#but not this type of “we want every member of our audience to be able to project onto our mc so she's basically a nothing character” type

[oifaaa]

on god if its my happy marriage please keep watching if only to get to the fucking shonen anime super power reveal. the way my jaw DROPPED. I did not enjoy the anime but it did have my full attention by that point.

I'm sorry the what???? She has the powers of a shonen anime or does he have the powers of a shonen anime?? please I don't think I can continue watching this show don't tempt me with stupid anime nonsense

[putschki1969]

Hi Sarah!

Thank you so much for always providing such great content on your blog. It's incredibly kind of you to consistently follow the girls' activities and share the information with the English-speaking community. I know it must take a lot of effort, and I truly appreciate it.

I'm really heartbroken by the recent developments, especially the rumours and backlash against the girls. I don't believe for a second that they "betrayed" Kajiura on purpose. I just hope people can be more rational and avoid jumping to conclusions, especially when so many details are still unclear. Anyone who has been following them knows they aren't the type to be ungrateful to Kajiura. Your unwavering support for the girls really means a lot and has made me feel much better during all of this.

I was tidying up my mailbox and came across an old recording of the girls' cover of 茉莉花 (the Chinese folk song "Jasmine Flower") from their 2016 Far on the Water Live Tour in Shanghai. I'm not sure if anyone has shared it with you before, but I’d be happy if this is new to you and hope it brings a little joy to your day. It's certainly not the best quality since I recorded it secretly during the concert, and halfway through, Keiko gestured for the audience to sing along, so there's a lot of background noise. Still, I wanted to share it as a small token of thanks for all the hard work you put into supporting the girls.

Hope you like it and have a wonderful day!

Hello! 😊

Awww, thank you! ❤️ I appreciate your kind words🫂 My love for the girls is still very strong so I'm more than happy to share this love with my fellow fans. I know it can be incredibly hard to follow all the information, updates and releases if you are not willing or able to invest a lot of time and money into the whole thing.

I hate seeing all the backlash against the girls. Yes, Yuki Kajiura has every right to feel slighted and her loyal fans can be disappointed or angry on her behalf. It's understandable. But remain reasonable and stick to facts. Don't treat the girls as if they are not even human, as if they were just instruments used by Yuki Kajiura, without their own feelings or thoughts. You really think this decision for the reunion live was made lightly without putting a lot of thought and consideration into it? You really think the girls didn't weigh all their available options in advance and decided this was the best possible course of action for everyone involved even if that route would ultimately lead to them being in a position where they simply weren't allowed to speak of the matter? Sometimes life puts obstacles in our way and we have no choice but to grit our teeth and move past them to get where we want to be. Along the line, sacrifices have to made and not everything will be sunshine and rainbows. The entertainment industry sucks and there are a lot of people in high positions who don't always have everyone's best interest in mind. I am sure Yuki Kajiura, Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru are very much aware of that fact and will find a way to clear up any existing misunderstandings in a civil manner.

Everyone, please realise that name-calling the girls and accusing them of every horrible thing under the sun is unacceptable, it's just beyond disrespectful and it's no way to treat someone you claim to be a fan of. Even if your loyalty lies more with Yuki Kajiura, I assume you are still a fan of Kalafina so please treat the members with the respect they deserve and don't readily dismiss them just because of an incident we don't know any details about.

I 100% understand why Wakana, Keiko and Hikaru are currently trying to lay low in the aftermath of the announcement. Still, it's sad that they are forced into a corner like that, that they feel the need to "hide" from their fans during a time that was surely intended to be celebratory for all of us. It's been unusually quiet on all of their social media channels. Not even a random Instagram story by Keiko or a new YouTube video from Hikaru...*sighs* They obviously don't want to stir up any more trouble and are waiting for things to blow over but I personally feel that it would actually help some fans to see reason if they heard the girls speak up about the reunion in a more casual and frank manner. We'll obviously never find out anything about the internal machinations of the whole thing but it would be nice to know how the girls feel about this reunion on an emotional level. Unfortunately, the official announcement statements felt a bit too stilted and coordinated so I think they came across as not entirely genuine to many fans. Oh well, that's not how situations are usually handled in the Japanese entertainment industry so we'll just have to wait and see...

..••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••....••°°°°••..

Waaaaahhh!!!😲 OMG!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!💖💖💖 No one ever shared a full recording of this 茉莉花 performance with me. All I ever had was that tiny snippet from a news report.

This is SO PRECIOUS!!✨ I ADORE every second of it! They are clearly putting so much love into every syllable of the song. I could listen to it again and again (even if the audio quality isn't too great😅). Just melting during Keiko's tender melodic embellishment. So beautiful🥹 Again, thank you for sending this to me, I really appreciate it🙌

[rikeijo]

Yuri!!! on stage pamphlet, Kubo Mitsurou - Character comments

Katsuki Yuuri

The character of Katsuki Yuuri, previously still vague, solidified in the scene in episode 4 when he touches Victor's hair whorl. That scene is also one, where I managed to express an idea I've had in my head for a very long time - I wanted to show something like a moment not connected to the main story, when their relationship changes, but not in a logical way. The same thing can be said about the scene in the last episode when, even though Victor is crying, Yuuri pushes aside his fringe and says "So you cry too!" - Yuuri has this very primal (原始的) characteristic of putting his own curiosity first before feelings of the other person, that's a desire he can't suppress. I think it was our intention to use this characteristic to make the viewers expect that he is surely going to act in a way they cannot predict. Throughout the series, Yuuri's character was shaped by misleading the audience to think they know Yuuri's personality and then showing them in each episode that they were not right about him. That's why the character turned out to be much more complex that we thought he would be in the first episode and I think the viewers can sense that the creators had a lot of fun writing him. We sometimes say that the characters are acting on their own, but in this case I think we were writing the character while being bossed around by him.

Victor Nikiforov

Just as it was with Yuuri, I couldn't fully grasp Victor's personality in episode 1, and so his character also solidified over time as I was writing the show. Beginning with the scene in episode 4 when he told Yuuri "I'm not going to hold back" during their conversation on the beach, and then when he was "really hurt" after Yuuri touched his hair whorl, little by little the underlying kindness Victor possesses started to show up more, as even though he had no idea what Yuuri was really thinking, he wanted to get to know Yuuri better and Yuuri to get to know him better too. Actually, I also thought the fact that even staff members couldn't fully comprehend Victor's actions made him all the more charming. Because his actions were impossible to comprehend, the audience too has been watching the show without being able to form any strong assumptions about him and the sense of insecurity you've been getting while watching him was probably also a sign that you started to like the character... I've created Victor by trying my best to draw a cool and beautiful human being. I don't think however, that he could ever be mine. Yuuri also feels this way, but in Yuuri's case he was able to form a very strong connection with Victor thanks to skating. I was writing the show while thinking that I'd like the audience to enjoy the feeling that in every episode, together with Yuuri, they too get to meet Victor they've never seen before, as the relationship between Yuuri and Victor is forming - relationship that was only possible because Yuuri had skating as an excuse [免罪符, it means something like "get-out-of-jail-free card" - funny word choice, but Mitsurou really pushes here the idea that Victor was way out of Yuuri's league. ]

Yuri Plisetsky

In case of Yurio, his character as well as character design were very clear from the very beginning. He was very easy to write. He is my favorite type of character and based on my experience I was sure he's going to be popular. He is the type of a side character, who can outshine even the main character in terms of popularity, so I was careful not to make him "angsty" by e.g. giving him a tragic past or making him have a difficult family situation. With Yurio I didn't want his character to be someone who gets popular because people feel sorry for him, so I gave him family and coaches, as well as new friends, and wanted to show his strength by making him achieve even greater success while being in a relatively good place emotionally. I think I've managed to use the basic manga trope of writing about a strength of found family instead of real family without focusing on the tragic aspects of this trope.

Christophe Giacometti

Chris was born as an ultra sexy character, a character who is very aware of his "eros" and at the same time has the strength to not care when other people stare at him. I decided on the visual side of the character first - I gave him those curled and long, stunningly beautiful eyelashes because I wanted the audience to think: "How grateful we are that such a beautiful skater exists in this world at the same time as Victor!". I also wanted to show the gap between his super cute look with curly hair when he was a child and his present look and suggest that a lot of growing up happened there. While I was writing him, or I should say it was more thanks to the choreography and music we created, the charm that was radiating from him was neither masculine nor feminine, but simply Chris' charm. I personally wanted to make him a "skater who looks good naked" and was having great fun writing him.

Phichit Chulanont

With Phichit, I was aiming to create a pure and energetic person. I've actually heard Thai artists active abroad saying that they want to show everyone the new face of Thailand and also that there are certain aspects of Thailand they were only able to see after they went abroad. So, I felt that young Thai people right now are really making a lot of effort to reconstruct themselves, so I wanted to make Phichit a person who has the spirit to create new things. With the fashion he wears, I was aiming for something Harajuku-like.

Ji Guang-Hong

I've come up with this idea of a Chinese competitor, young but with good skills, as a counterbalance to the great number of overwhelmingly strong competitors who appear in the show. I wanted to make him a character who shows all the signs of becoming terribly good in the future if he continues to gain more self-confidence and experience. When it comes to his personality I was imagining him following the latest trends, like all the modern kids do, or maybe traveling to the USA off-season to train at the same rink with Leo, for example. I intentionally didn't make him really stand-out, because I think he is still at a stage before he can bring out his individual personality.

Jean-Jacques Leroy

Before we even started to think about the story, I effortlessly came up with lines like "JJ won't give up! He can't give up!", so JJ is the character who has already been well-defined even before he was created. We placed a very rough order for his song: a song which feels like it was written by somebody who could win a Grammy. The request we've made for the lyrics too wasn't all that specific but the finished lyrics were well... absolutely amazing! I wanted to make JJ into a character who would make the spectators sing that song while he skates his short program. He is too egoistic, so other competitors who can't get along well with him, simply can't get along well with him, period. He isn't the type who can become friends with everyone. However, he doesn't really care. I wouldn't say that he for sure isn't hurt at all by this though, if you look deep inside, but one of the incredible things about him is that he doesn't let it show on the outside.

Georgi Popovich

We aimed to express different kinds of love and here is the type of competitor who puts all the emotions he's experiencing after he broke up with his lover into his performance. I was thinking that maybe in a country like Russia nobody would have a problem with him doing something like that and so I gave him this kind of artistry, different than the artistry Victor has. And again, also compared to Leo, he's a different type of artist. Georgi is very serious about practice and listens to what his coach says too diligently. But I think he loves himself the most, more than anyone else. He is a narcissist, so he loves his lovers very much too, because they love him. I think that's why he reacts with this "I am the one who can protect you!" thing after he gets dumped. The ability to transform all these feelings into a performance is his strong point.

Nishigori Takeshi

Nishigori was created because I wanted to introduce a point of view of somebody who has gave up on skating. He is also a childhood friend of Yuuri and somebody, who has been watching him from a very close distance - so he's a character with a quite complex setting. He is the only married man [in the show] so I wanted him to be masculine and not somebody who fret over things a lot. I also was thinking that the reason why Yuuri didn't want to go back to his home town for such a very long time, is because of Nishigori and Yuuko. When it comes to Nishigori and Yuuko's relationship, I think Yuuko is the one who started it. She didn't confess her feelings directly but I think it was probably very clear that she likes Nishigori. Because men from Kyushu don't go after a girl who they know they don't have a chance with. They never try to reach a "flower that grows high on a mountain top [an idiom representing a unattainable goal] (laugh).

Leo de la Iglesia

Leo, who was looking up to Victor, is the only competitor who choreographs his programs by himself. He wants to leave no doubt that he is self-producing his programs - he wants to skate his own choreography to the songs he likes to truly bring out his own charm. When it comes to figure skating in the USA, there is a lot of strong competitors in different parts of the country and so there are also skaters of different races. I think there is that conviction that to be able to show your own strengths in these conditions, the most important thing is to express the "I'll be saved by the things I love" core part of you. Leo can't for example jump quadruple jumps yet, but instead he wants to find his other strong points and show them - I wanted him to be a strong person in this way.

Minami Kenjiro

A skater who just made his senior debut, Minami-kun, was created because, just like Yuuri looks up to Victor, I wanted other Japanese skater to look up to Yuuri and Yuuri to be aware that there is somebody who looks up to him. Yuuri had a very bad start at Nationals, so Minami has already won with him once, but I thought I wanted another active competitor to tell Yuuri that he wants Yuuri to continue skating. And so I gave him this pure personality, the kind that Yuuri doesn't possess, so he can yell "I will definitely win with you!". Because of that, he became a character like a classic shonen manga protagonist. And because he has the vibe of anime protagonist I also gave him a matching haircut. I created him feeling that "If Yuri!!! was a shonen manga Minami would definitely be the protagonist".

Otabek Altin

He is a stoic, rugged and serious skater. A type of man who doesn't go to gatherings with other skaters. He left his family and was moving from country to country throughout the course of his training, so he had to wait a long time for a breakthrough. While training, separately from skating, he was also making friends among local musicians, so he has a lot of companions, who are important to him not only in Kazakhstan. He is the type of person who you can trust. He doesn't talk much and doesn't use social media much. But somehow you feel that he can for sure make a lot of progress. He also has this idea to do things that other people don't do. That's why I think that [since he started till the moment we meet him in the show] he's been treating skating very seriously. Otabek is more of a warrior or a soldier than an artist. I see him as this kind of person, who respects competitors who aren't on a level playing field with him and he treats them like comrades-in-arms. That's why, after he met with Yurio at a summer camp and saw his strength, he decided to find his own style of fighting, other than ballet, and he never forgot Yurio, who also had a soldier-like dream.

Michele Crispino

I think Michele loves his sister too much and that's why he doesn't really want to change. He has the skills and skates very good. That's why he managed to get to the GPF and is a very strong competitor, but there's also something missing there and he can't really break through. I wanted to show that his love is of a different kind than the rest of the cast's. I think the kind of love he has for Sara is a little bit different than familial love, but well I think that in his mind Sara is the only person he can trust. But Sara herself thinks she needs to change. I wanted to highlight this change by making Michele a tough/traditionally masculine guy. I was thinking that I want him to use the emotions he has because of his sister to have the break through even if these emotions are not necessarily positive. It was fun writing him.

Lee Seung Gil

SeungGil says pretty harsh things and has the most athlete-like mind of all the skaters. The pressure he is under is huge so, as the real athlete he is, to protect himself from being influenced by this pressure, he doesn't do any fan-service. I think that he is simply a stoic competitor, but because during interviews he says things like: "Is it really necessary for me to answer questions like that?", people misunderstand him and tease him for being cold. The story that I was thinking about for him is that he competes with this stoic attitude, but he knows that if he doesn't become more expressive, he can't win, so he chose a song and costume with an element of surprise. I think this gap is where his charm is. I think he, in his everyday life, isn't interested in things other than skating and usually wears clothes his mum bought for him, or jersey.

Emil Nekola

There are a lot of characters who stand out, so I wanted to design one, who doesn't, and instead simply has a sunny disposition and is like a younger brother or the kid in a group. Skaters from Czech Republic are popular so I thought that it will be a good match to his personality if I make him Czech. The image I have for him is that he is friends with Michele and is the kindest person among European skaters. I was thinking to make him "a big guy who you can depend on". He is very good at physical activities, so I think if, in addition to skating, if he decided to do snowboarding or extreme sports he would be pretty good at them too. He himself isn't really fixated on skating and has a lot of other things he likes to do. But right know he is focusing on skating. That's why, unlike Michele who is like: "Skating is the only thing I have in my life", Emil has a very good way of dealing with the pressure - he is a clever guy.

Closing comments

The things to enjoy while binge watching all episodes

At the end of ep 10, it was revealed that Yuuri at the banquet actually asked Victor to be his coach. If you re-watch the show from ep 1, while having this in mind, the relationship between Yuuri and Victor will surely appear very different. In the beginning of ep 1, when Victor ask Yuuri "Do you want a commemorative photo?", to him Yuuri wasn't someone who really stood out from the crowd. But then, he watched the video of Yuuri skating a perfect copy of his "Stammi Vicino" program, while having some prior knowledge of Yuuri from the "be my coach accident" at the banquet. And as the story goes, because of that Victor's got certain ideas and decided to travel to Japan. If we look at the events from Victor's perspective, it must have been very weird for him, because Yuuri himself asked him to come, but after he came Yuuri met him with this "Why are you here…?" reaction. I think you should be able to enjoy the story even more, if you change the perceptive you watch the show from when you re-watch all 12 episodes at once.

To fans…

I think without both the fans who were supporting us and the staff members who participated in production, we wouldn't be here today. I can't thank you all in person, but we are thinking of doing something, so you can enjoy the world of Yuri!!! even more, as a thank-you gift. I'm looking forward to your continuous support of Yuri!!! on ice.

[joyswonderland1108]

Drama. Drama everywhere.

Hello Loves, hope you are all doing okay and having a good life.

Quite honestly i was not going to talk about this because i was trying to stay drama-free for the longest time as i've been busy with uni but also wanted a bit of a break from all the bullshit while i continue to support, appreciate and wait for our boys peacefully.

My reactions for this situation were :

This shit is funny af because here we go again making a scene out of basically nothing.

As much as the situation is funny it is also unfunny when we're looking at the whole scene from different angles.

So to begin we all know why this shit is funny, same story, different day. People will continuously feel pressed about Jimin or Junkook or Jimin AND Jungkook, people always have this obsession of bringing down their bond because for some reason people can't even accept them as two bandmates, it HAS to be two strangers or nothing to them.

The whole "we do not support content that has shipping material" argument is silly to me because darling, if you see member X with member Z doing something totally normal that anyone can do and can still call it "shipping material" that's a you problem, you must be having serious untreated problems and should seek help from a therapist ASAP.

To think that "Tteokbokki by JK" caused so much fire and for what? We've all been knew that the members have been eating together many times before and it wouldn't be the first time that a member would've cooked something that was appreciated by other members. We were even able to see through the moments the boys decided to share with us that Jungkook did in fact cook for Jimin and if anything to me whether it was Jimin who said it or any other member, picking the Tteokbokki by JK as his favourite dish, that to me at least is a really good praise for JK because this could only mean his Tteokbokki is a banger!!

Now moving on to why it is also unfunny and i'm not even going to get into the details that we talk about every single time about how both Jimin and JK get unnecessary hate but i'm going to talk more about the fans.

We should all keep in mind that stan accounts are run by actual people not bots, so this whole thing about making a big deal out of a very small thing and making up lies to justify this hate is absolutely mental. People are receiving death threats through their dms, they're being lied about, they're being doxxed and basically their lives could be in danger and over what? Childish behaviors that are not assumed.

What irks me is those with big platforms who can't bother to do things correctly, and i'm not saying they should not do any mistakes, we're human we do make mistakes and it's okay but what's not okay is knowing damn well we are wrong and not apologizing for it, being able to fix it and not even try but instead proceeding to block the people they were wrong about.

I don't want anyone to tell me that those people behind those big accounts are not responsible, when you have a certain amount of followers you become responsible of the behavior they show after they followed YOUR advise. Like any influencer on the internet, they are responsible for their audience, as the word itself is "influence" which means that the behavior, decisions, actions, etc.. of the audience can be diverted by this person.

Seeing how these big accounts caused a lot of damage to many people over false information that they did not bother to fact check before but even worse didn't even think about making a follow up post apologizing not only for the misinformation but also to the people who have been impacted by it, this says a lot about what kind of people they are and the type of values they grew up with. Because those accounts are owned by real people too, which means that the posts are also influenced by their personality and values, knowing damn well that because of YOU people are being sent death threats and not even a simple "Sorry"?

It is quite sad actually because we're seeing fewer and fewer big accounts in this fandom being completely honest and unproblematic. Ship whoever you want, stan whoever you want, heck if you want to be a solo go ahead no one is stopping you as long as there is no disrespect out there, as long as there are limits, literally no one gives a fuck what you chose to do or believe in.

A this point i feel like i used up all of my energy in writing this post and if i go any longer it would no longer make sense so i'm stopping here. Please, let's do better for our boys, i know there's like a whole year for us to wait for all of them to be together again but i swear a year is not as long as you think it is, so in the meantime please let's work hard for them, if we can't be present on social media as in actively posting and all that's fine but at least let's be supportive and let them know that we did NOT forget them and we are still here for them, we still love them and we will continue to do so.

With that being said, take care of yourselves and have a very nice day.

[jujumin-translates]

★ Main Story | Act 13 - Budding Spring | Chapter 4 - Newborn Fleur Award

Chairman: “We would like to now begin the New Fleur Award Board of Directors press conference. Thank you for taking the time to join us.”

Chairman: “To start, board members Yukio Tachibana and Reni Kamkizaka will talk about the policies of the New Fleur Award.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Sakuya: What kind of policies do you think they’re gonna announce?

Izumi: I didn’t look into any of the details, so I have no idea.

Sakyo: Maybe something regarding the selection process will be different from the Fleur Award in the past.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Yukio: “New Fleur Award Board of Directors board member, Yukio Tachibana. Thank you for your time.”

Yukio: “I would like to explain to you more about the New Fleur Award.”

Yukio: “First, one major change to the New Fleur Award’s selection process will be the introduction of a ranking system.”

Yukio: “The current method of selecting nominees via the choice of the Board of Directors will be abolished, and all theater companies that enter will be able to participate.”

Yukio: “The ranking positions will go up and down in accordance with the accumulation of two different types of points.”

Yukio: “Theater Votes, which will be cast by audience members who go to see plays in person at a theater, and SNS Votes, which will be cast by audience members who watch via live stream.”

Yukio: “For the sake of fairness, Theater Votes will be worth more points than SNS Votes, which are easier to count.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: WHAT!?

Sakyo: A ranking system, huh… audience ratings will be more important than ever now.

Homare: In addition to that, it will require audience members to vote.

Tenma: So whoever’s got the crazier fans has an advantage, huh?

Banri: And it ain’t just about the SNS Votes either, right?

Itaru: If you’ve got good social networking skills, you could get trending and snag all the votes in one go.

Juza: So what you’re sayin’ is that we’re gonna have to fight for ‘em like we’ve never fought before…

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Yukio: “It will be held once every two years.”

Yukio: “The first year will be divided into four periods, or quarters. The rankings will be tabulated every quarter in order to determine the top ten theater troupes.”

Yukio: “In the second year, the top ten troupes will compete in the finals and the winner will be awarded the New Fleur Award.”

Yukio: “The bonus prize is still ten million yen, as it always has been.”

Yukio: “The venue will be a brand new theater that is currently under construction. More of the details will be announced at a later date.”

Yukio: “Full transparency was of the utmost importance regarding this change.”

Yukio: “The winner of the New Fleur Award will not be selected by some random board members, but will be voted on by a larger audience.”

Yukio: “Each and every theater company will have a fair and equal chance to win the Fleur Award.”

Yukio: “The purpose of this is to bring life to the entirety of the world of theater by putting both old and new theater companies on a level playing field, and by encouraging a larger audience to participate.”

Yukio: “By introducing a ranking system, a wide variety of people will be involved in the selection process for the New Fleur Award.”

Yukio: “While we’ve increased our transparency, there may be some forms of unfairness that we’ve never encountered before.”

Yukio: “As the Board of Directors, we intend to take each of these instances seriously if they are to arise.”

Yukio: “While being exposed to criticism and the public opinion may make you feel anxious, and you may fail…”

Yukio: “We want to create a whole new Fleur Award with all of the people involved in theater.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Izumi: Dad really has changed…

Sakyo: In a way, it’s the Yukio-san thing to do. He’s demolished the entire Fleur Award system and rebuilt it from the ground up.

Tasuku: Up until now, each theater company has been ranked based on how long they’ve been active and how recognizable their name is, but that’s finally changing.

Chikage: With past Fleur Awards, we all sort of had some idea of what theater companies were likely to win, but from now on, it’ll be much more unpredictable.

Itaru: Plus any number of new theater companies can join the fight.

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Reni: “To continue, I will now present the detailed schedule.”

Reni: “Entries for the Fleur Cup, which will determine who will be in the running for the New Fleur Award, will open at the end of the press conference being held today.”

Reni: “There will also be a pre-voting period to allow people to get an understanding of the Fleur Cup system.”

Reni: “The pre-voting period will begin tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Only SNS Votes will be accepted during this time, and the rankings will be announced a week later.”

Reni: “Now, please note that this pre-voting period is only a trial period to allow everyone to become acquainted with the process of the Fleur Cup.”

Reni: “The ranking results from this will have no effect on the final selection of the Fleur Cup in any capacity.”

Reni: “The final selection will begin at 7:00 a.m. on the day following the end of the pre-voting period. From that point on, the two types of votes will be available: Theater Votes and SNS Votes.”

Reni: “Thereafter, the rankings will be announced every three months. After a year has passed, the top ten troupes will be selected to participate in the finals.”

Reni: “More details regarding the finals will be announced at a later date--.”

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·

Manager: W-W-W-What are we going to do!? We need to enter as soon as possible…!

Manager: Where’s the entry form? I’ll have to line up outside the Board of Directors’ office first thing in the morning…

Itaru: Who even accepts written applications anymore?

Chikage: They just announced the Fleur Cup website. It seems like entries will be sent there after filling out the required information.

Sakuya: And then the rankings will be announced a week later…?

Tsuzuru: So the current place of the troupe will be announced outright, huh…

Banri: It’s interestin’, ain’t it? I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ where the other troupes place.

Sakyo: The press conference as a whole seems to be getting a lot of attention. The voting turnout itself could be significant.

Citron: There is no need to worry! Our fans will surely vote for us!

Yuki: Letting just any theater company participate me~ans that people who created a theater company on nothing but a whim can participate too.

Tasuku: So there’s no question of activity or personal history, got it.

Kazunari: Maybe if we can get some attention, we can get to the top of the rankings.

Tsumugi: But this pre-ranking won’t affect the final selection, and even if it did, it would probably only be temporary, right?

Homare: However, when it comes to rankings, people are going to be made uneasy, no matter the outcome.

Izumi: We’re never going to know what the results are if we don’t enter, so let’s just start with that!

Omi: Right. The rice is just about done, so why don’t we have dinner now?

Kumon: Yeah~!

*Doorbell rings*

Izumi: ?

Manager: Yes, ye~s. Who is it~?

*Door opens*

Izumi: Who could it be at this hour?

*Door slams*

Manager: Awahwahwah! Everyone, we’ve got some very important guests…!

Izumi: Huh?

Yukio: Good evening.

Reni: Sorry to bother you at this hour. We’ll be on our way soon.

Izumi: Dad and Kamikizaka-san!?

Misumi: It’s like you came outta the TV~.

Yukio: The press conference was being held at a venue nearby, so we thought we’d drop by.

Yukio: After all, I won’t be able to show my face around here so easily in a short while.

Izumi: Huh?

Reni: In addition to this being his own former theater company, his daughter is now the one in charge of it. You’d likely be suspected of collusion.

Izumi: I see…

Sakyo: You really are serious about changing both the Fleur Award and its Board of Directors, huh?

Yukio: I am. With this, no one should have to grieve anymore. I want the future of the theater world to be brighter.

Itaru: Well, but it’s still getting darker in other ways.

Muku: Rankings… will it really be okay… what if we suddenly start getting backlash and get canceled on social media and no one votes for us…

Kumon: Or like, what if there’s a system error and only MANKAI Company’s votes are deemed invalid…!

Juza: All we can do is shut our mouths and wait to be sentenced.

Azuma: Fufu, you’re saying we’re going to be sentenced as if we’re criminals.

Tenma: You’re all overthinking, nothing’s set in stone yet. Jeez.

[ ⇠ Previous Part ] • [ Next Part ⇢ ]

[bcamelsamples]

Sample: Diablo IV Feature Overview (Diablo IV)

One more Diablo thing, then we'll move on. I promise. 😊

While I left Blizzard in early 2020 prior to Diablo IV's launch, I was involved heavily with the announcement plans and reveal at BlizzCon 2019. That was a cathartic triumph of an experience for me—members of the community can tell you I was crying in the audience when the trailer played, because I'd been holding this secret in for so long.

At this stage, I was pretty much the only North American community manager dedicated to Diablo, handling D3, Immortal, and now D4 communications (I did work with a kickass social media manager, though, so I wasn't totally alone). We were in the process of hiring a new manager above me, which was all well and good; I really didn't want to be a manager (and still don't) because I enjoy writing and creating.

I wrote pretty much every article covering Diablo IV on reveal day (and for the whole of BlizzCon 2019), in addition to managing all our influencer activations onsite, posting on social live from the event, and generally ensuring Diablo stuff was running smoothly each day of the event. If I didn't pause to say hi to you, that was why. 😅 Probably the biggest, busiest BlizzCon I was ever involved in.

This and all the other blogs around that time are preserved by the Wayback Machine - I picked this one because it had the best performance out of all our blogs. People really enjoy details, after all.

Warning: this is a very long one under the cut; if you're playing Diablo IV right now, how has the game changed since reveal?

Diablo IV Feature Overview

We know you’re all eager to learn as much about Diablo IV as possible, and we’re incredibly excited to share everything with you! To get you started, we’re taking a comprehensive look over the features and details we’re sharing at BlizzCon 2019 and answering a few of the most common questions you undoubtedly have about the next mainline entry in the Diablo franchise.

*****

The Classes of Diablo IV

At launch, Diablo IV will have five unique character classes, each bringing its own distinct mechanics that embodies their respective fantasy. Today, let’s talk about the first three we’re bringing to life: the Barbarian, the Sorceress, and the Druid.

Barbarian

A brutal, physical warrior, the Barbarian roams around the battlefield constantly, dishing heavy damage and wielding an array of powerful weapons with ease. With the Arsenal system, Barbarians can swap between different types of weapons, such as from a heavy two-handed mace to a pair of sharp, agile hand axes, depending on the situation, skill, and your player needs.

Barbarians will be able to haul around four total weapons and swap between them dynamically at any time. You’ll also be able to assign specific weapons to different skills, allowing advanced players even greater depths of customization.

Sorceress

Harnessing potent elemental powers, the Sorceress is brimming with all your favorite flavors of magic. Fragile but destructive, this high-risk, high-reward hero weaves between Fire, Cold, and Lightning. Her mastery of magic is an iconic and indelible part of the Diablo power fantasy, and we’ve only continued to build upon this sturdy foundation.

You’ll be able to control and dominate enemies with a new Chilling mechanic. The more Cold damage you deal, the more foes will be slowed, frozen, and eventually shattered by your attacks.

Druid

The master of shapeshifting makes his triumphant return to Sanctuary! Seamlessly changing forms from human to Werebear to Werewolf, his command over earth and storm magic is second to none.

Different skills utilize different forms, and entirely new skills like Cataclysm will annihilate hordes of enemies with the unbridled fury of nature itself. Storm magic persists on the battlefield, so you’ll be able to unleash torrents of lightning, wind, and rain before shifting forms to ravage foes.

*****

Skill Points & Talent Trees

Diablo IV will feature permanent character progression as well as personal customization. To accomplish this, we’re reintroducing both Skill Points and Talent Trees.

Skill Points will be earned by leveling up as well as by hunting down rare tomes out in the world. You can choose to spend Skill Points as you go, save them up to invest more heavily in skills that are unlocked at higher levels, spread them out between multiple skills, or focus on your favorites to make them more powerful.

Each class also has a dedicated Talent Tree for further character customization, though your choices may come at a cost. For example, the Sorceress concentrate on skills that emphasize mobility or Lightning damage while passing up more powerful Cold powers in the process. The Druid might choose to become a tanky melee combatant by investing in Werebear talents, though this doesn’t prevent him from using his Werewolf or Caster skills; they’ll just be less optimized. Where you want to specialize is up to you, and your Talent investments will reflect these decisions.

Talents get more powerful the further down the tree you travel, so make sure you’re choosing wisely as you grow!

*****

Open World & Multiplayer Gameplay

Unlike previous Diablo games, Diablo IV is fully open world. This means you can explore any of the five distinct regions in any order, at any time, and travel seamlessly between them. Sanctuary will become a living, breathing place to explore and plunder. With introductions like monster ecologies tied to regions, a shared player world with public events, and town points of interest that act as social hubs, Diablo IV will feel a little less lonely (though no less bleak).

The distinctive regions we’re introducing are connected contiguously, for streamlined adventuring from area to area with no loading interruptions.

Scosglen

Home to the Druids, this verdant and rainy land is heavily forested and borders the coast. Werewolves lurk in the thick foliage and the new monster family, the Drowned, crowd the haunted coastlines, waiting to drag unsuspecting victims to a watery doom.

Fractured Peaks

Snowy and secluded, a sect of devout priests find refuge in the isolation of this high mountain range. They seek enlightenment while remaining unaware of the horrors that dwell in the dark cave complexes below.

Dry Steppes

The unforgiving, harsh environment of the Dry Steppes is home only to the hardiest—or desperate—souls. Be warned; the denizens of this land will do anything to survive, resorting to anything from petty banditry to savage cannibalism.

Hawezar

Witches and zealots call this snake-infested swampland home, scouring the murky depths for ancient artifacts. The unaware will quickly find themselves in dire straits.

Kejhistan

As we’ve seen from previous visits to Alcarnus and Caldeum, the desert shadows of Kejhistan make excellent cover for a group of rising cultists. They quietly plumb abandoned ruins, seeking power to aid the return of the ancient Prime Evils.

To Party or Not to Party

Whether you’re prone to partying up or an independent adventurer, Diablo IV will have a way for you to play.

When it comes to the Campaign, you’ll be able to play through the entire story at your own pace or alongside friends, with progress syncing up to the party leader so there’s no question about what’s been done or what’s next on the checklist.

While most of the world is socially open, certain, smaller parts of each region are campaign specific. Once the campaign objectives have been completed, those areas will also dynamically open to other players. This means you might see another party of adventurers pass you by or you could organically stumble into an event or World Boss other players are already battling. You won’t need to party up to enjoy these activities; whether you decide to join the fray or continue your own journey, that decision remains yours.

Delving Dank Dungeons

Dungeons will be separate, instanced experiences. While you won’t see wandering adventurers alongside you as you delve an abandoned ruin, you can opt to bring up to a party of four players in to tackle tougher challenges for greater rewards.

As has become hallmark to Diablo, Dungeons are randomized experiences, including both their layouts and the events that might occur within them. They can be interior or exterior landscapes, may mix and match between different tilesets, and offer totally seamless exploration; moving from one level or scene to another is now a natural, loading screen-free process.

We’re also introducing Dungeon Objectives, which help guide your adventure and offer greater rewards and increased danger. As you complete Dungeon Objectives, the goals you have will continue to update, and the Dungeon itself might respond by sending tougher enemies and challenges your way. Each Objective has been custom designed to give their Dungeons their own identity and character, and there are hundreds of dungeons with tons of events, ensuring each delve is a unique one!

We’re also evolving endgame Dungeons by building them around three pillars: variety, strategic depth, and player agency. One new system we’re sharing today is what we’re calling Keyed Dungeons. By finding a key out in the world of Sanctuary, you can upgrade an existing Dungeon into a special endgame version with increased difficulty, greater rewards, and dungeon affixes. Between the natural randomization, knowing the strength and affixes you’re going to face, and choosing your skills and equipment in advance, we’re hitting all three of these pillars for a unique, ever-evolving endgame.

Monsters of Sanctuary

You know where you’re going to kill things, and how you’re going to kill them. But what, exactly, is threatening you? Let’s look at some of the enemies you can expect to face in Diablo IV.

Monster Families

To breathe new and realistic life into the world of Sanctuary, we’re taking a fundamentally new approach to how we create and design monsters. Each monster is now part of a Monster Family, which usually includes a handful of different enemies based around a theme and location. Check out one of our new families, the Drowned.

The Drowned are watery entities that can be found around the coasts of Scosglen. You won’t find them anywhere else in the world, and if you’re looking specifically to hunt them down, you’ll need to travel to find them. Each member of the family has a specialty or signature ability that synergizes with other members of that family, becoming stronger when they’re fighting together.

Reimagining Affixes

Affixes work a little differently this time around. While you’ll still see expected effects like Molten, you might be surprised at how the Multishot affix changes up strategic gameplay depending on which enemy it affects.

For example, take the Fallen family. A Multishot enchanted ranged Fallen might throw three projectiles at you, as you’d probably expect. Put that Multishot enchantment on a Fallen Shaman, though, and your priorities change as he begins to revive three of his friends at a time instead of just one. Affixes should change the way you look at and strategize against your enemies, as well as offer different gameplay depending on the monsters they affect.

Ashava and World Bosses

If you got your hands on our BlizzCon demo or watched our gameplay trailer closely, you may have noticed a massive new addition: Ashava. Ashava, the first of our new World Bosses, is an ancient demon lurking below Sanctuary who will take more than just one mighty hero to fell.

Not only will you need to group up (or at least join several other players) to challenge Ashava, but you’ll want to pay close attention to her abilities and carefully make use of your skills. Avoid her deadly strikes with the baseline Evade ability and leverage the new Stagger mechanic in your favor. Rather than having bosses be immune to crowd control effects, they can instead become Staggered, losing some of their capabilities or powering down once a certain threshold has been met. When battling Ashava, Staggering her will shatter her arm blades and greatly diminish the range of her whirlwind attack, making her a little less deadly for you and your friends.

*****

Itemization

It’s not a Diablo game without tons of new loot to find, and we want to share a broad, top-down approach to our itemization. First, you’ll see the familiar return of most item categories:

Normal -> Magic -> Rare -> Legendary/Set -> Ancient -> Mythic

In Diablo IV, we want Legendaries to be just as, if not more, powerful than Set items. We don’t want you to feel beholden to one particular class set to play your chosen style. Ancient items are a system we’ll be leveraging for Seasons, but we’ll dig into that at a later date. As for Mythic items, these will be so powerful you’ll only be able to equip one of them at a time, so choose wisely!

When it comes to combat statistics, we’ve simplified the math problem. Players should spend more time thinking about stats that change how they play rather than solving arithmetic. Attack and Defense will be your bread and butter; one stat for increasing your damage, and one stat for decreasing damage taken.

More complex stats like Attack Speed or Melee Damage Reduced will still exist; however, these are stats that can change your approach to combat in more than a numerical way. While they might still increase your damage output or reduction, they do so in ways that make you think about the battlefield or which skills work best in different situations.

Some items will also boost individual Talents, effectively acting as bonus points spent in them. If you want to go all-in on Pulverize, you can do so with Skills, Talents, and items!

Legendary Powers

Legendaries should fundamentally change the gameplay of abilities, and that’s exactly the approach we’re taking in Diablo IV. The best way to illustrate this is to review a few powers we’ve worked on for the Sorceress skill Teleport.

One Legendary might increase your defense shortly after you Teleport, making it a great defensive escape tool. Another might increase your damage for a short period of time after you Teleport, making you more likely to want to jump into the fray. Still another removes the Teleport cooldown entirely, but now sends you in a random direction, so you have high, but unpredictable mobility. Lastly, we have a power that adds a burst of area damage to enemies upon your arrival.

Combining all these Legendaries can result in some pretty wild and satisfying results, and it’s up to you (and perhaps a little luck) to decide which ones to combine.

Runes

Runes are back and better than ever! Runes in Diablo IV translate to another layer of gear customization. They come in two types: Conditions and Effects. It’s as easy as socketing in one Condition and one Effect to create your own Legendary power. There will be a great variety of both types of Runes and we can’t wait to see what sorts of combinations you come up with.

*****

Frequently Asked Questions

Have a question not covered above? Check out the FAQ below.

Q: Will there be trading? A: Yes. While we’re still working on the details, we know this is a huge community request and we want to reintroduce some level of trading while still preserving the loot-finding experience.

Q: Will there be clans? A: Yes! Clans will be a key feature in Diablo IV.

Q: Will there be PvP? A: Yes. Some areas of the world will offer opt-in PvP experiences where you’ll need to watch your back while you adventure.

Q: Will there be Seasons? A: Yes! Seasons will be returning, and we’d like them to heavily impact your approach to gameplay. More details to come.

Q: Will there be Hardcore? A: Yes! We’ve loved this feature ever since it started as a player-created and self-imposed challenge in the original Diablo.

Q: Is Diablo IV coming to consoles? A: We are working with our partners to bring Diablo IV to both PC and console, including Xbox One and PS4. We have no additional platforms to announce at this time.

Q: What about [insert game feature we haven’t yet mentioned here]? A: We know you have a lot of questions about what the final form of Diablo IV will look like. While we’ve been hard at work on all the art, story, and systems we’ve shown so far, we’re far from done and still quite early in the development process. What you’ve seen this weekend is a high-level overview. As we continue working to get the next iteration of Diablo into your hands, it’s likely many things will change.

*****

A Lot to Share, More to Work On

Diablo IV is early in development, but we just couldn’t wait any longer to share with you where we are so far. While we don’t have any news on when we’ll be moving into our first public access stage, we will be keeping up with quarterly updates available here on the Diablo community site and mirrored on our forums for your easy access.

We’ve got a lot of work to do and even more hell to raise. We can’t wait to see you on the other side!

[bobcatmoran]

Harris decided to become a lawyer, she says, based on exposure to the great lawyers of the Civil Rights movement. And she decided what type of law to practice - to become a prosecutor - when one of her friends was abused and she wanted to be able to protect her.

A harm against one of us is a harm against all of us in our justice system. "Kamala Harris for the people" was what she stood for, and "The people" were her one client throughout her legal career.

And this is the sort of thing that could only happen in "the greatest nation on Earth," and so she accepts the nomination!

She continues, saying that this election is a chance to chart a path forward, not as members of a party or faction, but as Americans. She promises to be a president for ALL Americans, putting country above party and self.

Big Steve Rogers vibes here.

She also commits to the peaceful transfer of power, unlike some other candidates *coughcough*

She will fight for the American people, from the courthouse to the White House. A litany of supporting evidence in the form of various cases she handled, supporting various segments of society, and fighting against drug cartels, as well as so many others.

"The future is always worth fighting for, and the fight we are in now is a fight for America's future!"

"In many ways, Donald Trump is an unserious man," but the consequences of him being back in power are terrifyingly serious.

He tried to throw away people's votes, sent a mob to the capitol and supported them. He's been found guilty by a jury of sexual abuse and a multitude of other crimes. Consider what he explicitly plans to do. (the audience boos after every thing Harris says Trump will do).

Donald Trump with no guardrails and the immense powers of the presidency will not improve your lives, but the only client he's ever had: himself.

Project 2025 has laid out what a second Trump will look like, pulling the country to the past, but We Are Not Going Back (the audience joins her in this motto).

[erisicy]

Phantom Blood Musical April 13th Curtain Call Rough Translation

(TN: There are some parts I'm REALLY not sure about, but I'll try to be clear on what parts those are. This will also be the only curtain call I'm translating since I don't have the April 14th version.)

[Yuya]

Thank you very much for coming here today!

This is the final performance for me and Yusuke Hirose, who plays Zeppeli

So, we would like to say a few words to all of you

Let's start with Hirose-kun

[Hirose]

Yes! I played the role of Zeppeli in a double-cast. I am Yusuke Hirose

Thank you very much for today

Thank you

[Mamoru]

Woo!

[Hirose]

This whole thing is until tomorrow, but this is me and Yuya-kun's final performance

Personally, I'm relieved about that

A lot of things have happened up until this day, and many thoughts come to mind

Even now I have all these different emotions

Anyway, the fact that we've been able to get this far is really thanks to…

The wonderfulness and strength of each and every cast member on this stage, and the staff

And above all, those who came every day—

You're not coming "every" day (?)

Uh, every day, y'know

I do think it's thanks to the support we received from so many audience members

I was really happy to be a part of this troupe

Thank you

From the bottom of my heart…

Pow!

[Mamoru]

Pow, pow, pow!

[Yuya]

Yes, I played the role of Jonathan Joestar. I am Yuya Matsushita

Thank you for today!

Did everybody have fun?!

Great!

It would be great to hear that (?)

Yes, well, tomorrow is the day for the grand final performance

Well, I'm sure Shotaro-kun will do a perfect job of giving his speech tomorrow!

I'm worried. Are you worried? (?)

No, it'll probably be fine

[Mamoru]

You do the speech instead (?)

[Yuya]

No, he is—

He is ready

Yes, I already think he'll be fine. But you know…

I would like to share some of my personal thoughts here

First of all, as Hirose-kun said, I'm very relieved that we've come this far and made it to our final performance, and I'm very happy to be here now. Thank you very much

When the delayed opening day came in February, the audience really cheered and applauded during curtain call, just like today

The feelings I had during that moment are something I will never forget

Yes, and…

Well, really… a lot of things happened, but…

We've supported each other until now

Mamo and I have supported each other like partners

He seriously has a single-cast role (??)

It's a little cruel (?)

No, it's amazing

[Mamoru]

Before this even started, I almost cried when I saw your face

[Yuya & (Mamoru)]

Really? No, but I also felt a little emotional, (Right!)

So I had to leave for a bit

(You left!)

Because we didn't have that type of relationship yet, so I left (Yes, yes, right)

No, but really…

He's seriously—no, seriously incredible

No, sorry, I know it's weird for a performer to be saying this, but…

I really respect you! You're really amazing! (No, no, no, you really…)

I really think he rejected his humanity

(W—was that a compliment?)

Well, pretty much, yeah (Oh, really? Thanks!)

[Yuya]

And uh…

Although he is never on the same stage as me,

From the first day of rehearsal until today, Shotaro and I have been supporting, elevating, and encouraging each other

I really think that JoJo wouldn't have been completed without these two

And I would really like to thank the cast and staff, including those two!

You're wonderful!

Yes

And above all, more than anything, I want to thank everyone here in the theater for showing your support

And to all of you watching the livestream, though I don't know where the cameras are,

But to those of you watching the stream—

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!

Thank you

I'm so relieved that I just finished today!

Yes, tomorrow, Hirose-kun and I will be intently watching the grand final performance!

Do your best, everyone!!

I'll do my best with you!

Well, everyone please—

What? What did you say?

I'll do it! I'll do it, okay?!

I'll be watching you, too!

I'll be watching…

Sorry about that!

So, everyone, please continue to support us until tomorrow's final performance!

Thank you very much for today!!

-

[Yuya]

Thank you

Thank you

Please continue to support us until tomorrow's performance

Shotaro, do your best tomorrow!!!

[Mamoru]

Do your best!

[Yuya]

Thank you very much!!

[Mamoru]

Thank you!

[my-burnt-city]

Fandom terms glossary

I am aware that we talk a lot of nonsense and that many of the things we say must sound like we are speaking in tongues to the uninitiated, so I have put together a wee glossary of some of the more useful and some of the more chaotic terminologies in the hopes that at least one person will find something helpful within

PD - Punchdrunk; TBC - The Burnt City; SNM - Sleep No More; TDM - The Drowned Man

WM - White Mask (noun); because we simply cannot be typing out " a u d i e n c e   m e m b e r " every single time we want to shout out a cool loop buddy or discuss interesting flocking behaviour or just make it really clear we're talking about punters rather than employees

WM - White Mask (verb); for when a performer or other employee is watching the show as an audience member, for example: "I saw Milton WMing the Zagreus loop, I laughed to myself every time he took an unnecessary shortcut"

BM - Black Mask; because it would be EVEN WORSE to have to type out "member of the FOH team or backstage crew" every single time we want to sing the praises of these deeply integral and yet purposefully-mostly-invisible heroes

(FOH - Front Of House; queue wranglers, box office team, cloakroom crew, bar staff, stewards, everyone with a job that's to do with keeping the audience happy and organised as opposed to keeping the show itself running)

Red/blue casting - there are two basic casting configurations, the red cast and the blue cast, because this is a full-on three-hour dance show with no interval. Punchdrunk therefore make sure the performers alternate between travelling characters and resident characters so they don’t burn out and die from playing someone like Apollo or Iphigenia eight times a week. Once you learn who’s who in each cast, it gets easier to predict who you might see in which roles at any given performance, but because people sometimes go on holiday, or get injured, or pursue other short-term projects, or just like to mix it up, it is never completely possible to predict who you will see in any given role on any given night (apart from Hades, who is usually Sam Booth, and Furnace, who is almost always Sam Parker; go on HOLIDAY, Sams)

(NB: when people say a show is looking a bit purple, that means the cast list is more mixed up than the usual blue/red+covers+swings, and some people are playing the roles they wouldn't usually be playing for that night's performance)

Red cast - a small selection of point characters to watch out for to tell if it's a red cast show: Agamemnon (Rob), Iphigenia (Lou), Apollo (Seirian), Hecuba (Kat), Polydorus (Jordan), Orpheus (Naomi)

Blue cast - a small selection of point characters to watch out for to tell if it's a blue cast show: Agamemnon (Jon), Iphigenia (Fern), Apollo (Georges), Hecuba (Emily), Polydorus (Ferghas), Orpheus (Cristina)

Swing/(cover) - the swings are a small but mighty army of performers who have no fixed schedule and are able to play up to eight different roles each to cover holidays and other absences. Where we have taken our other terminologies from Punchdrunk directly, “cover” is my own term for people like Milton and Omar, whose entire job is to cover the resident roles on other cast members’ regular shows off without having to tap into the army of swings. Covers are a little more predictable than swings, as they play fewer roles and are pretty likely to be performing in the majority of shows in a week; swings are impossible to predict unless you have insider knowledge. Some performers are in the red/blue cast pattern and are able to play a couple of additional roles besides so might occasionally swing into one of these other roles, just without being referred to as a swing; some performers (MITCH) are only regularly scheduled for one of the two colour casts so will always be swinging if they’re performing on another night

Travelling character - a higher-intensity role, often (though not always) dance-heavy, often (though not always) seen moving between Greece and Troy. Performers usually get one show off per week in addition to no-show days, and this generally will not fall on a day when they are scheduled to be playing their travelling role. If you prefer Big Story to supporting players, follow a travelling character: Hades, Persephone, Artemis, Apollo, Hecuba, Cassandra, Polydorus, Polyxena, Polymestor, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, Aegisthus, Neoptolemus, Patroclus

Resident character - a lower-intensity role, less likely to be dance-heavy, less likely to be seen moving between Greece and Troy. Performers usually get one show off per week in addition to no-show days, and this generally will fall on a day when they are scheduled to be playing their resident role. If you prefer low-level weirdos to major players, follow a resident character: Macaria, Luba, Kampe, Eurydice, Zagreus, Askalaphos, Kronos, Laocoön, Oracle, Watchman

RD - rehearsal director; mostly there to keep an eye on the performers and performances. They rehearse with new performers, they rehearse with established performers in new roles, they rehearse with established performers in established roles in new scenes, they watch the show to identify any areas that might need tightening up, they get final say over whether a performer is ready to take audience members for 1:1s, and they even perform in the show (either semi-regularly like Lily and Omagbitse or as needed like Sarah, Natalie and Eric). If you ever see a familiar-looking WM carrying a notebook, congrats! You’ve spotted an RD in the wild!

C1 - Contract 1, 22nd March 2022 to 8th January 2023; C2 - Contract 2, 11th January 2023 to currently unconfirmed (and not even strongly rumoured at this point but nonetheless suspected by this individual blogger to be due some time in September) 24th September 2023 (😭😭😭)

Walk-out - when a performer takes a WM by the hand, leads them out of the finale, and removes their mask for them at the end of the show. There are variations on the theme but that's the basic shape for all of 'em

Walk-through - when a performer takes a WM by the hand and leads them from the Troy finale to the Mycenae finale

Shopty - there was a party back in the days of TDM. If your ticket was for both the show and the party, then it had SHO+PTY printed on it. Just a portmanteau for show+party, the nickname has stuck even if the tickets don’t have the shorthand on them anymore

The Souk - there's an off-limits area behind Ciacco's and Hades's house that was labelled as the Souk on PD's original planning documents. This area is inaccessible to audience members and unlikely to ever be opened up, but it does occasionally come up in conversation so it's not not useful to have a name for it

Chaos casting - generally refers to a show that has a greater than usual number of swings performing, which makes for a greater than usual number of exciting new performance choices to watch, but can also refer to the idea of a performer taking on an unexpected role

The Expendables - there are a few characters that the show can function without, so when there's just not enough cast members around, these are the first to be cut. They are (in order of most-to-least likely to be cut): Eurydice, Kronos, Askalaphos, Laocoön, Oracle, Luba, Orpheus, Peep host, Persephone. Yes, the show can function and has functioned without PERSEPHONE. Also, shout-out to that one performance where the usual ‘two Peep hosts + Orpheus’ trio was Literally Just Lily, what a show that must have been!

Lonely X Show - mostly just Zagreus, tbh, a Lonely Zagreus Show/Loop gets a special name because his story so strongly revolves around Eurydice that it's a rare and fascinating treat to see what he gets up to when she isn't there. Though that said, there was also once a Lonely Hades Show, and I would pay VIP prices for the opportunity to witness that for myself one day so PD should definitely consider revisiting that some time

Ghost loop - when a character is missing for whatever reason, but you follow their usual path around the space anyway, guided only by memory, sound and light

Lilydorus - once, back in the mists of last November, the online cast list announced we were due to have Lily play Polydorus. They chickened out in the end but the idea of an incredibly unusual piece of chaos casting has stuck with us since, and a Lilydorus is therefore a piece of casting that is so unusual that you'd be more inclined to think it a data input mistake than a genuine debut (which it almost certainly is, but you're still going to hop on a train and book a last-minute ticket while speeding your way to Woolwich just in case)

Peeple - a Wordle-type game which picks up the performers from the daily online cast list and lets you test your casting skills by having you list who you think each performer is playing at that evening’s performance

Swingo - when you have seen a swing play every character in their repertoire, you have achieved swing bingo: Swingo! Some people like to impose additional rules for themselves, like they must have had a 1:1 from the performer, or they must have been walked out by the performer at least once, but I just play by the bare minimum “followed for at least one loop per performer/character combo (and yes loop 1 counts)” rules

Team Kronos - there are no real rules for being a member of Team Kronos; you don’t need to have followed him a certain number of times, you don’t need to have had the 1:1, you just have to dig his vibes. Anyone who wants to can declare themselves a member of Team Kronos (I suspect that some performers who have played this role would not count as Team Kronos members)

Character nicknames heard in-show - Pols, Polydogface, Polydoofus (Polydorus), Skally (Askalaphos), Zaggy (Zagreus), Iphy (Iphigenia), Neo (Neoptolemus), Pat (Patroclus)

Character nicknames used by the fandom - PolyD (Polydorus), PolyX (Polyxena), PolyM (Polymestor), Aska, Asky, Bird Boy (Askalaphos), Aggers, Aggy (Agamemnon), Cly (Clytemnestra), Aeggy, Eggman (Aegisthus)

Character nicknames used by Punchdrunk no matter how hard performers and audience alike push back against it - Eury (Eurydice)

[imaginethathaikyuu]

don’t lie to me - the guidepost

read PART ONE of don’t lie to me here! find the MASTERLIST here!

- 

don’t lie to me is an enemies to lovers au filled with lying, deception, stealing, and swindling, all for the sake of taking advantage of the ones in power. the only thing you and akaashi have to worry about is convincing rich party goers that you’re madly in love - that shouldn’t be so hard, right? 

but it is also a story told in three parts, and in part one lovers to enemies is in full force. love burns bright enough to see from miles away, but a hateful wildfire turns whole forests to ash. love and hate are two sides of the same coin for you and akaashi. toss it in the air and call it before it lands, but there’s no way to tell which way it’ll drop.

some important things to note right off the bat: 

1: this guidepost does not include spoilers for the fic, it just has some writers notes and explanations, character descriptions and background info. feel free to read it first, or read the fic beforehand if you’d rather go in blind 

2: the fic is a crossover with the great pretender, but it does not include any spoilers for the great pretender! so go watch it because it is very good and i want it to get a season 3 :)

first of all, i do hope you will give this story a chance. i put a lot of work into it and i hope the decisions i made created a story worth reading, one that added more interesting perspectives than others i’ve written. 

the main thing i struggled with was choosing which perspective to write from - rather, whose perspective to tell. the obvious choice would be the reader’s, but there were secrets i didn’t want to give away right off the bat and the reader couldn’t be the character i wanted if they were the main character from the start. 

i took a lot of inspiration from the great pretender, including taking characters and some story beats and putting them in this fic. as an audience member i like when the wool is pulled over my eyes along with other characters; i like watching a character learn things the same time i do, and that’s something i wanted in this fic. 

so! that left me with one choice, and so i had to find a character to take that role. it could have been any of the haikyuu boys but honestly, i didn’t want to write about any of them. i just wanted that main character to be a girl, and i felt like yachi was the perfect choice. 

forgive me for making her extremely out of character. i think it’s obvious that the yachi we know is not a liar nor is she a scammer, but i have now decided that she is. she’s still cute and sweet and charming, but she’s also a little bit of a criminal. she’s like if our yachi learned what lying is instead of learning about volleyball. 

there are a couple of characters i took right out of the great pretender and threw into this fic, the first being kudo. he is simply just a guy. short and lanky and goofy, brown hair and thick eyebrows and deep smile lines. he’s good at doing what he’s told and wearing any disguise he needs to. 

ms. kim is a woman for my heart! she is in the prime of her life! do not ask a woman her age! you may not be able to tell now, but when she was a young woman, she had her hands in the pockets of every man in her city. where did she get that new dress? her boyfriend bought it for her, of course. what about that diamond on her ring finger? oh, that was her fiance. she was nothing short of a mastermind, letting men fall at her feet. she’s given up on that type of work now, however; she prefers the laid back approach these days. you’ll always see her with knitting needles in her hands, and she could knit a sweater with her eyes closed. you once asked if she would knit you a scarf, and she told you she wouldn’t do it for free. she knows how much money you make, after all. 

more information about both of these characters can be found on their wikis!

part one was a lot of moving pieces that i tried my best to fit together well, and i hope that despite it being very long and not very relationship focused, that you give it a chance and enjoy it, because i am very proud of it. i’ve read it so many times now that it all feels like a mess of words on the page but i think it is very fun and something new for me. 

part two will be a very big mood shift. a very important character will be introduced, and all the backstory will be told. i hope you are excited - i am extremely happy with it! 

special shoutout to the sonic r ost, it really got me through writing this monster. everybody super sonic racing try to keep your feet right on the ground when youre super sonic racing theres no time to look around we’re just super sonic racing running to the point of no return everybody super sonic racing come on let the fire burn.  everybody everybody everybody everyobody everyobdoy everyodbuyeverybodyddfff d 

[promptisgiftexchange]

Thank You

We have reached the conclusion of the 2023 Promptis Gift Exchange and I want to thank each and every one of you. Whether you were a participant or simply along for the ride reading the stories and viewing the exceptional artwork, thank you for helping to make this gift exchange the joyful event that it was. 

To all of our talented participants, you have gone above and beyond and have contributed so much incredible Promptis content for your gift recipients, and for this exchange. Thank you for all of your hard work and for being a part of this event. You are what made it so special and I’m so happy for you to finally be able to share your work with the community as yourselves.

At this time, all of our Authors and Artists are now free to post your stories/artwork under your own name anywhere else that you desire. You may also choose to update the posting date of your Ao3 post at this point so that your contribution appears as a new work under your own name.

If anyone is aware of any stories that were written in response to art from our exchange or more artwork that was created in response to any other stories in the exchange, please let me know by sending me a link or by pinging me at @ promptis_gift on Twitter or @promptisgiftexchange on Tumblr so I can give it a boost. Likewise, if any of you have plans to write or draw anything as a response to the gift you received, I would love to be made aware of them once they are completed so I can promote it as well.

I would also like to give a special shout out and thank you to @ ffxv_zine_news and @FFXVFicRec on Twitter. Your retweeting and support of the Promptis Gift Exchange (especially considering the fact that I wasn’t tagging your accounts while I was promoting individual works over the course of the two months) did not go unnoticed. Thank you for your support and promotion of the individual stories and pieces of artwork that our participants worked so hard on, and for all of the wonderful things that you do everyday for our FFXV community as a whole.

Another huge and heartfelt thank you goes out to Church of Promptis, cloudbureiku, FireHeartAW, MathClassWarfare, and Sinnerbeam for their willingness and ability to switch posting dates with participants who ran into unexpected problems. You guys are the best and I appreciate everything you’ve done! 

Once again, thank you to everyone who has been a part of the 2023 Promptis Gift Exchange. This year has been our largest exchange to date and I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have had such an amazingly successful third round. It has been a fantastic two months, filled with tons of excitement, and amazing Promptis fanworks! All of that is thanks to all of you! 

I hope to see you all again next year for our fourth round. Please continue to follow us for more information that will come out later this year on the 2024 Promptis Gift Exchange. 

In the meantime, if you are not already a member of the Promptis Discord Server, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us for year round Promptis fun. Anyone who loves Promptis is welcome to join us. It's a great place to chat with nice people about Promptis, share fanworks that you love, and we also have fun in-server events like a Monthly Challenge. I have included the invitation link to the server below.

Promptis Server- https://discord.gg/Xfw4jQWQ28

Masterlist and Creator Reveals

Without further ado, here are the reveals for the Promptis Gift Exchange 2023. You can also find the reveal detail in the following places, organized by the type of fanwork.

Google Docs- https://docs.google.com/document/d/139e6LpvD75LMp0TCcvS_lrA7j7andv5xW9TTuoRgm_0/edit?usp=sharing

You can also, as always, locate the entire collection directly on Ao3- https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works

Art

Title: All rotted leaves and lemon rind- (Art)

Artist: Mementomoryo

Gift For: MysteriousBean

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: And I love you.

And I love you.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47509423

Title: It’s just one cat Prompto, how much work could it be?- (Art)

Artist: MysteriousBean

Gift For: prompurii

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: The amount of cats that can be fit into one apartment is finite. The amount of cats it takes to fill your boyfriend’s soul is not. Thank goodness Prompto’s love for his boyfriend is also infinite.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47428099

Title: More Than One “Night Light Sky”- (Art) 

Artist: jam_calamity

Gift for: Hielo

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis and Prompto share a special moment watching a meteor shower together under the Duscae night sky.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46381177

Title: Not The Hair!- (Art)

Artist: Happy_Orc

Gift For: jam_calamity

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prompto spent AGES trying to get his hair to look good!

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46909558

Title: that's not fair- (Art)

Artist: Gayboy1996

Gift For: Sinnerbeam

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Artwork created for the 2023 Promptis Gift Exchange. For the prompt: Lazy mornings in bed, post-dawn

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46583281

Title: Work of Art- (Art)

Artist: Bramblepelt

Gift For: Church of Promptis

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: When Prompto convinced the strange and handsome man to model for his newest painting, he couldn't have predicted just how much inspiration he'd get.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47037817

Art & Fic

Title: A Biography of Hunger- (Art & Fic)

Artist/Author: Church of Promptis

Gift For: kikowithcatears

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: “I hate my life,” Noctis mumbles as he pushes his head out of the hoodie’s collar.

“You don’t mean that,” Gladio answers casually, watching him from the doorstep of his bedroom.

“But I do. It sucks.”

Noctis keeps rummaging through the huge bag lying on the carpet. He isn’t happy, and after all, it’s his right to feel so. He pushes a t-shirt aside and fishes a pair of pants from the very bottom - baggy, faded blue jeans. They feel soft under his fingers. He’s never worn anything faded in his life and he pulls them on.

“Stop sulking, princess. I know you haven’t been feeling your best lately, and that’s why we’re doing something about it.”

Noctis shrugs as he zips the pants and arranges his sweater over it. It all feels strange. A nice kind of strange, if he’s being honest.

“It’s not like we’re going to do anything exciting,” he still says, because his brain has decided to be sour today.

“Who cares? It’ll do for a change, and I dare you to look me in the eye and tell me that you wouldn’t do just about anything if it meant you got to walk around in that ridiculous getup.”

OR

Noctis needs to touch some grass and Gladio knows exactly where to take him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46984612/chapters/118362526

Title: A place to lean on- (Art & Fic)

Artist & Author: Tsu_Yume

Gift For: GuineaGoon

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Orphaned twice over, Prompto was snatched from the quiet common life he’d known, and raised to the position of Prince of the Imperial Empire of Niflheim. In over his head and Prince only in name, he was subjected to the cruel whims of the Imperial Chancellor. Until one day, his meeting with the Oracle allowed him the chance to become friends with the mysterious Lucian Prince and hopefully bring peace to the Star.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47148364/chapters/118791724

Title: Princes, Proxies, Paths- (Art & Fic)

Artist & Author: SalamanderSocks

Gift For: MeissaShush

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: After centuries of bad blood, peace between Lucis and Niflheim seems to be finally becoming a possibility. However, navigating the maze of secrets and long held grudges turns out to be far more complicated than anyone imagined. Yet, for Noctis, the most frustrating conundrum lies in the fact that he's fallen for the one person out of his reach…

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46360960/chapters/116723866

Title: would you like your receipt in the bag- (Art & Fic)

Artist & Author: kiwiaste

Gift For: Toastie_Pan

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: or would you prefer my number instead?

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46813387

Comics/Manga

Title: Late night swim- (Art)

Artist: MoonlightWanderer

Gift For: Amarilly

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis and Prompto sneak out of camp for some late night exploration.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46537951

Title: Neato- (Art)

Artist: Sinnerbeam

Gift For: FeralHearts358

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prompto learns something new about his boyfriend, and he's really into it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47150860/chapters/118798084

Title: Star kisses- (Art)

Artist: Banira

Gift For: MoonlightWanderer

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: It happens more often than not that Noctis works very late and he doesn't find much time to spend with Prompto. So Prompto takes things into his own hands and abducts him to an impromptu date.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47131552

Title: The Cat Should Have Gotten Your Tongue- (Art)

Artist: mildlycuriousdragon

Gift For: Ember_Lace

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noct's (first) attempt to get chattin with the cute local dog walker~

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46839520

Fic

Title: A newfound appreciation- (Fic)

Author: errantknightess

Gift For: Blivvi

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis, the prince of naps, decides to wake up early for once to understand why Prompto likes it so much.

He quickly finds that there are many reasons for him to enjoy mornings as well.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46558045

Title: A Touch, A Bloom- (Fic)

Author: KatrinaEagle

Gift For: Seastorm25

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prince Prompto is assigned to visit Insomnia for Prince Noctis' outrageous 6-week-long coming-of-age gala. It is, in his opinion, completely unnecessary, but Emperor Aldecapt had made it clear that he was to succeed in his first international mission and win the trust of Prince Noctis.

But of course everything goes wrong before he even sets foot on Lucian soil.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47015923/chapters/118444216

Title: and if i see you leaving, i beat you to the door- (Fic)

Author: everylemon

Gift For: MathClassWarfare

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis, Prompto, and stolen moments alone together through the years.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46538791

Title: Arrangements, Secrets & Promises- (Fic)

Author: Marlingrl

Gift For: Bramblepelt

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: When Prompto is stabbed during Noctis' wedding, it sets off a series of events that upend not only Prompto's life, but also change the entire political landscape of Eos in the process

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46871824/chapters/118066669

Title: Caring for Sick Royalty: A Survival Guide- (Fic) 

Author: LuckyLectio

Gift For: Loki_chan

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: It starts with a sniffle.

Little did Prompto know that one small cold could mean an entire week of pure chaos, courtesy of his favorite magically-blessed prince. Dealing with occasional arson, lightning strikes, and indoor blizzards was not something Prompto could possibly have prepared for.

...He just hopes he’ll survive long enough to confess his feelings.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46357594

Title: Clear Hearts, Cloudy Skies- (Fic)

Author: cloudbureiku

Gift For: Akumeoi

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: “You made it-” Noctis started, getting cut off as Prompto quickly closed the distance between them and enveloped him in a crushing hug. He froze for a second before melting into Prompto’s embrace. “I thought you were dead, Prompto. Your phone-”

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46693972

Title: Closer- (Fic)

Author: Blivvi

Gift For: treya_barton

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: “I’m not an official Crownsguard yet though. I don’t know, I feel like I’d make a fool of myself. I’ve never done anything formal in my life. I mean, you guys were raised for this, I just don’t see how I’d fit in.”

Noctis kicked his chair leg. “Maybe I like that you don’t fit in. If you’re worried about the correct etiquette and stuff, we can teach you, but no one’s going to banish you for using the wrong fork.”

Prompto laughed. “Dude, don’t underestimate how bad I could mess this up.”

For the first time, Noctis was allowed to invite Prompto to attend one of the Citadel's biggest events. Despite being completely unprepared, Prompto agrees to go, if only for the chance to spend an evening with Noctis. There's a few problems though. One, he has nothing to wear. Two, he has no idea how to act in such a formal setting. Three...he was hopelessly in love with Noctis.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46973491/chapters/118333174

Title: Courage to Confess- (Fic)

Author: treya_barton

Gift For: kiwiaste

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Now that Noctis has survived saving Eos, the Chocobros decide to go on another road trip to celebrate his return. Only the other three have been acting kind of strange lately and Prompto especially seems to be hiding something. Noctis decides he's going to get to the bottom of it while on the trip and doesn't realize that may be what the others plan for him too.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46716901/chapters/117658144

Title: Driftwood- (Fic)

Author: Hielo

Gift For: RikuKingdomHearts3

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: On this day Prompto waits in vain at school for word from his best friend and makes a plan.

Because a young prince urgently needs his help.

For over all over the news, which at one stroke, changed everything:

King Regis is dead.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47020144

Title: Drinking My Way Into Your Arms (and Other Dumb Ways to Make Decisions)- (Fic)

Author: Boogs

Gift For: Marlingrl

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis and Prompto get really drunk and get married. Once they realize what they've done they have to do something truly horrific.

Deal with the consequences of their actions.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47204110

Title: Harbinger- (Fic)

Author: GingerEl

Gift For: Maniikoi

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Too much magic, they say. The entirety of Winter, solely under Noctis’ tenuous control. It’s difficult, not least of all because it isolates him, makes it impossible for other Gods to be around him, let alone anyone else.

At least Noctis doesn’t have to worry about the little caveat to his immortality. The only thing that can kill him is a broken heart—and being alone keeps him quite safe in that regard.

“Didn’t it hurt?” Noctis asks. “When you touched me.”

“No,”

Prompto says. “Should it?”

Noctis doesn’t know if it should, just that—

“It does everyone else,” Noctis says.

“Everyone?”

Prompto sucks in a deep breath and pushes it out long and slow. He doesn’t seem scared when he reaches for Noctis’ hand, doesn’t even hesitate to interlock their fingers, and press their palms together.

“There we go,” Prompto says softly. “To start making up for it.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47403487/chapters/119450683

Title: In the Here and Now- (Fic)

Author: Amarilly

Gift For: Banira

Rated: Mature (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Grounded. Prompto needed to be in the here and now. He could feel a faint beat pressed against his chest. Feeling another person’s heart beating was strange and wonderful against the silence of his own. The quick pace was exhilarating and he smiled, pressing another kiss to Noct’s face as he reached out blindly to slide the screen of the doorway closed.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46782673

Title: Iridescence- (Fic)

Author: prompurii

Gift For: SalamanderSocks

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Trapped outside of themselves in the most confusing week of their lives, they have to find a way to fix it while pretending to be each other. A week that will remain with them for many years to come.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46942417

Title: Like Real People Do- (Fic)

Author: Loki_chan

Gift For: sephirothflame

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: He looked down at Noctis, unable to help the grin on his face as he watched Noctis’ grumpy expression. “What’s up, Noct?”

Noctis just groaned and thrust the paper at him, covering his eyes with his arm. Prompto took the paper, bemused. What could bother Noctis so much? He didn’t usually let the tabloids get to him.

“He’s upset because they say the Niff prince has surfaced again.” Gladio leaned on the kitchen counter, eyeing them while Ignis worked.

Prompto frowned as he skimmed the front page article. Everyone knew the story of the missing Niflheim prince. Right at the end of the war, as the Emperor was chasing down Besithia for his misdeeds, his youngest son went missing. Sentiment was generally split between believing the poor boy was dead or being hidden away for some future political purpose. Officially, he was listed as missing, and periodically someone would pop up claiming to have found him in order to collect the reward.

Prompto felt for the young prince, but he was selfishly glad he would probably never be found. He didn’t want Noctis to have to marry someone he’d never met. He didn’t want Noctis to marry anyone. Anyone not him, the traitorous voice in the back of his head whispered.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46409428

Title: Longest Longing Ranch- (Fic)

Author: Toastie_Pan

Gift For: moonwaif

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis Lucis Caelum owns the Caelum ranch, home to the greatest chocobos to ever been bred. One day when preparing for the wedding of his two best workers, Noctis finds himself face to face with a trespasser. A trespasser just trying to find a place to belong.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47424196

Title: near miss, one kiss- (Fic)

Author: FireHeartAW

Gift For: mildlycuriousdragon

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Fingernails scrape at the back of his neck, fingertips curl into his hair and pull, gently but with enough pressure for Prompto to get the message. The request to look, to share, to let those lines blur between them as they always have. The music in the loud, echoing halls of the citadel starts to rise again, to build and grow, and Prompto lets it crest over him and pull him under.

“It’s just I’m in—” he starts, but Noct closes almost all of the distance between them, face tilting, long tendrils of inky black hair hanging with the movement, nose brushing up against Prom’s own.

“I think I know, Prom. I hope I do. But don’t, not here.” The not with too many prying eyes, goes unsaid, enough that Prompto nods, understanding as he reads between the lines, and their lips start to brush, careful and close.

~~

5 times Prompto and Noctis finally almost kiss after all these years dancing around one another, and the 1 time they finally do.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47281738

Title: One True Groom- (Fic)

Author: Maniikoi

Gift For: Boogs

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prince Prompto Aldercapt of Niflheim and Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum of Insomnia both share the same problem—they’re both arranged to be married to people they’ve never met and won’t know until they’re at the altar.

Prompto travels to Insomnia to enjoy what little freedom he has left before he’s metaphorically collared to a complete stranger. He’s resigned himself to his fate until he meets a certain feline prince at Insomnia College for his final year and catches feelings.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46423180/chapters/116883553

Title: Pulchritude- (Fic)

Author: Ember_Lace

Gift For: GingerEl

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Pulchritude. Noun.

Beauty.

Prompto has a favourite client. A man so beautiful that his heart flutters every time that he enters the tattoo parlour. So how did the pair of them end up pretending to be boyfriends at Prompto's family reunion?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47352595/chapters/119318806

 Title: right here waiting for you- (Fic)

Author: sephirothflame

Gift For: Tsu_Yume

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: It was a lifetime coming, Noctis dancing with Prompto in the crowded hall, a shiny new crown on his head. They've waited long enough to acknowledge this thing between them.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46762828

Title: Ruby- (Fic)

Author: Seastorm25

Gift For: everylemon

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Maybe they don’t really have the time to be taking on a hunt like this when old Cid could be done fixing up the boat any day now. It isn’t even an official mark, meaning there’s no reward. Only, when Prompto caught Noct’s gaze lingering on the string of the hunter who requested this of them, which dangled several inches off the ground, fraying at the end, he knew they would be taking this job regardless of what’s in it for them.

Or:

Noctis gets kidnapped by a daemon. Time for the rest of the gang to figure out how to get the upper hand.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47351779

Title: sunshine and donuts- (Fic)

Author: kikowithcatears

Gift For: dreamtowns

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noct and Prompto get paired up to do a class project together. What starts with hesitation, Noct reminding himself not to get too attached and Prompto convincing himself that he’ll probably say something foolish in front of the crown prince and get thrown in a dungeon or something, blossoms into something more.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46486117

Title: That Darn Cat- (Fic)

Author: GuineaGoon

Gift For: Happy_Orc

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Lucis and Niflheim are to be connected through political marriage, and Noctis and Prompto are both unsure if they are ready to be married. Having to yet meet his fiance, Prompto comes to the Citadel for treaty discussions and learns of the Citadel's worst kept secret: the immortal demon cat.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47259964

Title: The Lucky Chocobo- (Fic)

Author: MathClassWarfare

Gift For: errantknightess

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Fortune favors a bro.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46637404/chapters/117451945

Title: to break so easily- (Fic)

Author: tiny_tonberry

Gift For: Mementomoryo

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: There were many things Noctis loved about Prompto.

He loved the blond’s laugh, bright, bubbly giggles that filled the room with the most pleasant of sounds. He loved his best friend’s drive and determination, the can-do attitude that came across as condescending or stubborn to those who didn’t understand his years of borderline isolation and forced independence. He absolutely adored his eyes, blue with violet undertones that left him completely breathless when the light hit them just right.

Noctis had been caught by the blond completely, hook line and sinker, and could go on for eternity and a day about his affections for his friend (a particular form of torture he has discovered to be effective as an Ignis deterrent) but that didn’t stop him from having moments like this.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47394340

Title: To get under that pussy(cat)- (Fic)

Author: FeralHearts358

Gift For: Gayboy1996

Rated: Explicit (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: A totally normal hunt goes awry and Noct ends up underneath that pussy(cat). He's certainly not complaining.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47246563

Title: Too Close to the Sun- (Fic)

Author: MeissaShush

Gift For: tiny_tonberry

Rated: Mature (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: “Why are you worried about me?” Prompto snapped back as Noct hoisted him up to the ledge, grinning. “What was the phrase? The bigger they are—”

“—the easier it is for them to shove you off the fucking mountain.” Gladio said, grinning viciously as he hauled himself to his feet.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46435663/chapters/116916076

Title: Will you be my player 2? -(Fic)

Author: RikuKingdomHearts3

Gift For: cloudbureiku

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: It all started with one simple hangout at the arcade. It wasn't anything new between Noctis and Prompto, but this time something different happened, giving Noctis an opportunity to say what he had buried down in his heart.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46606864

Title: You and I Kaleide-(Fic)

Author: Akumeoi

Gift For: KatrinaEagle

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Prompto is a clone. Every single part of him is a copy of someone else, from his face to his organs to his personality and what food he likes, probably.

Prompto sees in black and white. That’s normal for someone of his age, because statistically, most people don’t meet their soulmate until at least their twenties, and he’s only nineteen. But Prompto is pretty sure that he’ll never see in colour, because he’ll never have a soulmate. His logic is this: if he is a copy of someone else, then unless that person’s soulmate has a copy, how can he possibly have a soulmate himself? The original soulmate belongs to whoever the original of Prompto is.

The original of Prompto is Verstael Besithia. Whatever soulmate he has - Prompto thinks it might be that demented red-haired guy who got dug out of the ground like a fucking vampire - Prompto does not want them.

(In which Shiva and Ifrit tell Ramuh about Prompto and Noctis's love story in order to convince him to help them bring Noctis back to life.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46928113/chapters/118213087

Title: you’re all i want (to love, to hold)- (Fic)

Author: dreamtowns

Gift For: FireHeartAW

Rated: General Audiences (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Noctis is just barely shy of nineteen when he meets his fiancé, Prompto Argentum Aldercapt; First Imperial Prince of the Niflheim Empire, as many an article proclaims.

When Noctis pondered on his future spouse, he knew it would be an arranged marriage. It was a rare occasion when nobility married for love. Nonetheless, he had accepted the fact that he would share the rest of his life with a spouse he had little care for and could only hope he would grow to love them and vice versa.

He did not, however, expect his future spouse to be the prince of Niflheim.

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/46917529

Title: You’re Finally Here- (Fic)

Author: moonwaif

Gift For: LuckyLectio

Rated: Teen (please mind the tags on Ao3)

Summary: Have you heard of the prince who was born with an irregular soul mark?

TLDR: Prince Noctis is born with a soul mark that looks like a bar code, in a time before scanning technology exists. I wonder what that could mean . . . ?

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/Promptis_Gift_Exchange_2023/works/47079358

[sakebytheriver]

I don't want to call out this person I follow or respond to their post, because ultimately it's not a big deal, but they were getting upset as a black woman about being recced It's Always Sunny so much by white people when the first episode is called "The Gang Gets Racist" and that they do blackface and say the N word a bunch and she was basically saying that because the show did these things it meant it was inherently a racist show

And while I can 100% understand a black person looking at the first episode of iasip and being uncomfortable and not finding that the show made their satirical point correctly and deciding they never wanted to watch anything else from the show after that, because iasip has had several misses in terms of satirizing the issues with society for sure and it's also absolutely not a show for everyone, it's meant to be one of those Succession, Arrested Development, South Park type shows where none of the main characters are meant to be likeable people, but are ultimately supposed to be the worst examples of humanity has to offer in order to allow the writers and showrunners to make a broader satirical commentary about the dysfunction of our society using their characters as plot devices and tools rather than people for the audience to relate to or empathize with

I would honestly say the show is ultimately the best "edgy" progressive satire that Hollywood has ever produced. One thing, I have never seen any kind of right winger do is use one of the deplorable actions committed by the characters in iasip as like a good and based thing to emulate and indoctrinate more people into the right, they do this all the time with South Park though, they're constantly misunderstanding a message SP is trying to make and then adopt those overblown satirical talking points into their own irl politics making life even more bigotted in the extreme cartoon way the show created to be an outlandish thing that would never happen creating a self-fulfilling prpphecy rather than actually changing any minds, but this is never done with iasip. It has never been taken over by the right, there are never any messages or talking points in iasip that have been twisted and turned into real irl right wing political talking points, this show's fanbase is extremely progressive in comparison to other similar shows, the creators are also a lot more progressive than your average LA Hollywood neoliberal type, the show does edgy satire correctly and while the show depicts racist actions and depicts racist characters it is wrong to say the show itself is racist, because ultimately at the end of the day just the presence of these things does not make something inherently that thing too and if your point is that edgy satire like iasip just should not exist then we can't have a conversation

It's a very similar complaint to the people saying that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist book, because it accurately depicts racism in that time in order for the main character to make the decision not to emulate those actions

Like yeah, the shit they do in iasip is racist and gross and you're supposed to come away from the show with that exact belief, every member of the gang is a racist misogynist antisemite homophobe etc. etc. who the world would be better off without and so by making them all these deplorable people the writers are able to do a lot of satirical analysis of the absolute dregs of society through them, you just would not be able to do the kind of satirical analysis that iasip does with characters like Jim and Pam from The Office

The biggest critique with edgy satirical shows like South Park is how they normalize bigotry for the average audience viewer, It's Always Sunny in Philidelphia does NOT do this, it does the exact opposite, which is why I consider it the best edgy satire Hollywood has ever made, because it actually does the job of a satire correctly

[infokey]

4 Powerful Softwares Every Business Should Use

Introduction

In today’s fast-paced digital world, we should utilize the correct tech to stand out among the competition. The correct software can ease operations, enhance efficiency and make a brand grow as well. From marketing and communication to finance and logistics, investing in the right tools is crucial for success. Infokey, the leading software company, provides unique solutions to businesses to easily get to their goals. Here’s our new blog about four Top software solutions needed for getting your business at its peak performance.

1. WhatsApp Marketing Software — WaBM

In an era where instant communication is vital, businesses are leveraging WhatsApp to connect with their customers. WaBM, a WhatsApp marketing tool by Infokey, enables businesses to send bulk messages, manage conversations efficiently and automate interactions.

The Main WaBM Features:

Message Broadcasting: Send bulk messages to customers quickly and efficiently.

Blue Tick Branding: Gain customer trust with verified business messages.

Automated Responses: Use a custom chatbot to handle customer inquiries automatically.

Conversation Analytics: Track and analyze customer interactions to improve marketing strategies.

Contact & Group Management: Organize and segment your audience for targeted marketing.

Multi-Agent Support: Allow multiple team members to manage customer conversations.

Template Message Management: Create and manage pre-approved message templates for consistent communication.

Benefits for Businesses:

Greater customer interaction and brand awareness would be the major benefits for businesses.

Build marketing campaigns which are more effective and have a better outreach.

Improved lead nurturing and conversion are added advantages.

WaBM also helps businesses by being a Meta Tech Partner, which ensures that they have access to the latest WhatsApp API features. Businesses are able to provide seamless communication with customers while ensuring that they abide by the WhatsApp policies.

2. AI Chatbot for WhatsApp & Telegram — Yatter AI

When ChatGPT was introduced, it offered amazing capabilities but was not easily accessible to everyone. Yatter AI was created to make AI-powered chat accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere without the need to visit complex websites. It provides a user-friendly experience for those who want to interact with AI effortlessly.

Key Features of Yatter AI:

24/7 Availability: Yatter AI is always ready to assist users, eliminating the need to wait for answers.

Personalized Interactions: Select the most popular options and buttons to be included in your rule-based model.

Summarizing Images and PDFs: It will easily recognize and sort out the most valuable information within a limited time and with minimum effort.

How Yatter AI Improves Business Operations:

Provides instant query resolution.

Reduces operational costs by automating routine interactions.

Helps businesses with content marketing and idea generation.

Yatter AI acts like an AI assistant, similar to ChatGPT bots, helping businesses manage Your inquiries effectively while enhancing their communication strategies.

3. Accounting Software — Fastax

The ability to know where the money is, is a big issue in the internal financial world of any company that uses the all-in-one product by Infokey, the Fastax software for accounting it, which is now all in one transaction type to track and manage financial operations out of the business easily. Fast is intended for maintaining correct records.

Key Features of Fastax:

Sales Management: Track revenue and analyze business performance.

Purchase Management: The ways of acquiring goods through ordering, shipping and storing are being simplified to enhance the customer experience.

Stock Management: Secure correct inventory.

GST Reports: Double down on tax disclosure at all times.

Benefits for Businesses:

Reduced accounting errors with increased accuracy.

By using automation customers can save time and increase the accuracy of calculations.

Real-time financial data is provided.

Fastax is a comprehensive accounting platform that ensures businesses stay financially organized and compliant, making it an essential tool for long-term success.

4. Logistics ERP Solution — Infokey’s Logistics ERP

The integration of the top ERP system is absolutely indispensable for organizations which are dealing with logistics and supply chain management. Infokey’s Logistics ERP is an end-to-end solution that makes it possible to manage the movement of goods from manufacturing to the final consumer and to manage internal and external operations tracking.

4. Logistics ERP Solution — Infokey’s Logistics ERP

The integration of the top ERP system is absolutely indispensable for organizations which are dealing with logistics and supply chain management. Infokey’s Logistics ERP is an end-to-end solution that makes it possible to manage the movement of goods from manufacturing to the final consumer and to manage internal and external operations tracking.

Here are the Features of Infokey’s Logistics ERP:

Inventory Tracking and Management: Realize in this way where your stocks are and what needs reordering.

Driver Management: Drivers will have schedules and delivery updates at their fingertips, so it will be easy for them to make the best possible decisions.

Fleet Management: Make use of fewer vehicles so that you can reduce the overall fuel consumption and subsequently the maintenance costs.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Through this, you will solve your customer issues and thus take them not only to satisfaction but also to delight them as well.

Advantages for Companies:

Better supply chain management, due to the more accurate tracking and more effective coordination.

Lowering the operational expenses from the savings that the logistics will give by using the logistics optimization system.

Deliver the products more efficiently by tracking the delivery, which will add to the customer satisfaction level.

Infokey’s ERP is the software that is going to drive the logistics sector at businesses to the next level of technology which is, in turn, going to give them the efficiency and total control to increase their logistics services and also to provide them with fresh ideas to the transportation field.

Conclusion

In the current digital age, the right software, when properly managed, can bring about such a metamorphosis in business processes. In addition to the applications such as WaBM for WhatsApp marketing, Yatter AI for chatbot automation, Fastax for accounting and Logistics ERP for supply chain management, Infokey has many other software solutions that are useful in this situation. All of them are designed for the benefit of companies through the increase of efficiency, the reduction of the amount of money required for daily operations and the achievement of sustainable growth.

Inspiration to invest in the latest technology, which is so important for keeping a business competitive and making it grow in the changing world market, will come from today’s technology investments. Join the Infokey community and elevate your business to the next level.

Here are the Features of Infokey’s Logistics ERP:

Inventory Tracking and Management: Realize in this way where your stocks are and what needs reordering.

Driver Management: Drivers will have schedules and delivery updates at their fingertips, so it will be easy for them to make the best possible decisions.

Fleet Management: Make use of fewer vehicles so that you can reduce the overall fuel consumption and subsequently the maintenance costs.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Through this, you will solve your customer issues and thus take them not only to satisfaction but also to delight them as well.

Advantages for Companies:

Better supply chain management, due to the more accurate tracking and more effective coordination.

Lowering the operational expenses from the savings that the logistics will give by using the logistics optimization system.

Deliver the products more efficiently by tracking the delivery, which will add to the customer satisfaction level.

Infokey’s ERP is the software that is going to drive the logistics sector at businesses to the next level of technology which is, in turn, going to give them the efficiency and total control to increase their logistics services and also to provide them with fresh ideas to the transportation field.

Conclusion

In the current digital age, the right software, when properly managed, can bring about such a metamorphosis in business processes. In addition to the applications such as WaBM for WhatsApp marketing, Yatter AI for chatbot automation, Fastax for accounting and Logistics ERP for supply chain management, Infokey has many other software solutions that are useful in this situation. All of them are designed for the benefit of companies through the increase of efficiency, the reduction of the amount of money required for daily operations and the achievement of sustainable growth.

Inspiration to invest in the latest technology, which is so important for keeping a business competitive and making it grow in the changing world market, will come from today’s technology investments. Join the Infokey community and elevate your business to the next level.

[concerthopperblog]

The Best of AMERICANAFEST 2024

AMERICANAFEST is an assault on the senses. With hundreds of parties, official and unofficial, going on in dozens of venues throughout Nashville, there's so much choice you risk being paralyzed with indecision. For our part, we caught 45 shows across a eight venues and, while we saw a few bands we probably wouldn't buy an album from (remember, friends, buy your music), we didn't catch anything that wasn't good. That said, only a few can be the best. Here are the best things we saw at AMERICANAFEST 2024.

Best of the Fest- Amythyst Kiah and Danielle Nicole At this point, I should probably disqualify Amythyst Kiah from getting “Best of the Fest” and give some other people a chance. She has, I think, won it every time she has played the festival and I have seen her. And she just keeps getting better. Pulling heavily from her forthcoming album Still + Bright, Kiah blended her standard blues and Americana with elements of symphonic metal and classic rock for a sound that is like no other.

This year, Kiah has to share her award with Danielle Nicole. Of the three bands I saw Wednesday night at Exit/In, she was the one I knew nothing about. Boy, had I been missing out. Sounding like what would happen if Janis Joplin fronted The Jimi Hendrix Experience, her power trio blasted through 45 minutes of pure blues-rock fury and I was there for it. For intensity, this was by far the set of the weekend.

Best Work Ethic- Secret Emchy Society and Amelia White The old saying is “work smarter, not harder.” But there's something to be said for working harder and nobody at AMERICANAFEST 2024 worked harder than these two. Cindy Emch of Secret Emchy Society made the trip from California and made the most out of racking up all those airline miles. Over the court of AMERICANAFEST's six days, Emch curated three events (including a 9 hour-long house show) and performed at five. All of these performances helped promote either her fellow Bay Area roots musicians or the Queer Country community. I was able to catch her at her official Showcase on Saturday night at The 5 Spot, my first time seeing her with her full band, and her brand of hard-living, hard-drinking, hard-rocking country music kept the packed audience entertained, even with her playing the dreaded 11 pm final slot of the festival, when many fest goers are either headed home or too tired to rock.

While Amelia White might not have had as far to travel as Emch, living in East Nashville, but that didn't stop her from putting the work in during AMERICANAFEST week. Over the course of the festival, White performed at seven official and non-official events. I was able to catch her at two of these; the official East Coast Social Club showcase at The Bowery Vault and the unofficial Americanamitzvah event at the Love and Exile Bar. In both cases, White showed why she's been dubbed “The Queen of the East Nashville Underground.”

Best Import- Tami Neilson A New Zealander by way of Canada, Tami Neilson is no stranger to Nashville. In addition to having played a number of shows at AMERICANAFEST in the past, Neilson was also, as a child, a member of The Neilsons, a family band that used to be regular performers at Opryland, a, sadly, now defunct Nashville amusement park that Neilson referenced from the stage when I saw her at the Lightnin' Management Medicine Show at 3rd and Lindsley on Thursday, noting that the city had literally paved over Opryland to put up a parking lot (attached to a tacky shopping mall). Neilson's blend of classic country and rockabilly is a crowd pleaser whenever she plays AMERICANAFEST and her booming voice almost needs no amplification to be heard.

Best Genre Blender- Hawktail A supergroup made up of crack musicians Jordan Tice, Brittany Haas, and Paul Kowert, Hawktail defies any type of genrefication you might want to put on them. With a bluegrass core, the trio mixes elements of jazz, Americana, rock, and chamber music into a sound that is like no other. I got to seem them open AMERICANAFEST on Tuesday night, first with a solo set and then backing up Aoife O'Donovan. In both sets, jaws dropped as the band displayed an instrumental virtuosity that refused to acknowledge genres exist.

Best Find- The Kentucky Gentlemen This is normally where Danielle Nicole would go if she hadn't been so good as to take my “best of” slot. But that's ok because I had another AMERICANAFEST discovery that nearly rivaled them; The Kentucky Gentlemen. Mixing classic country riffs with Bobby Brown-esque r&b vocals and moves, The Kentucky Gentlemen dazzled The 5 Spot on Saturday night with a set high on kinetic energy and infectious hooks.

Best Party Atmosphere- Paisley Fields As one of the current standard-bearers for Queer Country, Paisley Fields has a lot of baggage to carry around in one 45 minute set. But you wouldn't know it from his show, which is a fun, often raunchy, and always musically on-point party. Whether he's unleashing the least subtle Queer Country song in history (“Ride Me Cowboy”) or his protest song (“Tear This Statehouse Down”), he never loses sight of the fact that music gets its message across best when its audience is having fun.

Best New Venue- Cannery Hall Damn, is it nice to have The Cannery back. After a couple of years of dormancy, a victim of Nashville's skyrocketing rents, a new ownership group turned the former Cannery Ballroom/Mercy Lounge/Hi-Watt into a new event space that introduces the best technological improvements to a storied Nashville venue. Just being inside the walls of the place where so many of Nashville's favorites got their start was a nice return to glory. While I only got to see the Cannery Mainstage (for McCrary Sisters, Jon Muq, and Amythyst Kiah), I came away impressed enough to start looking for shows at the venue's two other stages to attend, just to soak in the history.

There it is. The favorite things we saw at AMERICANAFEST 2024. If you attended, leave us your favorites in the comments!

[nuttyblizzardflower]

Recruitment Website Design, Web Design for Recruitment Agencies

Inhaltverzeichnis

Keeping costs down when building a recruitment site

Consistency in Recruitment Marketing is everything

Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

Uniting advanced Graphic Design to merge your digital presence with your business goals. Leave us your details and a member of our team will be in touch very soon to talk you through our process and to answer any questions you may have. We had a budget to work to but was concerned that we would get into the process and then get hit by add on’s and “extras”. We were happy to discover that the cost we had agreed included everything we wanted – as well as things we hadn’t even considered. Focused website expertise within Recruitment web design,  Job Board and Careers sectors. We pride ourselves in creating lasting impressions and long lasting partnerships.

Keeping costs down when building a recruitment site

Technology enhances all areas of your workflows and enables consultants to build stronger relationships with your audiences. With the right technology solutions and website platform in your corner, automation can positively impact client retention, client acquisition and improve client lifetime value. We are a digital marketing agency, specialising in creating brand-building websites for our recruitment clients.

Consistency in Recruitment Marketing is everything

One of the homepage features of Michael Page we noticed was the use of a type of search bar to easily navigate the job openings because it was rather refreshing for a staffing website. The advice section for their site was a nice touch for a professional staffing website. They clearly had ease of use in mind when designing the domain for their website that matches their company name.

These providers can include a CMS that lets your internal team build the website. But it can also come with templates, recruitment website features, and technical support that should save you some trouble. To learn more about making this key decision, read up on the best website platform for recruitment agencies. The power of a strong digital presence to grow your business makes learning how to design a recruitment website critical. The best way to find the right partner is to look for one that specializes in recruitment websites. With a deep understanding of your industry and technology integrations, they’lll be able to design and build a website that accelerates your hiring processes and drives productivity.

Regardless of what online recruitment website templates you choose, the final results can look very different. A middle-of-the-road option is working with a SaaS website platform that includes design and tech support. It does add some time to work with the vendor to set requirements and go over design feedback. But using templates and inbuilt hosting can be faster than starting a website from scratch. A recruitment website platform may offer the right balance between outside support and the flexibility to self-serve.

Our design agency boasts swift response times, with updates provided every 1-3 working days, ensuring you're never left in the dark about your project's progress.

On the practical side, we’ve included an 8-step plan to design and build a recruitment website from the ground up.

Then there’s working with a website design agency, which could take several months.

Deliverables may include marketing strategy, SEO, branding, conversion rate optimisation and web development, amongst others.

Combining content management with job posting, analytics and recruitment integrations.

We design and develop custom recruitment portals to deliver unique functionality for your employers and candidates. Our UX design team curate optimised user journeys to deliver a superior user experience to your Employers and Candidates. They can handle a high volume of jobs and applications without placing any strain on your team’s resources. An agency website that is built for growth makes it easier for you to scale your agency and confidently meet your client needs.

There’s no need to explain what you do, who your audiences are and how you work. Once you have the right website design & build team, it’s time to get down to business and allow them to do the heavy lifting for you. To hit the ground running with a new website, you need the right recruitment website design team in your corner. They take time to understand your team, the way your team works and the data flows in your business, what makes you unique, and what kind of website design best serves your needs. As agencies recruit different types of candidates, in different sectors across different geographies, a one-size-fits-all solution isn’t going to cut it.

Not only that, we offer ongoing support from our in-house experts and development team to ensure your website continually meets your needs. Designed to grow with youOur very own content management is designed to grow alongside your business. Start off with as many or as few features as your business requires and scale up accordingly as your business grows. Finally, publish your recruitment agency website online with a single click using Mobirise's built-in publishing options to make it accessible to your target audience. Utilize Mobirise's AI feature to quickly generate a basic website layout tailored to your recruitment agency's needs with just a few clicks.

Please get in contact to discuss your options with one of our experts today. Each design is quoted on a client by client basis and starts with a brief, outlining your goals and requirements. Our data-driven approach optimises your recruitment website, leading to increased conversions and measurable growth in user engagement.

If you choose a platform like WordPress or WooCommerce, you’ll need to find a web hosting service. Yes, we have a customisation bolt-on that you can purchase when signing up or from your account dashboard. We can also carry out the on-site SEO optimisation of your site for you for £399.

We saw that Strategies had built one particularly good website and contacted them for a quote. You’ll be partnering with a dedicated team of industry experts who are well-versed in the technical aspects and equally passionate about delivering a standout user experience. Prometeo is a recruitment agency that’s https://abstractionlabs.co.uk/pricing focused on tech and engineering talent. It’s an engaging element that captures your attention and gets you to scroll down even more. Aquent implements a clean and simple design that highlights different elements of the business, such as a salary guide, an overview of its various sub-brands, and client successes. Aerotek is a recruitment agency focused on niche industries, like industrial, government, and energy.

Craft compelling and informative content, include job listings, services offered, and client testimonials. While looking through dozens of sites, you won't be able to remember all details you'd like to implement in your design. Make notes to determine the key features you should pay attention to when customizing layout in the recruitment website builder.

[myresellerhome]

10 Best Email Marketing Campaign Strategies

Have you had enough of sending email ads that never seem to get read? Don't look any further! In the fast-paced and competitive business world of today, email marketing skills can make or break your chances of success. Since people get a lot of messages every day, it's important to stand out with material and strategies that get people's attention. This article will show you the ten best email marketing campaign strategies that will boost your brand, keep your audience interested, and increase sales, no matter how experienced you are as a marketer or how new you are to email campaigns.

What does email marketing mean?

Email marketing is a strong way to get the word out about your business's goods and services. It's a type of direct marketing as well as digital marketing. If you add it to your marketing software, it can help your customers learn about your newest products or deals. It can also be a key part of your marketing strategy if you use different types of marketing emails to get new leads, raise awareness of your brand, build relationships, or keep customers interested between purchases.

Pros of using email marketing

One reason email is such a popular way for businesses to market is that it makes people do something. An email will stay in the inbox until it's read, removed, or archived. Email marketing is a great way to connect with your audience and get people to read your blog, social media pages, or any other place you want. You can even divide your emails into groups and send emails to people based on their demographics; that way, you only send them the messages they want to see. Email marketing also lets you try two or more versions of a subject line or call to action to see which one gets the best response. This can be done with email marketing software that can instantly send emails.

Top 10 Email Marketing Strategies.

1. List persons to email.

The most crucial aspect of email marketing is a mailing list. Customers who aren't interested in your brand shouldn't see your email in their garbage. You can best communicate with your subscribers via email, but they must feel connected to grow this relationship. You should be able to distinguish clients from prospects. Keep expanding your email list so that most of its members are active. This wastes time you could use to personalize and organize users.

2. Mobile-optimized emails

A mobile-friendly email marketing strategy is optimal for email opens. Mobile devices are used to open 46% of all emails. Lots of individuals check texts on their phones. Most of our market emails are checked on our phones when we have time. As frequent email readers, we can quickly determine if an email is relevant to our needs or interests. No one enjoys having to scroll the screen to see a mobile-unfriendly image or an email that requires a desktop browser. No one will likely read the email again. The easiest strategy to ensure phone-readable emails is to consider the following:

Email subject lines should be brief and engaging.

To make your email mobile-friendly, keep the subject line around 30–40 letters.

CTA: clear, brief, and large-letter email CTA.

Make sure mobile-optimized emails have enough space for readers to click links. Because smartphone screens are smaller.

Make sure your email pictures work on small screens. Avoid emailing large files.

Make email active.

Email test: Testing your emails on different devices is the most important stage in email marketing success.

3. Customize emails

Good email marketing requires letter personalization. No one wants to read a buyer-group email. You can send emails with signup names instead. Sending personalized emails is still possible. Your readers should receive products based on their past purchases, location, and interests. You should email them if they have things in their cart or haven't utilized your services recently. New product information ought to be communicated to subscribers. You should also consider that you're not always advertising your products. Sometimes, you should provide your readers with further information regarding the products they've bought, such as how to use them best and alternatives. Personalizing emails goes beyond email sales. It keeps readers engaged and creates loyal subscribers.

4. Group your followers

Market segmentation divides a varied market into homogeneous groups based on location, demography, psychographics, and behaviour. The most effective email marketing strategy is to organize subscribers by interest. In a time-sensitive world, send useful emails. If you segment users, more will open and click on your emails, increasing revenue. Additionally, sending tailored emails to consumers offers a level of customization that may entice inactive users to use your emails again. How can you distinguish your fans from other site visitors? Your consumers can be grouped by location, interests, and past purchases. By tracking their purchase habits, sending promotional emails when they leave an item in their shopping cart, and learning what they buy most often, you may divide your subscribers into groups. Tell them about sales on their favourites.

5. Avoid manual texting.

Triggered emails are an excellent email marketing strategy. We receive emails immediately after website activity. We term these "triggered emails." Look around, add items to your cart, and order. Here are some triggered emails: Special emails to customers: Welcome emails build brand trust and introduce you to customers. Birthday and yearly emails let you connect with customers more personally. Cart abandonment: We've all put goods in our carts and then reconsidered. However, an automatic email saying we left something in our cart can encourage us to buy.

6. The AB test

AB testing compares two business plans to find which works best. AB testing lets you send different email versions. AB testing includes email marketing and the online market. How else can the AB test be used? The question is, what not? The action, subject line, personalization’s, body content, headers, and message layout may be AB tested. Remember to AB test one thing at a time to see what occurs. Higher values, lesser risk, more engaging content, fewer bounces, higher conversion rates, and easier analysis are benefits of AB tests.

7. Plan email timing.

It is quite important to send letters at the appropriate time. When do you anticipate your readers will read your emails? Do your research on email clicks and opens at different times. You must be careful while sending emails in email marketing because individuals are less likely to view them later. Consider when your readers are most likely to open emails to send them at the best time. Location, interest, and time of day affect when people check their emails. But you should also send emails when people are most likely to read them. Also essential is when they read business emails most. If they're busy, your marketing email will go directly to the trash, and your consumer won't read it. Send emails at the proper time to make your email marketing plan succeed. The AB test will reveal all your email marketing faults again.

8. Subject line

Readers first examine the subject line before clicking on your email. Subject lines influence whether someone opens or deletes an email before reading it. Your subject line should be brief and grab attention. Your subject line should explain why you're writing the email to avoid sounding pushy. Focus on your topic line. The subject line is frequently more significant than the content since it tells readers if your email is worth their time. To make this email marketing strategy succeed, make sure the subject line states the communication's goal.

9. Engage inactive members

Your customers probably don't care about your brands anymore and haven't bought anything from you in a while. Leave them on your mailing list for now. Encourage inactive users to rejoin. Poll your users to find out why they're unsubscribing and give them an option. A limited-time deal for inactive users is another technique to motivate them to act. When trying to convince inactive clients to sign up again, make them feel like they need to move swiftly to decide if they want your product or service. Make it easy for them to unsubscribe from your emails. If customers no longer need your services, they may ignore or classify your communications as spam.

10. Call to action

The call to action (CTA) is an essential component of emails. Customers have to be familiar with how to use your email. In the worst situation, they can unsubscribe, click, or delete your email. But emails need action. Therefore, every email must include a clear call to action. Your emails should clearly state what you want customers to do. Common and effective CTAs include Shop Now, receive 50% off, and Apply Now. Based on email goals, the CTA can be anything. The ideal call to action for new visitors is "Please look around our site" or "Place your first order."

Conclusion

Email marketing is still a great way for businesses to connect with their customers and get things done. Businesses can improve their engagement rates, boost conversions, and build lasting relationships with their subscribers by using the ten best email marketing campaign strategies in this piece. These techniques cover everything you need to know to get the most out of your email marketing, from personalization to segmentation to automation. Businesses need to change and improve their email marketing strategies all the time to stay competitive in the digital world as technology and customer habits change. Businesses will definitely be set up for success in their email marketing efforts if they follow these best practices.

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