#the concept of being famous for being famous and simply having money to throw around appears enticing for someone like jodio

[incorrect-jojolands-quotes]

brainstorming a main villain for jojolands

I've yet to draw this main villain but I have one in mind that's also based on this post I made predicting the overall story. Given how villains mirror the theme of the story by being unable to realize it or fail at achieving what the theme requires for them to succeed, I made a villain that would represent this for The JOJOLands.

I had this duo Stand ability for a while that also pairs well with the villain too. To not delay any further: meet Venice "V" Vuitton.

V, at the start of The JOJOLands, is the sole head and former heiress of the Vuitton fortune. Known as "new money" in Hawaii's elite, the Vuittons gained their obscene wealth from being major players in the hospitality and tourism industry. Despite their status, they are well-liked by the more "old money" members and have rubbed elbows with families like Howler during their time in the business. The Vuitton hotel chain is seen on every populated island of Hawaii and has spread to states like California and New York in the past 10 years; recently, it opened a new hotel in Japan to begin its international expansion post-COVID. Much of the Vuittons hold varying degrees of power, wealth and status as socialites but a power struggle in the 1990s led to only a few remaining Vuittons to hold onto the fortune: the patriarch grandfather and his wife, their two sons and their wives, and one of the son's daughter Venice. Her family calls her V and never refer to her as anything else but that.

V was the only child of her parents and lived with a silver spoon in her mouth all her life. Despite the Vuittons appearing close-knit and having a reputation of being a loving family, V would describe her childhood as lonely and neglectful. Money was used to give her anything but familial love and her education was more focused on making her become a future wife and socialite than help her follow her dreams or create good memories with her family. The conservative nature of the family and their constant moving around the world also made it difficult for V to keep friends; many kept in touch with her simply because of her connections and wealth. Eventually, V became rebellious and engaged in crimes like petty theft and drug usage in response to the lack of love and connection pushing her over the edge. Rather than use their money to provide her therapy or understand their child, V's parents instead sent her to an involuntary residential treatment center in an island of Hawaii in hopes of "straightening her out".

V spent her remaining teen years there being abused by the staff and one evening planned her escape with other teenagers who had similar upbringings. These teenagers, who were the first and only genuine friends she had, died while trying to escape due to the currents of the ocean. V nearly died trying to escape with them as well but the event helped her discover her duo Stands she never realized until then and used that to save herself.

"Frame by Frame" allowed her to see ten seconds of the past at any moment, manifesting itself as a polaroid camera she activates by taking a snapshot. Its complementary ability, "THE WAITINGMAN", allowed her to drop what she would call an "anomaly" into the past as many times as she wanted. Said anomalies are random changes in the past that either result in no changes in the present (a small rock moving one inch to the left) or a drastic change instead (making someone change their mind about killing someone). On a whim, she used her abilities to save herself from drowning that night; the anomaly dropped was a driftwood that helped her float back to the shore.

Realizing how she could change the past, she used her Stand abilities again to first prevent her friends from dying, then to avoid certain abuse from the center's staff, and eventually to prevent her parents from shipping her and her friends off to the treatment center all together. She began dropping frequent anomalies as a means to rewrite her past so that her family, once cold and unable to show her love, now became doting and kind to her in the present. V could tell by the photos and home videos, now heavily altered from what it was before, that the anomalies worked to transform her family into one that she yearned for all these years. Unfortunately, changing the past doesn't mean altering the memories she had of it; she could only see those "good times" she supposedly experienced in the past through the screen and everyone else never knew about the "bad times" she seemed to only remember. Her friends, as a result of surviving and never going to the treatment center, never remembered the trauma they went through with her or even knew her beyond being another Vuitton in the elite circles, another rich girl with connections and money. Everyone else's memories have been altered by the anomalies- except hers.

In response to this, V decided to use her Stands to kill off her remaining family and friends affected and she became the sole head of the Vuittons at age 20 as a result. She did this by carefully putting various anomalies in the past so that people died in different ways at different times in history; the deaths were seen simply as a series of absurd events that made people sympathetic to V's curated tragedy. It's implied that "power struggle" mentioned earlier was caused by V's abilities and she played along with what the media called "The Vuitton Curse". Now the new head of the family and of the Vuitton estate, her young age and reputation as a party girl made the media paint her as a ditzy, bratty socialite during the 2010s who frequented the Hawaiian party scene and is surrounded by similar socialites who she called her friends or besties. However, those behind closed doors knew her as a savvy businesswoman who is milking the reputation of "famous for being famous" to her own use. V was now a brand, the precursor to the modern social media star, and able to make the world view her at worst a caricature and at best an icon. She actually has no genuine friends beyond those she pretends to be friends with for the photos and connections. She uses her anomalies to alter and experiment with the past so she could maintain her Vuitton revenue while pretending to be a harmless "celebutante" that gained a cult following of fans who find her aesthetics and opulent lifestyle pleasing or ideal. The world mostly see her as a pretty socialite who's persona has created several edits and online content by the netizens that see her performance as "iconic" and nothing more. Ten years later, at age 30, she would encounter and go up against Jodio Joestar in the story. Another case of Jodio's team trying to go after a rich person's fortune and not realizing they're up against another Stand User, she finds out he's able to see her abilities, how she was behind almost every aspect of his own life going down the drain. She becomes threatened with the possibility that her coveted powers are going to be taken away by him. That may be how her story ends: forgotten like the memories she altered, locked away in some form so no one could find her, and no longer having the ability that was supposed to save her.

Her current motivation in the story is boredom.

In her mind, she has already gained everything she wants and can get anything else if she desires within seconds if she wanted to. She has no use for achieving bigger goals, pursuing a better life, or finding new relationships to bond over when she can just use her Stands to get it almost instantly; she simply chooses not to. No one understands this about her and therefore no one is on her level or worthy enough to get on it. She is unable to make memories or experiences that are genuinely meaningful due to her Stands and therefore unable to share or bond with others over either. She doesn't desire to change anything for any reason other than to satisfy her boredom. Her days, if she's not partying or shopping or occasionally checking on her business ventures, are spent reading old news articles or history books to use Frame by Frame to find a point in time to manipulate and see what happens after she drops the anomaly (or several). At one point, she tried to use her powers for good and prevent global tragedies, but quickly became bored of "playing savior" and decided to just stick to only changing the past for her own pleasure instead. If you dig deeper, her fears stem from losing this upper status in life, this ability to supposedly play God, this boring and seemingly uneventful life disrupted. She knew what it was like to be controlled and lack agency despite being given everything on a silver platter- and she dare not return back to that.

While the ability results in altering people's memories, sometimes those memories of the previous past lingers on; people unaware of the Stand powers being used have cited the phenomenon as "Mandela effects". The most recent anomaly V dropped was making a certain bird trapped in a burning school bus.

So, yeah! That's all I have for V! Let me know what you think of her. You're also free to draw her as well if you like!

[ophiuchus-interactive]

Originality, Criticism, and Entitlement

After joining the IF community, I've come to see (and experience) the accusation that there are IF writers who steal, copy, or even plagiarize another author's work. I'm going to explain why throwing such accusations around is harmful not only to the accused, but the community as a whole.

This is also an explanation as to why they're incredibly stupid criticisms, and unless there is actual, direct evidence that the work is being copied or stolen, it is not, as such "critics" want to call it, "ripping off" anybody.

(Long read)

Star Wars (1977) is considered by many to be the world's first real blockbuster, with such sensation and hype that even over thirty years since its original release date, it reminds a key figure in our pop culture and media today. In every form or fashion, Star Wars was groundbreaking in terms of cinematic storytelling and movie-going experience.

But Star Wars is nothing new.

George Lucas, the creator, has discussed many times over the years just how precisely the world of Star Wars came to be, and its origins go back much, much farther than you think.

George Lucas claimed that the idea of Star Wars was inspired by Flash Gordon serials, a comic book series that was turned into a TV show in the 1930s. The famous title crawl that appears at the beginning of every Star Wars movie?

Look familiar?

It is also a pretty well known fact that the Galactic Empire and Rebels, along with the battle scenes within the movies, also take heavy inspiration from WWII. Stormtroopers are German Gestapo, the X-Wings and TIE Fighters are inspired by WWII aerial combat: https://youtu.be/msb8OdvBBjU

There is a clear right and wrong that is written into the Star Wars universe, and that most assuredly comes from the material and real world events that George Lucas was inspired by; serial comics and shows of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, leaned heavily into black and white morality. This is why superheroes from that era like Superman or Batman were originally written as static characters. "Superman is invincible, that's not as interesting as the X-Men struggling with their place in society!" Well, yeah, that's because Superman was meant to be nothing more than a comic book character that allows children to act out their power fantasy- "you can't make me go to bed, mom! Superman doesn't go to bed!" etc. etc.

But Star Wars has inspiration that goes back even further than the 1930s. It goes back to ancient Mesopotamia.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the world's oldest and most notable form of literature that we know of. It is an epic that describes the heroic journey of one Gilgamesh, told in five parts. This is the earliest known example of what is known as "The Hero's Journey" in literature.

If you have any knowledge of the first movie of Star Wars, you're well aware of the story beats that you can read out in this diagram, as well be able to distinguish the similarities it has with The Epic of Gilgamesh.

Does this mean that Star Wars ripped off The Epic of Gilgamesh?

No. It doesn't. Because even though the story shares similar story beats, and features a black-and-white morality, a sci-fi space opera is a far cry from ancient Mesopotamian gods battling with each other. George Lucas didn't read the epic in school and decide "ah ha! I know how I'm going to make money!"

He was inspired, and he took that inspiration and created a multi-billion dollar franchise that millions love across the globe. He wrote that story and directed that movie, he put in the blood, sweat (lots of sweat- they filmed in Tunisia) and tears to make something WHOLLY NEW, and yet in some ways...similar.

Humans are very complex creatures, and our brain loves nothing more than finding patterns in things. Why is there such a thing as the Rule of Three in literature, a rule that dictates the satisfaction the reader gets when a story has a plot that occurs in three parts? Why is there traditionally only three acts? It is, simply put, satisfying. This traditional three-part structure often times creates stories that may look or feel similar simply because of how it is structured. This is not copying. This is a literature technique that humans have been using since the beginning of language itself.

And this is why I have such a problem with the people suggesting that authors are "copying" popular works- no one solely invented story beats, no one invented the supernatural fiction, no one, singular person, solely created the concepts that we are using today. No one. Not a single thing written is wholly original.

Originality is overrated. We are products of our environment, our culture, our media we consume- if an IF writer has a story with vampires and other supernatural creatures, and the MC is a detective attempting to solve crimes, was that invented by the very popular Wayhaven Chronicles by Mishka Jenkins? No. Vampires in media are nothing new, detectives in media are nothing new, and if they so happen to exist in other stories, what of it? Did Mishka invent vampires? No. They're a cultural phenomenon that has existed in multiple civilizations at once. Did she invent detectives? Obviously not.

Mishka was inspired and so were countless of other IF writers to write a story that involved the supernatural. These IF writers may have similar story beats, they may have similar themes, but that does not make it copying.

You know what makes Star Wars or The Wayhaven Chronicles or any other form of entertaining media great? Innovation.

It is how the authors tell the story, and why it is being written that creates such vast differences in genres. Star Wars isn't The Epic of Gilgamesh because its just "in space", it is the magnificent, innovative storytelling behind Star Wars that makes it so unique in our minds. The cinematography, the storytelling, the dialogue, the acting- all of that hard work into making something worthwhile and good is what makes it so unique when comparing it to other media that feature the literary use of "The Hero's Journey".

We all have something to bring to the table, to tell our stories that have a piece of us inside them. They are influenced by our laughter, our tears, our horror, our love, our rage or terrible indifference. They are influenced by our passions, our delusions, and they are written because we wish it to be so.

Are all impressionists copying Monet because he popularized impressionism? Are all artists who paint in similar styles copying off of the one who created the style in the first place? No. They're not.

To accuse IF authors, particularly the INNOCENT ones of copying others is an unbelievably insulting and ignorant statement that disregards the author's creativity and free will to write whatever the hell they want. If all you have to see out of a story is the basic, bare bones elements to it, then allow me to speak for all IF authors out there and say:

You're missing the fucking point!

We've all put our hard work into not only LEARNING a coding language (which, surprise, not ALL of us know and have to spend HOURS figuring out) but we've learned a coding language to create a game for other people to enjoy, and we'll be damn fucking lucky if we're able to get any money off of our work that we have put in it.

This criticism becomes a form of entitlement real fast, as if a reader has any say as to the pace or way an IF story (or any art for that matter) is written.

Most of us are doing this because we love the idea of putting our work out there as an IF fiction for fun. Some of us have to work jobs, some of us have complicated lives that demand constant attention, some of us wish to do this as a living, but all of us?

All of us deserve the courtesy of being a creator that is sharing their work with the world.

The next time you decide to accuse an IF writer of copying another person, ask yourself if it's legitimate plagiarism or you're just someone who doesn't have the capacity to consider that literary themes, tropes, cliches, and genres, are not the same thing as "copying".

[mc-lukanette]

"So... you gotta go today?" Marinette asked during the uncomfortable silence between them.

"Yeah," Luka muttered in reply. "Dad's coming to get me."

"Y'still don't know when you get to come back?"

Deep down, she already knew the answer.

He shook his head. "No. He says that I should go if I wanna be a rockstar like him though."

She already knew that too, as they'd had the discussion multiple times before. When she'd first become friends with Luka, there was a connection there that she wanted to hold onto, and Luka felt the same way about her as well. They played with each other more than any of their other friends, sharing their creative energies ever since day one.

They hadn't expected that to have to end one day, especially so soon. Luka had always been into music, which made the natural next step being a rockstar. He'd initially been hesitant at the idea of leaving her, but Marinette hadn't wanted to hold him back and thus encouraged the idea. It only made sense to get as big of a headstart as possible, so it'd be wasteful to not take advantage of the offer.

Being as young as they were, neither had a great concept of the time they'd have to be apart, but they knew it was a big deal and that made it feel like forever even though Luka hadn't gone anywhere yet. Marinette hated that the atmosphere was so sad when they were supposed to be enjoying their time together, but she couldn't stop reminding herself that this was the last time they'd see each other for some unknown amount of years.

Then, Luka spoke up, breaking up her thoughts. "D-did...did you ever get 'em?"

She glanced up at him, confused. "Hm?" Realization struck a moment later. "O-oh! You still...?"

He nodded eagerly, and Marinette turned to rummage through the little purse she had slung over her shoulder. She felt her fingers touch the little box she'd been searching for, then pulled it to show it to him.

"I-I'm sorry it took so long," she murmured guiltily. "I had to work a bunch for Papa and Maman so I could buy 'em!"

"With money?" he questioned, suddenly baffled. "Y'didn't have to do that..."

"Maybe, b-but I was scared that they'd break too soon if I made them myself, but I swear I made 'em look nice and everything!"

She opened the box to show him, finally revealing the jewelry inside: a pair of promise rings that she decorated herself. She'd had to be extremely careful not to tell her parents what they were for, as she was smart enough to know that they would've said that they were too young; how they weren't even teenagers yet.

Marinette didn't care though, and neither did Luka.

"S-since—" Marinette steeled herself up, then looked at Luka with resolve. "Since you gotta go, you better become the best rockstar ever, okay? And then I'll become a famous fashion designer and I'll spoil you a bunch!"

He was already grinning at the idea, nodding in agreement. "I'll spoil you too and wear all the stuff you make." He giggled. "The girl ones too."

She giggled in return, then turned her attention to the rings. She'd colored hers pink and white while his was blue and black, and Luka held his hand out excitedly for the latter. She was a little clumsy with it, having never put a ring on someone's hand before, but still managed to slip it onto Luka's ring finger. She had previously considered practicing at home by putting her ring on her own hand, but had stubbornly refused the idea, reminding herself that Luka was supposed to put it on her and anything else was wrong.

Luka slipped hers on as well and she admired it, appreciating the white and pink against her skin. It made the situation feel all the more real, which was both exciting and sad.

Feeling the emotions start taking over, she took a breath.

"A-and then we'll get married," she said resolutely, giving him a hopeful look, "and we'll live in a house together, and you won't have to go away ever again?"

It'd been a mistake to bring up the fact that he was leaving, as the thought brought tears to her eyes. He must've noticed too, as he immediately outstretched his arms for her. She dove for him, hugging him tight and not missing how his usually gentle hug was tighter as well.

"I'll miss you," she whispered, silently wondering what she'd do without the person that made her happiest.

He squeezed her tighter. "I'll miss you too." At the sound of her small sob, his voice grew pained. "M-marinette, please don't cry."

She sniffled, then pulled away to look at his face, pointing out half-accusingly, "Y-you're crying too."

His tears spilled over at the realization, and they went right back to hugging, unwilling to pull away until they were forced to.

She just hoped everything would be okay.

—————

Marinette sighed, leaning on the counter and playing with the petals of a nearby azalea. It was one of those days where she couldn't help feeling down, her mind drifting back to childhood where everything was easier and she'd had everything figured out. She'd been so sure about becoming a fashion designer, so famous that she was known by everyone for making the best and most fashionable clothes possible.

Yet, she'd found her way into a flower shop instead. Instead of the grand places she imagined herself going to, she'd gotten a quaint little place that featured flowers over fabric. Her various bouquets had their signature Marinette appeal, but fashion was little more than a hobby for her nowadays.

She hadn't regretted it, at least for the most part. She'd had expectations of the fashion world that simply hadn't measured up to her childhood dreams, and the feeling of selling scarves and outfits to strangers ended up being so much different compared to giving the same exact things to her friends and family. Put simply, it was never meant to happen, and she'd long since grown content with that.

As she leaned further on the counter, trying to be more level with the azalea, a soft 'clink' noise brought her back to attention. She looked down, noting the ring - that her fingers had long since outgrown - dangling from the string of her necklace. Her gaze softened as she brought her hand up to hold it in her palm, gently stroking the surface with her fingers. The familiar white and pink colors had faded slightly, but the memories that came with them had not, and she often found herself lost in them.

To a degree, she knew that it was silly to hang onto it - they were adults and Luka had probably thrown his away a long time ago - but she thought too fondly of her friendship with him, and there was a romantic in her that giggled at the memory of two kids wanting so badly to stay together that they'd marry as soon as possible.

And really, Luka had never truly left her. She'd gained a habit long ago of looking at the ring whenever she felt down, imagining what he might do to comfort her had he been there. Even in her flower shop, there were hints of blues and blacks strewn about the pinks and whites, and the bell that rang whenever the door opened was inspired by how Luka always liked the bell of her parents' bakery (not that she'd ever tell them that it was Luka and not them who made the bell happen, but still).

It was almost like he really did live there.

She sighed, taking the ring in her fingers and turning it every way possible. She hadn't heard from him since the day they'd been forced apart, but she imagined that he was too busy, or maybe just forgot about her. Jagged probably wanted the absolute best for him and took him all over the world to do it, dropping him off wherever for the sake of inspiration. The paparazzi must've found the story extremely boring as well, as she'd never read or heard about him. She couldn't help being amused at the idea that Luka had stayed as sweet and pure as he was when they were kids, making covering the son of Jagged Stone somehow the least newsworthy thing in the world.

Part of the whole "not knowing" thing was her fault. She supposed she could've asked Anarka or Juleka for a way to contact Luka, but the little girl inside her was afraid. Even if their promise meant nothing, she hadn't gone on to do what she'd told Luka that she would while he was still out and about, probably on the other side of the world, ready to make it as a rockstar. She felt guilty in a way, wondering if maybe things would've been different had she somehow convinced everyone to let her go with him. Maybe she could've gotten used to the idea of being a fashion designer, and they would've really been together all that time, and—

Marinette snapped herself out of her daydream, having to remind herself that she was supposed to be working, not reminiscing or throwing out 'what-ifs' that she’d never know the answers to. Letting her ring fall back against her chest, she released a breath and went out to the back to look over all of her flowers. The day before then had already been rather uneventful, with a few random customers here and there, so she expected the rest of the day to be the same.

She was right, for the most part. Time passed by as it always did - a little slow, but she enjoyed her job so she didn't mind - and she was almost ready to go close the shop when the bell suddenly rang.

"Coming!" she called out, jogging out so she could see who her last customer of the day was. She silently hoped it'd be brief, wanting to go home and take a long bath after all the sad thoughts she let swirl around in her head.

Then, she actually saw who it was, and all thoughts ceased. The dim lighting of the shop cast a light on his blue and black hair, his form further illuminated by hints of moonlight showing through the glass windows at the front of the shop.

Luka.

She blinked, her mind finally catching up enough with reality to throw a thousand unvoiced questions. How did he get back without her hearing about it? What was he doing here? Why was he here?

At the last question in particular, she noticed that he didn't seem as surprised as she was, like he'd expected her to be there. His smile was even as warm as ever and just as soft despite his grown-up face.

As if he'd heard what was on her mind, he explained, "Rose said you'd be here." Though his posture was casual, there was a subtle hint of trepidation; perhaps fear that she would be upset somehow at the surprise.

She absolutely wasn't. In fact, her legs finally kicked in and she was rushing around the counter to reach him. There wasn't even time to think about how childish it might've seemed or worry that too much time had passed for Luka to care; he was already outstretching his arms for her, his smile even wider than before.

She collided with him, wrapping her arms around him while he did the same to her. He staggered slightly from her weight being thrown at him, but he didn't complain, and she noted that she fit into him even better than when they were kids. She took it as an opportunity to snuggle into him, inhaling a scent that was different yet familiar at the same time.

"I missed you," she murmured when she exhaled, though it was muffled by his jacket.

"I missed you too," he whispered in reply. "It's been too long."

She squeezed him a little harder, nodding against his chest. Though she had to steel herself up to do so, she pulled away from the hug just enough to make eye contact with him. "Yeah, way too long. I-I mean—" She sucked in a breath as she took him in up close, her hands flying up to cup his face. "Look at you!"

She stepped back to follow her own command, spreading her arms out to gesture at him. "I know it's been so many years so obviously you're older, but you're still you! It's just that you're even more you than before! You're so tall and mature and you got even more han—"

She cut herself off at the last second, though not because she caught what she almost blurted out. She'd been giving him a look up and down while she talked, and her eyes had finally noticed the faint glimmer on his wrist. She looked up at him to ask, but his eyes seemed to notice the same thing she did, only her necklace instead of his wrist.

Pointing, she asked sheepishly, "I-is that what I think it is?"

He glanced up at her, then smiled down at the object in question. Raising his left hand, he showed her the blue-and-black ring in full, which was attached to a band around his wrist. The ring itself was positioned at the front of his wrist rather than the back of it, right below his palm and centered roughly in the middle.

"You kept yours too," he observed softly.

"Oh, um..." She giggled, the notion seeming so much more meaningful now that she knew they'd both kept theirs. "Yeah, I'm—" She glanced down to admire her necklace, but stopped as she realized, "...still wearing my work outfit, oh my gosh, give me one second—"

Utterly mortified and wondering about how she must look right now, she turned to leave when Luka's arm shot out to catch her wrist, as if she'd disappear if he let her leave the room.

"Marinette, it's okay," he assured. Offering her a warm smile, he added, "You're beautiful."

She blushed, the red tint of her cheeks not helped by the fact that he was so blunt and shameless with the compliment. He really meant it and she knew it; Luka never said things he didn't mean.

"T-thanks." Pulling her hand away only to neaten herself up a bit, she smiled back at him and returned her gaze to his ring, eager to distract herself from the smooth comment. She noted lightly, "I thought about wearing mine on my wrist too, but I was always afraid of something happening to it, like I'd reach into something and it'd be gone when I pulled away."

He eased his posture, presumably because she wasn't running away now. Glancing off to the side, she could tell he was reminiscing when he replied, "Yeah, I couldn't really imagine wearing mine anywhere else except for here." He rose his hand again for emphasis.

She tilted her head, not understanding why that spot specifically was so important. Luka was apparently happy to explain it, moving both hands to pose them as if there was a guitar slung around his shoulders. His eyes darted over to the ring itself, and though Marinette couldn't see it due to the ring not facing her anymore, it only took her a few more seconds to realize that he'd chosen that spot because he could see the ring at all times that way.

The blush came back, and she tried to hide it - even if briefly - by turning away to walk back to the counter. She heard his footsteps behind her, but a glance his way proved that it was only to approach the counter itself, not follow her behind it. He was also amazingly calm and at ease dishing out such attacks on her heart, which was both delightful and confusing at the same time; delightful because it was Luka and he was genuine in everything he did, but confusing because...

She scratched her cheek, then slipped her hand down to rub awkwardly at her arm. "S-so, you said Rose told you I'd be here?"

He nodded, seeming unaware of where she was going with this.

She bit her lip, wondering if it made it worse to directly point it out something that was already obvious to her. Nevertheless, curiosity won over and she asked, "You're not... disappointed?"

He straightened, stunned. "Disappointed? Why would I be?"

Lowering her gaze to the floor, she shifted uncomfortably, "I said I'd become a fashion designer, but—"

His snort cut her off and her gaze jerked up to look at him. He immediately raised a hand, wordlessly assuring that he wasn't laughing at her.

"Sorry," he said, calming himself. "Anyway, I know it's not because you weren't able to do it. You just found a song you liked playing better, right?"

She was somewhere between surprised that he knew and amused that his tendency towards music metaphors hadn't gone away. "How'd you know?"

His smile softened. Resting his hands on the counter, he leaned onto it and explained, "I did think back then that I had to be a rockstar because of how much I loved music, but..." He shrugged sheepishly. "I was so young, I didn't even think there was any other option."

Marinette gaped. "Wait, you—you didn't become a rockstar then?"

With an affirming look, he continued, "I felt awful when I finally realized it. I left you to learn how to be a rockstar and I knew I'd be throwing all of Dad's teachings away, but I still couldn't enjoy the life he tried to make for me." He rubbed the back of his neck, almost looking embarrassed. "I've actually been here for a while now. I wanted to see you and Rose was happy to help, but I also wanted to have my life together first, music shop and all."

"Music shop?" she echoed curiously.

"Yeah, I...I wanted to be around music, but not in the way Dad and Mom are." He placed a hand to his chest. "I want to make instruments, and teach people how to play from the heart like I do. I wished I'd known it sooner too, because I can't imagine doing anything else."

It wasn't apparent on his face, but she could tell that there was a vulnerability there that he wouldn't have shared with anyone else. She felt touched, assuring, "I think that's a wonderful dream. Way better than just being a rockstar." Then, she laughed. "It's also way cooler than my reason for getting a flower shop."

"I'm sure it's not," he retorted with a smile. "I always thought you were cool, no matter what you did."

She ducked her head to hide herself, turning shy at the once again blunt compliment. It was as if he'd been making up for lost time when he hadn't been able to bombard her with praise.

She didn't entirely mind it.

"W-well," she began, "it was because of you, actually?"

He blinked in surprise. "Me?"

She nodded. "Yeah, just... even before I realized that fashion wasn't going to work out, I always loved flowers and gardening." She fidgeted, feeling like she sounded lame. "It reminded me of us."

He gaped at her, and she had to pretend not to see it so she could continue.

"You weren't around anymore, but seeing flowers anywhere brought me back to when we'd play on my balcony where all my plants were, or when I'd run onto the Liberty and there'd be all those flowers to greet me." She giggled at a memory of the one time she and Luka had grown a flower themselves; they’d nearly cried when it finally bloomed. "I guess... you stayed in everything I did, even after you left."

When the silence stretched, she tried to occupy herself by resting her hands on the counter and twiddling her fingers. It was only once Luka's hands reached out and held hers that she finally met his gaze again.

Despite the time apart, she could still feel the emotional weight of his expressions. Luka didn't always show a lot on the outside, but she felt it deep in her core.

"It was the same for me," he whispered, and she didn't have to ask what he meant with his ring glistening at her. He breathed up, saying on the exhale, "I'm so glad you haven't changed, Marinette."

Feeling relief and a slew of different emotions overwhelm her, she smiled at him. "I'm glad you haven't either."

They stayed in that moment for a while, and she realized that they really had picked right back up where they'd left off as kids, as if it were the easiest thing in the world. She'd lost a few friends over the years due to growing apart and lack of contact, but Luka was just—always there, no matter how far away he was, and now he was back for real.

He was a constant in her life, and she wanted to keep it that way.

"...Luka," she called gently, needing a moment to gather her resolve. "I—I know I can't spoil you as much as I promised, but... could I take you out sometime? And we could talk more?"

He gave her hands a gentle squeeze, the look in his eyes making her heart do a flip.

"You already spoiled me, Marinette," he assured, "and I'd love to."

She beamed at him, utterly floored by how happy she felt and how quickly all her feelings from childhood had come rushing back, as if no time had passed at all.

It was what she imagined Luka would call "a classic."

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms Far Side #3: Kohaku

Today on Fate and Phantasms we have another bonus episode for you! We’re building Kohaku, the ever-energetic maid who comes packing with probably helpful medicine and the occasional robot. As usual for far sides, everything below this point come directly from Magical-Biche on Reddit!

Check out Kohaku’s build breakdown below, or her character sheet over here!

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Hey, it’s me, the guy who builds Tsukihime builds! Since the remake got announced uhh… already a month ago, I figured it’d be perfect time to free some time in my heavy schedule for a Tsukihime waifu once in a while. For the return of this highly anticipated series, we’ll take a look at a character which has plenty of tricks up her sleeves: Kohaku. A fan favorite for several reasons, she was quite easy to build due to how weirdly some of her core mechanics are already featured in Dungeons & Dragons. I’m mostly using her Melty Blood skill set for the build, but as soon as I can introduce skills we know from the Visual Novels. Needless to say, the whole build is a huge spoiler for what Kohaku does throughout the games, and you may not want to read it if you didn’t finish Tsukihime and Kagetsu Tohya.

Race and Background

Kohaku is a variant human. She technically has a bit of psychic powers, but they are passive and absolutely nothing any race can give comes close to it, so we’re going human here. The variant allows us to get + 1 in constitution and +1 in intelligence, and the chef feat, giving us another +1 in constitution, and the ability to cook delicious meals with or without suspicious substances, which adds a layer of healing and temporary hit points on our already impressive healing abilities. It gives us our first of many tool proficiencies, the cooking utensils. We also get a proficiency in insight, which helps us determine whether people are worth teasing/throwing into a bottomless trap. 

Next, we are going to be an Izzet engineer. Those folk, who come directly from Ravnica, fit our mad scientist personality perfectly. Being an Izzet engineer gives us access to the Urban Infrastructure ability, which helps building more complex traps (and find them, if we ever feel like being nice to our group), and proficiencies in Arcana and Investigation, two extremely useful intelligence skills. We also get our second tool proficiency. We’re taking carpenter’s tools, to create the most intricate traps there are. Bottomless pits won’t build themselves from the ground up. We also get one set of artisan’s tools of our choice, so we’ll take Alchemist supplies, since they’re the costliest of the bunch and extremely useful. Don’t worry, we’re getting the proficiency in a little bit. Finally, we get the pretty unique feature of having access to more spells: Izzet guild spells. The notable ones (the ones we don’t normally get from our class) are Chaos bolt, Create or destroy water, Unseen servant (level 1 spells), and Call lightning, and Otiluke’s resilient sphere (third level spells). Since it is a Ravnica background, the DM might ban the expanded spell list, but none of these spells are necessary to our build, anyway. 

Ability Scores

We are a genius, and a bit of a melee combatant. We’re pumping everything in intelligence. Next, we need high constitution and dexterity, which will also serve to multiclass into rogue. We are pretty average when it comes to wisdom and charisma (I do admit we are pretty cute, though). We’re dumping strength, even though it means we won’t be able to fight well with our broom, but it’s a necessary sacrifice. Our hidden katana (read: dagger) will work just as well. 

Class Levels

Artificer 1: We are a crafty inventor. Being an artificer only makes sense to us. The first level of artificer gives us proficiency with constitution saving throws, great to keep our concentration on spells and avoiding nasty poison effect, and intelligence saving throws: we’re the one who make fools of others, and not the other way around! We can also choose two new proficiencies, and we’re taking medicine, since we’re actually a pretty skilled doctor, and sleight of hand, as we will need to tinker complex traps and unlock a few locks from time to time. 

We also get proficiencies with light and medium armors, but we’re only ever going to use light armor. Kohaku doesn’t really wear armor, but she could be wearing several thick layers of kimono, which can probably stop a blade in a pinch. We’re also proficient with shields, and Kohaku definitely never wears a shield throughout the Tsukihime timeline, so we won’t be using them.  We’re also proficient with simple weapons, and those are the only weapons we’re having access to, so we have to do with them. We’ll be mainly using the dagger as our “secret blade”, and our quarterstaff as a substitute for our broom. Finally, we’re proficient with thieves’ tools, useful for disarming traps that may or may not have been installed by us, tinker’s tools, our bread-and-butter for repairing all sort of stuff, from traps to weapons, and alchemist supplies, to further our healing capabilities, and it blends well with our medicine proficiency. 

We finally get to our core features. First level of artificer gives us Magical tinkering, which lets us do pretty nice things. We can basically sleep on prestidigitation, light, message, and minor illusion thanks to this feature. It doesn’t do as much as each of these individual spells, but it does it differently, and it’s still great to have so much utility here. We also get our Spellcasting. We’re a half caster with druid/cleric like spell preparation. We can prepare a number of spells equal to our intelligence modifier + half our artificer level (rounded down), and we can choose those spells from our spell list each time we finish a long rest. Our spellcasting ability is of course intelligence, and we use our alchemist’s supplies as a spellcasting focus, because of our subclass we don’t have yet. 

We start with two artificer cantrips, and we’re taking Booming blade, to emulate bombs, and controlling people movement fits our character well: people will think twice before moving in our direction. Next, we take Acid splash, a pretty weak damaging cantrip, but it’s another kind of bomb we can add to our arsenal. It can also touch two targets at once, which mitigate the low damage of the spell. It is also a saving throw, so it will always be useful anyway. 

Since we have access to every artificer spell, plus the potential Izzet spells, there won’t be a definitive spell list here. It is recommended to get Tasha’s caustic brew, Snare, Cure wounds, Grease and Alarm, as they fit our game plan very well. 

Artificer 2: Our next artificer level is more complex than it seems. We get our infusions, 4 of them. We’re taking the Replicate magic item, to have ourselves a bag of holding to hold all our stuff, the Enhanced defense, that we’re infusing to our armor to help with defense, the Homunculus servant, so we can have our very own Not-exactly-a-mech-Hisui once we get enough money, and Mind sharpener, which will help maintaining concentration on though fight. So far, we can only use 2 of these infusions at the time, so we’ll focus on the replicate magic item and enhanced defense for now. 

Artificer 3: We get our speciality! We are now an Alchemist. We gain proficiency with Glassblower’s tools, as we already have a proficiency with the alchemist supplies, and those tools can be used to create vials to hold our various mixtures. We get an expanded spell list, again, which gives us interesting spells like Melf’s acid arrow, Healing word, Ray of sickness, Gaseous form and Mass healing word. Flaming sphere is not bad, but it doesn’t really fit our concept as a whole. We also get our Experimental elixir, which is one random potion every long rest. All the effects are helpful, even though some are more than others. We also get the Right tool for the job, which lets us create artisan tools, which is neat. 

Rogue 1: Of course, we’re going rogue. We’re a sneaky trickster, after all, and we’re pretty skilled at it. Our first rogue level gives us the famous Thieves cant, which we will quickly forget. More interesting, we get a skill proficiency, and we’re taking Deception. It’s less useful than persuasion, but we need to lie more than we need to persuade. We also get Expertise in 2 skills of our choice, which will be Deception and Medicine, two of our most important skills. With expertise in medicine, we mitigate our low wisdom, and we’re able to pretty much always stabilize our fallen allies, especially when we get past level 5. What’s more, we get the rogue’s main feature, the Sneak attack! Sneak attack can be used with booming blade for pretty huge damage, in the right conditions, and it’s getting even better starting next level. 

Rogue 2: Speaking of next level, here it is. The second rogue level gives us cunning action, and we now always have some use for our bonus action. We can hit with booming blade + Sneak attack, then retreat. We can add some movement to our turn, and we can try to hide in the shadows, not that we’re particularly good at it. 

Rogue 3: We get our second archetype. We’re now both an alchemist and a Mastermind, which gives us yet another round of proficiencies: Disguise kit, Forgery kit and a Gaming set. Those three are not the most useful tools we have access to, but they can always be used creatively. We can also Mimic speech, but that’s not exactly a meta redefining feature. More importantly, we are also a Master of tactics, giving us yet another use for our bonus action in the form of Help. We can help our ranged allies to hit close-ish targets with that feature, too. 

Artificer 4: Our first ability score increase comes at level 7, and luckily, we’re not too dependent on feats. We’re simply increasing our intelligence by 2 and call it a day. 

Artificer 5: This level is very interesting, because we get a neat little feature that tremendously increases our distance damage. We are now an Alchemical savant, and provided that we use our alchemist supplies as a spellcasting focus, we can add our intelligence modifier to the damage rolls of any fire, necrotic, poison and acid damage, and to every one of our healing rolls. Sadly, this doesn’t buff our melee damage, but we can’t have everything. Also, the ability is weirdly worded: as it is written in the book, it looks like you must use your spellcasting focus to cast the spell for the damage and healing to be buffed. However, if it does work like that, we'd have a total of 5 spells of level 0-3 that are affected by the feature, so I’d say it works with every one of your spells that is cast with intelligence. 

We also get our new level 2 spells. The ones that are interesting for our build are Enlarge/reduce, Heat metal, protection from poison, pyrotechnics, rope trick, Spider climb and Web. The first is based on one of our actual feats of enlarging our mistress, one time. Heat metal is an overall tricky and useful spell to have. Protection from poison is useful to protect our allies from friendly fire, and the last 4 spells are all great traps and terrain manipulation, which is what we want to do. 

Artificer 6: This level is more straightforward, as it only really adds the Tool expertise feature, which allows us to double our proficiency bonus on all tools we’re proficient with. That is, a LOT of tools. We also get new infusions, and we’re getting the Spell refueling ring, a great tool to mitigate our too few spell slots per day, and Resistant armor, which is situational but very useful. We can also have 3 infusions active at the time, which is the maximum number of attunement we can have anyway. We can also now create two experimental elixirs per long rest, hurray!

Artificer 7: The seventh artificer level gives us Flashes of genius, which is a great tool to help the party. It can also be used to mitigate our own AOE damage on them, proving the party that we’re not here to kill them, we swear!

Artificer 8: Artificer 8 gets us a simple ability score increase, which we gladly take to increase our already high intelligence to new levels. We increase it by 2 points, to reach a total of 20. 

Artificer 9: Our final level in artificer grants us a final subclass feature, the Restorative reagents. It makes it that our experimental elixir gives 2d6 + 5 temporary hit points to whoever drinks it. Also, we can now cast lesser restoration 5 times per long rest without having the spell prepared, which is a great way to remove harmful status ailments from allies for pretty much free. 

We also gain our level 3 spells. The interesting spells from the list are Haste, which emulates the drugs you use on your poor party members,  Catnap, to represent the sleeping medicine you give them,  Protection from energy, for the same reason as protection from poison a bit earlier, and finally, the trappiest spell of them all, the one that really let us do crazy shenanigans,  Glyph of warding. This amazing spell is a literal modular trap which does pretty nice damage, doesn’t require concentration and it’s just so flexible. This is the only obligatory spell on the list. 

Rogue 4: The fourth rogue level gives us our third ability score increase, and we’re getting a bit tankier and stabbier now. We increase our dexterity score by 2, this time, putting us at a nice 16. 

Rogue 5: Fifth level rogues get uncanny dodge, a very powerful tool for survival. Nothing much to say, it’s great! (Editor’s note: might as well just say it anyway- use your reaction to take half damage from an attack- very useful!)

Rogue 6: We get 2 brand new expertises, which will be in Arcana, for being even better at understanding the mechanics behind the spells we use, and Sleight of hand, so we’re also a lot better at setting non-magical traps and disarming them. 

Rogue 7: Now that we can mitigate damage with uncanny dodge, it’s time to get better at saving throws and get Evasion. Another extremely good ability we’ll never use too much. (EN: dex saves cause half damage on failure, 0 damage on success!)

Rogue 8: Our next ability score, and we’re getting yet another 2 points in dexterity, so we now have a more than decent armor class and solid melee attacks. 

Rogue 9: Rogue’s ninth level gives us our second subclass ability, and we are now an Insightful manipulator. We can now assess our current target’s strength, but at this point, we’ve probably fought most of the bestiary and know everything there is to know about most threats. It can still be used against bosses, but it’s not exactly great since we’re not that good at sneaking. 

Rogue 10: Our tenth level in the rogue class gives us yet another ability score increase. We are actually a pretty crafty person, and poison is just another tool in our arsenal. We get the Poisoner feat, which lets us ignore resistance to poison damage and craft poison for our weapons. At that point, we should be filthy rich and can certainly afford the cost to do so and poison basically every single one of our strikes. With Booming Blade, sneak attack and the poison damage, our damage output is actually pretty crazy. 

Rogue 11: Our final level gives us a very, very nice little boost: thanks to Reliable Talent, we basically can’t score under 16 + ability modifier, or 22 + ability modifier with expertise, for skills and tools we are proficient with. We now have a passive Arcana of 27, Sleight of hand of 26 (whatever a passive sleight of hand score means), Deception and Medicine of 22, a passive investigation and insight of 21 and passive abilities with our numerous tools that are just as high (since you can use most tools with most abilities, the scores won’t be listed here, obviously). We can now pretty much recognize spells on sight, pickpocket on the go, lie as we breathe and treat injuries in a few moments, among other things. 

Pros: We’re a tool monkey, and we use all of them like a pro when we reach level 20. We can craft a bunch of crazy stuff with all that. We’re also quite bulky, with decent hit dice and the rogue survivability, plus our artificer infusions. We are also good at dealing big bursts of damage thanks to booming blade, sneak attack and poisoner. What’s more, we’re quite good at healing and dispensing temporary hit points. 

Cons: If we can’t trigger our sneak attack, our booming blade damage is not exactly huge. We don’t have many spells slots, and we quite like to use them. Also, we’re good at dealing damage, healing and controlling the battlefield, but we’re obviously not great at any of these things. 

[livebloggingmydescentintomadness]

why does everything revolve around super attractive people. it reminds me of the lyric "guess we forgot how to live a life with no filter. making boring people famous, let's pretend they're fascinating. let's tell little girls that pretty girls are better, or that pigment or religion really matters" i dont know, its all people care about.. and you wont really matter unless ur that pretty u know? thats a wild concept and hard to digest. its like ur looks come first & everything else is last

well for me personally, i’m asexual so i just enjoy looking at attractive people the same way i enjoy looking at flowers and statues. they’re aesthetically pleasing.

but, broad scale? attractiveness is about sex, which is about power, which is about money. regular people, by and large, want to have sex with attractive people and they want to BE attractive people so other attractive people will want to have sex with them. 

that means that you can control the masses with sex appeal. you can make people watch a commercial because it stars an attractive person, and you can make people buy makeup, plastic surgery, diet products, gym memberships, and much more because they want to be attractive. 

when you establish a certain version of attractiveness as the standard (thinness, blonde hair, full lips, bulging muscles, etc) then you can control who is seen as the ideal (thin people, white people, etc) and preoccupy all those who are not the ideal with the social condemnation of unattractive inferiority. 

therefore, attractiveness is very commonly wielded as a weapon of capitalism, white supremacy, or both. convince everyone that dark skin is ugly and you can both keep dark skinned people held down in society AND sell them skin-bleaching products. convince people that big noses are ugly and you can engender hatred for jewish people AND sell people plastic surgery. convince people that natural afro hair is ugly and you can oppress Black people for simply having hair that exists, naturally, AND make billions in the hair product industry. 

convince people that thin is beautiful and fat is ugly and you make billions. convince women that they have to have flawless skin and you make billions. convince men that they have to have ripped muscle and popping veins and you make billions. 

now, search out a handful of people who meet all these ridiculous attractiveness standards, make them movie stars, pop stars, models, and influencers, and you make billions on top of billions.

i don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with liking attractive people or wanting to be attractive yourself, but capitalism and bigotry takes those normal, natural urges and extorts them into toxic, horrifying, even fatal extremes. 

there’s nothing wrong with us saying “hey, i like that person’s face, i enjoy looking at them.” there’s a lot wrong with the way the celebrity industry snatches up young, beautiful people and puts them through a glamour machine that extracts all the money they can make and then throws them away, and there’s a lot wrong with holding up somebody who has a nutritionist, private doctor, personal chef, personal trainer, personal stylist, personal assistant, AND probably an eating disorder, and telling teenagers “this is how you should look in the mirror.” 

there’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel beautiful. there’s a lot wrong with being taught from childhood that your entire worth as a human being rests upon others finding you beautiful, and if you don’t meet every item on the checklist of an arbitrary beauty standard, you are a worthless and disgusting waste of space and no one will ever love you.

take a good, hard look at the beauty industry and the whole thing starts to fall apart. 

what we must do next is take a good hard look at ourselves and do the slow but vital work of stripping away the propaganda we’ve been trained to believe our whole lives.

we have to unlearn the belief that attractiveness is worthiness, both in ourselves and in others. we have to unlearn bigoted beauty standards. we have to learn how to see how capitalism tricks us into spending money on things we don’t need, because it doesn’t matter if we have beautiful feet or large pores or a thigh gap. it really doesn’t fucking matter at all so stop wasting your money and your life worrying about it.

it’s not easy to feel better just because you know better. the fat on your thighs and the blackheads on your nose will still bother you, and you’ll still wish you were prettier, skinnier, taller - more, more, more. you’ll judge people based on their looks and feel shitty about it. you’ll get duped into buying a stupid beauty product. you are not immune to propaganda. but you’ll work on it, and it’ll get a bit easier, and it won’t hurt as much when you look in the mirror. it’ll become possible to think to yourself, i am what i am and that’s okay, i don’t need to be different.

you are what you are, and that’s okay. you don’t need to be different.

[ivesory]

10 Critical Parts of Guidance for Inventors

There are no one-size-fits-all technique inventors can adhere to, and there is no inventing roadmap to success that will certainly work in all instances. Notwithstanding, several things can and should be understood if an inventor is most likely to seek to invent as greater than a pastime.

By understanding some fundamental yet crucial information first you will significantly elevate the possibilities of doing well. This is not to claim that you will not make errors; mistakes are inescapable. You will, nonetheless, make fewer mistakes if you provide thoughtful consideration to what it is you are attempting to do. Running off as well as a beginning without gratitude for the process will prove costly. Before continue reading visit https://theavtimes.com/2020/07/01/amazing-ways-inventhelp-can-assist-you-as-an-inventor/

What complies with are 10 crucial items of recommendations for inventors.

1. Locate Your Passion as an Inventor

If you are a major inventor as well as do not intend on giving up the very first time an obstacle is placed in front of you, then you require to concentrate on something for which you have a true passion. The factor here is basic: The act of inventing takes a great deal of time so you need to like it to make it function. There will certainly be both successes and also setbacks, and any straightforward inventor will inform you of the troubles that surpass the successes. What makes inventing gratifying is the quest for success as well as the challenge. If you are not enthusiastic concerning your invention and also the field of endeavor the possibility you will certainly do well is really low.

2. Inventors Must Become an Expert

The greatest blunder I see all inventors make is they hurry right into a field of venture without actually recognizing what they are entering, or to resolve the trouble in an industry they do not understand. Every brand-new moms and dad all of a sudden end up being an inventor in the baby products area, however exactly how lots of having any kind of idea regarding the difficult government security policies enforced on baby products? While passion is called for, knowledge is additionally needed. A successful inventor will certainly find out whatever they can around each aspect of the area, from the technology to business, to the competition.

3. The Goal is Not Simply to Obtain a Patent

The goal is not to develop an amazing invention, the goal is not to get a patent, the goal is practically universally to generate income. The cool invention and license are a means throughout, not the end in as well as of themselves. Do not obtain so caught up in the imaginative facet of inventing that they fall short to quit and also ask whether they must be investing the time, money, and power into the production. The moral of the story is that the most effective innovation can cause no financial benefit, while often small improvements can lead to financial riches. Therefore, it usually makes good sense for the inventor to concentrate on inventing to fix specific troubles, as well as not just inventing to develop something unique.

4. Method Inventing in a Business Responsible Way

Treat your invention from day one as if it will certainly be hugely effective because by the time you recognize that this is the invention that will certainly be wildly successful it will be as well late unless you have grown the seeks for success early. Don't drop in love with an invention that is falling short when you can relocate on to the next project, which might be the one that will be successful.

You may also like https://azbigmedia.com/business/want-to-be-a-successful-inventor-use-these-ideas-to-help/

5. Don't Underestimate the Importance of a Patent Search

If it looks like just incredibly narrow patent protection will certainly be offered it most likely makes more sense to just relocate on to your following invention because inventors constantly have the next invention. Patent searches are also superb learning devices since they permit you to uncover which aspects of your invention are most likely to add to patentability.

6. Don't Underestimate the Importance of an Internet Search

Over the years I have preached to inventors about the relevance of doing a patent search. Previously in my career, I would certainly listen to from inventors who would certainly say that they browsed the Internet extensively and can not find the invention so they want to relocate ahead. For goodness benefits, if you come up with an invention the initial thing you must do is see whether it exists and can be purchased online or in shops.

7. Certificate Inventions Not Ideas

Without a patent-pending, you do not have anything to license aside from a suggestion that does not have substantial boundaries. When you seek to license a concept alone you can easily scare business. Even listening to a concept without substantial borders as specified in a minimum of a provisional license application can terrify business to the point where some, possibly many, won't intend to do it. Furthermore, the additional you can create your idea the better and better it will certainly end up being. A suggestion may be worth a little to an extremely minimal number of individuals, yet an idea that has taken shape and has become an invention is worth also more as well as to even more people. An invention that has been defined in a provisional patent application is worth more. Famous inventor trainer Stephen Key discusses a submitted provisional license application creating "viewed possession," and he recommends his inventor pupils seriously make the effort as well as the power to define their ideas in concrete methods to create those regarded civil liberties with a provisionary filing. That is exceptional advice.

8. Set a Budget

Inventing and also commercializing can be exceptionally expensive, and also if you are an inventor that implies you are creative and also it is insane to assume that your current invention will be your last. Many inventors have a handful of inventions at any type of one point, so the difficulty they have is selecting which one to seek first. That being the case, and the inescapable truth that you may not rack up with the initial invention you pick, you need to set a budget and also constantly review via the process to ensure that it continues to make good sense to go after the invention. Spending time and money is something, yet spending good cash as well as your time once the search has been demonstrated to likely not be rewarding is absolutely nothing short of a catastrophe. I suggest you establish a spending plan, which you can reassess if points appear to be relocating forward in a favorable instruction. When you reach your budget restriction if there is no favorable energy you need to proceed to what is following. Do not throw your work away, you never know when it might become appropriate or you may have an advancement motivation.

9. Proof of Concept

At some point, it will certainly come to be required to verify your invention, which is called a proof of principle. While it is real that an invention with a proof of principle will be more important than one without such evidence, it is still required for inventors to be cautious. You might begin functioning with an artist who can sketch your invention first on paper.

10. Plausibly Estimate the Size of the marketplace

There is nothing wrong with dreaming, however, there is an extremely vital cautionary tale to be outlined the significant harm that can be done to possibility when inventors exaggerate the market dimension for their invention. You don't intend to be the one that with confidence declares: "Everyone is mosting likely to require to get this invention." No one ever attains 100% market share, and if that is what you expect you will be let down. If you are serious about establishing the real size of the market you will certainly investigate openly readily available info and dig through the data using practical assertions. According to U.S. Census information, in 2016 40.6 million individuals were living in poverty in the United States. The poverty line for a person was $12,228, while the poverty line for a household of 4 was $24,563. So precisely the amount of individuals can manage to purchase your invention? And then think about how many people could need the invention. Also check out https://theavtimes.com/2020/07/01/amazing-ways-inventhelp-can-assist-you-as-an-inventor/

[mybiasisexo]

Bet

Genre: angst | roommate!au | exlovers!au

Pairing: Lay x You

Length: 6.9k

Warning: Unfinished | Language | Adult Themes

Summary: Having a roommate isn’t a strange concept, but when that roommate is your ex? Things can get a bit complicated, especially if said roommate isn’t completely over you....

Author’s Note: For some reason, Yixing brings out the angst in me? I feel everything I ever try to write for him it’s highkey angsty like Jesus!! But this one ended fluffy. I just felt like, idk, it got boring? It got to cliche? I just didn’t like the way it was turning out and instead of trying to change the ending, I just scrapped the whole thing lmao. Really like the first half though, like I really did something there, huh? haha

MASTERLIST

credit

It was late evening and you were spending the time unwinding from a long day at work. A glass of wine at your side, you sat comfortably on the couch reading peacefully to yourself.

That was until the sound of a key unlocking the front door shattered the calm atmosphere.

Peeking over the rim of your gold reading glasses, you take in the intruder’s form. After stepping out of his shoes, his head swiveled around to meet your gaze, probably from sensing your stare. He nodded in greeting before dashing down the hall towards his bedroom, his door closing with a soft click.

It wasn’t always his room.

The mood you were in before he got there was now tarnished, as if you’d lost your appetite. With a sigh, you gently shut your book before leaning over to snatch ahold of the fragile neck of the glass holding the wine you had been sipping on. You downed every last drop of the blood red liquid, grimacing as it uncomfortably sat in your belly. Once that task was done, you leave to your bedroom—a room you once shared with the man currently inhabiting the one across the hall.

It’s safe to say that your life had gotten rather challenging lately. 

After another particularly draining day at work, you dragged one of your fellow coworkers, Kim Jongin, back to your condo for dinner. It wasn’t anything romantic. The two of you formed an instant bond after realizing you were the youngest people at the office you worked, thus leading to you getting closer, especially as of late. You usually would have dinner out or at his place, but made the impromptu decision to hold it at yours since he was whining the whole day about never being invited.

As you both crossed the threshold, his eyes widened in awe. “And I thought the outside was nice. I knew you were rich.”

Rolling your eyes, you led him deeper into the building. “My roommate makes a lot more money than I do, but we manage to live comfortably.”

“’Comfortably’.” Jongin scoffed, still taking in your home with a dazed expression.

After giving him a tour, you both settled on the couch in your living room, ordering takeout from three different places and putting a movie on. Once the food arrived, the two of you chatted and ate until you felt like puking and hung out like regular friends did.

About a couple hours in, you heard that dreaded sound of a key opening your front door. You stiffened anxiously, but Jongin didn’t sense your drastic change of mood, as he was too busy laughing violently—there really is no other way to describe the way he laughs—at the scene unfolding on the television screen. He did the whole bit: stomped his feet, slapped the pillow in his lap, and tumbled onto your own.

That was the position you were found in.

The clearing of a throat jolted Jongin upright. It was silent as he caught his bearings, wiping the tears that had fell down his cheeks as he regained his breath. Once he was composed, he blinked up at whoever made the sound.

Zhang Yixing stood beside the couch; scrutinizing your visitor who had sobered up completely with the dark look aimed his way.

“Um….” You scratched the back of your head awkwardly, not knowing where to start and hyper aware of the fact you were sat between both men.

“I see you have a guest,” Yixing finally spoke lowly. He pulled his gaze away from Jongin long enough to pin them on you. You gulped. His eyebrow lifted accusingly and, for some reason, shame overwhelmed you, as if you got caught in the act of something sinful. It caused you to slump into the couch and stare at your hands that were resting on your thighs. “Well, don’t let me intrude. Continue on.”

His words were friendly enough, but the tone revealed otherwise. He bid you both a farewell before taking off into his side of the flat.

Awkwardness flooded the area like a bad smell as Jongin and you shared a glance.

“Your roommate, I take it,” he said, throwing you a knowing look that didn’t go unnoticed.

You confirmed his statement with a simple nod.

“He seemed…like more than a roommate?”

You winced at his assessment, turning the other way in an attempt to hide your reaction. He sensed your reluctance to reveal anything and called your name, beckoning you to spill your secrets. With a groan, you gave in and spun around to face him.

“Fine! He just so happens to be my ex-boyfriend! Happy now?” You snapped. You had been hoping to avoid this conversation, aware of how bizarre your current living situation was. Not wanting to explain yourself was the main reason you hadn’t brought Jongin over in the first place.

The gears in his head started turning and you watched him process the information. With an almost audible click, he gasped dramatically as the truth dawned on him. Going as far as dropping his jaw and covering his mouth with his hand in shock. He pointed a shaky finger at you accusingly. “He…. You’re roommates with your ex-boyfriend?”

You brought your knees up to your chin, wrapping your arms around your legs, letting out a breathy, “yeah.”

“How, if I may ask, did that happen?” Now that he was aware of what was going on, he seemed more apathetic towards you.

“Oh boy.” You leaned your head against the back of the couch, staring up at your ceiling as if it held all the answers to life’s problems. “Yixing and I had been together for four years. Funny enough, we met the day of our college graduation. Went to the same college and didn’t even know until it was over. Anyways, as we grew closer and started our lives together, we, as most adults do, got super busy with our jobs. He’s really passionate about producing. He makes beats and instrumentals and sends them to huge entertainment companies. It wasn’t until he decided to send his lyrics in as well that he started getting picked up. In the past year, he’s kind of become a huge deal. He writes and composes songs for all kinds of major artists on this side of the world. You might’ve heard of him, his artist name is Lay.”

It took another moment, but then Jongin’s face fell into another one of shock. “I thought he looked familiar!”

“Yeah, he hangs out with all the famous people and has actually been preparing to debut as an artist himself.”

“So, is that why you broke up?”

You shrugged. “In a way. I got this new editing job and am starting to make connections myself. We both had been so busy trying to build our careers; we rarely had time to build on our relationship. One day he came home and I told him I wanted to break up. It’s not that I didn’t love him anymore; it was more like I loved him enough to realize I was hindering him, holding him back from becoming something great. Music is his main priority, the one thing he loves more than anything, loving me took some of that away.”

Jongin said your name softly, caressing your shoulder comfortingly.

“It’s fine,” you assured before continuing. “He took it very well. Almost too well. It stung a bit, I mean, he agreed almost faster than I could get it out! But it happened and the real issue arose: who kept the condo? Neither of us wanted to move. This place was our home, our sanctuary. The first real adult purchase we made together and it was filled with precious memories I didn’t want to move on from just yet. We argued over it for two days, until finally deciding it would probably just be easier for us to both stay. I mean, both our names are on the lease; it’s too expensive to live in alone and forget trying to find another roommate! This house is as much his as mine, so he just simply moved down the hall, into the old guest room he was using as a studio anyways, so it wasn’t like it was a drastic change for him. It’s been around ten months now and we’re amicable. I mean, the only thing we share is this living room and the kitchen and we rarely run into each other. It’s nice, I guess, all things considered….”

The past ten months replayed in your mind. The first two months were uncomfortable, to say the least. The shift from being lovers to simply roommates wasn’t as easy a transition than you led Jongin to believe. Seeing your ex-boyfriend everyday while cradling a wounded heart was beyond difficult, but you somehow managed. Threw yourself deeper into your work, hung out with both old and new friends, and joined a yoga class to keep yourself preoccupied. Before you knew it, the harsh sting of loss faded into a healing bruise that only hurt once pressure was applied. Seeing Yixing, as little as you did, wasn’t as bad anymore.

“Are you sure he doesn’t have any more feelings for you?” Jongin questioned hesitantly. “He didn’t seem too happy to see me here.”

Yixing’s deadly glare from earlier swam back to the forefront of your mind and you wondered briefly if he did still love you, but you immediately shook the thought away with a laugh.

“No. I highly doubt it. We’ve both had time to move on.”

“You sure?” Jongin asked again.

You nodded confidently. “Oh yeah. We’re just roommates.”

Jongin left soon after that conversation, not completely sold on Yixing not having feelings for you. Once he left, you got ready for bed. Yixing found you in the kitchen a little later, pouring a glass of water for your bedside table. You didn’t see or hear him enter, he’s always been a silent mover, constantly startling you with his sudden appearances.

Once you turned and saw him a mere breath away you flinched with a yelp.

“Yixing!” You scolded, clutching your chest to quiet down your speeding heart.

“Ah, sorry,” he said, scratching his head. He was also cladded in his pajamas like he would be retiring to bed soon.

You reassured him it was okay before digging in the freezer for some chocolate—a late night snack. He was still hovering around the counter, not attempting to get anything and it confused you. When you glanced at him, he was staring at you intently.

“Do you…need something?” You asked.

“Yeah,” he began with a start. “I was just curious to know, well, since when did you start bringing other men into our home?”

The question left you flabbergasted. He said it casually, but you could see the restraint in his neck. He was holding in his anger.

You narrowed your eyes at him. “It’s really none of your business, being you and I aren’t together anymore.”

“We may not be in a relationship, but this is my house just as much yours and I would like to know who is in it—especially when I’m not here.”

“It that the problem?” You questioned, remembering Jongin’s questions from earlier. “Would I still be interrogated like this if I had brought a girl over instead?”

“I—It—” He stumbled over his words and you rolled your eyes. That seemed to set him off. “We were together for four years! Yet it only took you a few months to move on to somebody else? Right in front of me?”

His words were biting, and had the same effect on you that yours had on him. “I’m not! As I said before, it really is none of your business, but if you must know, Jongin is just a coworker and he has a girlfriend! I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to have male friends, especially since you didn’t have a problem with it when we were together.”

“Of course I’d have a problem with it now,” he snarled like it was an obvious fact. When Yixing was angry, he didn’t get loud, he got quiet, and it was terrifying. “And if you can’t understand the reasoning, you’re blinder than I thought.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” You asked.

“You know what? It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.” He started backing up until he had exited the kitchen. He stormed back to the confines of his room, hollering as he went, “invite whoever you want! Have an orgy for all I care! It doesn’t matter how I feel about it. It never does!”

His door slammed shut behind him, causing you to jump again.

What the hell was his problem?

~*~

The following week was filled with stiffness. You hadn’t thought much about the conversation had with Yixing until you woke up the next day restless and unsettled. You couldn’t even bare to look at the man you lived with.

It had been the first time you both had a real conversation since the break up and it was riddled with things left unsaid. What had Yixing meant when he said you were blind? Why was he so angry at the thought of you bringing home another man? You understood if he felt uncomfortable having strangers in his house without his approval, but it didn’t seem like a good enough reason to garner such a reaction. Would it? It appeared deeper than that—his hurt. Yet, as much as you racked your brain, you couldn’t figure out why.

Deep down you knew, but were too petrified at the implications to humor it.

Instead you did what you do best and ignored the whole situation. You also ignored the strange empty feeling in your chest every time you thought of Yixing.

Saturday came and as soon as the elevator opened to your floor, you felt the bass of music vibrating throughout the hall. Your neighbor must be throwing a party. Great! Just what you needed after a long day of work.

As you got closer, you realized the music was not coming from next door, but in fact, your place.

Your mind goes into overdrive as your steps slow. Yixing hadn’t mentioned anything about a party. Sure, you weren’t exactly on speaking terms at the moment, but you had a right to know if he was going to be doing something like this.

The need to get answers spurred you into action, ripping the door open in record time. The cacophony of party noises nearly blew you back. Every surface was covered in drinks and food and you had never seen so many bodies in your home. After the shock wore off, you pressed on, diving head first into the sea of people.

As you searched for that one familiar face, you were stricken by how many other faces you recognized. Was that Dean in your house? You paused to get a closer look before recalling your mission. Determination overtook you and with a new sense of purpose, you continued squeezing through the crowd.

Yixing was nowhere to be found.

After checking the most congested areas twice, fear started blooming within your gut. Did he leave? Was this party done without either one of your knowledge? Before panic could properly set in, you saw someone who could probably help you out.

“Byun Baekhyun!” You roared over the music, causing the smaller man to visibly shake. He took you in with wide eyes before stuttering your name nervously.

Oh, he was in trouble.

“Would you mind telling me what the fuck is going on?” You said, closing in on him. He had been leaning against a kitchen counter, red cup in hand.

“I…. Yixing didn’t tell you?”

“Does it look like he did?” You asked, fuming.

“It’s a team party.” He didn’t waste anymore time stalling. He also wasn’t slurring his words and his face wasn’t as red as the cup in his hand, both tell tale signs of his intoxication, meaning he was sober. “Since Yixing is the founder of Zhang Studios, he took it upon himself to hold the event at his place. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you, it had been planned months ago….”

“Speaking of Yixing, where is he?” You continued interrogating the poor man.

Baekhyun did a weak scan of the area before shrugging. “Room maybe?”

Letting out an annoyed groan, you left Baekhyun and decided to give up for now. This time, when you saw Dean again you caught his eye and nodded in greeting, silently fangirling when he smiled and bowed slightly in return. Wow, he was beautiful. Relief flooded you upon realizing your room hadn’t been touched. You took a brisk shower to wash away the day and then made yourself as comfortable in your bed as you could. There was no way sleep was going to come, not with the way the walls were reverberating from the bass intermingling with the sounds of drunk people outside your room. That wouldn’t stop you from at least trying. As you lay there, you imagined all the pieces of your mind you were going to give Yixing once you finally saw him.

Somehow, between all the scenarios playing in your mind, you dozed off, only made aware of the fact when you were jerked awake by the door colliding into your wall, the chaos from outside pouring in. You sprang upright, catching the man of the hour stumbling in. He caught the door and slammed it shut, leaning against it tiredly.

You cursed yourself for forgetting to lock the door. 

Yixing soon noticed you on the bed, straightening up at the sight of you.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, voice croaking from lack of use.

“I…it was too loud out there and my room is currently occupied.” The way he said that had you guessing whoever was in there was making good use of his mattress.

“So my room was the best choice, Lay?” You questioned, growing irritated the longer you looked at him. “It’s your party, just tell everyone to leave.”

“Oh, so I’m Lay now?” He questioned, ignoring the second part of your statement. He shook his head before making his way over to the foot of your mattress, gingerly sitting on the end with his back facing you.

This was the closest you had been to him in months.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were throwing a party?” You asked.

“The same reason you didn’t tell me you were inviting men into our home,” he shot back instantly. 

You scoffed. “You’re really still hung up on that? I already told you it’s not like that between Jongin and me.”

“Of course I’m still ‘hung up’ on that.” He sounded tired, as if he were exhausted with having to explain himself. He took a deep breath before suddenly turning around so that he was facing you. “I…I miss you.”

Your eyebrows shot up to your hairline before you laughed dismissively. “You must be drunk.”

“No, I’m not. I’m being serious. I miss you.”

It was your turn to shake your head. “You see me pretty much every day.”

“That’s not what I mean.” He licked his lips before crawling closer until he was directly in front of you, knees pressing against yours through the comforter. “I miss your laugh and your lame jokes. I miss your cooking and the way you always hum when you’re really focused or nervous. I miss your friendship and your warmth. I miss you.”

“Yixing….” His confession was overwhelming and that odd sense of emptiness you had been feeling all week in the pit of your stomach was back in full force.

He closed his eyes and hummed appreciatively. “I miss the way you say my name also.”

When they reopened, they were alight, practically glowing in the darkness of your room.

“I---this…. Where is this coming from?” You questioned, nearly speechless from his words.

His features softened as he stared at you as if you held his world. It was a look you hadn’t received in months—if not over a year. Your throat tightened as he lifted a hand to rest his fingertips against your cheek, his thumb rubbing the soft flesh gently. He grinned and your heart stuttered.

“I’ve been holding back for a while because I didn’t want to make things weird, but I don’t know how much longer I can refrain myself.”

“Yixing, you’re drunk,” you repeated. “You’re not in your right state of mind. You can’t possibly mean any of this.”

“Do I look drunk?” He asked. The only thing he looked was offended. “Do I sound drunk? You know how I get when I’m intoxicated, I would have been sleeping in a corner somewhere hours ago if I were.”

“How can I possibly believe any of this when you agreed to break up?”

“I did it because I thought that’s what you wanted,” he informed. “I always put you first. If you were unhappy in this relationship, I wasn’t going to hold you back, no matter how I felt.”

“So, you didn’t want to break up?” You asked, tears starting to blur your vision.

“Of course not,” he whispered brokenly. “You have always been the most important thing in my life. You still are.”

“I just don’t know.”

He moved even closer, his nose barely brushing yours as he slightly tightened his grip on your face. “Let me prove it.”

And with that, he kissed you.

The first contact of your lips was just a whisper, him testing the waters. When you didn’t protest, he went in again, latching onto your upper lip with added force. His scent of pine and sweat and something that was solely him traveled up your nostrils, bringing you back to simpler times. His presence comforted you, allowing you to fall into his embrace. Your hands went up to cup his face and return the kiss with more fervor, prompting him to deepen the kiss. God, you missed him too, more than you would ever allow yourself to believe. He was everything you ever wanted, everything you ever needed, and right now proved that. His hands wandered up and down your sides and you shivered at his touch, starved from it for too long.

He pulled you mouth open with his, moaning slightly as he nudged your tongue with his own and the action seemed to break the spell you had been under.

You yanked his head back and your lips made an audible pop as they separated. It took him a second to grasp what happened and then he was gazing down at you with a hot yet dazed expression that made you want to kiss him again, but you held on. His dark hair was sticking up at all angles from the force of your ravaging fingers and his lips were starting to swell slightly. He looked a mess.

He looked delicious.

“Get out,” you murmured, glaring at your legs.

“What?” Shock was evident in his voice.

“I said ‘get out’!” You yelled, angry with yourself as tears formed in your eyes.

“But I thought—”

“Well, you thought wrong. Please,” you begged. It was silent for a long moment, but then he was moving. He quietly shuffled off your bed and walked to the door, hesitating for a second to peek at you before leaving with a heavy sigh, the door clicking lightly behind him.

With his presence gone, you were able to move, diving into your covers and burying your head into your pillows to muffle the screams before trying to calm down.

The music from outside died abruptly, the silence helping you swiftly fall asleep.

~*~

You wake up before your alarm the next day and head to work hours before your shift actually began. The last thing you wanted to do so early in the morning was be caught in the same area as him.

Jongin was pleased to know his suspicions were correct when it came to Yixing and tried to talk you into just going for it when it was obvious you still felt something for the man, but you declined.

Yixing was in the past.

It was for the best—your separation. At least, that’s what you had been telling yourself.

When you got home, you were met with a spotless place. All evidence of the party was gone, leaving you wondering if you had dreamt the whole thing. Making your way further into the house, you run upon Yixing with a Swiffer in his hands, mopping the dining room floor. He straightened up with a sigh, stilling at the sight of you.

You bounced on the balls of your feet, a nervous habit, under his scrutiny. His expression was unreadable, but that was as much an answer as any.

“Hey,” you let out in a breath after the silence had drawn on for too long.

“Hey,” he replied, voice reserved.

“You cleaned—”

“Look, I’m—”

You both stopped abruptly as you spoke over each other, another silence filled the air as you hesitated.

“You go first.” He finally urged gently.

“You, uh, you cleaned up.” You pointed out the obvious, gesturing around you to the shimmering house.

“Yeah, I—I wanted to apologize for last night,” he revealed, running a hand through his hair. “It was wrong of me to throw a party without talking to you first. Not to mention, what happened after….”

You cleared your throat awkwardly at the fresh memory.

“It wasn’t my intention to hurt or make you uncomfortable. I’m sorry for that. I was out of line and I really don’t have an excuse….”

His eyebrows furrowed as he continued rambling nervously. He appeared worried at first; leading you to believe maybe he was scared at the thought you were planning on kicking him out.

His sentence faltered, but you knew he wasn’t finished, so you didn’t say anything. The fear that once coated his voice was nowhere to be found when he opened his mouth again. 

“That being said,” he began. His tone was lower and his eyes were a few shades darker than before as he examined you with a steady gaze. The whole shift of his demeanor sent chills down your spine. “I had a lot of time to think and I’ve come to this conclusion.”

He set the mop aside and approached you until he was an arm’s length away. “I want you back.”

You eyes widened in shock, though in the back of your mind you should have known this was coming. 

“Being with you last night,” he continued. “I meant what I said about missing you. We work better together and I can’t believe I’ve allowed this to go on for so long.” 

“Yixing, what are you going on about?”

“I want to be with you again! This ‘arrangement’ we have going on is pure torture! Having to see you everyday, but not being able to touch you. Hell, nowadays it’s like I’m not even allowed to look at you! I just… don’t know for how much longer I can do this.”

“We both decided it was for the best to be separated for the moment,” you said, taking a safe step back.

“Yeah, but the moment’s past. I can’t keep living like this. Being with you, but not with you! Especially in this place where we built a life together.”

“That’s too bad!” You said, voice rising slightly with irritation. “I don’t think I want to change what we are now!”

“I knew you’d say that,” he revealed. “So, I came up with a plan.”

You lifted an eyebrow quizzically.

He took a deep breath. “Tomorrow is the first. Give me one month to win you back and, if by the end you still honestly believe you don’t want to be with me anymore, I’ll leave.”

“Leave?” You asked, voice scratchy.

He nodded in confirmation. “Yeah. I’ll move out and you won’t ever have to see me again.”

“Why?” You felt like the room was spinning and the urge to sit was strong.

“I already told you,” he said gently. “I can’t live in this house with you just as a roommate. Not when I’m still in love with you.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but found no words would come out.

He smiled sadly before closing the space between you, leaning in to leave a lingering kiss on you forehead. You gasped at the gesture. He pulled away and leaned his forehead on the spot he just kissed. “One month. That’s all I’m asking. Just one.”

The way your heart pounded against your chest felt like a weakness and, if there was one thing you hated most, it was feeling weak.

“Fine.” You agreed, shoving him away so that you could actually breathe and focus properly. “One month. And if by the end your plan doesn’t work—which I’m sure it won’t—you’re out of here.”

He smiled, a wide joyous thing and pointed at you. “I’m going to win you back!”

“Whatever,” you mumbled, rubbing your temples as you retreated to your room.

~*~

Yixing wasted no time in his scheme of seduction.

The following morning, you were awoken by the beautiful sent of breakfast cooking. You stumbled out of bed; eyes still sealed shut from crust as you made your way to the kitchen only to be met with Yixing.

Shirtless.

If that wasn’t enough to wake you up, you didn’t know what was.

“Morning.” He grinned once he spotted you, taking the pan from the stove and shoveling eggs onto two stacked plates. “I made breakfast.”

“I see.” You slid onto a stool by the dining room bar as he stood across from you, setting a plate before you. It was loaded with the works and your stomach growled. You wasted no time stuffing your face, having to hide a moan of pleasure. You missed his cooking. “You haven’t cooked for me in a while.”

“I know. I thought now would be the perfect time to.”

You gathered what he was saying between the lines and chose to ignore it, just like you were ignoring the fact that he was still shirtless. He wandered about, taking a bite of food before cleaning the dishes and putting things away. When his attention was diverted, you peeked up at his lithe frame, taking in all the taunt muscle wrapped around his torso. It looked just as firm and strong as you remembered it and now your mouth was watering from something else besides the food. His six-pack was still visible despite him being in the middle of eating and how come his abs were directly in front of you?

He cleared his throat and you coughed, choking on your food a little. Once you sipped on some water you built the nerve to meet his gaze. He was studying you with a knowing smirk. 

“You should put a shirt on,” you grumbled, attention back on your nearly empty plate.

“But I thought you were enjoying the view?”

“Shut up.”

His chuckles echoed as he went back to his room to fulfill your request.

So, this was how he was going to play?

The following three weeks were more or less the same. Yixing would come up with ways to get you to fall for him once again. Cooking meals, asking you about your day, massaging your back after a long day of work. Jongin’s eyebrows blended with his hairline the day you came to work with a ginormous bouquet of flowers on your desk sent by a Zhang Yixing. He questioned you for the rest of the week, with you only pushing the subject away.

As much as you wanted to deny it, Yixing was creeping back into your heart. You were beginning to remember all the reasons you fell in love with him in the first place and he was right when he said you worked better together.

But, at the same time, you were too stubborn to give in.

The last day of the month approached faster than you thought possible and you were kind of disappointed. You liked having Yixing’s attention again, liked the feeling of being wanted by him. But, after today, he would be moving out and once he was gone, there was no way you would be able to afford it, so you would have to move out also and this chapter in your life would be over for good.

It was bittersweet.

You tried not to be in your feelings as you opened the door after work. As you entered, you froze as you took in your surroundings.

All the lights were off except one lamp and the dim lighting cast a romantic glow over the red rose petals that laid on the floor.

“Welcome back.” You heard from the darkness, catching Yixing off to the side.

“What’s all this?” You asked.

He shrugged, taking a few hesitant steps towards you. “It’s the last day.”

You felt a pang in your chest from his words, but tried to hide the pain from him. “So what do you have planned today?”

Wordlessly, he took your hand, leading you down the hall that lead to your bedroom. He paused just outside of your door, where the small square above the ceiling was open, a ladder leading up into the attic.

“After you,” he murmured, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

You threw him a skeptical glance, but climbed ahead, knowing exactly where he was taking you. Once inside the dusty attic, you went to the small triangular window, pushing it open to the roof. 

You’re left breathless at the sight in front of you.

Yixing had already been here, coating the small area in the roses that lay below you as well. There were a couple small lanterns illuminating a purple plush blanket with pillows thrown haphazardly over it. In the center was a basket that you knew had your favorite dishes in it, being you could smell them. Ahead of you, the twinkling lights of downtown glittered like stars.

This used to be your spot.

“Do you like it?” Hands are on your shoulders as Yixing climbed in from behind you, his breath tickling the hairs on your neck and you gulped.

“It’s beautiful,” you revealed, eyes watering slightly from his efforts.

“Come.” He grabbed your hand again, dragging you over to the little picnic dinner he had made. Once you two were seated, he opened the basket, revealing that he had in fact brought your favorites.

You just stared at him in awe, blown away by the amount of effort he put in so far.

“Stop staring at me,” he said with a laugh, handing you a plate. “Eat.”

“I can’t help it,” you said after taking a bite. It was delicious. “I just can’t believe you’ve done all this.”

“Why is that so hard to believe?” He asked.

You shrugged. “It’s been a while since we’ve done something like this.”

He’s quiet for a moment, chewing thoughtfully. The way the light from the lanterns bounced off his features made him appear way more beautiful than you remembered.

Once he swallowed, he gave you his undivided attention. “I wanted to take us back to the times when we first moved in. When we first found this little spot. I thought that maybe you would remember what it felt like….”

“What what felt like?” You asked.

He rubbed his neck nervously before meeting your gaze. “What it felt like to be in love with me too.”

And as you both watched each other, you thought you were beginning to.

He cleared his throat. “Anyway, finish your meal before it gets cold.”

You do as he orders, smiling contently as you watched the view and listened to the hustle and bustle of the city below. A bottle of wine somehow made its way out, and before you knew it, you were a little tipsy.

“I wanted to show you something.” Yixing said after all the food was gone. He pulled a corner of the blanket back, revealing his favorite guitar. “I’ve been writing.”

He tuned it quietly before taking a deep breath and brushing his fingers against the chords, a beautiful melody transforming from his hands. It was amazing, slow and romantic, making you picture Spain or some other magically romantic location. He was so passionate when he played; it was something you hadn’t seen in him for so long, not until this bet happened. He began humming along, slowly building his sound until he began singing.

You missed his voice so much; you forgot just how beautiful it was. Goosebumps raised on your arms; more growing once you heard what he was saying. He sang about a forgotten love, a one sided love. Yearning to turn back the clock, to go to how things once were. It was obvious what he was singing about, who in particular he wrote it for. And the pain he had been suffering through was evident to the point where you could feel it in your heart. 

He got to the bridge of the song, lamenting about the past, hitting a high note that made you shiver before changing notes swiftly, to a song that rang more familiar.

He was now singing your song.

The one he wrote for you on your first year anniversary. The one he always sang to you whenever you were alone.

“Who am I without my melody? Just a hopeful song, lyrics to sing along to….”

Suddenly it was three years ago, when he first sang it to you. You knew at that moment that he was the One. The one you were going to spend the rest of your life with. How optimistic of you? How sad.

The last chord rang into the night, being carried away with the breeze and then you were on top of him. He froze for a second uncomprehendingly, but then you heard the clang of his guitar hit the cement ground and he was kissing you back with fervor so intense it felt palpable. All that could be heard was gasping and lips smacking and it was nearly dirty--your want for him in that moment.

His hands slid under your shirt, pulling buttons open with his wrists until they rested right below your chest, his thumb brushing against your swollen flesh teasingly.

“Bedroom,” you growled between kisses and he wasted no time hiking you up so that you were able to wind your legs around his waist, pressing yourself as close to him as possible so that you could feel his hard torso through his shirt.

It was a struggle, but he was somehow able to get you both back into your house without you ever having to get off, the only thing being you had to kiss other parts of him besides his lips, but neither one of you seemed to mind.

You felt the sheets underneath you as he gently placed you on the bed before resuming what was started. He was everywhere around you, overwhelming all of your senses, leaving your body on high alert with every touch of his fingers, even his breath left you shaking with need.

“I love you,” he whispered into the skin of your stomach. “I love you so much.”

As a reply, you pulled at his hair, dragging him over you so that you could look him in the eyes. “Show me.”

~*~

Pressure on your face brought you back to reality the next day. You heard chuckling as you opened your eyes to the brightness of the day.

“Morning, Love.” You heard Yixing’s voice and glanced up to see him smiling down at you. How much wine did you drink? You could barely remember what happened the night before, but your body was sore and oh no….

You ran your hand over the sheets to check that you were indeed naked and bit your lip. How did you allow yourself to break like this?

“I was just about to jump in the shower…” Yixing said, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. “Would you like to join me?”

“Um….” You took a deep breath. “I’m okay. You go first.”

He pouted dejectedly, but got up. You tried not to stare at his bare ass as he left.

Boy, oh boy, were you in trouble!

You swiftly got up, yanking the first articles of clothing you could find and groaning once you realized the shirt was Yixing’s. Needing a distraction, you found yourself flipping pancakes in the kitchen. But, it had the opposite effect because your mind was open. You had no idea what you felt for Yixing anymore. Of course there was always affection, you were together for four years, of course there’s affection. 

As you turned the tenth one you made, you felt hands on your waist and lips on your head.

“You made breakfast.”

You spun around, taking in Yixing as he wore only basketball shorts and a towel around his shoulders and gulp. “Yeah….”

He made a plate, sitting in the same spot you had the first day of the bet. “So, when should I move my stuff back into the bedroom? 

[ancientechos]

Lucubration

FFXIVwrite2020 | Masterlist

Ship: Emet-Selch x Arianna Rowen [WoL]

Expac/Verse: eldritch au (modern au)

Words: 1931 words

The old bookstore catches her eye as she’s on the way home. Mostly because of the...seeming abruptness of its appearance.

Arianna loves bookstores; the smell of them, the thrill of peering down the aisles to see rows upon rows of old, beloved, strange books, some with not a single other copy available. She would like to think she knows of every single store in her city...

But she’s never seen this one before.

Looking through the frosted glass, the store within has dark furniture but is well-lit. When she turns the old, rusted-looking handle, the store appears even more worn than she would have ever expected it to be. Dusty book covers, cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling...it’s as if this place had been here for years. Why, then, had she never stumbled upon it before?

The consternation is abandoned in favour of looking around the store. She gives a vague, flighty smile toward the shopkeep at the back -- an elderly, no-nonsense looking gentleman with graying hair and a severe glare through his glasses -- and peruses one of the shelves.

The atmosphere of the shop is dark, but that merely lends the place a homely quality. Arianna can see every spine, every imperfection, every stray dust mote that drifts through the air. That question stirs again at the back of her mind, but she quells it as she looks through the books.

Strangely, none of them seem to garner enough interest to make her want to buy them. Which, she can’t help but think, is a shame. She had so hoped there would be something here to capture her attention...

“Miss?”

A voice calls out to her just as she approaches the door to leave. The hair at the back of her neck stands on end as her fingers tighten on the handle, her face paling even as she turns around. She wants dearly to leave, and yet --

“I have something that might interest you! We just got it in yesterday, actually. A very unusual book.”

The logistics of how he might know any such book he has would interest her are, for the moment at least, thrust aside. Turning, she can see he has some sort of enormous tome on the counter. Her interest is, unfortunately or not, piqued.

She approaches the back of the store, looking down at the large book the shopkeep displays to her. It’s clearly weathered and old, having undoubtedly seen better days. Its pages are dark, its cover darker still. There is neither a name nor an author on its front or its side, and it is a tad too heavy to turn over for simple, casual use.

Spying a small notepad with a pencil on the counter next to the phone, Arianna quickly writes something for the man.

What is this?

“A very special sort of book,” he replies cryptically without missing a beat. He seems utterly unbothered by her odd manner of speech. “You look like the sort of person who could use a little bit of spontaneity in her life.” The smile he gives her is open and beguiling.

Her green eyes narrow somewhat.

What do you mean?

She’s not sure if she’s meant to be touched by his supposed “concern”, or offended.

He gives a mild chuckle, tapping the cover of the book with a long-nailed finger. “It’s just an unusual book, miss. Nothing else quite like it. The author’s unknown, it doesn’t even have a title. I’ve got some of my best investigators on the trail, and no dice. All we know about it is it was found among the possessions of some old house that ended up getting reclaimed. That’s why it was pawned off here, presumably.” His other hand swipes at the polished counter, removing nonexistent dust.

She supposes there is some appeal in owning a book no one else has. But...one of her brows quirk slightly as she looks down at the enormous book.

How much is it?

“Oh, for you?” The man’s grin is wide as he names his price. “And if you don’t like it, you can even return it for your money back. So long as you give it back within seven days, at least.”

That is -- far cheaper than she expected for such a supposedly bizarre book...

The man sighs as she walks out of the store, the tome in a box within the large paper bag she strenuously carries with her. He’d been right that she’s not necessarily an impulsive sort of person.

She is also, he suspects, the sort of person not too many would miss.

________ 

Arianna brushes her dark, curly hair back over her ear as she looks down at the box on her counter. She’d placed it here after coming home, left it while she unpacked her other shopping.

It truly is a heavy thing. She’d almost thought she’d have to go through the horror of having to call someone for help to get everything home.

But for now, all settled, she waits for her water to finish boiling so she might get to reading. She already feels that nervous, excited energy that comes whenever she’s about to crack open a new book, her fingers already itching to peel back the cover and unveil the secrets inside.

Not yet, not yet. She needs to control herself.

She exhales slowly.

Oh, that’s right! She can prepare everything else while she waits for the water.

The little table near the window seat groans with effort when she manages to heave the book atop it. She’s almost worried the legs might simply break entirely -- that’s how large and heavy that thing is. All the more to read...she hopes.

Fluffing the pillows and throwing a thin blanket on the seat, she draws the curtains just as the rain clouds begin to roll into view and darken the twilight sky ever further. She doesn’t mind the rain; it might make everything seem even more atmospheric.

Just as the water kettle finishes, she flicks on the small table lamp, before gliding into the kitchen to prepare her tea. The comforting scent of lavender and chamomile washes over her; Arianna cannot help but smile softly as she brings her brew to her favourite seat and arranges herself upon it.

Tucking her legs beneath her long skirt, she pulls the blanket around her and settles herself nicely against the pillows. Then she finally does what she’s been aching to do ever since getting home: she opens the book.

________ 

It’s sort of like a mythology book, though unlike any she’s heard of or knows about. The old, cracked pages are full of drawings of strange, unusual creatures, some more terrifying than others. The text is small and, in some places, almost  barely legible from neglect and wear. And even then, the margins are chock full of scribbled notes, tiny doodles, and explanations.

Almost as if whoever had written and drawn them thinks that this is all real.

Even she, for all her fanciful dreaming, knows very well such things don’t exist. Even if the thought would be nice.

Well, for some of them, at least.

Though that is precisely why she enjoys reading so much, to pretend. Maybe these scribbles are to make the book seem more authentic? Just something to make the book more exciting? Had it been artificially aged...?

Between sips of tea, she flips through the pages, her gaze curiously roving the words and (occasionally grotesque) pictures within. That’s when her eyes alight on a curious name...

Hades. Shepherd and devourer of souls.

Arianna has always enjoyed the concept of souls, so with a mild shifting in her seat, she begins to read more carefully. Some sort of ancient fiend with a taste for consuming the life force of mortals, and even other ancient beings...

Her lamp flickers. One dark brow quirks in confusion. She had just changed the light bulb the other day, hadn’t she? So there should be no reason...

Perhaps just an odd glitch of the lamp, or something. She doesn’t really know a lot about lamps, but she guesses that’s possible --

With one final sip of her tea, she lets the cup clink satisfyingly against the table as she continues her perusal of the book. It’s then that something brushes against her cheek, light, like a strand of hair. Or a cobweb...?

This is enough to make her jump slightly, as she brushes self-consciously at her face. Her lips twists indecisively. Curiously, she looks up -- just her dark ceiling.

Despite herself, she’s beginning to feel slightly uneasy. Perhaps the contents of the book are getting to her. She feels uncomfortably as if she’s being watched, though...of course that’s not possible. She’s drawn the curtains, locked the door and windows...there’s no one here.

She suddenly wishes her cup wasn’t empty.

Fidgeting her fingers, she continues to read as if nothing is amiss. It’s just her nerves. Nothing more. If she had another book with her...

But surely nothing wrong could happen from just finishing this one page.

That is everyone’s famous last words, isn’t it?

Because now she’s absolutely certain she hears a voice. She cannot make heads or tails of what it’s saying, or even whether it’s male or female...

But it is certainly a voice and and strangely, almost hauntingly silky in tone.

Regardless of the origin, it has Arianna leaping from her seat, tossing the blanket aside unceremoniously as she flicks the rest of the lights on. Heart nervously fluttering in her chest, she makes a desperate round of her entire apartment.

The voice is gone, and...there is no one there.

Her...imagination...?

Yes, it must be. There is no other explanation. With a nervous, shaky exhale, she settles back at her spot in the window seat and forces herself to relax. She has always thought too much; perhaps this is why this strange old book is so...unknown. Because it makes one think too much about...odd things.

She closes the tome.

And suddenly she feels very, inexplicably exhausted. Sighing, she reclines, tilting her head to rest against the window behind her --

And sees a red mask gleaming down at her, most definitely not a part of her curtains.

There’s a moment where she blinks, and the mass against her window blinks back.

Arianna nearly chokes on air as she shoots from the chair, stumbling backwards as she turns to look fearfully upon whatever it was was behind her. And -- it’s -- enormous. Black masses with innumerable faces, and gleaming white hands with gold claws --

She has not the slightest idea where to look, nor what she is even looking at. Dimly at the back of her mind, she has some vague realisation that she’s seen something similar before...in that book.

Hand at her throat, she backs into the kitchen counter behind her and fumbles for the fruit stand, discarding its cargo to brandish it in front of her. Is she...hallucinating -- ?

Though she sees no mouth, the voice from earlier returns -- but far louder, and this time most certainly masculine. But just like before, this voice is entirely incomprehensible. In fact, it hurts her ears a little to listen to it --

Her heart thundering in her chest, one of her hands lets go of her makeshift weapon to press against her temple in a grimace. The voice stops, followed by what is unmistakably a sigh.

“You didn’t understand an inkling of that, did you...?”

[eukennedy]

⟨ LORENZO ZURZOLO. DEMIBOY. HE/THEY. ⟩ though the mist might prevent some from seeing it, KENNEDY MORETTI-KING is actually a descendent of A T H E N A. it’s still a question of whether or not the TWENTY-THREE year old MEDICAL STUDENT from MILAN, ITALY has taken after their godly parent completely, but the demigod is still known to be quite BRILLIANT & SELFISH.

FULL NAME: kennedy moretty-king. NICKNAME(S): he prefers his full name, but gets ‘ken’, ‘kenny’ and ‘king’ often. AGE: twenty-three. BIRTHDAY: november 1st. GENDER: demiboy. PRONOUNS: he/they. ( mostly goes by he, but doesn’t care ) ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual. MAJOR: he’s currently in med school, but completed a bachelor’s of science in neuroscience. HEIGHT: 6′1". MORAL ALIGNMENT: neutral evil. MBTI: ENTP HOGWARTS HOUSE: slytherin. TRAITS: ambitious, intelligent, disingenuous, judgmental, quick-witted, selfish, petty, passionate, outgoing, charming.

short bio blurb.

for your first few years of life, your cries are met with warm consoling arms, kisses over scraped knees and meals around the dinner table. as you grow older, the concept washes out of sight like a salty tide: slowly, then all at once. your parents draw the lines and your nannies color them in, and with time you realize you might in fact be the only kid in history who doesn’t resent them for it. not one bit.

a son of two brilliant surgeons ( your godly parent delivered you as a gift, but your real mother is not athena ), your life has been filled with ten-minute holidays and interrupted birthdays. as you grew to understand it, you discovered you hardly minded much. after all, you inherited your parents’ desire for medicine and excellence, and you aspire to be so busy one day, crave it, actually, so you fill your need for attention elsewhere and allot the rest of your time to achieving perfection. you’re in the stars and you know it; there’s no time to hold success against the people that drove you there.

though your family’s social circle shifted its orbit to the rich and powerful, they remain grounded as ever. for this, your ego is your best kept secret at home. mother and father would grill you for your narcissistic reputation, so you hide it when you’re back for the holidays behind big smiles and perfectly plated meals. they want you to be proud, not arrogant, but it’s not your fault: you just can’t help that you’re always right.  

if you fall, though, you fall far –- the morettis and the kings don’t throw money at problems.

they solve them.

your desire for greatness burns bright in your belly and your affinity for it has a habit of taking over the more tender parts of your heart. you’re not cruel, just destined, and nothing puts you on your toes faster than a threat, so you remove them. poll ten people and seven might think you brutal in your ambition, but all is fair in love, war and the pursuit of knowledge.

you’re focused but more romantic than what meets the eye.  while chocolates and flowers aren’t your forte, but loyalty and dedication are. there’s no better lover than one who has a habit of sinking its teeth into anything they love, and you’re a dog whose never given up a bone in his life.

your softer inner workings are there underneath and you’re not ashamed, not at all, they’ll bring you the other piece of the puzzle one day. someone to help you hold that trophy high above your head and someone to smile while they do. vulnerability doesn’t set you back; it propels you, but you’re still skating around how to equip it just right. you’re prone to using words like fire to mask your ego, and communication fizzles out by a stinging touch.

now, you turn your head toward the future. the snap of latex gloves and the slice of a scalpel. the desire to invent, to perform, to heal – anything along the way is a blip, a moment, but nothing that can’t be solved when you refuse to stop. your fate is in your hands.

background breakdown.

kennedy moretti-king is the son of two famous surgeons: dr. giada moretti-king ( mostly known as dr. moretti ) and dr. jason king. both have made several advancements in their fields, dr. moretti herself working on innovative tools to advance laparoscopic surgery as a general surgeon, and dr. king as a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon.

dr. jason moved to america to italy where he met giada and that’s also where they were gifted little kennedy here, so he was raised in milan for the most part, where both his parents work at grande ospedale metropolitano niguarda. 

while many others have struggled to find where a godly parent or a demigod child fits into their lives, their family was completely different. kennedy was an experiment of sorts, a gift from athena to one of the most intelligent human couples that couldn’t bear their own children. for that, athena has remained relatively removed from kennedy’s life, though he’s almost always been aware of her existence. athena remains quite happy with kennedy and his parents raising him as their own, and kenny knows giada as his mother, not athena. 

although his parents were absent more often than not due to their demanding work lives, kennedy knew from a young age that he wanted to follow in their footsteps. raised mostly by various nannies over the years, kennedy was bothered when he was younger when his parents didn’t make it to every recital; however, this was mostly erased as he grew old enough to understand their occupations.

it was love at first sight when kennedy visited the hospital. maybe not the bloody surgery part, but medicine in general, the intense need to know about the body. why it worked the way it did. he was absolutely fascinated. the time he did spend with his parents was used to soak up all the knowledge he could, and they never minded much. it gave them common ground to love the same thing.

the kings were glad to have one son that wanted to follow in their footsteps, and so even if there’s a large distance between them at times, kennedy has always had a fairly good relationship with his parents, even if that comes with immense pressure. his parents would’ve been equally as happy should he had wanted to pursue something else ( all they wanted was a happy and healthy child ) but kenny’s desire to pursue the same line of work was a welcome coincidence. they teach him everything they know, but they’re well aware it won’t be very long until he knows far more than they do.

due to his constant pursuit of knowledge, athena’s never quite bothered to interfere in his life but the threats that lurk outside the protected walls were the reason kennedy chose to pursue education within eonia’s campus.

it should also be said that his parents are extremely dope people, they both did a lot of pro bono work, charity work and partook in doctors without borders. they are Rich Rich and so is kennedy, but they very much wanted him to have a down-to-earth experience. it failed, in some ways, but while kennedy could be years ahead in his studies, it’s limited so he’s only about a year or so ahead of his peers. they wanted him to have a social life! and not be an emotionally stunted child genius! but alas, it did not entirely work out <3

personality breakdown.

to say he’s a perfectionist is an understatement. he simply refuses to go into a field and be the flop of the family, so his pursuit of knowledge is pretty unparalleled. he takes his studies seriously, and doesn’t really relate to the college life of skipping 8ams to nurse hangovers.

not that he doesn’t have them -– but we love a man that perseveres.

wish i had his confidence of just assuming everything’s going to go his way. his label means force or necessity, and that’s because kennedy has a way of making things working in his favor with pure force. ‘kennedy, aren’t you worried you’ll fail?’ ‘no.’ ‘how?i’ ‘because i won’t let myself. duh’

although he doesn’t have the softest personality due to the lack of being hugged as a child, kennedy, at his core, isn’t entirely evil. he’s capable of caring about people and does. he’s a passionate person, and that can translate to love and loyalty for the right people. he doesn’t half-ass anything, so when he commits it’s on.

still, the boy has quite an ego. for him to think something is good enough to commit to takes a bit. he’s got particular taste, never backs down from a fight, and almost annoyingly always thinks he’s right. his ambition can sometimes blind him to the point of selfishness at times, even if his heart is in the right place.

he’s got his good qualities, though! for someone he loves, he’s there. he’s quite dependent when he wants to be, and he’s smart as anything. if you need help getting out of a jam, his brain is basically hardwired to know how to land on his feet.

kennedy is very organized and put together. never catch a wrinkle, even on his plain t-shirts. he shows his love through helping: he’s more likely to help you clean your dorm or organize your study notes for your test than deliver a monologue on his love for you, but it counts! you just need to know what to look for.

a brat but sometimes a lovable brat.

wanted connections.

a best friend. kennedy grew up without serious parental figures ( not by choice, but they were busy rip ), so i’d love a childhood best friend with him that accepts him for his personality flaws. he would be hella ride or die for this person, which he isn’t for much of anyone else, so that means quite a bit! someone to keep him grounded, call him out on his bullshit, but not completely destroy his ego.

exes. honestly, kennedy can be quite the petty betch. i can envision a lot of ugly breakups in his past OR we can plot some exes on good terms! he’s not totally emotionally stunted, can be quite a good boyf when he wants to be, but also a complete nightmare too. any gender feel free !

hookups. self-explanatory. college life. the nature of their relationship will be entirely dependent on the muses and their dynamic, but kennedy isn’t always the nicest to his casual flings depending on their dynamic. some friends with benefits could work, though, for positive casual connections.

enemies. okay, look at this bratty bitch. there is no way he doesn’t have some, if not many, enemies. he has a temper and doesn’t like to be told no, so if you ever wanna verbally spat it out, feel free. he won’t swing, tho. those are surgeon’s hands, baby.  

hate-to-love friendship. someone dopey or complete unambitious that somehow kennedy still loves despite them being total opposites. he doesn’t get why they don’t do their assignments, or why they fall asleep drunk in the bathtub twice a week, but he really can’t deny that they amuse him and he cares about them.

anything else!

[aion-rsa]

The Best Creepy Horror Movies

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Creepy isn’t the same as scary.

Of course horror movies can be scary simply by using loud noises and sudden movements to make their audiences jump, but creepy is harder to pull off. To be effectively creepy, a film needs to establish a certain atmosphere; it needs to draw you in and make you care. It needs to give you something to think about when you’re trying to drop off to sleep at night; to make you wonder whether that creaking noise down the hallway was just the house settling or something lurking in the shadows. Creepy stays with you. It gives you goosebumps.

Here are 85 of the best horror movies (in no particular order) to chill your bones. Enjoy the nightmares.

Us (2019)

Jordan Peele’s follow up to his award winner Get Out is another social horror. While it might not be quite as accomplished or coherent as Get Out (the end is a bit of a mess) Us is arguably scarier than Get Out as a family staying in a holiday home find themselves tormented by evil replicas of themselves. It’s a film that keeps you constantly on edge with the performances of the main cast – Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex – absolutely pitch perfect and never less than convincing as good and evil versions of themselves.

It Comes At Night (2017)

Though the marketing material was somewhat misleading, featuring the above scary-looking dude (who really isn’t a big part of the film at all), It Comes at Night, from director Trey Edward Shults is a claustrophobic slow-burner that insidiously ramps up the creep factor. Joel Edgerton plays the patriarch of a family holed up in a cabin in the woods to escape an unnamed wide spread virus. But when a man, his wife and their young child arrive seeking shelter his family life is disrupted. A coming-of-age horror with one of the bleakest endings around.

Mr. Jones (2013)

Nobody knows who Mr. Jones is. The artist is a recluse, but his bizarre sculptures have made him world famous. When a documentary maker and his girlfriend stumble across what looks like his workshop, they become obsessed with finding out the truth about Mr. Jones, but the truth isn’t particularly easy to stomach.

Read more

Games

20 Scariest Horror Games Ever Made

By Matthew Byrd

Movies

Best Modern Horror Movies

By Don Kaye

One of the most stylishly shot found footage movies you’ll ever see, the makers know the rules of the genre well enough that when they break them, it adds to the story rather than detracting from it. Also, those scarecrows are petrifying.

Under the Shadow (2016)

Set in war-torn Tehran in the late 1980s, Under the Shadow sees a would-be doctor battling the forces of evil for her daughter (and her sanity) even as everyone around her flees to safer ground. The juxtaposition of earthly and unearthly threats makes this a uniquely terrifying film, and Shideh (Narges Rashidi) is a wonderfully complex and sympathetic heroine. Not many films could make a sheet of printed fabric terrifying, but Under the Shadow manages it.

Gaslight (1940)

Bella (Diana Wynyard) thinks she’s losing her mind. She keeps losing things, and the lights in her house seem to flicker, even though her husband Paul (Anton Walbrook) tells her he can’t see anything wrong. Plus there are those footsteps upstairs… Just from that description, you might think that Gaslight will turn out to be a haunted house story, but the real explanation for all the weirdness is far more sinister than that. Walbrook does sinister like no-one else.

The Babadook (2014)

A character from a terrifying kids book comes to life to haunt a single mother (Essie Davis) grieving for the loss of her husband in this beautiful, sorrowful meditation on depression and despair. Top-hatted Mr. Babadook with his horrible, terrible grin is of course creepy as all, but Noah Wiseman as her needy and uncontrollable child gives him a run for his money in creepiness.

The Clairvoyant (1934)

Maximus, King Of The Mind Readers (Claude Rains) performs amazing feats of clairvoyance on stage every night in front of adoring audiences. The problem is, it’s fake – the mind-reading is all done through a secret code Maximus has invented to communicate with his assistant wife, Rene (Fay Wray). But one night, he meets Christine (Jane Baxter), and his abilities become real. He really can predict the future. If you’ve already guessed that’ll turn out to be more of a burden than a gift, you’re right. Gorgeously shot, wonderfully acted, this is a creepy delight.

Sleep Tight (2011)

The second Jaume Balaguero film on this list is just as bleak and horrifying as the first: Sleep Tight sees a concierge secretly breaking into the homes of the people he’s supposed to serve to try to make them as miserable as he is. When Cesar (Luis Tosar) finds one tenant is harder to upset than the others, his behaviour escalates until he’s committing unimaginably grotesque crimes against the poor girl. The ending will have you shuddering in your seat.

Lake Mungo (2008)

This strange found footage film from Australia takes the format of a mockumentary focusing on the family of a dead girl who think there are supernatural goings on surround their house. It owes a debt to Twin Peaks in its odd neighborhood vibe, and the twisty plot holds many surprises, as the movie wrong foots the audience time and again. It’s creepy throughout but by the time you finally discover what’s really going on it’s not only terrifying but emotionally devastating too.

Dead of Night (1945)

Probably the best horror anthology ever made, this Ealing Studios production includes five individual stories and one wrap-around narrative. The wrap-around sees a consultant arrive at a country home only to find that he recognizes all of the guests at the house – he’s seen them all in a dream.

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Movies

A Short History of Creepy Dolls in Movies

By Sarah Dobbs

Movies

Annabelle: Real-Life Haunted Dolls to Disturb Your Dreams

By Aaron Sagers

Spooked, the guests start recounting their own stories of the uncanny, each more unnerving than the last. Well, except for the one about the golfers, but that one’s just there for light relief before the film hits you with the scariest ventriloquist’s dummy ever committed to film. Just excellent, all round.

Hereditary (2018)

One of the most truly harrowing movies of recent years is Hereditary, the feature debut from Ari Aster. Toni Collette stars as a mother trying to hold together her family in the aftermath of a tragedy while around her supernatural goings on begin to escalate.

Read more

Movies

Hereditary: The Real Story of King Paimon

By Tony Sokol

Movies

Hereditary Ending Explained

By David Crow

Hereditary has been called The Exorcist for a new generation, though it’s so much more than that. In fact at times, Hereditary is almost too scary, so oppressive is it’s escalating anguish and dread. This one is pure nightmare fodder.

Nina Forever (2015)

Rob (Cian Barry) can’t get over his ex-girlfriend. Nina (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) died in a car crash, which is bad enough, but when he tentatively begins a relationship with his co-worker, Holly (Abigail Hardingham), he finds himself haunted by Nina. Literally. She materializes in his bed every time he and Holly have sex – she might be dead, but she’s not letting go.

“Creepy” doesn’t feel like a strong enough word to describe this film – “devastating” might do it. It’s a sensitive and horrifying portrayal of grief, with a sense of humour as dark as the inside of your eyelids, and some extremely upsetting gore. Brilliant, but not one for the faint-hearted.

Robin Redbreast (1970)

When she moves away from London to a tiny country cottage, Norah (Anna Cropper) expected the change to be a bit strange, but nowhere near as weird as it ultimately turns out to be. As she gets to know the locals, she finds herself being pushed towards a relationship with karate-loving Rob (Andrew Bradford), and while she’s initially game, she soon discovers that her choices are being made for her. It’s a little bit Wicker Man, a little bit Rosemary’s Baby, and a lot of creepiness.

It Follows (2014)

Inspired by a reccuring nightmare director David Robert Mitchell had in his youth,It Follows is a clever, freaky take on the slasher movie, featuring, well, a sexually transmitted ghost. Maika Monroe plays a young woman haunted by a shape shifting spectre after a sexual encounter who slowly but relentless trails her everywhere – the film plays with the audience expertly, making us guess whether background characters could really be the monster. Ultra modern and highly effective, this one will leave you jumping at shadows long after the credits roll.

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

A tyrannical landowner is plagued by, well, a literal plague in Roger Corman’s adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story. Vincent Price plays the Satanic Prince Prospero, who rules over his village with an iron fist, condemning people to death for the mildest offence and abducting any woman who takes his fancy, but all of his evils come back to haunt him when he throws a masked ball and Death shows up. Fittingly, it’s got the hallucinogenic quality of a fever dream, and the various incarnations of Death are wonderfully creepy.

As Above, So Below (2014)

A group of explorers heads deep into the Paris catacombs, only to find they’ve gone a little too deep and stumbled into an alternate dimension that might actually be Hell. It’s a brilliantly over the top concept, and the way it plays out is incredibly eerie. Yes, it’s found footage, and yes, it’s a little bit on the silly side – it chucks in quotes from Dante and a few too many sad-faced ghosts – but some of the scares along the way are properly frightening. Suspend your disbelief and let it freak you out.

Oculus (2013)

Eleven years ago, Alan (Rory Cochrane) bought an antique mirror… and then died, along with his wife. According to the police, they were murdered by their 10-year-old son. According to their daughter, the mirror is haunted, and something supernatural caused their deaths. Now Tim (Brenton Thwaites) is out of prison, Kaylie (Karen Gillan) wants to prove he was innocent by conducting an experiment on the mirror… But inadvertently puts both of them in danger all over again.

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Books

“God God – Whose Hand Was I Holding?”: the Scariest Sentences Ever Written, Selected by Top Horror Authors

By Rosie Fletcher

Movies

A24 Horror Movies Ranked From Worst to Best

By David Crow and 3 others

It’s chilling. The way director Mike Flanagan plays with reality, building unbearable uncertainty through camera angles and false memories, makes this film both incredibly scary and impossibly sad.

The Witch (2015)

After being cast out of a New England plantation for not interpreting scripture in the same way as the colony’s elders, a family strikes out alone, and soon discovers how inhospitable their unfamiliar new home country can really be. The Witch is a period piece, and the language is suitably archaic, but don’t let that put you off: it’s a brilliantly chilling portrayal of Puritan life, where belief can mean the difference between life and death, and horror is only ever one failed crop away.

The Amityville Horror (1979)

The Amityville Horror is the haunted house story. If you were only ever going to watch one haunted house movie, it should be this one, because this is the archetypal story: a family moves into a house where horrible murders happened, and then bad things happen to them. It manages a lot of things later imitators didn’t, though, which is that it makes the Lutzes’ decision to buy the house make sense, and also builds the horror slowly, so that they almost don’t notice when the things going wrong in the house switch from annoying issues to outright horror. If you’ve moved house in recent memory, this one’ll hit you where it hurts.

The Conjuring (2013)

If you were only ever going to watch two haunted house movies, the second one should definitely be The Conjuring. James Wan’s ode to ’70s horror has plenty in common with The Amityville Horror, but it also has plenty of ideas of its own – and at least half a dozen moments that’ll make your heart leap into your mouth.

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Movies

The Conjuring Timeline Explained: From The Nun to Annabelle Comes Home

By Daniel Kurland

Movies

Horror Movie Origin Stories: Directors, Actors, and Writers on How They Fell in Love With the Genre

By Rosie Fletcher

The camerawork, the music, the cute kids stuck in the middle of epic spiritual warfare… it all adds up to a completely terrifying experience. You’ll probably need to sleep with a nightlight for a week afterwards.

The Changeling (1980)

George C. Scott stars as Dr. John Russell in this classic ghost story, which is a favorite of The Others director Alejandro Amenabár. Following the tragic demise of his wife and son, Dr. Russell moves into a rambling Victorian mansion to compose music and pick up the pieces of his life. He’s soon being woken by relentless booming sounds coming from the heating system, precisely at 6am every day… Then there’s the old “apparition in the self-filling bath” trick (actually, this may be the first time this happened onscreen, but it sure won’t be the last).

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Movies

Dog Soldiers: The Wild History of the Most Action Packed Werewolf Movie Ever Made

By Mike Cecchini

Movies

The Best Horror Movies to Stream

By Alec Bojalad and 1 other

This is one of those movies which hits up all the clichés: people go into the dark, gloomy attic to search for clues, and to the library to look up old news archives on the microfiche; they visit the graveyard, and finally, hold a séance (which is overwhelmingly creepy). The eerie soundtrack and skilful storytelling result in a film which peels back its mysterious layers slowly for a satisfying finish.

The Hallow (2015)

If you go down to the woods today, make sure you don’t steal anything or break anything, or the Hallow will get you. Tree surgeon Adam and his family move into an ancient farmhouse to start sizing up the land for developers and quickly fall afoul of the supernatural creatures lurking in the trees, which turns out to be a really bad idea. This film’s got it all: foreboding mythology, grotesque body horror, and the most amazing line of foreshadowing dialogue you’ll ever hear.

The Uninvited (1944)

A couple of Londoners holidaying in Cornwall stumble across a gorgeous abandoned house on the seafront and immediately decide they want to buy it. The owner, a grumpy old colonel, is happy to sell it to them on the spot, but his granddaughter is reluctant. Turns out the house has got secrets, and, yeah, a ghost. The dialogue in this film is incredible in a very 1940s kind of way, and the tone can occasionally be accused of jolliness, but it’s also got its moments of proper creepiness. Best enjoyed with a glass of sherry.

Saint Maud (2019)

One of the best movies of the year, Rose Glass’s feature debut is a study of a young palliative care nurse who starts to believe she’s on a mission from God to save the soul of her dying patient.

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Movies

Saint Maud and the True Horror of Broken Minds and Bodies

By Rosie Fletcher

Movies

Saint Maud Review: Elevated Horror That’s a Revelation

By Rosie Fletcher

It’s a film about conflicts between mind, body and soul, but it leans her into genre territory as Maud (Morfydd Clark) hear God talking to her directly and punishes her own body in an attempt to feel closer to her spiritual side, while the cancer riddled Amanda (Jennifer Elhe) celebrates her body as it lets her down. Shot in Scarborough everything about Saint Maud is unsettling right up to the indelible finale. An absolute must watch.

Crimson Peak (2015)

Director Guillermo del Toro insists that Crimson Peak isn’t a horror film but is, instead, a gothic romance. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t creepy as all get-out, though. When aspiring author Edith Cushing (Mia Wasikowska) meets charming baronet Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), she falls madly in love and agrees to move back to his ancestral home, Allerdale Hall – aka Crimson Peak. But the house is crumbling and full of ghosts, and Sir Thomas’s sister doesn’t seem terribly friendly, either…

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Movies

Best Modern Horror Movies

By Don Kaye

Movies

Lake Mungo: the Lingering Mystery Behind One of Australia’s Scariest Horror Films

By Rosie Fletcher

Del Toro’s visual flair is in full effect here, and every frame of this film (even the scary ones) are stunningly beautiful to look at. It’s a treat.

Baskin (2015)

A group of cops answers a call from the middle of nowhere and unwittingly stumble into something that can only be described as ‘a nightmare’ in this skin-crawlingly nasty Turkish horror. Abrasive, aggressive and deliberately difficult, this is the kind of film that burrows deep into your brain, only to resurface later at the worst possible time. Then again, by the time you’re stranded in the middle of nowhere with only dead colleagues and Silent Hill-style monsters for company, you probably don’t need memories of a horror movie to freak you out.

His House (2020)

A Netflix movie which could make a mark come award’s season the directorial debut of Remi Weekes sees a Sudanese refugee couple seek housing in London only to find themselves haunted by ghosts of the past and present. This is proper horror and it’s creepy as hell but it also leans into the horror of the refugee situation with the two marginalized, restricted, and treated as outsiders from the start – it’s a powerful but uncomfortable watch.

Host (2020)

The defining horror of 2020 – written, shot, edited and released on Shudder in just 12 week – Host is so much more than a lockdown gimmick. Following a group of friends who decide to do a seance via a Zoom chat, this ingenious movie trades on the real life friendships of the cast and crew and the absolute ubiquity of the video software during isolation. It’s seriously creepy too, utilising visions in the shadow but later some seriously impressive stunt work. Director Rob Savage and writer Jed Shepherd have signed up for a three picture deal from Blumhouse on the strength of this movie which absolutely needs to be seen.

The Haunting (1963)

Not to be confused with the remake of 1999, this retro gem not only features some classic sequences of spooky happenings, but a philosophical take on the paranormal. As John Markway says, “The preternatural is something we don’t have any natural explanation for right now but probably will have someday – the preternatural of one generation becomes the natural of the next. Scientists once laughed at the idea of magnetic attraction; they couldn’t explain it, so they refused to admit it exists.

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Movies

House of Dark Shadows: The Craziest Vampire Movie You’ve Never Seen

By David Crow

TV

How The Twilight Zone Influenced Are You Afraid of the Dark?

By Chris Longo

Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson) is investigating the mysterious Hill House, whose inhabitants often die in odd circumstances. With him he has Luke (Russ Tamblyn), the cynical heir to the home, the psychic Theo (Claire Bloom, way too cool for school) and Julie Harris as Eleanor, who has some ghosts of her own but figures a free stay in a mansion is as close to a holiday as she’s going to get. Markway is pleased the ladies haven’t done any research into the bad reputation of the house “So much the better. You should be innocent and receptive.” (The old dog.) This is a great, character-driven story with a dry sense of humor, and a mysterious heroine who feels oddly at home with the supernatural.

Unfriended (2014)

A cautionary tale about the dangers of cyberbullying, Unfriended achieves the seemingly impossible and manages to make the standard sound effects of everyday computer programs terrifying. The whole story is told through one character’s desktop, so you get to watch as she Skypes with her friends, posts to Facebook, or picks something to listen to on Spotify. The details are fascinating, and it’s kind of brilliant how the filmmakers manage to express so much about a character through her browser bookmarks and the messages she types, but doesn’t send. Once the horror kicks in, though, you’ll be too scared to notice much more of the cleverness.

Shutter (2004)

Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee) is driving back from a wedding with her boyfriend Tun (Ananda Everingham) when she hits a girl – in a panic, they leave the body lying in the road and try to get on with their lives. They start feeling rattled when Tun’s photography is blighted by misty shadows and they both suffer from the odd hallucination which seems to show that their hit and run victim (Achita Sikamana) isn’t resting in peace.

Where would horror films be without photographic dark rooms? Even in the digital age, the dim red light and slowly emerging pictures remain classic tools of terror. Not to mention the room with rows of jars containing pickled animals, and the surprise homage to Psycho. This story has it all. There are also touches of dark humor throughout (the praying mantis is a recurring motif) and one of the most bone-chilling scenes has a hilarious payoff.

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TV

How A Creepshow Animated Special Pays Tribute to Series Legacy

By Matthew Byrd

Movies

The Weird History of A Chinese Ghost Story Franchise: Horror Comedy at its Wildest

By Gene Ching

Directors Banjong Pisanthanakun and Parkpoom Wongpoom skilfully create real characters and have the ability to communicate some of the most powerful and eloquent moments without dialogue.  The mystery deepens as more sinister evidence comes to light and the climax is truly chilling. This is one which will stay with you long after Halloween.

Spider Baby (1967)

The Merrye children live out in the middle of nowhere, with only one another and their family chauffeur, Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr) for company. Which is for the best, because they’re all afflicted with the family curse – a bizarre quirk of genetics that causes members of the Merrye family to begin to de-evolve once they reach a certain age. When some distant relatives come to visit, intending to challenge the kids’ right to stay in the house, things go sour fast. It’s a horror comedy, this one, but if you’re not a little bit creeped out by Virginia (Jill Banner), the Spider Baby of the title, and her spider game, well, good luck to you.

What Lies Beneath (2000)

Robert Zemeckis directs Michelle Pfieffer and Harrison Ford in this glossy supernatural thriller, with predictably high quality results. Clare and Norman Spencer live the perfect life – especially now their daughter has left for college and they’re enjoying empty nest syndrome. But the neighbors are causing some concern – especially when the wife disappears and Claire believes she is trying to communicate with her from “the other side.”

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Movies

8 Essential Gothic Horror Movies

By David Crow and 1 other

Movies

Horror Movie Origin Stories: Directors, Actors, and Writers on How They Fell in Love With the Genre

By Rosie Fletcher

Zemeckis has admitted that this is his homage to Hitchcock, and true to form, the suspense builds deliciously slowly. When Claire starts seeing faces in the bathtub (where else?) she goes to talk it over with a psychiatrist. A session with a Ouija board proves that somebody is trying to contact Claire, and it’s not long before she’s stealing keepsakes from grieving parents and reading books with chapters helpfully entitled “Conjuring the Dead.”

The result is a strong movie whether you’re enjoying the ghost story or the “Yuppies in peril in a beautiful house” aspect of it (and it doesn’t hurt that Michelle looks luminously beautiful).

Cat People (1942)

Serbian immigrant Irena doesn’t have a friend in the world when she meets Oliver. He’s kind and attentive and they soon fall in love, despite Irena’s lack of physical affection. She’s convinced she’s living under a curse that will mean she’ll transform into a panther and kill any man she kisses, and despite seeing a (deeply inappropriate) psychiatrist, she can’t shake her beliefs. Oliver is initially patient but eventually finds himself falling for his much more reasonable colleague, Alice. There’s no way this love triangle can end happily and, well, it doesn’t. Cat People is sad as well as eerie, with an increasingly paranoid atmosphere enhanced by skillful shadow play.

The Nameless (1999)

Five years after her daughter Angela went missing, presumed dead, Claudia starts getting weird phone calls. A female voice claims to be Angela, and begs her mother to save her. A series of weird clues leads Claudia to investigate a weird cult… but when things slot into place too easily, it seems like someone might be luring her into a trap. Thematically, The Nameless is similar to Jaume Balaguero’s later film Darkness; there’s a similar feeling of hopelessness and despair, a creeping horror that doesn’t let up, topped off with a horribly downbeat ending. Brrrr.

Dead End (2003)

The Harrington family are driving home for Christmas when they decide to take a shortcut. Obviously, that turns out to be a bad idea. Picking up a mysterious hitchhiker is an even worse idea. Dead End isn’t a particularly original movie, and it does have a truly awful ending, but there’s something about its characters, its atmosphere, and the way it tells the well-worn story that’s really effective. And creepy, of course.

The Others (2001)

Every ghost story introduces an element of uncertainty: are these things really happening, or are they in your head? Like The Innocents, The Others is partly inspired by Henry James’ novella The Turn Of The Screw. Grace (Nicole Kidman) has turned being neurotic into a fulltime job; her children apparently suffer from a sensitivity to light, which means the gothic mansion they inhabit must be swathed in thick curtains at all times. This makes things difficult for the new servants, who have turned up in a most mysterious manner… 

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TV

31 Best Horror TV Shows on Streaming Services

By Alec Bojalad and 1 other

TV

Best Horror Anime To Watch on Crunchyroll

By Daniel Kurland

Grace’s daughter has an imaginary playmate called Victor; her insistence that there are “other people” in the house vexes Grace until she begins to hear them, too. A piano playing by itself, shaking chandeliers and some truly traumatic hallucinations add to the panic as Grace questions exactly who she is sharing her home with. The tension builds to almost unbearable heights before a truly haunting ending. An intelligent script with a superb twist, quality acting and an atmospheric set (complete with graveyards, mist and autumn leaves) – what more could you want in a creepy movie?

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

“It is happening, and no one is safe.” Night of the Living Dead features some of the most brilliantly ominous radio broadcasts in all horror. When a group of strangers end up trapped in an isolated farmhouse together after the dead begin to rise, no one is in the mood for making friends, and it’s their own prejudices and stubbornness that leads to their downfall. (Well, that, and the fact that no one realized getting bitten by a ghoul would lead to death and reincarnation. Oops.)

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TV

The Walking Dead vs. Real-Life Survivalists: How to Prep for The Zombie Apocalypse

By Ron Hogan

Movies

Night of the Living Dead: The Many Sequels, Remakes, and Spinoffs

By Alex Carter

The zombie imagery is some of the most haunting ever committed to film, as vacant-eyed ghouls wander in and out of the shadows, chewing on dismembered body parts as they lurch around, constantly in search of fresh meat…

Candyman (1992)

Say his name five times into a mirror and the Candyman appears. Despite his sweet-sounding name, that’s not something you really want to do: Daniel Robitaille was a murdered artist, stung to death by bees in a racist attack, and so he tends not to be in a good mood when he shows up. Set in an urban tower block, this film demonstrates that horror can strike anywhere, not just in spooky old mansions in the middle of the countryside. It’s gory, grimy, and really quite disturbing.

M (1931)

A child murderer is stalking the streets of Berlin and, as the police seem unable to catch him, tensions run high. In an attempt to stop the nightly police raids, the town’s criminals decide to catch the killer themselves, and a frantic chase begins. Though there’s no actual onscreen violence, Peter Lorre is amazingly creepy as the whistling killer, and there’s a sense of corruption pervading the whole film. (Since both Lorre and Fritz Lang, the director, fled the country in fear of the Nazis soon after the film was made, it’s tempting to speculate on what M might be saying about Germany at the time, which only makes it all the creepier.)

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

An early example of the found footage genre, The Blair Witch Project has been aped and parodied by everyone and their grandma, but there’s something unsettling about it that hasn’t quite gone away. Most of the film is improvised; the actors are really filming the scenes themselves, working from a loose outline of the plot, but without prior knowledge of what half the scares were going to be. That ambiguous ending lets you make up whatever explanation you like for the events of the film, which means whatever the scariest thing you can think of is, that’s what the film is about.

The Orphanage (2007)

Laura (Belén Rueda) is returning to her childhood orphanage with her husband and son in order to open it as a care home for children with disabilities. She’s busy, but still has time to notice that seven year old Simón (Roger Príncep) has found an imaginary friend, Tomas. He might have a sack over his head, but what’s a little creepy mask between pals?

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Movies

The Scariest Films Ever Made and How They Frighten Us

By Matt Glasby

Movies

Katharine Isabelle on How Ginger Snaps Explored the Horror of Womanhood

By Rosie Fletcher

Simón is adopted, so it’s only a little odd when a social worker shows up without an appointment. It’s slightly more odd that she’s snooping around in the shed at night. During a daytime party, Laura has an encounter of her own with a masked child, and then experiences every parent’s nightmare: Simón is missing. What follows is the story of a mother who takes the search for her son to the limits of her sanity. Geraldine Chaplin makes an appearance as the medium who conducts possibly the most spine-tingling of all onscreen séances, and there are some truly terrifying shocks during Laura’s search for the truth.

Director JA Bayona makes every shot count; the movie is visually beautiful as well as fantastically sinister. It’s a bona fide horror film but the ending might make you cry.

Ring (1998)

Ring isn’t a perfect film. It’s a bit too long and ponderous and there’s a bit too much irrelevant mysticism in there. But in terms of pure creepiness, it’s pretty damned effective. The idea of a cursed videotape was brilliant – who didn’t have zillions of unmarked VHS tapes lying around the house at the time? – and that climactic scene where the image on the screen crossed over into reality is bloodcurdling. Sneaky, too, since it managed to suggest that no one was safe. Especially not you, gentle viewer, because didn’t you just watch that cursed tape, too? An awful lot of people must have breathed a sigh of relief once their own personal seven-day window was over.

The Innocents (1961)

Based on Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, this film sees a young governess heading out to an isolated old house to take care of two young children who appear to be keeping secrets from her. Their previous governess died, along with another of the house’s servants, but their influence still seems to be lingering about. Or is it? Just like in the original story, it’s possible to read the ghosts either as genuine spectres or as the fevered imaginings of an over-stressed and under-sexed young woman. Either way, though, the film is terrifying.

The Skeleton Key (2005)

In a decaying house on an old plantation, an old man is dying. Caroline is hired as his carer, but although her job should be simple enough, she begins to suspect that something weird is going on – especially when she finds a secret room in the house’s attic filled with spell books and other arcane bits and bobs.

Is the old man actually under a spell? Why does he seem so terrified of his wife? And might Caroline herself be in danger? The Skeleton Key is one of those films that’s far better than it has any right to be; it slowly ratchets up the tension to a crazy finale and ends on an incredibly creepy note.

Insidious (2010)

Insidious uses just about every trick in the book to creep out its audience, and for some people, that might seem like overkill. There are lurking monsters around every corner; there’s a child in peril; there are wrong-faced nasties; and there are screeching violins every five minutes. On repeat viewings, the plot doesn’t quite hold up (halfway through, the film switches protagonists, which is baffling) and the comedy relief seems grating rather than funny. But the carnival atmosphere, the nods to silent German Expressionist films, the demon’s bizarre appearance, that dancing ghost… there’s something brilliant about it, nonetheless.

Dark Water (2002)

Part of the initial wave of soggy dead girl movies, Dark Water is occasionally very daft, but still effectively creepy. Yoshimi Matsubara is a divorcee, forced by circumstances to move into a crumbling apartment block with her young daughter, Ikuko. Their new home isn’t in the nicest of areas, but it might be alright if it weren’t for the leaky ceiling – and, um, that creepy little girl lurking in the shadows, the one who’s never there when you take a second look. Directed by Hideo Nakata and based on a book by Koji Suzuki, Dark Water might not be as terrifying as Ring, but it’s still pretty eerie.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

The effects are dated, and the sequels utterly killed Freddy Krueger’s menace, but the first A Nightmare on Elm Street film is still creepy, in its way. The premise is amazingly disturbing – a dead child molester is attacking children in their dreams – and, combined with some of the deeply weird nightmare imagery in this film, it’s more than enough to give anyone a few sleepless nights. All together now: one, two, Freddy’s coming for you…

Uzumaki (2000)

Slowly, inexplicably, a small town is taken over by spirals. Some people become obsessed; others are killed, their bodies twisted into impossible positions. Uzumaki is a live action adaptation of the manga of the same name, and it’s incredibly weird. Unspeakably weird. Visually, it’s incredible, although the green filters look less interesting than they used to due to overuse by every horror and sci-fi movie since. Still, most films don’t go to the extremes that Uzumaki does.

The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

Yup, it’s another soggy dead kid movie, but this time the kid is a boy and the action is set in civil war-era Spain. A young boy is sent to a creepy orphanage, where the other boys scare one another by telling stories about the resident ghost, Santi, who was killed when the orphanage was bombed. Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, this isn’t your average ghost story – it’s a companion piece to Pan’s Labyrinth, but it’s much more of a horror movie than its better known counterpart.

The Vanishing/Spoorloos (1988)

Saskia and Rex are on holiday when Saskia suddenly, inexplicably, disappears. Rex dedicates his time to trying to find her, but to no avail. He can’t move on, can’t live with the uncertainty, so when Saskia’s kidnapper reveals himself and offers to show Rex what happened to her, his curiosity wins out. It’s a simple yet eerie story with an utterly devastating ending.

Audition (1999)

Takashi Miike’s Audition is more often described as extremely disturbing rather than creepy, but if you can get over that ending (which, let’s be honest, most of us watched through our fingers or from behind a cushion while shouting “NO NO NO NO NO” at the screen), the rest of the film may well creep you out. It starts off slow: a middle-aged man is thinking about dating again, but rather than trying to meet women via traditional methods, he holds a series of fake auditions for a non-existent movie. He meets Asami, a shy dancer, and starts wooing her – but Asami isn’t as sweet and innocent as she seems. Pretty much every character in this movie is an awful person, and the way they treat one another is disturbing on many, many levels.

One Missed Call (2004)

Also directed by Takashi Miike, One Missed Call is a parody of the endless string of soggy dead girl movies made in Japan at the time. But somehow it’s still really creepy. The premise is that, as the title suggests, teenagers are receiving missed calls on their mobile phones. The mystery caller leaves a horrifying voicemail: the sound of the phone’s owner screaming in agony. And since the call came from the person’s own phone, and appears to come from a few days in the future, it’s clearly a sign of impending doom. Sure enough, the kids all die just as the missed call predicted. There’s a nasty little backstory about evil little girls, and a bonkers televised exorcism, and generally, it’s a great film whether you love or loathe stories about scary dead kids.

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

You might’ve thought about how you’d survive the apocalypse, but have you ever stopped to consider whether it’s actually worth doing? In The Last Man On Earth, Vincent Price is the only survivor of a mysterious plague that’s turned the rest of humanity into walking corpses, hungry for his blood. Every day, he tools up and goes out to kill the bloodsuckers; every night, they surround his house and try to kill him. It’s a dismal way to live, and a depressingly eerie film. It’s based on Richard Matheson’s novel I Am Legend – so skip the Will Smith adaptation and watch this instead.

A Tale Of Two Sisters (2003)

Part melodramatic family drama, part psychological horror, A Tale Of Two Sisters is all scary all the time. When a pair of sisters return from a mental hospital, having been traumatised by their mother’s death, they find their new stepmother difficult to adjust to. The nightly visitations from a blood-dripping ghost don’t help, either. But as always in these kinds of films, nothing is what it seems – you might need a second viewing to get your head round the ending.

Night of the Hunter (1955)

Robert Mitchum might have claimed not to be interested in movies or acting, but he’s great in this. As Harry Powell, a bizarrely religious conman, he’s terrifying, whether he’s preaching about the evils of fornication or chasing the children of his latest victim across the country in an attempt to steal a stash of money he knows they’re hiding. The use of light and shadow in this movie is just stunning; the first time Powell arrives at the Harper house is a particular highlight. Robert Mitchum’s singing voice isn’t half bad, either.

Peeping Tom (1960)

Peeping Tom was so controversial when it was released that it effectively ended director Michael Powell’s career. It’s violent, voyeuristic, and since it tells a story from the villain’s point of view; it’s entirely unsavoury. And it’s wonderful. It looks great, it has an amazingly twisted (and tragic) plot, and Carl Boehm is brilliant as Mark, the awkward, mild-mannered psychopath who feels compelled to murder as a result of his father’s deranged experiments. (That’s not a spoiler, by the way – but if I told you how he killed his victims, that might be.)

Psycho (1960)

Happily, 1960’s other movie about a disturbed serial killer was less of a career-killer. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is wonderful, sodden with guilt and tension right from the opening scene. It’s a shame that so many of its twists are so well-known now, because watching this without knowing what was going to happen must have been brilliant. It’s still great – beautiful to watch, genuinely tense and frequently unnerving – but it has lost some of its shock value over the years. (Also, the bit at the end where the psychiatrist explains everything in great detail is utterly superfluous.) Anthony Perkins’ final twitchy, smirky scene is seriously creepy though.

City Of The Dead / Horror Hotel (1960)

Getting the timing of a holiday wrong can have disastrous consequences, as City Of The Dead illustrates. Nan Barlow is a history student who, under the tutelage of Christopher Lee’s Professor Driscoll, becomes fascinated with the history of witchcraft, and decides to visit the site of a famous witch trial… but she arrives in town on Candlemas Eve, probably the most important date in the witches’ calendar. Um, oops.

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City Of The Dead is often compared to Psycho, and there are enough similarities between the films that you could assume it was a cheap rip-off – but though the campy US retitling supports that assumption, this was actually made before Hitchcock’s motel-based chiller. It’s definitely creepy enough to be worth watching on its own merits.

Village Of The Damned (1960)

For no apparent reason, one day every living being in the English village of Midwich falls unconscious. For hours, no one can get near Midwich without passing out. When they wake up, every woman in the village finds herself mysteriously pregnant. Obviously, their children aren’t normal, and something has to be done about them… Based on John Wyndham’s novel The Midwich Cuckoos, Village Of The Damned is more of a sci-fi movie than a horror movie – but it’s super creepy nonetheless.

Dolls (1987)

Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon toned things down a bit for this creepy fairy tale, but not much. When a group of awful human beings are forced to spend the night in the home of a couple of ancient toymakers, they soon get their comeuppance at the hands of – well, the title gives that away, doesn’t it? You’ll never look at Toys R Us in the same way again.

The Woman In Black (1989)

When a reclusive old lady dies in an isolated house out in the marshes, a young lawyer is sent to sort out her estate. But there’s something weird about her house, and the townspeople aren’t keen on helping sort things out, either. The TV version of this movie is far, far creepier than the Daniel Radcliffe version; there’s one moment in particular that will etch itself on your brain and continue to creep you out for years after you see it…

The Perfume of the Lady in Black (1974)

Beautifully shot with a great score, The Perfume of the Lady in Black is a dreamy, unsettling film where nothing is ever as it seems. The wonderfully named Mimsy Farmer plays Sylvia, a scientist haunted by melancholy and hallucinations. She’s never quite recovered from her mother’s suicide, and when she goes to a party where talk turns to witchcraft and human sacrifice, her sanity starts to unravel. But are her problems really all in her head, or is there something else going on? The film doesn’t reveal its secrets until the very end, when all that creepiness pays off spectacularly.

May (2002)

May was always a weird child, and unfortunately she’s grown into a weird adult, too. Unable to form any meaningful relationships with the people around her – not even a class of blind children she thinks might be kinder to her than the people who can see how strange and awkward she is – May decides she’ll need to take this “making a friend” business into her own hands. Dark and twisted and incredibly gory, May is as sad and sweet as it is creepy. A lot of that is attributable to Angela Bettis, whose performance is adorably unnerving.

Nosferatu (1922)

In this unauthorised take on Dracula, the evil Count is depicted not as a tragic or romantic anti-hero, but as a horrifying embodiment of the plague – complete with an entourage of rats. Max Schreck makes a brilliantly weird-looking vampire, all teeth, ears and fingernails; his shadow is especially unnerving. Although the ending as presented seems a little abrupt, it’s conceptually horrifying – as is the fact that, due to a copyright claim filed by Bram Stoker’s estate, all but one copy of this movie was destroyed back in the 1920s.

Vampyr (1932)

In a spooky old inn, Allan Grey is visited in the night by an old man who leaves him a gift-wrapped book, with instructions to open it only on the occasion of the man’s death. Which turns out to be soon. The book explains that the town is plagued by vampires – and, helpfully, gives instructions on how to kill them. Vampyr is an early sound film, so while there is some sound and a little dialogue, most of the silent film conventions are still in place. It has a fairly straightforward, Dracula-esque story, but the plot’s not the point. It’s a deliberately strange film, full of disembodied dancing shadows and weird dream sequences; there’s something almost otherworldly about it.

Dracula (1931)

Bela Lugosi is the definitive Dracula. With his eerie eyes and wonderful accent, he’s brilliantly threatening as the charming Count, but despite his iconic performance here, he’s not the creepiest thing about this film. Nope, that honor goes to Dwight Frye’s portrayal of Renfield, the lunatic spider-eater under Dracula’s control. He’s amazing, all awkward body language and hysterical laughter. Lugosi’s oddly cadenced speech has been emulated and parodied a zillion times, which takes away some of its power; Frye’s performance, on the other hand, is just downright disturbing.

White Zombie (1932)

A year after Dracula, Bela Lugosi starred as Murder Legendre, an evil voodoo master, in one of the first ever zombie movies. The zombies here aren’t flesh-eating ghouls but obedient slaves, working tirelessly in Legendre’s mill. Even when one of them tumbles into a grinder, work doesn’t stop. When the plantation owner goes to Legendre for help winning the heart of the girl he loves, he’s handed a dose of the zombie potion – and now the only way to break Legendre’s spell over the innocent girl is to kill him. Lugosi is suitably menacing, and the drone-like zombies are properly eerie.

The Cursed Medallion/The Night Child (1975)

For a few years, in 1970s Italy, Nicoletta Elmi was the go-to creepy kid. She pops up in Mario Bava’s Bay of Blood and Baron Blood, and in Dario Argento’s Deep Red, among others, but she’s never more creepy than she is in The Cursed Medallion. Here, she plays Emily, the daughter of an art historian who’s making a documentary on demons in paintings. She’s given a medallion but, as the title suggests, it’s cursed, and she ends up possessed by the spirit of a murderess. It’s atmospheric, lovingly photographed and, of course, Elmi is awesome in the lead role.

The Descent (2005)

A group of friends go off on a spelunking holiday, but get more than they bargained for when it turns out that the caves they’re exploring are dangerous in more ways than one. There’s enough time spent on character development that you really feel it when the group starts to get thinned out; there’s some incredibly painful-looking gore; and there are some amazingly freaky monsters. Watch it in a darkened room to make the most of its wonderfully claustrophobic atmosphere.

Paranormal Activity (2007)

The shine might’ve come off this movie because the Paranormal Activity franchise has become Lionsgate’s new one-every-Halloween cash cow, but there’s something deliciously creepy about this movie. Rewatching it now, even knowing when all the scares are coming, it’s still chilling. In a neat twist on the traditional haunted house story, Paranormal Activity’s entity haunts a person, not a house – so its victim can’t just pack up and move. The found footage conceit is used to great effect, making you stare intently at grainy nighttime footage of an empty room, straining your ears for distant footsteps, before making you jump out of your skin with a loud bang. (Pro tip: the movie has three different endings, so if you think you’re bored of it, try one of the others.)

Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)

So much of the effectiveness of a horror movie comes down to its sound design. A well-placed creak, groan, echo, or jangle can make the difference between something completely normal and something terrifying. New scary noises don’t come along very often, but Ju-on: The Grudge managed to come up with something unlike any other scary noise you’ve heard before. Its ghost makes a weird rattling, burping groan as she approaches; it’s kind of like a death rattle, kind of like a throttled scream, and it’s creepier than anything you’ve ever heard before. The film is relentless, light on plot and heavy on jump scares, but it’s that noise that’ll stay with you.

Julia’s Eyes (2010)

Julia and her twin sister, Sara, both suffer from the same degenerative disease – one that causes them to go blind. When Sara undergoes experimental surgery and subsequently kills herself, Julia suspects foul play – and, indeed, something weird seems to be going on, with whisperings about an invisible man lurking in the shadows. But as Julia gets closer to the truth, her own eyesight suffers more and more…The film restricts our vision almost as much as Julia’s; it’s almost unbearably claustrophobic, and ultimately heartbreaking.

The Eye (2002)

Another film about eyes and the horrors of going blind, The Eye follows Mun, a classical violinist from Hong Kong, as she undergoes an eye transplant. Although the transplant seems to be successful – Mun can see again – something isn’t right, because now she can see dead people. And most of them are terrifying. The ending is vaguely preposterous, but the rest of the film is creepy enough that it’s forgivable.

Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)

Lucio Fulci’s unofficial sequel to Dawn Of The Dead features perhaps the creepiest zombies ever committed to film. When a boat turns up in New York harbour with only a zombie on board, investigative reporter Peter West sets out to find out where the boat came from and what’s going on. He ends up on the island of Matool, where the dead are returning to life to eat the flesh of the living… and they’re really, really gross. Zombie Flesh Eaters was initially classified as a video nasty in the UK, and it’s not difficult to see why. Its atmosphere elevates it above your average exploitation movie, though; there’s something really melancholy about it.

[REC] (2007)

When a local news crew decided to tag along with the fire brigade for an evening, they probably didn’t realise they’d end up fighting from their lives in a zombie-infested tower block. Co-written and co-directed by Paco Plaza and Jaume Balaguero (yup, him again), [REC] is a decent enough zombie movie, until the final reel, when it reveals an even more terrifying ace up its sleeve.

Let Me In (2010)

Although remakes are usually terrible, Matt Reeves’ take on this unusual vampire story was both respectful of and different from the original and, for my money, it’s creepier. Lonely tween Owen doesn’t have any friends until the equally strange Abby moves in next door. They embark on an odd friendship/proto-romance, but Abby has a secret: she’s a vampire. The use of a candy jingle is, against all odds, really eerie, and by paring the story down to its most essential elements (and getting rid of that daft cat scene) Let Me In makes for a scarier watch than Let The Right One In.

Carnival Of Souls (1962)

After a traumatic accident, weird things start happening to Mary. A strange man seems to be stalking her, though no one else can see him, and she feels irresistibly drawn to an abandoned pavilion out in the middle of nowhere. Once upon a time, the pavilion housed a carnival, but now it’s just an empty building… or is it? There’s nothing surprising about the plot of this movie to a modern audience – you’ll have the whole film worked out within about five minutes – but it is gloriously creepy. The climactic scenes at the carnival are pure nightmare fuel.

The Shining (1980)

Probably the most effective of all the Stephen King adaptations, The Shining plonks Jack Nicholson down in the middle of a creepy hotel and lets him do his thing. Nicholson plays Jack Torrance, a struggling writer who gets a winter job as caretaker of The Overlook Hotel, where the isolation and/or ghosts send him out of his mind. There are so many creepy images in this film: the twin girls who just want to play, the woman in room 237, the lift full of blood, and, oh, lots more.

The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari (1920)

Appropriately, watching The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari feels like slipping into a nightmare. Caligari’s cabinet holds Cesare, the sleepwalker – a catatonic oracle able to answer questions of life and death with eerie accuracy. Is Caligari a hypnotist, a murderer, or both? It’s a strange story, made stranger with a twist ending, and rendered impossibly creepy by the Expressionist production design. The weird, distorted hand-painted sets give the film a crude, unreal beauty and, if anything, the passage of time has increased the film’s creepiness, because it’s so utterly unlike modern films.

The Exorcist (1973)

An obvious choice, but The Exorcist is genuinely scary. It’s deceptively simple: the filming style is realistic, the locations are ordinary-looking and, by comparison to more modern horror movies, there aren’t many elaborate effects or stunts. But the film makes every scary moment count. It’s atmosphere is oppressive, claustrophobic – there’s an ever-present sense of dread throughout. It ought to feel more dated than it does, but even now, the demonic makeup and scratchy voice of the possessed Regan gives me goosebumps.

The Omen (1976)

Damien is probably the ultimate creepy child. Adopted by the Thorns when their own newborn dies, it doesn’t take long for his dark side to emerge: Damien is the Antichrist.

There are so many iconic moments in this film, so many things that have shaped both the horror genre and our culture’s idea of evil; something about this film really struck a chord, and even now it’s pretty effective. Every death scene in this movie is memorable, but the suicide of Damien’s nanny at his birthday party particularly stands out.

Ghostwatch (1992)

Originally shown on UK TV at Halloween, Ghostwatch scared a whole generation shitless. It’s presented as a live broadcast, starring familiar BBC faces: Michael Parkinson plays host, while Sarah Green and Craig Charles report from the scene as a normal family recount their experiences with the terrifying ghost they’ve dubbed “Pipes”. The shadowy figure of a man is glimpsed several times throughout the show, some appearances more obvious than others, and as viewers call in to share their own stories, things get weirder and weirder…Okay, this isn’t technically a film, but it is so amazingly creepy and brilliant that it couldn’t be left off the list.

The Wicker Man (1973)

The Wicker Man is a wonderful mishmash of genres: it’s got humour, horror, singing and sex. It frequently teeters on the edge of absurdity. But at heart, it’s deeply creepy. When devout Christian Sgt Howie visits the isolated community of Summerisle, he thinks he’s investigating the abduction of a little girl – and the villagers certainly do seem to be acting suspiciously. But as his investigation continues, it becomes clear that something entirely different is going on. Howie runs headlong to his doom, and its final scene is downright spine-chilling.

Suspiria (1977)

Suspiria is Dario Argento’s finest hour. It’s eyeball-meltingly beautiful to look at, all unnatural neon lighting and ridiculously lavish set design; the music is cacophonous, a never-ending wall of sound that doesn’t let up; and the plot is, well, it’s functional enough.

Suzy, an American ballet dancer, flies to an exclusive dance school in Germany only to find herself in the midst of a murder investigation – and something weird is definitely going on with the teachers. If you haven’t seen Suspiria in a while, treat yourself to the Blu-ray. There’s nothing restrained about this movie, nothing ordinary; it sneaks up on you and worms its way into your brain. It’s brilliant.

The post The Best Creepy Horror Movies appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[desideratvms]

╰☆╮[ HARRY STYLES / ARETE / ANANKE / MUSE 30 ] / [ KENNEDY KING ] is a [ TWENTY-ONE ] year old [ NEUROSCIENCE ] major. [ HE ] is known for being [ HARDWORKING & BRILLIANT ] but [ STUBBORN & SELFISH ].  when i think of them, i imagine [ PITCH BLACK COFFEE, SLANTED KNOWING SMILES, EYES ROLLED BEHIND YOUR BACK ]. and even though they’re a proud HU student now, we all have our roots. theirs run back to them being a [ MHP ( AER ) ] graduate.  i asked around and it turns out they [ AREN’T ] an AOP student. in their interview, they managed to woo the admissions team by [ PRESENTING HIS PROTOTYPE OF A 3D PRINTED SPINAL DISK ]. i guess that’s all there is to know! unless… 

                          penned by: ☆  MOON , 24 , THEY/THEM , & EST

statistics:

FULL NAME: kennedy james king. NICKNAME(S): he prefers his full name, but gets ‘ken’, ‘kenny’ and ‘king’ often. AGE: twenty-two. BIRTHDAY: november 1st. GENDER: demiboy. PRONOUNS: he/they. ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: panromantic. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: pansexual. MAJOR: neuroscience ( pre - med ). HEIGHT: 6′1". MORAL ALIGNMENT: neutral evil. MBTI: ENTP HOGWARTS HOUSE: slytherin. TRAITS: ambitious, intelligent, disingenuous, judgmental, quick-witted, selfish, petty, passionate, outgoing, charming.

short bio blurb.

for your first few years of life, your cries are met with warm consoling arms, kisses over scraped knees and meals around the dinner table. as you grow older, the concept washes out of sight like a salty tide: slowly, then all at once. your parents draw the lines and your nannies color them in, and with time you realize you might in fact be the only kid in history who doesn’t resent them for it. not one bit.

a son of two brilliant surgeons, your life has been filled with ten-minute holidays and interrupted birthdays. as you grew to understand it, you discovered you hardly minded much. after all, you inherited your parents’ desire for medicine and excellence, and you aspire to be so busy one day, crave it, actually, so you fill your need for attention elsewhere and allot the rest of your time to achieving perfection. you’re in the stars and you know it; there’s no time to hold success against the people that drove you there.

though your family’s social circle shifted its orbit to the rich and powerful, they remain grounded as ever. for this, your ego is your best kept secret at home. mother and father would grill you for your narcissistic reputation, so you hide it when you’re back for the holidays behind big smiles and perfectly roasted turkeys. they want you to be proud, not arrogant, but it’s not your fault: you just can’t help that you’re always right.  

if you fall, though, you fall far –- the kings don’t throw money at problems.

they solve them.

your desire for greatness burns bright in your belly and your affinity for it has a habit of taking over the more tender parts of your heart. you’re not cruel, just destined, and nothing puts you on your toes faster than a threat, so you remove them. poll ten people and seven might think you brutal in your ambition, but all is fair in love, war and the pursuit of knowledge.

you’re focused but more romantic than what meets the eye.  while chocolates and flowers aren’t your forte, but loyalty and dedication are. there’s no better lover than one who has a habit of sinking its teeth into anything they love, and you’re a dog whose never given up a bone in his life.

your softer inner workings are there underneath and you’re not ashamed, not at all, they’ll bring you the other piece of the puzzle one day. someone to help you hold that trophy high above your head and someone to smile while they do. vulnerability doesn’t set you back; it propels you, but you’re still skating around how to equip it just right. you’re prone to using words like fire to mask your ego, and communication fizzles out by a stinging touch.

now, you turn your head toward the future. the snap of latex gloves and the slice of a scalpel. the desire to invent, to perform, to heal – anything along the way is a blip, a moment, but nothing that can’t be solved when you refuse to stop. your fate is in your hands.

background breakdown.

kennedy king is the son of two famous surgeons: dr. amanda peele-king ( mostly known as dr. peele ) and dr. jason king. both have made several advancements in their fields, dr. peele herself working on innovative tools to advance laparoscopic surgery as a general surgeon, and dr. king as a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon.

although his parents were absent more often than not due to their demanding work lives, kennedy knew from a young age that he wanted to follow in their footsteps. raised mostly by various nannies over the years, kennedy was bothered when he was younger when his parents didn’t make it to every recital; however, this was mostly erased as he grew old enough to understand their occupations.

it was love at first sight when kennedy visited the hospital. maybe not the bloody surgery part, but medicine in general, the intense need to know about the body. why it worked the way it did. he was absolutely fascinated. the time he did spend with his parents was used to soak up all the knowledge he could, and they never minded much. it gave them common ground to love the same thing, much unlike his older brother that didn’t have the same drive and passion for medicine the way he did.

the kings were glad to have one son that wanted to follow in their footsteps, and so even if there’s a large distance between them at times, kennedy has always had a fairly good relationship with his parents, even if that comes with immense pressure

personality breakdown.

to say he’s a perfectionist is an understatement. he simply refuses to go into a field and be the flop of the family, so his pursuit of knowledge is pretty unparalleled. he takes his studies seriously, and doesn’t really relate to the college life of skipping 8ams to nurse hangovers.

not that he doesn’t have them -– but we love a man that perseveres.

wish i had his confidence of just assuming everything’s going to go his way. his label means force or necessity, and that’s because kennedy has a way of making things working in his favor with pure force. ‘kennedy, aren’t you worried you’ll fail?’ ‘no.’ ‘how?i’ ‘because i won’t let myself. duh’

although he doesn’t have the softest personality due to the lack of being hugged as a child, kennedy, at his core, isn’t entirely evil. he’s capable of caring about people and does. he’s a passionate person, and that can translate to love and loyalty for the right people. he doesn’t half-ass anything, so when he commits it’s on.

still, the boy has quite an ego. for him to think something is good enough to commit to takes a bit. he’s got particular taste, never backs down from a fight, and almost annoyingly always thinks he’s right. his ambition can sometimes blind him to the point of selfishness at times, even if his heart is in the right place.

he’s got his good qualities, though! for someone he loves, he’s there. he’s quite dependent when he wants to be, and he’s smart as anything. if you need help getting out of a jam, his brain is basically hardwired to know how to land on his feet.

kennedy is very organized and put together. never catch a wrinkle, even on his plain t-shirts. he shows his love through helping: he’s more likely to help you clean your dorm or organize your study notes for your test than deliver a monologue on his love for you, but it counts! you just need to know what to look for.

a brat but sometimes a lovable brat.

wanted connections.

a best friend. kennedy grew up without serious parental figures, so i’d love a childhood best friend with him that accepts him for his serious personality flaws. he would be hella ride or die for this person, which he isn’t for much of anyone else, so that means quite a bit! someone to keep him grounded, call him out on his bullshit, but not completely destroy his ego.

exes. honestly, kennedy can be quite the petty man. i can envision a lot of ugly breakups in his past OR we can plot some exes on good terms! he’s not totally emotionally stunted, can be quite a good boyf when he wants to be, but also a complete nightmare too. any gender feel free to apply!

hookups. self-explanatory. college life. the nature of their relationship will be entirely dependent on the muses and their dynamic, but kennedy isn’t always the nicest to his casual flings depending on their dynamic. some friends with benefits could work, though, for positive casual connections.

enemies. okay, look at this bratty bitch. there is no way he doesn’t have some, if not many, enemies. he has a temper and doesn’t like to be told no, so if you ever wanna verbally spat it out, feel free. he won’t swing, tho. those are surgeon’s hands, baby.  

hate-to-love friendship. someone dopey or complete unambitious that somehow kennedy still loves despite them being total opposites. he doesn’t get why they don’t do their assignments, or why they fall asleep drunk in the bathtub twice a week, but he really can’t deny that they amuse him and he cares about them.

[meditativeyoga]

`Creative` is having the divine spark

Creativity has nothing to do with any kind of activity specifically-- with painting, verse, dancing, singing. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything in particular.

Anything can be creative-- you bring that high quality to the task. Task itself is neither innovative neither uncreative. You can repaint in an uncreative means. You can sing in an uncreative means. You could clean the floor in an innovative method. You could cook in an imaginative way.

Creativity is the high quality that you bring to the task you are doing. It is a perspective, an inner technique-- how you look at things.

So the initial thing to be born in mind is: do not restrict imagination to anything particularly. A male is imaginative-- as well as if he is creative, whatsoever he does, also if he strolls, you could see in his walking there is creative thinking. Even if he rests quietly and does absolutely nothing, also non-doing will certainly be an innovative act. Buddha, resting under the Bodhi Tree not doing anything, is the best maker the world has ever known.

Once you comprehend it-- that it is you, the individual, that is innovative or uncreative-- then this issue disappears.

Not everybody could be a painter, and also there is no demand likewise. If everyone is a painter the world will certainly be very hideous, it will be tough to live. And also not everyone could be a dancer, as well as there is no requirement. Yet everybody can be creative.

Whatsoever you do, if you do it happily, if you do it lovingly, if your act of doing it is not purely economical, then it is creative. If you have something outgrowing it within you, if it provides you development, it is spiritual, it is creative, it is divine.

You ended up being much more magnificent as you become much more innovative. All the religions of the globe have actually stated: God is the designer. I aren't sure whether he is the creator or not, but one thing I understand: the more creative you come to be, the more Godly you end up being. When your creative thinking concerns an orgasm, when your whole life comes to be creative, you live in godliness.

Love what you do. Be reflective while you are doing it-- whatsoever it is, pointless of the fact of just what it is.

Creativity suggests loving whatsoever you do-- taking pleasure in, commemorating it, as a present of presence! Possibly nobody comes to recognize about it. The value is intrinsic.

So if you are searching for popularity as well as obtain imaginative-- also if you come to be as popular as Pablo Picasso-- you will certainly miss it. You are, in truth, not creative at all: you are a politician, enthusiastic. If fame occurs, excellent. If it does not occur, excellent. It needs to not be the factor to consider. The consideration should be that you are enjoying whatsoever you are doing. It is your love-affair.

If your act is your love-affair, then it ends up being innovative. Tiny points end up being excellent by the touch of love and also delight.

The questioner asks: "I believed I was uncreative." If you rely on in this way, you will become uncreative-- since belief is not just belief. It opens up doors or it closes doors. If you have an incorrect belief, then that will hang around you as a closed door. If you believe that you are uncreative, you will end up being uncreative-- because that belief will certainly block, continually negate, all opportunities of streaming. It will not enable your energy to stream because you will constantly say: "I am uncreative."

This has been shown to everybody. Few individuals are accepted as imaginative: A couple of painters, a couple of poets-- they are one in a million. This is foolish! Every person is a born creator. Watch youngsters and you will certainly see: every one of them are imaginative. Soon, we ruin their creative thinking. Soon, we force wrong beliefs on them. By and by, we sidetrack them. Soon, we make them a lot more and a lot more economical, political and ambitious.

When ambition enters, creativity vanishes-- because an ambitious guy could not be imaginative, because an ambitious man could not enjoy any kind of task for its very own sake. While he is painting he is looking in advance, he is thinking, 'When am I getting a Nobel Reward?' When he is creating a novel, he is looking in advance. He is always in the future however a creative individual is constantly in the present.

We destroy creative thinking. No one is born uncreative, but we make 99 per cent of individuals uncreative.

But just throwing the responsibility on the society is not going to help, you need to take your life in your very own hands. You have to go down all incorrect conditionings. You have to go down wrong, hypnotic auto-suggestions that have been offered to you in your youth. Drop them! Cleanse yourself of all conditionings ... and suddenly you will certainly see you are creative.

To be and also to be imaginative are synonymous. It is difficult to be and not to be creative. Yet that difficult point has taken place, that hideous phenomenon has actually taken place, since all your creative resources have been plugged, blocked, ruined, as well as your whole power has been compelled into some task that the culture thinks is mosting likely to pay.

Our entire perspective about life is money-oriented. And also loan is one of one of the most uncreative things one can become interested in. Our entire method is power-oriented as well as power is damaging, not innovative. A man that wants money will become damaging, due to the fact that cash has actually to be burglarized, exploited, it has actually to be removed from lots of individuals, only after that can you have it. Power merely suggests you have to make lots of people impotent, you need to destroy them-- only after that will certainly you be powerful, could you be powerful.

Remember: these are damaging acts. An imaginative act improves the beauty of the world, it gives something to the world, it never ever takes anything from it. A creative person enters into the globe, improves the elegance of the world-- a tune here, a painting there. He makes the world dance better, delight in far better, love much better, practice meditation better. When he leaves this world, he leaves a better globe behind him. No one could know him, someone may understand him-- that is not the point. He leaves the world a far better world, significantly satisfied because his life has been of some inherent value.

Money, power, status, are uncreative, not only uncreative, yet damaging tasks. Be careful of them! And if you are cautious of them you could come to be creative really easily. I am not stating that your creative thinking is mosting likely to give you power, stature, money. No, I could not guarantee you any kind of rose-gardens. It may provide you trouble. It might compel you to live a pauper's life. All that I could promise you is that deep inside you will certainly be the wealthiest male possible, deep inside you will certainly be met, deep inside you will certainly contain joy and celebration. You will certainly be continually obtaining a growing number of blessings from God. Your life will certainly be a life of benediction.

But it is feasible that ostensibly you could not be famous, you could not have money, you may not do well in the supposed world. To succeed in this supposed globe is to fail deeply, is to fail in the within globe. And also just what are you going to do with the entire world at your feet if you have lost your own self? Exactly what will you do if you have the entire globe and you don't possess on your own? An innovative person has his very own being, he is a Master.

That's why in the East we have been calling sannyasins as swamis. The word swami suggests a master. Beggars have actually been called swamis, masters. Emperors we have actually recognized, however they showed in the final account, in the final verdict of their lives, that they were beggars. A guy that is after loan as well as power as well as stature is a beggar, due to the fact that he continuously asks. He has nothing to provide to the world.

Be a giver. Share whatsoever you can! And keep in mind, I am not making any type of difference between little things and also terrific points. If you can smile whole-heartedly, hold somebody's hand and also smile, after that it is an imaginative act, a wonderful creative act. Simply welcome somebody to your heart and you are innovative. Simply look with caring eyes at someone ... simply a loving appearance can change the entire globe of a person.

Be innovative. Don't be bothered with just what you are doing-- one has to do many points-- yet do everything artistically, with commitment. Your job becomes praise. After that whatsoever you do is a prayer. And also whatsoever you do is an offering at the altar.

Drop this idea that you are uncreative. I know exactly how this idea is created: you may not have actually been a gold medallist in the college, you could not have actually been top in your class, your paint may not have actually won appreciation, when you use your flute, neighbors report to the authorities. Maybe - yet just because of these things, don't get the incorrect belief that you are uncreative. That could be since you are mimicing others.

People have an extremely limited concept of exactly what being creative is-- they think it is only around playing the guitar or the flute or writing verse-- so individuals go on creating rubbish in the name of poetry. You need to discover exactly what you can do as well as just what you can refrain from doing. Everybody could refrain from doing everything! You have to search as well as discover your fate. You have to grope at night, I know. It is not very well-defined exactly what your fate is-- however that's just how life is. And also it excels that a person needs to search for it, since in the really search, something grows.

A Sudden Clash of Thunder/Courtesy Osho International Foundation/www. osho.com

[fidelisfatum]

                   NO ONE WILL MISS THEM ANYWAY~ ღ

     Rosalina has lived a very long time and in living that long she’s seen and been part of plenty of heinous atrocities by coincidence or methodical scheming. Initially upon her ascent to Earth she behaved just as any other demon in the underworld: killing, thieving, sex and plenty of other ridiculous acts of violence that had no rhyme or reason -- just out of habit and instinct. But in this new world Rosa was beginning to learn that life was valued and protected and those whom took it were punished, she found this very asinine at first but it caused far more problems misbehaving than behaving, thus she began to participate in society and it’s norms ( depending where she was ). Upon her travels she learned what humans were obsessed with; morality, a concept that had never even been mentioned by her mother unless it were to be an insult, and quickly she began to examine and understand the human’s perception of morality and how she could twist it around to her advantage. Never once had it dawned upon her to simply be good because it was the right thing, no, Rosalina was a woman all about her needs first and foremost, she’d never been given a reason to care for another. 

     One of many loopholes that she’d discovered was that all murder was not treated equally: attempted murder seemed to be lightly punished while other murders committed by humans were punished WITH murder! So if humans punished other humans who took lives by taking their lives -- surely it was not wrong? The wicked deserve death, correct? Although she had decided upon what type of humans she would kill for fun and hopefully be free of consequence,  she still had to make sure they deserved her slaughter, this led her to targeting men a lot of the time -- especially men involved with sexual assault, rape and pedophilia: a theme that seemed to revolve around her own childhood and life in hell.

     Over the many decades of her life she targeted men in a variety of countries, some more plentiful than others due to their laws and culture surrounding women and men. Places that oppressed their women were often visited by Rosalina only for the excuse of finding a man/men in the act or attempting to commit the act, other times she made herself a tempting target to hopefully entice no-gooders into preying upon her -- something many have regretted. Her murders were never just cut and dried, they typically included various methods of torture or letting them go only to bleed out before they could be found. One method that became famous ( but sometimes left survivors ) happened to be her catching a particular target, wounding them considerably and then setting them free so she could then hunt them down again for the final blow -- the hunt was for the thrill of exacting vengeance on foe’s from the past, like a sort of exercise for the events to come. One victim survived the attempted murder just barely, recounting how while fighting for his life he punched the assailant fifteen times in the face to no avail, it was as if she was not phased by the pain nor the force of his throws and instead laughed and seemed elated he was fighting back, once she was done humoring him she took him by the throat and tossed him into a wall, knocking the wind right out of him. Of course, many recounts of this mysterious woman with the strength of a man or more were not believed and chalked up to someone being in drag and attacking men or a drug deal gone wrong. 

     Rosalina’s other favorite targets of the time were also other serial killers, especially the kind that were intelligent and able to escape the law. She has a sort of narcissistic thrill attacking what she refers to as ‘other predators’ and ‘putting them in their place’, as if to remind humanity they belong at the very bottom of the food chain. Criminal experts that have looked over her grisly murders describe them as ‘extreme hatred towards men' ‘disfiguring their genitals’ and other times ‘complete sadism of the attacker’, even finding some victims being forced to devour their own flesh. On rare occasions she would also attack women, especially mothers that would force their children into poverty or prostitution, pimps were also another favorite target of the Nephilim. 

     Eventually when Rosalina would go into her famous singer phase she would drop her nefarious activities in exchange for a rich lifestyle and being in the spotlight. Other times she would use her position in Hollywood to try and find other rich individuals that partook in minors: this was particularly tricky because famous people are watched over closely, have plenty of attention and enough money to have anyone wanting to know who had them killed. So because she could not murder as freely she devolved into other methods of destroying someones life and career: exposing the underbelly of beloved stars to the public and allow the scrutiny to drive them insane. Slowly she cooled off on her pursuits when she became bored with hunting and instead went into hiding, waiting and hoping for Mundus’ demise and the demons reign to end.

art by Orangesekaii

[iambecome]

#3: Self doubt and constitutional psychology

                The scientific theory I am most personally afraid of is, without a doubt, William Herbert Sheldon’s theory of constitutional psychology.

                This is a theory that states that all human bodies have a certain mix of characteristics from the three main somatotypes (also developed by Sheldon): ectomorphic, mesophorphic, and endomorphic. These are concepts that are familiar to many people already, but what is lesser known is how Sheldon had originally hoped to expand on the application of this typology.

                In this theory of constitutional psychology, Sheldon believed that a person’s personality, intelligence, and potential for achievement could also determined by the prevalence of characteristics from each body type. Sort of like a fucked up form of astrology, Sheldon believed that your genetics determined your potential, and that these high or low potential traits would be reflected in your physical form.

                In other words: my nightmare.

                  I grew up with a passionate interest in biology, as well as a family that I hated. This has left me absolutely terrified of the former camp of the nature vs. nurture debate for many, many years. In short, while I would strongly prefer to take the side of nurture, I feel far more strongly that it is nature that determines our ultimate outcome in life. I believe this pathologically—even if I were to be presented with sufficient evidence to prove one’s temperament and success is 100% based on nurture I think I may still struggle to believe it. As you will read below, my pathologic belief in nature as the ultimate determinant extends so far that the dark parts of my brain are happy to consider long de-bunked pseudoscience if it will affirm my beliefs: that I am destined to end up just like my genetic make-up determines, and that my genetic make-up determines I must be unsuccessful, fat, and worthless.

                  And, in my defense, it should be said that the trajectory of my life has done very little to paint a different picture, despite my best efforts. Despite being fervently against weight gain and terrified of it since the age of 7, I am now sitting at a BMI of 32. Despite being terrified of becoming an alcoholic and an addict like my father’s line, I am now on day 3 of a thus-far unsuccessful re-attempt at sobriety. Despite being obsessed with the idea of having a successful career, I am—as I most feared—a middle grade graduate of a low-tier state school with absolutely zero accolades or even a significant CV.

                Because, it would seem, that simply thinking something does not make it true. My mind was nurtured to fear weight gain, but my body craved food and made me ate. My mind was nurtured to fear alcohol addiction, but my body latched onto it as soon as it touched my lips. My mind craved a successful career, but my body—the whole of it, its entirety and complexity in time and space—maneuvered according to his genetic make-up, pulling me out of range of opportunities, confusing my efforts, and dissolving my discipline in the moments I needed it most.

                  Were this a true debate about nature vs. nurture, one may point out rightly that it is only natural that I end up like my parents regardless, since they are the source of both my nature and my nurture. But this is incorrect.

                It should be said, I have two parents. I hated both of them, but they were very different from one another.

                My mother was a disciplinarian and a bit narcissistic. She had a strong “go getter” attitude, working her way up from a secretary position to director of her department over the course of about 15 years, while working in her spare time to fix up our house and flip others. She was aggressive and highly critical, both of herself and of those around her. My mother was a “winner” by all accounts—she certainly did not win friends or admirers, but she got what she wanted: power, influence, and money. She didn’t need friends or family, she just needed a nice material life, and she got one.

                My father, on the other hand, desperately wanted to be a “free spirit”—he loved art and music and had long standing dreams of wanting to be an artist himself. However, he never quite had the creative drive for it. My father was fun to be around, a great story teller, very full of love for everyone around him. He was also horribly addicted to pills, extremely overweight, and very sick. He could be cruel and had a horrible temper, throwing things or screaming at my mother in public when she said something that hurt his pride. He was obsessed with the image of himself, and he hated the image of himself at the same time, making him miserable. He was depressed, he was lazy. He would not shower for days. He died of a drug overdose, during a brief period where neither my mother nor I were speaking with him. My bright, optimistic, sociable father who loved art and culture more than anything and wanted nothing more in the world than to be loved and admired by others died alone in a bed watching cable TV and being hated by his own family. Less than 10 people attended his funeral.

                  And I look just like him.

                  I have my father’s eyes, and also my father’s talent for foreign language, storytelling ability, and creative capacity without creative inspiration.

                I have my father’s cheek bones, and also my father’s habit of midnight snacking and secret smoking.

                I have my father’s short legs, and also my father’s pathologic inability to take care of himself, brush his teeth, shower, or otherwise even do any of the basic things one is required to do.

                I have my father’s hair, and also my father’s fear of mediocrity, delusions of grandeur, and notable lack of discipline in actual pursuits of achievement.

                I have my father’s hands; do I also share my father’s destiny because of it?

                  Sheldon’s theory of constitutional physiology was as one would expect. Those with an endomorphic body—i.e. fat or flabby—were said to have characteristics of “viscerotonia”. Viscerotonia was characterized by a deep love of comfort and food, laziness, slow reaction times. They were also believed to be affectionate and even-tempered.

                The mesomorphs—i.e. muscular and stout—were said to have characteristics of “somatotonia”; love of physical adventure, frequent risk taking, aggressiveness and courageousness were all associated. Famously Sheldon believed that the majority of criminal types were of the mesomorph body type.

                And finally, the ectomorphs-- naturally tall, thin, and delicate. According to Sheldon, they were characterized by “cerebrotonia”—intellectual, introverted, and sensitive, and prone to a more graceful and dignified nature.

                A part of me does not want to give any of this even the slightest thought. Sheldon and his cohort were famous for their racism, particularly in the related field of phrenology. These theories have been disproven hundreds of times in a hundred different ways. There is no debate.

                Yet somehow, when I search down to my bones, I cannot help but fear there is some truth to it.

                Or, at the very least, even if there weren’t any truth to it, our society has certainly made it so.

                  Even on a platform like this the stereotype is rampant. I find even myself guilty of it more often than not, especially in the realm of fandom. Muscular characters are aggressive, fat characters are kind and understanding, thin characters are aloof and intellectual. I repeat these stereotypes to myself over and over and over again. I consciously want to combat them but, when it comes to enjoying media, I find anything other than the stereotype to lack a certain verisimilitude.

That upsets me, that I do that.

To others and to myself.

                  For most of my undergraduate education I was not taken seriously as a scientist, despite my significantly above average performance and passion for the subject. I was denied letters of recommendation because I did not “seem the type”. And I am still not taken seriously by friends, relatives, or colleagues in my post graduate pursuits I wonder sometimes—if I had been thinner, if I had been more of the ectomorph variety, if I had looked more like a Sherlock than a Watson, would I be more successful?

                The upsetting answer is probably.

But how much does that reflect on my actual talent and capability? Even if society would be more likely to view me a certain way if I looked a certain way, what does that say for my actual potential?

                Though, really, what is the difference?

                Is potential still potential if it does not have the potential to be used?

[articlewritingbd]

How Do I Write an Article for a Freelance Client?

So, you landed your initial customer! Woo-hoo!

Which is throwing and finally discussing its settlement. You 2 decide on 2-3 articles a month, and your very first project is due in a week.

It had not been until I needed to write an article writing that I realized I had no idea how to compose one.

You believe, no worry, I can do that.

Well, did you understand there's a way to create online?

For this message, I'm most likely to offer you the devices you require to wow your newest freelance content writing client, as well as ensure you end up being one of their go-to writers.

Because as soon as you become their best writer, you'll obtain more work, make even more money, and above all, earn an online reputation that informs prospective customers you know your stuff.

I Learned the Hard Way

I don't recognize you; however, before I ended up being an online writer, I hardly ever read blog articles.

I enjoyed a great deal of YouTube videos and used Pinterest a great deal, but I never looked at online writing or article writing.

It had not been till I needed to compose an article that I recognized I had no idea exactly how to create one.

I check out a gazillion articles on article writing and found out via experimentation the means to create online.

I would submit an MS Word document with no formatting. It was mere blocks of paragraphs. When a client asked me to utilize Google docs, I had no concept of what he meant.

I was a total rookie.

Lucky for you, I'm enthusiastic about helping you out as well as assisting you to succeed. I don't want you to make the very same blunders I did. I don't desire you to take months as well as months to land your initial high-paying client.

I desire you to prosper at once.

All set to start?

Exactly how to Write an Article

Did you know over 80% of online readers only skim posts? That's. The hrs you invest writing your article won't even be fully checked out.

That's a difficult tablet to swallow.

You understand what? You can make a couple of points to make your article super simple to read and make the scanners intend to actually read your article.

Right here's just how:

Develop a Lot of White Space

Reading online is a lot different than reviewing from a book. In a book, you can have huge blocks of the message that fill a page up.

On an internet site, however, this makes it a lot more illegible. Rather you intend to develop a great deal of white area around your text.

This can be done in various means; however, for this guide, I'll just discuss the really crucial ones:

- Create brief paragraphs of no even more than 3-4 sentences. This actually helps give a flow to your post and doesn't make it seem so frustrating to review. I imply article analysis is for pleasure? Consider what I'm writing currently to see instances of how I create short paragraphs.

- Throw in one-sentence paragraphs in your article. This helps add significant effect and is an excellent method to draw a reader into checking out extra. I usually make use of these one-sentence paragraphs at first of my blog site message or sub-heading point.

- Have bullet listings or phoned number checklists in your blog post. This aids in highlighting crucial details. It likewise separates your blog post as well as creates a much more white area.

- Use sub-headings. This is essential, not only for separating the article; however, it's a great method to use keyword phrases - and also it merely makes writing easier for you. Before I compose an article, I know for me that I develop a summary, and those points in my resume often function as the sub-headings in my post.

Unless Specified, Write in a Conversational Manner

Whether they are regarding pipes or security background checks, the majority of posts have a conversational tone to them.

They make it enjoyable to find out about ordinary things like just how to repair a leak. So to make your writing much less stuffy and also formal - as well as more conversational and also fun - follow these suggestions:

- Break grammar regulations. You are beginning a sentence with But or And. End sentences with a preposition. There's no need to win your educator over with your blog site writing. Frequently individuals say, write your article as you would chat.

- Use contractions. I don't know about you; however, I typically do not find contractions acquired behavior. I have re-read my article and add you're or a would not to make my writing more conversational. This doesn't indicate you can not have a there is or is not.

- Don't be as well long-winded. Keep in mind; clients aren't paying you to go off on a tangent or take 2 sentences to discuss what can be said in a couple of words. Make certain every word you utilize has a function as well as if it doesn't work after that quit. A typical word that can be gotten of your sentences is that.

- Avoid making use of the very first individual. Instead, write in the 2nd or 3rd person. Some customers won't mind if you utilize I or us; however, some will, so it's best to stay with the 2nd or 3rd person narrative and correspond. I like the second person-- you-- as it is much more conversational and also can involve the target market.

- Vary the length of your sentences. I understand I mentioned to not be so verbose. However, make your writing have a natural circulation to it; have a range of sentence sizes.

- Don't overcomplicate points and use big words. When they review your blog site article, individuals do not desire to whip out their synonym replacement tool. Instead of stating, fundamental, state standard.

- Use an em dash or en dash. To separate your text and add a component of focus, utilize an en dashboard or em dashboard. For on the internet writing, use room en dashboard area. Go with that unless told otherwise. It looks something similar to this: These blogging mistakes-- for newbies specifically-- shouldn't be taken lightly.

Compose Popular Types of Blog Posts

The kinds of blog site messages that are preferred on the internet are also preferred in print. Typically these types of short articles do well on social media, and lots of clients like them.

Both types of posts are my clients commonly, such as are: How To's and List articles.

A How-To short article - like the guide I'm writing now - is normally an action-oriented and also in-depth post.

Since people go online to solve a problem, these are preferred. If you have a solution in a How-To post, you understand that people will certainly flock to it.

An additional preferred style of messages is a List Article. While you may think you see enough of them already online, very few writers are writing checklist posts according to a co-schedule research study. You possibly see them because they work so well, they become famous!

So, load the space and also begin writing them. An example of a checklist message is, "5 Easy Ways to Cook Macaroni." Or "17 Tips on Maximizing Your Productivity."

People like list articles due to the fact that they resemble they include worth as well as you know specifically what you're going to obtain.

Exactly how to Write an Article - Sourcing Facts as well as Relevant Information

You want to back-up the details you give when you write a client's blog message or for yourself. It's simply excellent blog writing practice to source suggestions and facts that aren't your very own.

If you don't do this, this is thought about plagiarism as well, as clients will not pay for that (as well as if you raise content from other write-ups).

When researching for your article suggests, it's ideal for taking a look at various other short articles to see what's been composed regarding your topic and use these posts as inspiration.

However, typically you don't point out these messages in your client piece when you write an article. The links you offer in your blog site message need to include in the content and also help the visitor discover more regarding a particular subject.

Typically, when linking to qualified resources (various other posts and websites):

- Link to reputable resources (WebMD, for instance).

- Use authoritative or preferred websites (Huffington Post or HubSpot).

-If you're uncertain, a web link to sites on the initial web page of Google (however, damages this rule if you're familiar with the topic matter or intend to see more examples).

It's additionally an excellent suggestion to connect to various other short articles from the client's blog site (interior connecting). This helps lower their bounce price (i.e., obtain's individuals to remain on their website longer) as well as helps them discover other subjects on the blog-- and it's excellent for SEO too!

Exactly how to Write an Article - Where to Find Images.

Often a customer may ask you to offer a function image. This is an excellent way to raise your solutions (and boost your rate at the same time).

You might think you can just grab any type of picture on Google if you're new to sourcing photos. I mean, why is there a photo search if you can't make use of those pictures?

Well, not all pictures are totally free to utilize, distribute, or change. Lots of are copyright safeguarded.

This suggests if a photo is copyright protected, you can not use it without permission from the owner.

If you end up finding a fantastic picture, yet have no clue if it's copyrighted, I wouldn't use it. You don't want to obtain your client in a problem for utilizing copyrighted images, so it's much better to be secure than sorry.

Specifically, for this guide, I'm going to simply speak about the two sorts of pictures I give my customers.

1. Innovative Commons (CC).

The simplest and best type of CC image to use for customers is Creative Commons Zero (CC0) ones. Under this license, photos are totally free to copy, disperse as well as customize (also for industrial usage) without needing acknowledgment. These photos are totally free to use on your personal blog site and with customers.

So, where do you discover these pictures? Below is a listing of the best locations for resource images. I utilize these websites typically and like that some have a large collection of photos to select from.

The first three on my listing are the ideal areas - in my viewpoint - for photos.

2. Screenshots.

You can also offer screenshots of plugins, applications, social media sites messages, web sites, and many more.

These kinds of pictures back up what you are writing and additionally give a visual component to your duplicate.

Taking a screenshot is different on each laptop. Go below to figure out the key-board faster ways to make use of on your laptop.

How to Write a Headline:

It's a captivating headline if there's one thing a client desires. Occasionally they also want a pertinent search phrase, yet I would certainly claim several clients just want individuals to click the link and also review the blog post.

So, just how do you write a heading that satisfies a customer? You may not constantly hit your target with each header; once you create a few, writing headlines becomes a lot easier.

Your Headline.

Here are some ideas to adhere to when crafting your heading:

When you state just how numerous pointers or ways they will discover in your post, - Use numbers in your title - this makes your heading much more specific.

- Show a differentiator by utilizing braces - For example, How to Grow Your Email List (In 6 Simple Steps).

- Use a heading theme - If you require some motivation of preferred headings, perhaps try utilizing a headline design template. These headlines have actually been shown to be effective, so it's safe to claim you'll have similar outcomes.

- Provide alternative headlines to your client - While several clients do not specify this, it's an excellent concept to offer a number of alternate headings when you submit your blog post. This reveals you went the additional mile and placed the initiative into wishing to make a stunning message.

Exactly how to Submit Your Post to Your Client.

You've finally completed your article! It's time to submit it to your customer. Yet, wait . there are some things you require to do before you send it off. Let's experience them.

- Proofread - it's crucial to check your message to capture grammar mistakes, incongruences, and also awkward circulation. I recommend you additionally run it with an editing device like Grammarly and, when possible, have another person read it.

- Copyscape - it could be a good idea to register for Copyscape. While you aren't actively plagiarizing various other people's content, you may be unknowing. Additionally, Copyscape may certainly flag a 100% original blog post right off the top of your head. Rather than having to explain this to a customer, run it with Copyscape to ensure it comes back completely tidy.

Customers will either want you to submit your composed article by means of email, Gdocs, or pasted right into their WordPress backend.

You did it! You created your first article for your customer. And the more you write posts, the better you'll end up crafting stellar material for your client and securing those testimonies