world distortion and any other horrible concepts your mind can come up with. The sky's the limit, especially if you go the supernatural route.

And then there’s the disturbing behavior and actions of characters, which can be scary enough at times and feel closer to home. Remember that this DOESN'T just mean a knife-happy psycho jumping right into the comic and causing havoc. It can mean behavior just off-kilter enough to leave the reader tense and uncomfortable that slowly gets worse and worse until the inevitable conclusion. Play on the fact that something is very obviously...off.

The same thing can work for dialogue; people really underestimate the power of words in horror. Dialogue can leave a knot in your gut, leave you nervous of a character's intent, or force you to use your imagination of what they're describing, which can often be even worse than seeing it.

Which brings me to the next subject....

Subtlety and Ambiguity Can Be Your Best Buds

To me, horror is often what you CAN'T see. Horror is not knowing exactly what's happening. Horror is not having a clear solution.

Giving the gist of it and dropping lots of hints is fine for the most part, but sometimes if you give a clear explanation that leaves no doubt in the reader's mind about what's happening, why it's happening, and what the protagonists need to do to escape/win/whatever, there is a lot less tension and uncertainty to be felt by the reader. These things are ideal for horror comics since that mystery can keep the reader invested and continually disturbed.

Horror doesn’t have to “explode in your face” either, consider more subtle creepiness to amp up the dread. Someone twitching and staring in the background might leave more impact than a brutal murder scene.

Even In Webcomics, Silence Is Golden

Consider more 'silent' moments with little or no dialogue or sound effects. Your comic may naturally have no sound, but you may be surprised how unnerving it can be to a reader when there's only images and nothing to read.

A silent monster can often be more scary than a gabby one, too.

Psychological Horror

....is IDEAL for webcomics. XD

Use Violence & Gore Wisely

First off, if all you want to do is a make a comic with an endless supply of blood & guts, that's fine, nothing wrong with that. It can work well in a more campy story or just for those who are entertained by constant, mindless violence...just don't expect it to REALLY scare people. Oh, they might get a kick out of it or at least be plenty grossed out, but that's it.

You see, gore fest comics/movies/whatever really are just for a certain audience. Some love it, others are repulsed by it and won't touch it with a ten foot pole, and some are only fine with it at select times.

If you want your violence to actually leave more impact and not make portion of your audience decide they're no longer interested because pointless, brutal violence is all that's happening, then you're going to have to think about how you use violence a little more deeply.

I do truly believe violence CAN be scary, but it must be used at the right time, and in the right way. You must really consider at what point would be the most disturbing for graphic violence to suddenly occur, and then sure, make that crap as brutal as possible. XD

Violence that shows everything in detail at a relatively slow pace can be particularly cringe-worthy at the right moment, or at least I personally find that more unnerving than just seeing someone fly apart in pieces out of nowhere or something, that can actually come off as unintentionally funny, or at least too abrupt to leave the reader traumatized.

Though even though I suggest not holding back with violence, also consider that way over the top, silly ways to kill people may be too unrealistic to cause fright (think being killed by over-elaborate traps, ridiculous weapons, or...death by hairdryer). This...MIGHT work on some people and definitely works for more campy horror, but if you're really trying to scare people, you might instead get, "Seriously?"

And as for anything in horror, use the imagery and angles to your advantage. Make the viewer feel what the poor victim is feeling - terror, pain and all. ;) I'll be going into this more with the next subject...

Unnerving 'Camera' Angles

Obviously there's no cameras involved in the process of a webcomic, but there should be an imaginary one in your mind's eye as you consider the scenes you make.

Dramatic shots and angles are just as important in comics as they are in film. In fact, to push the impact of a horrific scene, they're almost essential. Panels full of talking heads won't cut it if you're trying to give people goosebumps. If this is something you're not used to doing, then it's time to start experimenting!

Good use of perspective can really push your horror comic's atmosphere over the edge. Look at movies by Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King-based movies, or any of your own personal favorite horror flicks (I could make more obscure suggestions but I won't here XP), comics, ect. Really consider the shots and angles and what moods they establish. You CAN use the same methods that are in film in webcomics while also taking advantage of the medium you're using by doing clever things with the panels and art.

Atmosphere

I think scary atmosphere can go beyond "very shadowy places". Sometimes the above mentioned use of perspective, and creepy characters that chew up the scenery, can create a disturbing atmosphere even in a bland or brightly colored world.

Not to say using darkness doesn't work VERY well, too. Definitely experiment with lighting and coloring for cool, spooky effects.

Beware Of Using 'Cartoony' Art Styles

OKAY, just my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. If your greatest desire is to make a brutal comic with kawaii anime characters, then do it, but if you're aiming to make things really scary, I STRONGLY believe that by combining an adorable or extra cartoony style with graphic horror, the contrast makes them more hilarious than horrific, like unintentional dark comedy. Or even if it isn't funny it may still "soften the blow" considerably.

That's not to say manga-inspired or more unrealistic art can't work with horror (my art style certainly isn't realistic, I draw VERY over-exaggerated expressions), but I believe there needs to be at least a certain level of realism so the style doesn't clash with the feel you're trying to go for.

Is This Scaring YOU?

An important thing to remember is that if you're not creeping yourself with your story, then chances are your readers won't be creeped out either, don't assume your readers are more sensitive than you are. Plus it's just more boring to work on something that doesn't really bother you. XD Take those common horror formulas out of your mind for a minute and think about what truly disturbs you. Then again...

Don't Be Afraid of Cliches

As I also kind of said in my "Writing Vampires" article, tropes can be a good thing. Take the ones you love and brainstorm different ways to approach them.

Webcomics Burn Slowly

Remember that you're working with a webcomic that usually update a page at a time. Don't let readers make you feel pressured to jump to the point sooner, it could ruin the tension and destroy your original plans.

Take Inspiration But Don't Try To Be Another Horror Creator

It seems like, with horror in particular, people think they have to take one creator and do things exactly their way rather than taking inspiration from several sources and using what works for them.

You know who's great and is brought up a lot? Junji Ito. He's a manga artist who has made some very surreal, very creepy horror comics with great visuals...and tons of body horror. I have checked out a couple of his comics, but I have never attempted to create as he does. It's just not me. Oh, I've learned a couple of things from him, certainly, but trying to do things exactly as he does would bore me, and I wouldn't be able to match his style anyway.

Find many inspirations and work the way that’s best for you.

I will end on that note. GO GIVE THE HEEBIE-JEEBIES, WEBCOMICKERS!

[babycracker]

Echoes In The Forest - Chapter 8

None of Unit Bravo know what to expect when they're sent overseas for a mission. Surprises await them in the Black Forest, but perhaps Adam stands to find out more about himself than he's ever bargained for.

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Female Detective/Adam, Female Detective/Mason Word Count: ~3k Warnings: None

You can find this chapter on AO3 here. Start from the beginning here.

--

She just can’t bring herself to face him, not after what she’d overheard yesterday. She still isn’t sure that she heard right, or even if she did that she believes it; it all just seems a little too far fetched. It doesn’t help though that he seems to have the same idea of avoiding her. It makes her wonder what his reason for doing so could be, which brings her back to thinking about what Nate had said. Of course, that’s before she reminds herself that Adam does not in fact like her very much. It makes perfect sense for him to not want to be around her unless he needs to be. And while they’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with nothing really to do but wait for Erlking to make a real appearance, she supposes he has no real need to be.

She’s spent the day goofing off with Felix, and at times like these she actually enjoys being in the middle of the forest with Unit Bravo. It’s peaceful during the day, the rustles that she hears can be easily explained away as wind moving past branches and the shadows are less eerie thanks to the sunlight peeking through the leaves above. Felix is cheerier during the day too, which helps her own mood a great deal. As the sun begins to go down each day he becomes more anxious, and it’s strange to see him acting that way.

She and Felix are sitting cross legged on the ground facing each other while she teaches him patty cake. Partly because she’s bored and it’s fun watching Felix cackle whenever he misses her hand, partly because she knows that doing something ultimately childish is sure to keep Adam away from her, but mostly because the look Mason is giving them from where he’s leaning against a tree a few metres away is nothing short of hilarious.

“Are you two gonna be done with that soon?”

He asks after Felix pulls his hands away quickly with a grin, causing Jordan to fall forwards into his lap when she tries to clap hers against them and resulting in both of them bursting out with laughter.

“Why, you want a go?”

Jordan asks, holding her hands up to him in offer and raising an eyebrow. He just scowls at her, dropping his finished cigarette to the ground in front of him and crushing it out with his boot before deliberately turning away from the both of them. She turns her attention back to Felix, startling when she sees Adam standing behind him and staring straight at her. She opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out, and Felix casts a confused glance between the two of them.

“Should I leave?”

He jokes, but there’s a note of seriousness to his voice that confuses Jordan even more. Does he know something she doesn’t? Or something that she does and just refuses to fully acknowledge?

“Not necessary. I just wanted to check that the Detective is not worrying herself over what has happened to her these past few nights.”

The statement is directed to Felix, though his eyes remain fixed on her and she shifts uncomfortably under his stare. Felix stands up slowly, grinning at Jordan and giving her a wink that she doesn’t understand before moving away from them. She stares up at Adam, waiting for him to say more for a long while before realising that he’s waiting for her answer.

“I’m fine.”

She answers quietly, and he gives a stiff nod in return.

“It would do you well to remain cautious, but there is no need to dwell. I - we - will ensure that nothing happens to you.”

“Is that really all you wanted to say?”

She blurts out before she can stop herself, kicking herself when he frowns at her.

“What else would you like me to say?”

She shakes her head and looks away from him, unable to answer the question. She can’t ask any of the questions swirling around in her head without letting him know that she heard him and Nate. And she can’t tell him any of her thoughts, not when she doesn’t even understand them herself at the moment.

“Nothing.”

She finally answers, expecting him to walk away. To her surprise he sits down in Felix’s place and she almost laughs at the sight of him sitting on the ground with her. She holds it back, but she feels her lips turn up into an amused smile as she watches him try to get comfortable.

“Is something amusing?”

“It’s just funny to see you acting like a normal person for once.”

She gestures to where he’s sitting, and he glances down at himself as though only just realising that he’s joined her on the ground.

“I’m hardly a normal person though, am I?”

He’s smiling when he looks back up at her. Actually smiling. Not a slight quirk at the corners of his mouth, but an actual smile. Her attention is drawn to his cheeks, discovering that she hadn’t been imagining things when they’d first arrived here and she thought she’d spotted dimples. She clasps her hands together to keep at bay an overwhelming urge to reach out and poke them.

“You have dimples.”

She states, and his face snaps back to its usual expression almost instantly.

“What?”

“Your cheeks, when you smile. You have dimples. I’ve never really seen them before.”

“I suppose there’s not been an abundance of reasons to smile in the time that we’ve known one another.”

She nods, knowing that he’s right. She knows that she definitely hasn’t had as much fun since her promotion to Detective.

“Well I don’t know what’s brought it on now but you should do it more. It suits you.”

He smiles again, this one smaller, as though he’s trying to hold it back.

“Perhaps I have recently found something worth smiling about.”

He seems to regret the words the instant they leave his mouth, and he switches back his usual stern expression before abruptly getting to his feet. His gaze lingers on her for a moment, almost as though he wants to say something else, but then changes his mind and walks away, leaving Jordan frowning after him.

What the hell was that?

--

Adam stalks away from Jordan, willing himself not to look back over his shoulder at her as he stops just outside of the clearing their camp is in, away from where he can feel Jordan’s stare burning into him. What on earth is he thinking? He cannot afford to say things like that to her. He cannot risk the possibility - no matter how small - that she might say something similar in response. He’s starting to become uncertain of how successful his attempts at restraining himself would be if she showed interest in him, and it makes him uneasy. He doesn’t like not knowing how something will affect him.

He also cannot risk pushing her further away than she already is should he cross a line and say something that may upset her. He justifies it to himself that he can’t be the cause for a disruption of that magnitude among the unit. There’s already too much tension between Jordan and himself, enough that there is too much time being wasted on them arguing with each other or being unwilling to speak to each other. He will not be the reason it all gets worse.

He refuses to acknowledge the other reason lurking in the back of his mind; the fact that he doesn’t know how he would live with himself if he were to be the reason she requested a transfer to a different unit just to be away from him. The idea of never seeing her again is bad enough, even worse if he were the reason why.

He spins around when he hears movement behind him, visibly relaxing when he sees Felix stumbling through the brush to get to him.

“You are not subtle, Felix.”

He comments with an arched eyebrow, and Felix gives him a strange look.

“Neither are you.”

“I am not trying to be.”

“Sure you are. You think no one notices, but I do. Nate does. Mason’s starting to. Even she’s starting to see it.”

Adam lets out an exasperated sigh and folds his arms over his chest.

“What are you talking about?”

Felix grins at him until Adam’s slight frown turns into a scowl and then he sighs and rolls his eyes.

“You should talk to Mason.”

Is the only response he offers before starting to turn and head back to the camp.

“Talk to Mason about what?”

His heart thumps a little louder in his chest and he curses it, knowing that Felix can hear it just as clearly as he can. The knowledge is confirmed when the younger vampire smiles over his shoulder at him.

“He won’t care, and you know he won’t get in your way. You know he’d end it in a second if you wanted him to.”

Felix walks away before Adam can protest what he’s hinting at, and Adam thinks that maybe that’s for the best. He isn’t sure how to go about denying something truthful, not to the three people who know him sometimes better than he knows himself.

--

The five of them are huddled in a circle by the side of the tent as the sun finishes it’s descent, discussing their plans for the night. It’s significantly colder than any of their nights here so far and Jordan can feel Mason almost vibrating beside her, his jacket closed all the way up to his chin and his collar turned upwards against the cold. His arms are crossed tightly around himself and he’s still shivering.

“You good?”

She nudges him gently with an elbow and he scowls over at her.

“Fan-fucking-tastic.”

His response is laced with sarcasm and she rolls her eyes and looks away from him. He really is a dick sometimes.

“So what do I do if I see this guy again?”

Felix asks, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet a little to try and warm himself up. Even Nate is hunched up against the cold - only Adam seems to be unaffected though Jordan knows that can’t be true. He’s just better at appearing unaffected by things, she supposes.

“You call us.”

“What if I go after him?”

Felix offers in suggestion, and all three vampires turn towards him in surprise before Adam shakes his head.

“Absolutely not.”

“I’ve probably got the best chance of catching him, right?”

“He’s got a point.”

Mason stammers out, slowly unfurling his arms from around himself and fishing a cigarette out of his pocket. His hands are shaking as he tries to light it, and Jordan snatches the lighter from him, cupping one hand around the cigarette and striking the lighter with the other. He glares at her before plucking his lighter back out of her hand and stashing it in his pocket.

“Thanks.”

He mutters half heartedly, and Jordan knows that’s probably the closest to appreciation or gratitude she’s going to get from him. Something has changed between her and Mason, but she can’t pick what it is. He hasn’t said one suggestive thing to her all day, whereas usually she struggles to get through an hour in his presence without some kind of innuendo coming her way.

It’s somehow easier to get along with him this way though. Without the pressure of the sexual tension that’s been hovering between them since she met him, she can actually appreciate his personality a little more. She’d seen the slight glint of affection in his eyes when she’d lit his cigarette for him - despite his characteristically grumpy response, something she would probably have missed if she’d just been picturing him naked or thinking about all the ways in which she could warm him up.

For a short while there she’d thought that it had been a good thing that she’d been sleeping with him, because she was unsure that she’d like anything about him if not. For the first time she starts to wonder if maybe their sexual relationship was preventing her from getting to know him properly. Maybe Adam had been right all those times he’d told them that their unconventional relationship was a bad idea.

“- is irrelevant. No one is to meander off into the woods alone.”

Adam is finishing his lecture to Felix when Jordan finally brings her attention back to him, and she inwardly begs him to hurry up and finish this impromptu meeting so  that she can escape to the warmth of the tent. She almost feels bad for the four of them being stuck outside in this temperature, but she also knows that she’d be practically no use to them if she tried to join them. In fact with the way she’d been attempting to wander off at night she’d probably be more of a hindrance than anything else.

--

It takes her a while to get to sleep, on edge and nervous as she has been the last few nights. Mason, Felix and Adam are positioned at different areas of the camp, keeping an eye on the forest. Nate has stayed at the tent tonight, Adam has decided that it’s necessary for one of them to remain close to her at all times so as to be able to stop her before she gets lost in the woods if she sleepwalks again. She can hear him humming quietly to himself as she starts to drift off, that and the quiet murmuring of the others checking in with each other every so often somehow the most comforting white noise she’s heard in awhile.

--

The first thing she hears as she starts to wake up is shouting, and it takes her a moment to realise that she is once again out of the tent. This time it’s Nate that has a hold of her, one arm wrapped around her midsection and just about lifting her up off of the ground to keep her from getting away from him. She stops struggling and Nate glances down, carefully letting go of her when he realises she’s awake. He gives her a quick once over and shrugs his jacket off, wrapping it around her when he notices her shivering violently.

“What’s going on?”

She asks, still groggy from sleep. Nate shrugs, his face twisted with worry as he turns away from her to scan the forest again.

“Agent Hauville! Felix!”

She hears Adam shouting, the frantic sound of it making her stomach flip and she takes a small step forward. Nate grabs her arm and holds her back.

“We can’t just stand here!”

She protests, glaring back at him and his eyes dart between her and the darkness before her, obviously conflicted himself about what to do.

“Adam instructed me to stay with you and keep you here.”

He answers, his resolve wavering even as he speaks. Footsteps rush towards them and Nate yanks on her arm, making her stumble behind him just as Mason comes into view. He glances at Jordan, relief flickering across his face for a split second before it gives way to concern again.

“What’s happened?”

Nate asks, clearly seeing the same thing in Mason’s face that Jordan sees.

“Felix is gone.”

Mason answers, glancing over his shoulder when Adam storms back towards them.

“I tried to stop him-”

“It’s not your fault.”

Nate cuts in before Adam can get any further, reaching out to rest a hand on his shoulder. Adam looks unconvinced despite the short nod he gives his friend.

“I’m gonna punch the little shit right in the face when he comes back.”

Mason grumbles, pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it. His hands are no longer shaking, and Jordan can tell his worry for Felix is outweighing his dislike for the cold.

“We have to go and find him.”

He says decidedly through a cloud of smoke, shoving his lighter back into his pocket and starting to walk away.

“No.”

He pauses and looks over his shoulder at Adam.

“What do you mean no?”

“He’s fast, and he’s chasing something none of us can see. It would take all of us and I will not leave the Detective here on her own.”

“She can come.”

“She would hold us up and you know it.”

“You guys realise I’m right here, right?”

Jordan steps up between them, shaking her arm free of Nate. Mason rolls his eyes and Adam shakes his head, resignation written all over his face.

“We don’t know that we can keep you safe if you were to go into the forest. Particularly if we become preoccupied with finding Felix.”

Mason huffs and steps closer to Adam as well, both he and Jordan standing either side of him and glaring at him.

“We wait for tonight. He is perfectly capable of looking after himself and he’s perceptive and fast enough to escape if not. In addition, he may come back yet. We will revisit in the morning if he hasn’t returned.”

Nate gives a nod, glancing between Jordan and Mason carefully.

“It’s the best plan for all of us.”

“Yeah, except Felix.”

Mason mutters, trudging back to his sentry post and glaring out towards the forest.

“I’m not useless, you know. If this thing has its sights set on me then maybe all of us going after them - including me - would help.”

“I will not use you as bait.”

Adam dismisses Jordan’s suggestion almost sooner than she’s finished speaking, and she raises an eyebrow at him.

“You think I can’t handle it?”

“That is not what I said.”

“But it’s what you meant.”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Detective Mills. I said I am unwilling to use you as bait, not that I don’t believe that you could handle yourself. Yet the fact remains that you are significantly weaker than us. Your presence would be a distraction.”

“Excuse me?”

Adam frowns, seeming to realise that what he’d said isn’t what he’d meant to say.

“Whatever.”

Jordan mutters before turning her back on him. She shrugs Nate’s jacket off and hands it back to him before disappearing back into the tent.

“It’s the best plan we’ve got.”

Nate reassures him before walking away, taking Adam’s previous place and leaving him beside the tent. Adam looks between the tent, where he can hear Jordan shuffling around inside again as she tries to get back to sleep, and the spot where Felix had been standing before deciding to stay where he is by the tent.

Mason and Nate have watch duty covered, he justifies to himself. Someone needs to stay close enough to make sure Jordan doesn’t do anything stupid. It’s as good of a reason as any.

--

Tags: @admdmrtn @mmerengue @adamdumorpain @masonsfangs @oxjenayxo @bravomckenzie @daisydumortain Thanks for reading! Let me know if you’d like to be removed from/added to the tag list!

[readersforum]

31 Call-to-Action Examples You Can't Help But Click

New Post has been published on https://www.readersforum.tk/31-call-to-action-examples-you-cant-help-but-click/

31 Call-to-Action Examples You Can't Help But Click

Think about all the times you’ve signed up for things in your life. Did you once download Evernote? Dropbox? Spotify? Maybe you’ve even taken a class on General Assembly.

Each one of these signups is likely a result of an effective call-to-action (CTA).

And it’s really important to guide your visitors through the buying journey using strategic CTAs. Think about it: If you hadn’t been drawn in by the copy or design of the CTA, or been guided so eloquently through your sign-up process, you would probably use a lot fewer apps and websites than you do now.

To help you identify what’s effective and what’s not, we’ve listed out 31 examples of CTAs that totally rock. These call-to-action examples are broken out into three categories:

Simple and effective CTAs

CTAs with great call-to-action phrases

CTAs that balancing multiple buttons on one page

Simple & Effective Call-to-Action Examples

1. Evernote

CTA Button: Sign Up

“Remember Everything.” Visitors can immediately understand that message the moment they land on this page. The design on Evernote’s website makes it super simple for users to see quick benefits of using the app and how to actually sign up to use it. Plus, the green color of the main and secondary CTA buttons is the same green as the headline and the Evernote logo, all of which jump off the page.

2. Dropbox

CTA Button: Sign up for free

Dropbox has always embraced simple design with a lot of negative space. Even the graphics on their homepage are subtle and simple.

Thanks to that simple design and negative space, the blue “Sign up for free” call-to-action button stands out from everything else on the page. Since the CTA and the Dropbox logo are the same color, it’s easy for the visitor to interpret this CTA as “Sign up for Dropbox.” That’s one effective call-to-action.

3. OfficeVibe

CTA Button: Subscribe

Here’s a slide-in call-to-action that caught my attention from OfficeVibe. While scrolling through a post on their blog, a banner slid in from the bottom of the page with a call-to-action to subscribe to their blog. The best part? The copy on the slide-in told me I’d be getting tips about how to become a better manager — and the post it appeared on was a post about how to become a better manager. In other words, the offer was something I was already interested in.

Plus, I like how unobtrusive slide-in CTAs are — as opposed to what my colleague Rachel Sprung calls the “stop-everything-and-click-here-pop-up-CTA.” I find these CTAs offer a more lovable experience because they provide more information while still allowing me to continue reading the blog post. 

4. Netflix

CTA Button: Join Free for a Month

One big fear users have before committing to sign up for something? That it’ll be a pain to cancel their subscription if they end up not liking it. Netflix nips that fear in the bud with the “Cancel anytime” copy right above the “Join Free for a Month” CTA. I’d venture a guess that reassurance alone has boosted signups. Also, you’ll notice again that the red color of the primary and secondary CTAs here match Netflix’s logo color.

5. Square

CTA Button: Get Started

To achieve effective CTA design, you need to consider more than just the button itself. It’s also super important to consider elements like background color, surrounding images, and surrounding text.

Mindful of these additional design components, the folks at Square used a single image to showcase the simplicity of using their product, where the hovering “Get Started” CTA awaits your click. If you look closely, the color of the credit card in the image and the color of the CTA button match, which helps the viewer connect the dots of what to expect if/when they click.

6. Prezi

CTA Button: Give Prezi a try

The folks at Prezi are also into the minimalist design look on their website. Other than the green dinosaur and the dark brown coffee, the only other color accompanying the predominantly black-and-white design is a bright blue — the same blue from their main logo. That bright blue is strategically placed on the homepage: the main “Give Prezi a try” CTA, and the secondary “Get Started” CTA, both of which take users to the same pricing page.

7. Full Bundle

CTA Button: Our Work

Full Bundle is another company that uses negative space to make their primary CTA pop. The white “Our Work” call-to-action stands out against the dark greys of the background. Their choice of CTA is strategic, too. Given that they primarily exist to build out clients’ online presences, it’s important for them to showcase their work — and that’s what most folks are going to their website for.

8. Panthera

CTA Button: Join

The folks at Panthera are looking for users who really care about wild cats around the world and want to join a group of people who feel the same way. To target those people in particular, we love how they use language that would speak to big cat-lovers: “Join the pride today.” The page itself is super simple: an on-page form with two, simple fields, and a button asking folks to (again) “Join.”

CTAs With Creative Call to Action Phrases

9. Huemor

CTA Phrase: ‘Launch (Do Not Press)’

If you went to a website and saw a “Launch” CTA accompanied by the copy “Do Not Press” … what would you do? Let’s be honest: You’d be dying to press it. The use of harmless reverse psychology here is playful, which is very much in keeping with Huemor’s brand voice.

10. Aquaspresso

CTA Phrase: ‘Send Me Specials Now!’

The whole point of a call-to-action is to direct your site visitors to a desired course of action — and the best CTAs do so in a way that’s helpful to their visitors. The folks at coffee company Aquaspresso really nailed that balance here with the pop-up CTA on their main blog page.

Here, the desired course of action is for their blog readers to check out what they’re actually selling (and hopefully buy from them). There are many ways they could have done this, including putting out a CTA that urges people to “Check out our most popular products!” or something very direct. But we love what they’ve done instead: Their CTA offers blog readers something much more helpful and subtle — an offer for “today’s specials” in exchange for the reader’s email address.

Adding that the specials are for today only is a great example of a psychological tactic called scarcity, which causes us to assign more value to things we think are scarce. The fear that today’s specials are better than tomorrow’s might make people want to fill it out and claim their offer while they can.

(The call-to-action above was created using HubSpot’s free conversion tool, Leadin. Click here to learn how to easily create CTAs like this one using Leadin.)

11. QuickSprout

CTA Phrase: ‘Are you doing your SEO wrong? Enter your URL to find out’

No one wants to be wrong. That’s why a call-to-action button like QuickSprout’s slide-in CTA on their blog is so clickworthy. It asks the reader, “Are you doing your SEO wrong?” Well, am I? All I have to do is enter my URL to find out — seems easy enough. It’s language like that that can really entice visitors to click through.

Plus, having the CTA slide in mid-blog post is a great tactic for catching readers before they bounce off the page. Traditionally, many blogs have CTAs at the very bottom of each blog post, but research shows most readers only get 60% of the way through an article. (Click here to learn how to add slide-in CTAs to your blog posts.)

12. Grey Goose

CTA Phrase: ‘Discover a cocktail tailored to your taste’

Here’s a fun, unique call-to-action that can get people clicking. Whereas site visitors might have expected to be directed to product pages or press releases from the homepage, a CTA to “Discover a Cocktail Tailored to Your Taste” is a pleasantly surprising ask. People love personalization, and this CTA kind of feels like an enticing game. The play button icon next to the copy gives a hint that visitors will be taken to a video so they have a better idea of what to expect when they click.

13. Treehouse

CTA Phrase: ‘Claim Your Free Trial’

A lot of company websites out there offer users the opportunity to start a free trial. But the CTA on Treehouse’s website doesn’t just say “Start a Free Trial”; it says “Claim Your Free Trial.”

The difference in wording may seem subtle, but think about how much more personal “Claim Your Free Trial” is. Plus, the word “claim” suggests it may not be available for long, giving users a sense of urgency to get that free trial while they can.

14. OKCupid

CTA Phrase: ‘Continue’

OKCupid’s CTA doesn’t seem that impressive at first glance, but its brilliance is in the small details.

The call-to-action button, which is bright green and stands out well on a dark blue background, says, “Continue.” The simplicity of this term gives hope that the signup process is short and casual. To me, this CTA feels more like I’m playing a fun game than filling out a boring form or committing to something that might make me nervous. And it’s all due to the copy.

15. Blogging.org

CTA Phrase: Countdown Clock

Nothing like a ticking timer to make someone want to take action. After spending a short amount of time on blogging.org’s homepage, new visitors are greeted with a pop-up CTA with a “limited time offer,” accompanied by a timer that counts down from two minutes.

As with Aquaspresso’s example in #10, this is a classic use of the psychological tactic called scarcity, which causes us to assign more value to things we think are scarce. Limiting the time someone has to fill out a form makes people want to fill it out and claim their offer while they can.

Curious, what happens when time runs out? So was I. Hilariously, nothing happens. The pop-up CTA remains on the page when the timer gets to zero.

16. IMPACT Branding & Design

CTA Phrase: ‘What We Do’

CTAs can feel really pushy and salesy if the wrong language is used. I like IMPACT‘s educational approach, where they challenge visitors to learn what the company does before pushing them to take any further action. This call-to-action is especially intriguing to me because they don’t even use an action verb, yet they still manage to entice people to click.

17. EPIC

CTA Phrase: ‘Let’s start a new project together’

The folks at the agency EPIC use their homepage primarily to showcase their work. When you arrive on the page, you’re greeted with animated videos showing some of the work they’ve done for clients, which rotate on a carousel. While there plenty of other places users might click on their site — including their clients’ websites — the main call-to-action stands out and always contrasts with the video that’s playing in the background.

I love that it features friendly, inclusive language — “Let’s start a new project together” — which gives a hint to users looking for a creative partner that they’re an especially great team to work for.

18. Brooks Running

CTA Phrase: ‘Find out when we have more’

How many times have you hotly pursued a product you love, only to discover it’s sold out? Well, as you might know, it’s no picnic for the seller either. But just because you’ve run out of an item doesn’t mean you should stop promoting it.

Brooks Running uses a clever call to action to ensure their customers don’t bounce from their website just because their favorite shoe is out of stock. In the screenshot below, you can see Brooks touting an awesome-looking shoe with the CTA, “Find out when we have more.” I love how this button turns bad news into an opportunity to retain customers. Without it, Brooks’ customers would likely forget about the shoe and look elsewhere.

When you click on the blue CTA button depicted below, Brooks directs you to a page with a simple code you can text the company. This code prompts Brooks to automatically alert the visitor when the shoe they want is available again.

19. Humboldt County

CTA Phrase: ‘Follow the Magic’

Humboldt County’s website is gorgeous on its own: It greets you with a full-screen video of shockingly beautiful footage. But what I really love is the unconventional call-to-action button placed in the bottom center, which features a bunny icon and the words “Follow the Magic.”

It enhances the sort of fantastical feel of the footage, making you feel like you’re about to step into a fairytale.

What’s more, once you click into that CTA, the website turns into a sort of choose-your-own-adventure game, which is a fun call-to-action path for users and encourages them to spend more time on the site.

Balancing Multiple Call-to-Action Buttons

20. Uber

CTA Buttons: Sign up to drive | Start riding with Uber

Uber’s looking for two, very distinct types of people to sign up on their website: riders and drivers. Both personas are looking for totally different things, and yet, the website ties them together really well with the large video playing in the background showing Uber riders and drivers having a good time in locations all over the world.

I love the copy of the driver CTA at the top, too: It doesn’t get much more straightforward than, “Make money driving your car.” Now that’s speaking people’s language.

21. Spotify

CTA Buttons: Go Premium | Play Free

As soon as you reach Spotify’s homepage, it’s pretty clear that their main goal is to attract customers who are willing to pay for a premium account, while the CTA for users to sign up for free is very much secondary.

It’s not just the headline that gives this away; it’s also the coloring of their CTA buttons. The “Go Premium” CTA is lime green, making it pop off the page, while the “Play Free” CTA is plain white and blends in with the rest of the copy on the page. This contrast ensures that visitors are drawn to the premium CTA.

22. Ugmonk

CTA Buttons: Send me the coupons | I’m not interested

Exit CTAs, also known as exit intent pop-ups, are different than normal pop-ups. They detect your users’ behavior and only appear when it seems as though they’re about to leave your site. By intervening in a timely way, these pop-ups serve as a fantastic way of getting your reader’s attention while offering them a reason to stay.

Ugmonk has a great exit CTA, offering two options for users as a final plea before they leave the site. First, they offer a 15% discount on their products, followed by two options: “Yes Please: Send me the coupon” and “No Thanks: I’m not interested.” It’s super helpful that each CTA clarifies what “Yes” and “No” actually mean, and I also like that they didn’t use guilt-tripping language like “No Thanks: I hate nature” like I’ve seen on other websites. Finally, notice that the “Yes Please” button is much brighter and inviting in color than the other option.

23. Pinterest

CTA Buttons: Continue with Facebook | Sign Up

Want to sign up for Pinterest? You have a couple of options: sign up via Facebook or via email. If you have a Facebook account, Pinterest wants you to do that first. How do I know? Aesthetically, I know because the blue Facebook CTA comes first and is much more prominent, colorful, and recognizable due to the branded logo and color. Logically, I know because if you log in through Facebook, Pinterest can pull in Facebook’s API data and get more information about you than if you log in through your email address.

Although this homepage is optimized to bring in new members, you’ll notice a very subtle CTA for folks with Pinterest accounts to log in on the top right.

24. Madewell

CTA Buttons: Take me there | What’s next?

Madewell (owned by J.Crew) has always had standout website design, taking what could be a typical ecommerce website to the next level. Their use of CTAs on their homepage is no exception.

When you first arrive on the page, you’re greeted with the headline “I’m Looking For …” followed by a category, like “Clothes That’ll Travel Anywhere.” Below this copy are two options: “Yes, Take Me There” or “Hmm… What’s Next?” The user can choose between the two CTAs to either browse clothes that are good for travel, or be taken to the next type of clothing, where they can play again.

This gamification is a great way to make your site more interesting for users who come across it without having a specific idea of where they want to look.

25. Instagram

CTA Buttons: Download on the App Store | Get it on Google Play

Since Instagram is a mainly mobile app, you’ll see two black CTAs of equal size: one to download Instagram in Apple’s App Store, and another to download it on Google Play. The reason these CTAs are of equal caliber is because it doesn’t matter if someone downloads the app in the App Store or on Google Play … a download is a download, which is exactly what Instagram is optimizing for. If you already have Instagram, you can also click the CTA to “Log In” if you’d prefer that option, too.

26. Barkbox

CTA Buttons: Get Started | Give a Gift

The two CTAs on Barkbox’s homepage show that the team there knows their customers: While many people visiting their site are signing up for themselves, there are a lot of people out there who want to give Barkbox as a gift. To give those people an easy path to purchase, there are two, equally sized CTAs on the page: “Get Started” and “Give a Gift.”

As an added bonus, there’s an adorable, pop-up call-to-action on the right-hand side of the screen prompting users to leave a message if they’d like. Click into it, and a small dialogue box pops up that reads, “Woof! I’m afraid our pack is not online. Please leave us a message and we’ll bark at you as soon as pawsible.” Talk about delightful copy.

27. t.c. pharma

CTA Buttons: Find out more | View products

Turns out Red Bull isn’t its own parent company: It’s owned by Thailand-based t.c. pharma, a company that makes popular energy drinks, electrolyte beverages, and functional drinks and snacks.

Its homepage features two call-to-action buttons of equal size: “Find out more” and “View products” — but it’s clear by the bright yellow color of the first button that they’d rather direct folks to “Find out more.”

28. General Assembly

CTA Buttons: View Full-Time Courses | Subscribe

As you scroll through the General Assembly website, you’ll see CTAs for various courses you may or may not want to sign up for. I’d like to point your attention to the CTA that slides in from the bottom of the page as you’re scrolling, though, which suggests that you subscribe to email updates.

Although this feels like a secondary CTA due to its location and manner, I actually think they try to sneak this in to become more of a primary CTA because it’s so much more colorful and noticeable than the CTAs for individual classes. When you create your own CTAs, try using bolder colors — even ones that clash with your regular stylings — to see if it’s effective at getting people’s attention. (Click here for a tutorial on how to add slide-in CTAs to your webpages.)

29. charity: water

CTA Buttons: Give by Credit Card | Give by PayPal

Charity: water’s main goal is to get people to donate money for clean water — but they can’t assume that everyone wants to pay the same way.

The CTAs featured on their homepage take a really unique approach to offering up different payment methods by pre-filling $60 into a single line form and including two equally important CTAs to pay via credit card or PayPal. Notice how both CTAs are the same size and design — this is because charity: water likely doesn’t care how you donate, as long as you’re donating.

30. Hipmunk

CTA Buttons: Flights | Hotels | Cars | Packages

When you land on the Hipmunk site, your main option is to search flights. But notice there are four tabs you can flip through: flights, hotels, cars, and packages.

When you click into one of these options, the form changes so you can fill out more information. To be 100% sure you know what you’re searching for, Hipmunk placed a bright orange CTA at the far right-hand side of the form. On this CTA, you’ll see a recognizable icon of a plane next to the word “Search,” so you know for sure that you’re searching for flights, not hotels. When you’re on the hotels tab, that icon changes to a hotel icon. Same goes with cars and packages.

31. MakeMyPersona

CTA Buttons: Grab the template! | No thanks

Here’s another example of a great pop-up with multiple calls-to-action — except in this case, you’ll notice the size, color, and design of the users’ two options are very different from one another. In this case, the folks at MakeMyPersona are making the “Grab the template!” CTA much more attractive and clickable than the “No, I’m OK for now, thanks” CTA — which doesn’t even look like a clickable button.

I also like how the “no” option uses polite language. I find brands that don’t guilt-trip users who don’t want to take action to be much, much more lovable.

There you have it. By now, we hope you can see just how important little CTA tweaks can be.

Full Disclosure: We don’t have data to know if these are all scientifically successful, but these examples all follow our best practices. If you decide to recreate these CTAs on your site, please remember to test to see if they work for your audience.

Want more CTA design inspiration? Check out some of our favorite HubSpot call-to-action examples.

[childrenofathoria-rp-blog]

◆Out Of Character Information◆

Names/Ages: Cas, 30 & Emery, 29 Preferred Pronouns: She/Her, She/Her, Timezones: EST Desired Character Connection: Kali & Killian Ravenswood

◆Character Information◆

(1) Any changes or comments? Would you like to list their sexuality at this time?

(Cas) Kali will use she/her pronouns, and her sexuality will be open.

(Emery) Killian will use he/him pronouns, and he is bisexual

(2) Why this connection?:

Cas has always picked up these brooding, tarnished characters in the last four years of roleplaying and she needed to branch out this season. Kali is a bio she never would usually be attracted to play, and that is why she wanted to attempt it. This will also be the first female character she has tried to write in Athoria – so lots of new experiences! What she likes about her is that Kali is brilliant with her magic for a multitude of reasons, but mostly because of her family ties. Cas enjoys playing bios with a proud heritage in magical families and the witch she played last season had a rich family experience in this regard. There is something very special about her that Cas is looking forward to exploring, especially with the library being this hall of mysteries that she’s opened up for people to attempt to get through. Cas has a lot of muse for what all the rooms will be and just what her family is protecting and how it’s affecting her now that she believes her brother is in a magical coma for work that scared her.

For Emery, Killian started out as a piece of Kali’s bio (who was written well before the Season Five launch) but after discussing the direction of the roleplaying regarding specific SPECIE revelations that we wanted to do in-game, we decided to have him as a playable character. Emery has never played a witch before, wee! Plus, writing darker elements to personalities has always been a favorite. Killian will be digressing in game but it’ll be a subtle discovery for people close to him to find out, and that will be sad and feelsy and emotional for Kali. Emery is really good at writing and expressing the mental part of corruption, which is what Killian’s bio is all about.

Being sisters IRL, we can dive into their relationship well into game. Being an admins sister super team, we have to think about the story as a whole over our individual characters sometimes. These two bios may look a certain way from reading them, but know we have lots of things planned for the main plot to aid our members big time!!! 

(3) Interpret this connection:

Twins in medieval times always seem to hold this special place in our game. We imagine it’s hard enough with childbirth, but to bare two is pretty incredible. We think they share a profound magical yin and yang in a classic troupe way. Kali contains a light that’s hard to miss. Her magic is of alteration whereas Killian is of illusion. They are both branches of mental magics, yet they are so vastly different. I think they are best friends above siblings, and them teaming up produces remarkable results. Their heritage and weight of responsibly do not seem to show on either of them which I think is a rare form in Athoria. Usually, progenies or legacies carry this burden of their makers or parents in a negative way, and yet these two are more curious, prideful, and above all... damn good at their roles! I think it’s that piece that will allow us to move a lot of central plotting around in Athoria, especially with Magic Guild connections and Thieves Guild to give our members opportunities to explore that aspect of Athoria too.

(4) Interpret these characters individually:

(Cas) Kali is a mirror to her profession. I feel as if people will have a challenging time getting a proper read on her, often falling for her charms and be enthralled by her magic to give her a natural upper hand in some situations. I want to play her as mysterious as possible, never entirely giving herself away and yet finding a thrill in the new dangers of her job that she often gets herself into trouble. I think she will have an edge of snark and saltiness to her that will be hilarious to write and will add a lot of depth to her character when she’s engaged with other supernaturals.

She will be highly involved with the Guild, and I’d like her to be respectable enough even to teach some of the younger students. Some headcanons I have stem greatly from the Ravenswood Library and what exactly their family have been doing there. The building its self will be small in stature on the outside and located on the same island as the Temple of Vasu. But once you walk through it will be grand beyond belief. Almost like stepping through a portal to another place altogether– which is mildly accurate.

The Ravenswood Library is located in Miervaldis and is the largest source of literature there is to offer in the entire country. Even those teachers at The Magic Guild tend to keep secret treasures hidden away inside the establishment. Although a large section of the library is open to the public, Ravenswood is mostly warded to keep people out instead of in. The library consists of hundreds of rooms of varying sizes. Some citizens of the country purchase rooms in exchange for safe keeping of their secret literature.

Some parts of the library don’t exactly exist in any one location as a layer of protection for such things. Kali will have a magical key that she can use on any door to step into specific rooms in the library for quick access. This key won’t limit her need for travel because it is dangerous to use with potential enemies around. Using the key grants her entrance but anyone else who uses that door while she is in there at that moment can have access to that particular room well. This key cant be used by another because it requires Kali to know the room to enter. She will prefer to travel with said items back to the actual library to avoid anyone evil entering her place– even if it’s a place of riddles and traps.

I believe when she was little she often found herself lost in the labyrinth of the library, both done on purpose and because she’s too curious for her own good. Her family is lovely and proudful, but a little strict in her learning which comes from their pride. Punishments for her getting into minor trouble transpired by making her organize large rooms that had experienced magical turbulence causing many tombs to fall from the shelves or to work on designing new defenses on particular chambers. Such tasks would take her months to complete, and she’d often sneak her friends in to help her which inspired her current reasoning for letting those worthy to come in and explore.

This all contributes to her exceptional alteration magic, barely needing a wand to summon what she needs or to lift objects with her mind at her current age. Because of her face claim being in Shadowhunters, I will probably write about her having runes on her skin as another element to her magic. Using those to summon creatures to aid her. Her magical growth will not contain any elemental magic less the soul branch. The telepathy will be the ‘scariest’ form of her magic, and one that offensively will be quite dangerous even to herself.

Kali’s main weaknesses personality wise will be her unwavering curiosity. She wants to learn and is exceptionally brave to the point most probably believe she stupid when this is far from the truth. If the Ravenswood’s didn’t contain this personality trait, the library wouldn’t be as grand as it is now. It is a 'give and take’ for their family’s success. The vampires in Brailston are very intriguing to her mostly because wants to see if she can weasel her way into the Ivory Tower to check the place out and maybe learn something about these creatures who once lived in caves of all things. She loves the King greatly, and if he believes in these species, she will too.

She is pretty gullible when she doesn’t mean too. If someone tells her some gossip, she will probably believe it– even if it’s pretty out there because she has seen the most absurd things in her life, especially with the grand secrets of the library. Though she can read people very well, she can’t help but always wonder the why even if she picks up on it. If someone is lying to her for example, instead of calling them out on it Kali will just run with it just to see where they are going to go with such a tale. Some of her greatest adventures have begun because of a boasting man in need of proving something unimportant to her and Kali won’t ever turn down an opportunity to learn anything about any really– anything.

Kali has a hint of sadness in her that comes out when she spends too much time alone and usually requires a friend to drag her out for some fun or to mother her back to proper health. She’s an ugly crier, and those closest to her laugh at her for it before forcing her into a snuggle session. When it’s late at night while reading you can see glasses on her nose; her sight is declining with every passing year from too many nights pouring over literature, and Kali can’t use any more magic to help it. She nerds out on anything involving space and the sky, wanting to believe the stars can map out the truth or that something 'more’ lives beyond what they see here. Of anything in the world– she wants to see the Realm of the Seven Isles at least once. That– or her brother again.

(Emery) A trope that I found that could fit Killian would be the “Not as you know them” one, specifically on this page. The trope talks about a character that leaves for a little bit and comes back slightly different. Though they are still a “good guy”, circumstances have sort of twisted them around so they aren’t exactly the same as they were before. I think this is a good and fun way to view the relationship between Killian and Kali, and also with the Library in general. Killian will be returning to his home after five years of being out in the country while this whole time, Kali and, let’s face it, the rest of the magical community, thought he was chillin’ in a coma due to a head injury. When he comes back, Killian is not the same, but there will be cute and specific parts of his personality that will be; like his passion for magic in general, his passion for the library and his sister, and the fact that the Ravenswood legacy means everything to him. We also have to remember that Kali noticed his change in behavior before he left, so it will be interesting to see what parts of him that SHE believes is different, new or changed, versus what is really going on inside his head.

Killians magic was probably really playful as a kid. He didn’t really take it too serious, I don’t think, until he was in his early teenage years and realized that Kali would get the library over him. He wasn’t and isn’t resentful of that – let’s be real, she’s obviously more qualified – I just think that he had an “oh crap” moment when thinking about his future in general, his personal legacy and reputation, and it was then that Killian realized he had to sort of start digging his own path. Finding the demonic tome will be both his blessing and curse, just how it’s stated that the legacy was that way for him too. Killian only sees things as black and white, good or bad, right or wrong. Gray is not a common color in his pallet. Killian’s magic is based on illusion and enchantments, and he does well at potions (not really nerding out on herbs or plantlife, just being able to enchant liquids or bring out natural remedies in potions. I don’t really see Killian sitting around crushing rosemary and going into the forest to pick flowers). I want to play off of a blacksmithing background but not with him forging new weapons, again just sort of enchanting and improving what is already created. For example, Killian would be able to take a pair of gauntlets and beat them a bit to enchant them with a spell, but he wouldn’t sit down and create the gauntlets himself. Killian’s enchantments regarding weaponry, armor or clothing will be really Skyrim heavy like increasing speed, stealth, aim, power, etc. This opens up connections for merchant traders, traveling in general (which is a heavy part of his teenage years), viable reasons to be in a thief’s guild, and so forth. Killian’s illusion magic is sort of creepy when he’s not using it for “fun”. I can picture Killian getting into some rough situations out on the road or with the guild and not exactly coming across as the innocent little redhead that people might think he is. I can see Killian planting disturbing thoughts into peoples heads that cross him, but doing so subtly. I think that Killian enjoys a longer type of end-game rather than immediate results. 

With The Emerald Hand, Killian is glad that he found some people that are okay with him being a weirdo sometimes. I imagine that sometimes they find him passed out on the docks and they just leave him there as if it’s normal. Then other times I think that certain relationships in the guild will bring out better, stronger qualities in him. Even though Killian will be returning back to Miervaldis very soon at the beginning of his story, he’ll still have these relationships with the guild members since he still won’t be telling them who he really is. (more explained in interview question)

Killian would have grown up knowing about Franco Athor and Nathaniel Athor and I think that as long as the monarchy doesn’t start changing a bunch of crap in Miervaldis then he’ll be fine with their expansion. Being a thief’s guild member is not exactly a good profession when your King is cracking down on laws. This might be motivation for Killian to also go back home. I also will headcanon that Killian has been locked up several times in the jails. Whoops!

I guess the bulk of Killian’s story comes down to this demon summoning tome he found. Let’s be clear that this was on accident. Killian had every intention of getting rid of the thing but of course it’s gotta be cursed, right? As admins, we really try to bring out certain elements of the game that are important to moving forward with the plot of the roleplay, so I have a lot of background noise and muse for what this curse could do to Killian moving forward. But writing outside the lines, this curse is basically taking over Killian’s personality and mind, literally, it WANTS him to perform the spell to raise a demon. As far as we know, this has only happened ONCE in history (not including the little demon familiars that the darker mages have), and it was one of the original demons from Hell (vampire stuff!). I’m not getting into this directly due to playing a character already that has been fucked by this situation, but it’s just a friendly and fun thing to keep in mind. With the tome in general, I get muse sort of like Tom Riddle’s diary from Harry Potter. The tome is fucking with Killian, and it probably won’t stop until Killian gives into the curse. It’s pretty sad. Killian is loosing his magic due to this thing, he lost his home and his family, he had to resort to thieving to survive, and oh yeah…he’s still losing his magic. If Killian doesn’t give into the curse then I think that he might die tbh. What better reason to go back home?

◆ Interview Questions ◆

(Cas) (1) What do you think your twin was working on that was so dangerous? Do you really think their head injury was random?

“Oh look at you being all nosy and curious,” Kali snickered, tapping her pointer fingers together in front of her face while she thought of a decent answer. “I haven’t been into all the rooms of the library, and I grew up in the place. I don’t think it was random– nothing is as far as I can tell.” She rolled her eyes. It would be difficult to hide how this conversation was bothering her, so she simply let a soft frown wilt her lips. “I have time– well. I hope the magical coma will give me time actually to find the room he was in. I am certain when I work it out some of my questions will be answered.”

(2) Have you gotten into trouble out on the road before? What happened?

Kali winced subtly, catching fingers across her bangs to brush them from her lashes to hide her surprise. “Ah well– ” she smirked a devilishly wide grin, threading her hand on her hip to give the other her full attention. “There was this one time during a snow storm that an avalanche slipped down the mountain and blocked one of the roads near Grimsby. I guess it could be viewed as a 'scary experience.’” A teasing snicker accented the button shape of her nose as she wrinkled her face in amusement. “We couldn’t use our brooms because of the wind, and so we decided to stay in town– it creeped me out a little. Always felt like eyes were on me but it was terribly fun.”

(Emery) (1) What do you think would happen if you gave into the urge to summon the demon as its written on the tome?

“I can’t imagine that it will be good?” Killian’s response is more sarcastic and obvious than it is informative. “Anything with the word ‘demon’ in it, relating to it, involving it is not exactly something that you should be a part of. Why do you think most mages aren’t best friends with the vampires? Maybe because they were created by some slimy, other worldly hell creature that slipped through the fabrics of our realm? And for what? To create monsters that kill on innocent people? That have infiltrated our government?” Killian’s eyes roll slightly. Even though he feels the lack of magic within his veins he still manages to pretend that its not affecting him. “I have the tome, its better that way. I’m a Ravenswood and guess what? Ravenswoods aren’t known to give in so easily,”

(2) What aspect of the Thieves Guild do you find the most promising? Surely you have your reasons for joining up?

“I was a treasure hunter before I was a thief so what’s the difference, really? Treasure hunter, thief, treasure hunter, thief...” Killian weighs the two aspects in his hand like a scale. “We either found a bunch of stuff to bring back to the Library or convinced people to give up stuff that we wanted. So when I say “convinced”, I admit…my mother had a very suave way of getting what she wanted. After leaving that behind, it only made sense to keep finding treasure. The Emerald Hand offered that to me, plus they didn’t ask a lot of questions. They didn’t even know I had magic until recently. Imagine the look on Ivar’s face. Of course, Aerion always knew…but then again, Aerion was something else altogether,” Killian smirks. “Oh right, so an ulterior motive you ask? I wouldn’t be a Ravenswood if I didn’t have one,”

◆ Dual Application Interview Questions ◆

(Cas) (1) Question One: If you could change one thing about Killian, what would it be and why?

“Oh! He was such a brat!” she pointedly lifted her cup in the air as if to toast said statement though a faint tear fogged her vision thinking about her brother. She swallowed her emotions just enough to speak openly. It never dwelled to let strangers know the Ravenswood’s had something so tragic happen to them. “You know it’s all his fault that I can settle still for so long? He never stopped, always ambitious he wa– is. Well, if I had to change anything I’d tell him to remind me why he loves me so. Maybe if he thought about me and what he did– he’d not have been so foolish.”

(Emery) (2) If you had the choice between sacrificing yourself or sacrificing Kali for a greater cause, what would you do and why?

“I’m already fucked, so this is easy to answer,” Killian’s eyes narrow. “Nothing is more important than continuing the Ravenswood legacy. With my magic deteriorating, and after leaving for five years, after hurting my sister and my entire family, I wouldn’t deserve anything over her. I’m not being a martyr, I’m just saying that if it came down to me or her, it’d gladly give up whatever I had left to make sure that it was Kali who continued on,”

(Cas) ◆ Writing Sample: ◆

“Oh no–” Kali paused her steps to peer down at the dampness spreading across her heaving chest. The water dripped on the cobblestone in a symphony of vexation, dramatically seeking out neighboring books thrown about the floor. She blew a strand of wet hair clung to her cheeks with a frustrated stomp of her boot.

“Dammit– you are the worse you know that!” she whipped her head around to look at the troll who perched themselves on the edge of the doorway laughing hysterically that they got her. Kali didn’t draw her wand to punish the troublemaker, only huffed as she turned on her heel to walk farther into the small room. Objects lifted up into the air around her wordlessly, books seemingly tethered to strings moved from the floor and back on their respected spots on the shelves. She cleaned the room up while water soaked beyond her bodice and uncomfortably dripped along her collarbones and down her back to trap droplets in her boots.

“You were supposed to get Major you know? I thought we had a deal,” she knew that she was speaking to herself. The troll might understand her language a little bit because the creature had made a mistake to follow her into the place when she used her key outside Leeds. But now the troll was magically trapped here and not for the better might she add. Kali could take the time to unbind them from this room, but after five years she was getting used to the little troublemaker pulling pranks like they just did.

“I will bring you blackberries from the Ancient Forest if you promise me the next time Major comes– you get him and not me!” this time her wand teasingly pointed at the troll who laughed again and enthusiastically nodded as if it understood her. “I’d shake on it, but I don’t really trust you–”

Kali keened in exaggerated poses as if exhausted, but if she was honest the unexpected bath had woken her up– how many days had she been in these clothes anyway? Kali knew she contained a terrible habit for overworking herself, but she had a savior in more ways than one today to tear her away from it. She looked around to see the rest of the room clean up and strolled back out with a sweet smirk on her lips. A faint glow left her fingers, igniting runes along the bookshelves in a selective warding.

“I know you get bored– but don’t touch my books anymore,” she hummed while exiting the chambers of this part of the library and moved into the main entranceway. An archway was being decorated with roses when she walked in, and the scent was overwhelmingly beautiful. Her friend waved cheerfully then eyed her soaked state with a concerned furrow. Kali waved the worry off.

“The flowers are beautiful–” her friend’s gaze tore from her back to their work; working intricate wand movements to appear as if they were painting them in place. Earth magic always amazed her.

“Yes– they appear so, but their scent will put someone to sleep if they are not supposed to be in this room. It will be fun to see how they get around it.”

Kali threaded her fingers together in excitement, her wand cradled between and vibrated in awe upon her tiptoes.

“That is lovely! I wish I could do earth magic–” she reached out to pluck a white rose setting it behind her friend’s ear. “You always do such lovely work– I should visit the Hallowed Oak sometime this week. Bring you lots of flowers from the Gardens.”

They blushed, and Kali secretively relished the effect.

“I left a talisman there you know–” “Oh yeah? So we could just teleport right in,” Kali mused, and their friend nodded already knowing what she was going to suggest.  

“Don’t you want to change out of those wet clothes?”

“What? Oh no! I needed a bath anyway, it will dry. Let’s visit Sinder! Maybe they will smile seeing me like this–”

“Alright– if you say so… but we need to collect some stuff while we are there– and it’s getting dark so we shouldn’t stay long,”

“Oh come on–” Kali had that dangerous look about her now, the one that grabbed hands and dragged them into places they really shouldn’t be going into and yet they always did. “I’ll protect you–”

“I didn’t doubt you could!” her friend flustered but relented with their palm out. “Come on then miss 'I’m not scared of the dark,’”

Kali grabbed their hand, and with a faint 'pop’ the two teleported to the gardens.

(Emery) ◆ Writing Sample: ◆

It should have been a good day. Normally it would have been. Working with enchantments and discovering new and improved weapons from the many stashes that were sealed away inside of the massive library was always a favorite pastime of Killian’s...if he could unlock a new room that his mother had sealed and picked out new armors or blades to wield, it would be the best day. But today was not a good day.

The library was quiet save the obnoxious screeching sound coming from the broadsword that Killian dragged down the hallway. In the public area of the library, visitors covered their ears, mumbled in disagreement under their breath. Some even ventured to shush him, scold him, to be quiet! Can’t you see we’re reading, here?! The tip of the heavy sword left a winding trail behind him that he’d need to cover up. If that wasn’t enough, when Killian reached the main vestibule, his arms gave out from the weight and he tumbled to the ground, the hilt of the broadsword in his hands collapsing with him. The sound echoed throughout the many, tall walls.

“Kali?!” he yelled pathetically for his twin sister. “I’m stuck…this fucking sword…I’m stuck!”

Killian shook his hands holding the hilt of the blade, hoping the release his grip this time. It was a spell gone wrong…a witch’s nightmare. How was he supposed to know that the sword had already been enchanted?!

Killian moaned in annoyance. Perhaps this was the universe’s way of letting him know that a broadsword would not be good for the road. Killian had always stuck to smaller, stealthier weapons that were engraved into the runes on his skin; dual wield knives, throwing stars…maybe the broadsword was a bit too showy.

Glancing around, the young teenager noticed the new archway of roses leading into one of the rooms. There was a friend of Kali’s that practiced a bit of earth magic, someone that she trusted enough to poke around the library. Maybe she was there and could help him with his…problem. With another groan, Killian used the broadsword to help him to a stand, then dragged the bulky weapon (that was nearly the size of himself) over to the archway.

“Hello?” He called inside the room first, hoping not to disturb anyone. When no one answered, Killian decided to take a chance on entering the room against all sort of intuition. He passed under the roses, barely noticing their special scent. Pushing the door open with his back, Killian noticed the beautiful allure of the room; the large, white pillars that were homes to birds nests and acorns, squirrels and another small, annoying critters. Various books and scrolls were scattered around the walls and next to a comfortable looking armchair. He wondered whose room this was and where they were, and were disappointed that no one in that damn library seemed capable or able to help him disengage his own enchantment.

With a roll of his eyes, Killian turned to head back out to the library. He sneezed, unable to cover his nose; his face wrinkling into an unattractive scrunch. His eyes became watery and heavy…

“What the hell…oh no,” he sneezed again and did his best to lift the sword above his head, ready for attack if it were to come. But it was short-lived. The spell from the roses took its toll and Killian fell backwards with a loud snore…asleep.