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scattered-winter · 2 years ago

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how do you have so many good ideas? please tell me about your fantasy world building for the weewoos

the answer is very simple it's because I 1) don't have any social life to speak of and 2) am filled with Constant Thoughts about the current hyperfixation (whatever it may be) so . there ya go

this is an au that some of my DC mutuals may have already heard about because I'm kinda picking and choosing elements of it to add to the 911 au. because I am a simple man who reuses my own ideas every so often and also because my worldbuilding has PEAKED with the monster in this. that said I will try to actually . make a new au instead of just copying and pasting everything. I'm not gonna cheat y'all that much. but I love the Hound with literally everything in me it is my most precious bit of lore from literally anything I have ever created (original stories included) so I am including it in this because i CAN. DC mutuals cover your eyes and look away because I lomve it soooo very much <3333 my most beloved skrunkly nightmare fuel <333333333333333

so in essence, the Hound is basically a cocktail of dark magic spells and curses all compressed into a neutron star of dark magic. it takes the form of a giant black wolf, but its form flickers and blurs as it moves, with particles of dark magic floating around in its wake (I am not immune to the anime flower petals effect <3). it can walk on its hind legs as well, and when it does, it moves in a very jerky, uncoordinated way (a la horror movie monster). but when it's on all fours, it's smooth and unnaturally graceful. basically it walks on its hind legs to frighten, and walks on all fours to hunt.

I have some rough sketches/concept art that is pretty old but still capture the general vibes of what this bitch looks like!

the Hound was created by dark mages long ago as a weapon against anyone who opposes them. it's the ultimate predator; once it has someone's scent, it can track them across continents and oceans. literally nowhere on earth is safe if the Hound is hunting you. no matter where you try to run, it will find you.

ownership of the Hound has been passed down through the ranks of dark mages as the centuries have passed, and much of the knowledge about its origins have been lost to time, so not even the Hound's handlers really have a full picture of what they're dealing with. it isn't a lapdog that follows orders to the letter. it's intelligent and independent, and it's truly, fully evil because it's literally made of evil magic from top to bottom. most creatures/people in this universe are at least multifaceted, but the Hound is literally pure malice and fear. it's my little skrunkly <33

the Hound has also sort of . passed into legend. it's in the stories parents tell their kids, it's woven soo deeply into the mythology of the world, and it even has a nursery rhyme:

ash like scattered pet-als eyes like flaming coal teeth like knives and claws like swords it'll always reach its goal a howl like whis-tling wind a roar like rumbling thun-der The Hound is coming from the dark to tear you all a-sunder skin like wisps of black smoke paws like creeping fog you can try and run but you can never hide for-ever it'll smell you from a-far it'll chase you to your bur-row The Hound is hunting through the trees and you'll never see to-morrow

largely inspired by ring around the rosie and how it is objectively a horrifying poem but turned into a kid's nursery rhyme. same concept

ANYWAY this is all coming into play because I have a very very vague concept of where the characters all are in this !! I still haven't decided if I want it to be lone star or 911 or both, but I think tarlos as royalty/knight would be SOO <3333 and the 118 as a squadron of knights would also be SOO !!! but in any case, no matter who I ultimately include in this au, they'll be coming face to face with the Hound and will have to try and find a way to kill it before it kills them. <3

#the hound #i literally have constant 24/7 brainrot about this thing #I LOVE !!! MONSTERS !!!!!#the 2 things that are GUARANTEED to make me lose every ounce of braincell IMMEDIATELY are knights and monsters.#it's foolproof. if you have cool armor i will follow you into a white windowless van.#asks #emu94blue #i will have more thoughts about specific characters SOON !#but for now here's my most beloved my most precious boy <333

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deathvsthemaiden · 4 years ago

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ok wait after u sent me that ask i have to know ur top books!!! dw if u don't feel like it but i would love to hear them 🌷

This is so sweet and considerate! Thank you Eva, you gave me 5 so I’ll try to keep it to that # as well 💖🐰 off the top of my head:

🌷 The Stormlight Archive series, especially the second book, Words of Radiance. Stormlight is like 4 books + 2 novellas right now, and is projected to be 10 books and ???novellas eventually. And on top of that each main book is 1000+ pages and while you can read Stormlight on its own, most of the other books by the author, Brandon Sanderson, are part of this larger fictional universe called the cosmere. Each series takes place on a different planet, and if you are invested in the whole cosmere, there’s Easter egg references to other series in other series. So like! While I rec these books often, most people understandably don’t take me up on it wgshshh 🤭 Sanderson’s non-Stormlight books are all MUCH shorter but also much more flawed imo. Like I wouldn’t count him among my favorite authors were it not for Stormlight. anyway I’m a die hard fantasy fan so the length didn’t deter me, and I picked these up because a friend told me the world building in these books was genuinely unique instead of the typical very lazy maps composed of like. Fantasy Russia and its hostile mysterious neighbors Fantasy General East Asia and Fantasy Africa lol. and she was right! The world building is exquisite and refreshing and almost every character is canonically of color. They live in a society with an eye color based caste system and it’s.., so hard to sum up this massive series with four main characters and a ridiculous(ly fun) amount of plot lines, so I’ll cut this short and say 1) the first book, The Way of Kings, is highly expository but the ending is so so worth it, and if you enjoy the ending you’ll find merit in continuing with the series 2) Words of Radiance is my favorite book so far partially because I haven’t read the newest, Rhythm of War, yet, and also because it’s the book with the most scenes that solidified Kaladin Stormblessed (one of the main characters) as one of my favorites of all time. Another one of the best things about this series is how Brandon Sanderson portrays mental health in very natural ways, and it makes Kaladin’s growth so incredibly soothing to follow (I MEAN. He has low points that sometimes hit too close to home, but it makes you root for him harder) he really is just. Truly my definition of a hero, if we wanna get cheesy about it, and I had to pick one solid example. I love him so much this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg as to why 😭!

🌷Jane Eyre. Silly frivolous teenaged girl that I am this book swept me off my feet when I first read it and I condone every problematic aspect of it❤️ (I DONT ofc but like! I love drama and being played like a fiddle by narratives and the book delivered on both fronts! And it couldn’t have without its unsavory plot twist soooo 😙💖) (the hate this book and especially one specific character gets is funny to me just because like. Hate for the former (imo) usually stems from people taking the book too seriously while simultaneously missing the point (JE and du Maurier’s Rebecca (highly influenced by the former) are oft considered loose Bluebeard retellings for a reasonnnn!) and hate for the latter is usually just like. Warranted and then taken over the top like... he’s just a fake funny little man you guys :( and the book would’ve been boring if he wasn’t so twisted and out of touch and passionate ): not to mention I do personally in a mean ish way think it’s funny how for some people this character is one of the worst examples of men they can imagine. Like good for Them! I don’t want them to have lower standards for horribleness in people But also omg 🤭 it just reminds me of how... irony of all ironies, I’m semi frequently told I’m too harsh on real life men and then when I love twisted ones in books (for being funny and entertaining and good solid characters) I like. get the most interesting side eyes (whether figurative or literal) bwjswnhshe anyway I have nothing against Austen, I definitely enjoy her, but from what I’ve read so far, I prefer the Brontës a lot more... I need adventure! Show me horror show me rot etc etc❤️ also I’m. A stupid sucker so the fact that the book was Charlotte Brontë’s attempt to write a plain looking lady protagonist and to make her praiseworthy and virtuous and worthy of spellbinding romance makes me... 💗💓💕

🌷Keturah and Lord Death — Martine Leavitt. I haven’t seen it officially stated anywhere but to me it’s p clear this book is a retelling of/highly inspired by Godfather Death (the Grimm tale) Very simple, predictable but effective plot, and the characters are just. So much fun. From my url you can probably tell I love stories in which women (or anyone but you know. Death and the Maiden is its own trope for a reason) outsmart/face off against death. If they also k*ss, when done right, I think that’s swell as well.

🌷A Thousand Splendid Suns — Khalid Hosseini. By far the heaviest book I will mention in this ask, and I don’t rec it willy nilly for that and a few other reasons. It’s a forever fave to me because I read it at the exact right time in my life, where I was like... noticing a ton of things irl and things at home were tumultuous, and when I saw very similar things unfold in this book while I was being silenced and made to feel crazy by the adults around me, it meant so much to me to see reality as I was experiencing it in real time reflected back at me via this novel. The context of the story is wildly different from my own life and the stakes the characters face are far higher, and it is if I remember right mostly a novel about the horrors of war, which isn’t something I pretend to have any firsthand experience with, but! It was legitimately cathartic to read when I read it, and it especially meant a lot to me at the time that the author was a grown man. Not to mention how my mother is not and never has been a reader, and somehow the one and only book I ever managed to get her to read was this. Hilariously she got mad at me for only (“only”) reading depressing things (there’s... a grain of truth to that but she doesn’t need to know! 🤫) but also... she was hooked I could tell! (I got all tmi explaining this one gag I’m so sorry)

🌷A Slight Trick of the Mind — Mitch Cullin. Retirement-era Holmes! Holmes as an old man! A sad old man who keeps bees!! It’s the novel the movie Mr. Holmes was based off of (haven’t seen it yet) and I was not expecting it to get me all sentimental like it did 🤨😪 but anyway it’s like. A prolonged character study and explores some of the most interesting (to me, anyway) parts of Holmes that are only lightly touched upon in canon, like his occasionally huge follies when navigating his few close relationships and how he copes with them afterwards, his fatigue at the random injustice of the world, how he’s often mistaken both by characters that surround him and people irl as a man without feelings, etc etc. like there’s no Dr. Watson or Mrs. Hudson in this book, and the people he interacts with are almost entirely original characters, but as I listened to the audiobook it barely occurred to me to miss Watson and Hudson (I know! 😦) and the author’s original characters interacted with Holmes so believably that I sometimes forgot they weren’t ever Doyle’s. Def recommend to any flexible Holmes fan that’s not a total stickler for canon (though you don’t actually have to know much about Holmes to read this book and enjoy it! 🐝)

🌷Sleepless — Sarah Vaughn + Leila del Luca. I began with the longest book, so let me end with the shortest. It’s a 2 volume long graphic novel series and that it’s so short is the only long standing, legitimate complaint I have of it! Gorgeous art, really effectively written romance, a dark skinned girl who gets to be the proactive, lively protagonist and stunning, pined after love interest at the same time, a cast of characters that is majority of color, the perfect %-age of drama and angst etc etc. if you can find it via your library or online or smth, you can knock it out in one sitting and leave the experience eternally altered in the funnest way 👁👄👁

Honorable mentions: The Botany of Desire — Michael Pollan, Troubling Love — Elena Ferrante, The Girl from the Garden — Parnaz Foroutan

#asks #book recs #wasn’t sure if you’d read Jane Eyre before so I was vague abt it qgzhshshs #long post

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verannaca · 5 years ago

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so I saw Frozen 2 for the fourth time

i have so many questions.

there’s a relatively negative (and very long) review beneath the cut so pls read at your own risk. and, of course, spoilers.

I’ve seen Frozen 2 four times now and yikes. I’d kinda hoped it would get better with each viewing, but it’s somehow worse??? I really loved the first movie; it literally changed my life in an incredibly drastic way (don’t ask) but it had been very important to me over the past six years, and...I’m so disappointed.

My initial reaction was disappointment, and I should’ve stuck with it. Like, wtf was that? But some parts were also really well done? It left me so conflicted lol

PROS

Vuelie was a good way to open the film; I quite liked the nostalgia :’)

The intro scene in general was good; I liked seeing more of their parents, although idk what their father was thinking telling them such a tale before bed lmao seems like some shit my mother would do

All is Found is my favourite non-depressing song in the movie, and it opens it beautifully. ERW has a wonderful voice.

The animation really is beautiful; it looks so realistic. Specifically the clouds and the one scene of the waves crashing over the pine trees. It looked amazing!

The music is good but not great. FTFTIF is my favourite; it’s so catchy and cheery. I really liked TNRT, and SY is perfect, but these songs just weren’t as catchy as the ones in Frozen?? I’m thankful for AURORA tho, that was a lovely gift.

Bruni was absolutely adorable (even tho he was an obvious cash-grab for merch lol), 10/10 love Bruni. Bruni + Elsa = even better.

Anna looked absolutely breathtaking throughout the entire movie; the redesign they did animation-wise really works in her favour, and now she’s rocking those Emilia Clarke eyebrows which is a hell yes from me. Her final look gave me all the feels; I can’t say I’m a huge fan of the dress and hairstyle?? it seemed a bit too not Anna, but at the same time, it showed her growth and maturity and I’m very happy with that.

As dark as it was, the shipwreck scene was beautiful. It was handled beautifully; their reactions were devastating. There is a huge con here, but I’ll save that for later.

The ocean battle was really neat. The water looked so good, and Elsa looks good wet???

The whole scene in Ahtohallan was well done; I liked the memories. I wish Anna had been there; she deserved to see her history, too, and it wasn’t fair that Elsa got that spotlight once again.

Everything after Elsa freezing was absolutely breathtaking as well. Anna’s reactions, the song, the scenery-- it was tragically beautiful.

Kristoff had the two best lines in the ENTIRE movie: “I’m here. What do you need?” and “It’s okay. My love is not fragile.” It’s so rare to see a good, supportive relationship in tv/movies, be it heterosexual or homosexual, it doesn’t happen. It’s so rare. So this was a beautiful break from that; the faith he had in her was amazing. Thank u. the real mvp.

The scene with Anna as she accepts the fate of her future; as she takes in a breath and realises/accepts that her home is gone, and her blood family is gone. Everything about it was perfect. You could feel her emptiness. Poor baby needed a hug :(

I liked that Kristoff also hugged Elsa when she returned; it showed that they were friends, which is really important for Anna tbh

I think that’s it for pros??? Now for the cons.

CONS:

Gonna start this off simple: the plot was weak. This is unfortunately not an unpopular opinion; it made no sense. It was too convoluted to the point where nothing was explained.

The pacing was off, and it was ridiculously anti-climactic. The layout in general seemed a bit weird tbh I could definitely sit here and justify all of it, but I shouldn’t have to.

They gave us no reason to gaf about this voice that Elsa was hearing. How long had she been hearing it for? Why was she so drawn to it? Why didn’t she think she was just hearing things? Or maybe she did at one point and then realised she wasn’t crazy?

There was almost no character development. Elsa was the same as she was in Frozen, but this time, it was just annoying. She never learned or grew. Anna was demoted to a clingy side-character even though she’s the protagonist; I have no words for how frustrating this was to watch. I miss the Kristanna bickering. I liked their dynamic overall; I understand their insecurities and lack of ability to communicate because of it, and I liked how non-toxic they were. Overall, they did love and trust each other; they believed in and supported each other, even though they had a falling out (again and again) and were separated for most of the film (again, wtf?) EA had no development together, and honestly, they were annoying asf as a duo. There was no communication and no understanding. I will say that Anna’s fear and frustration throughout the entire movie was absolutely 100% understandable and sensible; she’d already lost too much before, and wasn’t prepared to lose anything else. I just wish she’d been portrayed a bit differently??? And it would’ve been nice if Elsa had stopped for, like, two minutes to be like, “hey, are you okay, you seem clingy and worried” but instead she just kept running and didn’t gaf.

It was over dramatic for the sake of plot, when it didn’t have to be. Elsa didn’t have to continuously try and push Anna away “for her protection.” They absolutely could’ve done the vast majority of things together. Fuck, they could’ve gone to the dark sea together. Anna could’ve stayed on the beach while Elsa tackled the Nokk. Then when Anna saw that Elsa was perfectly capable of protecting herself, they could’ve parted ways then and done whatever it was they needed to do. Or, Elsa could’ve taken Anna to Ahtohallan?? They may have discovered there that Anna couldn’t enter, but then they’d be given the opportunity to communicate, and Anna would’ve at least been included, since this was her history, too.

If this is a movie about two sisters, why the ever loving fuck is it all about Elsa and her origins? What about Anna’s origins? They were her parents, too. Sure, we ask “why does Elsa have magic,” but why doesn’t Anna have magic? Why was Elsa the “gift”? Why is Anna’s superpower “love”?? And why is that “superpower” only valid when it’s in regards to Elsa? Why is Anna so strong, physically? Emotionally? Personally? Is it just her? Why isn’t she an element, too? What’s with this bridge bullshit? Why the fuckkkk is Elsa the “fifth spirit” when she’s ice and ice is literally just water? I have so many questions.

How the heck was Iduna Northuldra? Did she become “whiter” because she remained inside a castle for twenty years? Or was she always “white passing”? Or was she adopted into the forest? Who are her parents? Did anybody miss her when she ran off to the kingdom? Her scarf was from “one of [their] oldest families” and yet nobody seemed to know who she was? And what do you mean “oldest families”? Are there no remaining members of that family? Nobody who was missing her? Nobody who would’ve recognised her daughters who are literally carbon-copies of her????

The shipwreck scene and the following scene pissed me off soooo much in the theatre lol First, it really was beautiful how they did it, but the interactions felt out of character. Elsa brought up the memories of their parents’ demise without consoling Anna at all. Not only did she just do it without at least a warning, she then proceeded to leave her behind in her own fit. Which, okay, yes, to an extent that makes sense; she was over-ridden by guilt. But those were Anna’s parents too. Elsa was all she had, and Elsa left her behind. I just- AND THEN in this moment of severe grief and horror, as these terrible things were revealed, Anna was pushed away again to be left on her own to deal with things alone. She’d JUST sacrificed her own feelings for Elsa, and Elsa’s response was to shove her away. WHY. I just??? hello??? Like, Elsa does care about Anna, right? That’s canon? So why tf would they write her like this?? jfc

Every single new character was wasted potential. Mattias above all else was very interesting, and should’ve had at least ten minutes more screentime??? I liked the scene of him and Anna discussing whatever, but there should’ve been more. They both cared more about Arendelle than anyone; they were both sworn to protect. There could’ve been more of an on-screen relationship there. (and don’t fucking come at me with your gross-ass ships please, tyvm). Honeymaren and Ryder were there for ??? merchandise? A reason for Elsa to stay behind? Queer-baiting??? I don’t get it. They did,,, nothing. Yelena? Did nothing. Why do these name-characters do nothing?? What’s the point???

This was advertised as a “big adventure” but had hardly any adventure. Frohana was apart for most of the damn movie, the action scenes had little consequences, the “climax” was ??? what, Elsa freezing? Who cares?? It’s obvious she’s going to come back. The wave heading for Arendelle??? Yeah, that would’ve been a good climax if it actually did any damage. But no, I guess Elsa can teleport now? aight. and now she gets to play hero again even though she didn’t do shit

The plot(?) was very predictable, and didnt really have a twist. Old white guy kills innocent POC. Okay. That’s real life, yeah? It’s shit; it happens, but why was this whole movie based around that? Was it a political statement? We don’t really need more political movies these days??? People are aware, and things are shit as is; idk it just felt forced. But this is a v controversial subject so imma shut up lol

THERE ARE NO CONSEQUENCES. Unless you’re Anna. Then you suffer severely cuz,,, fuck her, right? The entire cave thing (as beautiful and needed as it was) could’ve been prevented entirely if Elsa had just fucking communicated. But instead, Anna had to suffer again in such a severe way. Her feelings DID have consequences; they effected her severely and even influenced wreckless behaviour. But then?? it’s all over. And suddenly, it doesn’t matter. Suddenly, who cares? Elsa returns and is (for some unforeseen reason) magically forgiven. This ISN’T HOW SISTERS ARE. If my sister pulled half the shit Elsa did, the first thing she’d be greeted with is a slap across the face and a very loud “fuck you.” THEN she’d get a hug and some tears. You don’t fuck with people’s emotions like that. And the fact that there were no serious consequences is infuriating.

Anna becomes Queen without context. Did she want to be queen? Did she suggest it? Did Elsa decided “eh fuck it i’m bored, your turn” and just dump it on her? Anna is a free-spirit. Yes, she was absolutely devoted to her kingdom; her people always came first; she was an incredibly loving and selfless princess, but was she truly prepared to give up that freedom to be Queen? I think she fits the role beautifully; she was absolutely born to rule. But is she happy? Or is she yet again cleaning up Elsa’s mess, since that seems to be all she does?

Why did Elsa stay in the forest? Is it because she felt like she belonged with the spirits? With the people? Away from civilisation? All of the above? None of the above? And how did that conversation go with Anna? How did she explain; “hey, I know I died and fucked you up and promised that we’d always stay together, but I’ve decided I’m gonna leave you behind again and stay here with these people I barely know.” Did Anna object, or did she see the positives of being away from someone so toxic???? It makes no senseeeee, they were so good together in the first movie; it all feels so out of character. Both of them feel out of character.

There were few (very few) moments in which they really were like themselves:

The charades scene.

“You think I’m c R A Z Y?”

Head tilts with Bruni.

Anna laughing at Elsa’s braid-stache.

Elsa making toys for children.

The pleasant Kristanna scenes at the beginning.

Anna’s anger scenes.

Even Elsa’s personal drama???

but that’s it? I’ve seen it four times in theatre, and a few times online (though mostly in pieces) so I don’t think I missed anything. Perhaps I’m blinded by the frustration that this film caused. Overall:

The plot was weak.

The animation was beautiful.

Kristanna wasn’t the Kristanna we truly know?

Elsa was dramatic and annoying because she had no development.

Anna was demoted to a clingy side-character and was given a half-assed purpose.

The music was meh.

There was too much and yet somehow not enough.

It was a mess.

Six years. SIX. I-

ugh.

final note: PLEASE ANSWER MY QUESTIONS IF I MISSED SOMETHING. I think it’s also important to note that if you went to the theatre for 2 hours of entertainment, that’s great, but not the same as those of us that have dedicated six years of our lives to these characters? So please don’t come @ me if you were just a movie-goer. I also wanna say that there were a lot of parts of this movie that I loved and will hold onto, but overall, the movie as a whole was meh. I LOVED Anna & Elsa in Frozen; they had good development and had reasons for being how they were. They had a good dynamtic and worked well together. I hated their relationship in F2; it was toxic and forced in many ways; they didn’t interact nearly enough, and when they did, they were bitching for the sake of plot, which was very frustrating.

This isn’t a hate post so please don’t come at me lol my opinion is entirely irrelevent in the grand scheme of things, but hey, we’re here to chat and share, right?

sigh.

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thirstyforred · 6 years ago

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Thirsty rambles about Gwent cards - neutrals

aka i made all my fav neutrals so i could talk a bit about why i like them the most

Avallac'h & Avallac'h Sage - what to say here, they're just nice, standard Av has too dull colors imo, but the premium loop is nice. The Sage? damn i love this orange/yellow whirlpool, very nice, kinda autumn feels with those leaves. both lines are nice, kinda ominous, tho i feel like english has 2 different VA, the "appearances..." line one sounds soooo different from "you will see..."

Ciri Nova - why only one? because others are just f ugly. also tbh i like ciri's av taunts better than her actual voicelines

Lambert, Vesemir, Eskel - aka Silver Witchers. now, i hated old OBT trio because they were not an actual trio (but also because they're ugly so i won't make their single cards), and im very sad that this is the only trio of cards that we get in HC, and the truth is i find this image more interesting as standard card than as premium loops, there's just too much going on here, it's chaos, it's ugly, i don't what this, meh. Voiceline comes from Lambert's cards and it's the only one that actually seems to fit the mood of the scene

Triss Telekinesis - at first i wanted to do Butterflies, that was the card i used the most in my first Dagon hybrid decks (until they Gold Immunity Update it, that is), but idk Tele just looks nicer than Butts??

Gaunter O'Dimm - i remember that in OBT i tried, truly tried, to build a deck with him, but the guy was just so heavy on RNG that it made no sense... but the loop is nice and colors, and i guess i just love all HoS themed cards

Iris von Everec - the pose, the colors, flying rose petals, the voicelines, i bet this card even smells nicely

Stregobor - just for the fact that the skull he holds turns into Renfris face, just wow

Dorregaray of Vole - love how much details is on this card, all the animals and candles, and the fact that it's canon that Darregaray looks like Lifecoach

Iris’ Companions - i never ever used this card, but just looks like something from horror, nice~ also, i feel like i have to say it, i just hate english VA here, especially the Dog

Nivellen - it's just a fun little scene :'D #wish that was me

Olgierd von Everec - if i have to point put one HoS card i don't like that much, then that's the one, mostly because we can't see Olgierd's face, which is a crime if you as me. tho i like more "A moment. I need to smoke." line but i doesn't seem to work with this particular scene. also i remember what pain in the ass he was before his first nerf

Operator - for a very long time i though that it's 3rd Avalach's cards, i mean he kinda wear the same clothes and mask, like is not Avalach then who the hell is it? i just don't know... but he was good at coping nekkers back back in first swarm decks

Duda: Companion & Agitator - i never got into playing Zoltan, but damn Duda is one cute birdo, kinda sad that we couldn't meet him in Wild Hunt

Hanmarvyn’s Blue Dream - idk even what this one does, but it's one of these cards that only looks better animated

Korathi Heatwave - oh i loved the dessert effect it left on board, even tho it was a pain to play against

Phoenix - tho just now in HC i'm starting to like this card, previously it just wasn't very interesting to me

Renew - literal real life saver, the most beautiful thing to get on hand in 3rd round, absolutely blessed card, totally worth this gold 4th sloth in OBT, now in HC im not so sure, but still beautiful

Shupe - idk how Shupe works and i won't even try to understand, but cards are fun, and i love that on all of them you can see CDPR red chicken. you go Shup my beautiful troll son!

Sihil - cursed card of current meta, but not so op as people like to say, just be like old Emhyr and play no units at all, then he and Eithné won't give you a shit (or be like me and play werewolves, because they can't be targeted), anyway i love Sihil and i play it even with higher provisions [EDIT: i wrote this before hotfix, rip Sihil decks]

Villentretenmerth - there's here something so damn dramatic, too dramatic, calm you tits Borkh

Alzur’s Double–Cross - nice monster eye i love it 100/10 alzur knew good shit

Bekker’s Dark Mirror - another card that makes me every sentimental about OBT, all the swings you could pull with this~

Marching Orders - i like the shadows, also very useful in millfgaard

Scorch - idk i guess i love orange... and totally scorching my opponent

Impenetrable Fog - now here comes my boi! i love how foggy is this card, and i have so many good memories of weather Dagon, yeah yeah got nerfed like 2-3 times, but like, what's actually so bad about control monsters? stop fucking killing every new idea for this kind of decks, not everyone wants to play vore and deathwish

White Frost - i don't think it was ever used after nerfing frost in first months of OBT, and im not sure people are using it now against artifacts... but that's one good looking card

Crow’s Eye - another simple, pretty image

Caretaker - 1, idk who and why decided that this guy should be neutral, while he thematically and visually fitted so nicely with Monsters 2, if this is only about his new ability in HC then he could keep the old one and they could make new neutral cards, it's not like super hard or smt 3, im still mad that Monsters can consume from graveyard but can't actually control graveyard, especially now when with TB we got cards like Xavier Lemmens and Lippy Gudmund (yeah he's Skellige but like) if i can't control board with Monsters then let me at least control graveyards you cowards!

#Thirsty's fav premium cards #this thing was in my drafts for almost 3 weeks now #ugh i have no time for gwent now

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writing-yj · 7 years ago

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Kid Flash x Reader: Petals of Unrequited Love~Hanahaki Disease

A/n: I found this prompt/AU(?) on @loudmouthwally ‘s blog and I was GREATLY inspired by it! You should definitely go read what they wrote about Hanahaki Disease for the Batboys and other DC characters!

Get ready to cry, because I almost did.

“Hanahaki disease is an illness borne of one-sided love, causing flowers form and grow in the lungs of the unrequited, the petals coughed up with increasing frequency. If the love is not returned, the flowers filling the patients chest will eventually prove fatal.”

It was getting harder to hide it from your beloved team as it slowly got worse. The pink cherry blossom petals were coming out more and more frequently, and it was hard to not cough. You had a job to do; protect those who can’t protect themselves. You stopped considering yourself a priority a long time ago.

It hurt, knowing that he didn’t love you back. Even more so when you saw him love someone else. He saw you as a friend, and nothing more. The moment the first petal came from your mouth, you knew you were going to die. Hell, you kind of expected it the moment you fell for the boy in question.

For the past few weeks, you were slowly shutting everyone out, disconnecting yourself from the team. Unless you were on a mission, you kept all interaction to a minimum. You didn’t want your friends to know that you fell victim to Hanahaki Disease. Not even the adult heroes knew about it.

Anyone would find out if they went into your room. There were some petals on the floor, on the dresser, a few in your bed, and the trashcan was overflowing with them. They would want to help you, to get him to fall in love with you, but it wouldn’t work. He was in love with someone else.

One time you were on a mission and you accidentally encountered Poison Ivy, alone. She was about to kill you when you coughed. Ivy watched in horror as the petals floated to the ground, and she let you go without a second thought. It was hard to comprehend why, but sometimes you wished she did take your life that night. That way, you wouldn’t have to hide it anymore.

You were holed up in your room again, but you were uncontrollably coughing up petals. It was exceedingly difficult to breathe normally, and you tried with all your might to stop. Petals literally surrounded you, and you felt your body go weak when you were done. Hacking fits took the energy out of anyone, but more from you as the flowers grew more and more.

Your phone beeped; a message from Wally.

The Wallster: Batman’s on his way to give us a mission, and it is my sole duty to get you out of your room to socialize before we go. Soooo, come on out before I come get you ;D

In that moment, you knew you couldn’t keep your secret anymore. You weren’t ever going to go on a mission again. You couldn’t use your skills for anything good from now on. Your life as a junior hero was essentially over.

(Y/n): Fine, I’ll be out in a minute. You know I hate being on your back when you’re speeding around :)

You added the emoji to make it seem like you were okay when you really weren’t. You allowed your body another coughing session before you shuffled out your door. Not before you threw the petals back inside, of course.

You walked as slow as you possibly could to prevent the inevitable. What were you going to say? What were they going to say? What was Batman going to do? Your final days were drawing near with every breath. At the time, passing without them knowing you had Hanahaki Disease seemed better than telling them sooner. No one would fret over you, no one would pity you, and no one could tell you what you were and weren’t able to do.

When you saw them standing in front of the computer, waiting for you, it was hard to look at them. You looked unwell anyway, as if you had a simple stomach bug. So they were bound to ask, and bound to find out.

“There you are, (Y/n)!” Wally exclaimed and he ran to hug you. “I was about to come get you!” He was like a brother to you; the closest friend you had on the team. The fact that you would be leaving him and your friends behind was like a knife to the heart.

“Sorry,” you paused to hold in another cough. “I had to get my stuff together.” You gestured to your utility belt, and you pointed to your mask. Every time you inhaled, you felt a small but sharp pain in your lungs. It didn’t hurt as much as it did on the last mission.

Artemis nudged your shoulder. “You didn’t come out for like, days. We thought you were dead,” She joked, but it wasn’t funny to you.

‘I will be.’

When you didn’t crack a smile, they knew something wasn’t right at all. “You okay, (Y/n)? You don’t look so hot.” Robin asked, and he tried to look you in the eye.

“I mean, you usually do,” Wally winked at you. His natural flirtatious antics always amused you. Your giggle was cut short when you almost coughed. Almost, but not quite. “But today you look a little… sick.”

It started to physically hurt to prevent even more coughing and your eyes started to water. Mostly with tears of sorrow and heartbreak. You were more than sick. You were dying with more than one leg in the grave.

“Just not feeling… very well.” This time, your pause was noticeable.

Zatanna put a hand under your chin and gently pushed you head up so she could get a good look at your face. She frowned. This didn’t look like an ordinary sickness. “(Y/n),” She said sternly then took off your mask. You didn’t fight it. The team surrounded you and the concern was rolling off them in waves. “Are you okay?” Of course you weren’t okay; her question translated into ‘what’s wrong’, but that’s beside the point.

Two tears fell freely and your voice cracked. “N-no…” Then it happened. You were coughing harder than you ever had before into your hands. Wally caught you before you fell to the floor.

Wally tried to keep a positive outlook on this. He wanted to believe it was just a cough. Nothing more. Maybe just a cough that was a little worse than normal. He prayed that you didn’t have what he thought you had.

You stopped coughing, and your body calmed. But you were rigid with fright. Now, they have to know.

You heard cries of anguish and distress that didn’t belong to you when you pulled your hands away from your mouth. The handful of pink petals drifted to the floor, and you started to cry. “I-I’m sorry-!” You stuttered, and you coughed a couple times more.

Recognized: Batman 02

Batman instantly heard the sobs and wails of the young heroes, and he walked over to them briskly. But when he saw you, pale and frail, and the cherry blossom petals on the ground, his heart stopped. Never did he think that you or anyone else on your team would get Hanahaki Disease; it was rarer than most people thought. And it was most likely too far along to cure.

How was he going to tell your mentor? How was he going to tell them that their protege is dying, because a boy didn’t love her back? Batman called the mission off immediately; the Justice League could afford to step in. Letting them know why was going to be the hard part.

Wally grabbed your shoulders and looked at you with fresh tears in his green eyes. “Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you tell me?” He was heartbroken, thinking that you didn’t trust him enough.

“I wouldn’t be able to live my life anymore. I’d be on bed-rest forever, and you guys would try to get him to fall in love with me…” You whimpered, and two more petals puffed from your mouth. Wally pulled you closer and held you there, terrified to let go.

“Who’s this ‘he’?” Conner asked rather aggressively. He wanted to find this boy and make him fall in love with you, just so he didn’t have to see you leave.

You shook your head. “It doesn’t matter! He loves someone else. I watched him fall in love with someone else and-” A particularly hard cough briefly had you choking on petals. Damn these flowers growing in your lungs.

“So you’re just going to give up?” Robin asked. He was angry at himself for not noticing and angry that he was going to lose a best friend. “You’re just going to stop fighting and let yourself die? Is that really what you want?”

“It’s the only thing I can do.” You reached out and weakly ruffled his hair, like you used to. “There’s nothing any of us can change.”

Artemis pulled you out of Wally’s arms and into hers, much to his discontent. She cried into your hair and she didn’t care that they saw. She knew how fast Hanahaki Disease can take effect, she’s seen it before. “You could have told us, (Y/n), we could have removed them.” When you first joined the team, the first person you spoke to was Artemis. You were a very quiet, meek heroine who needed a friend. Now you were strong, confident, and had an armful of friends who always stood by your side.

“But then I wouldn’t be able to love anymore,” you hiccuped. “And that would hurt someone else.” Artemis squeezed you tighter when even more petals fell from your lips.

You felt a hand on your shoulder and you looked up to see Batman. It must have been your imagination because he looked sad, too. “We need to get you to the med bay, just for a little while.”

You were about to refuse, but what else were you going to do? Continuously torture your friends with more and more petals? Become a liability on missions? Pray to a god to help him fall in love with you?

The entire team walked with you to the med bay (Kaldur carried you), but Wally trudged behind. He felt like his heart was ripped out of his chest. He knew that you would have kept that secret until they found you dead, if they never found out. Fortunately, they did. The words flying through his head were: My friend is dying. My friend is going to die from Hanahaki Disease. My friend is dying and we can’t do anything about it.

You were injected with different medications that would dull the pain and make it a little easier to talk. Another was to slow down the process, but not completely stop it. Megan held your right hand as you were given the shots by Batman. The tall brooding hero wasn’t showing it, but it was difficult to watch someone so young dying from some god damn flowers because someone didn’t love them back. You weren’t even eighteen yet, but Hanahaki Disease didn’t care which life was being snuffed out.

It sounded like the door exploded open, but it kind of did; it come off it’s hinges and went skidding across the floor. Red Arrow, a.k.a. Roy Harper, broke down the door and ran in to see you. A flash of ginger hair whizzed past them and Roy roughly pulled up and chair and sat next to you. He was another good friend of yours; an older brother. He taught you how to use a bow, and came for help if you ever needed his expertise.

“Please tell me this is a prank.” Roy pleaded. He was a usually stoic guy, not nearly as emotional as he was now. You always did bring a different side out of people. “This can’t be happening. You, of all people, shouldn’t get taken down by a stupid flower disease.” He searched your face for any sign that you were joking, but all of the joyful spark in your eyes was gone, replaced by sadness. The light in them was dull, but not entirely gone. “Can we get rid of it?” He looked up at Batman with high hopes, even though he told himself that he’ll be let down.

Batman shook his head solemnly, and Roy’s shoulders sagged. “You don’t deserve this. Who is he? We can still help you!”

You gritted your teeth and looked away. “I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. He loves someone else, Roy. There’s no use.” You just wanted this torture to stop. You couldn’t take the sad faces of your friends, the sounds of their hearts breaking, and how utterly helpless and useless you felt. “I’m going to die, and it’s best that you all understand that.”

When Batman called an emergency Justice League meeting, the heroes were ready to go to battle and fight the enemy. But this enemy couldn’t be fought.

They all sat in their respective seats, waiting for a normal debriefing, but the didn’t get the kind they expected. “(Y/H/N) has Hanahaki Disease.” The words left Batman’s mouth slowly, and they left a bitter taste behind. “It’s too far along to stop it with surgery.”

Your mentor went rigid. The protege they raised for many years has a disease that was so rare that some people believed it to be a myth? “This is a sick joke, Batman!” They clenched their jaw. “Hanahaki Disease is practically a myth these days. You’re lying.”

Batman pulled a hand out from behind his back and dropped a small handful of pink petals on the table. “I don’t joke around and I wouldn’t lie about this. I can pull up security footage if you don’t believe me.” He knew your mentor wouldn’t believe him. Several of the others didn’t believe him either, so he brought the petals with a heavy heart and a sick feeling in his stomach.

They didn’t know what to think. Your mentor stood from their chair so fast that it flew back and hit the wall with a loud bang. “She’s too young for this! She’s not even an adult!” They cried out and speed-walked to the zeta tube. “This can’t be happening…”

You were laying in bed four days later, coughing up flower petals left and right. The team still had missions to go on, and you forced them to go instead of staying with you 25/8. Roy came in a lot, just to hang out normally and talk about nothing in particular; mostly just reminiscing. Conner kept trying to find a way to help you, but his attempts were fruitless. Kaldur often told you stories from Atlantis, and taught you some Atlantian history. M’gann often helped you go through your most treasured memories, which made you both cry on occasion. Zatanna entertained you with magic, Artemis being her ‘volunteer from the crowd’. All four of you girls would sit down and just talked about girl stuff, that is, when you weren’t producing petals by the handfuls. Robin usually popped in to talk about school and any new tech he got on his utility belt, and you ruffled his hair every time before he had to leave.

Poor Wally. Whenever he wasn’t at school, on a mission, or (unwillingly, at this point) spending time with his family, he was at your side. When no one else was already doing it, he was cleaning up the petals and bringing you water and food, if you could consume it. He hated how you were getting weaker by the day, and it was like there was an entire damn cherry blossom tree in your lungs. Wally held on to your hand and treated every second like it was the last one he had with you.

“I got you something from Paris today.” Wally said with a smile and he pulled out a tiny snow globe. It had the Eiffel Tower inside, with beautiful tiny snowflakes floating inside it. “I know you’ve always wanted to go there, so I made a little detour before we came back!” All he could do was stay positive. Other than desperately wanting you to get better, all he wanted to do was make you happy in your final moments.

You gave him the strongest smile you could manage and you took the small snow globe from his hand. “It-it’s beautiful, Wally. Thank you so mu-” A ragged cough stopped you in the middle of your sentence, and you knew that your time was near. You could just sense it. You didn’t want to die; you were holding onto your last string of life with all your might, but you didn’t want to acknowledge that it wasn’t enough.

Wally grabbed your hand and eased you through the cough. He was the first one back from the mission and didn’t take the time to take off his suit, being a speedster and all, but you were the reason for him being faster than ever. They were due back any minute. “Do you need more water? I can get water, I’ll be right back.”

Your hand shot out and you caught him by his belt loop. “Don’t… don’t leave. Please stay.” You rasped before letting go. The action took more of your energy than you anticipated.

The sudden grip and tiny tug on his belt loop startled him and he sat down immediately. “Y-Yeah, I can do that.” Wally held your hand again. “Is there anything you want? I can ask someone to bring something in.”

“Do you remember my first day here? When we first met?”

Wally chuckled. “Of course I do, you were so adorable. How could I forget?”

“Tell me about that.”

He excitedly launched into the story about the first day you joined the team. You were quiet and calm, unlike most of the other team members. So when he tried flirting with you, you were caught off guard and turned as red as the lightning bolt on his chest. Since you were so quiet, no one expected you to kick ass like no other. Looks can be deceiving, and you were living proof. You were pretty much the exact opposite of Wally, so your close and unbreakable friendship was quite the puzzle.

Wally went into the story of your first mission, and you smiled every one in a while. The coughing slowly came to a stop, and you weren’t seeing as well as you used to. But you started feel free, as if you were floating. You focused on his voice as you slowly drifted away. You were happy that the last thing you heard was Wally’s voice retelling your first and favorite mission, a dear memory you held close to your heart.

“And you looked so happy when Batman said we did a good job on the mission, I thought you were going to explode from how happy you were! Your mentor was proud of how well you did, and we had no idea how amazing you were! You look younger than you actually are, so you looked like an excited little kid that day.” Wally laughed and he looked at you, expecting a smile and a response.

You didn’t say anything. You couldn’t. Wally jumped about ten feet high to get out of his chair. You weren’t breathing, and you weren’t coughing either. That wasn’t what he noticed first. You were left peacefully looking up at the ceiling, but the light in your eyes was gone. They were dull and lifeless, and Wally suddenly felt sick.

“(Y/n), no no no, hey, talk to me.” Wally started crying as he put a hand on your cheek. “Wake up, (Y/n), come on. Wake up!”

The team was on their way to see you, knowing that Wally was already there, but when they heard Wally’s pleads and cries, they sprinted down the halls. Some of them started crying before they saw you.

When they got to your room after what felt like hours, Wally was in shambles. His face was already wet with tears and hands shaking uncontrollably.

You were gone.

Everyone who came to your funeral cried. Your mentor and some friends said a few words in your memory, but Wally couldn’t bring himself to do it. He couldn’t find the right words to say about you; you were an extraordinary and a one-of-a-kind human being no one wanted to let go of.

Most of the team members were angry. Who didn’t love you back? Who couldn’t love you back? It was a question that would forever remain unanswered. A love forever unrequited.

Mount Justice wasn’t the same. It was quiet. No one wanted to make small talk. There were no smiles, no jokes, no fun, and missions became complicated and reckless. Teamwork and focus didn’t go away, but greatly deteriorated.

Wally stood in your almost-empty room, looking at your dresser. Some items were still on it, and they were all the little souvenirs Wally brought back for you from all sorts of countries and famous cities. He most recent one, the Paris snow globe, and a fresh tear landed on the glass. Wally cleared his throat and whispered. “I wish I could have taken you to Paris for real. You’d love it there; I got there when it was dark and it was so pretty at night.”

But he couldn’t take you to Paris anymore. You wouldn’t ever see how beautiful the Eiffel Tower was at midnight. The team wasn’t ever going to go on another mission with you again. Wally couldn’t see your bright smile anymore. He was dreading the day when he couldn’t remember your voice. The light you brought to the team and his heart was gone.

So when a light yellow petal puffed from his mouth and landed at his feet, he didn’t care.

EDIT: Contrary to the popular belief, Wally was NOT the guy the reader fell in love with.

#angst #hanahaki disease #young justice #young justice imagine #young justice season 1 #young justice x reader #wally west x reader #wally west #wally west imagine #kid flash #kid flash x reader #kid flash imagine

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kokoro4kakashi · 8 years ago

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11(x2) Questions

Tagged by @letliv3 (gr can’t tag here) :)

1. What is your favorite movie soundtrack and why? Yanno, I listened to the soundtrack from Gladiator a million times. In the car, at home - I loved it :) It was just so moving. A close second is The Mists of Avalon.

2. What is your favorite smell and why? Peppermint! Dunno why, it’s just pleasant? I am very tempted to try and have another peppermint plant this spring but I can’t use the leaves for anything and I don’t wanna have it be a magnet for earwigs again - that broke meh gardenin’ heart to see it ravaged.

3. If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? I would haaaaave to pick something healthy just cuz it’d be silly to have french fries all the time.

4. What teacher has most influenced you in your life? Mrs Cole, my 6th grade teacher. I was in kindergarten thru 6th grade in the same elementary school and you’d hear near the end of the school year which teachers in the next grade were nice, cool, hard, etc... and she was one I’d heard prior to 6th grade who was tough, mean, yelled, etc... but turns out she was funny, nice, yelled for comedic effect, let us watch cartoons at lunch (go Chip n Dale!), kind (took me aside to ask if i was having problems in math), brought her two weiner doggies in sometimes and they’d sleep under her desk... I mean, she was the best all around and a good example to me of not per-judging someone.

5. Who was your idol as a child? Why did you admire this person? Oh geez, I dun think I can remember that... I liked most of my teachers cuz they had knowledge I didn’t ... does that count? hha

6. What kind of coloring books go you like? The simple and succinct ones or the intricate and detailed ones? Well... dunno. I remember liking coloring books when I was younger, but haven’t been inclined to pick any up now... I liked, when muuuuch younger, those fuzzy posters, which I think are still sold - those I tried to make look like a stained glass window.

7. What are your go-to pair of shoes? In the non-winter? Flip flops. Durable flip-flops, or ‘thongs’ depending on what you call em. Actually I usually have a crap pair I can throw on to run an errand and a good durable pair that’re comfy for longer standing time-required stuff.

8. What would you name your Direwolf if you had one? Hm... Cheza :)

9. If you could change one event in the past, what would it be? (It doesn’t have to involve you in any way.) Go back in time and make sure the ignorant cheeto in the white house wasn’t born?

10. What is your favorite memory you have with your group of friends? Prolly a montage of video game playing. Mario Kart version.

11. If you could become part of your favorite series/ movie etc. would you? Mushishi. I would wanna be able to see the mushi, too, and travel around with Ginko... or at least be a fellow mushi master who communicates with him from time to time since he seems, in my memory, to be one of the more compassionate mushi masters in the series. His point of view is valuable.

Tagged by @eeearnest :)

1. What is your favorite book? I need to re-read to make sure which one, but it was one of the ones by Amy Tan. Not necessarily the Joy Juck Club, tho.

2. Are you the author or the reader? (Or artist and audience) Audience! I used to screencap redraw things but got out of the interest, and I definitely never wrote stuff and dun now.

3. What genre of movies is your favorite in theatres? I haven’t seen a movie in the theatre since.. Signs? But, I’d go to any... horror or comedy. Or really anything if it was with friends.

4. If you write, is it on paper or computer? n/a But, when thesis-working - it was on paper, then on computer for editing and final version.

5. Do you tend to hold grudges? And if so, what are you holding onto? I have this odd grudge with someone who used to be a friend. Been going on for... almost 15 years? Sheesh... Anyways, we were friends as far as I knew, and then I heard she was bad-mouthing me to a mutual friend, that friend dunno why, and since then we can’t be in the same room. Soooo... dunno.

6. Where in the world are you from? Washington state, US ;)

7. On a bunk bed, would you rather have the top bunk or the bottom bunk? Why? I’d defer to whatever the other person wanted, if they had a strong want for either... but if it were up to me, prolly bottom so I dun disturb them if I got up during the night.

8. What is your ideal spot to read? Does it actually exist (my ideal doesn’t exist yet). Hm... until they invent a comfy reading position in bed, dunno! I usually just try and curl up in a comfy, quiet spot - wherever that may be.

9. What’s your favorite Studio Ghibli film? If you haven’t seen them we can’t be friends until you do. *mumbles a string of words that hopefully sounds like a title to you* >_____>;;

10. What do you do on Tumblr? What do I do? Haha I dunno, on the surface - post/reblog a lot about Naruto... but I enjoy the time I spend here, so that speaks to interactions ;)

11. Occupation? Or if student, what are you training for? Unemployed, heh. I was a student several years ago.

Thank you guys! ^_^ Lots of interesting questions!

Again, tagged several people recently and seen a lot of these get posted by others, so I’ll skip the tagging this time. <3

#kay so now it's been 55 like finny :)#letliv3 #personal

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ncmagroup · 4 years ago

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by Karen Talavera

Have you ever been blown off right from the start? Ever been “ghosted” just after meeting someone—be it a potential business contact, friend or dating partner—you really liked and thought you were hitting it off with?

Whether you’ve experienced it first-hand or just heard the horror stories, ghosting totally sucks.

If you can relate, then you get why welcome campaigns aren’t just vital but critical to email success. Not only do they set the tone for the entire future of your subscriber relationships, but they also ensure those subscriber connections become relationships. They pave the way for good deliverability (inbox vs. junk folder placement), and they create familiarity, appreciation, engagement and (most importantly) trust.

Failing to send a welcome message after email sign-up or address capture is the digital equivalent of ghosting your subscribers. And we know what happens to ghosters—they get blocked, ignored, forgotten or downright hated on.

Ok, so you’re sending a welcome email, but is it a kick-ass welcome campaign or a vanilla, one-size-fits-all message that sounds like it could’ve been cranked out by an AI-driven robot with zero human intervention? (Or maybe it’s so bad, the AI-driven robot version would be an improvement?)

It’s not enough to merely send a welcome email—although that’s better than not sending one at all—you need a strategic, personal message with zazz. Your welcome campaign should have specific goals, you should know what they are, and it should be crafted intentionally to accomplish them.

Plus, cutting-edge marketers know the welcome email is just the tip of the relationship-building iceberg since they’re connecting it with an entire onboarding series to follow.

Still not convinced? Research shows a warm email welcome is more than just polite common sense, it’s a money-maker.

MarketingSherpa reports the average open rate for welcome emails is a whopping 50% (that’s the average), making them 86% more effective than your usual broadcast messages.

As if that’s not enough, according to Internet Retailer, merchants that send a welcome series see 13% more revenue than those sending a single message. Any way you cut it, welcome emails put engagement and money in the bank.

But, going beyond basic isn’t for wimps. Let’s make sure you’re doing it right with a breakdown of 4 essential ingredients for marketing success.

Essential Ingredients

1. Welcome, Introduce & Establish Identity

You got it—the whole point of a welcome email is to actually make a new subscriber feel welcome, so write your subject lines, headlines and copy that way! Show gratitude and appreciation like you would if you were meeting in person.

Think about how you’d welcome someone into your home or a special event: you’d invite them in, make sure they’re in the right place, and introduce yourself so they know exactly who you are and how to recognize you again.

Food gift merchant Fairytale Brownies’ welcome campaign scores! I’m feeling the warm, gooey brownie love right from the subject line with my “gift inside.”

The fact that I’m greeted as a “Fairytale Friend” and am receiving “much love” from co-founders (and real-life kindergarten friends—yeah, for real) David and Eileen, plus get to actually see what they look like, only adds to the yummy goodness. (Now, if I only had a glass of red wine to go with those brownies, but I digress…)

Getting serious for a sec, let’s not overlook the importance of establishing an inbox identity.

With ISPs cracking down on spam and monitoring inbox owner engagement like never before, today’s email welcome campaigns need to clearly establish brand and sender identity to ensure successful deliverability.

Your visible “From” name, as well as your email sending address and domain, should be recognizable entities to subscribers, even if it means having to explain things a bit (such as a parent company domain that’s different from a retail store brand name).

You don’t want new subscribers blocking or blacklisting you right from the get-go because they can’t connect the dots between what they signed up for and how you show up in the inbox.

2. Confirm Actions, Manage Expectations

What did you promise when you asked for an email address? Was it required as part of a mobile app download or purchase? Contest or sweepstakes entry? For access to gated content? Or were you just popping up a lightbox doling out the usual (but nonetheless appreciated) 10% discount or free shipping on the first purchase?

There’s a myriad of ways to end up on an email list and many—like entering a contest, registering for an event, downloading content, or creating an account—have nothing to do with intentionally signing up for email to get deals or perks.

Whatever you promised, make sure you’re telling subscribers that’s how and why they came to be on your list, that they’ve successfully completed the action, and what’s in store for them next.

Here’s what I received after joining British Airways’ frequent flyer program “Executive Club” (which sounds soooo much more elite than it is—oh those British!) after having purchased an international flight on Iberia, their partner airline. The animated hero shot is a catchy touch and not often seen in welcome emails—nice!

More to the point, the message clearly does its job by letting me know my membership number (if any of you international road warriors would like to apply it to your next BA flight, feel free), points status, and other useful information like program benefits and how to get their mobile app.

3. Orient and Guide

In the spirit of travel, your welcome email is a key inflection point at the start of a very important journey—the customer journey. Whether people ended up on your email list because they bought or they have yet to, your goal is the same: get them to transact.

As on any journey, people want to know the landscape. They’d like to know where they’re going and how to get there, so give them a map, as well as step-by-step directions. Don’t just leave them wandering in the wilderness.

This welcome email from eBags not only includes a hefty bounceback offer (a 25% discount on repeat purchase—that’s pretty motivating even though I dropped $400 on my first purchase) but also attractively enumerates what I need to know and do next, one step at a time.

A stellar touch I’m calling out is the inclusion of content marketing in point #4—which links to juicy-good information like travel guides, packing lists, and interviews with their “eBags Ambassadors,” real people embodying different customer personas.

This was no small investment to create, and as a frequent traveler myself, I both appreciate the effort and resonate strongly with it. I’m already feeling a real connection to this brand!

Remember—forging relationships is a core objective of your welcome campaigns, so evoking positive emotions will go a long way toward creating attachment and loyalty.

4. Prioritize Key Next Steps

eBags’ numbered CTAs in the previous example aptly illustrate this point, but what if walking new subscribers down the garden path isn’t as important as getting them to take a specific required action—like setting up a profile or account—before anything can happen that generates value for either of you?

Or, what if you have a BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) like growing social media followers or gathering feedback that depends on subscribers taking a specific action, like following your Instagram or completing a poll?

Here’s a real-life example involving a two-part email confirm/welcome to illustrate my point. I recently made a purchase in a Columbia Sportswear retail store. The cashier asked me if I wanted to join the rewards program, and I said yes. She asked for my email address, I verbally gave it, and then received this message.

Clearly, Columbia was forcing account creation for rewards program members—I wouldn’t be able to join and earn without completing setup. But the process was short and simple and the temporary password provided, so I did it. With the account setup done, a second more typical welcome email followed.

The moral of the story? If you need a new subscriber to do something before a relationship can be established at all, hand-hold them through the process and plan for additional emails to support it.

If that’s not enough to chew on, here’s a heap of welcome email inspiration from our friends at Really Good Emails.

Now that you’ve considered what’s possible, how will you evolve your welcome email campaigns this year?

Go to our website: www.ncmalliance.com

Unboxing the Welcome Email: 4 Essential Ingredients for Success by Karen Talavera Have you ever been blown off right from the start? Ever been “ghosted” just after meeting someone—be it a potential business contact, friend or dating partner—you really liked and thought you were hitting it off with?

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