#the more info you have to link together. the easier it is to recall.

[majorshatterandhare]

Hey, look at me! I did it. I listened to a new-me-album. I don’t do that very often.

It took me 2.5 years to listen through all the mechs albums and feel like I have spent a good amount of time with each, feel content with them. Reach for them all equally as much (except maybe TtbT2, which is my favorite).

It has taken me 8 months to decide to listen to a second Jessica Law album. Not because I didn’t like Languid Little Lies, but because I absolutely adore it!

I’m just so happy and content to listen to the same stuff all the time that I don’t ever feel the desire to seek out new stuff. That goes for music, podcasts, tv, movies.

I feel a bit bad for not having more knowledge on the other projects mechs members have done and continue to do. I would like to love everyone’s work, it’s just gonna take me years to get through everything sufficiently. But also that means I don’t have to fucking worry if I do come to a point that I’m desperate for something new because there will be something to reach for.

And like, I didn’t like HNOC for quite a while. I continued to listen to it on occasion because I liked everything else I knew by them; didn’t understand why I didn’t have any enjoyment from it. I think it was mainly because I had almost zero knowledge of Arthurian legend. Had to read Gawain and the Green Knight in high school and listened to a retelling of the story where Merlin gets trapped in a cave forever by a lady on Myths and Legends (podcast); didn’t really care at all. Wanted to care (about Arthurian Legend) because I knew that a lot of Celtic myth got fucked up and put in there. So everytime I listened I’d end up reading more about Arthurian legend because I couldn’t remember who was who until finally I understood it well enough that I could actually enjoy everything smart about it and the music itself and trans Mordred and more and more. I didn’t have that issue with OUaTiS or UDaD or TBI because I had knowledge of European fairytales and Greek myth and enough about Norse myth already. Same reason I usually skip Drop Dead, the first song on my favorite mechs album. I just don’t care about it at all, in an ambivalent way. It doesn’t do anything for me. But I also have no experience with Crypt of the Necrodancer. But I listen to it on occasion because there’s nothing wrong with it and maybe this time will be the time it clicks.

[valiantgentle]

Okay, I would like to humbly request: tell me all about Scarlett! Rent OCs are so freaking rare, and I am utterly curious about her!!

(Also, you're really freaking awesome and all of your OCs are really freaking awesome, and I hope you're doing well!! 🖤🖤🖤)

hi!! i am doing well and even better after reading ur lovely words <3 and i am so sorry this took so long for me to answer! it took a while to get my thoughts in order and make it coherent

scarlett!! it has been so long since i've thought about her! she was my emotional support character from the years of 2016 – 2019 and that was the last time i wrote anything for her so i'm gonna have to reach into the deepest depths of my brain which will be interesting!

warnings for mentions of: abuse, suicide, drug and alcohol addiction

so i actually have three (3) different universes for scarlett. there's the original one based on the movie adaptation that i wrote like two? sequels for, then an au that was based solely on the stage production, and then another au that, if i recall correctly but i’m a little hazy on it, combines both BUT april ericson (aka roger's girlfriend who died before the start of the plot) is alive! that one (satellite call, which i link in my masterlist & on my characters page) is my favorite and honestly it's the one i consider the True Story now, if that makes sense. it's also the best-written of the three, the others are Not That Good,,, there’s a lot about all of the fics i would change if i rewrote them now, but they did get me through those horrible, horrible three years so moving on!

u asked to know all about her and my solution to that is to give you a quick-and-concise scarlett backstory in bullet points and give it headings so that it's easier to read! (okay maybe not THAT quick and concise) (i talked so much.........i tried to rewrite it to make it feel like i’m not just info-dumping but every time i tried to make it even more concise it didn’t make any sense so this is what we’re going with lol) (and like...all of this is just the tip of the iceberg honestly. like the most basic of details)

1971 – 1989-ish

she was born in georgia to an emotionally neglectful family in the same town where april ericson (listen i know TECHNICALLY she's not mine and technically larson created her, but that was just like 2 lines in the show and i've adopted her as my own) grew up, so they knew each other. april’s a year older than scarlett. scarlett’s mom named her after the protagonist in gone with the wind and scarlett HATES that so much

when scarlett was a teenager, she started dating april's younger brother will, who was not a good person. he was abusive and all-around The Worst

april eventually caught on and helped scarlett escape, but it wasn’t easy. scarlett attempted suicide, was found by april barely in time, and was in a coma for close to two weeks iirc, but after she woke up and started getting better she was able to break up with will. in the aftermath, scarlett ended up spending more and more time with april, who she was starting to view as a sister after already viewing her as her savior

around the time of scarlett's high school graduation, april invited her to move to nyc with her to get away from everything that happened and put physical distance between them and will. scarlett agreed and they found an apartment together in alphabet city and april found scarlett a therapist to help process her trauma and her ptsd from the abuse

1992-ish (?) – 1995

i can't remember how many years after that it was but eventually scarlett meets the characters of rent and introduces april and roger, who obviously hit it off

meanwhile scarlett, who has not been in a relationship since will and is too afraid to even ponder the thought, starts falling for mark (who was with maureen at the time) but keeps pushing down her feelings for him even after they break up because she doesn't want to be hurt again.

for the record, scarlett/mark was to 2016 – 2019 me what mara/jonathan from my mummy fic are to present-day me and i think it's very obvious how much i love mara and jonathan to give u an idea shdjfk

so the april-roger drug addiction happens, at some point both of them contract hiv and april dies by suicide, as mentioned in the show/movie. scarlett is the one who finds her (remember when i said april was the one who found scarlett after her own suicide attempt?) which changes everything for her

scarlett's always been a closed book so she's never opened up about her past to the others. they didn't even know she was seeing a therapist until april died. this doesn’t change after april's death, they still don’t know anything about her past, but she worries a lot about roger and worries about him relapsing or choosing the same route april did.

depending on which story we're talking about, things after that go pretty much as rent itself goes. mark's always the first person scarlett opens up to about will and how she really knew april, and it's always after angel's death. that's pretty much the one thing that doesn't change throughout the three universes. satellite call (aka the April Lives AU is my favorite of the three because i had always loved writing the scarlett-april flashbacks in the other ones and wondering how things would change in the story if april was alive was so so interesting to me. the most notable thing that changes for scarlett in that one is how her path goes. it diverges so much from the other stories so i'll talk about that a little!

THE SATELLITE CALL YEARS

obviously the biggest thing in her life in this au is that april lives, and she doesn't lose the person she views as her savior and as a sister. so april recovers, she goes to rehab, she gets a therapist like scarlett does, and tries to move forward with scarlett at her side. so in a way, at this point they're kind of codependent

the important thing to mention about this au is that here scarlett is approached by the same dealer that supplied april and roger to buy some pills from him multiple times, and by the time angel starts getting sick and they realize he's dying, she just wants the pain she feels to end. and that starts the biggest change in this story: scarlett's drug and alcohol addiction

i can't remember why i wrote it this way or why i chose this route for her, but i know that looking at it now, this path for her makes the most sense to me out of all the paths her story has taken in all the stories i wrote for her

it does offer up a "two sides of the same coin" dynamic between scarlett and april. they have a lot more in common than they think, which is why things blow up majorly between them around the time of angel's death. like it gets BAD. but it leads to scarlett confessing her addictions to mark, who along with april and collins, helps her into rehab

i....haven’t written anything past that........i do remember most of what was supposed to happen in the second half of satellite call but like i mentioned at the top of the post i haven’t written for her in 3 years :( i’m hoping i’ll get to come back to her one day though and write the rest of that story :)

some other fun (and they are ACTUALLY fun!) facts about scarlett off the top of my head:

she likes strawberries

she's a math nerd

she's a waitress, mainly working at the life cafe

her favorite holiday is christmas

[waumpel]

ADHD STUDY TIPS

I have adhd. I'm taking all online classes this semester for college. Somehow, I'm not failing. Here's what I do that works for me!

1. I have an alarm that makes me do math every morning to turn it off, it's called Alarmy! 📚

2. It also plays a different loud sound every day from random-- I have several hundred(?) ringtones downloaded from Zedge, things like songs from shows I like or Pokemon cries or MBMBAM lines, and this helps me wake up to a different sound I'm bound to like which my brain can't get used to (and then ignore). I highly suggest godzilla roars if you need to be startled awake. 📚

3. This is SUPER HARD but I always try to force myself to sit up in bed when I'm turning off my alarm or checking my phone or whatever, so I'm not tempted to pass out again. I also like to get up and loudly tell my cats "good morning" so I wake us both up 📚

4. PLEASE STOP EATING CEREAL AND BAGELS AND STUFF. You would not BELIEVE the difference it makes when you eat things like fruits and eggs in the morning. NO MORE 10AM NAPS, I'M WATCHING YOU 📚

5. I literally schedule in Duolingo time. If you aren't learning a language you can do some other enriching activity like this, idk. I force myself to do it on my computer, not phone, so I can't lay down in bed when I'm doin it. I have a 101-day streak!! 📚

6. ik this isn't available to everyone but SPACE MATTERS SO MUCH!! I got a gaming desk that we put in our living room and I do ALL of my homework there. I also got a second monitor for my laptop with is SOOOO important if you're multitasking (and we all are, bc we're adhders ibdusvcjkn) 📚

7. HAND WRITE YOUR NOTES!!! I know this is super hard for many people-- I have carpal tunnel so I get it lmao. If you can't, at least type them. YOU THINK YOU CAN MEMORIZE INFO BUT YOU'RE WRONG!! Please write as much as you can i swear it will change ur life 📚

8. COLOURED! PENS!!! These changed the game for me y'all. I take all my notes in at least 2 colours, and I cycle through them a lot. My favs are Pilot Frixions because u can erase them :) (the highlighters are epic too) 📚

9. Make your space fun, but NOT DISTRACTING. I have a plant (his name is Yoshi) and a desk Godzilla (his name is Godzilla) on my desk, but they're out of the way so I can't zone out starin at em. But also, when I'm bored outta my gourd, I can smile at Yoshi and tell him how my day is goin :] 📚

10. SNACKING BAD *BUT*... sometimes i do it anyway... i try to associate certain foods with subjects, like I eat cocoa M&Ms (which are awesome) when I'm reading my Kaqchikel textbook. On the upside, I think it helps me recall Kaqchikel better? but also the language makes me crave mnms adkldigurvn 📚

11. LISTEN TO... CERTAIN MUSIC. I have learned that music with words, even in LANGS I DO NOT KNOW, is HELL for my adhd. Right now I'm listening to stuff like "Pokemon and Chill" (lofi album on YT), Studio Ghibli violin covers, and Night on Bald Mountain 5x on repeat ibjnvc.... I highly suggest songs/videos that are, like, 20+ minutes or else you'll get distracted with the constant change. Also, that No One's Around To Help 1hr vid is REALLY REPETITIVE and therefore PERFECT for when I'm reading textbooks. 📚

12.  EVERY NIGHT... i make a super detailed timetable schedule for the next day, down to the half hour. I don't always follow it but it's a really good reminder of what I gotta do. I write it on a whiteboard but sometimes I also write it on a sticky note and on social media so I don't forget. To do lists are so epic you guys 📚

13. THIS HAS SAVED MY L I F E: at the beginning of the semester I looked at ALL of my syllabi and wrote down EVERY daily task, test, homework, etc BY DATE. this is essentially a premade to do list EVERY DAY for MONTHS and oh my gosh it is the best thing I have ever done. 📚

14. I use the Forest app to track my productivity AND lock me out of apps ndsjv... podomoro timers work well too!!! 📚

15. Ok so for me this is like... a religious thing bc my Patron (my God) is a deity of fire AND working, but I like to light a candle (scented like FALL!!) and do a little prayer on it and I have it next to me when I'm workin on terrible, terrible homework. It helps me feel like my Patron is here with me, but also it’s GREAT for grounding and I can just kinda. Stare blankly at the flame and then get back to tryin to focus. 📚

16. Please drink water lmao, to make sure I drink enough I set little goals like "take a sip after every paragraph you read" 📚

17. Each of my classes has a different coloured notebook which I'm consistent with! Like, all my German notebooks through the years have been green! Also I take notes w green pens a lot in Deutsch 📚

18. HELLA STICKY NOTES... I put em on the bottom of my monitor, on a shelf by my desk, in my books as bookmarks (bad idea lol), on Yoshi. When I wanna go look up something random but I need to focus, I like to write it down on sticky notes to look at later. 📚

19. I'm the most annoying student ever. I like to do a bunch of assignments at once so I don't have to budget my time later, so I'll turn in like 5 things in an hour and then NOTHING for a week. ALSO i email my teachers constantly if I have any questions at all. I work at a pace that works for me!!! 📚

20. I turn off my sound on my phone until I'm done with work bc otherwise I WILL open that notification 📚

22. I make a loooot of chai (and also some overpriced herbal teas). It makes me feel fancy, it's better for me than coffee, and it helps me ground and focus! Plus it's a samefood! 📚

23. Hyperfixating on classic literature would be awesome, except I'm hyperfixating on Gothic and I'm taking a lit class for More Than Just Gothic. But I'm figuring out ways to connect them, which is really helpful, cause I get to enjoy my hyperfixation while learning for school! PLZ TRY TO DO THIS (harder when you're hyperfixating on godzilla :pensivecowboy:) 📚

21. When I have extra time I write my notes like I'm plannin to put em on Tumblr and taggin em as #darkacademia... I never post my notes, but when they look nice it's easier for me to look over em later. Plus it takes me longer to write so I remember it a lil better!! 📚

24. I'm in an awesome academia + studyspo server!! We sometimes study together on call and it's SUCH a good motivator! Here's an invite link if u wanna join, we are nice https://discord.gg/fjuX7TN (this wasn’t meant to be a promo post I just really like this group lol) 📚

OK I hope that helps!!! Feel free to add more if you have any tips that work for you :) Neurotypicals, feel free to RB respectfully!

(pics are: syllabus list, daily schedule, Yoshi the plant, and some fancy notes)

[hongism]

(2/?) Now for speculations that will take us to the next point 👁👁 the moon and sea have always been linked with each other...so what if part of their religious things were making some kind of ritual to link you to another siren? Specifically one that was of the type that complements yours? Maybe they even got promised in marriage to each other. This would explain Wooyoung and yn's connection, Woo's dreams of a girl drowning. Maybe that was the link yelling at him like "yO uR pATnEr gO fINd hEr bISh" and he finally saved her because their connection was restablished

Why yn didn't have dreams similar to Woo's? This would be because he only got his memories erased once (confirmed by Yeo) and she got hers twice (Military and the squirrel of evil), so the link got blocked on her side

Ever since yn woke up from a dream where she was chained and saw Wooyoung with other people I am ✨convinced✨ That Woosang and yn have met before because hear me out. What if the king of Aera wanted a siren slave, so many sirens were captured, or yn and Woo were captured by a siren slave dealer and the king contacted them, anyway, the thing is that Wooyoung and Yeosang weren't supposed to even meet because Woo and yn were meant to be together (Let's remember the fortune teller read Woo's future 👁👁). Woo was chosen, so they wiped his memories to make him easier to manage. The other sirens were either taken to be sold as slaves again or by the military to get them to be siphons but yn somehow escaped. Then the military found her and took her just like that one lady said they took her son. That or she went herself to be taken/didn't fight when they did so because she was so heartbroken about Woo being taken away from her (I say this because I think she told Jongho she didn't think she was actually fighting againt getting the serum??) and the military didnt know about her being a siren and just assumed she was an elitist, so she had her memories about how to use her abilities taken away

This would explain Yeo's hatred towards her IF he knew or at least had an idea of what their connection was, or is just scared because the link makes Woo naturally worry for her and he would throw himself head first into danger when it comes to protecting her. The only thing that I don't really get is the time, because Yeosang says they know each other since they were 9 years old, and yn joined the military when she was 14. Maybe she spent the other 5 years being a slave or somewhere else before being taken. – 🐻 anon

now onto some super interesting things about siren culture and this is where things get more,,,hazy almost bc we haven't really seen much in terms of this. as i said in the previous ask, religion is a core piece of siren culture in the way we're talking about it here as in yn's dream and what the implications there are. we hear that yaknow the moon and the sea are linked, wooyoung and yn are linked, but we also see that tie into the lil prophecy daichi mentions so i'll hold off on that bit for now.

and you are very much onto something especially with y/n's second mind wipe (side note im cry laughing over squirrel of evil goIJEORIGJOIERGOI) because beyond tampered memories, there is an obvious gap for her. wooyoung specifically notes that while he was a slave, he was forced to use his siren abilities, so he clearly had to retain some of those memories of how to use his abilities, but we don't know what yn would have needed to remember bc according to her, the military didn't know what she was.

the fact that you're convinced that wooSANG and yn have met before is so incredibly fascinating to me 👁👄👁 i can't say too much without spoiling a key part of the new chapter, but there will be a conversation between wooyoung and yeosang that is incredibly important but also holds a very key piece of info. it's gonna be something very nuanced and it won't be explicitly stated bc it's me lolz but i think it will make the pieces of the puzzle fall further into place for sure!!

yn did indeed mention that she recalls not fighting getting the serum in the brothel chapter i believe but we don't know why yet so that's more of a set up than anything else but it does imply that something before that point happened and it was bad enough to make her want to forget. what that was however... we have yet to find out

it's intriguing to me bc the reason's behind yeo's disdain towards yn are another thing that's super contested. is it jealousy, is it fear, is it some knowledge that he's holding to himself, and i will say it's not one dimensional , there are certainly multiple factors going into that side of things too

[emeraldtawny]

Dazai Osamu Character Analysis: How Human Is He?

Before I get into this, allow me to preface this with a disclaimer: I AM NO EXPERT IN ANY OF THE TOPICS I AM ABOUT TO DELVE INTO, THIS IS JUST WHAT I INTERPRET PERSONALLY. This is just a fan of the character rambling about him and his real-life counterpart for the sake of sharing the thoughts rattling around inside my brain. However, I will link all sources that I used at the end of this so you may wish to investigate further if what you read piques your interest.

Okay, so… Dazai Osamu. This man is as much of an enigma as he was in real life (which… makes sense). Whether Cybird did this on purpose for a gradual build-up to his route or because he just wasn’t as popular a character, who knows? (I like to believe the former just for hope’s sake gbsdukgdx). Because we know very little about him in-game, the majority of what I will be mentioning will relate back to IRL Dazai. If you know little or nothing of Dazai Osamu, please proceed with caution if discussions of substance abuse, depression and suicide upset or trigger you. Consider this your disclaimer. Now then, let’s dive in.

History of Dazai Osamu

Born in 1909 into a wealthy family as Tsushima Shūji, that didn’t ease his early life from burdens. His father was a politician and often spent long periods away from home. His mother was often sick so he was mostly cared for by his aunt and the family’s servants. His father died of lung cancer when Dazai was 13, but he seemed mostly unhindered by the death of his father and continued through schooling before being accepted into the literature department of Hirosaki University in 1927.

Things started taking a more outward effect on Dazai around this time, the linchpin likely being the death of his idol - author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa - who committed suicide. He started losing interest in his studies, investing more time into alcohol and prostitutes. He also experimented in Marxism, even joining the Japanese Communist Party. His first suicide attempt was in 1929 - right before his school exams - by an attempted sleeping pill overdose. This wasn’t enough to kill him so he subsequently survived. He graduated from Hirosaki the following year, then moved to Tokyo University in 1930. There, he met a prostitute that he ran away with, prompting him to be disowned by his family. 

His second attempt at suicide came that year - an attempted double suicide with a young woman he barely knew. They threw themselves into the ocean. Sadly, she died, and Dazai was rescued by a passing fishing boat. He was suspected in the woman’s death, but his family’s influence saved him. He then married the prostitute he ran away with.

It was after this that Dazai began networking with established writers and started publishing his own works, his pseudonym of Dazai Osamu being established with his short story ‘Ressha’ in 1933. In 1935, he attempted suicide for the third time by hanging, failing once again. That same year, he suffered from appendicitis and was admitted to hospital where he developed an addiction to a morphine-based painkiller. He was admitted to a mental institution in 1936 and was forced off of his drug addiction. When he was getting treated, his wife had an affair with his best friend. With their marriage deteriorating, both Dazai and his wife attempted a double suicide - Dazai’s fourth attempt. They both consumed sleeping pills in an attempted overdose. Both survived and Dazai divorced his wife after this.

The 1930s and 1940s were Dazai’s golden years literature-wise. He wrote many novels and short stories. When World War II rolled around, he escaped being drafted due to tuberculosis. He continued writing through the war period and met and then married his second wife in 1941. They had three children together.

The last years of Dazai’s life produced his most infamous works - ‘The Setting Sun’ and ‘No Longer Human’ - in 1947 and 1948 respectively. Around this time, Dazai met a woman who he left his wife and children for to take as a mistress. On June 13, 1948, Dazai and his mistress committed suicide by drowning in the Tamagawa Reservoir in Tokyo. In a cruelly ironic twist, their corpses were discovered on what would have been Dazai’s 39th birthday - his fifth attempt was the one that succeeded. An unfinished novelette eerily titled ‘Goodbye’ was left behind, many believing this as his last will.

Dazai’s works became a cult classic after his death, his undertones of nihilism in a postwar society greatly appealing to the masses. ‘No Longer Human’ became his most famous piece, eventually being translated into many languages and is among the most popular books in Japanese literature. He inspired different movies and anime (and otome) with the story of his life and the works he crafted from his experiences.

(All info in this section is derived from Source 1)

No Longer Human’s Effect

When you think Dazai Osamu, it’s not uncommon to immediately think of his novel ‘No Longer Human’. Whether you’ve read the book or not, worry not, as I will not be discussing any plots in the book; I will instead address the overarching themes and (the lack of) conclusion and message the novel leaves you with.

Many consider ‘No Longer Human’ - and many other of Dazai’s works - as semi-autobiographical, as he took many of his story’s ideas from his own personal experiences. This is illustrated through the way in which he wrote his stories; focusing on first-person perspectives to an excruciatingly analytical degree. This was and still is known as the “I-Genre” in Japan and became a staple for Dazai, the viewpoints and mindsets he wrote his characters in portrayed very vividly in a way that made you question how much of it is the character, and how much of what he wrote was the author’s own words and feelings to the world.

‘No Longer Human’ is not a happy story. It follows the story of a man through childhood, university and finally adulthood - the story written in three parts as notebooks to show his progression of age. Without spoiling the contents of the novel in case you wish to read it for yourself, the story focuses on an overarching question: is being a human the solution, or the problem in and of itself? Throughout the novel, it’s clear of how questioning the main character is of this, almost to the point of obsession and compulsion. However, his language always shows how unconvinced he is; a “mundane and dream-like writing, incessantly miming the words “I think … ,” “I am … ,” “I could … ,” “I should … .” Dazai’s characters are never quite convinced.” (Source 2).

The character Dazai portrays is relentless in his self-examination, which leads to his estrangement - not just from those around him, but to the very species he is meant to be a part of. Estrangement is common throughout the story and “It is this fundamentally unhuman feeling that, paradoxically, reveals to Dazai’s characters exactly how human they are.” (Source 2). The inner monologues and conversations can be unsettling if you find yourself relating, alien if you don’t, but ultimately leave you walking away from it questioning even an inkling of what you thought was innate and normal. 

‘No Longer Human’ is not a story designed to tie up all of the loose ends it produces. Dazai leaves it up to you - the reader - to interpret for yourself. The character is infuriatingly, yet ultimately in character, indecisive in how he wishes to perceive the world; “To be a nonentity strangely indifferent to all the accoutrements of human life and society, and yet strangely drawn to the unhuman world of sky, rain, sand, sea, this is where Dazai’s novel ultimately leads, and it’s at this point that it has to end.” (Source 2).

Depression and Nihilism

I mentioned earlier that Dazai was admitted to a mental institution. From the sources I found, I couldn’t find anything concrete about why he was admitted aside from battling his drug addiction. However, mental illness was prevalent in Dazai’s life and it’s widely believed depression was a large part of this. Few recounts of people who talked with Dazai recalled his dark, wry tone in his writings, yet found his humour witty and oftentimes exaggerated (hmmmm…). Since I found nothing credible for this discussion beyond this, I’m going to step away from psychology and instead have a look at philosophy, specifically Dazai’s philosophy on life.

Again, this is just assumptions. However, I find this more comfortable theorising about over sensitive topics like depression and mental health (plus, I find this incredibly interesting, personally). You could argue that Dazai believes in sophistry - the use of clever but false arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving - but I’m inclined to disagree simply because of how deep Dazai digs himself into his own deception; if he himself believes what he tells others, I think it’s a more deep-rooted philosophy than false arguments. I mentioned nihilism earlier and this is what I ultimately believe is the philosophy in how Dazai saw the world. What type of nihilism is the question.

Most people think nihilism and assume the whole “God is dead, I feel nothing” hypothetical; I know I used to always assume so. But, of course, it’s not as cut and dry as that (nothing is simple…). There are different types of nihilism, but I will only talk about the one I think applies to Dazai. Throughout his stories, despite the gloomy atmosphere, there’s usually a(n attempted) glimmer of hope - a snag in the character’s mindset that draws them back into their repeating thoughts of what they should and should not perceive and believe in. Because of this, cosmic nihilism (also called cosmic pessimism) can be eliminated - Dazai’s characters don’t renounce everything they feel and take meaning in as illusions to make existing easier, they’re slightly more lenient in believing what they perceive.

I offer the type of nihilism I believe Dazai’s mindset for writing - and subsequently his actual mindset - falls into: existential nihilism.

Existential nihilism operates on the premise that there is no inherent meaning or purpose; “existence itself–all action, suffering, and feeling–is ultimately senseless and empty.” (Source 3). While not denouncing beliefs like faith and love like cosmic nihilism, existential nihilism relies on values being created and sustained lest they risk falling into the mindset that there is no hope, the world is truly empty and there’s no point in existing in a world that doesn’t even try to give you a reason to hold on. Existential nihilists don’t believe that happiness doesn’t exist; they simply believe that “miseries vastly outnumber pleasures, happiness is impossible” (Source 3) and, therefore, are constantly at odds with themselves over striving for this impossible happiness or simply leaving it behind to find something else to root themselves to reality. Many of Dazai’s character’s internal conversations echo this philosophy; they either despair over being who they are, or they despair because they can’t be who they think they are. In a specific example, they feel estranged and uneasy about how they think - being what they deem “not human” - or they feel trapped and alone in believing that they can’t be who they think they are, so they’re forced to play a character - a facade - for their entire life so as not to be discovered.

Search up ‘Dazai Osamu quotes’ on Google and you’ll find a plethora to read that seem to portray this very idea. Constantly battling within himself over what he should believe, what he should feel and, ultimately, never voicing his pain to the world itself. These two screenshots from the game seem to mirror this sentiment. 

Soo… what does this mean for Ikemen Vampire Dazai?

… Who knows? I don’t work for Cybird so I couldn’t possibly tell you sorry :3. The PV for his route had heavy implications of atonement and death being the only true salvation, so I’m intrigued on what angle they’re going to tackle that from, since Dazai’s reasoning for being revived was “well, death wasn’t what I thought it would be lol”. (Unless it’s a red herring… who knows with this eccentric man gbdukgdfx).

So… yeah. I just wanted to ramble and with his route dropping in Japan before April is done, I thought it was a good time to just ramble into the Tumblr void. Please feel free to broach further conversations about this, correct me if I slipped up anywhere or to just say you’re excited for his route (because I know I am huehuehue). 

Sources can be found here (Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3)

[wickedsrest-rp-archive]

White Crest sleeps and dreams alone. How sad. Kevin sits and watches. In dreams, the people sleep. They’re so distant, so separate from one another. If they could understand, dream as she has dreamt, perhaps they might be less... boring. Her hands are gone, but she has the power for this. A bit of dream weaving, a simple test. Forge the connection, listen to it sing.

Reaching for her power, she finds it, buried deep, still seeping slow out of the lake. But it is hers and hers alone. It rushes, builds like a wave. Higher, higher until it falls, crashing over White Crest. Kevin feels for them again, the dreams. There they go, linking together one by one. A test completed, now to watch.

Now to dream.

---

In the night, the citizens of White Crest begin to experience something rather strange. When they dream, they aren’t alone. The awareness is faint at first, memories they shouldn’t have, thoughts that aren’t their own creeping in at the edges. As the nights go on, they may even find another person inhabiting their dreams, just as confused as they are. These dreams are far easier to recall than others they’ve had before. Characters can communicate with each other within dreams as if they were speaking in person. Dreams may reveal things that characters wouldn’t otherwise speak about or admit to.

But that’s not all.

When they wake, they’ll find that their own heads are a little less... private. They drive home from work and hear, “Man, I could use some blood right now” or they’re playing video games and it seems like someone’s shouting in their ear. They hear sobbing and someone blaming themselves as they eat their cereal. Everyone affected has one person in town whose thoughts are invading their head, while their own thoughts are invading the head of that person. 

White Crest is a town with its secrets, but how much longer can they stay secret when someone who may not be trustworthy has access to your very thoughts and dreams?

---

VERY IMPORTANT INFO (read all of it!):

If you are interested in participating in this POTW, please contact the main blog and we will pair you up and let you and your partner know privately. We will be open for participants until July 15th. This POTW will end at different rates for each pairing depending on what you and your partner would like to do. Just be sure to communicate!

Please do not opt to participate in this POTW (in the capacity of being paired) if you do not think you’ll be active over the next couple of weeks. We want everyone to have an active and engaged partner to write with. In the event something comes up and you have to go on hiatus, let us know ASAP and we’ll help out your partner.

We suggest talking to your partner and giving them some snippets of thoughts for them to work into their writing. This would include chatzies, solos, and paras but probably not dash interaction, so you’ll get the most out of this plot if you’re an active and timely writer. Do make sure to respect secrets shared between your characters and only spread them if your partner agrees first.

OTHER INFO:

Dream chatzies are highly encouraged! Of course, any harm that comes to the characters in their dreams also comes to them in real life.

The thoughts themselves will be echoes of what the other person is thinking, particularly when strong emotion is involved (but sometimes just basic things), not a complete stream of consciousness. It may take a little bit before characters realize the thoughts are not their own.

As the days go by, people might find it’s more than just their thoughts being influenced… some actions may also travel through the link shared between the two characters. If a character puts a lot of emotion or intent into a basic action, the person who hears their thoughts will be compelled to perform the action as well.

Personalities, emotions, and pain are not shared (though emotion may be guessed by tone and context). Physiology is not affected.  

[twodogsoneguy]

Leashes:

Leashes are probably one of the most important tools you have for your dog when leaving the home, besides a good collar! A good leash is dependent on what you want to use it for, and what kind of dog walker you are. Leashes are very important, in most places you are not allowed to have your dog off leash at all in public, or only if they are well controlled by voice commands. I recommend keeping your dog on a leash no matter what; just because you trust them to play nicely doesn’t mean other dogs will.

Some things to start with: firstly, unless it's a picture I took of a product I own and love, I will not be posting to this blog about actual products because I currently am not affiliated with anyone or have affiliate links, nor do I plan to try and get rights to images I don’t own. If this changes in the future, I will be sure to update my info and let you guys know. Secondly, just so we don't get confused, leash or lead mean generally the same thing, they both refer to a long piece of material that you attach to a dog in order to keep it from straying. 

So first off is your standard flat leash, a six foot nylon(or other strong material) leash that is typically 1/2-2in in width. It's usually your cheapest option at the dog store, though you can splurge on really expensive pretty ones. These get you from point a to point b. They also come in four foot leads, which are useful for keeping your companion closer to you without having to wrap up the excess. These types of leashes are great when you’re just starting out or need something without frills. I definitely recommend having one or two of these hanging around your house; personally I like to use them when we’re going out for a fun trip or walk rather than work. A good basic leash will be strong enough to hold your dog and not break when they pull. For example, while a 1in lead may be too heavy for a toy breed like chihuahua, it may not stand up to the strength of a great dane. Typically, for most medium to large dogs a 1in width is enough. (For reference, the pineapple leash is a pretty one I haven’d used yet. The red and white on is a leash I bought for Harley when she was a baby. Its obviously well loved.)

My personal favorite type of leash is the waist or hands free style leash. These leashes usually have an adjustable portion that you can either wrap around your waist or body, leaving your hands free to do other things. I use these when I am out and about with Athena because it makes doing my errands easier. The drawback to these kinds of leashes is that they take some time to get used to. Rather than being able to go in many directions, these leashes often have a very short radius for your dog to walk around with. This means that you have to get used to working as a team while walking together because otherwise you may end up tangled up on the floor. A dog needs to understand directional cues from you in order to successfully work with one of these leads. This doesn’t mean you have to train them in things like “right” or “left’; they just need to be able to follow your directions and read your body to see where you plan to go. With some practice you will be able to use these in no time.

Leather leashes are long favored by the training community. They’re extremely durable when well taken care of; one of the pet parents I took a class with had one from her childhood that she used to train her first dog with. When you buy one new, it will take some time to break in, meaning that it may be very stiff or have some edges that can leave marks on your hands if you have a dog who likes to pull.  Leather is also a strong material, it will stand up to strong pullers unlike other types of leashes. I personally have never had the money to invest in a leather leash, though I have heard the exaltations of its proponents. 

Flexi leads/retractable leashes are my least favorite type of leash. Now, I am going to admit I am a little biased towards these, because oftentimes when I’ve encountered these in the wild they are attached to owners who don't control their dogs or read canine body language well. Retractable leashes have a hard plastic handle, which contains a cord that extends or retracts automatically based on tension from the dog. They often can be locked at a certain length. Pros of retractable leashes include that the plastic handle is often easier for people who have issues with gripping things and they allow the dog a greater range of freedom in the distance they can go. The leash cord itself is typically lightweight, making them easier to use with smaller breeds. One of the biggest considerations when choosing this type of leash is making sure that it is rated for your dog's full grown weight, otherwise you run the risk of it snapping and losing your dog. Personally, I don’t like taking that kind of risk with my dogs.. Another concern with this type of leash is that it doesn’t allow the handler nuanced control of their dog. This is a concern because whether or not that dog is well behaved, other dogs may not be and being able to rush into another dogs space can turn very bad very fast depending on how the other dog reacts.

Traffic leads are short leashes under four feet, usually around two or three. These leashes are short and sweet, and mean that you have your dog up and close to you all the time, which can be especially useful in urban environments. Traffic leads are often used by service dog handlers, because their short length means they can drop the lead on top of the dog when they need their hands and easily pick it back up again. Traffic leads, like waist leashes, require good teamwork between the dog and handler because you are right on top of each other. I have used a traffic lead in the past, however I found it wasn’t as useful as I hoped it would be as it was too restricting of Athena’s movements. 

Slip leads are a type of leash that uses a slipknot type loop that goes around the dogs neck. These are especially useful to those who have low mobility, and for picking up dogs running at large. Slip leads do not require a collar to use. A major drawback of the slip lead is because it works with a slipknot, it is very similar to a choke collar, meaning that it can tighten around your dogs neck a great deal and choke them or cause them to cough. However a dog who walks politely on a leash faces very little harm from a slip lead. I personally find that the benefits of slip leads outweigh their risks, because theres no way to get a collar on a dog running along a highway. I also like the convenience of a slip lead for quick trips to the drive thru because it means that I don’t have to clip and unclip the lead from my dog. You may also find these at your local vet clinic, as they are a way to easily leash a dog who may have come in without one.

Finally, the last type of leash I will talk about is the long line. A long line is a very long leash, usually over 10ft. These are used to help train a dog recall in a large open space like a park. I’ve used mine very little because I bought it just before last winter, and then the pandemic happened so its mostly spent its time hanging out in the leash pile, hence the poorly done daisy chain. Long lines are typically beneficial to people who are training working dogs in areas such as hunting or schutzhund.

Bonus round: Though not technically a leash, did you know you can get a seat belt for your dog? Doggy seat belts are similar to a short lead in length, and have a seat belt tongue(the metal part that goes into the buckle) and attachment point so that your dog is restrained. These need to be used in conjunction with a harness because using it with a collar can lead to injuries. Seat belts for dogs work wonders to keep a dog out of your hair and in the car, even when the windows are down. However, a caveat: according to Center for Pet Safety, who did tests on harnesses in car crashes, there are only certain ones that provide your dog with protection. Read more here.

To keep in mind: there are a lot of other considerations that go into choosing a leash. One of the big ones, do you need/want a padded handle? Many leashes made today have neoprene padded handles that reduce the amount of pull damage your hand takes, and are well worth it for the comfort. Reflective materials are also an important consideration, especially if you plan on doing a lot of walking during the dark hours in the early morning or winter evenings. They even make leashes now that light up at the press of a button. You may consider having several leashes for different occasions, I know I have close to a dozen now even though I only have two dogs. Anyways, that's it for this post! Let me know what you think in the replies/reblogs.

[raendown]

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 4254 Chapter: 6/? Summary: Not all wars are fought on the battlefield. Some are fought at the conference table, with whispers in the shadows, or even in the bedroom.

In a world where the Senju and Uchiha traditional lands were too far apart to have ever made them enemies, Butsuma and Tajima are the ones who come together and sign a treaty of peace. Madara isn’t happy to have his life signed away for him in a political marriage to strengthen the bond between their clans. He is even less happy to have Tobirama make assumptions of him from their very first night together. What follows from there is a journey of healing, of learning, and finding the places to belong in the places least expected.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Chapter 6

Some mornings Madara wondered why he even bothered getting out of bed, days when every little thing seemed to go wrong for him no matter what he tried to do until eventually he began to wonder if maybe some god had taken a disliking to him and decided this was to be his fate, eternal frustration over things that made him feel ridiculous for getting frustrated about it. Catching his foot in the blanket on his way out of bed wouldn’t have been anywhere near as big a deal if he hadn’t also tripped and cracked his nose on the bedroom floor. Dropping a bit of eggshell in to his omelet was already awful but of course he also had to knock over the salt shaker and spill half the contents over his would-be breakfast. Missing a throw to the waste bin wasn’t always terrible; it was when he was trying to toss out rotten food gone moldy.

Things continued like that all the way out of the house and across town to the administration tower, bad luck following him right in to the office he shared with Hashirama. Publicly the reason they shared an office was to show that even unmarried people between the two clans could get along and work together but privately they both knew it was because the building could only be so big before it got ridiculous and so many different bodies needed to work inside each day that it simply wasn’t practical to give every single person their own four walls.

Within five minutes of sitting down at his desk Madara had already knocked over his pencil cup, signed his name on the wrong paper without reading it, and dropped two different folders on the floor that scattered their contents absolutely everywhere. At that point it was only Hashirama’s presence that kept him from immolating the entire room.

“Rough start to the day?” his friend asked him. Madara snorted.

“A rough start to the day would mean I accidentally slept in or maybe burned the eggs a little. This was an absolute shit start to a day that promises to only get shittier.”

Kicking out halfheartedly at one leg of his desk, Madara was honestly and truly surprised it didn’t snap under the blow and send all of his possessions cascading sideways. With the way his morning had gone so far that sort of thing would just fit right in. He grumpily began to pick everything up and sort the mess of papers back in to the right folders until Hashirama came around to his side of the room with a small box held out between both hands.

“Would a cookie make you feel better?” he asked, giving Madara pause as he peered curiously in to the small tin like he’d been handed a ray of hope.

“If you ever offer me a cookie and I say no then take my temperature because I’m probably sick.” They looked like gingerbread, one of his absolute favorite cookies, so he made sure to select the biggest one he could see. The moment he bit in to it his eyes fluttered closed. “Oh sweet gods above us. When you get home tell Mito I will give her whatever she wants if she’ll make me a batch of these for my own.”

“Oh Mito didn’t make them. Tobi did!” Hashirama beamed and picked out another cookie, leaving it on the corner of the desk before trotting back to his own.

Madara stopped chewing to look at the snack between his fingers with light disgust. “Ah. I didn’t realize these were forged in the fires of hell. And since when does he bake? I’ve never even seen him cook so much as miso soup.”

“You’ll never see him do anything if the two of you don’t ever spend any time together,” Hashirama said. His eyebrows were in a judgmental expression that Madara really should have expected.

“Drop it,” he growled.

His friend did as he asked with a heavy sigh and an exaggerated shrug, enough to tell Madara that he might be dropping it for now but in no way was this the end of the conversation. Now scowling deeply at having his tiny ray of hope extinguished by the unnecessary mention of his unwanted husband, Madara scowled as he forced himself to concentrate on his work. The cookie in his hand felt tainted now that he knew where it had come from. He did still eat it though, as well as the other one Hashirama had left for him; they were good cookies and he wasn’t about to let that go to waste just because they were baked by a total jerk.

It did seem a pity though. If this talent for baking had been gifted to someone friendlier then maybe that person would have had more people to share their goodies with than just one brother.

Grumpy about being tricked in to enjoying the devil’s cookies, Madara refused to be the one to start up a conversation for the rest of the morning. Unfortunately this firm stance backfired on him when it became clear that today was one of the rare days Hashirama actually focused on his work instead of looking for any and all distractions to put it off. The two of them spent several hours in silence, papers rustling and drawers rattling as they both worked their way through the never ending piles of useless forms and proposals that no one was ever going to do more than skim through. It wasn’t very exciting but it was worlds above the constant tripping and knocking things over that had plagued his first hour or two.

Just before noon Madara gathered an armload of files and tapped them in to a neat pile as he stood from his chair. Hashirama looked up at him with an understanding expression.

“Daily delivery?” he asked. Madara sighed.

“I’d rather get this part of out the way before lunch; if he’s a dick about things then at least I’ll have time to calm down before I have to get back at this shit.”

Hashirama looked down at his own papers and shrugged. “I find it easier to just wait till the end of the day. Then I have Mito to go home to and she always makes me feel better!”

With a roll of his eyes Madara turned away with answering. If that was another attempt to get him talking about his own failure of a marriage then he was absolutely not biting. He would much rather hurry up to the top floor where his father and Senju Butsuma both had private offices on opposite sides of the main council room. Every day he made the trek up here to pass off the most important reports or whatever projects had been recently finished, usually ending their meeting with a lecture of some sort or a demand that Madara spend more time training for the duties he would someday take over as clan Head. As if he didn’t already drown himself in that stuff to keep busy in an empty home.

Tajima was sitting stiffly upright with his reading glasses perched on the end of his nose when Madara let himself in. Clearly the man was confident that his son was alone since he usually kept the reading glasses well out of sight for fear that someone else might see them and think him weakened in any way. Not many outside of the Uchiha clan were aware of just how badly use of the Sharingan affected them.

His father said nothing at first when he set the armful of parchment and scrolls down in the usual spot, leaving Madara with nothing to do but look around at the sparse décor of the office. One wall displayed only two ceremonial swords crossed and hung right behind the man’s head, probably an intimidation tactic for any visitors, but it was offset by the portrait of Tajima and his family that had been commissioned only a month before his first child fell in battle. Madara had studied the image so many times he could recreate it down to the last detail even without use of the perfect recall his dōjutsu granted him. Today his attention went to the woman holding a week old baby Izuna and standing as proudly as any happy matriarch ever had. It was only after her death that Tajima had begun to close himself off from the sons she left behind, living reminders, his grief a testament to the deep love they had shared.

“Why did you agree to this marriage?” The words slipped out before he even had a chance to consider them and Madara barely held in a cringe when he felt Tajima’s gaze lock on to him. Since the question was already out there he swallowed to give himself a moment before clarifying, “Mine, I mean. I was too angry to ask at the time and then it hardly seemed to matter since we had already signed the treaty but…why? I didn’t love him, father. I didn’t even know him.”

“Is it not obvious?” Tajima judged him with a single eyebrow raised in disappointment but Madara held firm in the face of a look he’d been under more and more over the past decade.

“Not to me. Could we not have found a way to bind the clans together without this farce? I mean – our traditions! You had to know that chaining me to that…him would deny me the chance to ever fall in love or find a person I truly wanted to be with.”

Tajima reached up slowly to pluck the slim frames off his nose without moving his expression. “It was necessary.”

“What? That’s it?” Madara stared at his father with lead heavy in his chest and felt like all the air in the room had been sucked away from him. “It was necessary?”

“Yes. I considered the needs of one less important than the needs of many. We all must make sacrifices in our lives and I made the decision that this one was worth the gain. Our people are safe and happy, our injury rates are at an all-time low, and what have you suffered for that? A husband who is worthy of your station and strength. You may not have chosen him but mark my words boy I expect you to see this through or I will concentrate on an heir with the intelligence to follow my orders properly.”

Never in his life had Madara fully understood the word betrayal until that moment. He had seen people betray their partners, seen comrades betray their friends, soldiers turning their backs on the clan that raised them, but it had never hurt him personally when until now he had never had a reason to feel the sting in his own heart, sharp and swift.

But this was his father. His very flesh and blood who had tossed him aside like so much trash as easily as saying ‘for the greater good’. It didn’t just sting, it burned deep down in a part of himself that he hadn’t even been aware of until it turned to ash inside his chest. Watching the absolute lack of empathy on his father’s face set his stomach to churning and he realized he felt physically ill to the point where he worried he might upset the contents of his meager breakfast all over the floor beneath him. Something hot and dangerous rose up inside of him until he clenched his fists and determinedly told himself that he would not show weakness here in front of a man who had finally proved once and for all he no longer cared about his sons in any way.

“Thank you for answering my question,” he ground out. “If you will excuse me, I have nothing to report that is not already covered in the files.”

No further prompting was needed for Tajima to return all his attention to whatever he’d been working on before being interrupted. Madara watched him for a split second, unsure why he was bothering to imprint that image in the back of his mind except maybe to torture himself just a little more with the reminder that he had lost his father as surely as he had lost his mother. Then he turned on his heel and left the office with as little fanfare as possible.

With this much rage and emotion filling him, more than even a good Uchiha should be expected to handle, Madara was terribly grateful to have his lunchbreak as an excuse to flee the office. There were very few people he knew might be able to withstand the force of his breakdown who he also trusted to help him stand back up again afterwards. Most of those people were right here in this same building he so desperately needed to escape but there was one to whom he knew he could always turn, someone who had been there for him since he was little more than a toddler learning to hold his very first kunai, and it had been much too long since he last visited her anyway.

Avoiding anyone else who looked even a little bit like they wanted him to stop for a moment, he exited the tower only a couple minutes later and set a quick pace for the Uchiha district. The thundering blood in his veins played double time with his steps until he finally gave in to impatience and took to the rooftops like an undignified boor in a hurry. Usually he had better manners than to clog up the pathways most tried to keep open for the security teams to get around quickly.

The small private market place within their clan grounds was quiet at the moment, just before the lunch hour rush hit the streets, and Madara was glad to see absolutely no one in the building when he stormed in to his favorite bakery, flipping the sign behind himself to declare that the shop was closed. From behind the counter there came the sound of a wooden spoon clattering against a pot but Madara only huffed as strongly as he thought wouldn’t make him vomit.

“I am not in the mood for a scolding, sensei.” His footsteps were loud on the creaky wooden floors as he stomped around the counter to confront the tiny old lady behind.

“What’s got crumbs in your butter, little one?”

He continued to scowl and yet with just a single question already the roiling in his stomach was beginning to settle. Not the hot ball of betrayal in his chest, that refused to shift so much as an inch, but at least he wasn’t in danger of contaminating anything in the bakery.

“Why did he stop loving us?” Madara demanded. Lowering her spoon, Susumu-sensei looked back at him with a bitter kind of understanding dawning on her face. “I am his son! His oldest child! Don’t I deserve to be loved just like everyone else? Don’t I deserve to be happy? How can he take that away from me and not care?”

“Ah. This is about–?”

“Of course it’s about my bloody marriage! What else does anyone ever want to talk about lately? Ow! You bitch!” Madara cradled the elbow she had just delivered a sharp crack to with her current weapon of choice.

Shaking it under his nose, Susumu-sensei delivered him a fierce glare. “Don’t you be yelling at me for something that stale piece of mold did to you. I won’t stand for the shit he pulls but you know damn well I won’t stand for any disrespect either!”

“Can I not be upset without getting smacked!?”

“I thought you wanted to be happy?” She raised her eyebrows and Madara paused.

At least she didn’t swat him again for rolling his eyes. “Why did I come here?”

“Because you know that I hate him as much as you used to love him. I always have. He loved your mother, there is no one who will deny that, but he was never as open-minded as he would have his children believe. You aren’t the first one he’s tried to sweep under the rug and forget about.”

Madara nodded, letting his eyes flick down the tiny body before him. He knew his teacher’s story well. She hadn’t hesitated to share it when he first asked, just a young lad but already standing taller than her. Barely more than three feet tall, Susumu was born with a type of dwarfism the medics called Hypochondroplasia. She called it ‘my head’s too big and my arms can’t reach’. One of Tajima’s first decrees when he took his place as clan head had been to try and remove her from the field, citing her need to enhance her movement with chakra just to function like any other shinobi as a fatal weakness. Susumu’s revenge had been to befriend the man’s wife and get herself appointed as sensei for his eldest son, going on to raise the strongest fighter their clan had ever seen.

It was a fairly good revenge, actually. Effective in all the right ways. Madara couldn’t remember when it happened but he knew that his affection for Susumu as a parental figure came long before the death of his own mother and the subsequent distance between himself and his father.

“Your marriage,” she murmured. “I can’t say I know what he was thinking when he made that decision. I agree with you that he should never have taken something so sacred from you but–”

“No, no buts!”

“But that is the way of things now. It isn’t ideal. You will still have to make the best of the things you have.”

“I just want the same chance to be happy that everyone else gets!” Madara looked around his feet for something to kick but everything close to him was breakable or needed to stay clean and he wasn’t looking to get smacked with that damn spoon again.

Susumu gave him a pointed look when he finally met her gaze again and gestured openly to her own body. “Do you think I have the same chance of finding love as everyone else? I’m not saying there aren’t a few open minded people out there I might be compatible with but there certainly aren’t as many as I’d like. We all have our difficulties in life, little one. You do indeed have the same chance as everyone to fall in love still, if you think about it. What sets you apart is that you will then be faced with a choice. Do you break your marriage vows, betray the peace between us and the only clan with the power to harm us? Or do you put your own needs and desires aside because duty is heavy but we have all agreed to carry our share of it.”

“Why is my share so much heavier than other peoples’?” He demanded. “Why is yours? It isn’t fair!”

“Tell me something, what do you know of the Senju clan’s marriage practices?”

Honestly he should have smelled the trap coming a mile away but Madara was upset and indignant and too caught up in himself to notice anything. He sneered as he recalled his conversation with Hashirama a couple of weeks ago. “I know that they expect to have their marriage arranged for them and that they’re allowed to sleep around with whoever they want until then but after they get married they’re expected to remain faithful. As if that erases their indiscretions beforehand!”

“Mm, I see. And tell me something else, what do you know of their divorce rates?”

“Divorce?” Madara stared at his old sensei in bewilderment. “I honestly didn’t know they could get divorced.” He scowled when she shook her head in disappointment.

“Then let me tell you something. When your father agreed to their unholy demands I was angry. Of course I was! My favorite little bumble pie being tossed aside so callously! So I looked in to the Senju and I asked about their traditions. Did you know that they are allowed to seek a divorce after five years if the couple are irreparably unhappy? Even more interesting, did you know that most of them don’t? The divorce rates among the Senju clan are so low I had to ask my source to repeat the number three times.”

Flustered, Madara blurted out, “So what?”

“So! That means that they are happy. Our traditions tell us that happiness is found and then kept. Their traditions tell them that happiness is built and maintained. It’s crazy and it’s different but it works for them. Don’t you think it’s possible that if you gave this a proper try there is even a miniscule chance it might work for you too?”

The hot ball in Madara’s chest expanded and his first primal instinct was to scream in her face that she had betrayed him too. Luckily for his continued survival he chose not to go with his first instinct. Susumu-sensei loved him deeply but she had never hesitated to beat some sense in to him with physical force when she thought it was necessary. So instead he settled for turning away and glaring deeply at the neat little row of tins lined up on top of the counter, samples of her ingredients for customers to check the quality.

Her question was ridiculous, of course. Never in his life had he heard anything as stupid as the idiocy she was spouting. Even worse, she agreed with something Hashirama had said! She made the point even better than him and the Senju were Hashirama’s own clan! Madara glared at a tin marked ‘vanilla bean’ and hated the fact that he could finally see the point both of them had been trying to make.

But his own point still stood too! Madara didn’t see why he had to be the only one putting in a little effort! And he wasn’t about to let anyone else get away with thinking so.

“If the Senju are all about working on their marriage then where the hell is Tobirama? We don’t even speak; it’s like I live alone!” Behind him he could hear Susumu-sensei releasing a light sigh.

“He’s even younger than you are and it seems to me you’ve made your opinions on him quite clear. Have you considered that he doesn’t see the point in trying to convince someone as hard-headed as you to change your mind about something? Perhaps he too is making the best of what he has.” She appeared at his side, patting his elbow in a rare show of gentleness. “I know it will be hard but it looks like you might need to be the one who makes the first move. Whether or not the two of you find love it will make your lives much easier if you at least get along. I don’t enjoy seeing you this miserable, little one.”

“You know, some day you’ll see the irony in calling me that,” Madara deflected rather than answer her. He looked down at her when she snorted brashly.

“Hah! You think I don’t? Boy, there is no better insult than me calling you little!” His sensei cackled and Madara rolled his eyes but one corner of his lips twitched with the first hint of a smile. As much as he despised her advice he was still glad he had chosen to come here. Susumu-sensei had a way of bringing the world in to focus again when he lost himself to emotions and she never failed to make him feel better – even when he didn’t want to feel anything but rage and righteous indignation.

She had certainly given him some things to think about now. Madara wasn’t ready to admit that she might be right and he definitely wasn’t promising he was going to follow her advice but he knew he would at least give proper consideration to what she’d said.

For now, however, he had a limited amount of time left on his lunch break and he wanted to be calm by the time he went back to work.

“What’s the freshest you’ve got today?” he asked, ducking down to look through the glass in the counter at all the cakes and tarts and muffins on display, each more delicious than the last. Susumu-sensei opened her mouth to answer but was interrupted by the ding of an oven in the back.

“Rhubarb pie as of right now,” she announced. “You’ll take the whole thing of course. And you’ll eat it this time! Don’t think I didn’t hear about you giving away those lemon cookies I sent over last month!”

“I don’t even like lemon!”

“Pah, excuses! They’re no more sour than you are!”

Falling in to the pattern of bickering with his old sensei was the easiest thing in the world and just what he needed at the moment. Madara carefully shuffled his problems off to the side where they certainly weren’t going to be forgotten but he could at least function around them until he was ready to sit down and deal with it like a proper adult.

Which was clearly not now. Right now he wanted nothing more than to get lost in the calming ridiculousness Susumu always seemed to wear around her like a mysterious cape – if mysterious capes came smelling like delicious apple pies.

[djinn-and-djuice]

Happy new year! Starting off 2019 strong with the darkest fic I’ve ever posted! Yaaaaaaaaay. Here’s the detailed info I put on ao3:

Man, when Liam shared Caleb's backstory, my first thought was "this is some Red Room shit, right here", so I wanted to work with that a bit. This has been a compelling, if difficult, fic to write, and I hope you like it. Maybe "like" isn't the right word, but I hope it gives you something.

Here's the deal: this fic contains scenes of clearly described torture, abuse, and all of that is centered in the effects of brainwashing. The characters in this story who are being abused do not view it as such, which may be particularly upsetting to some. Please do what is best for you.

Still with me? Awesome. (ao3 link)

[contains info from episode 18 of campaign two. is that still a spoiler?]

~*~

matriculation

~*~

It was meant to be an example. When one of them failed, wasn’t quick enough to learn a new spell, spoke out of turn, or-gods forbid-embarrassed Trent in front of one of his colleagues, they were punished.

Caleb hadn’t been quick enough on his somatic drills, so to impress upon him the need to sharpen the dexterity in his off hand, Trent quickly and ruthlessly took a hammer to his dominant one.

It hurt, the pain a white-hot fire that chewed up his arm and tore through his thoughts, but Caleb held himself together. This was necessary. He would go back to the others, and they would train harder, and he would not make this mistake twice. Caleb would take this punishment and the three of them, together, would turn it into greater things. It would make them better.

He bore the whole experience and barely made a sound, and when it was done he could see how Trent was impressed with his strength. He even managed to keep his battered hand by his side, resisting the childish impulse to cradle it to his chest.

After he was done, Trent dismissed Caleb, and he walked down the hall to Astrid and Eodwulf. The three of them shared one room in the house, just enough space for three beds, three desks, and three dressers. It was a tiny haven, and as he pulled open the door to step inside the other two were waiting for him. Seated on the edge of Astrid’s bed facing the door, she and Eodwulf had been waiting since Trent led him away. He had been in that same seat many times, waiting for one of the others to return.

There were no words to say, no words that needed to be said, but still Astrid sighed his name softly and pulled Caleb close, while Eodwulf went to retrieve the medic’s kit. Caleb could see the tension in his shoulders, in the white knuckled grip on the wooden box as he brought it over. It never got easier, seeing each other hurt, as much as they knew it was for the best.

Astrid sat against the headboard behind him, pulling him in to lean back against her chest while Eodwulf worked on cleaning the wounds from his punishment. She patted his hair with one hand, gently soothing him with her other arm wrapped around his waist. She continued as Eodwulf knelt beside the bed, cleaned the broken skin and examined the damage. He gently splinted Caleb’s broken fingers, pressing a kiss to each digit when he was done.

“Oh, my darling,” Eodwulf murmured in Zemnian. While outside of their room, they were instructed to speak only Common. Inside, when it was just the three of them, they spoke their mother tongue exclusively.

Caleb leaned forward out of Astrid’s embrace and pressed a kiss to the top of Eodwulf’s head.

“I will be fine, my dearest.”

With one lingering brush over his shoulder, Astrid left the two of them to get changed into her sleeping clothes. Caleb pulled Eodwulf close as best he could and pressed their foreheads together without saying anything, just breathing the same air.

After a moment of quiet comfort they parted, each slowly going through the motions of preparing for sleep, finishing with Caleb and Eodwulf climbing into the same bed.

They had never hidden anything from each other. They had never been able to. They tended each other’s wounds and bathed in close proximity enough times that they knew the shapes of each other’s bodies as well as they knew their own. And even if they’d had separate rooms, their training had bound the three of them so closely together that there was no space for secrets, and even less for shame. He would have been hard pressed to explain it to anyone else, but Caleb had no qualms in lying with Eodwulf here, where it was just the three of them. They were silent as shadows, and it wasn’t as though she was watching.

Likewise, there was no hesitance in Eodwulf’s movements as he pressed Caleb into the pillows, mindful of his hand and the older bruises they both still carried. Caleb had been taught the lesson, but they all had all of them learned.

/\/\/\

Zadash was maddeningly crowded. The Innerstead Sprawl was aptly named, and Caleb only kept himself from getting completely turned around through the grounding presences of Astrid and Eodwulf beside him. Caleb flexed his hand, recently healed with magic to prevent scarring, and focused on the pull of tendons to tune out the cacophony of people on all sides.

Over his shoulder he could feel the looming Zauberspire, where Trent had gone to tend to some business. He had loosed the three of them on the city, saying that he had been alerted to the presence of dangerous dissidents somewhere near the Pentamarket, and that the three of them were to deal with it.

“Without intervention, these rabble-rousers will kill innocents. You are to find them and lead the guard to them. Do not let any escape. I expect results by the time I am done, or I will be very displeased.”

It hadn’t been easy, but Caleb knew how to be charming enough to get in the door without suspicion, and Astrid could play skittish and weak well enough to get guards down and root out true intentions, while Eodwulf circled around the back to make sure no one snuck away to sound a warning.

The location of the first hideout in hand, it became a race to alert the crownsguard and get to the house quickly enough to not raise suspicion. Eodwulf split up with them to make better time, and they made it all the way to the eastern quarter of the city in what had to be a record pace.

Tucked in an alley, the two of them watched as crownsguard swarmed the first hideout. Over the shouts of alarm and clatter of a scuffle breaking out, Caleb noticed the symbols carved into the doorframe that matched the ones of the first hideout, subtle glyphs that he now knew meant revolution. The rebels they had spoken to operated in cells, to keep potential damage contained. But now that he knew their markings, all the isolation in the world wouldn’t help them.

“Come, there have to be more hiding nearby,” he whispered in Astrid’s ear, pointing out the markings.

He clutched Astrid’s hand and they grinned at each other, high on adrenaline and the thrill of the chase. Eodwulf caught up to them then, laughing breathlessly. He slung an arm around Astrid’s waist and kissed Caleb full on the mouth.

“Didn’t keep you waiting too long, did I?” He asked.

“We almost continued the hunt without you,” Caleb replied breezily.

“We certainly can’t have that. But I’m here now. Where to next?”

Grabbing a passing crownsguard, Caleb explained their business and told him to spread the word of what they were doing, and have the Innerstead guards be ready at a moment’s notice.

“We’ll deal with them, you’ll just have to move in and collect.” He didn’t wait for a response.

They ran, then, silent as shadows. Like hounds after a scent, like hawks on the wind, they wove through alleys and byways, before descending on the next cell of dissidents. The good people of the Empire would sleep safer tonight.

/\/\/\

During their private education, Trent had articulated to them that he expected them to reflect upon not only themselves and their own actions, but upon each other as well. Waiting left a lot of time for such contemplation, and at the moment all of Caleb’s thoughts were focused on Astrid. His love for her was very different from his love for Eodwulf, but no less fierce. She was a part of him, now. It was strange to think how far they’d come, from three strangers who happened to live in the same town.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, holding Eodwulf’s hand and waiting for her to return from her punishment, he racked his brain to think if he’d ever even seen her before, in Blumenthal. She was likely as much of an indoor child as he had been, and Eodwulf as well. When he couldn’t recall her face even in his festival memories, he switched to counting the beat of Eodwulf’s pulse against his palm. One-two. Three-four. Five-six.

It was around two fifty eight-two fifty nine when the door to their room creaked open slowly, and Astrid stepped in. Her long, beautiful hair was tied up and out of the way- presumably to keep it from dripping on the floorboards, as she was soaked nearly to the waist. In the weak lamplight her face was deathly pale, and he could see the blue tinge to her lips.

One of the rebels from Zadash had died while she was interrogating him, accidentally suffocated before he could answer any truly valuable questions. Trent had taken her aside after that, to impress upon her the limits of a mortal body and give her a deeper understanding of how heavy a hand she should, or in this case shouldn’t, wield. He was also dissatisfied at the loss of information, but that went without saying.

She closed the door behind her and managed a couple more steps before Caleb was on his feet, catching her in his arms as she coughed violently, trying to expel water and take gasping breaths at the same time.

Caleb rubbed her back, slowly leading her to sit on the edge of the bed. Eodwulf grabbed a bucket and placed it below her, as her coughing became deeper, from lower in her chest. She hunched over on her elbows, spitting up water and gasping breaths that sounded more like sobs. Caleb pressed an ear to her ribs and listened. He could hear rattling still, and thumped her back soundly. A deep, racking cough shook her entire body once, twice, and Caleb clutched her hand as the last of the water came out of her lungs.

“Come on,” Caleb said, once her breathing calmed, “let’s get you out of these wet clothes.”

Slowly, gently, they changed her out of the soaking tunic and toweled off her hair, and before long Astrid came back to them. Her voice was rough and the cadence of Zemnian did very little to soften it. Caleb felt every rasp like it was coming out of his own throat.

“We have to be up early tomorrow, you should get some sleep.”

“You need it more than we do, let us take care of you,” Eodwulf quietly replied. He gently brushed out her hair and braided it, kissing her on the head when he was done.

He stayed awake a few hours longer, listening to Astrid cough weakly, and thought this will make us better. It has to.

/\/\/\

“There are people,” Trent said to them one evening at the end of lessons, “who wish to meet you. In two weeks time there is to be a ball in the Capital, and I have a few fellows who know of my work and wish to congratulate the exemplary students who are serving our empire so well.”

It was high praise, almost unexpected from Trent’s mouth. Not wishing to show too much pride, they did nothing more in response than nod their heads. Still, the three of them sat somehow straighter in their seats, and Caleb hoped the gleam in their eyes came off as pleased but not arrogant.

“You will be permitted to dance with one another, but I expect you to make an equal effort to ingratiate yourself with the other guests. And above all, you will reflect well upon me. There will be eyes upon you that report directly to the king, so do not disappoint me.”

With a wave of his hand, they were dismissed. Slowly, silently, they filed back to their room.

“Oh, this will be fun!” Astrid said, once the door shut. “It’s been so long since we’ve been out of the cottage, and even longer since a trip to the capital.”

“And Master Ikithon wants to show us off,” Caleb added, “He has been speaking about us, and apparently we’re making him proud!”

It was a heady realization, that enough people had heard about them that their presence would be requested. Trent had told them that upon graduation they would become important members of the Empire and adjutants to the Cerberus Assembly, to think that there were other people anticipating this as well was truly invigorating.

“We’ll have to put on our best showing then,” Eodwulf mused. “Do you think we’ll be given a period in the day to practice our dancing?”

“I can only hope,” Astrid said, pulling him into an impromptu waltz. They spun slowly across the floor and Caleb watched them, climbing onto the bed to give them a little more room to maneuver. They all knew festival dances, but those would hardly be appropriate in the noble halls of Rexxentrum. The waltz was the one true formal dance they could perform, which would likely not be adequate if they were going to display Trent’s excellence as an instructor.

“Come on, Caleb,” Astrid said, twirling out of Eodwulf’s hands and towards him. A smile lit her face, and Caleb felt himself grinning back. “Dance with me!”

He took her hand and stepped close, taking her for a turn across the small floor. The three of them traded around dancing with each other for a little while longer, and Caleb could almost hear the music playing.

/\/\/\

Trent did grant them time to practice dancing, and to learn new dances as well. But with a week left before the ball, there were still lessons to conduct and not a minute of time could be allowed to go to waste.

Some of the lessons Trent taught were more hands-on than others. Magic could mostly be taught through theory and private practice, history and languages were easy enough to acquire through reading, but there were other skills Trent wanted them to acquire. Skills like outdoor survival. Interrogation.

“The best way to understand something is to endure it,” Trent explained to them, the first time he had conducted one of these lessons. Quietly, in the furthest corner of his thoughts, Caleb wondered how many scars Trent bore, or if they had all been magicked away as well.

He and Astrid were standing at Trent’s elbow in the small room in the cottage’s basement. Eodwulf was seated across from the three of them, bare to the waist and tied down to the single wooden chair in the room. Beside him was a small table with a tray of knives, each of varying sizes, a handful of long needles stuck into a black pincushion, and lengths of fine sinew cords.

“A reminder, before we begin the demonstration. The most critical part of a scenario such as this is the anticipation,” Trent intoned, beginning the lecture. “Before any physical work, one should take a minimum of three days to psychologically prepare the interviewee. However, in a pinch, it is best to simply take your time.”

One by one, he picked up each implement on the table, checking the sharpness of the edge or the taper of the point. The sinew he counted, stretched, and checked the lengths of before gently coiling it back down on the table. Caleb could feel the seconds tick by in his head, stretching out into minutes.

“There is nothing that you can do that will ever hurt more than what your interviewee can imagine. So examine each and every implement you have at your disposal, even if you don’t anticipate using it. Let them do the heavy lifting.”

“Now, we have already been over introductory techniques. Ways to begin sessions. Today, however, we are going to be refining methods for the midpoints.” He picked up one of the smaller knives, a slender-handled blade that looked almost like a scalpel, and stood behind Eodwulf.

“There are several places on the torso that, when cut, yield little more than a swift death--” He pulled a grease pencil out from a pocket and marked small dashes on Eodwulf’s skin. The scalpel glinted in the lamplight as he moved. Marking more, he continued-- “And others still that do not have enough sensitivity to yield appropriate results without employing more severe methods.”

Caleb watched intently, cataloguing every movement in his mind. They had been over these points already in discussions of theory, but seeing them mapped out gave him a deeper perspective.

“However, there are points between the two, where a delicate application of skill yield a pain that is neither too weak to be convincing nor so strong as to dissolve coherence. Let us begin.”

He slid the knife across Eodwulf’s chest, angling the blade just so to carve under and separate the skin from the flesh as well.  Blood welled and quickly ran down Eodwulf’s chest, and Caleb forced himself to focus on the lesson.

There were no questions, as he progressed. Caleb and Astrid watched intently as he worked, and Eodwulf did his best to remain silent and still for the duration of the lesson. Caleb focused on every mark Trent made, but he also noticed the sweat beading on Eodwulf’s brow, and the slow drain of color from his face. Nevertheless, Eodwulf held fast till the end of the demonstration, and Caleb felt no shortage of pride in his strength.

Trent moved between working with the knives and the needles, giving thorough explanation for the detailed applications of each, and how to use them in conjunction. Eodwulf’s blood had just begun to gather in pools on the floor when Trent finished.

The lesson complete, Trent set the last knife meticulously back in the tray. He turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Astrid and Caleb to clean up. Astrid fetched the medical kit and Caleb undid the bindings, holding Eodwulf against his chest once he was free. He could feel blood begin to seep into his shirt, but that was of little concern. Eodwulf was shaking, ever so slightly, and had gone clammy and cold.

They had been instructed to be silent in situations like this, so none of them spoke. But once Trent’s footsteps faded down the hallway Caleb cradled the back of Eodwulf’s head and held him tight, pressing kisses to his hair while Astrid began cleaning and binding the wounds. They were all clean cuts- a mercy, even if a particularly small one.

When she was done, Astrid nodded to Caleb and finished cleaning up. Caleb gently took a clean, soft robe and tucked Eodwulf’s arms into it and tied it closed, shushing him gently as the slight movement pulled at the cuts. He wrapped his hand around Eodwulf’s back and reached under his knees to pick him up off the cold stone floor. Eodwulf wasn’t particularly heavy, which was fortunate because Caleb wasn’t particularly strong.

“Not much longer,” he wanted to say, as the three of them left the basement and slowly walked back to their bedroom.

Back safely in the room, Eodwulf wrapped his arms around Caleb’s neck and clung, like Caleb was a lifeline. Caleb held back, less tightly out of concern for Eodwulf’s injuries but no less protective. He ran a hand through Eodwulf’s hair and kissed his temple, soothing him until he finally relaxed. Eodwulf didn’t cry, too exhausted even for that, but his breath stuttered and his shoulders shook the whole while.

“You need to rest, come on,” Caleb said, pulling the blankets back on the bed and helping Eodwulf get beneath them.

He kissed along the wrapped lacerations, a silent promise that none of Eodwulf’s pain had been given in vain.

“It is a gift you have given us, this wisdom,” He murmured, kissing from ribs, to sternum, to the hollow of Eodwulf’s throat. “It will go to good use.”

/\/\/\

The third day after the lesson, there was a healing potion set at Eodwulf’s place when they sat down for breakfast.

“For the remaining marks,” Trent said. “You have to be presentable for the ball.”

It wasn’t just Eodwulf who had to be presentable; all of them needed new outfits and haircuts, and appropriate pieces of jewelry. Such things could only be found in the capital, so Trent sent the three of them to his rooms on the main campus of the Soltryce Academy. There they were to be met by a small group of people hired to make the three of them look their best.

It had been a long time since any of them had been in Rexxentrum without direct supervision. Trent had eyes everywhere so they were not entirely without oversight, but it was easy to maintain the illusion that the three of them were completely alone. For a moment Caleb felt like a child again, riding from his hometown with two relative strangers, off to greater things.

“We’ve come so far,” Astrid said with a smile, when Caleb voiced this thought.

“We’re certainly dressed better now,” Eodwulf said, and Caleb rolled his eyes.

It wasn’t nearly so far a ride as the trip from Blumenthal, however, and it wasn’t long before the carriage came to the main gates of the Soltryce Academy and they were making their way through the now-familiar campus.

The travel through the school was odd. Nothing about the academy itself had changed, but it felt as though Caleb was seeing it with new eyes. The symbols carved into the walls held more meaning now, the colors of the banners rich with arcane significance. He also could quickly identify every entrance and exit in each hall they walked through, as well as the shadowed spots that would become dangerous if the situation were to turn.

But it didn’t, and they weren’t accosted by anyone on the walk to the faculty residences, although the long stares from the other students were obvious. Perhaps they looked now like upperclassmen had looked to him all those years ago; mysterious and powerful, minds turned towards the arcane and no longer shackled on the petty material plane. A part of his pride preened at the thought, and he stood even straighter as they walked to the faculty apartments.

Trent’s quarters at the school were only superficially lived in. There was no dust on anything, but only a few things bore signs of visible use. It was easy enough to clear the center of the room and array the outfits, making it seem more like they were in an oddly decorated shop rather than their master’s living space.

Despite the sheer number of garments, there was very little actual choice given to the three of them beyond the color of the clothes they wore. Astrid chose a burgundy gown, Eodwulf a navy suit, and Caleb chose a charcoal-grey suit for himself.  The fitting was quick, almost brusque, adornments had already been selected to match the clothes, and very quickly they were being shuffled off to the hairdressers. The entire experience took a little under an hour and quickly enough they were at loose ends, waiting in the courtyard for the carriage to return.

Eodwulf sat down gingerly on one of the stone benches, pulling Caleb and Astrid to sit beside him.  

“Do you think we’ll have the graduation ceremony here?” He asked, looping an arm around each of their waists.

“I hope so,” Caleb replied. “it would be nice to come back, if only for a bit.”

“Show our parents around,” Astrid added. “I’d like to show mama the library.”

“Yes, and I think father would like to see the hall of artifacts,” Caleb said.

“Draw us up a map, liebling, so we can get planning,” Eodwulf said, patting Caleb’s knee, the excitement clear in his voice. “We’ll give them a proper tour.”

The carriage trundled up to them after waiting a bit longer, and they climbed inside for the ride back to Trent’s home. They talked more about their plans for graduation, but nothing about what they’d be doing after. That still felt too far away.

/\/\/\

The day of the ball dawned like any other, although there was an unmistakable tension in the air.

It was “Master Ikithon” in public, which was easy enough to remember. The coachman from the city addressed him as such when the carriage arrived to take the four of them to the ball. They rode in silence for the most part, with Trent occasionally filling them in on the important guests, and who to keep an eye on.

“I expect a full report tomorrow morning,” Trent finished, as the carriage was slowing in the mansion courtyard. “And know that I will be listening to everything that is said about you, as well.”

With that, they made their way inside. Their host was a member of the royal court, and their home was every inch as palatial as such a station would imply. Anything that wasn’t richly painted was gilded, and anything that wasn’t gilded was draped in silks and velvets.

There was still a substantial part of him that worried about sticking out. They were no more than fifty miles from the Zemni Fields, but this house felt like another plane entirely. Amidst all this opulence he felt every inch the poor soldier’s son. He kept his hands at his sides, but felt the quick brush of Eodwulf’s fingers as they walked. At least he wasn’t the only one feeling out of place.

Two massive doors swung inwards to the ballroom, and a servants voice called out their names, announcing Master Ikithon’s presence to the assembled guests.

“Behave,” he said, quiet enough that only the three of them could hear. And with that he was off, gliding into the crowd to conduct whatever business was necessary.

“Well, shall we?” Astrid asked, snaking one hand into Eodwulf’s elbow, and the other into Caleb’s. “I figure we can spend the first bit together, get to know the situation.”

And so they went, following Astrid’s lead and mingling with the crowd as a unit. Introductions moved at a rapid pace. The names and faces ran together, testing even Caleb’s memory.

“So exciting to meet the three of you,” said a general.

“We’ve been wondering when we’d see Ikithon’s protégés,” said an Abjurist from the palace.

“It’s such a treat to have you,” said their hostess, “Have you had the chance to enjoy the dancing?”

This they took as a tacit cue to spread out across the floor. With a quick squeeze to Caleb’s hand, Eodwulf took their hostess for a turn across the floor. With that, he nodded at Astrid and the two of them split up.

He thought of it like their mission in Zadash-divide and conquer.

It was surprisingly easy to mingle with the crowd; the guests were more concerned with themselves, and preening over their station, than interrogating Caleb. Apparently Trent taking on private students was little more than an idle curiosity among the high society of Rexxentrum. There were a few folk from the Cerberus Assembly who were more intrigued, but no one asked any especially deep questions. He took a few lords and ladies to the dance floor; he didn’t make a fool of himself and they seemed to have a good time, so he considered that a major win.

For his own part, Caleb learned a lot about the inner workings of this corner of the Empire. He learned all manner of gossip about who was having affairs with whom, who was falling out of favor with the king, who was a rising star. Nor was it difficult to read between the lines and see people’s sympathies, and the larger game that they were playing.

Having made the rounds, he was wondering what to do next when he spotted Astrid in conversation with the son of a lord from Kamordah. It wasn’t going well. He could see the sharpness in her expression, the slow ebb of her mood as her conversation partner amused her less and less. She would never step so far as to offend him, he knew that, but they were supposed to be on their best behavior, and Trent wouldn’t look kindly on even the slightest frown.

Caleb picked his way through the crowd, keeping his ear open to the chatter around him. The three of them had made something of a splash, what with this being their first time among society since Trent had taken them on as protégés. For all that people weren’t terribly interested in the details of their existence, any new blood in society was cause for gossip. People were discussing alliances already, how best to leverage the potential to get an in with the Assembly at the ground level. He could feel the trailing gazes on his back as he walked over to Astrid, but tried not to let it show.

Easily enough, he got over to the pair of them, standing behind the young lord. He waited for the band to finish their song before interrupting. Leaning around him, he held his hand out to her. Her eyes met his and she perked up a bit, knowing exactly what he was doing.

“Miss Astrid, may I have this dance?”

“You certainly may,” she replied, taking his hand.  Turning to her conversation partner, she smiled politely. “Please excuse me.” He nodded, a bit wrong-footed by the sudden change but seemingly not upset. Perhaps merely dismayed that he’d been beaten to the punch.

Caleb led her away onto the polished floor, through throngs of the elegant and idle rich.

“I hope I wasn’t taking you from anything important,” he said under his breath, once sure they were out of earshot.

Astrid rolled her eyes. “That obvious, was I?”

“Not to him, no. But to myself, or Eodwulf-“ He nodded over to where their companion was. “We know you a bit better than that.”

A ways away, Eodwulf was entertaining a small cluster of younger nobility, socialites who were clearly entranced by mages, especially ones as handsome as him.

“You’ll get your chance,” Astrid said, noting where his gaze had caught as they walked over to the floor. “He knows you’re saving the last dance for him.”

Caleb hummed absently, not sure what else to say. She was right, of course. It wasn’t as though he felt any sort of worry over Eodwulf straying or finding someone new, but there was a small, quiet part of him that rankled at the sight. But that was not a train of thought he wanted to stay on, and he could deflect as well as her.

“Speaking of last dance, I feel like there might be a few duels on the horizon over who gets yours. I have heard several young lords and ladies speaking quite admiringly of you.”

Astrid had a facility for dance that was entrancing. Caleb knew all the steps, and could keep time impeccably, but Astrid understood how too embellish it. He could never figure out the formula- when to add in spins, or change things up, but she could weave it all together as easy as breathing. Watching her, it seemed less like she was the one being led, and more like her partners were following her in a daze.

“That would please Master Ikithon, I’m sure,” she said noncommittally, not quite meeting his gaze as they bowed to each other. Well, it seemed they were both avoiding things tonight.

“Don’t make me look too bad,” he murmured, setting his hand on her waist as the band struck up a new tune.

“I won’t, my dear Caleb. On the contrary, in fact, I plan on getting your best foot forward.”

“So droll,” he replied, feeling the tension start to slip away. Astrid smiled, thin as a crescent moon and just as bright.

They turned across the floor, each of them scanning the room as they went. Paradoxically, there was less scrutiny on them here in the center of things than on the fringes amongst the crowd. In the same vein, it was easy for them to converse as well. Astrid leaning in to whisper in his ear was seen as nothing more than coy flirtation.

“Omit Hass is with Master Ikithon,” Astrid murmured.

“The envoy from the King is heading over to speak with them both,” Caleb added, noting the bright gold braid on the man’s cuffs.

Astrid leaned back and Caleb went with her, dipping her so she could get an easier look.

“He seems pleased,” She said when he pulled her back up.

As much as Caleb valued their education, he found himself now longing for graduation. It was all he could want, to be out in the world with Astrid and Eodwulf - his best friend and his dearest love – working to make the Empire a better place and keeping the law. He imagined many balls like this, gathering information and intelligence, then turning loose on the cities and seeking the same among the citizens.

The song ended, and Astrid smiled as Caleb kissed the back of her hand and led her off the floor.

“I think we can sneak a minute or two,” Astrid said, pitching her voice low enough so their neighbors couldn’t hear.

“Quite a gathering,” Caleb said, plucking a pair of glasses from the tray of a passing waiter with a nod of thanks. “It’s hard to believe such things are common occurrences.”

“I’ve met so many marvelous people,” Astrid replied.

The talk was banal, pleasant trivialities that would flatter their host and not raise suspicion. The real conversation was in the quick gestures and subtle quirks of tone.

‘I don’t trust any of this,’ Caleb spelled in a raised eyebrow.

‘At least we know who we’re dealing with now,’ Astrid tapped against her glass.

‘They’re going to try to use us.’

‘Let them.’

Caleb hid a smile behind his glass as best he could, trying to play it off like Astrid had said something especially witty. With that, the moment was up, and they both turned to disperse into the crowd. An elderly merchant couple walked past him, and Caleb caught their eye with a smile. Back to the dance.

Eventually, the night began to wind down and it was time for the last few dances. Caleb’s conversation group all dispersed to find partners for the floor, and he just barely managed to dodge a couple requests from young socialites and find his way over to Eodwulf.

It was much the same situation that he found Astrid in; Eodwulf was chatting to some child of a noble, and he was clearly interested in him. Unlike with Astrid, Caleb felt a flare of possessive frustration at the sight.

“Excuse me, if I might cut in,” he said, keeping his smile smooth and turning to Eodwulf.

“I thought you’d never get here,” Eodwulf said, turning to let Caleb into the circle. “Is it time?”

“It is indeed,” Caleb answered, holding his hand out. “May I have this final dance?”

Eodwulf’s smile didn’t so much soften as it deepened, filling his eyes with warmth. “You certainly may,” he said, taking Caleb’s hand.

“Forgive me,” Caleb said, to the other person – Kieran, he believed was his name – that Eodwulf had been speaking to. He seemed dismayed, and while Caleb wanted his hands decidedly far from Eodwulf it wouldn’t do to leave him unhappy. “If we had more time I wouldn’t leave you in the lurch like this. I’ll owe you a dance for next time, alright? Don’t let me forget.”

He capped it off with a wink, and Kieran flushed, seemingly surprised by the sudden turn of events.

“Oh-okay, sure,” He stuttered. “Sounds like a plan.”

Caleb gave Eodwulf a gentle spin as they settled on the dance floor, much fuller now that it was the end of the night; most of the guests had come out for one last dance. They had to stand much closer, which wasn’t a hardship for either of them.

“A little short on space,” Caleb muttered.

“Oh no, whatever shall we do?” Eodwulf teased, matching Caleb’s posture and slipping his hand to the small of Caleb’s back.

“Feeling a bit bold, are we?” Caleb asked, as Eodwulf’s hand settled. Eodwulf immediately flushed a lovely pink, and it took a great deal of effort to not take Eodwulf’s face in his hands and kiss him right there on the dance floor. As it was, he smiled broadly, moving his hand to keep Eodwulf’s in place.

“Leave it,” he said. It was hardly traditional, but they weren’t the only ones on the floor in such a posture. A lack of space, a long night, and good drink meant that most of the couples were holding closer than would have been considered acceptable. For the first time, the air felt relaxed, like everyone was dancing because they wanted to, not because they were socially obliged.

He pulled Eodwulf even closer and stepped into a slow foxtrot. It was calm, and as close to romantic as they had ever been able to get. There had been a couple practice dances, foxtrots and waltzes in the bedroom where they held each other even closer, but there was a unique magic to these surroundings. The opulence and excess finally seemed to fit, and Caleb understood why these balls were held with such frequency.

Eodwulf rested his head on Caleb’s shoulder, and Caleb’s breath caught; it was the biggest gesture of public affection they’d ever dared take. He let himself take a breath and press Eodwulf against him, enjoy the sweetness for the moments it lasted; the crowd was so dense they were likely difficult to pick out, but there was the ever-present murmur in the back of his head that they were under Trent’s eye. That same murmur was in Eodwulf’s head as well, and slowly his head rose to scan around the room and take stock of their situation.

“I wonder if Astrid chose someone to dance with,” Eodwulf said.

“I don’t see her on the floor,” Caleb said, casting his gaze among the dancers.

“Master Ikithon is with Astrid,” Eodwulf whispered in his ear. “They’re not dancing.”

As they spun, Caleb searched the fringes of the floor for them. He was admittedly quite worried that Trent would take exception to Astrid sitting this dance out; however he seemed genuinely calm about the situation and was conversing with her. Presumably catching up on everything that had happened over the evening, but it was impossible to be sure. Fortunately, it didn’t look like she was in trouble. Nor, for that matter, were they.

That question settled, Caleb relaxed back into the dance. He and Eodwulf both nodded at acquaintances they’d made throughout the night, but truly their eyes were only for each other.

Unfortunately the song couldn’t last forever, and eventually the band wound down and all the dancers stopped. As they all clapped for the musicians who had played tirelessly all night, Caleb murmured to Eodwulf.

“One day we’ll dance like this and there will be no mission. Only you and I.”

“I believe that day will come sooner than you think,” Eodwulf replied with a smile.

With the last song finished, it was time to leave. Trent was keen for them to go before the crowd truly dispersed, and called them to him with a sharp gesture. They thanked their host graciously, and followed Trent out the door. The four of them walked across the courtyard to the carriage in silence, waiting for the verdict on the night.

With a portentous pause as the driver hopped down from the seat and opened the door, Trent turned to them and spoke.

“Well done,” he said. Caleb tried not to grin at what was very high praise, coming from their teacher. “You seem to have acquitted yourself well tonight. I’m very pleased.”

“Thank you, sir,” the three of them chorused in unison.

They climbed into the carriage after him, sitting across from him on the same small bench seat. Closing the door, they rolled over the cobbled yard and onto the smooth street before he spoke again.

“Now,” he said, “tell me what you have learned.”

/\/\/\

The ride back was long, but full. The three of them expounded on everyone they had met; their occupations, relative rank, the details of their lives and apparent sympathies. Trent listened attentively, asking occasional questions about particular details, but for the most part sat in silence and let them speak. They had taken care to spread out through the crowd to cover as many people as possible, and Caleb could see that Trent was pleased at the lack of overlap in their information.

At last when they were done, he nodded, seemingly content.

“Quite a comprehensive read of the room,” he said. “What do you think they make of you?”

Questions like these were the hardest, and the most dangerous to get wrong.

“They seem less concerned with why we were there, and more interested in what we could do for them,” Caleb dared. “I heard several people speaking of being able to influence the Cerberus Assembly. We are little more than tools to them.”

“They asked very few questions about us,” Astrid contributed. “They seem to think us ignorant of politics.”

“Only members of the Assembly were interested in what we were capable of, as they were familiar with your skills,” Eodwulf said. “It seemed an intellectual curiosity more than anything.”

Again, Trent nodded, digesting the information but offering no clue as to his thoughts. They rode in silence for the last few minutes, and he only spoke when they finally stopped.

“Your graduation is nearly upon you,” Trent said as they departed the carriage, making their way back to the house. “I know you will not fail me.”

Caleb knew it too. He worried once, about what they were doing. There was no doubt in his mind now, not anymore.

[hirschhirsch5-blog]

Handling Auto Repair Is Easy With These Tips

Every single motorist hates that sensation when they recognize that something on his or her automobile has halted functioning correctly. The worries linked to obtaining your auto fixed is sufficient to drive you bananas. Luckily, the subsequent post will teach you everything you need to know about selecting a automobile restoration service that you can depend on. Will not get your automobile to the very first technician you locate. You must do some investigation to locate a reliable auto mechanic with acceptable rates. Request your friends and relatives in regards to the mechanics they are to in past times and view the Internet to locate evaluations created by other clients. Usually ask a lot of inquiries whenever you take your automobile to have fixed. Don't permit the auto technician scare you. Ask why anything needs to be resolved or how it will be done. In the event the technician tries to clean you off, doesn't take a look at you, or refuses to answer the questions you have, consider using your car or truck to someone else. Search for a car repair shop that shows their certification for everybody to view. Get a good look at it to make sure that they can be present. Even should they be qualified, that does not assure top quality function, but there is however an increased possibility of the work acquiring performed correctly. Do not depart important items in the inside of your auto if you wish to let it rest in the repair center. The specialists may need to relocate out these things to repair your vehicle, and they can not be held accountable if something will go missing out on. Eliminate all products from your trunk as well. Discover ways to conduct basic maintenance on the vehicle. To learn more is very very easy to perform a track up or improve your oil so there is really no reason at all to create your car to a car repair shop to get these things accomplished. Instead, just observe tutorials on the internet to understand what you must practice it on your own. Look for the more effective Company Bureau and native buyer recommend groupings for additional information on the car repair shop you are looking for. You'll wish to lookup all over the place for prospective expertise with this support heart before you plop along the a lot of money over a high priced repair. Typically these organizations may have a great deal of excellent learning ability that you should take into account. Get hold of your community Better Business Bureau if you want more information with a technician or possibly a storage area. If some problems have already been sent in against them, your Far better Company Bureau will explain. Request your friends and family in regards to the distinct technicians they may have addressed in past times to obtain some recommendations. Study any automobile fix service station on-line. This can provide a great idea about how exactly the general public believes and what experience you might have your self. Soon after collecting information, you can select the best shop for you. Before taking your car or truck in, ask buddies for testimonials. You may get some good referrals from relatives and buddies. For virtually any advice, investigation them. At the minimum, turn to on the internet testimonials to check out how other individuals feel regarding the store in question. Each time you receive fuel, you must also look into the tension of your car tires. Authenticate that there are no nails or debris sticking out. If you see a problem, ensure that you repair the problem instantly. Don't travel with poor car tires on your car. Recall, you are to be paid a bid just before any job comes about on your auto. In the event you did not get an estimation and operate did begin, usually do not really feel compelled to advance forward with any kind of transaction. Start an even more reliable car store without delay if this comes about. Understand the charging process on the car mechanic shop you go to. On many occasions, you could get a costs for labor depending on how very long the company feels it may need to repair your vehicle. Be clear about how it operates at what ever retail outlet you take your automobile to. Require how the retail outlet performing your vehicle improvements only use original products maker, or O.E.M., components. The extra charge compared to generic elements will be worth your time and money in the end. You can expect optimal overall performance and improved car durability when you choose components especially made for your vehicle rather than generic.

When obtaining fixes carried out on your car, it is a good idea to purchase these with a charge card. if you are such as you happen to be scammed, it is possible to dispute the costs together with your cards firm. This can stop the scammer from receiving their hands on all of your difficult-acquired cash. Be sure your vehicle is ready for winter. The frosty can be very difficult on the vehicle's system therefore you ought to properly preserve it. A few things for you to do are look at the car tires, look at the antifreeze, substitute older wipers, and examine windscreen washing machine water. Traveling is difficult enough in the wintertime, so make issues easier if you make confident your vehicle can handle the harsher weather conditions. Request your technician if they can wait around a few hours that you should consider getting your car resolved after getting a medical diagnosis plus a estimate. This method for you to call other dealerships and garages to confirm that you are currently receiving the greatest price. When you choose a greater offer, and you also seem like you can rely on another go shopping, move on. If you get inside an incident, you have to get the make contact with and insurance plan information from the others concerned. This makes getting the auto repaired a lot easier. Give this info to the repair center if they need to get in touch with the insurance in the accountable celebration. Fantastic car-repair and ideal driving a vehicle can't constantly help save the day, that's why amazing automobile insurance is important. Take the time to locate a respected dealer with enough protection to fix any accidents. Becoming a wonderful motorist and vacationing in your lane isn't going to hold the automobile safe incidents can occur. Begin using these suggestions and you will find a more pleasant experience when you need to get your car or truck fixed. However repairs usually are not pleasurable, they are often done properly, now that you have already been presented these suggestions. Making use of this information and facts, it is possible to get charge of the car improvements you need.

[brainsupplementsfostudents-blog]

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STUDY TECHNIQUE AND MEMORY Learning and reading techniques are almost meaningless unless you remember what you have read. Taken into consideration how long you spend reading, the time you spend repeating and gathering you about moving knowledge to long-term memory is well-spent. Once you have stored your acquired knowledge systematically in long-term memory, you will be able to retrieve this knowledge at any time. Your ability to recall knowledge depends on the following six factors. Follow these six factors described by HPHansen, Cand. Merc, chief consultant, and partner in Supplement A / S.

1. The first - and last occurrence - hold breaks.

Do you remember your first "real" kiss? Probably! On the other hand, it suffices to refrain from remembering the 17th kiss - unless that person did a lot of trouble! First-time events are evident in memory. Therefore, you will probably remember a large part of the list's first words.

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So you remember better the first inconvenience and the last occurrence, both in your teaching and in your daily reading. In everyday life, you can take advantage of this by holding several breaks when reading. So, instead of reading for two hours uninterruptedly, you should take two short breaks, thereby achieving the peak of memory six times within the same period. 

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2. Repetitions - good repetition increases memory.

When the advertising world continues to use the same slogans again and again, it is not because they think we are stupid. They just use an effective mechanism to get the message stuck - repetition. The more times an information is repeated, the better it is.

As a student, it is not enough that you understand the subject matter you are reading. You must also be able to retrieve this knowledge later, among other things for the exam. The figure tells you how frighteningly a percentage of the knowledge gained disappears if you do not repeat. The chart only tells you something about your ability to recall, not to be confused with your reading comprehension. The fact that you can remember 60% or 80% of a text does not mean that you have understood that, but that you are able to recall it.

3. Unusual context - information in unconventional context is easier to remember.

Events and information that are unusual are easier to remember. You might also remember the words "Kathmandu" and "chili-chocolate sauce." Often you want information, words, numbers or anything you just can't forget. By including important information in a context where they are unusual, you strengthen the brain's ability to recall them.

For example, if you want to remember Einstein's theory of relativity E = mc² in connection with the study, you can imagine that Einstein (E) stands on two motorcycles (= mc²) and runs at full speed. 

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E = mc² is an important and well-known equation that states that there is an equivalence between energy (E) and mass (m) which is evenly proportional to the square of light velocity in a vacuum (c²). You will probably be able to easily remember Einstein's theory of relativity in the future, not only because of the unconventional context it does but also because you have now rendered the information figuratively.

4. Visualization - the brain remembers in pictures.

A large number of experiments have been made over the years to map human memory. Among other things, a researcher named L. Standin has made a study on the human ability to remember in pictures: For a period of several days, a number of subjects were shown several thousand pictures. Next, some hundreds of the pictures shown were included in a pair of pictures. Each image pair consisted of a previously displayed image and an unknown one. Next, the subjects were asked to identify the images that had been shown first. The subjects could with 90% confidence designate the known images. This study proves that we remember very well in pictures. When reading, you must transfer the contents of the text to images. The more abstract and theoretical the book is, the more difficult it is to visualize. But it is necessary. Your ability to remember that substance depends on your professional understanding and your ability to visualize what you are reading.

5. Contexts - The more logical connections you create, the better you will remember the substance. Insert the fabric into a context - possibly. a context you already know.

Information that is part of a context is much easier to remember than others. If you see a familiar face on the street without being able to think about the person's name, you will typically ask yourself, "Where is it that I know her from?" As soon as you realize that it is your old high school teacher, You also remember the name - Gitte Lauritsen. So you come to the right answer when the right connection is up for you. 

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You increase your ability to learn and to remember when you consciously work to get new knowledge into a logical context. To get the full benefit out of a text, it is therefore necessary that you link the knowledge acquired to what you already know about the area. First, it is included in a functional context.

6. Associations - your associations create an easily accessible route to the stored information in long-term memory.

When you associate, you link one or more items with other elements of the memory. That is, you create a connection to the information that you should have stored in long-term memory. In this way, you can recall even complex information if you have just created good associations. The more associations you can associate with an information, the greater the chance that you can recall that information. Therefore, you might also remember the word "lovemaking," as this word creates many associations with most people. Perhaps you will also have written on your own list words such as: Kathmandu, China and Maosko or green, carrot and slim close together, as your brain will naturally associate and link these words together.

[eyebeastposts]

Down On The Farm

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WARNING THIS STORY CONTAINS: Male to Female Anthro Cow TF, Weight Gain, Burping, Farting, and Sexual Content Jessie takes a job at a farm working with bio-engineered livestock, not realizing the changes he'll have to go through to please his new boss. This is a commissioned story for gomanfury.  As always, enjoy and feedback is appreciated!

   Patiently waiting inside the farmhouse, Jessie tried to stay calm by going over what he learned in college. A scrawny young man with short black hair, everyone found his choice of future career strange. The summer job offered at the farm was just what he needed to qualify for his master’s degree in agriculture. The unique nature of the job didn’t matter to him, all he cared about was the end result.

   The smell of livestock and barn came wafting into the room the herald the arrival of Jessie’s new boss. He was a heavy set creature, his entire body covered in thin black fur and a set of worn-out overalls that were one size too small. Taking up two chairs, he sat down his wide rear and fiddled with his tail to get it through the hole. Tapping his hoof-like fingers against the table, he observed his possible hire. Jessie had been through many interviews like this in the past, but he couldn’t recall a boss who had the face of a bull, complete with a pair of horns, cow ears, and a snout.

   “Hmm,” the bull man said, peeking through Jessie’s resume. “Looks pretty good. Ever done work on a farm?”

   “Just at the university.”

   “Have you ever worked with gene spliced livestock?”

   “No, but I’ve done plenty of research.”

  The bull man let out a sigh. “I don’t know what they taught you, but the animals can be a handful. The gene splicing made them not take too kindly to humans.”

   “Yes, but I’ve heard there are ways to get around it.”

   “Then you know what you’re going to have to do to work here?”

   “Yes, I’m prepared. All part of the job.”

  The bull man showed off his yellow teeth in a warm smile. Getting up from his chair, he walked up to Jessie and locked his head in a hug. “I like your attitude. What you say your name was again?”

   “Jessie sir,” he replied, finding it hard to breath with the lack of air flow and overabundance of the bull man’s odor.

   “I like that name. You can call me Jeb when we’re not working. Boss when we’re on the job.”

   Jessie slipped out from between Jeb’s pits. “Does that mean I’m hired?”

  “Almost, I still need to see you in action. We’ll use the rest of the day as a little test run.” Opening up the door to the yard, he gestured for Jessie to follow. “Oh and best leave your clothes here. I’ll be giving you more proper work attire in a bit.”

  Following his boss’s orders, Jessie took off his clothes and draped them over the back of his chair. Following Jeb outside, he made his way to a shed at the back of the house. Inside was a collection of scientific bottles and liquids that looked completely out of place on the farm. Jessie had seen some of the mixtures before in the science lab, but he couldn’t begin to guess at the concoction Jeb was mixing into a drinking glass.

   “Here you go,” Jeb said, handing over the black and white drink.

   “What’s in it?”

  “Couple of genetic splicers, plus some creamer to help it go down. Sorry to tell ya, but you’re going to be a guinea pig for a new concoction. Fellas down at the lab told me it was ten times as potent as the old stuff. Should make you a real help out on the yard.”

  Holding his tongue against his boss’s questionable morals, Jessie took the glass. It looked like your standard gene splice concoction, complete with a strong aroma serving as a warning for the taste. He had seen plenty of gene splicers back at college, some for the animals and some for the students themselves. Regardless, it didn’t make it any easier as he put the glass to his mouth and began to drink. As he suspected, the taste was awful, with only the hint of dairy creamer helping to ease it down. Lifting the glass up high, he chugged the rest in a few gulps. Sucking up the last few drops, he handed the empty glass off to Jeb before letting out a foul smelling burp.

  “Damn son, that was impressive,” Jeb said, taking the glass and setting it aside. “The changes should start in-oh already! They weren’t kidding with the potency.”

    Jeb’s words made Jessie very aware of the splotchy, black and white fur beginning to line his body. As the hair reached his thin stomach, his waistline bulged with thick fat that spread throughout his lithe form. His scrawny legs plumped up to meaty trunks that could support the pair of luscious butt cheeks hanging from his rear end. Scrunching up his extra chins, he watched his twig-like arms turn to meaty haunches and his fingers become shaped like overstuffed sausages. His plump digits immediately reached for his pecs as they engorged into a pair of heavy breasts, each one the size of a beach ball. Rubbing and pinching at his spare tire of a belly, he managed to keep his over 300-pound body balanced in time to watch the other changes take place.

   He had to slow down with his self-groping as his fingers turned into hard, black, hoof-like digits that sunk into his fat. His cloven feet helped keep him standing, but that didn’t stop each stomp from jiggling his butt cheeks up and down. Reaching back to keep his rear steady, he felt something brush against his fingers. Tugging at the protrusion, he let out a high-pitched, bovine yelp as he got a good look at his tail. Releasing his new appendage, he moved his fingers towards his face to find the source of the strange noise. His hooves reached his head just in time to catch his mouth extending into a cow snout. A moment later, he moved to flick his long, flat cow ears and feel the smooth edges of his nubby horns.

   His hair extending into long strands reaching down to his back made him pull his hands away. Another shake of his belly made him feel something bulging out from underneath. Lifting up his flabby gut he watched as the mass of flesh grew more spherical with four, long protrusions jutting from it. As the lump turned bright pink and sagged between his thighs, it finally dawned on him that he had grown an udder.

   The variety of bovine features should have been enough to astound Jessie, but there was something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. A male bull wouldn’t have such short horns, nor would they be sporting a pair of massive breasts and an equally swollen udder. Putting together the higher pitch of his voice and the increased length of his hair, it finally dawned on him. Reaching below his udder, he felt the absence of something he had had since birth. In its place, he felt the folds of a thick, meaty, cow vagina.

   “You turned me into a girl?” she asked.

   “Well yeah, comes with the job,” Jeb shrugged, unaffected by Jessie’s drastic change in appearance. “I’ve got bull genes to do the heavy work and you got dairy cow genes for…well it’ll be easier to show ya.” Snatching a pink apron the size of a bedsheet off a hook, he tossed it at Jessie. “This’ll be your work attire. I’ll give you a chance to slip it on and get used to your new self. I’ll be waiting outside.”

  Left by himself, Jessie begrudgingly tossed the apron over her head. Pulling and yanking at the fabric, she barely managed to fit the garment over her body. It was nowhere near a flattering outfit, showing off every bulge and curve of her overly plump form. Even then, her backside was completely exposed save for the thin piece of string stretched across her back. Reaching back to try and stretch out the fabric even further, her hoof bounced up against her meaty backside.

   A strange tingling sensation shot up her spine at the simple act of grazing against her bountiful ass flesh. Grasping her butt cheeks with both hands, she gave them a squeeze.  The same sensation spread through her body, forcing out a soft moo. Losing herself to the feeling, she continued to squeeze and grope her luscious butt cheeks. Leaving one hand to stimulate her rump, her other slid beneath her belly. Before she realized it, she was making her way towards her womanhood. She didn’t know what she was doing, her instincts were in complete control. In just a few moments, she would experience everything her body had to offer.

   “Okay in there Jessie?” Jeb called out from right outside the door.

   “Yeah boss!” Jessie announced, quickly pulling her hands away from her nether region. “I’m just about ready.”

   “Well come out here soon. I wanna show ya the livestock while we still got daylight.”

   “Coming!” Jessie shouted back, hurrying to fix her apron and stumble out the door.

   “Hmm, a little tight, but I say you look pretty good,” Jeb said as he approached. “Follow me, I’ll show you to the barn.”

   “Right away boss.”

  Awkwardly waddling after Jeb, Jessie kept switching her gaze between her new work environment and her own plump curves. As attractive as she found her form, she found it hard to focus on what Jeb was saying with her breasts, belly, butt, and udder shaking with each step. She had to be careful not to trip over the dirt road, even the slightest wrong move likely to send her hefty form toppling over. Lost in trying to keep herself balanced, Jessie bounced right against Jeb’s own massive rear.

   “Whoops, sorry about that,” Jeb said, quickly turning back to catch Jessie from falling.

   “Why did we stop?” Jessie asked, noticing they were right outside the barn. “Weren’t you going to show me the animals?”

   “Yeah, but they won’t take too kindly if you go in now.”

   “Wasn’t that the point of making me like this?” she asked, pointing to her face.

  “You look the same as them, but don’t smell right.” Grabbing a satchel near the barn’s entrance, he popped it open and pulled out a handful of grass. “Eat up. It’s my own special mix.”

  Rather than question Jeb’s methods, Jessie assured herself that the bull man knew what he was doing and swallowed the wad. The taste was better than expected, like a well-seasoned salad. The problems started as soon as the grass hit her stomach. A gas bubble flew up her throat and came bursting forth with a loud BWOOOOOOOORRRP. The burp was echoed by a second one coming from Jeb, looking quite pleased with himself even as they were both subjected to the lingering smell. Backing up from the gas cloud, Jessie became quite aware of a building pressure in her gut. Before she could even attempt to stop it, a rippling fart came spurting from her rear, flicking her tail in the process.

   “Why would you UUUUURRP give me that?” Jessie belched out.

  “To make us,” he paused, leaning to the side to let out a boisterous fart of his own, “smell right. You should BWOOOORRP know cows are one of the gassiest animals on the farm. We don’t have the right scent, the animals will UUURP think something’s up.” Digging another wad to swallow, he handed the rest of the bag to Jessie. “Better eat up. Gonna need all the BWOOORP fuel you can get.”

   Taking the satchel in her hands, Jessie begrudgingly swallowed another hunk of grass. Stepping behind Jeb gave her a face full of his next rippling fart. As the gas filled her snout, the same strange sensation that came from prodding her rear reappeared. Unconsciously she deeply inhaled Jeb’s scent, his and her smell mixing inside of her snout to create a noxious odor that she couldn’t get enough of. Noticing Jeb leaving her behind, Jessie helped herself to another wad of grass and ran to catch up.

   “Aside from the UURP size difference and anger issues, the animals are pretty standard,” he said, gesturing towards the pens of oversized pigs, cows, and sheep. “I’ve already taken care of the chores for the day. So we’ll just be-“

   A series of loud animal noises got Jeb’s attention. Turning back, he saw a crowd of young goats trying to stick their heads through their pen to try and get at Jessie.

   “I thought your BWOOOORRP grass was supposed to stop them from attacking me!” Jessie shouted, shoveling the grass into her mouth and letting out a series of panicked farts in an attempt to keep the goats at bay.

   “Oh, they’re not trying to hurt you. I think I just forgot to feed them.”

   Jessie shoved a handful of grass down her throat and let out a bassy belch. “Then feed them!”

  “Alright, alright, no need to get your panties in a bunch. Er, not that your wearing any. Come on over here and I’ll show you one of your major duties.”

   Running away from the vicious baby goats, Jessie followed Jeb to a secluded part of the barn. Pulling out a stool barely big enough for her rump, he waved for her to sit down. Putting down the nearly empty satchel, she lifted up the hem of her apron and carefully balanced herself on the stool. Just as she got comfortable, Jeb stepped behind her back and snapped off the string holding her apron together. In a rush to catch the apron before it fell, she pushed down on her stomach and forced out a pair of unruly gas bubbles from her mouth and rear.

   “Let go of the apron,” Jeb said, holding out a bucket “I need to get to your teats to milk them.”

   “That’s what these are for?” Jessie asked, pressing her arms against her breasts and udder.

  “Well I didn’t give them to you just because they look nice. Come on now. If you take the job, this is going to be your main duty.”

  Letting out a half-sigh, half-belch, Jessie let the apron drop to the floor. Leaning back, she allowed Jeb to approach with bucket in hand. Despite his rough hooves and rugged appearance, he grasped her udder with the utmost care. Softly tugging at her teats brought forth small droplets of milk. Unable to see the bucket past her belly and udder, she had to sit there and listen to the container gradually fill.

   The odd sensation came back stronger than ever, Jeb’s constant tugging bringing out both milk and a soft moo from Jessie. Clenching her fingers, she bit her lip to suppress the moans. In exchange for keeping the feeling at bay, she had to let loose with what little control she had of her sphincter. The massive load of grass she had eaten in her haste came in full force with gas bubbles that had her tail constantly waving about. As Jeb continued to pull on her udder, she felt more droplets of milk dribble onto her belly. Looking down, she saw her breasts were also lactating. The sight made her yearn for Jeb to touch her bosom next. Even more, she wanted to feel his mouth suck straight from them. Or even…

   “That should do it,” Jeb said, pulling away the bucket and snapping Jessie out of her trance. “Woah, guess you’re a little too overqualified for the job,” he commented, watching milk trickle from her breasts. “They did say the new mixture would have some weird side effects.”

   “It just means I can BWOOOORRP do my job more efficiently right?” Jessie laughed off to try and shake off the strange feelings.

   “Still, can’t have you walking around like that. Especially since I don’t think the you’d appreciated getting suckled by every animal in the barn. Just sit here while I go feed the goats.”

   “Sounds UUURRP good,” Jessie said, waving Jeb off. Lowering her hand, she couldn’t help staring at Jeb as he worked. The smell of his gas, the lingering feeling of his touch, and the sight of his bulky form moving about, made ideas in the back of her mind come closer to the surface.

   With the goats fed, Jeb came back to collect Jessie and bring her back to the house. Her teats still leaking profusely, Jessie made the apron into a makeshift towel to absorb her milk as they stepped inside the living room. All the while, Jessie’s mouth and anus spewed out the gas that had been stewing inside of her stomach. The trip left her in a haze of smells and sensations that wreaked havoc on her psyche. By the time she squeezed inside Jeb’s house, she was already reaching her limit.

   “Sorry about the trouble,” Jeb said, slapping a stack of papers on the coffee table alongside a bottle of gene splicers. “This should turn you back to your old self. Can’t do anything about your gas though. Considering you ate three days’ worth of grass, we just gotta wait it out. In the meantime, might as well make you an official employee. Just sign the paper and you’ll start fulltime tomorrow.”

   Jessie picked up the pen from the table and leaned over to sign the paper. In the process, she accidentally spilled a number of droplets across the floor. Reaching to block the flow of milk, pushed out another set of burps and farts. Inhaling the heavy air, Jessie’s view turned to Jeb. The feelings that had been welling up inside of her for so long came back, making her focus on the man that had made her what she was. The man she couldn’t get her mind off of.

   Pushing the papers and bottle aside, Jessie got to her feet. “Jeb…I need you for something.”

   “Sure what can I-“

   Jessie stepped forward and locked her lips with Jeb. Reaching as far as her arms would go, she groped and dug her hooves into his back fat, pushing their bodies closer together. Slathering his overalls with her milky teats, she let her next belch blow down his throat as she was completely lost in ecstasy.

   “What’s gotten into you?” Jeb asked, holding her back at arm’s distance. “You’re acting like a…oh shit! Those guys at the lab gave me the wrong mixture. You’re hornier than a group of bulls in heat.”

   “What’s UUUURRP wrong with that?” Jessie asked. “I like this feeling. I want to see everything this body can do. Especially with you.” Stepping closer, she reached underneath his gut to feel the bulge in his pants. “I know you want it too.”

   “I can’t, you’re supposed to be my employee.”

   “I haven’t signed anything yet,” Jessie said, turning around and leaning her upper half on the couch. Raising her rear into the air, she reached back and spread her ass cheeks to show her dripping pussy and blast out another fart. “This gassy cow is all yours.”

   Several seconds passed, with only the sound of Jessie’s gas spurting out and milk leaking onto the floor. Her ears perked up as she heard Jeb unclasp the buttons on his overalls. Moments later, she felt something slide up against her womanhood. Digging her hooves into the couch, she called out for him to begin.

   The entirety of Jeb’s cock filled Jessie’s vagina, forcing a loud moo from her mouth. With his hands holding onto her back fat, he began thrusting in and out of her at ever increasing speed. Each slap of his waist against her thick rear released a symphony of farts, moos, and moans from both of the bovine lovers. Shoving inside with one last powerful thrust, brought them both to a loud climax. Splattering semen and milk across the couch, the pair of them slumped down to rest.

   “I don’t know if that was a good idea,” Jeb said between exasperated breath, “but damn did it feel amazing.”

   “Want to take a few more BWOOOORRP tries to figure it out?” Jessie asked, reaching out and grasping his hoof.

   “Can’t hurt,” he replied, leaning forward to plant a kiss on her cheek.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   “Everything’s all set,” Jeb announced, stepping into the driver’s seat of his truck and closing the door behind them.

  “Are you sure the workers are ready for the job?” Jessie asked, peeking out at the bull and cow people making their way to the barn.

   “Yeah, I made sure to get a concoction that wouldn’t have them fucking each other’s brains out.”

  Jessie put her hand on Jeb’s thigh. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” she said, waving the silver ring around her hoof. “Especially since it’s given the two of us a chance to be together. Soon to be three,” she added, running her free hand over her stomach.

   Leaning over to kiss his newlywed wife, Jeb hit the accelerator as they sped off towards their honeymoon.

[officialkmi]

“Grow Up” by Stray Kids

I did not expect this video, lemme tell ya, lemme tell ya. This is, by far, my favorite Stray Kids song so far. Mainly because of the message that comes with it. Lucky for us fans who love to cry, JYP provided English subtitles on the video when it was uploaded so we can cry at the video and at the song, which serves to encourage us and reassure us in times when we’re feeling down.

This video is on their “I am NOT” album, meaning it’s the same album as “District 9.”

Overall Sound

This song’s sound itself definitely fits the meaning of the lyrics. I’m a firm believer that a song with lyrics like this should have a sound to match. There are exceptions, of course, but I don’t think Stray Kids would be able to fit into that exception list.

To me, the sound of this song perfectly fits the feel of the lyrics. I'll go more into why when I go into when I’d listen to this song.

MV

I’m really happy they did this MV without any fancy effects or things like that. It’d really take away from the song, I feel. I also like how they used white rather than black for the wide screen look. They also add smaller touches like the group’s name and the song’s name on the sides of the video.

There are a few interesting touches to the video as well. It can be theorized that the video is related to the District 9 one. Those who read my District 9 review may recall that I said that video tells a story while leaving it open enough for more music videos to connect to it. This video features some things that definitely seem to connect, such as the very obvious sign that says “District 9″ in the video. There’s even a bus, though this bus is yellow and has a nose that sticks out rather than the flat nose and white-gray color of the other bus. That can easily be explained as them switching buses because the other ran out of gas or they simply didn’t want the bus from the place they fled to for whatever reason (in case they were tracked, followed, etc.). Switching buses could be explained. Besides that, it could also explain story-wise why the nine boys are the only people you see any sign of. You could always argue against that, but let’s not get into that for today.

Lyric Meaning

The lyrics are honestly what make this my favorite Stray Kids song to date. Songs like this are very important to me. They’re encouraging the listener, telling the listener, “You’ve done well.” For many people, they listen to music as an escape. I’m no exception. To know that the words, although I can’t understand them exactly, are words of support is reassuring to me. Sometimes I make a playlist of just songs with words and meanings like these because I need the reassurance. To get it from my idols is even more welcoming.

I’d listen to this song if...

This song is one I bought on iTunes despite expecting the album because of the words. It’s perfect for days when I’m feeling a bit depressed (or a lot depressed) and need a bit of reassuring. It’s a song that I can listen to before work to wipe out all the vicious words of my sister. If a customer yells at me and gets me down, I can remember the words and try to calm myself. If I am having a hard time with a supervisor, I can listen to it on my break or after I get off so that I can go out with a straight face and feel reassured that I’m doing just fine.

I feel as though, back when I had two managers at my old job verbally tear me down during my shift for personal info that they learned about, if this song had been out, it would have been the song I turned to on my ride home. I probably would have looped it with GOT7′s “Just Right,” which was the song I did turn to that night.

You might like this song if you like...

Obviously, GOT7′s “Just Right” because I mentioned it in the “I’d listen to this song if...” section. While “Just Right” has a more upbeat sound, the music video is extremely bright and flashy, and it seems to be nothing like “Grow Up,” both songs have a message of encouragement. While “Grow Up” tells you that you’re doing fine, “Just Right” tells you that you’re okay as you are. That night I mentioned, I listened to this song on repeat and sang along best I could while crying the hardest I’d ever cried. This song is why I want to meet GOT7 so I can one day tell them the impact they’ve had on me. Similarly, I think I’d like to meet Stray Kids and tell them how important “Grow Up” has become to me in such a short time.

Although the song has no full-member studio-version and there is no music video, I will always say “5tar” by A.C.E because it is very similar in its words of support. The sound is much slower and, just hearing the incomplete version made me cry without reading the lyrics. When I read the lyrics, it really struck me again. Fans of A.C.E may be aware that Chan isn’t able to release a complete version until he’s done with his work in the UNIT because he made it to the final nine. He surprised fans who went to the Fan-Con in Seoul, however, and appeared during the performance. You can see this right here, and there is a video focused on him once he appeared which features his added ending. It became even more emotional because his voice cracks near the end as he starts to cry. Both “5tar” and “Grow Up” are songs that I feel like people who struggle with depression may be comforted to listen to.

"Smile Flower” by SEVENTEEN is another song I listen to when I’m sad and need to be lifted up. For fans who followed SEVENTEEN from the start, watching the video is even more emotional. It’s easier if you watch it with subtitles on the speaking part, though, which is why I’ll go ahead and link a video that provides those. Both of these songs are a comforting feeling. While “Grow Up” is telling you that you’ve done well, Vernon says in the “Smile Flower” MV that the song is saying, “Even if we got separated, not being together and being sad cause of it, we should think always think of each other and smile brightly together. Spring will come, with that smile.” So both songs serve as a comfort to someone, just like “5tar” by A.C.E does as well.

Finally, I’m gonna grab a song by some of the Stray Kids members - “For You” by 3RACHA ft. Felix. For those that don’t know, 3RACHA is Changbin (as SPEARB), Bang Chan (as CB97), and Han (J.ONE). The song doesn’t have the same sound as any of the songs on the list, but it has a similar message as “Grow Up.” The second line CB97 even has is, “If it’s you, you can do it.” It’s a song which encourages the listener and the music really fits it somehow. The guitar makes me feel like I’m in a drama during a montage as I try to do my best at my latest video or if I’m trying to lift my mood after being beat down again verbally at work or at home. It’s perfect for a car ride, too, when feeling these emotions because it just fits the feeling, y’know?

[buzrushwelldeveloped-blog]

Social Media Video Marketing

Has it been viral still? Could it possibly be popular and yet?

Whilst really going popular should not be the goal of the video marketing promotion (under no circumstances possibly! ), the idea themselves has seemed to have got from this coming year, erupted even…

On-line marketers, we have been seeing and hearing a number of data like these: 5 billion instructional videos are saw online each day, 1200Percent a great deal more reveals are generated by cultural films than copy and pictures paired, videos for a obtaining websites maximize conversions by 80Per cent and 80Percent of buyers recall a video advertisement they provide noticed online up until recently week.

Eek…Well, if that’s the case then you best get to grips with the best practices for ensuring your Social Media Video Marketing campaigns smash your objectives and propel your social media forward. Here we demonstrate some of our most loved tips to help you establish actionable, inspiring and compelling internet video recordings.

1. Center Your Video clip In the Story, Not The Deal

You will discover a heap of gross sales mess via the internet that is positively maddening and repelling your prospects. Never enable your brand be that man - preferably, your videos have to be centred all over the experience and not simply the purchase. Keep in mind: exactly the same principles that make application for articles promoting and advertising make application for online video marketing - concentrate on the benefits you’re supplying for your special people.

Get the most from the emotive effectiveness of video recording by appealing to your consumers’ needs and hidden hopes. Fearful you’ll shed takes with this? You could space a strategic and relevant name to actions along with a tracked Link at the conclusion of your online video (just make sure it suits your overall report).

Have Warby Parker’s ‘How Glasses are Made’ video, an excellent illustration showing storytelling it concentrates on the origins for the model, their people, culture and ethos to highlight their eye wear.

2. Make the Online video Include the right 10 Secs At any time

Just one 5th within your audiences will mouse click away by a footage inside of 10 a few seconds or a lot less. Shorter and to the level - that is just what the video tutorial analysts are promoting. Our guidance? Get directly to the grit of the story and handle goals through the start (inside of the to start with 5 to 10 mere seconds).

Consider sparking your audience’s curiosity by asking questions and taking advantage of teasers to hook their recognition instantaneously.

Your video recording will need to straightaway convey its value and answer that “why should I monitor it? ” challenge that can be within your audience’s thought. Should they watch it because it will make them laugh, because it will inspire them to act or because it will teach them something new?

3. Use Humour with your Video clip. Avoid To be So Mundane!

According to Tim Washer, Social Media Manager at Cisco "Often in the corporate world, people get nervous about comedy and say it doesn’t belong here. But if it might help you get a point across efficiently and economically, why wouldn’t you try it and see if you can make it work? ”

So, what do your audience want instead? They wish to laugh, they want to experience enlightened, they wish to be pulled out of their tedious 9 to 5's and forget regarding their realities.

Accomplished good, a brand name can obtain the rewards while using humour within their video tutorial information. Consider Snickers to illustrate.

"Caption posting evolves what you can do “to wind up in what John Cleese requests the wide open method, exactly where you are playful and having pleasurable and tranquil and never worried,” Tim persists. "The harder you can aquire in the start setting, the greater normally you’ll discover youself to be identifying new suggestions for all areas of your life.

The takeaway this is not to think constrained by what is gone prior to when for your marketplace and never make an attempt to copy your competitor’s stiff color and yawnsome script. Get noticed and take a risk on being cheeky.

4. Maximize Your Video footage for Website seo - Label it

You will find practices will ensure your online videos get came across quite a bit easier in search engines. The vital thing you must do to get the absolute maximum Seo optimisation worth through your video (prior to deciding to publish your training video to your spreading online sites) will be to number it without any help domain name.

It is important too that allows embedding with your online video as this will aid boost the probability of having inbound online marketing hyperlinks. Oh yeah and do not fail to remember to get video tutorial sitemaps - throughout this great record Search engines like google identifies how to develop a video sitemap easily.

In regards to video footage for SEO, specifications are all the things. Why? Clearly, specifications facilitate Google’s browse spiders to help make a feeling of your video recording and determine what the material includes.

So ensure that your videos are tagged with relevant keywords and fully explained with fleshed out descriptions and unique titles. Continue to keep this take over on your mind: It has a purpose - Google needs you to fill it out to help you rank if it has a box.

5. Instruct your web visitors with Online video And Turn out to be You

Did you know that 65Per cent from your audience are vision students? Quite possibly the most amazing methods you should use for online video marketing is usually to teach your readers. And the great thing is that education comes in many forms. One example is, you could present your customers utilizing your product or service and supply effective how to benefit from it. Or you can result in a webinar to exhibit your market information, position your trademark like a thinking boss, add value to your consumers’ everyday lives and pull together potential customers in the act.

Footage can also provide social confirmation for your product or service. When making video successes concentrate on the story on your shopper and therefore the results he/she gained from using your goods/service. This awesome concern theme from Copyblogger will assist you to compose awesome and human-specific video clip and drafted testimonies.

Just take Upwork’s few video that features their role in providing seasoned skill to manufacturers of any size in a international scope.

Our on-line Skilled professional Degree in Social Media Video Marketing instructs the finest tactics for selling with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google and YouTube .

It contains 30 a lot of time of in-range lectures coached by industry experts and definitely will provide you along with the skills and knowledge it is advisable to plan, measure and build beneficial social network methods.

Get more info visit BuzRush

Question & Answer Website: https: //community.buzrush.com/

[captainglobalaskbuzrush-blog]

Social Media Video Marketing

Do you find it viral however? Has it been popular however?

While running popular should not be the goal of your video marketing promotion (do not ever ever! ), the phrase alone has appeared to took out this coming year, skyrocketed even…

Advertisers, we have been seeing and hearing tons of stats such as these: 5 billion dollars online videos are seen online daily, 1200Percent a great deal more explains to you are provided by sociable video clips than content and images mixed, video lessons on a getting websites rise conversion rates by 80% and 80% of buyers recall a video offer they also have looked at on the web in earlier times 30 days.

Eek…Well, if that’s the case then you best get to grips with the best practices for ensuring your Social Media Video Marketing campaigns smash your objectives and propel your social media forward. Below we tell you some of our favorite ideas to help you create compelling, inspiring and actionable on line video lessons.

1. Heart Your Video clip Round the Experience, Not The Selling

You will find a heap of marketing clutter on the web that could be actually irritating and repelling your web visitors. Do not just let your trademark be that guy - preferably, your video footage really needs to be centred to the tale but not the deal. Do not forget: similar principles that request for written content promotion apply for marketing with video - concentrate on the benefit you’re furnishing for the purchasers.

Make best use of the emotive power of video by attractive to your consumers’ needs and hidden wants and needs. Worried you’ll eliminate prospects in this manner? You can always put a relevant and strategic get in touch with to action next to a followed Web link following your video recording (just make sure it fits into your overall experience).

Consider Warby Parker’s ‘How Spectacles are Made’ video clip, a fantastic illustration showing storytelling it concentrates on the beginnings within the company, their people, culture and ethos to showcase their spectacles.

2. Create your Video clip Have the top 10 Seconds Ever

A particular fifth on your viewers will click away with a online video media inside 10 moments or fewer. Fairly short and to the level - that’s how much the video gurus are proposing. Our suggestions? Get ability to the grit of a story and handle requirements with the outset (inside 1st five to ten a few seconds).

Attempt sparking your audience’s fascination by asking them questions and taking advantage of teasers to catch their recognition right away.

Your online video media should certainly instantaneously impart its value and answer that “why do i need to observe it? ” concern that might be upon your audience’s imagination. Because it will inspire them to act or because it will teach them something new, should they watch it because it will make them laugh?

3. Use Humour in the Video recording. Stop Really being So Boring!

According to Tim Washer, Social Media Manager at Cisco "Often in the corporate world, people get nervous about comedy and say it doesn’t belong here. But if it might help you get a point across economically and efficiently, why wouldn’t you try it and see if you can make it work? ”

So, what do your audience want instead? They wish to laugh, they would like to feel enlightened, they want to be pulled out of their uninspiring 9 to 5's and lose focus on concerning their realities.

Completed actually, a brandname can experience the rewards from utilizing humour with their videos material. Get Snickers to give an example.

"Caption writing evolves your ability “to enter what John Cleese phone calls the receptive form, where by you’re lively and achieving excitement and laid-back and not simply worried,” Tim continues. "A lot more you can find on the available setting, the greater number of regularly you will inevitably be identifying innovative thoughts in every locations of your life.

The takeaway the following is not to truly feel constrained by what is long gone prior to when within your marketplace and do not seek to emulate your competitor’s rigid firmness and yawnsome script. Stick out and take a chance on becoming humorous.

4. Boost Your Videos for Search engine optimisation - Tag it Up

There are many practices you can use to keep your instructional videos get encountered simplier and easier searching motors. First thing you should do to get the ideal SEO value out of your online video (prior to when you publish your online video media to any giving web-sites) could be to sponsor it independently site.

It’s also essential to enable embedding upon your video recording as this will assist you enhance the probability of obtaining inbound internet marketing website links. Oh yeah and never forget about to acquire videos sitemaps - on this nifty file Yahoo and google identifies how to have a video tutorial sitemap in no time.

In the case of videos for Web optimization, specifications are all kinds of things. Why? Well, descriptions make it possible for Google’s search spiders to build sensation of your video tutorial and comprehend what the content includes.

So, ensure that your videos are tagged with relevant keywords and fully explained with fleshed out descriptions and unique titles. Keep this principle as their intended purpose: if it has a box, it has a purpose - Google needs you to fill it out to help you rank.

5. Educate your web visitors with Movie And Prove Personally

Did you know that 65Per cent of the listeners are graphic pupils? The most strong practices you should utilize for video marketing would be to inform your target market. And the great thing is that education comes in many forms. As an illustration, one can train your customers strategies for your products or services and gives handy how to get the most from it. Or result in a webinar to exhibit your market place insight, placement your model in the form of assumed boss, increase the value of your consumers’ resides and accumulate directs using this method.

Online video can also provide sociable substantiation for your product or service. When producing video tutorial success stories pinpoint the story in the user together with the successes he/she achieved from utilizing your products or services/company. This great query design from Copyblogger will aid you to develop human and awesome-centered videos and drafted testimonails from others.

Just take Upwork’s selection of movie that showcases their task in producing skillful creativity to enterprises of all sizes upon a world wide level.

Our on the web Qualified Diploma or degree in Social Media Video Marketing will teach you the greatest methods for marketing by using Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube .

It contains 30 working hours of in-height lectures shown by skilled professionals and will definitely supply you along with the knowledge and skills you have to measure, plan and build successful social network tactics.

Get more info visit BuzRush

Question & Answer Website: https: //community.buzrush.com/

[globalcommunitybuzrush-blog]

Social Media Video Marketing

Is it viral and yet? Would it be viral at this point?

Though proceeding viral will not be the goal with your marketing with video promotion (by no means ever! ), the word as well has did actually took out this present year, erupted even…

Marketing experts, we’ve been seeing and hearing loads of statistics like these: 5 billion dollars online videos are looked at on YouTube everyday, 1200Per cent extra reveals are made by cultural video recordings than words and pictures joined, videos on your getting articles rise sales by 80Percent and 80% of end users recall a relevant video ad they already have viewed on the net some time ago period.

If that’s the case then you best get to grips with the best practices for ensuring your Social Media Video Marketing campaigns smash your objectives and propel your social media forward, Eek…Well. Below we disclose a lot of our favourite guidelines to help you establish compelling, inspiring and actionable web-based video clips.

1. Facility Your Video All around the Experience, Not The Profit

There is a heap of sales mess via the internet this really is positively annoying and repelling your prospects. Never now let your label be that dude - as an alternative, your video clip have to be centred throughout the article and simply not the sale made. Bear in mind: the same thing protocols that sign up for written content promotional request for online video marketing - focus on the appreciate you’re producing for the clientele.

Benefit from the emotive capability of footage by popular with your consumers’ hidden and needs desires. Fearful you will reduce brings with this? You can always location a strategic and relevant contact to motions together with a tracked Web link following your footage (just make sure it fits into your present account).

Carry Warby Parker’s ‘How Wine glasses are Made’ online video, an awesome type of storytelling it focuses primarily on the roots belonging to the brand name, their culture, ethos and people to emphasize their eyewear.

2. Build your Training video Aspect one of the best 10 Seconds Possibly

1 fifth of your audiences will mouse click away using a training video within just 10 secs or reduced. Small and to the stage - that’s what the video tutorial pros are suggesting. Our tips? Get ability to the grit of a tale and organize goals from your start (throughout the first of all five to ten a few seconds).

Check out sparking your audience’s desire by asking them questions and utilizing teasers to hook their notice instantaneously.

Your footage ought to quickly share its answer and value that “why do i need to see it? ” question that can be on your own audience’s psyche. Because it will inspire them to act or because it will teach them something new, should they watch it because it will make them laugh?

3. Use Humour inside of your Video. Quit Remaining So Bland!

According to Tim Washer, Social Media Manager at Cisco "Often in the corporate world, people get nervous about comedy and say it doesn’t belong here. If you can make it work, but if it might help you get a point across economically and efficiently, why wouldn’t you try it and see? ”

So what do your audience want instead? They want to laugh, they would like to definitely feel enlightened, they would like to be dragged out of their dreary 9 to 5's and end up forgetting concerning their realities.

Done very well, a brand name can acquire the perks from utilizing humour with their videos written content. Consider Snickers for example.

"Caption authoring increases your ability “to fall into what John Cleese calls the receptive setting, where you’re playful and achieving pleasure and positive not anxious,” Tim remains. "More you could get to the open up form, the better usually you will inevitably be devising clean guidelines overall parts of your life.

The takeaway the following is to never actually feel constrained by what’s removed just before inside of your marketplace and don’t attempt to replicate your competitor’s rigid tone and yawnsome set of scripts. Stick out and take a chance on remaining cheeky.

4. Optimize Your Video footage for Search engine marketing - Label it Up

There are lots of methods will make sure your films get located quite a bit easier searching engines. First of all you must do to get the ideal Search engine optimizing valuation in your online video media (before you decide to publish your video tutorial to any expressing websites) is usually to number it yourself internet domain.

It’s also important to help embedding against your video footage as this enables you to add to the chances of experiencing inbound promotion inbound links. Oh yeah and don’t overlook to obtain training video sitemaps - in this awesome file Yahoo and google makes clear how to create a video tutorial sitemap with ease.

On the subject of online video for Search engine optimisation, specifications are anything. Why? Good, information let Google’s lookup spiders to generate sense of your videos and realize what this content includes.

So ensure that your videos are tagged with relevant keywords and fully explained with fleshed out descriptions and unique titles. Preserve this tip into consideration: It has a purpose - Google needs you to fill it out to help you rank if it has a box.

5. Instruct your Customers with Video tutorial And Demonstrate Your own self

Are you aware that 65% of your own target audience are vision learners? Probably the most dynamic tactics you can utilize for video marketing will be to instruct your clients. Education comes in many forms. That is and the great thing. To provide an example, you will train your prospects the way you use your products or services and supply important methods to get the most from it. Or you can develop a webinar to flaunt your market place know-how, posture your brand name as the thought chief, add value to your consumers’ day-to-day lives and get hold of business leads along the way.

Video also provide social resistant for your products or services. When designing training video success stories pinpoint the tale of this customers additionally, the successes he/she accomplished by using your service/system. This nifty topic design from Copyblogger will let you set up awesome and human-on target online video and written and published testimonials from others.

Have Upwork’s list of online video that showcases their duty in providing proficient talent to providers of any size on the global range.

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