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isauntervaguelydownwards · 5 years ago

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In the Mirror, a Photo

Penny gives Simon a photo, and it makes him a bit introspective

or: what makes the Humdrum out of an ordinary boy?

Fill for COC2019 day 24 prompt: reflections

Simon

The thing about the Humdrum is that you start taking things far more seriously when the bad guy looks like you. Ask me, I’d know.

I mean, of course I took things seriously before it stole my face, but - it felt remote, somehow, when it just was an intangible thing. Then it stole my face and I felt violated, that this thing terrorising our world would wear my face while doing it.

When we then defeated it, when I lost my magic and the closest thing I’d had to a father figure all in one swoop, I was so numb I didn’t reflect much on anything, really. Not until quite a lot of time had passed, and Penny gave me a photo someone had taken of me and her in our first year at Watford.

What first struck me, looking at that photo, was how absolutely tiny I was. When I asked Penny about that, she just laughed; we were all tiny back then, Simon. I still don’t think everyone was that tiny.

The Humdrum was, however. He, it - whatever, he was that tiny. And so lonely.

I think that’s what really got to me, not just the death of the Mage and Ebb and Magick, but that he was so small and so lonely. He looked like a tiny thug - I guess that means I did, too? But above all else, he looked small and lonely. Bouncing and throwing that ball back and forth - I’d had one just like it, or maybe the one he had was the one I’d had, I’m a bit uncertain of how it all worked. He had the ball and he was very good at catching it, too, because he was just like me - all alone.

I guess the biggest difference between us was that he ate magic. Looking at the photo, I could see exactly where he came from, why he’d turned out like he did. It could just as easily have been me, and that’s not a truth I like thinking about.

“What’re you thinking about?” Baz said behind me, and I only twitched a little. Despite standing in front of the mirror, and I’d guess he’d been home for quite a while, I really hadn’t noticed him.

“Oh, hi Baz,” I replied absentmindedly. I held up the photo, waggling it in his direction. “Just, reminiscing I guess.”

“You’re being ridiculous, that’s what you’re doing, Simon,” he scoffed, coming up behind me to wrap his arms around me, leaning his chin on my shoulder. It was a steep learning curve, adjusting to the wings, but we’d managed to get around them. “You never would’ve turned out like him, no matter what.”

“How can you say that? You don’t know that,” I said, eyes downcast. It’s not like I wanted to convince him he was wrong, but - I thought he needed to know what he was getting into, even if we’d been together for quite a while by now. “What actually stopped me from entirely becoming him?”

“Well, first of all, you’re much cuter than he was,” he replied, shaking me a little. I couldn’t help but snort, and by the noise he made that was what he was going for. “And, secondly, do you for a second think Bunce would’ve let you become evil?”

“What if I hadn’t met Penny, though? What then?”

“Simon, you befriended the goat herder at Watford, the woman no one else even paid mind to. And you did that before you knew Bunce.” Baz shook his head, pulling me closer to him, nestling his head down on my shoulder. I was a good three inches shorter - at least - but he insisted that standing stooped was perfect if it meant he could inconvenience me just a little. “You’re incapable of being anything other than kind - by Crowley, you’re dating me and I tried to kill you! - and you being the Humdrum, or trying to bring about the end of the world, well, that’s as likely as Normal pigs flying.”

“I hope you’re right,” I said morosely. I could’ve heard him rolling his eyes, considering how hard he did it.

“I’m always right,” he said cockily, before kissing me until I was dizzy.

#carry on #coc 2019 #snowbaz #type: text #simon snow #tyrannus basilton pitch #mine #my writing #listen this is day 24 which means - spoiler alert - it's SOON DONE.

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sweetmemories2606 · 4 years ago

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Gruvia Day 2020: Perfect Beginning

Morning, everyone!

Let us all celebrate the glory of today. A day which does not happen often, but is so special and beautiful.

I'm talking about Gruvia Day, of course. It is time to shower our ship with love and perhaps a little angst too.

Here's the info about the story:

Title: Perfect Beginning

Summary: Gray and Juvia's first date went perfectly, reminding her of a time when she had thought that a romance like this only existed in books. Finding herself happier than she had been in a long time, she wondered if perhaps their story could have a happy ending after all.

Word Count: 2K

Genre: Fluff and (minor) Angst

Warnings: This one-shot is set on Ch 4 of Answers, thus I'd advise you to read at least the 1st chapter because there are MAJOR SPOILERS for the story.

Happy reading!

__________________

Perfect Beginning

July 5th, X791

"This place is beautiful" Juvia looked around the field of sunflowers with a serene smile. They were just outside of Crocus, though this place was so quiet it felt like the city was far away.

“I’m glad you like it.” Gray watched her with a soft smile while he set the flowery blanket on the grass then put the basket filled with sweets which Mira had prepared on top of it.

After they had decided to get together the day before, he had asked her on a date to which she had enthusiastically agreed. Panicking because he had no idea what to do, Gray had come to Erza and Mirajane for help in the planning.

Listening to their ideas, he hadn't been so sure until Alzack and Bisca, who had been listening to them, suggested that Gray take Juvia on a picnic. The couple noted how this is what they had done for their first date. Judging by how they were now happily married with a daughter, Gray sensed it was a good idea.

"So, who gave you the idea for a picnic?" Juvia asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He raised a brow. "You don't believe I came up with this myself?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "Nope. I know you're not much of a romantic."

He feigned disbelief and hurt. "Hey, I can be very romantic." Standing up and closing the distance between them, he snaked his arms around her waist.

"Oh, yeah?" Juvia asked while her arms encircled his neck. They leaned in for a passionate kiss, then another.

Everything felt so perfect, like a fairy tale. Juvia remembered a time when she had wondered if a romance like this existed outside of books.

__________________

Many years ago….

"What are still you doing up, child?" Irene came into her room for the daily check up. Instead of being asleep like she was supposed to, Juvia had been reading a book. Immersed in the experience, she hadn't heard the older woman until now.

"Sorry, Irene," The young girl whispered, putting the book on her bedside table. "I'll go to sleep now."

The Scarlet Queen glanced at the object, focusing on the title, before frowning. "Beauty and the Beast again? Aren't you tired of reading this one?"

Juvia shrugged. "It's my favourite."

Curious, the older woman sat on the red chair beside the bed. "Why is that?"

"Well…." The young girl was thoughtful for a moment. "Belle loves reading, just like me."

"That is true," Irene smiled softly. "But what else?"

"I like that Beast lets her go even though he knows that she could break the curse." Juvia noted once a similar smile adorned her face. "It's like my mamma used to say, true love means putting someone else first."

The former suddenly seemed nostalgic and melancholic. "She was right."

"Are you okay?" The latter was concerned.

"I'm alright," Reassured the older woman, but her sniffle betrayed this statement.

Silence fell upon them as Irene was lost in thought and Juvia watched her curiously. Once she felt enough time had passed, the young girl posed a rather complicated but not surprising question. "Irene…do you believe that true love exists?"

It took the Scarlet Queen a while to respond. "I do."

Thoughtful again, Juvia followed up with "Then how do I find it?"

Irene shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know, child." Setting the book back on the bedside table, she stood and approached the bed.

Glancing at the now frowning child, she offered a reassuring smile. "But I'm sure you will find it someday."

Juvia's frown gave way to a hopeful look. "You are?"

"I am," Irene nodded before leaning down to press a gentle kiss atop the girl's forehead. Then the older woman urged her to lie down against the pillow and placed the blanket over her.

Once the child was comfortably settled, Irene stepped back and glanced at her softly. "Your parents..." Juvia's sleepy eyes immediately became alert. "What they had was true love, so I'm sure that you can have it too."

__________________

Thinking about her parents, Juvia pulled away from the kiss. Noticing her sadness, Gray immediately became concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine," She reassured, but the tears that began falling suggested otherwise. He wiped them away gently, keeping one arm around her, holding her close.

Grateful for his support, she tried to compose herself in order not to ruin their date. This wasn't the time to think about her parents or how much she missed them. This was a day for her and Gray to enjoy themselves and explore the new direction which their relationship was taking.

Taking deep breaths, Juvia soon managed to stop crying and offered an apology. "I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologise," He assured while wiping away the last remaining tears. "I understand."

"Thank you," Able to smile again, she briefly glanced at the picnic basket then back at him. "Now, how about we really begin our date?"

Gray watched her for a moment. "Are you sure? Because if you want to talk about..."

Juvia shook her head. "Not now." Noticing his uncertain expression, she put on a brighter smile. "Right now..." She took his hand. "...I would like to enjoy the wonderful picnic that my boyfriend so kindly prepared."

He nodded. "Okay, then." After squeezing her hand, he led her to sit down on the blanket before grabbing the picnic basket. "You know, it feels weird to hear you call me your boyfriend."

"Yeah, it does." Juvia agreed. Despite having fantasised for so long that they would get together, the term 'boyfriend' felt out of place.

There was a moment of silence while he took out the strawberry cake and cut up two large pieces. Accepting the plate he had offered, she added. "I won't do it again."

Unexpectedly, Gray smiled. "Nah, it's okay. I guess I just need more time to get used to it, that's all."

"That makes sense." Juvia nodded before diving into the cake. While enjoying the sweet, her mind replayed the wonderful moments that they had shared in the last 24 hours, specially their first kiss.

__________________

One day before

"What's wrong, darling?" Juvia watched as Gray nervously ran his hands through his hair.

He had asked her to come with him outside the infirmary so that they could talk, yet he had said nothing.

"I need… I need to tell you something." He finally looked her in the eyes.

"What is it?" Heart hammering inside her chest; she hoped this was the long awaited moment of his confession.

"Well, I…You see..." Gray stumbled with his words.

"Perhaps we can talk later?" Juvia suggested, gently.

"No." He firmly denied. "I have to do this now."

She waited again. Nothing. "Maybe you could show me what you mean?"

During the time she had known him, it had become clear that he was more a man of action than words.

His eyes widened before nervousness morphed into determination. He moved quickly but cautiously. An arm wrapped around her waist, bringing her closer while watching her reaction.

Juvia smiled, arms instinctively encircling his neck. Then, his free hand reached for her cheek and softly stroked it for a moment.

Gray started leaning in. "Juvia, can I…."

She didn't let him finish. "Yes."

Their first kiss was passionate and even though it didn't happen the way Juvia had been dreaming of, she loved it nonetheless.

(Scene taken from Answers, Chapter 1)

__________________

"What are you thinking about?" Gray asked after a few minutes, setting his empty plate aside.

"I was just remembering when you kissed me the first time." Juvia chose to be honest.

"Oh." A slight blush coloured his cheeks. "That was rather...embarrassing."

"It was very sweet," She softly remarked.

"Thanks." Still blushing, Gray searched into the picnic basket for two caramade franks.

Her eyes widened. "Where did you get those?"

"Gajeel found a store 2 days ago, so he told me about it last night," He explained while offering one to her.

Accepting it, Juvia was genuinely surprised. "Gajeel...helped you with this?"

Gray chuckled at her reaction. "Yeah. He really cares about you, so I guess that's why he helped me make this date as perfect as possible."

Taking a bite of the caramade frank, she reminded herself to thank Gajeel later for truly being her best friend. "That's good. I was hoping you two could get along."

The ice mage smiled. "I know this is important to you, so I'll try."

She returned it. "Thank you."

__________________

The rest of their date went smoothly and both had an enjoyable time. They got to know each other better, learning the most basic and trivial details such as their favourite colours.

"I do love blue." She expectedly answered, making him laugh. "I figured."

"What about yours?" Juvia questioned a moment later.

Having finished eating,Gray moved closer to sit by her side. "Well, actually mine is silver."

"Really?" She stared at him in surprise. "May I ask why?"

Gray's expression turned melancholic once he answered. "It was my father's name."

This led into a conversation which they hadn't been eager for, but it was important nonetheless. He shared details about his parents, Ur and Deliora.

Juvia was aware of most of his backstory, but there was new information such as the scarf which Ur had put around him and Lyon; it was the reason why he always wore one in the winter despite not feeling cold. The water mage also learned about his favourite childhood toy, a polar bear which had been gifted on his 1st birthday; as far as he remembered.

Gray even told her about the year before he joined Fairy Tail and the adventures he had. For once in his life, he opened up about everything, no reservations nor secrets. He trusted her fully.

Alternatively, Juvia had to hide many details when they shifted the conversation to her childhood and family life. Trained to know how to lie and manipulate, she made her stories about growing up in an orphanage without anyone to call a friend sound sincere.

It weighed on her conscience to be lying to him after he had been so honest, but there was no alternative. The truth needed to stay hidden, for both of their sakes.

__________________

Concealing her guilt was hard, but luckily Gray mistook this for sadness and held her in a tight embrace. His attempt to comfort her soon led to a make-out session and she found herself lying beneath him on of the flowery blanket.

It was the perfect distraction from the complications of her life, so it's not like she was complaining. In fact, she was hoping their moment wouldn't have to end, but unfortunately their need for air eventually surpassed their desire for closeness.

Gray got off from her and moved to lay by her side. Sweaty and breathless, they glanced at each other with mirroring smiles. "Wow. That was..."

"I know." Juvia brought a hand to his cheek, stroking it gently. "Thank you."

"Of course." He took her hand and pressed a kiss to it, recalling that Lyon did that all the time and most women seemed to find it charming.

Juvia smiled even brighter at this. "I really didn't expect you to be so..."

He raised a brow in expectation. "What?"

She leaned in for a soft kiss. "Romantic."

Gray smirked. "I told you. I can be very romantic if I want to."

"So you've never wanted to before?" She inquired, recalling their friends telling her how he was the least romantic person they knew.

He fixed her with an adoring look. "I hadn't found someone worth being romantic for."

It was the sweetest declaration, so she couldn't help it but to enthusiastically kiss him, to which he eagerly returned.

Even though he hadn't said those three words yet, Juvia knew that he was in love as much as she was. This made her heart swell with joy and reminded her of the first time she had watched two people fall in love.

__________________

Many years ago...

Juvia sat beside a great oak tree in the gardens, watching the couple embrace. Ajeel Rahmal, a young prince who had recently joined the Spriggan 12, held his now girlfriend, Nadia, tightly. Both seemed immensely glad and relieved after having confessed their feeling. It was the most heartwarming sight.

"They look so happy," Juvia observed, smiling softly.

"They do." Turning to her right, she found that Irene had returned from her brief chat with the emperor. The older woman seemed happy too once her eyes found the couple.

Noticing them kiss, Juvia couldn't help but wonder. "Irene, do you think they will get married?"

Irene stared at her in surprise before raising a brow. "What makes you think that?"

"Well, according to the books I've read, when two people love each other they get married," The young girl innocently replied.

"Oh, yes." Irene nodded. "They always end like that, don't they?" She seemed lost in thought for a moment before sighing. "It's a shame that real life doesn't work that way."

"What do you mean?" Juvia was confused, but also curious.

The older woman was clearly trying to hide her bitterness, but it still showed. "Just that there isn't always a happy ending."

"I know," The young girl frowned. "My parents...They didn't get one."

For some reason, Irene looked guilty for a moment. However, her expression soon returned to sorrowful. "They didn't."

With the mood now heavy and gloomy, they fell silent. Their attention returned to the couple and both felt envious at their happiness. Then, once the silence was becoming unbearable, Irene offered the young girl an assuring smile. "But that doesn't mean that you can't have one."

"So you think I can be happy..." Juvia glanced at the couple just as they laughed at something Ajeel had said. "...like them?"

"I'm sure you can." Irene knelt down to her level, placing both hands on the young girl's shoulder. "You're beautiful, kind and brave." She brushed back a strand of blue hair. "Just like your mother."

"Thank you." Juvia blushed at the compliments.

"I wouldn't be surprised if, someday, you found someone who will love you as much as your father loved her." Irene told her, genuinely.

"And then we'll get married?" The young girl asked, hopeful.

The older woman chuckled, then nodded. "Yes. Maybe you'll get a happy ending just like in your books."

#fanfic #gruvia #fairy tail #gruvia day 2020 #fluff #first date #celebration #gray fullbuster #juvia lockser #gajeel redfox #irene belserion #alvarez empire #plot twist #answers

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shadowtarot · 6 years ago

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The White Raven: Emergence

Well I said that blog exclusive fics would start to come out! And well here she be. This is an AU....sorta. Takes place Post P5 and this will be separated into parts each with their own subtitles. Spoilers abound!

Day two of Spring Break. Normally, this would be a relaxed day for high schoolers. Go to work, catch a movie, hang out with friends. Something. But, for those of who had experienced that other world? It’s hard to shake the feeling of being watched. Not just being watched by Shido’s left over cronies but metaphorically by the expecting public. After a full year of going in and out of the cognitive world, The Phantom Thieves just can’t get used to being your average teen or young adult. Talk of their exploits can be heard now and again as Ryuji Sakomoto, formerly known as Skull, walks though Shibuya on the way to the local arcade.

“Were you there when that big calling card hit? That was like...the coolest of the cool!”

“The Phantom Thief leader testified against Shido right? But they never showed his face on TV!”

“Uh, but we saw his face on the video card? ...although there was a mask...”

Typical talk. As to be expected, no one recalled the true final heist the group had done. In which Ren, formerly known as Joker, saved the world from Ruin with the power granted to him by the public.

“SAKAMOTO!”

Well...a few did remember...

Running at almost top speed, Yuki Mishima, the proud admin of the Phan-site and author of the in progress Phantom Thieves Documentary, reached Ryuji who was just a few steps from entering the Arcade building. Panting, Mishima looks up to his friend with a grin. “I...need to...tell you..something. It’s big.”

“Geez dude, you don’t need to run at me like that. It’s spring break. Relax!” Ryuji laughs. “But if it’s important, let’s go into Big Bang.” With that, the blond boy leads Mishima into the nearby Big Bang Burger.

After placing an order and sitting down, Mishima takes out his cellphone and unlocks it. Without looking up from his screen, he begins to talk. “So I decided to look up what was currently trending on web searches right? Basic stuff I do when I get bored. Well...the top search for japan is: The White Raven.”

“The...what?” Ryuji blinks, confusion all over his face. “Is...it some chickflick you want to go to or..”

“NO! It’s nothing like that. But I did have a similar reaction. So I looked it up. Apparently it’s a handle of a new hacker. They’ve been leaking a lot of data on Shido connected individuals and posting them where the world can see.”

“This fast? Or...has it been going on for a while?”

Mishima shakes his head. “It’s been going on since February, but only got big after whole web pages got corrupted and altered with the supposed mark of this hacker.” He pulls up one such page, which is littered with information about the dark deeds done by the group with a Raven holding a knife in it’s beak spread across the page.

“Not very clean work. It’s like the desk of a middle schooler.” Ryuji laughs. “But this really is ‘effed up. Are you trying to imply that this...Raven chick is inspired by us?”

“Well...no one knows if the Raven is a guy or girl at this point. They are anonymous after all. But unlike Medjed it is a single person.” Mishima bounces in his seat. “So...you think you guys could unmask them? It would be cool and-”

“Mishima, you know what my answer is going to be. Our group disbanded, and if we acted without the consent of every person who has ties to the name we’d just end up hurting them.”

The blue haired boy hangs his head. “I...I know. I just thought it’d be cool is all.”

A couple a few seats down starts to talk.

“Say, I’ve always wondered why that Phantom Thief kid had to testify. Didn’t another name come up during the trial?”

“Well, the name was never publicly stated, just the gender and the general mention that he was a big figure for the three years that made up Shido’s big rise up.”

Ryuji winces hearing the statement. He knew who it was...and why he couldn’t testify.

“Sakamoto? I didn’t offend you did I?” Mishima asks, snapping Ryuji back to reality.

“Oh uh....no! I’m cool, no worries.” He laughs it off, regaining his former composure. “But, yeah sorry we can’t really stab at it like you want us to. We could do independent looks, but nothing under our old banner m’kay?”

Mishima nods rapidly. “Yes sir! Uh...Sakamoto?”

Ryuji laughs. “Dude, you don’t have to be so formal anymore. Just call me Ryuji.”

“Yeah yet you call me by my last name still so...”

“...I guess we should both change that then huh, Yuki?” He snickers, trying his best to lighten the mood. Mishima thankfully laughs with him.

“Right, Ryuji.” The Admin nods, a smile reappearing on his face.

“Anyhow, what were you gonna say?” Ryuji tilts his head in questioning, much like a dog would tilt it’s head to listen more closely.

“Oh! There’s someone in a hood staring at us.” Mishima states way too casually for what just came out of his mouth.

At this hour, the sun had set just enough that it was starting to get dark. A chill running up his spine, Ryuji slowly turned to look out the window his back was facing. And once it was in full view...like Mishima had said there was a hooded figure in a worn hoodie staring at them. Due to the spring rain and the general crowd, it was hard to make out the person’s facail features. Just the worn hoodie and the tattered jeans.

But just as quickly as this person was seen, did they vanish into the mess of the crowd. It felt like a scene from a horror film. And Ryuji was not okay with this at all. But in his tense state, he had seemingly been prepared to summon his Persona. Which of course, isn’t possible anymore.

“Uh...Ryuji? You okay? You looked ready to cast something just now.” Yuki laughs, covering his mouth. “I thought you said what you guys did to kill that huge god thing can’t be done since he was the source or whatever.”

Red starts to form on Ryuji’s cheeks. “R-Right.. It’s just....when you’ve been on high alert for so long and you’ve been used to doing shit like that...the habits don’t just go away overnight. I mean just last week you got upset when we didn’t fulfill any requests even though you know full ‘n well we can’t do ‘em anymore.”

“True, true. I guess we just gotta work on helping people the normal boring way huh?” He smiles

Their food soon comes, and the serious meeting turns into a casual conversation about School and life in general. But the thought about the hooded figure...and this White Raven, lingered in Ryuji’s head.

That night, Ryuji lies in his bed and takes out his cellphone. He had promised Mishima that he and the others would at least poke around and see what they can dig up. The logical person to contact first is Futaba. But knowing Ryuji, there’s someone else he’d much rather tell first.

Ryuji: Hey man, did you hear about this crazy new hacker?

Ren: Another hacker? You sure this one is legit?

Ryuji: Totally. It’s a single guy...or uh...girl.

Ren: Any more...relevant information?

Ryuji: Well they’ve been exposing Shido followers left and right

Ren: Good. The trial didn’t let names go public when it was reported on just on the sheer amount of companies and public offices that were involved.

Ryuji: So...you’re not worried? Like...at all?

Ren: Not at the moment. They’re a new “Hacker of Justice” or whatever. But I know what ‘re gonna ask.

Ryuji: I want to keep tabs

Ren: You want to keep tabs

Ren: See? Knew it. It’s just the Thief instinct kicking up I bet. Just poke Futaba and she can probably do what’s needed.

Ryuji: I will I will. Just wanted to touch base and all.

Futaba: Touch base. He hasn’t even been gone a full 24 hours, Ryuji.

Ren: Futaba..

Futaba: I know I know, I’ll leave.

Ryuji laughs, well at least now he doesn’t need to message Futaba about if if she’s already seen it.

“The White Raven huh? ...what a weird name.” Ryuji laughs as he turns his phone off for the night and goes to sleep.

#persona 5 #Ryuji Sakamoto #yuki mishima #ren amamiya #futaba sakura #shadow fics

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ellynore-moonwood · 7 years ago

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Ellynore’s 2017 Summary

This year has been a wild ride for me in so many ways, and I figured now would be a good time to sum up how I’ve felt about 2017 as a whole while it’s about to come to a close at the end of this weekend. I’ll try to keep it brief and concise, but if it ends up becoming a lengthier read, I do apologise. ^^; I’ll also clarify that I don’t want to seem pretentious or anything of the sort. This is just an honest summary of how I’m looking back on the year in my own perspective and how things have gone with me. 2017 has had it’s ups and downs, but like every upcoming year, we all hope it turns out better than the last in some way or other.

January - Not a lot of things happening, except getting a brand new laptop and searching for new material to use for voice acting as I spent most of it doing some writing on the side and browsing Tumblr looking for audio posts that could give me new ideas. I had a couple projects that were in-progress but not a lot of progress was being made, unfortunately. That didn’t stop me, though, since I continued contributing my voice to some YouTube videos made by @bettinalevyisdetermined as the awesome Undertale fish spearwoman Undyne.

February - Vine died, I spent the first half of the month revising my relationship status and goals, as well as “A Date with Markiplier” fangirling all throughout the second half of the month. After a month of supporting @distortional I got to meet them and learn about them as a person, and eventually was inspired and motivated to try voicing out Darkiplier. If you haven’t heard it, you can listen to it here. I’ll warn you, it was my very first time and it does sound a bit cringy, but I’ll let you guys be the judge of that.

March - The founding of @theglitchedsystem came to be and I got straight into work while also battling some stress but later overcoming it with some help and guidance from the other VAs who took part in the project. Definitely had a lot of fun being a part of this sub-community in a major way throughout this whole year.

April - I turned 24 and upgraded my Samson Go microphone to a Blue Yeti Blackout!

May - Further progression with voice acting and making new friends along the way. I also managed to properly master how to voice Darkiplier and became more confident with improv voice acting.

June - Facing new challenges and preparing for Winter. Spoiler alert, felt more like an extended Autumn, instead, most likely due to the fact that most Aussie Winters have a lot of sunshine, and when there’s a lot of that, it gets really warm. Fun fact: at this time of year, it’s not uncommon to see people walking outside wearing summer clothes when it gets around 15 degress Celsius or higher. You’re welcome. [EDIT] - I had forgotten to add that I was at a pop culture convention on that month and met my voice acting idol Jennifer Hale in person! I got a heartwarming signature and message from her, a hug, and even requested a short audio of her voicing one of my favourite voices she did for a game I played. Meeting her ignited a new spark in me to further pursue my dream in becoming a voice actor and I felt so happy that day.

July - Met more new friends and followers throughout my voice acting career while also facing some minor networking issues like followers not getting along with each other. Seriously, a community is about making friends and being with great, like-minded people. If there’s any drama happening, take it outside, no questions asked. Less people get caught in the crossfire that way. On a lighter note, “Darkiplier vs. Antisepticeye” was the talk of the town even after the end of that month.

August - Friendships have strengthened, especially with the “Kill Jacksepticeye” video which made an escalated return of Antisepticeye. If you have friends who are as hyped about something as you are, stick with them. You won’t have to deal with the shock alone and the experience is better when shared with friends. On a sad note, my grandmother had passed away which affected me and my whole family since she was my last grandparent and I’ll never forget her. Rest in peace, Nanna. <3

September - Continued voice acting as usual while also taking up a couple more responsibilities that I picked up from August and carried it further as a way of helping followers whenever they’re feeling down or facing a tough situation where they need some advice. I learned a lot about some people in particular and I wish them nothing but happiness.

October - Preparing for the Halloween season which felt a little bit underwhelming compared to last year. Let’s hope next year will be better. I will say, I did get to watch a bunch of horror movies and cartoon specials and those were a lot of fun and were a great way of relieving stress. Got to collaborate with @melissatreglia for the very first time with the event she hosted called “Darktober” where I helped with audio editing as well as manage a HUGE voice acting project titled “The Hostage.”

November - This month in particular was spent trying to get voice acting excerpts done and ready to post before going on a week-long holiday away with my family at the end of the month while also tackling with job searching in bulk. It got a bit emotional and stressful for me leading up to the last few days, but I finally got a chance to relax and spend time with my family while not having to worry about voice acting. It was a good break away from home.

And here comes the final month of 2017, which includes venting.

December - Compared to every other month, December was absolute hell and filled with truckloads of (pardon my language) bullshit. While there were some upsides like going to my first midnight theatre screening to see “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and having a fun and enjoyable Christmas break, everything else was nothing but chaos and drama which left me in a mental state of shock and anxiety at extreme levels. I’m not going to sugarcoat it as it was a huge deal and some parts of it are still fresh in my mind. In short, four people who were formerly part of the TGS (The Glitched System) sub-community went to war against my friend and leader, Distortional, as well as aiming pitchforks at anyone who didn’t side with the bad guys. It was at that point where I was engulfed with rage and wanted to fight back for the sake of my friends because I felt that they were wronged. If it wasn’t for the fact that I heard about it late at night, I would have been punching a lot of things around my room, I was that angry. But, that backfired as the fingers were soon pointed at me for three days straight. Needless to say, I didn’t take the bashlash very well. A first for everything, I suppose. Luckily, several other witnesses who also got hurt were incredibly supportive, they gave me the full story about what really happened, and I soon learned who my true friends are. Looking back at my lackluster performance with the aftermath of the whole debacle, it took me a week after finally blocking those abusive, immature people to clear my head and recover from the shock and emotional abuse*. The witnesses I spoke of have already moved on but let’s pray that those responsible will look back and rethink their actions for next time. This ordeal has allowed me to retain the experience I had that I will use to, hopefully in the future, better deal with manipulative people and call them out if they end up going around backstabbing people. In other words (again, pardon my language), anyone who fucks with me and my friends will be remembered but not in a good way. If you can’t be friends with other people and don’t enjoy being part of a certain community, the most responsible thing you can do is just leave quietly and move along. And by quietly, I seriously mean quietly. My blog and community are a drama-free zone 24/7. Respect it.

TL;DR, When drama hits and your friends are hurt, you feel inclined to stand by them till the bitter end, even if it ends up with you biting the bullet. That’s loyalty. Plus, and this is a bit pessimistic even for me, not everyone is going to like you, but haters gonna hate and the people who really want to stick around for you are your true supporters.

* [Note: Please don’t confuse it for PTSD as it happened in the present time, not as a flashback to a past event.]

And that’s 2017 for me.

As for what I’m going to do for 2018, I have plans on doing more voice acting but hoping to go bigger and better by taking on roles I’ve done previously and adding new ones in the mix for variety purposes.

I’m also going to dedicate more focus on my YouTube channel where I do more videos on voice acting in video games. I am continuing “Night in the Woods,” though future episodes are bound to be longer than twenty minutes as it is considered a more relaxing game with a lot of in-game dialogue. I just need to find opportunities when I can record with no unnecessary noise in the background as well as voice out more louder characters when I come across them.

If you guys want to suggest something to me for 2018 to work on, whether it’s audios here or videos on my channel, my ask and submission boxes are always open. I hope you guys had a good 2017 and wish you guys nothing but the best for 2018. Stay safe, keep your chin up and having a pleasant New Year’s! :D

- Ellynore Moonwood

#ellynore moonwood #update #2017

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vcnder-blog · 7 years ago

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wow...it’s really me...agAIN and i have literally nothing together yet, but i’m hyped so hello! i’m sam, 20, she/her, est timezone and i also play ben the sourwolf and the cutie quill wallace so you can message me wherever for plots! anyway, let’s get into it! details about this one who has never done anything wrong ever in his life will be under the cut and you know the deal! i want all the plots!

➰ ( AVAN JOGIA, CISMALE, HE/HIM ) *✧.:°░｡ —- is that VANDER SANGHAVI ?! you know them, right? they are the 25 year old SHADOWHUNTER !! they’re known for being BENEVOLENT & INDIVIDUALISTIC - but i’d be careful if i were you because they’re also QUIXOTIC & RESTIVE. i heard they volunteered to be paired with SOPHIE TURNER.

so first thing’s first: his full first name is actually devander if i remember what i picked correctly lmao but he doesn’t like to be called that and literally no one ever does call him that except for his parents

wHO ARE THE WORST BTW. like, okay, remember in the show when alec and izzy’s parents first showed up and their mom was like that and you were like um, yIKES???? yeah, vander’s mom is like that except 100000000000000000000% worse. his dad is very strict and cold and far from vander’s favorite person buT HIS MOM IS ONE FUCKING PIECE OF WORK OK

which we’ll get into momentarily!

so, vander’s story is that he’s an only child, born in idris to the extremely wealthy, extremely respected and extremely well - known sanghavi family. both of his parents are super high - ranking council members and basically when i think of what they do i think of this scene from sherlock i’m a nerd okAY DRAG ME where mycroft is like “i occupy a small position within the british government” and sherlock scoffs and says “plEASE HE IS THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT” which is basically what i imagine his parents are like with their jobs in the clave aka they pretty much are the clave which i imagine is pretty common knowledge among shadowhunters and probably earns the family name a lot of respect but also hatred because all of their power and influence that goes wrong within the clave and all of their bias and shady business is, for the most part, completely their fault.

anyway, when vander was born his parents were a little older than the typical age at which shadowhunters tend to begin having kids and that’s because they’d been trying for a while before vander finally came along and he was basically their miracle child :')

lived in idris and spent the majority of his life there, specifically on the family estate property. even for a shadowhunter he had an extremely sheltered upbringing ok like because of his parents and their job and their obsession with molding vander into the perfect child and perfect successor for their position on the council which is what they always saw him as first and foremost rather than y’know THEIR SON, he was pretty much never allowed to leave the family property except for major social events. literally he wasn’t allowed to leave, spent all day every day studying and training and his parents kept him so isolated from other children friendships and love is weakness yeah yeah whatever that his only friends growing up were his trainers and tutors and the housekeeping staff

basically if it wasn’t guaranteed to make him a better shadowhunter and train him properly to take over their position within the clave then vander’s parents absolutely forbid it.

he couldn’t even really sneak away bc wtf is there to do in idris???? and anyway, the family estate was monitored by guards at every angle 24/7 because the idea that someone would try to assassinate the whole family was always entirely too plausible

i pretty much think of vander of being raised like a royal child if ygm? like, everyone knows who he is but no one really knows him and he never really got to have friends or anything normal like that and his upbringing in general was extremely strict and isolated and sheltered and privileged.

the first time vander ever left idris was the age of seventeen when he fought tooth and nail to accompany his father on clave business. specifically, his father would be taking temporary control of the institute in india for a months ( which he was chosen for because it was one of many jobs he’d been good at whilst climbing the ranks back in the day ). vander begged and pled and begged to be taken along and while his mother in particular was not happy about it, his father finally agreed!

vander loved that trip so much that he whoops sorta sneaked out of the institute on the night before he and his father were supposed to go home, ran away and hasn’t looked back since

he’s spoken with his parents plenty of times since then though. they’re still furious with him for running away and they take every chance they’re given to remind him of that and ask him to come home and finish his studies buT vander absolutely refuses and is pretty sure that if he ever sees idris or that dumb enormous house ever again it’ll be way too fucking soon

anyway, he’s gotten lots of practical training in his travels. despite his family name and the way people often treat him because of it, vander seriously just works as a typical shadowhunter doing normal old demon killing assignments and stuff.

he’s an expert with twin seraph blades though and there’s a 1000000% chance he could wipe the floor with anyone when it comes to using those things

it was at the dublin institute that things actually got interesting though lmao. there, he met helena havenborn and holy shit he fell in love with her so hard and fast and to this day he absolutely loves her to pieces jsyk

they got together, got engaged and were the most obnoxiously in love pair you could ever possibly come across until that mission gone wrong wherein helena’s parabatai was killed and she got turned into a werecat

vander hasn’t seen her since before she left for that mission

she thinks that he listened to his family and dumped her because she was now a downworlder, he thinks she left him and literally neither of those things are true they are 100000% lies made up by vander’s parents and lbr probably also helena’s mom to keep them apart and to try and get vander to finally come home

spoiler alert: it didn’t work

vander is just so heartbroken and he has been ever since. due to his extremely isolated upbringing, he was never very close with anyone not even his parents and then helena came along and they were everything to each other she was everything to him and then she just left him and vander tries really hard to be understanding like he knows the situation was devastating all around but he can’t help these feelings of bitterness he now has for helena as he sorta feels abandoned by her

EXCEPT SHE DIDN’T ABANDON HIM AND HE DIDN’T ABANDON HER HIS MOM IS JUST A MEDDLING TRIFLER SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THEM PLEASE

still loves her so so so so much regardless of what he thinks happened

left the dublin institute not long after that and went somewhere else and now he’s just coming to cali probably on assignment due to the theft. he’s here to lend an extra hand and has no idea that helena is here so :) :) :) :)

that...was so long i apologize but if you’ve gotten this far and wanna keep reading then we’re about to get into personality and stuff!

vander is basically a good beautiful angel who has never done a single thing wrong ever in his whole life

no ok i’m moSTLY KIDDING but vander is genuinely a good person. having essentially been forced to spend his entire childhood studying the accords and all other shadowhunter law, he’s extremely aware that shadowhunters and especially the clave are far from perfect and are in fact very flawed and very biased. he’ll point it out to anyone who’ll listen and is definitely into working towards a better and more peaceful future

he’s a rebellious free spirit, believes in standing up for your beliefs and always doing what’s right rather than what’s lawful

so yeah in case you wanted to guess he and his parents can’t stand each other

his biggest flaw is that he can be way too idealistic and often forgets how the real world actually works

also has a tendency to mope about helena but insist he’s fine when he’s very clearly Not Fine™

listen okay i cannot stress enough how much he still loves helena he loves her TO PIECES HE LOVES HER SO MUCH SHE IS ABSOLUTELY IT FOR HIM IF YOU ASK HIM LIKE I MEAN SHIT HE WAS GONNA MARRY HER???? HE STILL WANTS NOTHING MORE ANd i cannot stress enough how heartbroken he is right now in spite of pretending he’s fine

he’s bi though if anyone wanted to know lmao

playfully arrogant, especially when it comes to his expertise with those twin seraph blades i mentioned before

stands up for the little guy at every turn

major sweet tooth, especially when it comes to candy and anything chocolate

he is overall a genuinely good person: friendly, understanding, compassionate, extremely considerate, and capable. however, his idealism, stubbornly rebellious nature and default of being extremely emotional, passionate and intense can often be a hindrance, especially as a shadowhunter. surely they would keep him from being the good and effective leader that he could potentially be otherwise, but having spent basically his entire life observing just how much power can corrupt people he’s not particularly interested in being a leader anyway

ALL HE WANTS IS TO MARRY THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE AND IDK MAYBE A BAG OF M&M’S BUT NAH HE’S JUST GONNA SUFFER

UPDATES!

vander is an A M A Z I N G artist. specifically drawing and painting. art was pretty much the only “frivolous~” hobby his parents allowed him to participate in as a child aside from the occasional piano lesson and vander always loved it. he’s an extremely talented artist and he’s pretty much always drawing / painting in what little free time he has. i have this hc that his runes are absolutely beautiful like they’re perfect and gorgeous and often admired though vander thinks he’s just sorta okay at art and sees it as just a fun little hobby tbh

and really that’s all it is to him. he’s not interested in dropping everything to become an artist nor has he ever been. he loves art but he loves being a shadowhunter too and for now it’s all he has.

vander knows literally nothing about mundane culture. dude can’t drive, can’t work most electronics, will not understand any pop culture references at all he’ll just stare blankly at you completely confused

also doesn’t understand social cues sometimes. he’s gotten better at it in recent years but he can sorta clueless and awkward sometimes due to experiencing basically no socialization during his entire childhood. vander is genuinely nice and always means well but sometimes he’s just...not great with people but it never deters him at all he learns, corrects himself and gets right back into things. he might occasionally need require further explanations and help understanding things sometimes but he’s a pretty quick learner

he could possibly have a parabatai though we would need to do a lot of plotting and there’s a good chance that vander and this parabatai are not on good terms at the moment. not 100% sure about this but feel free to message me if you’re interested anyway

the consul aka helena’s mother literally fucking HATES him personally

finally...that’S ALL FOR NOW. this is so long and if you read it all i don’t know hoW but please feel free to message me for plots!!!! either here or over at @mcrdices is probably best!!!! and as you know i’m down for anything and i’m really excited to write with you all as usual!

#❛ * ｡ ’ ⁝ i know i’m not your favorite record. 「 ooc. 」#wilshire:ooc #no cute tags yet we're working on it but this is literally so long and probably an absolute disaster #message me if you wanna plot though #here meet a genuinely good person who is a total disaster

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jillmckenzie1 · 6 years ago

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Laying the Foundation

If you grew up in the 90’s and have never played out even a single moment of your life to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” lyrics, I’m going to question the inner workings of your childhood. It was (or is) a rite of passage, and aside from starring in every one of my basketball warm-up mix tapes from the year it was released in 2002 until I graduated college in 2006, I can still hear the words playing in my ears through a variety of noteworthy life experiences.

Spoiler alert. I’m from Basalt, Colorado. Not to be confused with 8 Mile.

But, here, while cruising up Kensho chair in Breckenridge at the ripe age of 34–well beyond my years of basketball warm-up mix tapes–I am having yet another one of those moments.

Palms are sweaty. Knees weak. Arms are heavy.

Spoiler alert number two. My hands are in mittens and it’s nine degrees outside, so they’re not actually sweating. And my knees are, in fact, weak and my arms are, in fact, heavy because I just caught my toe edge and face-planted off the cornice I was attempting to send on my snowboard before sliding down the Serenity Bowl, head first, for about 30 feet.

Regardless of these aforementioned circumstances, the song is playing in my head as I meet up with my boyfriend at the base of Peak 6, we hop on the chairlift that so graciously initiated our union, and he immediately blurts out, “Okay, something’s on your mind. You seem off. Tell me why you’re upset.”

Two things. One. Damn him for knowing me like that (but actually, no, thank gawd he knows me like that). Two. This guy isn’t afraid to ask. Without sugarcoating.

Be. Still. My. Heart.

Because my feelings have been hurt. It’s been almost two months since we met–without so much as a hiccup–and my feelings finally got hurt (because, no single human can satisfy all of our rational and ridiculous needs, so yes, inevitable).

The reason. He took 24 hours to text me back (gasp), and it hurt my feelings.

He went snowboarding with one of his friends (that’s moving soon) on a mountain where I’ve never been (that gets hardly any service), and self-admittedly, he despises checking in (I get it, my independent counterpart).

It’s worth repeating that my love languages are words and touch. So, I need them. And I don’t mean that with some whiny air of pathetic-ness (for some reason, we have convinced ourselves that expressing our needs is often interpreted as being weak). No, I need words and I need touch, and I’m not afraid to shout it from every rooftop (or mountain peak).

I also know that I want a life that is completely intertwined with my partner. I can’t compartmentalize certain areas of my being in hopes of closing him off to keep something sacred for myself (at least, I don’t have any desire to operate like this because been there, done that, bought the t-shirt, and burned it). I believe in having separate passions, which will therefore shape our separate identities, but my dream partnership calls for a sharing of these passions that culminates in the truest and raw definition of interdependence. I want to be strong enough to stand alone, but soft enough to admit that I don’t want to (because: I don’t want to).

It is my belief that by holding parts of ourselves hostage we are really closing ourselves off to our ability to exist inside unencumbered vulnerability. So, it is my desire to do life alongside someone who shares a similar sentiment.

In the couple days leading up to this full day of no contact, I had interpreted some of his actions as compartmentalization, which translated into me assuming that I wasn’t a priority (hashtag human), which then magnified the 24 hours of silence.

Fact. Even when you land the guy, you’re still playing a game. Only, the opponent is now yourself (insert face palm emoji).

So yes, I copped a quasi-attitude. And, based on his reaction, you see that this is obviously not my normal mode of operation. The irony here lies in my inner-dialogue as I rationalized that he was going to be completely caught off guard that I was upset, yet I was also aware that I had to be present with my emotions in order to theorize a solution to the problem so that he would feel respected and I would feel important.

All this. Over one little text message.

Only it’s not little. Not at the beginning. Especially at the beginning.

Months ago, I wrote a blog about a couple that I had witnessed completely annihilate each other with their words–in public–during one of my typical Whole Foods excursions (you can read it here). Every single statement made by the husband and wife duo triggered a defensive and argumentative response. I watched the children somberly, seemingly too young to understand what was happening, as they ate their organic fruits and vegetables and climbed atop the grocery cart as if it were some type of five-star jungle gym. The couple’s eyes were glazed over with exhaustion and desperation and pain – merely going through the motions with their tiny humans – a state that I assumed they had lived in for quite some time. Because I knew that their anger didn’t start there on that day at that Whole Foods. No, it had started so very long ago. Much closer to the beginning.

Like here. It had started here. On the Kensho chairlift that sits calmly inside the tree line until it reaches approximately 12,000 feet and becomes fully exposed to the harsh winds that often whip through Peak 6 summit. Camo pants and I, we are laying the foundation for five days or five months or five years from now. How I articulate my hurt feelings. How he responds to those words. How we communicate through the shit.

So yes, the little text message (or lack thereof) is the subject, but what is happening beneath this layer is the real work. Because there is no right or wrong. There is only communication and choice: compromise or acceptance.

I am allowed my version of the story. He is allowed his version of the story. We are failing each other if we do not hear both of those versions. We do not make each other lighter by trying to be more right so that the other person can be more wrong. We make each other lighter when we simply listen.

So, now I know that his friend is moving soon, and he didn’t have service all day, and that his biggest pet peeve is being asked to check in. He showed up to the conversation, not to justify his behavior, but to communicate with me about my feelings and to articulate his own. And I showed up to the conversation to explain being “off” and to articulate my needs.

And we made it out. Alive. Together.

Because him. He heard me. He really heard me. In that moment, he made a choice to apologize inside a space where he didn’t do anything wrong. He used his voice to show me that he cared and to make me aware of his being. He didn’t bow out. He chose me.

And me. I heard him. I really heard him. In that moment, I made a choice that a text message at 8:32am on a Wednesday morning means far less to me than the way he holds me every single night or the way he makes me laugh uncontrollably before we fall asleep or the giddy feeling that jumps from my stomach to my heart when he opens the Airstream door. I used my voice to show him that I cared and to make him aware of my being. I didn’t bow out. I chose him.

This begins the building. This moment is layer one of a thousand little layers that will eventually and simultaneously exist as both our past and our present (no matter how far we make it into the future).

Because every day, you are creating your forever with the people around you.

And I refuse the public spectacle. I denounce the verbal annihilation. I choose the work. And, I’m not settling for someone who doesn’t hold fast to the same standards.

Hear me. If you are interested in monogamy, then you are opening yourself up to the sweaty palms and the weak knees and the heavy arms. Because if you care about a person and you care about the foundation and the fluidity of that relationship, then you are called to communicate. Even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/laying-the-foundation/

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thelazyperfection-blog · 7 years ago

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&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Move It Monday #4 + Robbie Burns 8k Recap&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;

My newest post has been published on http://thelazy.me/2018/01/29/move-monday-4-robbie-burns-8k-recap/

Move It Monday #4 + Robbie Burns 8k Recap

Whew! Last week I was sure it was going to be an awesome week and then the week dragged on and on and on and WOULD NOT END! My workouts went well and the week ended with my first race of 2018, so let’s do a quick recap of the week before I do a long recap of my race!

Monday, January 22: Abs + Band work at home | I’ve been avoiding specific core work which is not a good plan, so I set aside a day to force myself to do it.

Tuesday, January 23: 8.53km total + back/bicep strength training | This was a speedwork run with 2 x 10:00 in the middle but I accidentally deleted the run instead of saving it, leaving me to recall the total distance but no paces. Oops!

Wednesday, January 24: 3km running + 20 min spinning | I slept in because I was so exhausted and almost did no part of my scheduled 8km easy run. After work, Anson dragged me to the gym with him. My workout was short and I still felt exhausted but I didn’t regret doing something over nothing!

Thursday, January 25: 45 min spinning + shoulder workout | I am trying to do more spinning because I actually really enjoy it and it’s a good cross training activity!

Friday, January 26: 7.60km total | I did this run on the treadmill with 5 x 3:00 @ 6:20 in the middle.

Saturday, January 27: REST DAY

Sunday, January 28: Robbie Burns 8k written about below

In December I was advised to add the Robbie Burns 8k to my calendar since it is basically the first race of the year. It would be a good test of my fitness, so I agreed. My sister ended up getting me an entry for Christmas which turned out to be a good thing, because as the race got closer the less I wanted to do it. Since she paid for it, I felt like I couldn’t back out!

I’ve really only been back to consistent running for less than 2 months and my runs have all been very slow. I have also been working really hard at eating better and doing strength training and cross-training. The extra working out has made a lot of my runs feel more tired that I would like, but I need to keep focusing on getting into overall shape instead of feeling bad about my slower running. (at least that’s what I think!!)

As the race got closer I started to freak out a little as I realized what a realistic time goal for myself was for 8k. I tried to remember that the initial goal that I gave to Michelle, my run coach, which was just to run the entire thing. I didn’t run an entire race in 2017 without walking and needed to make myself not walk and ignore the time!

I spent the days before the race trying to figure out what to wear! It was going to be above zero and I was told shorts was the way to go. I was going to borrow compression socks from Kate to test out (spoiler alert: I am now obsessed and want all the pairs!) and eventually decided on a thin long sleeve and shorts to go with the socks.

When I left the house at 6 am on Sunday and saw frost covering the porch and car, I immediately started questioning my shorts decision, but it was too late! Anson dropped me off at Maria’s place and then we gathered Cathy and Kate before heading to Burlington.

The race starts and finishes right outside of a high school which is amazing because you can stay inside until the very last second! We gathered our race kits, pinned on bibs, said hi to other people we knew and hit the bathroom multiple times.

Michelle and Maria had gone outside to do a warm-up before the race and came in saying how hot it was. Michelle told me to get my long sleeve off because I was going to be too hot. I swapped it for a tank top and then borrowed armbands from Michelle. I pinned my bib onto my tank, ate half a vanilla ben GU and headed outside 5 minutes before the start.

I crossed the start line going too fast and tried to slow down. I always go out too fast and I definitely ran the first kilometre faster than I should’ve. I forced myself to slow down and ignore the people I knew who were running ahead of me. My goal was to not walk and I kept reminding myself of that!

I ditched my dollar store gloves around the 1k mark and struggled through the next couple km’s. I just wanted to walk! My legs were fine, but my brain was telling me “who cares!”

It was then that I decided I needed to watch my pace. I knew that if I wanted to not walk I needed to just go slow and steady so I aimed to run it in under 55 minutes. (As soon as I focused on having a steady run and forgot about how fast other people are, my mental state improved. One of these days I will get my mental game right!)

I knew I needed to hit halfway in about 27 minutes to make sure I finished okay and I hit 4k at exactly 26:55 and my arm sleeves came off then! I couldn’t help but laugh to myself as I ran in shorts and a tank beside people who looked prepared for a blizzard. How were they not dying of heat exhaustion?!

As we turned the corner just after 6km there was a fairly decent hill. I kept myself trudging up that hill and my leg started feeling weird. As I got right to the top I slowed down and took about 5 slow steps while stretching my leg. I guess that means I didn’t run the entire race, but those steps weren’t me quitting so I’m not counting them! My leg went back to normal and I kept running.

I rounded the corner to the finish and sped up to cross in 54:12. I was surprised by how much energy I had and in hindsight, I probably could’ve gone a lot faster during that race. Cathy was there at the finish taking pictures (almost all the pics in this post are hers!) and I loved getting to see so many friends on the sidelines!

We headed inside to get our bags, some snacks, and listen to the awards. Maria got an age category award and she and Leanne both got OMA (Ontario Masters) medals as well! It is so fun to see your friends rock their races and I’m pretty proud to be part of such a supportive, loving group!

After we left, we headed to Starbucks for more coffee before heading home. It was a lovely day and a great race that I would totally recommend!

As I thought about my own race later I realized that in spite of my very slow finish time, I was pleased. I had no idea what to expect from myself so I played it safe. I probably could’ve worked harder and finished faster, but I didn’t want to go out too fast and crash and burn so I opted for a slow and steady pace. I talked myself out of walking and didn’t allow myself to wallow about my time after the race like I have done in the past. All these things are a win for me and I am excited to continue training. Next up: NYC half marathon in March.

#move it monday #race recap #running #Move it Monday #race recaps

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marie85marketing · 8 years ago

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5 Cognitive Biases You Need to Put to Work … Without Being Evil

All writing is persuasion in one form or another.

This is more obvious in some types of writing than others, but it is nonetheless true for all.

When it comes to copywriting, it is clearly true. Every piece of copy we write should drive a reader toward a specific action.

“Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it’s just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it.” – David Sedaris

But even the best piece of copy in the world doesn’t actually control a reader’s actions. Well-written copy only provides the “illusion of control.” What a reader does after reading is dependent on the “stuff” they brought into it.

That “stuff” includes past experiences, preconceived notions, and, above all else, cognitive biases.

Let’s discuss a helpful handful of these cognitive biases — some you’ll know well, some you may not — and how understanding them and structuring your content in a way that acknowledges and appreciates them will help you connect, compel, and serve better.

What are cognitive biases?

“A cognitive bias refers to the systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment, whereby inferences about other people and situations may be drawn in an illogical fashion.” – Wikipedia

In other words, cognitive biases are mental shortcuts we all make, all the time, without consciously realizing it, that can lead to irrational thoughts and actions.

An example:

We tend to search for and interpret information in a way that confirms our preconceptions.

I sat down to write this article believing that understanding cognitive biases would be useful for content marketers. So, I researched articles that discussed how marketers use cognitive biases to influence decision-making. Naturally, I found many, which confirmed by preconception.

This is called confirmation bias.

In this case, my clear confirmation bias did not lead to a poor or irrational decision. The scientific evidence is quite clear, and ever-expanding, that cognitive biases are indeed constantly affecting people’s decisions and behavior. So, the premise of this article is built on a solid foundation of unbiased evidence.

But what if my goal had been to poke holes in the idea of cognitive biases existing and affecting behavior?

I would have had a hard time finding any credible evidence to support my hypothesis — and, if I did, I would have been much more likely to place undue weight on its validity due to my preconception.

We’ll never eliminate cognitive biases, in ourselves or others. There’s no use trying. All we can do is understand them, embrace them, and endeavor to use them ethically and morally*.

*This is important: There can be a fine line between understanding cognitive biases and then using them for good or exploiting them for evil. If you’re not committed to staying on the ethical and moral side of that line, please stop reading this article now and consider not coming back to this site. You’re definitely not for us, and we’re probably not for you.

4 more cognitive biases you need to know to better serve your readers

Hopefully it’s clear why acknowledging your own natural proclivity for confirmation bias is important. You and your audience will be well-served by your commitment to combating it.

Now let’s run through several additional cognitive biases that your readers bring with them to your content and how those might help both you and your readers make better decisions. (This is a carefully curated list, but I recommend this blog post at Neuromarketing for a deeper dive into 60+ cognitive biases that are useful to know.)

1. Attentional bias

We have a tendency to be affected by our recurring thoughts. Brand advertising is built on that premise.

The more people see an image or a message, the more likely they are to remember the brand, trust the company, and then do business with it down the line.

So if you want to influence your audience with a call to action — for example, trying out our new StudioPress Sites product — then you’re much better off repeating it often, and in several different places.

Consider how often we have subtly and not-so-subtly exposed people to StudioPress Sites as they’ve navigated through the Rainmaker Digital universe over the last few weeks:

StudioPress.com has been revamped to display Sites as a major component

Brian Clark dropped hints, then followed with explicit mentions on his podcast Unemployable

We reached out to StudioPress affiliates prior to the launch to prepare them, and many have published posts alerting their audiences to Sites’s arrival

We published an announcement here on the Copyblogger blog

We’re running paid ads announcing Sites

You get the picture.

Don’t say it once — say it often, and in many different places.

2. Framing effect

There is the offer. And then there is how you frame the offer.

For example, we recently had a fundraising drive for The Assembly Call — a live postgame show and podcast about Indiana basketball that I co-host. We have sponsors for the show, but we are also listener supported.

Our goal was to generate $2,613 (more on the odd specificity of this number in a minute) during an eight-day window. We promoted the fundraising drive to our email list of about 3,300 people.

The offer — in this case, more of a request — began with:

“All we’re asking is for you to contribute what you believe our content is worth. If you do find value in what we do, any donation helps.”

Okay. Fine.

Now here is how we framed the donation request:

“The average donation has been $52 and the most common donation denomination has been $50. But we’ve had donations as small as $4 and as large as $300.

In fact, this email will go out to roughly 3,300 people … so if every person just donates a dollar, roughly the cost of a gas station coffee, we’ll fly past our goal.”

The initial request left so much open to interpretation: How much should I donate? What’s reasonable? What have other people donated? Will my donation actually make a difference?

Questions like these, left unanswered, can lead to friction that prohibits action.

But framing the requested action based on what’s common and what the range has been — and then explaining how a comparatively small contribution could still make a difference — helped to reduce this friction and induce action.

(In addition, you can see the bandwagon effect at work here: the part that explains what other people have already done.)

We reached our goal in less than 24 hours. I have no doubt this framing had a huge impact.

So, did we play a psychological trick on our audience?

No.

We had many donors who actually thanked us for giving them the opportunity to contribute to the cause. They wanted to support us. We have a good product, a good relationship with our audience, and this was a fair request that we’d earned the right to make.

This is the difference between ethical and moral use of cognitive biases in marketing and using knowledge of cognitive biases to take advantage of an unsuspecting target.

3. Bizarreness effect

So, why the oddly specific number $2,613? Why not $2,500 or $3,000?

Because people are more likely to take notice of — and remember — something that stands out rather than blends in. This is also referred to as the Von Restorff effect.

I’ve found it to be especially true when it comes to headlines and email subject lines, and I knew that the amount of donations we’d receive would be in part dependent upon the open rate of the email blast.

The subject line we used was: “Will you help us reach our goal of $2,613?” I also had the email come from “Jerod Morris” as opposed to “The Assembly Call.”

The number shouts from the inbox, inducing curiosity and demanding a click. As does the request of “help,” especially from a person’s name rather than a brand name; it’s compelling.

We never ask our audience for “help” and they rarely get an email from my name. Bizarre. We figured they’d want to know why.

An open rate of 70 percent suggests they did.

And the donations that were coming in as late as a week after sending that email (without another email blast to remind them) suggest that the offer was indeed memorable.

4. Risk compensation

Some of these cognitive biases just make simple sense. Like risk compensation, which suggests that people adjust their behavior in relation to perceived risk — we’re more likely to take a bigger risk when perceived safety increases, and vice versa.

This is precisely why every single product we sell at Rainmaker Digital comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

And why we focus on the guarantee toward the ends of promotions.

For example, we recently announced that the price of the Rainmaker Platform was going up. (Spoiler alert: the promo is over; the price has already gone up.)

Here’s what the final email, sent two hours prior to the price raise, looked like:

“Subject: [2 Hours Left] The Price of Rainmaker Goes Up Soon

One last reminder …

Start your free, 14-day trial of the Rainmaker Platform in the next two hours so that you lock in the current price (before it goes up).

Of note:

If you cancel prior to your 14-day trial ending, you won’t be charged at all.

If you decide to cancel within 30 days of your first payment, you’ll get a refund with no questions asked.

In either situation, you can export whatever progress you’ve made with your site and take it with you elsewhere.

So there’s no risk, just a massive annual savings you can lock in.

Click here to start your no-risk free trial of the Rainmaker Platform today.”

We’d proudly suggest the Rainmaker Platform to any of our audience members who have a desire to build and sell digital products. Still, that doesn’t mean starting a trial is without risk, or perceived risk.

A few risks people might identify — rationally or irrationally — before signing up:

I have to enter a credit card, so am I going to get charged right away? (Nope, you aren’t charged until the trial ends.)

If I make a payment, but then realize Rainmaker won’t work for me, am I out the money? (Nope, you get a refund within the first 30 days of payment.)

But what if there is nothing wrong with the Platform and I just decide I don’t want it? (Not a problem! We don’t ask any questions.)

I just don’t want to be hassled if I want to cancel and get my money back. (Again, no problemo. The money-back guarantee is no questions asked.)

Okay, but what if I did a bunch of work to set stuff up. I don’t want to lose that if I cancel. (No worries. You can export any work you do and take it elsewhere.)

See how that works?

The copy answers the kinds of questions that will naturally come up before action and can even preempt the fears that cause the questions in the first place.

By dissolving the fears that risks induce, we offer people a more comfortable journey down a path they are already interested in walking (and that we know, long-term, could be a path they’ll be thankful we presented to them).

And this is a big reason why (along with the cognitive bias that induces FOMO, of course) the last day of the promo was by far the most successful one. Thirty-eight percent of new trials during the promo period started on the final day, many after this final risk-compensating reminder email was sent out.

So, is the “illusion of control” really such an illusion after all?

It’s interesting to note that illusion of control is also a cognitive bias, suggesting “the tendency for human beings to believe they can control or at least influence outcomes that they clearly cannot.” (Via RationalWiki.org)

You’re not there with your reader as she consumes your words. You’re not inside her brain, finding out exactly how she’s interpreting what you’ve written. You’re not present to offer any additional arguments about why she should take the action you’d like her to take.

So any control you feel you have as a copywriter does, indeed, seem like an illusion.

And yet …

We know that well-written copy is more likely to influence desired outcomes than poorly written copy.

We know that well-written copy contains words that make sound logical arguments, that empathize, and that possess the ability to compel useful emotional reactions in a reader.

Your ability to understand and acknowledge cognitive biases with your copy allows you to empathize with your reader, and that is what opens the door to compelling a useful emotional reaction.

And we know that emotion drives action more than logic — the latter of which serves more to justify than compel.

Look, who am I to defy the words of a writer like David Sedaris? And to deny a known cognitive bias? Writing probably does give you only the illusion of control.

But maybe, just maybe …

By committing to a better understanding of the “stuff” our readers bring to our words, we increase our ability to turn an illusion of control into … let’s call it … an opportunity to connect.

And when we connect, we have a chance to compel — a privilege and responsibility that truly unlocks the next level of service to our audiences.

The post 5 Cognitive Biases You Need to Put to Work … Without Being Evil appeared first on Copyblogger.

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hypertagmaster · 8 years ago