#and i love E immensely but i know displays of emotion and conversations about it make them uncomfortable and they avoid them

[iamnotlookingidonotseeit]

i keep reducing myself down to solely a functional object without thoughts or opinions n i think it might be bc i'm terrified of the prospect of having to defend my self rather than the facts

things to unpack in therapy one day: the way i've started to shy away from certain books and intellectual challenges because they're "too good" for me even though I spent literally my entire life up through college intellectually ravenous

[positivelybeastly]

X-Men #3

Again, late, but who cares? Let's do this.

Fuckin' Vanisher. For the second villain the X-Men ever faced, he really has never been anything more than just a mercenary twit.

That being said, I do appreciate his presence as a furthering of the general vibe of post-Krakoa Earth - mutants are on the run and scrabbling to find stability wherever they can find it, whether that be X-Men, X-Factor or, in Vanisher's case, O*N*E. Some are pickier than others, it would seem.

Ohhhhh my god, Hank. Hank. HANK.

Ahoy hoy? You Alexander Graham Bell Montgomery Burns loving bastard. I love it. Such a goober.

I do also appreciate that Hank's response here works because, even though we can assume that he knows vaguely who these people are - he's probably been reading the X-Men files to catch up on what he's missed, which, depending on when they were last updated, might mean he's reading his own observations on everyone else - he does not know how stubborn those four individuals are.

Half of them, Remy and Jubilee, he's never even met before, which is a wild concept, but true, nonetheless.

I do also like how easily Scott's fallen back into the habit of having Hank as his best friend. Like, I love Scott's friendships with a lot of the X-Men, they're all very unique dynamics, but I've made my case before that Hank was, at least up until 2009, Scott's very best friend, based on how much more free and able to talk about anything Scott was with him, and I feel like it's being born out here.

Even Illyana, who probably became closest to Scott after that point during the revolutionary era, never had the same emotionally intimate conversations that Hank and Scott could have during New or Astonishing X-Men. Among the O5, Scott's detachment and analytical side gelled with Hank's intelligence and social acumen in ways that Warren's easy going confidence and Bobby's immaturity simply couldn't.

Even back in the very original run, Hank is understanding of Scott's psychological make-up in ways that the others aren't, and you can really see that Scott allowed Hank to pull him along to being a little more open and free with his emotions, while being safe in the knowledge that Hank wouldn't try to force him out of his comfort zones. There was absolute, complete trust between them.

Was. And, seemingly, is again!

But yeah, you can really see it on display here. I don't know that Scott would be this willing to be this visibly frustrated and annoyed with Rogue's X-Men with, say, Kwannon or Max, but he can be with Hank, because Hank is gonna roll with him and work with him. I missed this dynamic.

God, this conversation fucks. I'm so glad that Idie is being given the space and the time and the freedom to be fucking furious with Magneto here, because she has every right to be. Her relationship with the X-Men and killing and death is so historically fraught, so full of judgement and learning and ideology, that I completely buy her frustration and fury and lack of patience for Max's hypocrisy.

When the teams for the From the Ashes books were being announced, I remember a lot of people analysing the team make-ups and thinking, ooh, I wonder if they'll touch on this, if they'll touch on that - all the canon deep cuts, all the conversations that should happen, the dynamics that should exist.

And because Jed MacKay is gonna Jed MacKay everywhere, all of those deep cuts and conversations and dynamics are present. It just. Pleases me, immensely. He's even intimated that Hank might have his time displaced memories, which would awesome to explore, since his time in the future with his older self has never really been brought up again, unlike Bobby and Scott. So much potential . . .

Lundqvist having to just sit there and take it is so good. I also appreciate the clarification of a bit of the world state that was going on in Fall of X, even if it is a . . . very disturbing and unfortunately realistic answer. Like, Christ, it doesn't surprise me to hear that the US just let Orchis do what they wanted, but it still just. Woof.

The demonstration of emotional control and the rattling off of the damage done to Scott in the wake of the Hellfire Gala is excellent foreshadowing, too.

I do love how fast and loose psychic connection allows you to be with team scenes in X-books. Literal info-dumps and fast-acting stratagem crafting on the fly - this is absolutely a team that Scott hand picked, because even without him around, they perform like, well.

Magic.

Also loving that Cain and Illyana continue to be bash siblings in the best way possible. Even if they don't get the same character focus that Hank, Scott and Idie have been getting thus far (still too early to say), if they come out of this with a fun dynamic, then I'll call this run a win for them both.

Beautiful.

I do love the continuing interconnectivity between the books - even though they're all separated geographically, people are aware of the changes in status quo, what everyone's doing, what their angles are, and it feels like a cohesive world. This was one of the better parts of Krakoa (and one of the more glaring flaws of X-Force/Wolverine), so I'm glad to see that the writers are clearly talking to each other a lot.

Also, ow, Scott, did you have to do Alex like that?

(I like unpopular X-Men, so, yeah, I have a soft spot for Alex Summers. Enough of a soft spot that I think that Scott is playing dismissive because it means that Alex isn't considered an easily exploited way to get at Scott, which keeps him safe. Scott has to play the lone wolf, no weaknesses, thinking five steps ahead leader man, and that means quite a lot of posturing. Hence the final line.)

Goes hard, tbh. I remember people being worried that Idie was going to get the short end of the stick, going into this series, just because she wasn't front and centre on a lot of the promotional material.

I don't think people have much to be worried about.

And then we come to the stinger, arguably the most interesting part of the issue - and the part that makes the most sense to me.

Now, I hate a certain contingent of Scott Summers fans. I hate the fans that act like he's some kind of alpha chad turbo mutant general boss man who gets all the hot telepaths and he's always right, because the amount of projection involved in that 'look at this introverted guy, he became a total badass that everyone respects' concept of Scott is off the charts, but also because it's just. Less interesting.

Scott Summers has fucking garbage mental health. Always has done. How could he not? His childhood was a literal nightmare. His surviving parent is a deadbeat asshole. He's lived from trauma to trauma since he was 15 years old. He was never taught proper coping techniques, never given the help he needed by Professor Xavier to help him live a life outside of the X-Men - which is why he's always come back to them. Which is why he's always there.

Because he has nowhere else to be. If he isn't an X-Man, he's nothing.

And now? Now, it's gotten to be bad enough that he's having panic/anxiety attacks. Because of course it has! His eyes got sewn shut! His wife got murdered! He's been through it!

This is one of those stingers that catches you off guard for a second, and then anyone with a brain goes, oh yeah, nah, that actually makes total and complete sense, of course Scott Summers would have panic attacks, the guy has some of the most insecure psychology you'll see outside of a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders!

Absolutely fascinated to see where this goes, honestly. It's not often you get to see a 60 year old comic book character in a new light, and the idea that MacKay is really going to dive into Scott's trauma, into who he is now and who he's always been, into the man that people have made him, is just fascinating.

Issue #2 was good, but it did feel very much like filler. This, though. This is way more in line with issue #1, and it has me genuinely excited to see what comes next.

Just, uh. If we could get more than three panels of Hank, two of which have him unconscious on the floor, that'd be great, thank you. I need new icons, ya dig?

[celestialholz]

So, let’s talk about The Folly of Jephthah...

Spoiler-y review ahead, friends! Under a cut accordingly. (Spoiler, but not one you need to be saved from: bloody LOVED IT. <3)

Okay, so unpopular opinion: last year’s Flambeau ep did nothing for me. As much as I love Felicia and am always happy to see her return (although this is the first thing I’ve seen from this year’s series, I’m sure she’s a joy this time round too), I felt balancing the episode between her and Flambeau just didn’t work, which is a shame because the actual episode plot was great. He got half the screentime, very little of his normally electric chemistry with FB, and it felt like an absolute waste of the brilliance that is John Light. So beyond anything else, I was desperately hoping that series eight would bring back all of the above; that he’d grow, both as a character and in his acquaintance with the good Father, which is what I want from a Flambeau episode, and that we’d get to see Felicia shine in her own right in a different tale. Now, probably worth mentioning that I ship Flambeau and the Father to the moon and back (#geniushusbands), but that really wasn’t why the episode didn’t work. It didn’t work because neither of them got the time they deserved, and instead became one another’s plot, which is doing a severe disservice to both - they’re strong characters who can more than carry an episode alone. You’ll find no slander from me, Felicia/Flambeau pals - you’re all super valid. Personal preference alone. :) 

... But I think perhaps the BBC felt the same way, at least about the time balance, because what we got was an incredible return to form for my favourite Frenchman that isn’t Jean-Luc Picard. We managed to firmly reestablish the wonderful friendship/fairly profound gay overtones of him and FB, at the same time as watching him actually become something of a dad. Allow me to elaborate on why this was so damn amazing...

a) Instant exposition. We’re immediately in on Flambeau, all the reasons why we love him condensed in two or three minutes - flirting, charm, manipulation, theft. Let’s go. THIS is what we were missing last year already.

b) THE CHEMISTRY. IT’S RETURNED. I LOVE IT. I’m obviously a touch biased here, but I’ve never met a Father Brown fan who doesn’t love the dynamic between these two, whether it’s seen platonically, in a familial sense, or romantically. We only get to see this glory once a year, and it came back in all its fully-fledged chaos. Mark and John are absolutely fantastic together, truly. <3 We start with this lovely confessional scene (the GROWTH from The Blue Cross conversation in the same place is just moving, honestly - we need a proper side-by-side comparative, really. I can’t do graphics, please help lol), and we just have this delicious banter; neither is particularly harsh, again showing the growth of friendship over time, but it’s to the point and snappy. Kit Lambert understands that we need to go places but also be instantly grabbed, and it’s managed so well.

c) The fakeout! The fact it was his daughter, and then it wasn’t, but no, hang on, IT BLOODY IS. That’s just a microcosm of how Marianne’s learned from Flambeau that we see more in-depth throughout, and it’s so clever.

d) Flambeau trusts FB. With his daughter’s entire life choices. “There is no man I trust more” indeed... I cherish that this is a spiritual sequel to series four’s episode - Marianne was a whole waste of a single episode character, and she’s absolutely brilliant here too. You see everything she was then, all the potential, all the heart beneath the lack of morality... eurgh. I love her. Gill does an epic job here of balancing these different aspects and still making her so convincing as Flambeau’s daughter.

e) Dad vibes. Seriously, so many dad vibes, from both of them. This is literally what happens when you plot something with one of your parents as a kid, and the other disapproves, and there’s a mini battle in your house but you know it’s all fine because they each love you and you love them. It’s so stupidly sweet that they have this dynamic, that’s been built on from The Cat of Mastigus’s family vibe. Where’s the crime family AU where they bring her up? I’ll write it one day, probably...

f) The general family vibe of the whole thing. My god. Just... Bunty fully believing he won’t hurt anyone? That little Mrs M kiss? Brown just permanently knowing that he won’t go too far, that he’ll have that innate knowledge of where to stop; that he’d never just abandon her to her fate? Brown absolutely trusting Mrs M to be the bag carrier, again knowing that she won’t be hurt? That Flambeau looks so damn offended when Marianne’s eating scones with them? Kill me. Just murder me. It’s precious, without ever being too saccharine. It feels so damn in character for everyone and I adore it - it shows how far they’ve all come, and we didn’t get a damn shred of that last year. It was still very much Flambeau and Brown against the gang, and we see that develop amazingly this time around from past series. <3

g) ... FB is just having far too much fun with all of this, bless him. It’s like “Make us a plan, dear priest”, and suddenly you’ve got chess pieces and elaborate riddles and the man who doesn’t judge as the awkward judge, and it’s fantastic. I really enjoy these moments when you see how bored FB is of his quaint life, that he needs these nuances and intellectual challenges because as much as he loves his vocation, his family and his congregation, they aren’t quite enough to keep him fully happy. I love the role they gave him in this, more as an overseer; the formula of him and Flambeau racing off and being naughty is great and I’ll never tire of it, but this was a different take and it worked so damn well.

h) The dynamic between Marianne and Flambeau is exceptional. It builds so well from what we saw of them before, what we often see of Flambeau; that we’ve always had this guy who is supremely immoral but actually cares far too much, is very afraid of being damaged even more, and so hides behind this intellectual shield until he can’t anymore. We’ve got that constant oneupsman/womanship that we’re so used to with this delightful new spin, with a truly worthy adversary, and we learn so much more of the fact that Marianne really is a chip off the old block - a villain with far too much heart, whilst also being fully her own character. The interplay between them and FB is even better here than it was in series four and it’s a damn delight to watch. The different ways they approached their acquisition of the pieces, too, was just engaging, and again spelled out both the similarities and the differences between them as characters.

i) That whole heel turn/constant twist thing that Flambeau brings is always amazing, but it’s just awesome here. Handcuffs into book stealing into Flambeau putting himself deliberately in danger, on the back foot, to save her, to her saving him... it’s just great. The best thing about Flambeau eps is that we never quite know where we’re going - he’ll win, but we never know how, or to what degree. I think we all know he was never going to shoot that poor guy, but hell, it still had me endlessly intrigued about how it was all going to go down, whether we’re be in fake death central again, whether he’d be properly injured in the process... gah. Just gah. The family reunion thing felt so very earned by the end, because not only had they been through the emotional wringer, but they’d gained one another’s respect... and in the kitchen, of all places. The family, watching the family reunite. Perfection. And it isn’t all sunshine and roses, which I appreciated immensely - you can’t fix abandonment so quickly, and it never felt like a full redemption, just a wonderful beginning. And he won, because of course he did. Beautiful, truly. <3

j) Chess. I don’t care how you wish to take that, that’s just... that’s peak gay, friends. Charged conversations over a chess board, full intellectual prowess on display, smiles all around, and Father Brown finally winning a confrontation between them? Look, I’m just saying, Father - asexuality is super valid. Just marry the man, good lord... but however you all viewed it, the point is, the single best part of Flambeau episodes is always the electricity between these two, and this whole chess thing just brings it front and centre. This is why I felt bereft last season, because we just didn’t get any of this absolute magic, and that was the true crime of the episode. My personal thanks to Kit Lambert for bringing this wonder back. <3

Tl;dr: Flambeau’s back, folks, and he’s better than ever. Found family, actual family, duplicity, scheming, and a very, very bored priest to tie it all magnificently together. God, I hope the rest of the series is this good... <3

[thephoenix-hq]

☞ NAME: Sirius Black. ☞ AGE: Nineteen (11.03.1959) ☞ BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood. ☞ HOUSE: Former Gryffindor. ☞ GENDER: Cis-male. ☞ FACECLAIM: Ben Barnes. ☞ TRIGGER WARNING: Suicide.

+ THE STORY SO FAR +

Sirius Black wasn’t meant to live in poverty. From the day he was born, he could have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. It wasn’t until he got a little older and started blatantly questioning the activities happening around him that he got his first taste of how twisted his family was. He learned to keep his mouth shut until he went to Hogwarts, though. It was meeting James, the boy his age from a family he grew up hearing terrible things about. Bloodtraitors. Muggle-lovers. A five minute conversation on the train had Sirius questioning his whole life.

After that, he met Peter who was a half-blood but possibly the kindest person he had ever met. And then there was Remus. He really had to rewire his brain for Remus, because though he was one of the most genuine humans he’d never met, he was also a werewolf. And Sirius had been bred to believe in the dangers of them. The final straw that chucked every last bit of connection he had to his family was the exile and subsequent death of Alphard Black. His uncle had been the only person that seemed uncomfortable by physical abuse and open scrutiny of anyone deemed lesser than them.

In 1975, he brought home a muggle woman and though Sirius didn’t understand it, his uncle (the only person in his family aside from his younger brother that he felt unbridled love for) seemed happier than he ever had. It confused the young boy immensely when his own family threw him out and told him never to come back, lest he correct his tragic ways. A year later, that woman went missing and Alphard Black ended his life. His oldest nephew ran away from home when his mother wore white the whole next week displaying the most outrageous sign of disrespect Sirius had ever seen. He would never look back on them, and he would always fault them for the death of his uncle. There was no going back after that.

-  J U N E  1 9 7 9 -

It was the ultimate rebellion. When Dumbledore sat him down and asked him to join the Order of the Phoenix, his answer was (unsurprisingly) immediate and impulsive. Sirius didn’t quite know what he was getting himself into, but he knew he was standing up for something much bigger than himself. He was fighting for his uncle, his friends who were dear to him and couldn’t help where they came from, and those who weren’t able to fight for themselves. His decision to join felt right, like there was nothing more befitting of the disgraced rebel boy, Sirius Black.

←  C O N N E C T I O N S  →

→ James Potter

James was the friend that could always be counted on. His loyalty was stronger than the gravity surrounding the earth and nothing could change his mind once he made it up. Occasionally that was something of an annoyance about him, but very rarely to Sirius. He had weaseled his way in with the golden boy, securing a lifetime spot as something good beside him. He would be eternally grateful to James for that, because it was too easy to feel himself slipping. He loved the people he surrounded himself with now, but it would be so easy to do exactly what had always been asked of him. It was an extremely fleeting thought. Sirius was firm in his stance against his family, unwavering in his love of his friends. It was just the old thoughts that came to him sometimes. James was the person he went to, nonjudgmental in his entirety - especially in his old age. He was the one person Sirius could confide in without worry, because he had the absolute highest regards for the friends he chose.

← Remus Lupin

The friendship they held had always been odd. From the start, Sirius had seen Remus Lupin as a sickly, skinny little thing that obviously came from a family of little financial value. He kept to himself at first, but James had been determined to make their threesome into four. They lived together, they needed to be friends was his constant excuse. Sirius, on the contrary, felt like it wasn’t their place to force the kid to hang out with them. Later on, he became grateful for James’ persistence, because Remus was funny. Despite how closed-off he had been from the start, upon cracking open that cold, slightly frightened exterior, Remus revealed his intellect. He was wise beyond his years, had a whip quick wit, and was so sarcastic it was almost rude. They got along swimmingly after that because the second Remus opened his mouth, it was bound to be a catch and the other three boys were lucky they got to hear it.

→ Peter Pettigrew

Quiet, kind Peter wasn’t as mousy and timid as everyone seemed to think he was. He had a knack for flying under the radar that Sirius admired endlessly. The Marauders truly were like the gears in a clock when they got going, each taking up space but not overpowering the others. James was the central axis that brought them all together. Remus was the careful planning and detailed numbers. Sirius was gusto and color face, all raw emotion and impulsive thought. And Peter was the small hand. He ticked away, kept things going. He was the fly on the wall that you would miss if you weren’t specifically looking for him. That’s what Sirius noticed. Peter wasn’t timid and shy, he was crafty. Sneaky. It impressed him.

→  Dorcas Meadowes

Dorcas Meadowes is the type of person that can look straight through the skin and see into the soul. Sirius noticed her in school by the way she treated others. The incident involving Mary and Mulciber spread around the grounds like the wildfire on the post office. They all knew the story. Mulciber used the imperius curse on Mary MacDonald and coerced her to set fire to the post office in Hogsmeade. This disabled the anti-apparition charms surrounding the school and every aspiring Death Eater left to join the Dark Lord. The professors managed to get the wards back up in an instance, making them infinitely stronger than they had been before. Mary wound up in the hospital wing with burns up and down her arms and a faded memory. Dorcas was by her side in an instant, something Sirius commended. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel if James were in Mary’s place, he in Dorcas’. He would have lost his mind, but the Ravenclaw girl handled it with a quiet grace that went almost entirely unnoticed. He approached her a few months after the incident and struck up a conversation. Things were rocky between the Marauders at the time because of a thoughtless prank Sirius pulled on Snape and he found himself wanting to get to know her. It was interesting to see someone who seemed so similar to himself from the outside. She, naturally, shot him down with a look of disgruntled contempt. This only made him admire her more, and eventually they became mates on the basis that she saw right through him and he got on her nerves. Though life separated them upon graduation, their reunion will likely prove that nothing much has changed between them.

SIRIUS BLACK IS CURRENTLY CLOSED FOR APPLICATIONS.

[call-me-za]

Introvert Prompt 32 Entry

This is based on the wolfstar introvert prompt found here ----> @introvert-club

"Sirius is caught passing notes in class, and to their horror, the teacher reads the note aloud to the class."

________________

Sirius always struggled to stay awake in History of Magic. It's not that the syllabus was boring, in fact Sirius found the work rather fascinating, it was Professor Binns completely drear way of presenting the work that put him off. The midday heat paired with the Professor's monotone drawl provided the perfect condition for a nap. Apart from that, Sirius often spent his days fooling around instead of working in class, leaving him with many late nights of catching up. His best mate James, the definition of the term 'mother hen,' had recently been trying to focus on classes. He claimed that it was out of necessity as he didn't want to do badly in exams and then get rejected from the workfield leaving him to die alone and unhappy in some back alley in a dodgy area. In all honesty James had always had spectacular grades. Sirius suspected James's new 'good-student' act was simply to impress his long term crush.

James, being the obnoxious bloke that he was, forced Sirius to behave with him. Thus as Sirius was about to doze off he was hit in the head with a squashed ball of paper. Glaring at James he opened up the crumpled page to read over the terrible handwriting.

"Quit daydreaming about Moony and pay attention! If I have to suffer through the lesson then so do you!!!"

To which Sirius quickly responded, starting a flow of messages to and fro between the boys. Needless to say, James was no longer paying attention.

"As always, your handwriting is absolutely atrocious.

a) Moony was the last thing on my mind thank you very much. I just so happened to be tired because somebody kept me up last night to do a completely unnecessary transfiguration project.

b) Neither of us need be awake at present you git. I don't see why you're dragging me into this, you're cruel James, C. R. U. E. L. "

"Your face is atrocious. Also, who uses the word atrocious?? Forget Padfoot, I ought to be calling you Posh. Are you sure it's me who kept you up last night? Transfiguration didn't take all that long. It had to be somebody else 😉, I'll bet you stayed up last night thinking about Moony. You're Moony over Moony. Hah!"

"You're utterly illogical and impossible to speak to. I can't converse with such. If you insist on pestering me on my furry issue then you can suffer through this class alone."

"Denial at it's finest. "

"I never denied whatever it is that you're on about, I simply haven't confirmed it either. "

"That's not true Posh, your blush 'confirms' enough.  Someone's in luuurvee."

The last note did nothing but further redden Sirius's cheeks. He glanced up at Remus finding relief at the sight of the boy working diligently, completely unaware of Sirius's conversation with James. He then turned around and not so subtly threw James an artful image of his middle finger, directly in the view of Professor Binns. Needless to say, Professor Binns was not impressed. He walked over to assess Sirius's workbook and proceeded to find his note with James. Without hesitation, the man picked it up and read it aloud to the class. He got through Sirius's bit with ease but stumbled when trying to read what James had attempted to write.  The class in general looked confused, not knowing who Moony was, but a few braver classmates snickered in Sirius's way. The issue with this situation was not his classmates' reactions, the issue was that Moony knew who Moony was, and Sirius dreaded what Moony would think.

He dared not look in Remus's direction, his Gryffindor bravery failing him.  It's not just the rejection that troubled Sirius, it was Remus's nature. Remus would be kind enough to not bring the situation up with Sirius, but not as a mercy to Sirius but an avoidance of his own. He never entered a relationship, whether he liked the other person or not. Remus didn't believe that he deserved to be in a romantic relationship. The boy always looked down on himself and often questioned his own will to live. Sirius had helped relieve Remus in regard to his his personal issues, but the help caused Remus an immense amount of guilt. This would add to his guilt, perhaps cause Remus to distance himself from Sirius. Apart from that, Sirius had never been open about his bisexuality. Remus was new turf, and only a select few had knowledge of Sirius's attraction to males. Remus was no simple crush, Sirius couldn't see himself going through life without Remus by his side. It was tantamount to Sirius that he sorted things out with Remus.

Being brash by nature he put his fear aside and approached Remus as soon as the lesson ended, asking to speak to him. Not speak as in their usual banter and playfulness, but proper, vulnerable communication. Remus rarely displayed his feelings, it was no easy task to get him to admit to his emotions. His mouth spewed logic, Remus thought through everything. That's why Remus was the first person Sirius truly connected to when he got to Hogwarts. He immediately clicked with James, and later with Peter too but that was playful and meaningless: fun and wit. With Remus he actually felt understood. Being raised by a Slytherin family Sirius was initially more internally controlled. He held all the Gryffindor traits, but there was lot of Slytherin in the boy too. Remus was one of the rare few that appealed to both halfs of who he was.

Remus was visibly uncomfortable about the subject matter. He stiffened when Sirius requested to speak, and turned to James for a way out. James merely sent the boys a sympathetic smile and turned to leave. Despite all the tension and uncertainty in Remus's stature, Sirius couldn't help but notice the deep blush on the Remus's cheeks. He was certain that it couldn't have been caused by embarrassment alone.

"Look, Moony, it was just James-"

"Is it true?"

"That depends on which part of the note you're referring to."

"Look, I know that James tends to exaggerate, and that I'm probably overreacting, but don't play with me like this. Do you or do you not care for me romantically?" Remus's ears turned scarlet, joining his cheeks. He was trying to be calm, to be logical about things but it was obvious that the the boy was in no good state of mind. He felt frantic. Remus would never enter a relationship with Sirius (or so he thought) but a small piece of him couldn't help but light up at the idea of Sirius caring for him. He wanted Sirius to reply with a rejection, but the thought of the note being false still crushed Remus.

Sirius looked Remus directly in the eyes, almost as of he were challenging him. "It's more than true Remus. I'm in love with you." His Gryffindor side ruled once again, straight to the point, absolutely no tact or forethought.

Remus wanted to be angry, he wanted to act unaffected and sorry. He didn't want to feel the hope that burned in his chest, or intend for his face to further burn up. He didn't want the corners of his lips to raise in a half smile. He wanted to not reciprocate Sirius's feelings. Remus was in shock, and he didn't understand why. Sirius was never subtle about his crushes, he should have picked it up. In his strange mix of emotion, he hugged Sirius firmly. It was only when Sirius relaxed in his grip did Remus realised exactly what he was doing. With a struggling internal sigh he let go of Sirius.

"I'm sorry Padfoot, I'm sorry." With barely a whisper he left Sirius standing blankly in the hallway.

Sirius was distraught. For a minute second he had considered the idea of Remus caring for him back. Caring for him in the same way Sirius cared for Remus. He realised, staring at the empty space where Remus once stood, that he was incorrect. Remus Lupin was far above his league. He was so Stupid! He actually thought that he stood a chance, it was embarrassing.

Sirius rushed to the closest bathroom, locking himself in a stall. He squeezed his eyes closed, rocking back and forth trying his utmost not to cry out loud. He could hear his mother's voice chiding him, "Black boys don't cry. Show some dignity child!"

He didn't consider himself a Black any longer but a large shame still washed over him at his vulnerability. The more he tried to calm himself the more the tears flowed. For months he had been able to keep his feelings away from Remus, even James took a while to figure it out. If only he could have stretched out a little longer.

He felt his prospects crash. The surrounding sounds of school and chatter and taps running began to thrum louder and louder thundering in his skull. On one side of his mind he saw Remus slipping away and in the other his mother taunted him for his brokenness, for thinking that a traitor like him deserved to be loved.

If at that point, anybody had managed to peep into the second stall in the third floor bathroom they would have been met with a dismal sight. A black dog lay crumpled in a whimpering ball. His tears formed part of the dirty puddle he lay in.

[tulpacest]

Repost, don’t reblog.

Tagged by: @ahogedetective​ , thank you so much!

Tagging: @luminaryblood​ if u haven’t! And if u have... pls link me this is my fav kind of quiz. Otherwise!! Please steal! 

Name: K/orekiyo Shing.uuji. (Sorry but,,, I’m going to be talking about some uncomfy stuff and I’d really rather it not go in the tag riuguir). 

Nicknames: Sweet/Gentle Korekiyo, Kiyo, Korey (Hagakure why...), Shitguuji, ‘shit eating worm’, ‘slug’, ‘creep show’ (I love you Miu). 

Orientation: Pansexual Panromantic (No preference.) 

Preferred pet names: I think Korekiyo would find petnames to be interesting. I... actually like that he offers the name ‘Kiyo’ on first meeting, it creates a sense of immediate familiarity between himself and his peers - exactly what he wants as an anthropologist, after all. Additionally, it means ‘Korekiyo’ is a name reserved only for his Sister - which we’ll get into later. Obviously, he doesn’t particularly like being compared to an insect or dung, and would prefer only beautiful things be associated with him. 

Relationship status: He’s currently in a fully committed romantic relationship with his own tulpa. He truly believes that his dead Sister’s spirit rests inside of him and they are continuing the loving partnership they had in life - but she does not. This is a coping mechanism born out  of impossible grief, and he does have brief moments of self-awareness. In those moments, the world feels sterile and empty. This is his reality.   

Favorite canon ship:  H E  I S  T H E  C A N O N  S H I P.   In all seriousness, I do find the relationship he has with the tulpa to be incredibly fascinating, fucked up and inherently unhealthy. The tulpa is simultaneously the only thing keeping him alive, and simultaneously destroying any development he could possibly have. He cannot overcome grief without it, he cannot overcome grief with it.  And if he just didn’t ... you know... kill people because of it, I feel that the tulpa perfectly embodies the theme of the game. A lie can sometimes be good, can sometimes even save lives - and that is what his coping mechanism is -  simply an incredibly well-fabricated lie. He’s such a fascinating and... oddly tragic character because of it. 

Favorite non-canon ships: I really like Korekiyo/Rantaro! Their interactions in the board game were incredibly sweet... Korekiyo is actually concerned with his health! He asks after him! They visit each other inbetween trips! K O R E K I Y O  H A S  A  F R I E N D ??? And I know you could read that he’s just getting close to him in order to kill his sisters... but? He was doing all of those things before he even knew Amami had sisters! 

I really... really feel like Amami is one of the very few people who would have the patience and the kindness to help Korekiyo work through the whole tulpacest situation. I... Idk, I just have this really profound image of Kiyo finally asking Rantaro if he wants to meet his Sister, and Amami is hesitant at first - like, he knows by now that... something weird is going on, but it’s okay, he trusts his friend enough to see where this is going...  And then Kiyo takes the mask down, and Amami’s heart just. Breaks as Sister says ‘hello’ to him, her lip trembling - and he finally clicks it all together and he understands. And then he rushes forwards and just wraps her in the tightest embrace, and her eyes immediately turn to glass and she just sobs because this is the first time he’s been hugged properly in years, and suddenly all that time spent hugging himself is... not enough. Bluuhhh and that’s my sickly-sweet power fantasy, eventually Amami helps Korekiyo get over the tulpa and accept death (or he supports his friend’s coping mechanism and they enter into a more complicated relationship) - either way, GOD. That’s the healthiest Kiyo ship I can think of and I Am Here For It. 

A quick note on shipping: Korekiyo is really... really difficult to ship. He firmly believes his one true love is inside of him, and he has sacrificed everything to fulfil that delusion. Unpicking it would be a long and hard process, and cheating on her is not going to be an option unless it’s like. a very very very clear one-time affair. Even then, he’s... unlikely to get completely physical with you - and falling in love is simply not an option........ at least, not right away. Any shipping I did with Kiyo would have to be delicately paced and involve a lot of plotting/threading. 

Opinion on true love: He firmly believes in it, and it is one of the only matters (asides from death) where he will suddenly start acting illogical. Anything concerning love makes him highly emotional, but he would also expose that ‘real’ love is not a physical connection, it is something that is worked on and reshaped and kneaded over time. He is extremely romantic,  to say the least, and believes that you should do anything for the one you love. 

Opinion on love at first sight: Although this is something ever present in folklore, fiction and fantasy - he believes that love takes more than a mere moment. It’s something that requires tending to - even if it begins like a hot-flash in the pan. 

How ‘romantic’ are they: Very.... Korekiyo’s appearance may imply anything but, but he is a highly romantic person. He enjoys affection, soft touches, hugs, being squeezed, giving gifts, huge gestures, romcoms, holding hands, dates... I could go on. He adores the saccharine and can be incredibly gentle when it comes to matters of love.  

Ideal physical traits: Korekiyo would struggle with this question - after all, his pet theory is that all humanity is beautiful. Beauty is alluring, and beauty is born from the soul - less so the body. However... He has an aesthetic appreciation for features similar to his own - archaic beauty, ink-brush strokes for hair, well-kept and slender. But! Tbh, radiant love overcomes any physical imperfections, his tastes bent to his heart’s desires. 

Ideal personality traits: He is particularly drawn to bright, effervescent people. Those who possess a deep, unending curiosity - who possess wit and good humour, intelligence and grace. There are many traits that he admires - just as there are many roles in this great kabuki play of life. However, above all else... A thirst for life. If your character displays a drive to survive against all odds, a ‘fuck you’ attitude to death - then his heart sings. Bravery in the face of impossible odds, an unwavering heart, hope blossoming amongst  the tangled thorns of despair... cliche, yes, but traits he finds incredibly attractive.  Additionally, he really enjoys being approached by someone else. His love hotel scene begins with Saihara taking an interest in him, after all. 

Unattractive physical traits: Hmm, again... there really aren’t many. 

Unattractive personality traits: He is not fond of people who are loud-mouthed and quick to interrupt him. He really dislikes those who shut down intelligent conversation, or think of him as boring, or refuse to pay attention. He hates promises being broken, and he will blame himself for being a poor teacher if someone shows even the slightest disinterest in what he has to say.  He also dislikes those he cannot pin down easily. If he cannot assign you a role and you baffle him with layers of inconsistencies/lies, he’s... going to lose interest, fast. If, however, he can pick up some threads of your puzzle - he’ll have... so much fun deciphering you that he’ll get lose in it.  Overall, it can be difficult to predict what traits Korekiyo is going to find unattractive since he is forever fishing for your beauty... 

Ideal date: Travelling, discussing anthropology, consuming media and analysing it afterwards... but more romantic moments are appreciated, too. If it’s an activity that allows him to revel in your beauty... he’s down, lmao. 

Do they have a type? Immensely passionate, confident & bright people!  

Average relationship length: Forever...

Preferred nonsexual intimacy: Being held/holding. I mean. The boy literally hugs himself bc no one else will... he’s honestly so desperate for this kind of physical affection that it breaks my heart on some level. Please.. someone... anyone.... hug him,,,,  Outside of this, while sexual intimacy can be incredibly loving and important in a relationship, I think he values nonsexual intimacy more. I know! This sounds! Really weird! Coming from! The self-declared rope man! But! He constantly reiterates that love does not have to be ‘a physical connection’. So... honestly - beyond cuddling, his favourite thing to do to express intimacy is probably  just to talk. Talk and talk and talk. Enjoy doing things together, be in one another’s company, revel in the beautiful connection between you both  - the real meat of a relationship, you know? 

Commitment level: He’ll literally destroy himself and give up his flesh in order to let you inhabit his body if u go and die on him. And although he indulges his curiosity  in the love hotel scene... we have to remember that that is his fantasy. In the dating sim mode, he repeatedly shies away from sexual topics/intimacy (though he expresses they are normal human behaviours and he respects/is intrigued by Saihara because of them), because it would be ‘cheating’. Then again, he does claim that he tied up a whole village of women, so....

The thing is, Korekiyo’s. Well. What counts as ‘cheating’ might be a little fluid - can he indulge in Kinbaku because he’s doing it for ‘anthropological’ reasons? How far does that card stretch? He seemed to be aware that he actions with Saihara were dodgy given how much he emphasised it was a one-time affair... so, idk. GENERALLY THO I’d argue he is more committed than most, lmao. 

Opinion of public affection: He wants it, but it makes him incredibly uncomfortable. Like. Ideally he could be physical with his partner near constantly - but he’s learned that matters of love are best kept private, and with good reason. 

Past relationships: My personal headcanon is that his Sister is around a year & a half older than him, and they have been engaging in taboo acts since he was around 13. It’s... highly uncomfortable to think about, but. Yeah, so. Considering he still thinks he is in this relationship, they’ve been ‘together’ for 4-5 years. 

[atkinsronald91]

How To Get Back At My Husbands Ex Wife Astounding Unique Ideas

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Get Your Ex Back Manifestation

[torontohypnotherapist]

FEB. 5 — GEORGE GURDJIEFF QUOTES

SEEING ONESELF PICTORIALLY IN ALL ONE'S DAILY ACTIVITY

The weekly lectures of Jane Heap [on the Gurdjieff Teachings], given freely to all who came with real interest, were the intellectual food on which I was growing. In my Left Bank life, I dined most often alone in a little bistro behind my hotel, the Petit St. Benoit. Their menu, a five-franc 'tout compris', featured whatever was cheapest in Les Halles that day. As I ate, I reflected on the immense concepts of this "work on one's self" we were trying to do, while I stared at the plain wood buffet that displayed the evening's choice of desserts, usually 'creme caramel' or one small fruit. Jane repeatedly referred to the cinema of one's life, that it was on record that people drowning had a complete memory of everything that had happened in life. Could we use this power consciously? she asked. "Everything that has happened to us, every experience, is within us. The impress is in some one of the three centers, never to be eradicated, but generally forgotten. 'Everything is there'."

She told us how to get at it – by beginning with the day's events, picturing oneself as the central figure, but impersonally, so as to leave the emotional center free with its pictures. This method of seeing oneself pictorially in all one's daily activity was a way of keeping one's life from slipping into oblivion. "It has been called 'a specific against mediocrity' " she said and my mind leapt for her phrase while my pencil underlined it in my notes.

After doing the day's cinema, she suggested we try the cinema of our lives, unrolling all the reels. If we could do these things, if we could teach ourselves to see impersonally, uncritically, we should gain a mastery over the three mechanical centers. There was "an inviolate completeness" which could become the property of the human being. We were only approaching the outskirts of it...

But I had a wonderful time on the outskirts. I learned how to add seltzer at widely spaced intervals to one vermouth-cassis and make it last for hours on the 'terrasse' of the Deux Magots cafe directly opposite the Church of St.-Germain-des-Pres. Against that beautiful backdrop I would unroll the reels of my life, especially the early ones of a crop-headed tomboy tongue-tied with adoration for her sardonic father who could puncture a dream with a word. Now and again when he was on scene, my inner projector stopped turning and I would think about him deeply in terms of my newly learned ways of evaluating. Was that father predominantly a "physical center" man?

~ Kathryn Hulme “Undiscovered Country”

...

“MUST WANT TO GO 'SOLEIL ABSOLU”

At dinner, suddenly, out of the blue, as happens when Mr. G[urdjieff] intends to say something carefully premeditated, he began to speak to me about immortality. "There are two kinds unmortal. You now already have kesdjan body, this is unmortal, but not real unmortal. Real unmortal only comes with higher body. You have body for soul, but must have body for 'I'."

He then spoke of the distinction between Paradise and 'Soleil Absolu' [Sun Absolute]. You can go to Paradise with the Kesdjan body. But Paradise is only good for two or three days. "Imagine what would be if next year, year after, hundred years. Imagine how you would be irked (not the word, but equivalent), by such thing. Must want go 'Soleil Absolu'."

I understood perfectly everything that he meant by this. It corresponds exactly with all that I had been thinking about during the day. I remembered the saying, "When a man has crystallized, he can have whatever he wants ..." I know that I can have whatever I want, but I will not take it.

Most unmistakably my aim has changed, even before he spoke. Until now, I have desired and striven for mastery over my physical organism, including my thoughts and feelings. I have wanted to reach the assurance that I was free from my planetary body. All day today I have lived with that assurance. And at the same time I have become more and more obsessed with the need to make myself a vehicle for the Will of God. Or able to receive and be part of His Essence.

~ JG Bennett “Idiots in Paris”

...

(Fritz Peters recalling the first time he met George Gurdjieff as an 11-year-old boy)...

[H]e went on to tell me that in addition to learning "everything" I would also have the opportunity to study lesser subjects, such as languages, mathematics, various sciences, and so forth. He also said that I would find that his was not the usual school: "Can learn many things here that other schools not teach." He then patted my shoulder benevolently.

I use the word "benevolently" because the gesture was of great importance to me at the time. I longed for approval from some higher authority. To receive such "approval" from this man who was considered by other adults to be a "prophet", "seer", and/or a "Messiah"—and approval in such a simple, friendly gesture—was unexpected and heartwarming. I beamed.

His manner changed abruptly. He struck the table with one fist, looked at me with great intensity, and said: "Can you promise to do something for me?"

His voice and the look he had given me were frightening and also exciting. I felt both cornered and challenged. I answered him with one word, a firm "Yes".

He gestured towards the expanse of lawns before us: "You see this grass?"

"Yes."

"I give you work. You must cut this grass, with machine, every week."

I looked at the lawns, the grass spreading before us into what appeared to me infinity. It was, without any doubt, a prospect of more work in one week than I had ever contemplated in my life. Again, I said "Yes".

He struck the table with his fist for a second time. "You must promise on your God." His voice was deadly serious. "You must promise that you will do this thing no matter what happens."

I looked at him, questioning, respectful, and with considerable awe. No lawn—not even these (there were four of them) — had ever seemed important to me before. "I promise," I said earnestly.

"Not just promise," he reiterated. "Must promise you will do no matter what happens, no matter who try stop you. Many things can happen in life."

For a moment his words conjured up visions of terrifying arguments over the mowing of these lawns. I foresaw great emotional dramas taking place in the future on account of these lawns and of myself. Once again, I promised. I was as serious as he was then. I would have died, if necessary, in the act of mowing the lawns.

My feeling of dedication was obvious, and he seemed satisfied. He told me to begin work on Monday, and then dismissed me. I don't think I realized at the time—that is, the sensation was new to me—but I left him with the feeling that I had fallen in love; whether with the man, the lawns, or me, did not matter. My chest was expanded far beyond its normal capacity. I, a child, an unimportant cog in the world which belonged to adults, had been asked to perform something that was apparently vital.

~ Fritz Peters "Boyhood With Gurdjieff

...

A LESSON IN ACROBATICS

Seeing Mr. Gurdjieff always thoughtful, serious, and contained, I could not imagine him capable of acrobatic feats Indeed, he never ceased to astonish me and give me food for thought.

One day he shared a joyful moment of comradeship with us young men. The Study House was almost finished. We were in the process of laying the carpets and sewing them together, which most of the time forced us either to squat or kneel. The work was going well, and the relaxed presence of Mr. Gurdjieff created a very pleasant atmosphere. The softness of the carpets made us feel like rolling on the ground and, as Mr. Gurdjieff often encouraged us to relax, we had great fun doing acrobatics. Each of us took advantage of the occasion to display his skill. Mr. Gurdjieff followed our antics, encouraging those who were not doing so well; but if someone wanted to show off, he was at once given an exercise he could not do, which quickly put him in his place.

For example, seeing someone walking on his hands with his legs in the air, Mr. Gurdjieff would say, “Going forward is easy. Try staying still.”

When someone managed to do this, he would immediately throw out a new challenge: “Anyone can do this on two hands! But one cannot claim to be a real champion unless he can support himself on only one!”

If someone succeeded at this, he would then say that to be the very best, one must be able to support oneself equally on either hand. In short, he always found a difficulty that would teach a pretentious person a lesson or make him feel out of his depth.

Something very difficult for us amateur acrobats was to extend one leg parallel to the ground and to slowly bend the other until sitting on one’s heel; then, after a moment in this squatting position, to come up again slowly, still keeping the extended leg parallel to the ground. Even if one of us succeeded in doing this on one leg, he couldn’t do it on the other.

Watching us, Mr Gurdjieff laughed kind-heartedly and said that one part of our bodies was made of wood and another filled with lead. When we were exhausted by our fruitless efforts, he interjected: “What! You can’t even do a childish exercise like that! When I was a child, we also played such games; but it would take too long to explain them. I will simply show you something we did as children.”

Turning to one of us, he asked, “Which leg is more difficult to hold in the air?”

“The left.”

Mr. Gurdjieff extended his left leg parallel to the ground and lowered himself in stages. Once seated on his right heel, he slowly brought the sole of his left foot to his right knee, then held this position. Clearing his throat, he took a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one and began to smoke. This was done so naturally and with such ease that none of us took the demonstration to be at all serious or difficult.

In the same position, still smoking his cigarette, he continued the conversation. When he had finished the cigarette, his body gave a jolt upwards and became immobilized, another jolt and again it stopped. It was as if electrical discharges shook an inert body, raising it by degrees until it was completely upright, the left leg always resting on the right knee. Then, with the look of someone who had just remembered something, he bent forward and simply let his left foot fall to the ground as he began to walk away.

“Try to sew the rest of the carpets together for tonight,” he said to us as he left.

We had not found this demonstration by Mr. Gurdjieff at all astonishing as there was no apparent effort, either in this posture, in his movements, or on his face.

Naturally, we were determined to repeat the exercise and after he left, we tried to copy the movements he had made. It was only then that we were forced to accept the real difficulty of what he had shown us. A long time afterwards I understood that this exercise, though not at all spectacular in fact belonged to a higher level of balance and acrobatics.

We told some older people what we had seen. After having tried this exercise several times without success, tbs' asked Mr. Gurdjieff how to practise it. He did not immediately understand what they were referring to, but once he grasped the meaning he declared innocently, “To tell the truth, I no longer remember what I did as a child.”

~ Tchekovitch "Gurdjieff — A Master in Life"

www.torontohypnotherapist.com

[netmaddy-blog]

Tips To Fast Email Marketing Success!

New Post has been published on https://netmaddy.com/tips-to-fast-email-marketing-success/

Tips To Fast Email Marketing Success!

A practical “how-to” list for email marketing success, from small to large business.

Email marketing is easy (–ponder–) if you know how to do it. Wow, you have heard that one before, I’m sure. Is that not always the case – with almost anything? So, why even say it?

Because – in this case, it is really true.

However, so many small businesses make it more complex than it is; they don’t fully understand or grasp the impact of list building, what tools, services, and techniques are available, and don’t recognize what a successful campaign and its results can and will mean for their businesses My Update System.

We believe that a) simplicity of application, b) knowledge – and c) immediate action are the first steps to success. And, everything is done in an ethical way – you got permission based marketing. Full speed ahead!

1. Get the legalities out of the way.

Did you know that recent changes in the search engine algorithms now recognize a privacy policy page as an important metric in the total number of items that helps your ranking and visibility? In fact, Google has over 100 variables that make up the secret sauce of their algorithmic search engines. Only two engineers at Google know it. (Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google chose not to learn it himself).

So, you should write and always provide a link to your privacy page. Starter text can be obtained from links below – and always make sure to review with your legal counsel for a final review. You will then include a link to it from your outgoing email campaigns.

Here are some places to start:

  2. Your site must capture user via first name (last name) & email address.

Burn this into your head – make it your site requirement – day one. There are too many online businesses that forget this simple rule. It’s a must. If you are reading this article, then you probably already realize the importance of mailing lists. Your audience is looking for good (relevant!) materials to solve problems in their life and business. Capture these visitors, and continue to provide this information and free information, you can grow your business by 1000% or more almost overnight, in some cases in any future mailing. It’s super-important to have – and build a quality mailing list.

On your ‘landing page’ (sometimes called a sales page, gateway page, squeeze page, splash page) you should try to include this capture form on the “top of the fold” of your web page. (Think of this as the single sheet of paper, folded in half. The visitors will read the top portion first, from left to right – almost in an F-shaped order).

Therefore, make sure you:

Place this input form in a strategic location, “above the fold”

Make this coding your first priority for implementation – don’t make it the last – or never (which many companies do)

3. Example Signup forms.

Search the internet, for example, sign up forms. A great technique is to look for companies that have this in their URL. Try this in Google (type into the search box): all inure: “free newsletter” (it will search any site that has this contained in the TITLE of the page).

Some examples of successful forms:

http://www.microsaw.com/myform.htm

http://www.marketingtips.com/newsletters

http://www.redhotcopy.com/workshop.htm – using interesting “slanted” pop-under and image (a black/white banana)

Note that you should always apply “up selling” techniques: links to other complimentary tools, software, articles & e-books.

In other words, give something away for free.

This is the Stephen Covey “emotional bank account” working at its best. Web surfers are getting smarter and not just links to privacy policies and terms of use are recognized, but easy to read pages that are brief and to the point, score high. (Ed note: An example can be seen on the right side at http://www.microsaw.com/myform.htm – the “free 5-day SEO email course”).

4. Popups, popunders, popup blockers & search engines.

Traditional popups (yes, the annoying ones) are banned from search engines like Google.

Therefore, smart marketers have come up with other means. They are called “popunders”. They use specialized JavaScript to display a pop-up box, but it’s not tracked or recognized by popup-blockers or the search engines (Ed. Note: this could change, as the search engines change their smarts all the time).

As of writing, you should use a pop-up box, and capture first name, last name & email. Don’t make it an intrusive one, though (it needs to follow your style sheet guidelines, in other words). Another way to go is to use what’s called ‘house-banners’ — ads that display compelling graphics, text – and uses your own local advertising system (example: double-click).

Here’s what to do to capture interested visitors:

Apply a page that “slides” onto your page, and have it appear after 5 seconds.

Display this email from capture on all pages.

Only show it once, and only repeat 2-3 days later (assuming they come back). Many of the email marketing systems include this feature for you.

Annoying, but it works. I went from 5% signups a day a 75% increase overnight – only a few weeks back.

Tip: Make a note that the popup is from your site- not a partner site. (sometimes popups are thought to be from sponsors, make a note to your visitor that it’s from you).

5. Do you have a newsletter you are trying to promote? Up-sell is the answer!

If you are promoting a newsletter, outside of just getting visitors to sign up, there are 3rd parties vendors that can help you publish and sell your newsletter. Throughout all campaigns, you must make sure to provide useful, relevant and unique content.

Some options for you:

Coregcomplete.com – get signups on thank you pages of other subscription forms this is a great way to promote your wares

Getsubscribers.com

Partner with companies you find, and call them up. Search for ‘newsletter publishers’ in Google.

When you write articles (yes, you should) – make sure to make a note in the “About Author” that you publish or have newsletters available.

TIP/Warning: Beware of commercial co-regs — they typically have poor quality names and offers.

6. Get the best and highest performing email service.

Don’t skimp here. A few extra dollars a month can really save you a lot of headaches. We worked with one company that went from about 1,000 emails on their list, down to about 100 in 24 hours, (when they switched providers). They quickly realized that they had made a bad choice.

Here’s what to consider initially:

ASP hosted solutions are now connected with ISPs to ensure uptime/deliverability

Desktop applications can work well for you, for example, Gamma Dyne Mailer: http://www.soft32.com/download_4469.html

Autoresponse Plus, GetResponse, Aweber are a good place to start reviewing options.

You can also add monitoring services to make sure that emails get delivered, and keep the highest integrity of your emails via tracking.

Here are a few companies that work with monitoring:

1. paper software

2. returnpath.biz

3. edeliverability.com

4. deliverymonitor.com

Other email marketing services to review are:

Sparkles

Constant contact

Topic

Global intel systems

Got campaigner

Vertical response

1stshoppingcart (shopping cart, affiliate programs, and autoresponder)

Proautoresponders

You also need to understand and read the updated laws about email marketing and spam. The CAN-SPAM Act of 2004 is FTC governed, and they will pursue any SPAM artist to the fullest extent of the law.

Make sure you have:

Working unsubscribe

Be careful where you get the lists

Avoid fraudulent subject lines

Include postal address, phone, privacy policy

Porn must be identified in subject line (SEXUALLY EXPLICIT)

Opt-out lists, including ‘double-opt-in’ (user must click to approve the email)

Tip: It’s important to have a strict and trusted email service. Reputable email marketing companies will upload a few emails from your list and test your list to verify. Then, they’ll approve or deny you.

7. Test, test & track, track.

No MBA student, no computer scientist, web brainiac or 30 year veteran of marketing, both online and off – can predict what visitors will click on, and why. We can all make really great educated guesses, but they are only that. So, you really need to test your campaigns. Online marketing compared to traditional marketing (print, media) is vastly different.

Here’s how to do it:

Test the campaigns with A/B Split test tactics – specifically on the subject line and ad copy, it can help improve newsletter and pages immensely. (A/B refers to capability of serving up different content or ads, or headlines, sections on your page and campaign – that can be tracked)

Tracking conversions from email blasts (cookies and JavaScript and beacons on landing pages, thank you pages, etc)

Got campaigner and topics are high-end products, AWeber is doing split-testing now (we use this – with great success)

Good reporting and database segmentation to section off to demographics, recency, frequency, sales totals

Use relevant and powerful headlines. Use wordtracker.com and keyworddiscovery.com to get keywords to back up your headline in content. (Ed Note: The site http://los-angeles.microsaw.com is dedicated to copywriting for the Internet)

8. Formatting and send options.

Formatting is an important element of any newsletter or mailing. Unfortunately, a love of companies go wild on graphics, sound, multi-media to present “their” branding or look/feel. It’s important to have a clean mailer.

What are the options? See a few below:

text only

HTML

the combination of the above & multi-part MIME

Key facts to consider:

Text more easily can penetrate spam filters, gets through company firewalls, but only preferred by 15% to 25%.

HTML has more advantages, will double or triple the click-through on text, nicer, pretty graphics, tracking better. It can also track opens, click-throughs and conversions. If the email marketing system supports it (most do) – send both.

Tip 1: Send Multi-part MIME, not just straight HTML

Tip 2: Place an URL reference in email to actual content on your website

Tip 3: Microsoft Outlook “Preview” mode: make sure it looks ok. Many will have this “on” by default – and it may reflect your email poorly (try it!). MarketingSherpa.com has a great article on this and how it can affect “opens”. Graphics are often blocked too, so your intended “pretty” newsletter may not look the way you planned under these circumstances.

Tip 4: Make sure font is large enough for “older” folks and the smaller monitors

9. How often to send? How about text size?

In company marketing strategy meetings, where all the ‘masters’ will create their online strategies — do not seem to agree. We’ll outline a few scenarios below.

Daily. Daily if you have a good “alert” system (ex: Google alerts) – this will not make sense for most companies. CNN news alerts are OK, though.

Once a week. Weekly OK if you have a strong listener base, and compelling content.

Once a month. Monthly probably best for most small businesses. Overall – you want to retain “mindshare” – so they don’t forget you, but still not too much “in their face”.

How long should the text be?

Short, with the longer description on the website. People “scan”, not read

Keep it tight, focused on brief — “read here for more” (link to full page) …

Tip 1: Archive URL’s on your site, and allow it to be searched later. It’s “spider-food”, and you get recognized as an expert as well. Tip 2: Also, a link to “send to friend” (‘found this article, thought you’d be interested’) Tip 3: Use personalization (Dear Bob, Hello Cathy, etc.) – increases opening and reading by 50-60%. Work on the relationship — build trust and credibility. Note: Don’t overuse in the newsletter! Better to be a little conservative, than too friendly.

10. Campaigns and newsletters take time. How to get it done in your workweek.

Unless you have a dedicated staff, you must do this yourself. Add this task to your calendar (with a recurring reminder), and consider this your “must-do” work.

Tips that work well:

Allocate sometimes your calendar, book it – and execute, don’t delay

Use it as a marketing expense, track it in the books

Hire a writer (guru.com, elance.com) – and use search for ‘copywriters’ (in your niche)

Test with innovative audio and video options, outsource if necessary

Make sure to include testimonials

11. Auto-responders.

Auto responders are a fantastic and simple way to turn your business on automated 24×7 attendance. Use them, learn them and build your list and responsiveness from this feature alone. Your list will grow, which you will use for future mailings and offers. Auto-responders are software systems that allow for total automation of messaging.

Here are another few tips for you to help build your list and credibility:

Follow up for an e-Book (example: 3 days after first mailing, send “did you get the email?” In that mailing, provide a link to a free download e-book, offers, etc)

Follow up to the subscription – ‘thank you’

Training series (“5-day SEO email course”) — see example on http://www.microsaw.com so email course

Create free email courses, courses send every 1-2 days for a short period (less than a week).

12. Isn’t use of email as a business tool dead?

Answer: No it is not. It’s part of our lives, and email is still very effective. It’s accepted, and with filters and advanced software solutions, it is managed.

Here are some tips and tools:

Many programs use filtering (ISP)

Bounces can be recorded: soft, hard (to edit/maintenance your list)

SpamAssassin

Cloudmark Desktop (report spam) – helps the community at large

SpamArrest

Amazon does a lot of things with email. They have applied a cool system with personalization. They have supposedly as high as a 14% conversion rate!

Tip: Do you need to check your email for SPAM? Try sending your campaign or email to sales-spamcheck@sitesell.net?subject=TEST — you’ll get an email response back with a rating of 0 through 5.

13. A wave of the future – “white-listing”.

Email marketing is not going away, as some have alluded to. The key is to stay within the form and function of the email marketing community. Newer options exist for creating “white lists” (universally accepted lists) – a few of these new services are listed here:

Sender Certification is an important change which has been used for a while already.

Here are a few companies:

Habeas

Sender Score Certified

Habeas is expensive at $15,000 a year and only recommended for serious, large email marketing companies. Goodman systems (used by AOL and Yahoo) is also another high-end product. Search on Google for ’email sender certification’.

Tip: Definitely a “future” thing, and growing in use today. You get a (good) reputation for being an email sender and can build a strong business around this as well.

14. What other technical issues should I review?

Check spelling, graphics, relative links, use the free software XENU to get amazingly detailed reports. The Webmaster reports at the bottom of one of their reports provide a lot of good detail, perfect for the executive overview.

Other tips:

Make sure to use HTTP://, not just [http://www..]. in your LINK references. Your link may not work without it.

Research shows that Tue, Wed, Thu works well for B2B (but, make sure to test!)

Some B2C lists are better on the weekends (personal feeling about this)

15. Landing pages.

We’ve talked about this topic in several places in the article. It’s so important, we dedicate a special section here.

A landing page is a strategically developed (content and visuals) page that you bring your potential customers to. It’s a call-to-action page. Many just bring their prospective customers to a home page where other non-related items may appear, including no specific instructions. You only have a few seconds to get him or her to react.

If you are not great at writing, you can hire a copywriter, check elance.com and guru.com, sometimes as low as 30-40 bucks for a pretty good writer.

Test, test, test and location, location, location.

You must test and track (metrics) your pages and run A/B splits (change a few things like color, title, subhead, etc – and not too much at the same time). You can use a free service Google analytics to get started.

More expensive ones are click tracks, Omniture, hitbox, his lens – and the ultimate wholly grail testing, tuning, and tracking system is the Taguchi models (multi-variant optimizers).

The human eye scans from top left to right in a downstream manner.

The call-to-action items (like “sign up for my newsletter”) would get optimal viewing if placed here, in this F-shaped Golden Triangle. Also, as we mentioned – above the fold!

Make sure you have some free downloads and giveaways, surfers love quizzes and mini-tests, including email courses, using autoresponders for immediate follow-up and tracking.

Your email campaigns should take them to a landing page for more / better conversion.

Tip: Add a “Special Message” block on your page and in your email text and allow users to discuss on your forum or in your blog link.

Jon Rognerud is a recognized authority on the subject of SEO and Online Marketing and has spent over 10 years developing websites and marketing solutions for companies like Overture, Yahoo, and Expedia.