#but you have the most recognisable header ever if you changed it at this point it would be like changing your name ngl

[charlitosalcaraz]

how do you always have the best layout and pfp and header i'm so so so jealous 😫

bestie 🥹🥹🥹🥹💕💗💞💓💕💗💞💓💕💗💞💗

[fuse2dx]

October ‘20

Hades

Hades is a great roguelike for people that don’t like roguelikes. As you start out, you may be back to the start again frequently, but as well as taking the smart step of making the beginning one of the most endearing parts of the whole process, it also rarely lets you leave on your journey without some kind of permanent upgrades in tow. This tweak to how the genre typically plays out may not be new, and could almost be taken as a gap in its armour, if only it weren’t so effective and damned confident in every other facet of what it does. 

Combat is very much at the heart of it, with a variety of fundamentally different (and yet all entirely viable) weapons being just the foundation of the ways in which your play style is catered to. Movement is quick, smooth, and satisfying, and clearing rooms feels good even before you’re then offered a reward. Some of these fulfil the role of currencies that can be used back in the house of Hades, while others are more focused on trying to improve your chances of survival this time in particular, through either direct changes to your weapon, or God-granted boons that help shape your build in their image. As you progress you’ll find even more ways to diversify your loadout, and with so many of these layers being randomly generated each time, there’s an impressive breadth of diversity that goes far beyond the procedurally-generated level layouts and your chance encounters within them.

Sitting atop all of this is a rich and dense story, neatly crafted around Greek mythology. It’s drawn out to match the longevity of a soap opera, yet somehow retains a momentous level of quality in both the writing and the voice performances. Minute details of your tragedies and triumphs are pored over in frankly stunning detail by the characters you interact with, often linked with changes that are then reflected in their behaviour during your runs, and then reacted to once more when you get back to them again. Aside from the sheer number of conversations to have with them, there’s plenty to love in each of the characters - they’re charmingly presented in both the art and and the performances that bring them to life.

Even once I’d reached the point where winning became more of an inevitability than a lofty goal, I still found myself enthused by each trip back to the start -  raring to go, armed with new stories to unravel, new upgrades to pursue, heightened challenges, and new kit to play with. The level of all-over polish is rarely seen to begin with, and to do so when the volume of game is as substantial as it is here is frankly staggering. Bravo, Supergiant - this is really something quite special.

Hide & Dance!

A rhythm game spin-off of an already quite esoteric title - Hidden my Game by Mom - seems just the kind of thing that’d get my attention, right? Diving right in, it’s pretty simple as far as rhythm games go, with four basic inputs mapped to d-pad and face buttons. The unique addition is in-keeping to the theme of the original game, and has you constantly keep an eye on the door behind you - spotting when it begins to crack open, and right on cue, pressing the L and R buttons to avoid your family, before then resuming your throwing of shapes. That said, ‘avoid’ is a catch-all term here, and every character has a variety of daft poses, dodges, and deceptions that all fall under this header, the only connection being the their crucial suggestion you’re doing anything but dancing. These are totally ludicrous, and often hilarious. Please: see above.

Songs are cheerful, upbeat, poppy numbers, and typically are under a minute in length. See, it’s not trying to set the rhythm game world on fire, but it is charming, pleasant, and even a little challenging once you start to crank up the difficulty. The smattering of songs you start out with is quickly bolstered with an in-game store (see: gachapon machine) that doles out characters, songs and sound effects - though it really doesn’t take long to clear it out and have the complete collection available to you either. It’s not essential, but it’s a modest, and modestly priced, diversion that’s worth a glance.

13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

Even with the heavily-cliched setting of teenage school kids piloting giant robots and being pitted against cataclysmic invaders to preserve the fate of the earth, anyone who’s familiar with Vanillaware, or more specifically, the work of George Kamitami, will still easily be able to identify his work. His art is as beautiful as it is recognisable, and with the more sedate story sections of the game panning, scaling, and dynamically lighting all of this, it’s certainly quite a striking thing to look at. 

Yet, the visuals aren’t the most over-reaching part of the game by any stretch. The titular 13 sentinels are manned by the 13 central characters, who each have their own little narrative arcs for you to see through. You start off with a small selection of them, but you’ll soon be expanding your horizons and juggling the full roster, choosing which angle to tug the narrative threads from. A whole other layer of the game is arguably the most game-y bit of the package, leading the sentinels more directly in real-time strategic battles. These sections are more fun than I’d expected; different sentinels have different skills and strengths that must be played to, and effective use of upgrade materials between fights are equally satisfying to put into practice. There’s even more storytelling at the beginning and end of each of these fights too, and balancing these two main parts of the game is left entirely in your hands. Your progress on all fronts is clearly tracked and visible throughout, and although you’re very like to come across a roadblock on one side, the game is always very open about what’s holding you back and needs to be done first to prepare you for the next big revelation in the story.

In truth, the story is a little bit too ambitious - given the number of characters, the complexity of its scenario and sci-fi concepts, and the likelihood of out-of-sequence dipping in and out of each story, it’s very easy to lose track of what’s happening, or even worse, the desire to keep up with the details. Thankfully, the overall mission is straightforward and compelling enough, with plenty of good moments to propel you forward. Backed up with great art, and an impressively competent battle system underpinning it all, this has turned out to be the first Vanillaware game that I’ve ever been inspired to see through to completion.  

[walkonwalkonwithhopeinyourheart]

Match Thread: Chelsea FC v Liverpool FC - [FA Cup 5th Round] via /r/LiverpoolFC

Match Thread: Chelsea FC v Liverpool FC - [FA Cup 5th Round]

For tonight's thread I've gone with a classic Rosemary Focaccia Bread 🍞

Chelsea Starting XI: Kepa, Alonso, Rüdiger, Zouma, Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Barkley, Gilmour, Willian, Giroud, Pedrol

Subs: Caballero, Tomori, James, Jorginho, Mount, Anjorin, Batshuayi.

Liverpool Starting XI: LFC line up v Chelsea: Adrian, Williams, Van Dijk, Gomez, Robertson, Fabinho, Lallana, Jones, Minamino, Mane, Origi.

Subs: Lonergan, Milner, Firmino, Salah, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Matip, Chirivella.

🏟 Venue: Stamford Bridge, London

🗣 Referee: Chris Kavanagh

📺 VAR: Andre Marriner

⚽️ Kick Off: 19:45 (GMT)

📌 Match Facts:

Liverpool's dreams of an 'Invincible' season were not just ended on Saturday, they were shattered in stunning fashion as relegation-threatened Watford stormed to a deserved 3-0 win at Vicarage Road.

It was a result which sent shockwaves around football - the biggest margin of victory for a team in the relegation zone against top of the table since 1985 - and Klopp may hope that it also sends shockwaves throughout his squad.

Liverpool have done an admirable job of avoiding complacency despite the destination of the Premier League title being all-but secured for some time now, but Saturday showed the first signs of it creeping in.

Klopp insisted that he did not see the result coming, but in truth Liverpool's performance level has dipped since the international break, with narrow wins over Norwich City and West Ham United as well as defeats to Atletico Madrid and now Watford.

However, it is important to keep the defeat in context and there will certainly be no overreaction from inside the Liverpool camp given that they still boast a 22-point lead at the top of the table and were on the joint-longest winning streak and second longest unbeaten run in English top-flight history going into the weekend.

Klopp always maintained that an unbeaten campaign was not the goal for Liverpool, but a treble-winning season will be and those hopes will be tested this month ahead of Tuesday's match and the Champions League last 16 second leg against Atletico Madrid.

Liverpool have worked their way through the FA Cup without giving many of their stars much game time so far, beating Everton in the third round before overcoming Shrewsbury Town via a replay - the second game of which was with their youngest ever starting lineup.

The Reds have not won this competition since the 'Steven Gerrard final' of 2006 and are already enjoying their best FA Cup run since 2014-15, and they are likely to field some of the more recognised first-team players for the trip to Stamford Bridge.

Both Klopp and the players themselves will demand a response to the Watford defeat whoever plays as they look to avoid falling to successive losses for the first time since January 2019.

If they are to bounce back immediately then they will need to rediscover their form at both ends of the field; they had only one shot on target at Vicarage Road and have now conceded five goals in their last two league games - as many as they had in their previous 14.

The Reds have conceded 11 goals in their past five domestic cup away games, though, and have lost their last two matches on the road across all competitions, which is as many defeats as they had suffered in their previous 20.

Chelsea's home record is not exactly formidable either, though, with the Blues having suffered eight defeats at Stamford Bridge this season - their highest tally since 1985-86.

The most recent of those was a particularly chastening 3-0 lesson at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week, which was their heaviest ever home European defeat and their biggest in any competition since January 2018.

A visit from the world, European and soon-to-be English champions is arguably the last thing Frank Lampard's side need, then, although this is perhaps the most vulnerable the Reds have looked all season.

Chelsea are not best-placed to take advantage of that, though, having won just one of their last five games and two of their last eight.

Did you know? The sailors aboard Vasco de Gama’s ships gave the coconut its name.  They called it “Coco”, named after a grimacing face or hobgoblin.  The brown, hairy husk and three face-like dimples made them think the seed looked like a sort of spirit.  When the “coco” came to England, the suffix of nut was added and that’s how the name came about.

👏 As always thanks to u/PM-Me-Salah-Pics for providing the Match Facts.

⏱ (0') We're under way at Stamford Bridge

⏱ (2') Decent start from the visitors, who win an early corner which is taken short before Andy Robertson swings in and Kepa has a routine catch as his first work of the night.

⏱ (3') CHANCE! Shoddy from Rudiger, who drills a long pass straight at Minamino. From there, Robertson is on the overlap again and digs out a little clipped ball which finds Mane. He has to wait for it to drop before lashing towards goal but it's straight at Kepa. 

⚽️ (13') GOAL! Willian What an absolute rollercoaster few minutes for Adrian. He made a stunning save to deny Willian when the Brazilian seemed certain to score. Within 30 seconds though, Fabinho has given the ball away on the edge of the box and Willian crashes straight back at him - and I mean properly straight at him - but he somehow pushes into the corner of his own goal!

⏱ (20') That'll do Kepa's confidence a bit of good! A triple save!  First he dives at the feet of Mane to deny him from point-blank range, then he sticks out a big left-hand to keep Origi's shot out and finally Jones is thwarted. Great game, this.

⏱ (24') Nice football around the edge of the box from the visitors, with first Minamino and then Lallana showing lovely feet before the latter slides in Mane and he wins a corner.

⏱ (31') This is so end-to-end. Sadio Mane absolutely monsters his way through a couple of challenges and when his shot is parried by Kepa it sits up for Williams but the youngster skews wide.

⏱ (33') Liverpool are living dangerously. This time Willian gets to the byline and drives across the face of goal. Van Dijk only gets studs on it that do nothing to change the direction of the ball and it should be a tap-in for Giroud but uncharacteristically he's darted to the back post rather than attacking the cross and Williams hooks clear from inside his own six-yard box.

🔄 (41') Chelsea Sub: Mount replaces the injured Kovacic

⏱ (45') There'll be 2 additional minutes at the end of the first half.

⏱ HT from Stamford Bridge: 1-0

⏱ (45') Back under way at Stamford Bridge with no changes from either side.

🔄 (50') Chelsea Sub: Jorginho replaces the injured Willian

⏱ (55') Curtis Jones is seeing lots of the ball in the early stages of this second half and showing some nice touches as Liverpool just start to dictate possession. 

⏱ (57') Superb work from Andy Robertson. He covers back towards his own goal, cutting out a long pass in behind with a header back to Adrian and then immediately spins and demands it's thrown out to him to launch the break. From there, he drives the length of the field and crosses, eventually finding Lallana at the backpost and his pull-back is turned behind for a corner. 

⚽️ (64') GOAL! Barkley Brilliant from Ross Barkley! The England man picks the ball up inside his own half and sets off. Mount can't keep up to his left but Pedro makes a terrific run to his right and you're thinking he has to slide him in. Instead, Barkley carries on driving between Gomez and Fabinho (the latter could have brought him down but had just been booked) and crashes a corking effort beyond Adrian. 

🔄 (69') Double Liverpool Sub: Firmino & Milner replace Jones & Origi.

🔄 (79') Liverpool Sub: Salah replaces Lallana

Submitted March 03, 2020 at 06:50PM by OasisFan89 via reddit https://ift.tt/3aoN4fB

[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching SPN 14x08 “Byzantium”

*insert gif of me with raging fireballs for eyes and a huge smile, throwing flowers everywhere*

03:45pm

WHooo a meredith glynn episode!!!!! my fave

i always hear the 10th doctor saying “byzantium” and i can’t even put my finger on why. i guess he said it once. followed by the word “crystals”. probably what powers the tardis tbh

brb gonna get a lil snackaroo

-

04:04pm

okay a whole mealaroo, same difference

LET’S WATCH THE THING

-

04:06

i like that this recap is mostly women saying important things, quoted from multiple episodes

the stars have aligned

-

04:08

sam: “tell them yourself, they’ll get back in a minute”

oh no the pain in sam’s eyes

i lowkey forgot jared could act

-

04:10

jack: what happens next, for someone like me?

sam: i don’t know

jack: then it’s gonna be an adventure

he is THE PUREST SOUL

-

04:11

sam: “he’s gone”

WHAT??? NO?????!?!?!

WHAT??2RF

JDFG?

/????????

NO? I WAS 0% EXPECTING THIS 

WHAT THE HELL

EXCUSE ME I WANT A REFUND FOR THIS EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT

SERIOUSLY I 100% BELIEVED HE’D BE OKAY

WHO ALLOWED THIS

/frowns and continues watching because nope this will be FIXED

at some point

undoubtedly

-

04:14

oh nooooo

does cas always check with dean’s emotions so he can reflect them, or because he wants to check if dean’s okay before allowing himself to feel his own emotions?

because he always does this

-

04:16

also i wanna know why this is clearly affecting dean so much more than cas or sam when they all cared about him like parents

does he just take things to heart way more, or is jack specifically linked in his mind to something he did wrong and the guilt is overwhelming?

also i totally would’ve loved to see them all bawling their eyes out tbh

-

04:18

why is cas the one holding everything together

dean’s in pain, cas helps him

sam’s in pain, dean lets him be but cas wants to help

but how is cas feeling

-

04:21

would fresh wood even burn???? i thought you’re meant to get dead, old wood

or maybe i know nothing and you’re meant to chop down poor, innocent trees

-

04:24

dean: “tonight? we get loaded”

and now i’m crying ;~;

-

04:25

fuk u

-

04:26

it’s obviously misha but it’s also canon cas now and he’s smiling and i’m sobbing and i can’t handle this

-

okay dean needs to kiss that lil bit of caramel off his lip RIGHT NOW

100% the reason the editors used that shot

-

04:28

okYA THAT RIGHT THERE/ THAT’S DRUNK JENSEN

NESNEJ, IF YOU WILL

I KNOW THAT LOOK ANYWHERE

THAT’S JENSEN LOOKING AT MISHA WITH DRUNK HEARTEYES

they must’ve used real liquor somewhere in this, either that or jensen is REALLY good at acting drunk with his eyes

AND FUCK THAT’S ALSO DEAN LOOKING AT CAS WITH DRUNK HEARTEYES

SHIT

this episode is just a list of things i did not fucking expect to see right now

-

04:33

tbh jack’s heaven is probably very close to my idea of heaven too

endless team free will/destiel soft fanfiction where nothing is wrong and they like me

-

04:35

how does he look SO. GOOD.

-

04:37

honestly right now as they’re having this conversation about angel tablets, my bladder is straining in sympathy for dean’s

please somebody let him leave to use the bathroom

i cannot imagine how much liquid is inside him right now AND AT THE SAME TIME HE MUST BE THE MOST DEHYDRATED

save this boy

-

04:41

oooh is jack gonna meet his mom in heaveeeeeeennnnn

-

04:44

dean: “psycho ex-angel killer”

um dude everyone you know and love has murdered angels

-

04:50

oooohhhh yes i did recognise the black inky skeleton thing but didn’t place it until now

-

04:50

duma: “what does it want?”

naomi: “the boy”

unsure if that counts as a bechdel test pass but it was close

-

duma: “so what do we do?”

naomi: “give it what it wants”

okay THAT counts

-

04:54

anubis is 10/10

love the accent, the snark, and the face

-

04:55

this is cool as fuck

-

04:56

“god doesn’t decide... i don’t decide. you do. i’ll tally it up at the precise moment of your death”

some good-place lore right here

loving it VERY MUCH

-

05:00

all the rainbow flowers~~~~

-

05:02

WAAAAAH ;U;;U;U;U;

-

05:08

the empty: “and when you finally give yourself permission to be happy, and let the sun shine on your face? that’s.. when i’ll come”

okay just saying, this specific iteration of the empty is hands down the most interesting and most terrifying big bad this show has ever had

this actress needs all the awards

she looks so delicate but there’s something HUGE and angry inside her and it shows, physically

-

05:11

i thought the plan was to bring jack back to life so the empty leaves heaven

WHY did cas offer himself to save jack instead??? even though lily is doing the spell?

i thought he was buying time but then THAT HAPPENED

THIS IS NOT WHAT I WANT, IN ANY UNIVERSE

not letting cas be happy, ever, is 100% worse than jack dying and going to heaven

but i guess that’s the point, jack would have ended up in the empty. BUT EVEN SO WHY DID CAS GIVE HIMSELF UP IF THE SPELL WAS MEANT TO HAPPEN

-

05:14

cas: “i don’t want them to worry”

but. like. 

does this mean cas could just die at any moment

dean tells him he loves him and WHOOP dead forever in the empty

0/10 fuck you

-

05:16

also interesting that the empty is willing to barter and change plans and swap souls from destination to destination whereas anubis is not

i guess that differentiates where they stand on that alignment chart thing

there is SO MUCH happening at all times in this universe

-

05:17

again, if cas can just leave with jack, why did he give himself up

i must be missing something here

maybe it’s just that the spell wasn’t complete yet

hmmm i guess... i guess cas’ deal was specifically for jack, so when jack dies eventually again, he goes to heaven instead of the empty? like, it’s not just for now, it’s for always

okay that makes more sense

BUT JEEZ WHAT A PRICE ;A;

NOW CAS CAN NEVER BE HAPPY OR SAFE IN LIFE, OR DEATH

FUCK

-

05:21

i’m gonna cry

that one last sefless act was probably enough to tip the scales in lily’s favour

i’m crying

-

05:23

naomi: “i think that deserves a reward, don’t you?”

YES YES PLEASE SAVE HIM FROM THIS RIDICULOUS FATE

he’s such a fucking winchester

and i just realised i got my wish, meredith glynn writing cas. i was right, she does it perfectly and i love her

i mean, i hope i’m not speaking too soon here, naomi better fix this shit right now

-

yes i spoke too soon

“the archangel michael’s location”

useful but not what i wanted at all gdi

-

05:26

<3

well look i knew jack would be fine

BUT AT WHAT COST

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

wish list: happy cas and no eternal death in the empty

-

05:28

jensen definitely snuck a look at the camera just then

-

05:29

URHGUGGUUH THIS WAS A BEAUTIFUL EPISODE FULL OF LADY CHARACTERS AND TEAM FREE WILL AND CAS AND JACK AND 10/10 SIDE CHARACTERS WITH 10/10 PLOTLINES AND CHARACTER DEVELOPENT

I KNEW JACK WOULD BE FINE AND I’M GLAD HE WAS

BUT CAS BARTERING HIS SOUL IS KILLING ME

I WANNA CLAW MY EYES OUT

GOD DAMMIT

BUT FUCK IF I DIDN’T LOVE THIS EPISODE ANYWAY

FUCK YOU MEREDITH GLYNN, YOU DESERVE AN ANGRY HIGH FIVE AND A CAKE

10/10 PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST CAS EPISODES EVER IMO BUT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH MY FACE IS TWITCHING I’M BOTH FURIOUS AND SATISFIED I HATE IT

that moment when it’s the worst thing ever when your favourite writer writes your favourite character so in-character that it destroys everything, ever

*insert gif of me with raging fireballs for eyes and a huge smile, throwing flowers everywhere*

/puts that as the post header

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Fracture 9/10

MC is kidnapped by Mint Eye and V has to come clean!

This is the penultimate chapter!! Is everyone as nervous as I am? Thank you so much to @yoosungshoodie for letting me write Juyeon. If you like the character, please check out @kiserusmoke‘s fic  Dark Skies and Rose’s own fic Bright Stars. Both fics are part of VAB’s extended universe.

After the last chapter, there will be an epilogue tying everything together. It’s a scene from another fic and I’m so excited for you all to see it! 

Jumin x MC x V | Rated T | This chapter contains references to choking, sexual harassment and guns

The header is by @kiserusmoke

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Epilogue | AO3| Masterlist

SIX YEARS AGO

Thank god I’m pretty

At some point, though when exactly Juyeon could not recall, it had become her mantra. At any given failed grade, push to the shoulder or insult, she would dig her nails into her palms and remember what truly mattered.

Thank god I’m pretty.

In that moment, though, she wasn’t pretty. Her mascara was running and her hair out of place. She didn’t blame her manager for sitting and staring as she barreled into her office without bothering to knock or even apologise.

When it came to the entertainment industry, a conversation with Miss Yoo was something of a rite of passage. She had been in the industry for much longer than anyone remembered, scouting the youngsters most deserving of spotlight. Any idol to cross her path spoke of her in the same affectionate manner that they might a grandmother or favourite aunt. Up until recently, Juyeon had never questioned it, taking note of her advanced years and shrivelled frame.

The reality was somewhat different, though, and Juyeon cursed her own naivety. The real Miss Yoo had bony fingers and a shrill voice, almost always on the lookout for growing waistlines and bad posture. Her influence ran far and wide like the roots of an ancient tree and, naturally, no one with an ounce of sense bad mouthed her.

Juyeon accepted her terrible personality and demands, reassuring herself of her incredible luck. She was pretty: a natural born advantage to the competition and Miss Yoo’s good graces.

In theory, anyway.

The moment she crashed through the office door, Miss Yoo rose to her feet with a face like thunder.

“What is the meaning of this?”

Juyeon dropped to her knees, thoughts scrambled and lungs burning from her sprint. She knew better than to keep Miss Yoo waiting, however.

“M-M Mr Kang,” she stammered, wringing her hands in her lap. “He…”

An hour or so earlier, she had pushed the button for the lift, checking her reflection in a hand mirror all the while. She had not been able to believe her luck, trembling as Miss Yoo adjusted her collar.

If Miss Yoo was a rite of passage, it was to Producer Kang. His name was synonymous with the rich and famous; his studio the site of masterpieces. His time was a luxury few but the truly gifted could afford, and Juyeon could scarcely believe her luck when he asked Miss Yoo for a meeting.

Thank god I’m pretty, she thought to herself, applying an extra layer of makeup and pretending to be gracious.

“Remember,” Miss Yoo warned her. “Just keep him happy.”

And keep him happy she had, laughing at each one of his awful jokes and giving him the sweetest of replies when he asked why exactly it was she wanted to be famous. She eyed him coyly, pretending to blush and consider her response as if she had not practised a dozen times or more.

“I want to make the world a kinder place,” she said, “full of happiness and big smiles.”

Her heart swelled with pride when he laughed heartily, approving of her answer. The satisfaction was only temporarily, though, for he moved the hand he had previously positioned on his knee across to hers. In her imagination, she jumped to her feet and told Producer Kang exactly what she thought of him, slapped him across the face for disrespecting her so and daring to touch her. She did not know what she expected Miss Yoo to say to her after barging into her office, but she watched expectantly nonetheless.

Ultimately, Juyeon was the one to receive a short, sharp slap across the lips, so forcefully that Miss Yoo’s ring grazed the skin and the girl she had been speaking to flinched at the sound.

“Are you an idiot?” Miss Yoo snapped, tone venomous and worlds apart from the matronly, caring woman who took youngsters under her wing. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

“P-please Miss Yoo,” she said, “he-“

“Didn’t I tell you to make him happy? What part of that did you misunderstand?”

Her blood ran cold at the realisation that Miss Yoo had known all along that such a thing was a possibility, perhaps even known for certain. It was far from a secret that Miss Yoo began her career as an idol; she liked to remind clients of the fact, reminding them whenever they protested a particular outfit or broke the rules of their assigned diets that they did not know how lucky they were.

“I…Please...Miss Yoo…”

The idea of returning to the room left shivers running up her spine. She was desperate to change into different clothes, to shower away his touch. Miss Yoo had no sympathy, however.

“Do you know how lucky you are to have this opportunity? Do you know how hard I worked for this meeting?”

“I’m sorry, Miss Yoo,”

Juyeon pressed her forehead to the ground, willing Miss Yoo to put on her false, industry smile and fix everything, but instead she grabbed her by the shoulder.

“There is still fixable,” she said, “fix your makeup; I’ll make tea.”

“B-but,” Juyeon shivered against her grip, “I don’t-“

“ Now !”

And so it was that Juyeon reapplied her makeup in the bathroom mirror, wiping away the tear stains and practising her posture. This time she put it on darker and several shades more dramatic, so grotesquely artificial that she didn’t recognise herself beneath it.

“Thank god I’m pretty,” she muttered to herself. Men were more forgiving of pretty girls.

She kissed the mirror and understood, the wine red imprint of her lips on the glass equally as imprinted on her imagination.

SEVERAL YEARS LATER

If he was honest, Jihyun had expected Juyeon to spend their trip bragging. She had enjoyed having him shoved into the dungeons almost too much, yet this time around she said nothing beyond an irritated sigh and occasional urge for him to hurry up.

She led him up a couple of floors, through corridors he had never seen in prior explorations of the castle. This new section matched the decor of every other, but it left the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. Jihyun had come to believe in intuition far more than he had in previous years, in listening to the quivers of his heart and churning of his stomach. Perhaps it was because of Nari’s death that every tile and picture frame seemed more foreboding than usual – as if he knew that something terrible had happened there. He wondered if she had walked that floor before him.

Juyeon led him to a bedroom and slammed the door shut behind them. He watched her in confusion, imagination running wild. He had expected a torture chamber; a ritual chamber. Being locked in a bedroom with Juyeon was so unexpected that it was almost absurd.

The shock must have transferred to his face, for Juyeon seemed even more annoyed by him than usual.

“Over there!” She snapped, pointing to something behind him.

At first he did not know precisely what it was she pointed to. The room was cluttered with trinkets and gaudy furniture; a claw footed mirror in one corner and mahogany dresser in another. He looked at the bed last of all and rushed towards it once he realised her intention.

“Nari!” He cried out, even though he knew she could not hear him..”Nari, wha-”

Jihyun had never gotten used to seeing the dead; the sight of his mother screaming into the fire was all but carved into his imagination. Nari appeared to be sleeping, a tranquil expression across her face and still warm to the touch.

“Why are you showing me this?” He asked, dropping to his knees and reaching for her hand.

It almost seemed fitting that they should force him to see her; having him confront the consequences of his mistakes and letting him live with the guilt.

“Get a hold of yourself,” sighed Juyeon, seemingly bored by the sight of him, “she isn’t dead.”

At first he did not believe it. Rika had been so thoroughly convinced when she told him and he could not fathom why she would lie. He supposed it was not out of the realms of possibility that she did so to leave him without a reason to resist, but he had only ever known her enjoy resistance. To her there was no satisfaction without a struggle. He held a hand over Nari’s lips anyway, retracting it the moment he felt her breathe.

“W-“ He said, mind going blank. “What’s the meaning of this?”

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. If Rika really had intended for him to be sent there, why wasn’t she there to laugh at his sorrow? Why had Juyeon insisted he leave the dungeons in robes, where among other things, no one they passed would recognise him?

“Here’s my offer,” she said, as if in response. “You take her, tell everyone that you’re taking her for a burial. I’ll even escort you to the front doors.”

“And in exchange?”

“In exchange, don’t tell a soul that it was me who helped you.”

Jihyun stared her down, wondering if he was walking into a trap.

“Whose side are you on?”

Juyeon laughed, leaning over to pull back the covers and lift Nari up by the shoulders.

“Mine, of course.”

Jihyun hoisted Nari into his arms, her head lolling against his shoulder.

“That’ll get awfully lonely one day.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

She smirked, arms folded, challenging him to answer. He considered how different they were, and yet how similar they might have been in different circumstances. He had taken the burden of all his mistakes with the intention of protecting the others from both the truth and the consequences.

“No,” he said. “Regret.”

Finding the control room was easy enough. Less so was getting there unnoticed. What should have been an easy journey down a single flight of stairs became one of steady creeping, peering around corners and picking locks. It took him almost twenty minutes to get there and several more to get his bearings. He had expected there to be a more complicated lock than a simple electronic one, for a tripwire or someone inside.

The room itself was almost entirely dark, illuminated only by the cold glow of multiple screens. Upon further examination, he realised that they showed different areas of the castle. Most chilling of all was the lone screen displaying Jumin’s office at C&R. Seven shuddered as he reached for the keyboard, noting how old and worn it actually was.

It was difficult not to think of the last time he had entered the castle; the trackers he had installed and more. The castle’s hardware was ancient in comparison to what he was used to and miles apart from what he had expected when first hacking their systems six months before. He wondered at the white haired man that he had seen all of that time ago; the suspicions that had haunted him ever since. Every map he had examined, every kilobyte of data he had analysed, all of it paled in comparison to how much he considered that day. He wanted to believe Saeran was a hostage as opposed to the alternative, but the more he came to understand Mint Eye, the more he hated himself for doing so.

As expected of the strange hacker, most of his efforts had amounted to nothing; his trackers and other algorithms countered and rendered useless. He counted his blessings that the strange hacker was not present, and for his foresight several months ago. Having suspected the hacker would react aggressively, most of his attacks on the system were purely superficial. His real plan was camouflaged in amongst the main drivers, hidden in plain sight and easily missed by the more obvious of his attacks. Over the past six months it had been steadily cataloging and downloading information ready for export.

The following few minutes were a matter of bypassing the current security systems to access the programme he had gone to such great lengths to hide.

The steady download of data to his laptop was almost unbearable to watch, so he occupied himself by checking the newer system entries and examining what security footage he could find. Some cameras were situated outside of the castle, in a number of places he recognised and some that he did not.

“Hey, Vanderwood,” he said, tapping at his earpiece, “are you there?”

“Of course I’m here. What do you want?”

Seven scrolled through the footage, blood running cold at the sight of a camera in an office he did not know very well but an occupant he definitely did. He turned away from the screen, away from the stranger’s cold eyes, eyes of an identical shade to his own.

The prime minister’s office was full of trinkets, photographs and more. Hiding a camera there was child’s play

A clunk through his earpiece dragged him back to his senses.

“Luciel?”

Seven sighed, shaking his head and glancing across at the progress of his download.

“Time’s-

-up.”

Up until recently, Jumin hadn’t the luxury of watching the clock at work. Between phone calls, meetings, analytics and more, he lost track of time more often than not‍. After Elizabeth’s arrival in his life and Nari’s a short time later, he caught himself chancing side glances at the clock when the opportunity arose. He was not sure which was worse: the idea that Elizabeth might be lonely without him or that he might be lonely without Nari.

He knew immediately when Nari had been missing for 24 hours and ghosted his fingers across the phone dial. Realistically speaking, he knew he should report her absence to the police, but hesitated every time he reached to do so. Perhaps she was not missing, but gone.

The previous night, he barely slept, unable to think of anything but the moment Elizabeth went missing. He did not see her leave and only heard of it after the fact, which at the time ultimately haunted him the most. He had believed it to be the worst thing to ever befall him, worse than crashing a toy car or feeling a stepmother’s hand in his hair. Without Elizabeth he felt incomplete, as if he no longer understood himself or anyone around him. The world was a fog of white noise and faces he did not know and only in retrospect did he realise that it could have been much worse. Back then, he had been overwhelmed in ways previously unknown to him, but one voice broke through the fog where others were indiscernible.

With Nari gone, the world was unfamiliar again. He wished he had spoken to his father earlier, had considered her perspective far more.

Shortly after after the first RFA party he followed her through the organised chaos of food vendors and market stalls, accepting the dumplings and chicken she thrust in his direction. He had never bought food from a street vendor before and watched in bewilderment as she gobbled down a spicy rice cake.

“You know… I have chefs,” he said, taking in the masses of people around them, each speaking at once and drowning out even his own words.

He was out of his depth and did not know how it was Nari seemed so comfortable, lifting a rice cake to his lips with a grin. He was happy to have her there, a hand to hold onto as he navigated the unknown. It had not occurred to him that she would need one too; that higher society might be just as daunting to an outsider.

He wanted nothing more to tell her exactly that, leaving her voicemail message after voicemail message urging her to call him back at her earliest convenience. He wondered if the panic transferred to his voice, grateful that he did not have to listen to them.

“Time’s up,” he muttered again, picking up the phone receiver and dialling. He sat still, listening over his desk and listening to the echo of the dial tone.

Unbeknownst to him, the phone he called had long since been abandoned, ringing for no one at the bottom of a river.

You’ve reached V. For business enquiries please contact my manager, Daeshim Ryu. Anything else, please leave a message after the tone.

Jihyun did not know exactly how long he had been inside of the castle. It sat in such an isolated area, with next to no hints that there was any world beyond the gates.

It was raining when Juyeon opened the front door and she huffed in annoyance at the sight.

“If anyone stops you, tell them you’re taking her for burial,” she said. “From here, you’re on your own.”

“Afraid of a little rain?”

He supposed he should thank her, though he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate under the circumstances. She had made it quite clear that not only were her motives self serving, but she wanted no credit.

For a moment they stood there in an awkward sort of silence, each considering the fact that neither wished to see the other again, nor did they wish one another well.

“So then,” said Jihyun, “I-“

He meant to wish her good health, but she slammed the door behind him before he could say a word. Something about it made him smile and he adjusted Nari’s weight before rushing towards the gates, footfalls loud against the rain soaked path.

He did not know where exactly he planned to go from there, though could think of two options. One, the outhouse he had taken refuge in before or, alternatively, to go that bit further to his car. He did not relish the idea of waiting in the outhouse, especially considering it was only a matter of time before Rika and the other acolytes came looking for them, but could think of no way to access his car without leaving Nari exposed to the elements.

The moment he stepped through the gate, though, someone shot out a fist and struck a hard right hook to his nose. It left him dazed and barreling to the ground, instinctively reaching out to brace himself and dropping Nari in the attempt.

“I-“ He said, squinting out at the assailant, only to drag back his hood when he saw them. “ Luciel ?!”

Luciel, it seemed, was just as surprised to see him.

“V?” He said, glancing from the cult robes to the unconscious Nari. “What’s going on? I thought you were one of them!”

“What are you doing here?” Jihyun asked, lifting Nari over his shoulder with one hand and accepting Luciel’s with the other.

“We can talk about it later. What happened to Nari?”

Jihyun glanced down into her face, lamenting the fact that he did not know for sure. Rika had told him only the bare minimum of what had actually happened between them.

“I don’t know,” he said, “some form of poison, I think.”

At the mention of poison, Luciel leaned over, bringing his face so close to Nari’s that for a moment Jihyun wondered if he meant to kiss her. Instead he recoiled, eyes wide and suddenly ashen.

“How long ago did it happen?”

“I’m not sure, maybe an hour?”

“Sssh…” Luciel did not go so far as to curse out loud, but Jihyun could tell he meant to. Unfortunately, he also knew that Luciel had studied poisons.

“How bad is it?”

“We need to get her to a hospital right away,” he said, unzipping his hoodie and arranging it around Nari’s shoulders to shield her from the rain that drenched them both. Only a matter of moments later, though, he growled in annoyance and tore at his hair. “No…there’s not enough time.”

“Luciel.”

It was just his luck that even after everything she still might die.

“That’ll take too long,” Luciel murmured, as if he had not heard him.

“ Luciel .”

“Sorry, sorry,” he shook his head as if coming out of a trance, “we should get her to the safe house right away. It’s not ideal, but we should be able to stabilise her at least.”

“My car’s not far from here; let’s go.”

Luciel turned back towards the castle, conflict playing out across his face. Jihyun knew the reasons-that it was the closest they had ever been to rescuing his brother. He was not sure how to tell him about what he had seen in the garden.

“About Saeran,” he said, recalling the white flowers he placed in Nari’s hair. “Luciel, I-“

He never got to finish, though, for a strange sound reached his ears and the two of them both glanced around the area to identify the source. It sounded like metal, more specifically metal being dragged along the ground, much like a clumsily adjusted tripod or chair.

“What’s that?”

“I’m not sure,” said Jihyun, heart racing, “but we should get out of here.”

The moment he said it, Luciel froze in place, gaze fixed on something beyond the palace gates. Jihyun peered to see, only for every hair on the back of his neck to stand up on end. It was Saeran, though he did not look nearly so composed as when he saw him last. Before he had been immaculate, not a single hair out of place and a flower in his pin. Now he dragged a shovel across the ground, his overcoat abandoned and shirt filthy with a mixture of blood, rain and dirt. His hair was soaked through, plastered against his face like finger bones.

Ray could not think of a finer place to bury Nari than in the flowerbed. She would sleep surrounded by the sweet scent of flowers with sunlight beaming on her face. What’s more, the ground there was softer and easier to dig, leaving him with a decent grave in half the time it would at the back of the castle.

He would need to take a bath and change his clothes before speaking to the Saviour, and that was without mention of the other acolytes who lay bleeding in unmarked graves. She would likely have questions, none of which he felt like answering.

He got as far as the gates before stopping in his tracks, having heard voices a short distance away. Acolytes did not usually speak to one another in such frantic tones and for a moment he wondered if word had gotten round about the other believers who now lay battered and bruised in the unnamed grave originally intended for Nari.

He stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. Someone in believer robes, with Nari’s body in their arms. Another person stood beside them, with such bright red hair that it left his stomach fluttering with a combination of anxiety and rage.

It was him.

It had to be him.

All at once he recalled hollow words, ice cream so sweet that it left him feeling sick, the burn of ropes around his legs.

I’ll set you free before we become adults.

Liar

He stormed over there as quicky as he could.

Liar

He lifted the shovel, ready to take a swing.

LIAR

“Saeran,” the redhead called out, taking a slow step forward as if he didn’t see the shovel in his arms.

That’s not my name.

He recalled cold steel against his body; the burn of elixir on his tongue.

“You can be Ray when you’re a good boy,” the Saviour had told him and he remembered the exact moment he understood the truth. Saeran was worthless, an airhead and worse. He deserved to be left behind and broken.

But Saeran was not his name anymore. He was Ray, the Saviour’s sword and shield, better than Saeran could ever be.

He clutched the shovel tighter, standing in place and completely disregarding the redhead’s approach.

“I should have known it would be you,” he spat. “You take everything...ruin everything.”

He couldn’t believe that once, long ago he had trusted him, even loved him. Every day, he had waited for Saeyoung to set him free, and every day he never came.

“Saeran,” said the redhead, reaching out to pull him close, only to yelp and jump back as he swung for his kneecaps. The redhead stumbled in the mud, barely managing to secure his footing.

“Saeran,” he said, grabbing for the wall. “I’ve come to take you home.”

Home?

Ray wondered what home he meant.

Whump

Another swing of the shovel sent the redhead to his knees, Ray coming ever closer and raising the metal over his head.

He meant to hit his skull and break bone, free himself forever from his past weaknesses. The redhead looked so young trembling there on the ground, almost identical to the way he looked in childhood. That face reminded him of terrible things and it left him sick to his stomach.

Of course he meant to take Nari away. He did not know what else he had expected.

“Luciel, get away from him!”

Ray looked across for the owner of the voice, freezing in place when he saw the photographer.

Should’ve known.

The redhead stayed in place, looking him in the eye. Ray lowered the shovel with a roar, though it never made contact with bone, for he threw it at his feet instead and reached for the redhead’s throat.

“Because of you,” he cried, “everything is ruined because of you !”

When will I be free?

When will you stop taking away the things I love?

The redhead spluttered out a few syllables, only for Ray to tighten his grip.

“Don’t you want us to be happy? No...don’t tell me...I won’t fall for any more of your lies!”

“Saeran,” the photographer called, “let him go...this isn’t you!”

“Admit it,” Ray snarled at the redhead, as if he had not said anything, “you regret abandoning me. You regret leaving me alone with her while you changed your name.”

Saeyoung abandoned me

V abandoned me

Now they mean to take Nari away from me too.

“S-“

Ray choked harder, a grin creeping across his features.

“You can’t fool me, no matter what you say,” he said, “no one can hurt me now.”

“Saeran, can’t you see that Rika is manipulating you?”

“Shut up! She warned me you would say that,” he said, “your lies don’t work on me. Tell me… why do you keep interfering in her work? Don’t you want us all to be happy.. in a world without pain?”

“That world doesn’t exist! Pain is how you know you’re alive!”

“Liar!” Saeran screamed. “I’ve seen it...I’ve touched it.”

He sucked in a deep breath, smile dissolving.

“Give Nari back to me,” he said.

“What?”

He had planned to enter the paradise with her; to take her hand at the eternal party. She was so very lost and he could not stand to see it. Now that she was dead, she would never see the fruits of her endeavors.

“What good is she to you now that you’ve ruined her? She is spoiled because of you; you fed her so many lies that she did not know how to truly be happy. She didn't understand the reason for her suffering in this world.”

“Saeran, you’re not making sense!”

I won’t allow her to leave me as well.

He did not register the BANG until long after it had happened. It was the pain that hit him first, a sharp burning pain in his shoulder that left him retracting his hands from the redhead’s neck and fumbling to stop his own bleeding.

“Saeran!!!” The redhead screamed, looking beyond the gates to a van that had not been there before. It belonged to the saviour in case of emergency evacuations, but the man peering out of it was no acolyte. He wore a purple coat and held a rifle, ready to fire a bullet at any moment.

Only then did Ray realise that he had been shot.

The next few moments were a blur; Ray dropping to his knees and thrashing at the redhead on any of his attempts to reach out. He heard himself say that he would kill him, felt himself reaching through the dirt for the shovel.

Most of all, he remembered both the photographer and the stranger in purple screaming for Saeyoung to leave, acolytes spilling out of the castle at the sound of gunshots.

“I’ll come back for you,” the redhead told him, even as he lifted the shovel with his good arm. “I’ll come back! Please, just a little longer.”

And then he was gone, sprinting through the castle gates and leaping into the back of the van.

Ray watched him leave and clutched his shoulder, the reality of what had transpired settling in only slowly.

“Mr Ray!”

“Mr Ray are you alright? Can you stand?”

He followed them numbly, barely picking out their individual voices. One thought circulated his thoughts continuously; that he had made a mistake like the airhead he was.

“I’m not Ray,” he slurred over and over. “I’m not…”

He did not deserve to be Ray anymore.

The truth was, he had always been Saeran.

NOTES

[thisdaynews]

UFC 246: Holly Holm at crossroads before facing Raquel Pennington

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/ufc-246-holly-holm-at-crossroads-before-facing-raquel-pennington/

UFC 246: Holly Holm at crossroads before facing Raquel Pennington

Holly Holm lost to Amanda Nunes on her last visit to the Octagon in July 2019

UFC 246 Date:Sunday, 19 JanuaryTime:From 03:00 GMTVenue:T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas Coverage:Live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra, then switching to BBC Radio 5 Live from 04:30 GMT

Holly Holm has been here before. She knows what it takes to pick herself up off the floor and dust herself down.

A veteran of 77 recorded professional fights – across boxing (38), kickboxing (22) and mixed martial arts (17) – this is not the first time ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ has stood at the crossroads in her fighting life.

The former UFC bantamweight champion, who climbed on top of the MMA world with her unforgettable 2015 head-kick knockout of Ronda Rousey, faces off against a familiar foe in Raquel Pennington at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.

Holm scored a points victory over Pennington on her Octagon debut, utilising the same solid takedown defence she will need this weekend. But this return comes after the worst run of results in her fighting life.

The Albuquerque fighter was knocked out for the first time in mixed martial arts in her last outing, contesting her old world title against Amanda Nunes, a champion the MMA world is starting to recognise as the greatest female fighter of all time. A mythical championship belt that was at one time bestowed on Holm.

Reigning UFC bantamweight and featherweight title holder Nunes won with relative ease last July, bringing Holm’s current UFC run to a miserable 2-5 since beating Rousey. To remain relevant in the sport, Holm must have her arm raised inside the T-Mobile Arena this weekend.

But if history has taught us anything about the 38-year-old, it is that when talk of retirement fills the air, she has a habit of reinventing herself.

How to follow UFC 246 on the BBC

Prior to testing herself against the world’s best mixed martial artists, Holm was the world’s finest women’s boxer. A two-time Ring magazine ‘Female Fighter of the Year’, she held several boxing world titles. Count Holm out at your peril.

“What I’ve always known about Holly, she always jumps back on the horse,” said coach Mike Winkeljohn, who has worked with the former champion throughout her career.

“She had a boxing match where she got knocked out years and years ago by a girl named Anne Mathis, who is the hardest puncher she ever fought.

“Everybody said she should retire and I looked at her and said: ‘You’re going to rematch her and you’re going to beat her up.’ That was it. That was the moment Holly said ‘of course’ and that’s when I knew that about Holly.

“Same thing here. Same frame of mind, Holly wants it back. She knows she made a mistake [against Nunes]. When you make mistakes against someone like Amanda, Amanda capitalises on it. She took that mistake and ran with it.”

Incidentally, the biggest match-up on the horizon for Nunes in 2020 is a rumoured boxing-MMA double-header with the ring’s incumbent number one, Claressa Shields.

Both the UFC champion and the three-weight world boxing champion have spoken repeatedly about going head-to-head while at their peaks. Once in a boxing ring, with a return inside the Octagon.

As long as veteran Holm can win this weekend, she has the pedigree to compete with both too – regardless of the shape of the canvas. As a boxer, Holm was once the world’s most dominant champion. And, briefly, after shattering Rousey’s supremacy at UFC 193, she was the first lady of MMA also.

But a lot has happened in the five years since, including a broken marriage, and that run of results that fail to reflect the true skillset Holm possesses.

Fight sports and the destinies of its main protagonists can change in an instant, however. And Holly Holm and coach Winkeljohn know that she remains just one viral knockout away from career salvation.

By the time Conor McGregor makes his ringwalk this weekend, we’ll know for sure whether Holm’s highlight reel knockout of Rousey is the moment that forever defines her MMA legacy, or whether it becomes a landmark in the career of a woman still contesting the mantle of fight sports’ greatest champion.

Read More

[betweentheheavesofstorm]

thank you @sirkaywrites for tagging me!

why did you choose your url?

I wanted something that wasn’t specific to one fandom, as I thought (accurately) that my taste would probably change. It’s a line from the first stanza of an Emily Dickinson poem, that goes:

I heard a Fly buzz - when I died

The Stillness in the Room

Was like the Stillness in the Air

Between the Heaves of Storm

any side-blogs? If you have them, name them and why you have them

I’ve got a black sails sideblog, plus one that’s exclusively for gifs of pretty hockey players. and, uh, a couple more that I shan’t mention.

how long have you been on tumblr?

I’ve only actively been using an account since 2014, but I was floating around internet fandom way before that, and had made and abandoned a couple accounts by that point

do you have a queue tag?

it’s just q, these days. ages ago it was ‘queue forfeit all rights to my heart’ a la Hamilton but i couldn’t be bothered with that and also, Hamilton.

why did you start your blog in the first place?

so i could reblog dean in gym shorts every tuesday.

why did you choose your icon/pfp?

I’ve had a few different ones; I think the most enduring was one I’d badly edited of George Blagden’s Grantaire with a bi flag background. I can’t remember why I decided to change to Vicky Hugo posing. Maybe I’ll change it again.

why did you choose your header?

because I felt slightly bad for abruptly becoming a hockey blog :’)

what’s your post with the most notes?

that would be the prince philip bingo card!

how many people do you follow?

863. I am Really bad at recognising people/remembering usernames so there are people I’ve been following for Actual Years who i do not recognise or remember.

have you ever made a shitpost?

oh boy, have i

how often do you use tumblr?

unfortunately, A Lot

did you have a fight/argument with a blog once? who won?

i have been relatively lucky in having been spared any disk horse in my inbox/on my blog. I’ve had a couple of slightly rude anons but no death threats, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this post’?

i will continue scrolling for no reason other than to prove a point

do you like tag games?

I do! To be honest there was quite a long time on tumblr where I didn’t Really speak to anyone and so occasionally getting tagged in things really stressed me out, especially if they specified you then had to tag loads of people - I didn’t know that many people who I felt close enough to tag. So often then I would pretend I had forgotten, or come up with some excuse to avoid it. now i know a slightly bigger range of people and consequently enjoy them more

do you like ask games?

yes, though I rarely reblog them

which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

none of them <3 

do you have a crush on a mutual?

proud to say i have never genuinely thirsted over another user on tumblr dot com!

tagging @majestic-seagull and @excessively-english-jd

[greengargouille]

Tagged by @noro-noro-noro, hope you’re doing well!

1. Why did you choose your url?

Because alliterations are fun, double languages urls are fun, and I love green and mythical creatures- gargoyles also have for them that they’re ugly and generally ‘good’ (don’t talk to me about the ‘gargoyles’ cartoon, I’ve never seen it nor do I plan to)

2. Any side blogs?

Nope. I did, years ago, thought of doing a shared side blogs to help writing in the assclass community, but that never went anywhere and the other mod isn’t on tumblr anymore as far as I know

3. How long have you been on tumblr?

Too long. I’ve been here since... December 2012? Shit it’s been 8 years and an half. The tumblr brainrot must be terminal at this point.

4. Do you have a queue tag?

Nope, I only even started scheduling a post now and then like two years ago. I’m not even sure what is the difference. It’s not like I need it given how little I reblog, haha.

5. Why did you start your blog in the first place?

Eeeh, it’s partly already looking daily at multiple tumblrs and wanting a quicker and more practical way to see everyone, and partly because at that time I was lurking at the Toriko fandom and I happened to have a specific one-shot translated into French but not English, and wanted to give that info to the translating team. They ended up preferring working with the raw, and the computer on which it was got stolen anyway.

6. Why did you choose your icon/pfp?

Dunno what’s a pfp but I was mainly interacting with the assclass fandom during a time, and mainly to talk about my son Mimura ; the Koroquest anime was one of the last ‘fresh’ content we had at the time, so I had to celebrate. I should probably change it now, but I got attached.

7. Why did you choose your header?

I don’t have one. This is a very low effort blog, you know.

8. What’s your post with the most notes?

That. Fudging assclass post about Karasuma acting as a dad for the 3-E class post-story. It’s not that I dislike it, but, come on, I don’t even particularly like Karasuma, why is it that post that got popular.

9. How many mutuals do you have?

16, apparently? A few are inactive though

10. How many followers do you have?

429. That seems wrong. Tbh I think tumblr still counts the ones you blocked, I went through the list and the number of people by page is really not constant.

11. How many people do you follow?

92, though there are a dozen side-blogs and some inactive blogs I just keep because it’s easier to find them back. You know, just in case I end up remember them and want to check their blog. Even though I only remembered them when I went through the list. Well it’s not like it’s clustering my dash. ...I do look regularly at some blogs without following them, though.

12. Have you ever made a shit post?

I don’t think you can stay that long on tumblr without doing a shitpost at least once, can you?

13. How often do you use tumblr a day?

I removed the tumblr app from my phone some time ago and since then I can spend days without going on my dash- actually that’s misleading, because I still goes on specific tumblr blogs. I guess it can be the equivalent of one hour or two? Definitely way more when I’m on computer- and to an absurd point back when I had the app, which is why I removed it.

14. Did you ever have a fight/argument with another blog?

I was once caught in a fight between two mutuals- and it sucked since I had infos on both side I promised not to tell and which would have made it easier for each side to see the other’s point of view. Or not, maybe, tbh one of those two was really bad at listening and had to be handled with gloves, I ended up blocking them because of how much it started to distress and impact my mood.

15. How do you feel about the ‘you need to reblog’ posts?

Eh. I hate those but if the info is important, I will reblog it. But really, it’s just guilt tripping and I’m already good enough doing that to me by myself, thank you very much.

16. Do you like tag games?

I like them, but I do wonder if anyone is genuinely curious about what I have to say? I mean, you saw the number of mutuals/followers I have. I’m like, the equivalent of that one woman you see sometimes at the bus stop and starts to recognise and nod at.

17. Do you like ask games?

I like the concept of it but even when I was in fandom, I only did them a few times because I was always focusing on a few questions I really didn’t want to get and think about.

18. Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

Probably none? How do you define tumblr famous anyways.

19. Do you have a crush on a mutual?

I’m mutual with my girlfriend so there’s that. Else, nah, but mostly you people are cool and deserve an hug if you’re cool with that.

Eh, @bunnymint, saw you tagged me in another, it’s coming but in the meantime, wanna do this one?

[talkagency]

BASIC SEO TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

So you are just setting out with SEO and are not quite sure where you should start. Fear not! We’re here to get you on the right path to SEO success.

Once you have mastered these basic SEO tips, you can expect your ranking in the search engines to improve significantly.

We’ve got you covered with our top 10 beginners tips for basic SEO. So, if you’re ready to begin, let’s get started!

What Exactly is SEO & is it Important?

Before we get started with our top basic SEO tips, let’s first take a look at what SEO is. Search engine optimization helps you rank your website and content in the SERPs.

In its simplest form, it provides search engines such as Google and Bing with context about what your site and content offers.

In turn, this helps the search engines understand when and where to present your content when a user is searching for it.

Every single website that shows on the first page of Google has perfected their SEO techniques. They have mastered keywords, content and backlink gathering.

Ultimately, the higher your website ranks in the search engine results page, the more site visitors you can expect. And the more site visitors you have, the more likely you are to make sales and conversions.

Sounds awesome, right?!

Tip 1 – Keyword Research

This is the most important SEO step to take… aside from creating kick ass content! It is also the one that step that most beginners get confused with.

Keyword research lets you find high volume keywords to write into your content. The more keywords you use, the more likely you are to rank.

To begin with, you first need to find your seed keywords. These will be used in your title, URL, image alt, for around about 2% of your content text.

Once you have your seed keywords, also known as primary keywords, you then need to find semantically related keywords.

These are the keywords related to your content that users will most likely be searching for. (LSI Keywords)

As an example, if your seed keyword is flowers. Semantically related keywords would be how to grow, how to care for, what are the best types of, gardening tips, etc.

If you use WordPress, Yoast SEO will give you insights about how many keywords to use, etc. 

Tip 2 – Internal Links

internal links are extremely useful for improving your websites CTR (click through rate).

They work by linking up to relevant pages and blog posts throughout your website. Much like a spider web, each link from one page to another helps build connections for search engines and your readers.

Think of them as being the perfect on page promotion tool that diverts readers to more content they will likely be interested in.

Of course, you want to make sure that your internal links are relevant to what your content is about. 

As an example, if you have a beekeeping website, you could use internal links to any beekeeping products or services that you sell. Both are relevant to each other, thus more likely to encourage user click through.

And the longer a visitor spends on your website, the more likely it is to rank higher. The search engines noticed that your visitors weren’t bouncing, showing them that they are getting value out of your content.

Tip 3 – External Links

External links, also known as outbound links, are links on your content that point to an external website.

By linking to external websites, you help the search engines better understand what your content is about.

In fact, the more high-quality, related outbound links you have on your website, the more likely you are to increase your ranking.

This is because the search engines recognise your site as being high quality and trustworthy.

However, you can’t just go linking up to any old site. There is definitely something you want to be aware of.

Only ever link to blogs that are relevant to your website or content.

Limit your outbound links to a maximum of four per page.

Before linking, check the websites domain authority. Anything less than 50 is not worth linking to.

Never use a link farm.

Never buy links… these can literally kill that your website in a matter of weeks!

Message the website owner after you have created a link to let them know. If they ask you to remove it, you should.

Tip 4 – XML Sitemaps

XML sitemaps make everything easier for the search engines to crawl and index your content when you publish it.

A sitemap is basically a list of URLs that you currently have on your website. This let’s search engines such as Google know when they have missed a page or when changes have been made.

A sitemap is one of the basic SEO fundamentals that every website should have. By having one, you can ensure that your content is indexed and displayed in the search engine results page much faster than without one.

Talking about indexing. If you haven’t yet signed up with Google search console, you absolutely should. This free tool not only shows you analytics cover in your website. It also lets you submit URL to be indexed rather than waiting for crawling.

Tip 5 – Format Syntax

You might not know it, but using correct syntax is everything. Syntax is how you format and style your content. And it is an important part of SEO.

Not only does it make your content look more visually attractive. It also makes it easier for the search providers to understand your content.

But what exactly equates to good syntax?

Always use an H1 header

Use at least for H2 headers

Paragraphs should never exceed 90 words

Sentences should never exceed 20 words

Aim to use a maximum of three sentences per paragraph

Each subsection should be no more than 300 words

Use sentence case for titles and headings

Bold important text

And that’s pretty much it when it comes to syntax!

SEO Tip 6 – Optimise Images

You should always use images on all of your content. Images make content visually attractive and improve readability for the reader.

However, images can drastically slow down your website. And a slow website is often penalized by Google.

When possible, you should serve your images as a next-gen image using WEBP. If you use WordPress as your CMS (content management system) you can use the ShortPixel plugin to do this.

Avoid using PNG files as these are much larger than JPEG files. And JPG files are much larger than WEBP files.

Talking about images, you should also make sure that every image on your website has an image alt tag. This helps search engines understand what the image is about and shows it to those using  image search.

Tip 7 – Use Robot.txt files

Robot.txt files, also known as robot tags the search engines which pages on your website their crawlers should index, and which they shouldn’t.

For example, if you have a page or blog post that you don’t want the search engines to index, you could use the ‘noindex’ tag.

Likewise, if you are linking to a website that you are not sure about, you can use the ‘nofollow’ tag. Perhaps it has a low domain authority or could be potentially spammy; whatever the reason, no follow prevents external sites from affecting your SEO efforts.

If you are using WordPress to build your website and publish content, you can use the plugin Meta Tag Manager to quickly and easily add and remove robot tags to your content.

Tip 8 – Optimise Your Meta Description

These little snippets of information are shown in the search engine results page. You will see them every time you do a Google search.

They provide both readers and search engine context to what the content is about. 

Your meta description should be perfectly optimised to the correct character limit. This is currently averaging at around 140 characters. Anything over this will be cut off.

Try to use your main keywords in your meta description and answer the question instead of asking people to click to read more.

By answering the question in the meta description, you are already providing real value to the reader. In turn, they are much more likely to click through to your website.

Tip 9 – Write for Backlinks

If you seriously want to rank higher in the search results pages, you are going to need to get those all-important backlinks!

But unfortunately, finding backlinks is almost as hard as catching unicorns! 

However, there are some easier ways to get backlinks that don’t involve black hat SEO techniques. 

The best way is to produce content that provides real value! This means providing detailed and in-depth content with lots of data, statistics and shareable content.

You can also send out a message seeking guest writers to feature on your website. This method works really well as your guest writers are much more likely to link back to your website to show off their work to their followers.

Double bubble! You score that elusive backlink along with getting extra traffic.

Ultimately, if you want to get backlinks, you have to create content that people use to reference in their own content. Become an authority and watch as your DA starts to climb.

Tip 10 – Write Longer Content

When you take a look at the websites that perform best in the search engine results page, a common theme is clear. 

Longer, more detailed content is a clear winner. That’s not to say that you need to start writing 5,000 word blog posts to rank, but every now and then, go longer than you normally would.

The average website on page 1 of Google has approximately 1,200 to 1,600 words. Why does longer content work better?

The answer is pretty simple.

The more words you use in your content, the easier it is to make use of more keywords. It is also much easier to write these naturally. The worst thing you can do is stuff short content with keywords. This can relegate you to the lost pages of Google… which you really want to avoid.

So when should you create blog posts over 1,600 words? If you are covering a particularly interesting topic that people are going to learn from, this is the time!

And one thing to remember when creating large posts is that you should aim to make them timeless. This is what is known as evergreen content and can drive traffic to your website over extended periods of time.

At the very least, you should be creating content of a minimum of 800 words. Anything less than this and you are going to find it difficult to get your content to rank.

Final Word

That’s about it for this beginners guide to basic SEO tips. Try to implement as many of these 10 tips as you can into your everyday content production.

The more you use them, the more familiar you will become with them. And once you have them mastered, you can move on to more advanced SEO tips for improved rankings.

If you are interested in learning more about website design, web development, SEO tips, PPC, and the different types of Google software, check out our blog.

We have an extensive archive filled with useful and up-to-date information covering everything a digital marketer and beginner web designer could need.

Article first published here: BASIC SEO TIPS FOR BEGINNERS

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Champions League 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Atletico Madrid v

New Post has been published on https://bestfreebettingtips.com/champions-league-2018-19-tactical-analysis-atletico-madrid-v/

Champions League 2018/19 Tactical Analysis: Atletico Madrid v

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The clash between two of the favourites to reach this year’s Champions League Final, Atlético Madrid and Juventus, was among the most anticipated fixtures of the competition’s last 16 stage. When you think of the greatest defensive sides of the modern era, these two clubs come to mind more than most, and both still boast some of the best defenders in world football.

Atleti have never been European champions, having been losing finalists on three occasions. But with the final to be played in their new home this season, tangible evidence of Los Rojiblancos desperation to make this year’s campaign their greatest ever was felt in the fervent atmosphere inside the Wanda Metropolitano ahead of kick-off.

Atleti came into this match having only won four from their last nine games. They have won their last eight home games in UEFA competition though, conceding only one goal at home to boot. Their Italian visitors, Juventus, had only won three of their last nine games in Spain. The two-time European Champions have had a near untouchable season in Serie A but stuttered a bit toward the end of their Champions League group stage.

What was a very tough game to call ahead of kick-off, despite Juve’s favourable odds, was decided ultimately by simplicity, energy and fight on the part of the home side as Atlético Madrid ran out 2-0 winners. We take a look at the tactical differences between both teams and how Diego Simeone’s Atleti managed to stifle their favoured opponents to gain a vital advantage ahead of the tie’s second leg.

Lineups

There were no surprises in Atlético Madrid’s line-up. Their customary 4-4-2 formation is synonymous with their hard-working, disciplined defensive block. Jan Oblak is one of the game’s best between the sticks and is guarded by the tough Uruguayan centre-back partnership of Diego Godín and José Giménez.

Four quality midfield players are deployed across two central and two wide midfield roles, with defensive understanding paramount in Simeone’s starting XI selection. Diego Costa and Antoine Griezmann, who has 10 goals in his last 11 appearances, are two top-class strikers. The pair combined to create havoc for the Bianconeri defence throughout the night.

Speaking of the visitors, Massimiliano Allegri didn’t opt for many surprises in his team selection either. Their 4-3-3 formation has been favoured on their big European nights so far this season, containing a front three who can all interchange positions comfortably and which contains a certain Cristiano Ronaldo. Mr Champions League himself has haunted Atleti plenty during his years at their city rivals Real Madrid, having been directly involved in 30 goals from 31 games against Los Rojiblancos.

The Juve midfield is anchored by Miralem Pjanić, a glorious passer and key to the away side’s build-up play. Behind him, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci make up arguably the best defensive pairing in world football currently.

Atleti: A well-drilled side who just love to defend

To nobody’s surprise, the match began in an intense manner and even included a penalty shout for the home side within the first two minutes. Diego Costa is showing no signs of mellowing as he ages and looked up for the inevitable physical clash with Chiellini and Bonucci.

Typical of a big team away from home, Juventus wanted to slow the game down, keep possession and calm the fervour of the home side and their fans. Pjanić was the focal point in the build-up phase, sitting deepest of the midfield three while Bentancur and Matuidi pushed forward. Ronaldo and Dybala held wide positions, but neither were looking to get in behind their full-back. Instead they came deep looking for a pass.

Pjanic was the orchestrator for Juve. Notice the deep position of Juve’s full-backs.

Juve’s full-backs weren’t the adventurous sort in the early stages either. Both often sat behind the ball in attacking phases, perhaps wary of the double threat Atletico possess up front. All of this played perfectly into the hands of Simeone’s team. Their full-backs didn’t have any threat to their outside, their centre-backs had no threat running in behind them and Juve were not aggressively attempting to circumvent their narrow 4-4-2 block.

To add to this, Atleti’s midfielders pressured the ball carrier relentlessly when in the central channels of the pitch. The slow passing of Allegri’s side made Atleti’s pressing look like a  training drill; one player after the next invited a pass before closing down the man with the ball.

So aggressive was their midfield press that there was often a large gap between their back-four line of four in midfield. Juve’s lack of space-exploiting runs in forward areas left little risk for Atleti though.

A large gap between the Atleti lines goes unexploited by Juve as the home sides midfield aggressively press the ball.

Atlético Madrid’s two banks of four in their recognised 4-4-2 block consequently create rectangular shaped defensive units across the block. These units are set pressing traps, coiled to collapse onto any player who runs into or receives within. As Juventus looked to play direct passes into the feet of Mandzukic and Ronaldo, these pressing traps were in full effect and made the isolation of Juve’s forwards felt by the away side.

No go zone: Atleti’s players are primed to pounce on Ronaldo as he receives the ball in between the lines.

When Juve did play into wide areas, Atleti’s wide midfielder and full-backs pressed the man on the ball from out to in, curving their runs to cut off other wide options or wide spaces and funnel Juventus back into the midfield, where their pressing traps awaited. Simeone’s side carried this out in relative comfort due to the lack of pace Juve had in wide areas.

Filipe Luis can do the same as Dybala does not have the pace to get past the Brazilian left-back.

Koke’s curved run cuts off the pass out to Dybala and De Sciglio goes central to Pjanic.

An even first half finished 0-0 and while Juventus dominated possession, the Bianconeri couldn’t conjure a decent chance from open play while Atleti looked comfortable playing within the defensive phase.

There was much more possession for the away side but not the goal-scoring chances to show for it.

Attack is the best form of defence

As the saying implies, having a strong attack can put your opponent on the back foot and make them hesitant to commit bodies forward in possession. With Juve’s attack stifled, their build-up play became more hesitant and thus, easier for Atleti to win the ball in high areas.

A 4-4-2 when defending, Atleti’s formation morphed into a 2-4-2-2 when on the attack. Central midfielders by trade, wide men Koke and Saul inverted their positions ahead of the central duo of Thomas Partey and Rodri while full-backs Luis and Juanfran provided the width on either side.

Koke and Saul shift inward to find spaces infield while Atleti’s full-backs push up and provide width.

Atleti’s build-up play was patient in the first half as they looked to manoeuvre the ball into crossing positions before looking for the head of Diego Costa or Antoine Griezmann. But getting the better of Chiellini and Bonucci in their own box is among the toughest tasks this game can throw at you and Atleti weren’t finding much luck in terms of chance creation.

Diego Costa then took a change of approach. He shifted over to the left side and targeted Juve’s right-back, Mattia De Sciglio, looking to get the better of him physically. The move looked to have paid off in the 27th minute when Costa got the better of the Italian right-back only to be tripped up and awarded a penalty. However, VAR intervened and correctly decided that the foul took place outside the 18-yard box.

Costa cleverly began to target the space in behind De Sciglio as the Italian cannot compete physically like his centre-back teammates, nor did he have help from Dybala in front of him.

Perhaps in response to the lacklustre Juventus attack, Simeone’s Atleti began the second half with a more direct approach and would soon create the game’s only two big chances from open play. The first came in the 50th minute following poor ball-control from Chiellini inside the Atleti half, leaving the Juventus backline exposed.

Griezmann pounced on the loose ball and played a perfect first-time pass into the path of Diego Costa who got the better of Bonucci for pace but scuffed his shot woefully wide when one-on-one with Szczesny.

Griezmann would then be in on goal himself minutes later, exposing further disorganisation in the Juve ranks. Chiellini’s clearance was met by Godín on the halfway line and headed back centrally. Playmaker Koke had evaded marking from the out-rushing Juve defence and played a first-time pass into the anticipating French forward Griezmann. His attempted lob was palmed onto the bar by Szczesny, and the rebound cleared by Chiellini.

As a clever first-time pass into Griezmann puts the Frenchman through on goal, Juve’s defence looks rattled.

Pressure pays off

Juventus had somehow survived two big opportunities in the space of a few minutes for the home side. Sensing blood, Simeone made attacking substitutions, bringing on Lemar, Correa and Morata. The latter would have the ball in the back of the net in the 70th minute only for the goal to be overruled by VAR. The former Real Madrid man was ruled to have shoved Chiellini in the back.

The pressure from Atleti became too much to handle for the Bianconeri and led to the game’s official opener in the 78th minute. A corner kick was met by Alvaro Morata whose header ricocheted off a defensive leg and into the path of José Giménez to pounce upon: 1-0 Atleti.

The roof was lifted and the pressure continued with subsequent corners in Atleti’s favour. An 83rd-minute free-kick was whipped toward the near post and glanced on by Godín. Another favourable deflection fell the way of the Uruguayan once again as Godín volleyed home the second of the night.

An unexpected scorer, Godín gets the second and Atleti have their win.

Advantage Atleti

A 2-0 scoreline can occur in any game but the surprise is that it didn’t flatter Atlético Madrid in the slightest. Diego Simeone’s game plan was the perfect foil to Juventus’ slow, patient build-up that had no real focal point. Atleti’s midfield pressing traps caught Juve out time and time again while the forward duo of Griezmann and Costa asked questions of the Juve defence.

Ultimately, however, the game produced little goal-mouth action from open play as two rugged defensive units failed to concede much ground. Desire and a sheer will to win were far more evident in the home team toward the end of this game, and produced one of Atlético Madrid’s most memorable European nights.

Simeone’s side take a two-goal advantage to Turin in the second leg knowing this tie is far from over. However, an equally solid and energetic defensive performance will make it very difficult for Juventus to overturn the deficit. Atleti are arguably the last team in world football you’d want to turn a 2-0 deficit around against, and they proved why on this night.

If you love tactical analysis, then you’ll love the digital magazines from totalfootballanalysis.com – a guaranteed 100+ pages of pure tactical analysis covering topics from the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and many, many more. Buy your copy of the February issue for just ₤4.99 here, or even better sign up for a ₤50 annual membership (12 monthly issues plus the annual review) right here.

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Whose team-mates 'took off like stealth bombers' whenever he got the ball? Garth's team of the week

Chelsea and Liverpool maintained their unbeaten starts and Manchester City won again to remain two points behind the Premier League pacesetters.

Manchester United dug deep to secure a much-needed victory at Watford, while Arsenal beat Newcastle at St James’ Park.

Elsewhere, Bournemouth defeated Leicester in a six-goal thriller, Crystal Palace won at Huddersfield, while on Sunday West Ham picked up a first victory of the season at Everton, after Wolves got the better of Burnley.

But who did enough to make my team of the week? Read my selections and then pick your own XI.

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Goalkeeper – David de Gea

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David de Gea: With goalkeepers under siege these days it amazes me how they even get to the ball. It’s like facing the Ant Hill Mob every time a corner is taken.

David de Gea made a wonderful save from a corner in the dying minutes of the game against Watford, a match-winning effort from a Christian Kabasele header that, had it gone in, would have given Watford a rather undeserved point.

De Gea might have had a shaky World Cup with Spain but he’s saving United valuable points again.

Did you know? David de Gea saved four of Watford’s five shots on target, as many saves as in his previous three Premier League matches combined.

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Defenders – Chris Smalling, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk

Chris Smalling: We’ve all been looking for cracks in Jose Mourinho and his players since his outbursts and the defeat against Tottenham. To my surprise I have seen nothing but total commitment.

Credit where credit’s due, United’s players have come out fighting and look meaner than ever. Chris Smalling, with his new ‘natty dread’ hair style, was outstanding against Watford.

The new look oozes swagger and if his goal was anything to go by, the defender’s hairstyle may have something to do with it. Amazing what a new look can do.

Did you know? Smalling has ended up on the winning side in all 11 Premier League games in which he has scored, the joint-best such record in the competition (also 11 games for Ryan Babel).

Joe Gomez: The tackle on Lucas Moura in the second half of Liverpool’s win at Tottenham by Joe Gomez would have stopped a mail train.

I said two weeks ago, after Liverpool’s impressive victory away at Leicester, that this kid was the best defender I’ve seen in years. In fact I said something far more profound than that but I’m not going to repeat it for fear of jinxing the lad.

(What I will say is Gomez is a future England captain if ever I saw one. Read more about the relevance of England’s fixture against Switzerland in The Crooks of the Matter below.)

Did you know? As well as contributing three tackles and three clearances, no player recovered possession more for Liverpool than Gomez (nine times).

Virgil van Dijk: Harry Kane never had a kick. Virgil van Dijk was too big, too strong and too composed on the ball. In times like these when centre-backs look imperious, strikers have to ruffle feathers and the England captain simply wasn’t prepared to have a scrap.

If ever there was a day for Harry and the boys to get among it and stick their heads in the faces of Liverpool’s defenders then this was it. Instead, Van Dijk walked on to the pitch looking like a film star and walked off with the Oscar for best leading man.

Did you know? No player at Wembley made more clearances than Van Dijk (five, equal with Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld).

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Midfielders – Marouane Fellaini, James Milner, Eden Hazard, Ryan Fraser

Marouane Fellaini: Who’d have thought it? Marouane Fellaini starring in a Manchester United shirt. When David Moyes bought the player from Everton it was universally felt that he was not in United’s class.

Against Watford he looked like the answer to all their problems. Playing like this, Fellaini could be for United the player he was for Everton.

Did you know? Fellaini recovered possession for his side more often than any other player (10 times), while also winning seven of his nine aerial duels, and providing the assist for Chris Smalling’s strike, a pivotal moment in the game. The Belgian also made more tackles (three) than any other United player (equal with Antonio Valencia).

James Milner: He’s been playing top-class football since he was 16 years old, so we shouldn’t be entirely surprised 16 years later when the player strolls through a game as though he is reading the Sunday Times.

James Milner’s understanding of a game of football is second to none and already Milner is looking like my early candidate for Footballer of the Year. I strongly believe that accolade belongs to the member of the team that wins the title. So you can see where I’m going with this folks.

Did you know? James Milner made five tackles in Liverpool’s match against Spurs, more than any other player on the field. The Englishman also created the joint highest number of chances for his team-mates (three – equal with Mohamed Salah), as well as attempting more passes in the opposition’s half than anyone for either side (32).

Eden Hazard: My goodness Eden Hazard’s first goal took me back. I haven’t seen an ‘over’ completed so effectively for years – the term used by the pros for what is euphemistically called ‘a dummy’.

The move, when executed well, can rip defences apart and Hazard used it beautifully. Hazard’s hat-trick against a Cardiff team who were so far out of their depth it was scary only tells part of the story. The Belgium international is playing the football of his life.

Did you know? Eden Hazard is the fourth player to score more than one Premier League hat-trick for Chelsea (after Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink), and he was successful with each of his three shots on target.

Ryan Fraser: This lad had a fabulous game and would have received even greater praise from me had he not dived in the early exchanges. There were lots of incidents in this game against Leicester but the dive was by far the worst of them.

He took his goals brilliantly, especially his first, but the dive marred a tremendous performance. He’s made my team of the week but I had to think about it and I shouldn’t have. Pros don’t like people who dive and that’s worth remembering.

Did you know? Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser had a hand in three goals in a single Premier League game for the first time (two goals, one assist).

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Forwards – Wilfried Zaha, Marko Arnautovic, Roberto Firmino

Wilfried Zaha: Now, Wilfried, stop this whinging and whining in your after-match interviews. You’re playing in a contact sport and the better the player the more likely they are to get kicked. Why haven’t you worked that out yet?

Leave the referees and the pundits to condemn the assassins, you just keep scoring sensational goals, receiving the plaudits and signing the massive contracts for all this inconvenience.

That’s the way it works and it’s not a bad exchange. Oh, and by the way, I never heard George Best or Johan Cruyff complaining to the press about players kicking them.

Did you know? Since the start of last season, Crystal Palace have averaged 1.5 points per game when Zaha has played (33 matches), compared to no points when he has not been involved (10 matches).

Marko Arnautovic: I’ve said throughout West Ham’s torrid time under new boss Manuel Pelligrini that provided the Hammers don’t lose their nerve they have enough quality to survive in the Premier League.

The result against Everton was a good indicator of what West Ham are capable of once this new group of players settles down and finds a rhythm.

Much of the pulsation came from Marko Arnautovic and his new strike partner Andriy Yarmolenko. Arnautovic is high maintenance but if the Austrian can be bridled he can be one hell of an asset.

Did you know? Since the start of 2018, only Mohamed Salah (23) has had a hand in more Premier League goals than West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic (16 – nine goals, seven assists).

Roberto Firmino: At no stage did Tottenham’s back four come to terms with Liverpool’s front three. Every time Firmino picked up the ball Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah took off like stealth bombers leaving an airbase.

Liverpool currently look like the team most likely to stop Manchester City from winning the title for a second consecutive season.

However, should anything happen to Liverpool’s frontline attack then we may have a different situation entirely.

Did you know? Roberto Firmino has been directly involved in 61 Premier League goals for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp (38 goals, 23 assists), 16 more than any other player.

Now it’s your turn

You’ve seen my picks this week. But who would you go for?

Pick your Team of the Week

Pick your XI from our list and share with your friends.

Select formationConfirm team

The Crooks of the Matter

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I’m still reeling from the 25-second black-and-white transmission of the England v Switzerland game to mark the 25th anniversary of anti-racism organisation Kick It Out. The idea was a piece of marketing genius.

It was so simple yet so effective, matched only by the superb introduction to the match by Sky’s David Jones and Martin Tyler, who between them provided the perfect overview. To cram 25 years into 25 seconds takes some doing, but they did it.

I will admit, over the years I may have probably been the Football Association’s harshest critic but that has come from a desire to see the greatest FA in the world play a greater part in using football as a tool to initiate change and create a more inclusive society.

As I watched the television turn from colour to black and white I thought of Laurie Cunningham, Ray Wilkins and Cyril Regis, three former England internationals who, had they been in that line-up, would have so approved of the tribute and recognised its significance.

How fitting then, that Marcus Rashford should score the winning goal to mark an occasion that was originally initiated to protect youngsters like him long before they were even born. Well done Kick It Out and thank you England. You make a great team.

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BBC Sport – Football

Whose team-mates 'took off like stealth bombers' whenever he got the ball? Garth's team of the week was originally published on 365 Football

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How To Design Winning Email Newsletters

Email remains a resilient form of communication for marketers, despite the myriad of other communication platforms available today. Most people check their emails at least once a day, and spam now has a hard time slipping through the net. What’s more, email newsletters from businesses are a part of everyday life and if someone has subscribed to your list, the chances are they’ll have at least some interest in what you have to say.

Having said that, the reality is that not everyone opens them, even if they have a genuine interest in your products and services. It’s a busy world in the midst of a digital age, so readers’ attention spans are stretched to the maximum; days pass quickly and time is precious. Those who don’t want a chaotic inbox may delete your email instantly…unless you can grab their attention fast.

You have to stand out from the crowd.

If you want your communications to be noticed, you need to come up with content that is concise, intriguing, and visually compelling. An eye-catching design is more important than ever, and if your email doesn’t look professional, your business won’t either. Here are some basic rules for creating winning email newsletters:

1. Choose an appealing Color Scheme

The aim here isn’t to dazzle with a prism of color, but to establish brand recognition at the same time as presenting aesthetically pleasing content. The best way to do this is by matching your color scheme to your company logo. The logo will be one of the first things people see, as it’s going to be part of your header.

Try matching your borders, fonts, headers and subheaders to the colors in your company logo. If your logo isn’t particularly colourful, choose something compatible and use it consistently. People will associate these colors with your brand and come to recognise your emails before they even open them.

2. Give it a Compelling Header

This is your hook, so you need to get it right. People want to know who is talking to them and what it is they’re expected to read. You wouldn’t read a magazine that didn’t have a name, or an article that didn’t have a title, would you? A newsletter is no different.

Your header should consist of your company logo and name, and the newsletter title. The title should be clear and simple, preferably with an element of intrigue. It should focus on your industry rather than your business name, which nobody really cares about. For example, there is a distinct difference between “Wealthy Entrepreneur Today” and “Triple Your Profits Report”. Don’t actually call it a newsletter—it sounds a little dull… consider words like ‘news’, ‘guide’, ‘review’, or ‘insider’ instead.

To create decent headers, you can use online DIY tools like Stencil or Pixlr, which are easy enough for anyone to use. Once you have your header, you can keep on using it – just make sure you change your newsletter titles each time.

3. Go For Crisp, Clean Typeface(s) and a Simple Layout

As holding a person’s attention is largely about ease, it’s important not to challenge their eyes with overly fancy typefaces, or multiple typefaces. Basic faces such as Times New Roman, Calibri or Helvetica are clean and familiar–you can’t go wrong with those. One simple typeface throughout gives a neat look that won’t take the attention away from your content.

Secondly, your newsletter must be legible. Nobody wants to see reams of text unfolding on their screen; that’s a sure fire way to get deleted rapidly. Likewise, to avoid skim reading, you’ll need to use punchy subheadings that tell the reader what the next section is about. You’ll want to break the text up into several blocks, each with its own subheading. Make sure the subheadings are smaller than the main heading, and bigger than the article text.

Lastly, stack your content so that each piece of information appears in an organised fashion, ideally inside its own block or with divider lines. Side by side is also fine (dependent on the volume of text) but most newsletters are stacked block on top of block.

4. Use Plenty of Attractive Images

You need to strike a balance between chunks of text and relevant images. The images need to convey the point of the text somehow, so be careful not to share incongruent images just because they look good. The visual element of any communication is always the most powerful aspect. It keeps the overall look interesting, and creates space between the blocks of text. For example, placing one image on the right side of the text in one block and on the left side in the next can look good.

Taking your own photos is a good idea, provided you have a worthy camera and some editing ability. If not, opt for quality stock photos; you can get these from free sites if you don’t want to fork out.

5. Make Sure Your Content is Relevant and Interesting

You should spend time analysing your database. Creating segments and email lists based on specific interests is a great idea; your click-through rate will be a lot higher this way. There are online platforms available that allow you to do all of this, and some give you statistics so you can see who is opening what, when, and how often (there’s more on this below). This way, you can target your audiences more effectively over the long term.

Put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Most of us want to be entertained in some way, and we want to read about things aligned with our interests. It’s helpful to send out content that contains clear benefits, such as free information (think ebooks and articles), info-bites, events, industry news and offers. Be sure to encourage feedback with one-click surveys, and incentivize with prizes and discounts. Oh, and don’t forget to include an unsubscribe option; you can’t please everyone, however hard you try.

6. Use an Email Marketing Platform

If you want to take the hard work out of it, there are various platforms that help you to create engaging, visually attractive newsletters. Mailchimp is a particularly good one, but you have many to choose from. Some people prefer to use Photoshop, but this requires a little more knowledge.

Platforms like Mailchimp will cover all of the above design aspects for you. They will help you to create campaigns in a strategic manner, step by step. You’ll be able to choose from various templates that help you lay things out in an appropriate style; you’ll have drag and drop options to place your dividers, content blocks and images, and you can even add buttons that encourage people to click through to web pages.

You’ll also have reasonable scope for reformatting, you can keep all your email lists in one place, and you can duplicate campaigns and change the details each time for swift send outs in a consistent format. Lastly, you can add a footer and put your social media links in the form of icons, making it easy for people to follow you with a couple of clicks.

You’re almost ready to go…

Finally, don’t forget to test your mails via your own email address before you send them out. Be consistent with your frequency; daily mails could be annoying, but once per week should be fine, dependent on what you’re sending. Following these simple guidelines and it won’t be long before you’ve created top quality communications that are bound to raise your profile and boost your brand awareness. Good luck!

Add Realistic Chalk and Sketch Lettering Effects with Sketch’it – only $5!

Source from Webdesigner Depot http://ift.tt/2FbBb0D from Blogger http://ift.tt/2oA1OD7

[unixcommerce]

How To Design Winning Email Newsletters

Email remains a resilient form of communication for marketers, despite the myriad of other communication platforms available today. Most people check their emails at least once a day, and spam now has a hard time slipping through the net. What’s more, email newsletters from businesses are a part of everyday life and if someone has subscribed to your list, the chances are they’ll have at least some interest in what you have to say.

Having said that, the reality is that not everyone opens them, even if they have a genuine interest in your products and services. It’s a busy world in the midst of a digital age, so readers’ attention spans are stretched to the maximum; days pass quickly and time is precious. Those who don’t want a chaotic inbox may delete your email instantly…unless you can grab their attention fast.

You have to stand out from the crowd.

If you want your communications to be noticed, you need to come up with content that is concise, intriguing, and visually compelling. An eye-catching design is more important than ever, and if your email doesn’t look professional, your business won’t either. Here are some basic rules for creating winning email newsletters:

1. Choose an appealing Color Scheme

The aim here isn’t to dazzle with a prism of color, but to establish brand recognition at the same time as presenting aesthetically pleasing content. The best way to do this is by matching your color scheme to your company logo. The logo will be one of the first things people see, as it’s going to be part of your header.

Try matching your borders, fonts, headers and subheaders to the colors in your company logo. If your logo isn’t particularly colourful, choose something compatible and use it consistently. People will associate these colors with your brand and come to recognise your emails before they even open them.

2. Give it a Compelling Header

This is your hook, so you need to get it right. People want to know who is talking to them and what it is they’re expected to read. You wouldn’t read a magazine that didn’t have a name, or an article that didn’t have a title, would you? A newsletter is no different.

Your header should consist of your company logo and name, and the newsletter title. The title should be clear and simple, preferably with an element of intrigue. It should focus on your industry rather than your business name, which nobody really cares about. For example, there is a distinct difference between “Wealthy Entrepreneur Today” and “Triple Your Profits Report”. Don’t actually call it a newsletter—it sounds a little dull… consider words like ‘news’, ‘guide’, ‘review’, or ‘insider’ instead.

To create decent headers, you can use online DIY tools like Stencil or Pixlr, which are easy enough for anyone to use. Once you have your header, you can keep on using it – just make sure you change your newsletter titles each time.

3. Go For Crisp, Clean Typeface(s) and a Simple Layout

As holding a person’s attention is largely about ease, it’s important not to challenge their eyes with overly fancy typefaces, or multiple typefaces. Basic faces such as Times New Roman, Calibri or Helvetica are clean and familiar–you can’t go wrong with those. One simple typeface throughout gives a neat look that won’t take the attention away from your content.

Secondly, your newsletter must be legible. Nobody wants to see reams of text unfolding on their screen; that’s a sure fire way to get deleted rapidly. Likewise, to avoid skim reading, you’ll need to use punchy subheadings that tell the reader what the next section is about. You’ll want to break the text up into several blocks, each with its own subheading. Make sure the subheadings are smaller than the main heading, and bigger than the article text.

Lastly, stack your content so that each piece of information appears in an organised fashion, ideally inside its own block or with divider lines. Side by side is also fine (dependent on the volume of text) but most newsletters are stacked block on top of block.

4. Use Plenty of Attractive Images

You need to strike a balance between chunks of text and relevant images. The images need to convey the point of the text somehow, so be careful not to share incongruent images just because they look good. The visual element of any communication is always the most powerful aspect. It keeps the overall look interesting, and creates space between the blocks of text. For example, placing one image on the right side of the text in one block and on the left side in the next can look good.

Taking your own photos is a good idea, provided you have a worthy camera and some editing ability. If not, opt for quality stock photos; you can get these from free sites if you don’t want to fork out.

5. Make Sure Your Content is Relevant and Interesting

You should spend time analysing your database. Creating segments and email lists based on specific interests is a great idea; your click-through rate will be a lot higher this way. There are online platforms available that allow you to do all of this, and some give you statistics so you can see who is opening what, when, and how often (there’s more on this below). This way, you can target your audiences more effectively over the long term.

Put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Most of us want to be entertained in some way, and we want to read about things aligned with our interests. It’s helpful to send out content that contains clear benefits, such as free information (think ebooks and articles), info-bites, events, industry news and offers. Be sure to encourage feedback with one-click surveys, and incentivize with prizes and discounts. Oh, and don’t forget to include an unsubscribe option; you can’t please everyone, however hard you try.

6. Use an Email Marketing Platform

If you want to take the hard work out of it, there are various platforms that help you to create engaging, visually attractive newsletters. Mailchimp is a particularly good one, but you have many to choose from. Some people prefer to use Photoshop, but this requires a little more knowledge.

Platforms like Mailchimp will cover all of the above design aspects for you. They will help you to create campaigns in a strategic manner, step by step. You’ll be able to choose from various templates that help you lay things out in an appropriate style; you’ll have drag and drop options to place your dividers, content blocks and images, and you can even add buttons that encourage people to click through to web pages.

You’ll also have reasonable scope for reformatting, you can keep all your email lists in one place, and you can duplicate campaigns and change the details each time for swift send outs in a consistent format. Lastly, you can add a footer and put your social media links in the form of icons, making it easy for people to follow you with a couple of clicks.

You’re almost ready to go…

Finally, don’t forget to test your mails via your own email address before you send them out. Be consistent with your frequency; daily mails could be annoying, but once per week should be fine, dependent on what you’re sending. Following these simple guidelines and it won’t be long before you’ve created top quality communications that are bound to raise your profile and boost your brand awareness. Good luck!

Add Realistic Chalk and Sketch Lettering Effects with Sketch’it – only $5!

Source p img {display:inline-block; margin-right:10px;} .alignleft {float:left;} p.showcase {clear:both;} body#browserfriendly p, body#podcast p, div#emailbody p{margin:0;}

https://www.webdesignerdepot.com

The post How To Design Winning Email Newsletters appeared first on Unix Commerce.

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[anniebakerj]

Making It Pop — 5 Ways to Combat Subjective Design Feedback

“It looks great, but can you make it ‘pop’ more?”

We’ve all been there, the dreaded subjective design feedback, no use to anyone; let’s stop a moment and look at what led to this subjective nonsense, what chain of events instigated this horror show of unusable feedback? Actually, how clients receive your work and how you frame the feedback request is often just as much to blame as the person asking you to make your designs ‘pop’.

Ask yourself how often have you simply sent over an email to a client with a .jpg attached and the seemingly innocent request “let me know what you think”.

recognising how your own process often invites completely unhelpful feedback can help you change

The truth is there’s never a 100% right answer when it comes to web design, so everyone is likely to have a different personal opinion. If you really think about it every design is the result of hundreds of tiny decisions that could have gone any one of a thousand different ways (light blue buttons instead of dark blue, 10px padding instead of 14px etc etc).

Design, by its very nature, is perceived as a subjective exercise. So the truth is we don’t actually want to know if a client or stakeholder ‘likes’ our design or not, we want to know if it meets their business needs. We don’t want to know if the Legal Department gets a warm fuzzy feeling when they see our work, we want to know if they’re able to sign it off.

It’s also important to bear in mind that some subjectivity will always make its way through into the feedback you receive and that’s not always such a bad thing. Often at the heart of it is some really well meaning and useful insight but recognising how your own process often invites completely unhelpful feedback can help you change and weed it out.

1. Ask the Right Questions

The easiest way to start preventing subjective feedback on your project is to be clear on what you’re asking for. Instead of flinging over a completed design with a cheery “let me know what you think” email, try and steer the feedback conversation towards what you actually need.

Now this can take a little more effort and sometimes after finishing a super difficult project at 2am the only thing you want to do it get a design sent off and never look at it again, but believe me in the long run it’s worth it.

if you’re sending your design to a client you should be pleased with it, so don’t be afraid to sound positive

Take some time to think about who you’re sending your designs to and why. Is it a business owner reviewing a design for their new website? If so, be positive, tell them that you’re really pleased with how the design represents their brand and you’re ready to move onto to the next phase of the project, do they agree? If not, which specific elements would they like you to focus on changing. Don’t forget if you’re sending your design to a client you should be pleased with it, so don’t be afraid to sound positive and ready to move on.

Essentially what you’re doing here is trying to frame what you want from people in an objective way. Think ‘yes or no’ questions rather than ‘what do you think’.

This approach can be especially useful if your intended recipient is reviewing your design for a very specific single reason, for example if you need the legal team to sign off you should be asking if there are: “Any reasons the design would not be acceptable from a legal perspective,” rather than: “What do you think? Is this ok for you?”

…you’re actually helping people when you ask for this simple yes or no type feedback.

A lot of the time you’re actually helping people when you ask for this simple yes or no type feedback. You are, for a lot of people, removing the subconscious pressure for them to contribute something if asked. When presented with a blank canvas request for ‘their feedback’ most people will force themselves to think of something even if it’s just a random point that in reality they don’t care about—simply because the alternative feels like they’re saying “nope sorry…I can’t think of anything I’d change…I’m not required…I don’t need to be involved…I’m useless really.” Inviting a simpler yes or no answer is often enough to lift the pressure and gain a positive response.

2. Let Less Cooks Near the Broth

Another great way to avoid subjective feedback hell is to work hard on limiting the number of people you invite to feed back. Design feedback has a nasty habit of snowballing as more and more people are CC’d into an ever growing email chain of contradicting opinions. Instead, don’t be afraid to limit your feedback loop, you can even separate stakeholders off into groups if needed. For example if two stakeholders are brand and two are legal, why not reach out to the legal sign off team separately for specific legal feedback and vice versa for brand (it can save you the legal person’s often unwelcome brand feedback).

Now it’s not always that easy and there is the risk you can create even more problems for yourself if you exclude people (especially in large organisations). What you can do to combat this is to share design output with a wider group but be specific that it’s purely for their awareness and that feedback is not needed at this stage, thank you very much.

3. Position Your Design

Don’t just leave your design to stand on its own, this opens it up to misinterpretation—instead share it with context, easy to understand explanations around why certain decisions have been made. There’s plenty of ways you can do this, the simplest being to provide a version of the designs with easy to follow annotations, but ideally you want to actually talk people through it step by step in a design walk through.

A walk through of your designs moves away from the rather old school concept of sending designs over to clients or stakeholders for feedback like an exam paper being sent off to be marked. The actual best way to share designs and squash unwelcome subjective feedback is to present in person, walk your stakeholders through your design step by step answering any questions as you go. Obviously there’s a number of issues with this, logistically it can be difficult, it can be costly to find the time but not least of all…it can be quite frightening.

But if you’re up for the challenge there are definite rewards. Getting your clients or stakeholders together to walk them through your designs will give you the opportunity to remove even more subjectivity from feedback as you explain not only how the proposed design would work but also the reasoning behind your design decisions. Right off the bat this cuts out any questions in amongst your feedback about “How do you see component X working?” or “Why have you opted to use color Y here?”.

Getting everyone to attend a walk-through can feel like herding cats

Obviously design walk-throughs no longer need to be done face to face either, there are plenty of amazing tools out there to help you walk a client through design remotely. But the most useful tool in this scenario is you as the designer explaining your design decisions and answering questions—sharing your enthusiasm.

Getting everyone to attend a walk-through can feel like herding cats sometimes, getting all your stakeholders in one place at one time is certainly tricky but it’s worth persevering because it helps you out in another key area where subjective feedback often creeps in.

4. The Curse of Contradictory Feedback

This occurs when stakeholder no.1 loves the new header image but stakeholder no.2 hates it. Before you know it you’re playing stakeholder top trumps deciding who is more important and who you should to listen to. If you do find yourself in this situation it can be useful to ask your client or internal stakeholders for a single point of contact through whom any and all feedback is filtered (leaving it to them to have to battle to decide who’s top dog).

Another great way to keep people away from contradictory feedback is to be very upfront and honest around the number of amends that are available or the time impact of unnecessary feedback. This may feel uncomfortable to some but believe me it’s infinitely better in the long run to be honest and direct early on rather than let people down later after you’ve received 8 rounds of subjective feedback that’s delayed your project and pushed you way way over budget.

5. Too Late it’s Happened…

If after all this you still find yourself on the receiving end of some subjective feedback that you just don’t know how to proceed with with (maybe such classics as “Can you make it pop?”, “Can this page look more exciting please?”, “I’m just not sure about these colors”) don’t despair. A great way to bring your client back on track at this point is to politely ask them to send you some links to sites they’ve seen that do ‘pop’ or do look ‘exciting’. You’ll be surprised how often this works and a client will send you a couple of links to similar sites and you can decipher their meaning and implement something that… ‘pops’ :)

Some Key Things to Try

Be specific not general in what you ask for in feedback

Limit the number of people you ask for feedback

Walk through your design with stakeholders to give it context

Limit the number of rounds of feedback available

Ask for feedback to come through a single point of contact

Make it pop

Add Realistic Chalk and Sketch Lettering Effects with Sketch’it – only $5!

Source p img {display:inline-block; margin-right:10px;} .alignleft {float:left;} p.showcase {clear:both;} body#browserfriendly p, body#podcast p, div#emailbody p{margin:0;}

[iyarpage]

Making It Pop — 5 Ways to Combat Subjective Design Feedback

“It looks great, but can you make it ‘pop’ more?”

We’ve all been there, the dreaded subjective design feedback, no use to anyone; let’s stop a moment and look at what led to this subjective nonsense, what chain of events instigated this horror show of unusable feedback? Actually, how clients receive your work and how you frame the feedback request is often just as much to blame as the person asking you to make your designs ‘pop’.

Ask yourself how often have you simply sent over an email to a client with a .jpg attached and the seemingly innocent request “let me know what you think”.

recognising how your own process often invites completely unhelpful feedback can help you change

The truth is there’s never a 100% right answer when it comes to web design, so everyone is likely to have a different personal opinion. If you really think about it every design is the result of hundreds of tiny decisions that could have gone any one of a thousand different ways (light blue buttons instead of dark blue, 10px padding instead of 14px etc etc).

Design, by its very nature, is perceived as a subjective exercise. So the truth is we don’t actually want to know if a client or stakeholder ‘likes’ our design or not, we want to know if it meets their business needs. We don’t want to know if the Legal Department gets a warm fuzzy feeling when they see our work, we want to know if they’re able to sign it off.

It’s also important to bear in mind that some subjectivity will always make its way through into the feedback you receive and that’s not always such a bad thing. Often at the heart of it is some really well meaning and useful insight but recognising how your own process often invites completely unhelpful feedback can help you change and weed it out.

1. Ask the Right Questions

The easiest way to start preventing subjective feedback on your project is to be clear on what you’re asking for. Instead of flinging over a completed design with a cheery “let me know what you think” email, try and steer the feedback conversation towards what you actually need.

Now this can take a little more effort and sometimes after finishing a super difficult project at 2am the only thing you want to do it get a design sent off and never look at it again, but believe me in the long run it’s worth it.

if you’re sending your design to a client you should be pleased with it, so don’t be afraid to sound positive

Take some time to think about who you’re sending your designs to and why. Is it a business owner reviewing a design for their new website? If so, be positive, tell them that you’re really pleased with how the design represents their brand and you’re ready to move onto to the next phase of the project, do they agree? If not, which specific elements would they like you to focus on changing. Don’t forget if you’re sending your design to a client you should be pleased with it, so don’t be afraid to sound positive and ready to move on.

Essentially what you’re doing here is trying to frame what you want from people in an objective way. Think ‘yes or no’ questions rather than ‘what do you think’.

This approach can be especially useful if your intended recipient is reviewing your design for a very specific single reason, for example if you need the legal team to sign off you should be asking if there are: “Any reasons the design would not be acceptable from a legal perspective,” rather than: “What do you think? Is this ok for you?”

…you’re actually helping people when you ask for this simple yes or no type feedback.

A lot of the time you’re actually helping people when you ask for this simple yes or no type feedback. You are, for a lot of people, removing the subconscious pressure for them to contribute something if asked. When presented with a blank canvas request for ‘their feedback’ most people will force themselves to think of something even if it’s just a random point that in reality they don’t care about—simply because the alternative feels like they’re saying “nope sorry…I can’t think of anything I’d change…I’m not required…I don’t need to be involved…I’m useless really.” Inviting a simpler yes or no answer is often enough to lift the pressure and gain a positive response.

2. Let Less Cooks Near the Broth

Another great way to avoid subjective feedback hell is to work hard on limiting the number of people you invite to feed back. Design feedback has a nasty habit of snowballing as more and more people are CC’d into an ever growing email chain of contradicting opinions. Instead, don’t be afraid to limit your feedback loop, you can even separate stakeholders off into groups if needed. For example if two stakeholders are brand and two are legal, why not reach out to the legal sign off team separately for specific legal feedback and vice versa for brand (it can save you the legal person’s often unwelcome brand feedback).

Now it’s not always that easy and there is the risk you can create even more problems for yourself if you exclude people (especially in large organisations). What you can do to combat this is to share design output with a wider group but be specific that it’s purely for their awareness and that feedback is not needed at this stage, thank you very much.

3. Position Your Design

Don’t just leave your design to stand on its own, this opens it up to misinterpretation—instead share it with context, easy to understand explanations around why certain decisions have been made. There’s plenty of ways you can do this, the simplest being to provide a version of the designs with easy to follow annotations, but ideally you want to actually talk people through it step by step in a design walk through.

A walk through of your designs moves away from the rather old school concept of sending designs over to clients or stakeholders for feedback like an exam paper being sent off to be marked. The actual best way to share designs and squash unwelcome subjective feedback is to present in person, walk your stakeholders through your design step by step answering any questions as you go. Obviously there’s a number of issues with this, logistically it can be difficult, it can be costly to find the time but not least of all…it can be quite frightening.

But if you’re up for the challenge there are definite rewards. Getting your clients or stakeholders together to walk them through your designs will give you the opportunity to remove even more subjectivity from feedback as you explain not only how the proposed design would work but also the reasoning behind your design decisions. Right off the bat this cuts out any questions in amongst your feedback about “How do you see component X working?” or “Why have you opted to use color Y here?”.

Getting everyone to attend a walk-through can feel like herding cats

Obviously design walk-throughs no longer need to be done face to face either, there are plenty of amazing tools out there to help you walk a client through design remotely. But the most useful tool in this scenario is you as the designer explaining your design decisions and answering questions—sharing your enthusiasm.

Getting everyone to attend a walk-through can feel like herding cats sometimes, getting all your stakeholders in one place at one time is certainly tricky but it’s worth persevering because it helps you out in another key area where subjective feedback often creeps in.

4. The Curse of Contradictory Feedback

This occurs when stakeholder no.1 loves the new header image but stakeholder no.2 hates it. Before you know it you’re playing stakeholder top trumps deciding who is more important and who you should to listen to. If you do find yourself in this situation it can be useful to ask your client or internal stakeholders for a single point of contact through whom any and all feedback is filtered (leaving it to them to have to battle to decide who’s top dog).

Another great way to keep people away from contradictory feedback is to be very upfront and honest around the number of amends that are available or the time impact of unnecessary feedback. This may feel uncomfortable to some but believe me it’s infinitely better in the long run to be honest and direct early on rather than let people down later after you’ve received 8 rounds of subjective feedback that’s delayed your project and pushed you way way over budget.

5. Too Late it’s Happened…

If after all this you still find yourself on the receiving end of some subjective feedback that you just don’t know how to proceed with with (maybe such classics as “Can you make it pop?”, “Can this page look more exciting please?”, “I’m just not sure about these colors”) don’t despair. A great way to bring your client back on track at this point is to politely ask them to send you some links to sites they’ve seen that do ‘pop’ or do look ‘exciting’. You’ll be surprised how often this works and a client will send you a couple of links to similar sites and you can decipher their meaning and implement something that… ‘pops’ :)

Some Key Things to Try

Be specific not general in what you ask for in feedback

Limit the number of people you ask for feedback

Walk through your design with stakeholders to give it context

Limit the number of rounds of feedback available

Ask for feedback to come through a single point of contact

Make it pop

8 Professional Graphic Design Magazine Templates – only $17!

Source p img {display:inline-block; margin-right:10px;} .alignleft {float:left;} p.showcase {clear:both;} body#browserfriendly p, body#podcast p, div#emailbody p{margin:0;} Making It Pop — 5 Ways to Combat Subjective Design Feedback published first on https://medium.com/@koresol

[madebymixy]

“Life imitates art” but art imitates life too.

(I read that as ‘art irritates life’ just now. Also true) 

  100 daily drawings taught me a lot more about drawing, more than I realised I didn’t know. Drawing techniques, practicalities, possibilities, and all that comes along with steady daily practice.

But there seemed to be bigger lessons showing up as well.

These were observations I heard over and over again in my thoughts, page after page. Of course many of these revelations aren’t really about drawing. They are about everything.

In no particular order, these are the top 100 realisations that accompanied this project.

It’s been an exercise in letting go of expectations, of ideal outcomes, and the accompanying paralysis of progress.

I’m learning to let go of ‘finished looking’  – being finished – being a ‘piece of art’ (whatever that might be).

Letting go of what other folks think, a neediness for approval or validation.

Letting go of the rules. This is my book: my rules. Rule 1: there are no rules.

‘Drawing every day’ isn’t even a rule.

Drawing for 100 days doesn’t mean 100 consecutive days.  Don’t make up excuses to stop. Pick up and start again. Keep doing this. Just get to 100. 

The photo is only a guide, a suggestion, a jumping off point. This isn’t an exercise in copying. A drawing can’t be wrong.

It doesn’t have to have the same colors, same shape, same perspective.

It doesn’t have to be the same every day – the same time, the same ‘style’, the same anything. Just another day, another page, another drawing. Keep exploring the other-ness

Some days have a flow to them – some days have an awkwardness – some days are fuelled by imagination – some days are an uphill slog.

Some are bits of all of these and flit and flicker between.

Some pages have words – information – data – facts – important-to-remembers.

Some page’s words and rememberings are from another day and don’t make sense any more. And that’s okay.

Some days are unfinished. They will stay that way. I don’t have to go back. (there is no real ‘finished’).

Some days get lost and forgotten.

Some days are just made for catch ups.

Some catch ups are liberating – rejuvenating – expansive – explosions of imagination.

Some catch ups are uncomfortable and riddled with angst.

Some catch ups are a cold hard slog and bring up all the WHY???s

Sometimes it feels like a trajectory that cannot fail.

Sometimes it feels like losing footing – in slow motion – in the dark.

Sometimes it feels like treading water – waiting – waiting – waiting….

Sometimes it feels like falling – sinking – drowning.

Some drawings take on their own life with unseen meaning.

Some drawings take on their own life with an energy that didn’t come from me.

Some drawings have their own momentum – I watch them take shape with the curiosity of an outside observer.

Some drawings just don’t care. I could learn the most from these.

Some drawings have to be inched out slowly.

Some drawings surprise me by the reactions they evoke from others.

Some drawings surprise me by the feelings they evoke in me.

Some drawings overwhelm, some disappoint, some pass unjudged.

Some drawings have stories that let out secrets.

Some drawings are stories that hide more than they reveal.

Some stories are universal, everyone recognises a little bit of it in themselves.

Some stories are so deep they are unfathomable.

Some projects are way larger than the sum of their parts. This is certainly one of them.

Some projects are a stepping stone to a place I never knew existed before I started.

Some projects are meant to be finite. Done is done.

Some projects are meant to be repeated – reiterated – revisited.

Some projects are not supposed to be finished. They hang….

Some projects are so deeply enmeshed in a life, we are one and the same.

Some projects are fun to watch – to join – to play along.

Some projects never escape the confines of my mind, jammed up in the mechanism of the mental rotadex.

Sometimes the purpose will shift and change midway through. Over and over. The act of shifting becomes the purpose.

Sometimes the purpose won’t show itself until long after it’s over.

Sometimes the purpose is only clear to others.

Sometimes the purpose is only clear to me – and that’s all that matters.

Sometimes the purpose is unique to everyone who witnesses it.

Sometimes the purpose is unique to the season – or to the day.

Sometimes the way it seems, is the way it is. Sometimes it’s not been close.

Sometimes the way it seems is only a clue. It’s a seed, or a plan, or part of a bigger pattern.

The more I look for patterns the more I see them.

Patterns can be visual, patterns can be habitual, patterns repeat.

Patterns within patterns fascinate me most.

It’s ok to get stuck in one color for a while, the other colors will wait.

It’s ok to use all the colors – or none of them – or not care which.

It’ll never be finished, so keep moving forwards. 

It’ll never be perfect, don’t ask it to be.

This might not answer the questions you thought it would.

This might not answer any questions. It might lead to more questions…

This might have no meaning at all – right now – or ever. And that’s okay too.

If a meaning wants to show itself to you, it will find a way.

Whatever is underneath, showing through, is part of what is now. Let all the elements become parts of the whole. Allow the merge.

Describe the drawing in words –  this is where the metaphors hide.

Describe the drawing out loud,  it’s subtly different.

Shift the emphasis foreground to background, positive to negative space. Dance in between them.

Choose which details to use, which details to ignore, and which to make up.

Choose the image from within the image.

Find the art inside the photo.

Notice how some images repeat, return and revisit.

Notice how some characters keep showing up.

Notice how some character’s expressions are the same: the face that asks: you still trying to draw me?

Notice how color schemes repeat.

Notice the themes of facing pages match unconsciously.

Notice how time concertinas in and out when you count the days.

Notice how the seemingly simple is really complex. And how the complex can be divided into manageable size bites.

How complexity presents a challenge, then the victory, the good enough level of mastery.

Balancing good enough against keep trying.

Knowing when to stop, knowing when to keep going.

How it’s all a freaking metaphor (and that’s all of these too).

The bravery to pursue a doomed drawing, to trust it to turn around and turn out good, or just okay.

The bravery to post a picture I didn’t like, and the ones I did.

The bravery of sending these out into the wilds of the internet. It can be cold out there.

The revelation that others might like what I didn’t, see a beauty I can’t.

The revelation of turning the page, not looking back for a few weeks. How what’s on the page ‘gets better’ when it’s left to rest.

The revelation of drawings I hated, that hold no strong feelings now. And drawings I loved.

How much a background wash or splot of paint makes adds to a drawing.

How much a patch of color shifts a mood.

How much the character of the drawing is from the colors.

How much a drawing style develops over time, but can’t be seen from such close quarters or day to day.

How much a drawing style develops through simple repetition.

How much simple repetition is the key to it all. How much simple repetition is the key to it all. How much simple repetition is the key to it all. 😉

How ideas will hide and evade when called for, then descend en masse when it’s too late (and how it’s never really too late).

How some ways of making are so ingrained I don’t know there are other ways.

How chasing the other ways is part of the learning.

How finding other ways leads to new kinds of learning.

There are always going to be new ways of learning!

The journey is a spiral. The path isn’t re-trodden, next loop around looks familiar, but the view has altered.

The journey keeps going. Keeps going.

The mixed emotions at the end of a project, the end of an adventure, the intangible closure.

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These were observations I heard over and over again in my thoughts, page after page...  "Life imitates art" but art imitates life too. (I read that as 'art irritates life' just now.