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firelxdykatara · 3 years

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I really like hearing your thoughts on ships, so I was just wondering what you thought about the episode 'Seeing Red' from Buffy as a Spuffy shipper. I love the ship too and remember being so uncomfortable watching that episode. It felt like it came out of no where while I was marathoning the show

Ok so, I’ve been sitting with this for a while (my inbox is telling me it’s been 10 days......time plz stop moving without me noticing), mostly because it’s... a really Touchy topic, for a lot of (very obvious, to anyone familiar with the episode or the arc) reasons.

CW for discussion of attempted sexual assault and rape ahead. (I’m gonna talk a bit about Willow too.)

First of all, I wanna state that I understand why Seeing Red was a ‘point of no return’ for many people. There are a lot of people for whom sexual assault/rape is The Thing they simply cannot get past and they could never see Spike or Spuffy the same again, and that’s valid and understandable. For me, personally, I don’t consider it any more or less reprehensible than murder or anything else vampires and demons get up to in the show because they’re monsters and very specifically Not Human, but at the same time it felt gratuitous and unnecessary (like the writers were trying to remind us Spike was really evil right before he went to get his soul back of his own accord, and I’ll talk a bit more about that later), and the episode itself is difficult to watch. (Also because it includes Tara’s death, which wrecks me to this day.)

It’s also been a very long time since I’ve seen the episode in question, mostly because I haven’t done a full rewatch in years, and when I do watch Buffy it’s either starting from the beginning and then losing track of where i was and starting over again, or else jumping to random episodes throughout the show which I enjoy and watching those by themselves (and Seeing Red is very much not on that list lol). So I rewatched it just to refresh my memory and....god there are a lot of other reasons I don’t care for this episode. (Xander was exceptionally horrific to Buffy re: finding out she was sleeping with Spike. Gods I dislike him more and more the older I get.)

In general, it’s just a really hard episode to watch. (And I’ll never forgive Joss for finally putting Amber Benson in the opening credits, only to kill her that same episode.) There’s a lot of ugliness, and the Trio are among the worst villains in the show--not in terms of how they’re written (they feel kind of terrifyingly realistic, although they also seem kind of exceptionally meta in light of how much has come out in the last decade about Joss Whedon’s own attitudes and behavior and treatment of women), but because every other big bad with very few exceptions has the excuse of being a soulless vampire or a demon or a hellgod or some other monster that can’t really help the fact that they were made that way. The Trio are just normal dudes who think they’re entitled to women and money and power and are willing to do absolutely anything to get all three, proving that maybe it isn’t really the presence or absence of a soul that actually makes humans, like, humane.

But that’s me side-tracking. As far as Spuffy goes, yeah, this episode is pretty brutal. There’s no mincing words here--Spike attempted to rape Buffy, and he only stopped and had his ‘oh my god, what have I done’ realization after she managed to kick him off. If she hadn’t, he probably wouldn’t have stopped. And I can almost understand it, from a writing perspective--how do you make a soulless vampire realize that he’s truly a monster and, further, how do you finally get him to want to change that? Make him cross a line he never had before. Except... that really wasn’t necessary. Not for his character arc, nor for his relationship with Buffy, and a part of me thinks that it was really intennded to just drive home the message that Spike was a monster, and that Buffy could never really love him, and the easiest way to communicate that was sexual violence, something that the show never really had its vampires engage in previously. So it would be a shock to the audience, it would throw Spike’s motives into question when he went to get his soul back, and it would make his presence in season 7 a constant question, plus provide a reason for Buffy not to trust him.

I think all of this could have been achieved without the sexual violence. I think the scene was largely done for shock value--again, to douse the audience with ice water and remind them that Spike, no matter how chummy he’d seemed with the Scoobies since getting chipped and eventually working with them, was still a monster. But we really didn’t need that reminder, and I think it would’ve made more sense for him to simply attempt to kill her--still a betrayal, still shocking, still something that could spur him into the actions he would take afterwards (going to get his soul restored), but without the exceedingly uncomfortable attempted rape scene in a season where there had already been serious issues with consent.

I’m talking, specifically, about Willow.

There’s something interesting I’ve noticed in fandom, and it’s that people really don’t seem to want to talk about or acknowledge the fact that Willow raped Tara. Maybe because it was via magic, rather than violence--or because it was never really called what it actually was in the narrative, or because they’re The Gay Ship of btvs, I don’t know. But she did--when she spelled Tara to forget about their serious fight which had been building for weeks, and then went to bed with her. And then explicitly had sex with her the next day. It’s part of why I’ve always had a complicated relationship with “Under Your Spell”--I love the song, but it’s also literally spelling out the fact that Tara’s mind had been violated by the woman she loved and she could not consent to sex while under the spell.

So that moment was already toeing the line in terms of consent and at least Tara was able to talk about how Willow violated her mind and how that made her feel (in song, at that), but Seeing Red was like a slap in the face. Where Willow’s magic addiction and willingness to cross those lines had been building for more than a year, Spike attempting to rape Buffy came out of nowhere. This isn’t a show that explored any really complicated relationship between vampires and consent (in The Vampire Diaries, for example, vampires have an ability called compulsion and compelling humans that they then have sex with is pretty normal and no one really blinks about it, human or vampire; it’s definitely still rape, but it’s not treated as anything particularly beyond the pale, because they’re vampires who can control the minds of their prey and don’t tend to consider the feelings of their food sources to be of any real importance), and while the vampires are hot and have sex, there’s never been any indication that they sexually assault humans in addition to feeding on them.

I think that specific scene in Seeing Red is the hardest to watch in the entire show. There’s really nothing like it in any other episode or with any other villain, and it has a tendency to sit in the back of the mind and sour feelings about Spike and Spuffy because it’s genuinely difficult to forget. I’m not sure if the intention was really to turn people off Spuffy (especially since he got his soul and came back in season 7 and Buffy forgave him and fell in love with him), but that was certainly the effect it had on a lot of people.

For me, personally, like I’ve said I don’t like the scene and I don’t think it was necessary, which is why I tend to ignore it as much as possible when I’m thinking about Spike and Buffy and their relationship. It’s a thing I know that happened, but I also know that I don’t think it was particularly fitting from a character perspective, and that makes it easy for me to file it away as sloppy writing and generally OOC, and move on. Again, I can definitely understand why some people can’t or don’t want to do that, but I also know that a lot of people continue to love Spike and Spuffy and I don’t think I’m alone in considering that moment to be OOC for him and generally try to ignore it in my meta and other analysis of the show.

#spuffy #buffy summers #spike #seeing red cw #btvs #btvs meta #spuffy meta #seeing red meta #asked #Anonymous

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pau-neko-chan · 4 years

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Small details that make me ship karumana

Various fans have already contributed supplementary materials as fuel for the karumana ship but I’m here to talk about more minute details of their individual characters that make me believe in a supportive and refreshing relationship that can develop between these two. I plan to discuss details ranging from the start-up ship fuel from the main series to the supplementary material hints in order to provide a more psychological perspective in their compatibility.

Anime: S1 Ep 8 - Karma expresses interest in Okuda when the boys in class asked him who he likes.

The foundations of this ship

Many may claim that their interactions in the series aren’t enough to support a ship but if you look into supplementary material and analyze their individual characters beyond the obvious spotlight ship in the series, you can see how much Matsui Yusei teases fans with karumana ship fuel. According to Okuda’s character profile, she’s someone that the ever-alert Karma has allowed to get close. While in Karma’s character profile, Okuda is said to be the girl he can talk to about anything and his cautious heart and distant nature faded away around her. They’re cited to be the most easy-going boy-girl relationship in the class. In a translated character relationship chart from the official fanbook, Matsui confirms that these two like each other for how comfortable they are with each other, Karma finds her to be the easiest person of the opposite sex to talk to, Okuda feels relaxed around Karma in general, and Karma thinks Okuda is cute.

With these foundational details in mind and by reading beyond what the series gives us, here are a few points that make me believe in Karma and Okuda’s chemistry.

Okuda is not spineless

While she appears to be helpless and shy, she can stand her ground on what she believes in. Much like others in 3-E, she is her own character and doesn’t exist to be that token straight ship for Karma. During the class civil war, she chose the “save” team because she believes that if science can destroy, it can also save.

Anime: S2 Ep 17; Manga: Ch 144 - Okuda chooses the Blue team to save Koro-sensei

They could have easily put her in Karma’s team because of friendship and loyalty but the choice to “kill” would simply be against Okuda’s caring and harmless nature, one of the main traits why Karma is so comfortable around her. Later into the game, Isogai and Maehara talk about who they think would win and Okuda yells out that she wants Karma to win, despite being in the “save” team. This shows her own resolve and ability to separate her personal principles from her relationship with Karma.

Manga: Ch 147 - Okuda states why she wants Karma to win

It’s not that she wants Koro-sensei to die, it's that she understood what killing Koro-sensei means for Karma. She, of all people, knew the hard work Karma put on behind the scenes. When others simply dismiss Karma’s achievements as “genius,” she (and Koro-sensei) knew that Karma works hard, no matter how much he tries to hide that side of him to the world. This comes with his resolve that he is not the best and he has to put in effort if he wants to be the most capable in reaching his goal. Okuda sees all that. Given the choice, Okuda would rather save Koro-sensei, yet if things don’t go her way, she trusts that Karma earned the chance to fulfill his goal. This duality illustrates that whether the class decides to save or kill, she can accept it wholeheartedly. She wouldn’t have regrets because she gave it her best shot from a decision she made herself.

Anime: S2 Ep 1 - Karma hides evidence of him studying hard on the last day of summer break

In relationships, it’s important to have set boundaries for what you share with your partner and the things that make you, you. Okuda’s character exemplifies this well as she is not shown to be a side character that follows Karma around, she’s a friend whom Karma can share his vulnerabilities with while being able to keep her individuality intact. While she is known to be lacking in the ability to communicate, in the end, she’s able to say what’s on her mind when it matters—without any filters. She is brave and strong in her own way and has the capability to provide a new perspective—a trait that can stimulate Karma’s intellect. I believe this would blend well in their relationship because Karma seems to be the type who would get bored hanging out with someone who can’t keep up with him. This shows that their relationship can be an equal exchange of support and trust rather than one being subservient or wary of the other.

Additionally, her pure honesty and lack of fear for Karma is a perfect example of how she can stand up on her own. Everyone is afraid of Karma to some extent which makes them avoid him, possibly right according to how Karma likes to push people away with his behavior. Having someone whose basic nature is to not get swept away by the norm, to be able to choose for herself in how she views Karma, and to be overall honest with her intents really paves the way for a mutual trusting relationship.

Anime: S1 Ep 8 - The girls in class find Karma attractive but scary but Okuda disagrees.

What I find interesting in Okuda’s lack of fear for Karma is that she says this even after seeing him directly start a fight with delinquents the day before. This is episode 8, 3 episodes after her debut in episode 5. Assuming that Karma only started approaching her after learning about her poison-making skills, that’s quite a short period to get to know Karma—a known violent delinquent and the most skilled fighter in class—and to claim that he is “not that scary.” This implies that by this time, they have started to get to know each other better, Karma probably treats her well, and that they’ve interacted enough off-screen to arrive at the conclusion that he is not scary. Much like how Karma’s interest in her comes from her chemistry skills rather than her looks, this girl knows Karma is more than his external features and she can speak her mind even though it’s contrary to the public opinion.

Karma’s character development

Manga: Ch 19 - The boys ask Karma who he’s interested in among the girls in class

From the key scene that fueled this ship, many may claim that Karma is just using her for personal gain. I personally believe this argument is made by people who stopped understanding character growth at season 1 or simply cannot grasp at all that humans change over time. As with a lot of relationships, the interest in other people has to start somewhere. For Karma, the interest starts here with the maturity level of a 15 year-old prankster. Being one of the main characters, Karma goes through character development in the way he views the world, himself, and the people surrounding him. He changes a lot in a span of one year so it wouldn’t be impossible to believe that his interest in Okuda grows beyond having a convenient drug dealer.

One common trait that makes Karma comfortable around people like Nagisa and Okuda is that they are seemingly harmless to him. The statement and intent sounds problematic as a standalone but it’s important to point out how Karma uses this information in his relationships. A typical toxic psychopath would prey on their harmlessness to bully them into taking advantage of them. Karma’s comfort hanging around harmless friends stems more from their inability to hurt him rather than his capability to hurt them. Although Karma is labeled as a violent delinquent, he isn’t a low-level scum-type delinquent that starts a fight for the sake of fighting. As far as I can remember, all cases of Karma’s problematic delinquent behavior is fighting with strangers who provoked him first or he was actually trying to defend someone weaker. His friendship with Nagisa started with a common interest and he was comfortable until he felt threatened by Nagisa’s dormant skill for assassination. Not once did he try to take advantage of Nagisa’s pacifist nature for his personal gains. The same applies for his friendship with Okuda—she piqued his interests with her chemistry skills, he learns that she is harmless and comfortable to be with, and a genuine friendship evolves from there. His interest in her skills may be mischievous but he never showed any aggression or intent to take advantage of Okuda. Neither did he force or threaten her to do those for her. She even wrote that she was able to experience challenging experiments because of his requests in her yearbook message to Karma, something that sounds like she actually enjoyed the fruit of his mischievous intents.

Anime: S1 Ep 8 - Karma tells why he’s interested in Okuda

For those who believe that this scene is a weak foundation for liking someone, well, at that point, Karma hasn’t really developed a romantic type of interest in her. As mentioned, this is how his interest in her begins, not the sole reason for him to be attracted to her. Playing around, making mischief happen, sharing fun times is something that develops friendships. A good friendship is the solid foundation for a comfortable romantic relationship later on. Character development is a real thing and these two won’t have the brain of mischievous middle-schoolers for the rest of their lives.

Anime: S2 Ep 6 - The Witch and The Knight used chloroform to save the day

Karma can feel at ease with Okuda

During the Test of Courage, Karma and Okuda were paired up which gave them time alone to talk about something that’s been bothering Karma. As we all know, Karma never shows his vulnerabilities to anyone at this point in time, not even around classmates who are known to get along with him. Koro-sensei had to earn it by looking out for him and it took time for him to warm up yet even then, he wouldn’t be caught casually sharing something as personal as his fear. The exception is Okuda. The series never explicitly shows how Okuda earned that trust but this scene paints something unusual in Karma’s well-guarded nature. It’s not impossible that they’ve shared enough moments off-screen—moments valuable enough for Okuda to earn Karma’s trust halfway through the school year. To note, it appears that Okuda never even initiated asking Karma what’s bothering him and yet, Karma simply shared what’s on his mind to her.

Anime: S2 Ep 1 - Karma talks about his fear to Okuda during the Test of Courage

We don’t actually see this kind of vulnerability display around friends that Karma spent a lot of fun times with on-screen such as Nakamura and Terasaka. During the civil war, Nakamura notices something unusual in Karma, as if something is bothering him but Karma immediately brushes it off and shows his usual face excusing it as having just woken up. Karma and Nakamura have been shown to get along well as fellow pranksters, possibly with more lines in scenes together than Okuda and Karma ever had in the entire series, yet for some reason, this friendship hasn’t reached the point where Karma can at least give a hint of what’s bothering him when he’s alone with Nakamura even after she asks him about his thoughts.

Manga: Ch 144 - Nakamura notices something unusual about Karma at the start of the class civil war

As for Terasaka, he seems to have earned a teasingly trusting friendship with Karma. Terasaka gives his trust in being manipulated by Karma’s wits and Karma seems to show acknowledgement for how this pseudo-Takaoka has grown. Yet the most Karma would show around him is a vague suggestion that he would like to see him in the real world again someday as colleagues. Perhaps this is simply how men communicate with each other but I guess with everything they’ve experienced, Karma acknowledges some sort of friendship with Terasaka, but not enough for him to expound or eloquently communicate why he would like to see Terasaka as a politician when he himself becomes a bureaucrat. Karma’s unsolicited suggestion for Terasaka hints at his vision for his future and how he sees someone like Terasaka in it but his language doesn’t scratch the surface of intimate vulnerability as it did around Okuda in the test of courage.

Anime: S2 Ep 9 - Karma tells Terasaka to become a politician after career counseling with Koro-sensei

Throughout the series, we see Karma come out of his small world and slowly connecting and caring for his classmates. He gets along quite well with them and appreciates their company and how this class allows him to be himself. All this is temporary as they will go their separate ways once they graduate. In addition, Karma also appears to be the type to value the quality friendships he has built. This would imply that in order to maintain a bond with him after graduation, Karma would have to actively show an interest in connecting with them. In the case of Okuda, he seems to be interested in her enough to look forward to spending more time with her after graduation, as shown in his yearbook message to her stating that his year was made more fun with her around and that he’s looking forward for more.

It seems in each relationship he has, there exists an aspect that makes one distinct from the others. The existence of shared interests and getting along, a sense of comfort and security without fear of being betrayed, the willingness to extend effort in seeing them again, and the extent of being able to express in detail his vulnerabilities and deeper musings seem to be some distinct factors that make up Karma’s quality relationships. While each notable friendship satisfies at least one or two categories, none of them have all four except Okuda. The presence of all these qualities in his relationship with Okuda makes her stand out and have the potential to grow from good mischievous friends to lifetime supportive partners.

In the case of battle compatibility, Okuda may be far from giving Karma direct assistance in the battlefield. However, there’s an angle I wish to discuss that makes me think of how it translates to their compatibility. One scene that oddly stood out for me was during their encounter with delinquents in their Kyoto trip. The delinquents attacked, leaving the boys unconscious, subsequently kidnapping Kayano and Kanzaki. Okuda managed to slip away and hide leaving her to check on the boys when the environment became safe.

Anime: S1 Ep 7 - Okuda reappears apologizing for hiding when the delinquents attacked.

What made this scene interesting is that Okuda could have been kidnapped along with Kayano and Kanzaki and the result would have been the same. The boys could have read the trip manual and called Koro-sensei. Sure enough, Koro-sensei could single-handedly save them once they got to the hideout. It didn’t matter whether one, two, or three unarmed girls got kidnapped. So why paint this scene with her being able to slip away without the delinquents getting a chance to grab her?

My interpretation for this small detail is that Karma doesn’t always have to worry about Okuda. Karma gets into a lot of fights. Even in his future career as a bureaucrat, he will surely get into dangerous situations involving politicians. He has always been the type to be on guard 24/7. Even back when he was comfortable around Nagisa who he believed to be harmless and a good friend, he couldn’t let his guard down. Imagine the stress that burdens his shoulders having to keep his guard up for himself and having to extend that to another person. Wouldn’t that be too much for him to sustain in the long run?

Anime: S2 Ep 18 - The feeling Karma got when Nagisa sneakily poked his back while looking for him in WcDonalds

Anime: S2 Ep 18 - Karma and Nagisa hanging out in the middle of their second year

For someone without exemplary combat abilities like Okuda, slipping away to safety is a smart move. Even at that moment, Karma acknowledged that she did the right thing. Of course we know this is not the type of running away in order to abandon a comrade. I believe it’s safe to claim that nobody in 3-E would truly go that route. What Okuda did was wise and if the scenario were a little different, slipping away could have given her the chance to send support, prepare weapons, and an overall better fighting chance than just standing there frozen or getting herself kidnapped. She slipped away using quick thinking and if you think about it, it takes skill to sneak away unnoticed when both ends of a narrow ally are surrounded by big, menacing delinquents. Her ability to act wisely by herself can definitely be a load off Karma’s chest knowing that the people he cares for can take care of themselves should he be rendered unable to protect them.

Additionally, Okuda’s nature is the type that Karma can trust to be capable enough to protect herself without feeling that she��s a threat to him, something rare among his relationships with other friends. This detail is small and subtle but it hints her potential supportive and reassuring dynamic with Karma wherein Okuda can safely lend background assistance without worrying a combat-ready Karma. As Karma mentions back at her later in the series, running away is also a battle strategy. Whether he learned this technique from Okuda or not is a mystery but I like to think that towards the end of the series and almost a year of trust and friendship, some of Okuda’s traits and mindsets have rubbed off on Karma enough for him to adopt it in his strategies.

Anime: S2 Ep 23 - Karma grabs Okuda’s wrist to get away from danger

For someone as cocky as Karma, being able to pull off a humble-yet-wise move is something noteworthy. This humility could be the mixed influence of Koro-sensei’s care and Okuda’s nature. Not only does Okuda provide a load off his shoulders, she is also capable of bringing new perspectives in solving problems for Karma.

In a long-term relationship, Karma deserves to feel at ease. Whether as a friend or a life partner, he deserves someone he can trust not just in opening up, but also at times when he’s vulnerable. For me, this is something that his dynamic with Okuda can provide. She may not be the best to fight alongside others in the frontline but she can provide background support so Karma can be guaranteed that he is not alone in a fight and he will not be coming home to a lonely place after a fight.

From being an approachable friend that he gets along with to a partner he can trust and be vulnerable around, all these seem to point at a special connection Karma feels around Okuda—enough for her to be just the right support he needs while being able to treat her right. Okuda may not talk or stand out much but Karma seems to see traits in her that make him gravitate towards her with ease. She doesn’t stand out in the general crowd but she stands out for Karma, where her traits are appreciated.

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Notes: I have the tendency to lean towards the less popular ships in Anime (such as Yukihira Souma x Tadakoro Megumi in Shokugeki no Souma) over the obvious ships in the spotlight. I believe it has something to do with my inclination to more mature and supportive relationships that appeal to people in their 20s rather than hormone-induced pairings that sound like high school flings targeted for 14 year old girls. To note, I was at that age once but once you hit your 20s, you realize that some ships are more problematic than you remember. This is my second time watching AC (first time was in 2016) and I honestly don’t recall shipping them back then. I don’t even recall picking up on karumana hints before. But now after rewatching it in my 20s, I find it quite intriguing how I find this couple so cute, while knowing that I’ve grown out of my shoujo manga days. These days, I don’t have tolerance for shoujo-esque ships that are practically “it’s not sexual harassment if he’s hot.” Looking back, a lot of shoujo mangas/anime were like that in my teenage years. While Karma started out with high Marty Stu potential like shoujo main boys, AC developed its characters well such that their characters and future career paths were more realistic—something you come to appreciate as someone who has already gone through their own 7-year timeskip.

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yourdesertsunflower · 3 years

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Analysis/Opinion, Boruto Episode 178

Cause when they do something right that is worth watching I got to give them credit.

Okay, okay, okay. What the hell did just happen? Boruto almost made me tear up? Yes, almost. I know I’m late (way too late, and I haven’t seen this weeks episode to be honest) but I needed to speak about this episode because, causing me to almost tear up is somthing that both OG Naruto and Naruto Shippuden only did in other occasion which, uncoincidentally, involving the same two characters. But well, we get more into it later but before starting with the analysis, which will be done in chronological order, I will just warn you: SPOILERS! Now yes, let’s get into it.

At the beginning of the chapter I already knew this was going to be good. Like, really good. The first shot showing Shikadai tying up his hairs lacks of subtlety yet is a very good symbol and a clear indicator of what will come up next. Nara’s pineapple hair is quite a staple for the clan, it show us the tradition passed down from generation to generation. It’s, also, something that connects, both in a visual but also symbolical level, all three grandfather, father and son. Having Shikadai tie up his hair at the beginning of the chapter just was a sneak peak of all to come, how in some moment Shikamaru will have to do the same as his father and entrust everything of Shikadai knowing that he’ll be able to make things right. Really short and sweet.

The “breakfast scene”, that’s how I called it. Well, this is the only moment we actively was Temari which is sad because I’m craving for moments with her and actually thought this was a good opportunity to do so. Yet, I respect the decision that Studio Pierrot made to focus primarily on Shikamaru and secondarily on Ino, though I would have loved to see a little bit more of the later but I’ll talk about that later.

I think the gesture of Temari talking to Shikadai before hand about everything is very telling of Temari as a character and her relationship with Shikamaru. It does not only show a deep bond between the couple, created through a deep comprehension of and care for each other which is nice. Both Temari and Shikamaru know about loss and it’s really nice that they know what each other need during the times of grieving. She doing the dishes, talking to Shikadai or giving him the space during that day feels fitting as Shikamaru is known to be someone who needs to process things on his own. However, Temari always is there, and through little acts she shows it (even I liked the strict parenting that it was displayed here, is more of what I’ll imagine Temari doing). But, yes there is no need of flashy displays she just does it everyday which, is beautiful.

I got no particular dislike of Shikadai not remembering the date. He is almost a teenager born and raised in a period of peace and it shows. Probably he had other things in his head but, boy, you are supposedly a quick thinker! If you saw not only your father unusually late at home but both your parents are dressed all in black. I really don’t think that connecting the dots was so difficult. Still, it was passable since it gave the excuse for Temari to talk (which though sad, it’s true).

Shikamaru in this scene is anticipating what will happen through the chapter. This is an important date not only to them but the whole of the villages but, also the change between the sequences to the monument of those who died in the line of duty, the Will of Fire also sujested the grate importance that it has to him even though he doesn’t like to admit it that openly. There is something that kept ruminating in his mind since that day; something that makes that day even more than a commemoration day towards his father.

Okay now, having finished with that opening scene, let’s get into the second scene. Before entering into the more detailed thing let’s get through this first. I know people were pissed about Hinata not being part of the group while being present at the commemoration ceremony. I find this to be understandable in terms that Hinata is no longer a active jonin, and that all the once that were up in the stage were people who thought at the Fourth Great Ninja War for Konoha and still are active ninja. Does this justifies it? No, but it gives us some sort of explanation. I personally was way more focused on having Hinata bringing Neji’s portrait. I found this enduring and a really nice gesture that just makes me want to have seen more of their relationship and development in Naruto Shippuden. In the same manner though I was pissed of that Choji wasn’t that present I understand the necessity to fill a story in a 22 minute timelapse so, even though I think Choji could be easily added better within the chapter, I understand the decision to not involve him that much. In the same manner it would have been nice to see Yoshino and Choza within the people of Konoha, a real missed opportunity.

Shikamaru looking above to the sky is a lovely gesture that carries a lot through it. I often talk about how beautifully written is Shikamaru’s arc through Naruto. He is the pivotal character that I would put a focus if a coming of age story is what you are looking for. And this character arc left us with one solid idea in my opinion, sometimes what you always wanted won’t be what is given or what is needed from you. Growing up is about taking responsibilities about following the path you consider to be right and not the easiest. However in this little moment we can see a really human Shikamaru that, is not only looking up into the sky towards his lost father but his lost dreams. There is almost a melancholic tint to all this scene, because we all have times in which we wish we could be kids again and really don’t care. It’s really humanising and it is done with such a subtlety that it surprised me.

Ao coming back is still something I don’t end up getting used to, even with two rewatches of the episode. But I got to say it, even though I find it quite convenient, he fufills the role that is needed from him in this chapter being the only person that can answer the question that’ll bring peace to Ino and Shikamaru so, even though a little bit crappy in its execution I really don’t mind he survived.

Shikamaru and Ino and their talk was really fresh and something I never knew I needed. As I always said, I love Team 10 and their dynamic. There is an undying love, support and care for each team member to the others that is so wholesmome and sweet. And in this scene they were able to replicate this perfectly. The friendship between Ino and Shikamaru was always a beautiful element within the narrative because they are, in my opinion, a really good representation of a female-male friendship. And no, this doesn’t mean that you can’t ship them (I mean you do you) but it means that I think that it was a really nice scene between two friends, one a woman and the other a man, that care about each other like family and that I am sure would do anything for each other and I think that is beautiful. Friendships between men and women should be normalised on screen and I think that Ino and Shikamaru, beyond the Ino-Shika-Cho as a whole, are a really true example of what a healthy friendship can be. They joke around with each other but also don’t shy of being vulnerable and supportive.

Here enters the well known “Survivor Syndrome”, also called Survivor Guilt, something that all three main characters within the chapter have, meaning, Shikamaru, Ao and Ino. This is a mental condition that occurs when a person believes they have done something wrong by surviving a traumatic or tragic event when others did not, often feeling self-guilt. Obviously all characters show it in different degrees; for someone like Ao that guilt is turned into the inspiration to move foward with his rehabilitation in order to live for those who died but in the case of Shikamaru and Ino it is explored completely diffeng through one element, key for this chapter.

The Recurrent Question, is basically a lovely way to introduce us to syche of this two characters and better understand the weight this two characters carry beyond the leadership of their clans. Their parents died at a fairly young age and their kids were inexperienced as it regards a war of this magnitude beyond being basically teenagers. Taking all this into account, beyond Shikamaru’s characterisation which goes alonb with it, it really isn’t weird the question they have. It fairly logical, give the situation they found themselves in years ago but also nowadays as parents to the next generation. It is really a ver humanising question as it reminds us that, before being incredibly talented ninjas they are people. This is something they need to understand for personal reasons: both as son and daughter but also as parents. Compeleting that piece of the puzzle is what something will give them a much needed peace and, also the key to move foward as it’ll be gaining a better understanding of, not only their parents, but themselves

The Next Generations, is a theme that was always reinforced through all the series but specially in Team 10. This is not only given the importance the Will of Fire had for the characters that conform it but also in the genesis of the team itself. The formation of the Ino-Shika-Cho is a strategic one that is built and reinforced through tradition. Hence the strong bonds between the different he generations of these clans because, by the passing of the torch they are entrusting there lives and legacy to the following in line. They importance of trust and time become apparent as they show us the new generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho as Shikamaru says that one day they’ll entrust everything to them, unknowingly, providing him with the answer to they question he asks. But, why he doesn’t notice this? Because he had to hear it himself, showing the respect and admiration they had as shinobi. As Ino said they were heroes, real shinobi till the very end, but is that really so? I don’t think so.

Then we go to the sequence in which Ao leaves a flower to greet farewell to Inoichi and Shikaku which I think is a really nice yet simple moment. He also had the weight of never having said goodbye to them and through this gesture he is finally coming together and giving himself a much needed peace; he finally forgave himself for being the sole survivor of that division and of the destruction.

“You look just like your father” Well that hit me on a personal level. All people since I can remember always told me I look exactly like my mother. And, as many people that also where told so may know is not something you particularly like to hear when you are a child. You want to your own individual unbound of you parents and their lives but, when you grow and loss that special someone, well it hits differently. I can imagine what those words would mean for Shikamaru, probably some needed words that we all saw coming. It’s the idea that, somehow, he is able to keep with his father’s legacy which transcends the looks. It’s nice and sweet.

And here the question comes. Since Ao was introduced it was obvious he’ll fufill this role; answer the question. It was so brave for Shikamaru to ask it, knowing the answer may not be what he may wanted. The fact he says he “sometimes” thinks about this, shows us that the question tormented him for quite some while, fifteen years. It’s really sad if you think about the uncertainty that covered this vital part of his life that would go on to affect everything, his role as an advisor, as a Shinobi and as a father. But the answer was definitely something way needed for this two, and deserved. Seeing Ino and Shikamaru (well Shikamaru almost) cry made me almost tear up. And that’s what I said previously, Inoichi and Shikamaru as so many pointed out weren’t shinobi in their last breaths but fathers. And great ones, that entrusted without doubt and absolute trust everything to Ino and Shikamaru. It was a really beautiful moment that really felt gained and I couldn’t help but smile, though it always been obvious to me, I still was nice to hear it.

I would have loved to see more of Ino and her point of view through the chapter. I think we followed Shikamaru all through it, and don’t get me wrong I am a sucker for any Shikamaru-centric episode, but it would have been lovely to see the other side of the coin, the complete story and view. So yes, my main complain with this chapter as a whole would be that.

And we get to the ending. First of all we see Shikamaru watching the clouds as he used to do when he was a child, for me a clear indicator that a big weight had been taken away from him. It’s a lovely remainder that we can still dream and recall the child we once were.

Temari sending Shikadai to find Shikamaru is really fitting and a good gesture of Temari to be honest. I think she knew he’ll need Shikadai, as I said before this two know each other so much, so I doubt this was arbitrary.

Shikamaru and Shikdai are really such great father-son duo, I really like their interactions and how Shikamaru is able to reflect himself in Shikadai, hoping that one day his son can learn something from him as he did with his father and knowing he’ll be able to entrust everything when the time comes. And, who I am lying saying that the time will come? Some people say that this was a the anime anticipating Shikamaru’s death but, to be honest, that’s something I already knew since nothing of his dream come true. He never had two children and the first was a boy, he married a stunning and troublesome woman he truly loves, he is the Hokage’s advisor and one of the most important figures in the Shinobi world. Besides, Asuma’s and Shikau’s death I think showed Shikamaru that there is a way more fitting way for a shinobi, but even more importantly for a human, to die than peacefully which will be protecting what he loves. Yes, that moment will probably break my heart but, if done correctly, it’ll be a perfect end for this character.

The only thing I got left to say, because I won’t analyse the last scene cause (being honest) I was completely taken by surprise is, what happened to Temari? I got to say, that wasn’t really nice of Shikamaru and neither of Shikadai. Shikadai was looking for Shikamaru in order to go home to Temari, who was waiting for them. I just gonna set this clear - now Studio Pierrot owes us a Nara Family Moment/ShikaTema for doing dirty at last second lmao.

Well this is my opinion/analysis of this episode of Boruto. I hope I didn’t bore you that much when reading my opinion and that you enjoyed the episode as much as I did. Have a nice day! ❤️

#boruto #episode 178 #shikamaru nara #ino yamanaka #shikaku nara #inoichi yamanaka #fourth shinobi world war #naruto #naruto shippuden #shikadai nara #inojin yamanaka #boruto next generations #temari #anime

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mesmusae · 3 years

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Elain: The Mating Bond

I think this is an important one to make in terms of my interpretations about Elain’s feelings when it comes to the bond, her actions and feelings around it. Because we still don’t have her perspective, this is entirely obviously speculation, but speculation I’m basing off what we have, and what i think makes sense about the situation. And please note, that nothing I say is necessarily against Lucien. Just more, how his actions are being perceived by her and why she responds in the way that she does. This is purely for character development. Not a statement for or against Elain or Lucien.

So one thing that I think plays largely into her feelings around the bond is how it was addressed to her. She’d just been basically waterboarded, nearly drowned, after being kidnapped and held hostage. She’s practically exposed to a bunch of strangers (because wet nightgown....doesn’t leave much to the imagination). Then she watched the same thing happen to her sister while a strange man is wrapping his coat around her (do not misinterpret this mention. I love this moment and found it cute as hell and is one of the reasons I do still ship the). but remember, at this time, Lucien had entered, standing by Spring. He left with Spring and her sister. Regardless of his outward argument against what was happening, he ultimately was on the side of the people who hurt her and her sisters. And as her sister comes to take her away from the male who happened to be standing with the very people that had caused that to happen, he suddenly makes the claim “You’re my mate.”

Now, we know Elain knows a little about mates. But not much, as Feyre and Rhys were only open about it during the second meeting, the one that she was kidnapped shortly after. So while she knows it’s important to some degree, we don’t know how much exactly she knows. Other than between Rhys and Feyre it clearly became Romantic. And Elain is in love with someone else as we know. So even under the BEST circumstances for that statement to be claimed (well maybe not the best because that would include them being in a situation like Rhys and Feyre where he didn’t tell her while they’re totaly strangers. But it absolutely wouldn’t have been during one of the most traumatic moments of her life), she would have been against it. Her heart belonged to someone else and she wouldn’t have been interested in Lucien.

Now flash forward to him being in the castle. She can feel his heartbeat. And I think we all agree, that’s kind of cute. But I think to her, it’s terrifying. Especially when it’s mixed with her trying to process her trauma AND the fact that she’s getting visions and no one understands that yet. Her feelings around the bond still, it’s likely reminding her of that trauma (cause I imagine she also felt it in the brief time he held her when he gave her his jacket in Hybern so it would draw her back to that).

Flash forward to the Graysen confrontation. I know fandom rags on her for “whining and moping” about her wedding in the middle of all of that. When in reality, of all the traumas she was experiencing at once, that one was the likely the easiest to focus on and begin processing. Elain was absolutely coming to terms with losing Graysen. But as someone who is clearly a hopeless romantic,I think it’s obvious that she hoped he might look passed everything and still love her. That their love would triumph the fear, and I think that was in part knowing that Feyre left as a human to go be with Tamlin. (Even if that didn’t work out. Hopeless romantics don’t always acknowledge that part). And in the end, Graysen rejected her. But he didn’t just reject her. He told Elain that she belonged to Lucien. As if she didn’t get a say in the matter. As if her feelings on the situation didn’t count. So not only did she not get a choice in becoming fae, didn’t get a choice in whether or not she was given that gift from the cauldron, and didn’t get a choice on the mating bond itself, her choice of who she loves and wants to be with is also being taken away. And this is where she first rejects the bond. Unfairly, Lucien isn’t there to hear this. But she has expressed a rejection of the bond.

There’s also the brief bits in ACOWAR of Elain showing....something towards Lucien. Like when he was leaving for the continent and her semi0step forward that feyre says was “as if to say something. to stop him” but isn’t necessarily the case. And then the end of acoward, when after being prompted by Feyre, she invites him to stay in the night court. I have 3 theories about why that changed after this 1) It was just a high from the success of everything (given it basically happened immediately after), and then trauma hit again. 2) She felt she had to because of that nudge from Feyre. And that perhaps she owed him that much for his part in bringing Vassa and her father back, so it was less a genuine desire to have him there and more obligation from the beginning. or 3) That something happened in the time between acowar and acofas that changed things. And I’m kind of inclined to lean to the third. But less that it was a specific event.

And of course, we have to factor in the feelings she has for Az. Because those exist. And i view them as she’s kind of growing to see him as like...a knight in shining armor kind of. He has come to her rescue several times. He’s the one that listened and figured out what was going on with her Visions. And he gave her Truth teller for protection. He rescued her in Hybern’s camp. Like, it might very well be a crush on him because he’s her savior, but it’s grown with time. (And that part in the Az bonus chapter is going to leave her hurting for a while).

Now this is the part that fandom gets really up in arms about. And I think it’s a little much? Like it feels like they only look at the actions through Lucien’s perspective, or our outsider perspective and don’t even care enough to try seeing it through Elain’s. And so this is something I’m going to put a Real Life example of to compare. It’s not Identical of course, but there are similarities.

So we have Lucien, who comes to the Night Court for some business in regards to the human lands. And then he just goes and spends time with Elain. and We don’t know much of these interactions. We don’t know how they start, we don’t know what’s said in them. All we know is that Elain does like...all the little polite things, but is clearly keeping him at a distance. Now I think it’s two fold. 1) I think she feels like Lucien is only interested in her because of the bond. Now, we might know better...though honestly, i don’t think there’s much more there to say otherwise beyond the thought of feeling like Elain was thrown at him and comparing her mentally to Jessminda. And i think the second part is likely a mix of the other options.

That being said, we get pretty clear body language Elain is genuinely uncomfortable in Lucien’s presence. From the way her demeanor changes when she thinks it’s Nesta at the door and opens it to find Lucien, to the relief she shows that Feyre notes when Lucien delines the invitation to stay the night. And when she jumps to do what any gracious host should have from the start, which is get refreshments (the kinds of things she was raised to do and told she’d never be anything more than). Yes, to leave Lucien’s company.

AND EVEN LUCIEN UNDERSTANDS. When Feyre asks him if he would want anything to do with Elain if their positions were reversed, he cannot truthfully tell her he would. So even he has some understanding of the situation from Elain’s perspective.

He also rejects the idea of spending time in the night court to spend getting to know Elain at Feyre’s request. Yes, his reasoning is solid. She likely wouldn’t want to spend that much time with him. But it would have been a good place to get a solid start making ties in the night court and showing her it wasn’t just about the bond. Also, let’s not forget, Lucien himself says he can’t stand to be with her. You think that isn’t radiating off him? That it doesn’t make everything feel like even more of an obligation to her? And makes her feel like he’s only doing things because he feels obligated? Like even if he genuinely wants a connection, (which he turned down Feyre’s ‘hey maybe try to get to know her’ intitally soooo who knows) and isn’t pursuing it because he feels like he has to, that statement alone, mixed with giving her unasked for gifts and trying to have small talk with her, doesn’t help his case at all.

Like. The girl could feel his heartbeat in the house of wind through the stones. And we think that she can’t feel it still? That him not being able to stand being near her wouldn’t have an affect on that? Like it is the worst thing in the world to feel like someone only pretends to care about you. (Please note, I don’t think Lucien is pretending to care. But I think he feels forced/obligated because of the mating bond and the effect it has on males versus females). Like I’m glad I was going through that part again, because that changes a LOT. And maybe the not being able to stand being near her stems from her not making an effort. Maybe it stems from just...her. We don’t know. Maybe both? And maybe her uncomfortableness grew upon noticing that he couldn’t stand being near her yet tried. Maybe it started before that. or again, maybe both.

Ultimately, I think Elain resents the mating bond itself. She didn’t want it. She wanted Graysen. She didn’t want to be fae. And the mating bond is one of the most uniquely fae things. Then there’s all the ties to her trauma. The fact that the mating bond and it’s forming are directly linked back to everything that happened in Hybern.

And none of this is also taking into account the OTHER things going on. AKA the outside pressure. Nesta and Feyre got to know their mates freely. They didn’t have the knowledge of the bond over their heads. And they got to know their mates and accept their bonds without everyone knowing of it’s existence. Elain does not get that luxury. Not only does everyone know, but they discuss it. Feyre still tries to nudge Elain that way. Rhys fucking interfered with a kiss because of the bond, even though they both know how she feels about the bond. Nesta and Feyre didn’t get that. Well, Nesta got that a little bit from Cassian, but...he was the other party, not an outside party who shouldn’t have involvement. Elain and Lucien do not have that luxury.

No matter what happens, there’s gonna have to be a behavior change from both of them. What I want more than anything (and is something I’d love to rolepaly) is them getting to know eachother outside the night court. I want Elain to gain some freedom from her family and relying on her safety net. And i want Lucien to fulfill a real desire in her that isn’t just based on a few small things he only knows the surface about. I want him to take her places, and show her the world. I want them to open up to each other about Graysen and Jessminda. And I want Elain to see that she and Lucien have a lot of things in common and that he really is a good person.

I want them to have a genuine friendship. I kind of want the bond rejected regardless. Like. I want Elain to say she doesn’t want that. But because the air is cleared, it kind of frees them. And I want them to feel free of expectations and find that they can get along.

#[out of character mess]#[elain headcanons]

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unfamiliarfame · 3 years

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42 Chatting with my brother-in-law

#chapter_42 Chatting with my brother-in-law

「So I need to talk to my brother-in-law about it.」

「Me...?」

I asked Platy's brother, Prince Arowana who happened to be visiting for advice.

On the math of getting a high-fashion garment that Platy would appreciate.

This guy also shows up every so often, second only to sensei.

「This is Platy's family home. If it was what she was using before the getting married, I'll have the whole dresser brought in? 」

「Of course...! 」

Is that the easiest way to do it?

There will be another solution for the future but is that enough to get us through the for now?

「But as far as our mermaids are concerned, there is a great problem in clothing... 」

「What's that? 」

「We don't produce any clothing for the lower half of the body.」

「ahh」

I was the first to discuss the lower half of the mermaid's body issue.

「Most of the clothing produced and sold in the land of mermaids is for the upper body. Very few mermaids are willing to transform and move to earth in the first place. Any curious dressmaker who would make a garment for the lower body for such is in minority...! 」

It seems to be exquisite.

「So what are those sea pants Prince Arowana is wearing right now? 」

「This one? It was given to me by a couple of land-based fishermen in the past.」

「…………」

「When I went up to their ship. He handed it to me, saying, 『Put these on when you change into a land man.』 I understand that's land courtesy and I always make it a rule to wear it. 」

--the scene of the moment seems to come to my mind. I'm sure those fishermen must have had a lot of trouble finding a place to look.

Anyway, even if you were to buy or barter for clothes from the land of mermaids, you wouldn't get a costume for the lower half of your body first.

When it comes to making them to order, they are completely one-of-a-kind and custom-made. The price will also be enormous.

「I don't have any money to begin with...」

All there is the actual goods, just that.

If it's been this bad in all directions, should we suspend this pace as far as clothing is concerned and see how it goes for a while?

＊　　　　＊　　　　＊

「Uh, now that we've talked about money, I'd like to ask you a few questions.」

「？」

Prince Arowana says something.

「Doesn't the saintly lord have any plans to sell what he's made here and turn it into gold?」

Here's what I made.

For example, vegetables from the field. Processed foods made from these ingredients. A number of mana metal hardware given to me by sensei. Clothing that I sewed up in my own way with no fashion sense.

So far, this is what it looks like.

「Honestly, the stuff you make here is unimaginable. First of all, the food is good definitely delicious. It's delicious on its own if you cook it, it tastes several times better. Even the food served in the royal palace is far beyond that! 」

「Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.……! 」

It's a little too much of a lift, but it's honestly nice to be praised.

I have to take care of my vegetables every day and I've to grow them.

「And the hardware you use in your daily life. What do you mean it's made out of total mana metal? I think that my sense becomes funny? 」

「is that so? 」

「Yeah, I'd still feel more real if it was made of all pure gold or something! 」

I had a hint of it, but mana metal is quite a valuable metal.

It's hard to realise it because this metal wasn't in the previous world but in the narrative of Prince Arowana it is worth more than pure gold?

　Sensei, You bring me such a valuable thing as a gift...!

「Well, even if you keep the hardware. It’s the food! Saint, could you share the vegetables that you are growing if there's any surplus? Of course I'll pay the price! 」

「huh?」

「With these vegetables, I'm sure we can recreate our own unique taste in our palace! My father and mother will love it! Please do! 」

The harvested crops have been thrown into the pantry, but I wonder if there was a surplus.

Our consumption has jumped so much since the Orcobos and the Vielle started living in our house that it's hard to read the storage safety line.

However, he predicted that the time would come when he would be able to sell what he had made in the frontier and convert it into money.

To a certain extent, the development of the frontier is the only indicator that can be made.

Are we finally reaching that stage?

「....Let's check the storage levels to see if there's anything we can divide. However, when it comes to selling it's only a personal transaction with Prince Arowana in Confidential.」

「Well? 」

「It's right after an incident like that. We better avoid talking about this place again so soon.」

Such an incident is the one where the Demon Astares-san attacked the other day.

「I can assure you that our vegetables will be well received by the public. It wouldn't be a wise policy for this place to be bandied about right after the trouble with the demon race. 」

Prince Arowana seemed to be convinced.

But are you sure I'll get such a natural reputation.

「for a while, let's say that my family will enjoy the vegetables you gave us. I mean, let's keep it hidden as much as possible.」

「Are you sure? 」

So let's talk about that kind of thing....

Is there any food you'd like to trade in as a priority? I asked in an attempt.

「pickled daikon radish! (Takuwan)」

I got a quick reply.

Pickled radish.………

It's delicious. You can eat between meals like snacks

「But I'm in trouble. Takuan is a favourite of sensei too. 」

It has become a staple souvenir when you go to visit a cave dungeon.

I have to keep some of them to give to sensei.

「That's...!　No life king will suffer......!!」

Prince Arowana looked desperate from the bottom of his heart.

Is it enough?

「Hey, Saint. If I go to visit Sensei-dono, will you serve me a takuwan for tea? 」

「Don't get lost brother, don't get lost!」

He's so open-minded, it's easy to forget that he's one of the two biggest disasters in the world!

Maybe sensei would greet me with a smile but I feel like that would throw the world out of order!

Let's grow more radishes from now on.

#isekai #blci #japanese #mtl_novel #novel #adventure #fantasy #translation

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boydfred89 · 4 years

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How To Grow 7 Inches Taller In A Month Marvelous Useful Tips

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alissaselezneva · 6 years

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The Benefits and Importance of Customer Satisfaction

I can’t get no satisfaction.

Aside from hearing it as the chorus in a rock n’ roll classic, it’s a phrase you never want to come from your customers. No customer satisfaction = no retention. No retention = shrinking customer base. And bad word-of-mouth. And plummeting profits.

Yes, you need a great product. Yes, you need a competitive price. But the future belongs to the experience around your product or service, through each stage of your sales funnel.

In fact, Walker Consulting predicts that experience will be the key differentiator by 2020. Not the price nor the product itself. It will first and foremost be about the experience – and customer satisfaction – you provide.

“It comes down to how your customer experiences the brand – and how that brand makes a person feel.” ~ Alex Allwood, The Holla Agency

In essence, their satisfaction with your brand, your product, your service, your messaging, and more, will make or break you. Are you ready for that?

In the 2018 Digital Trends report, Econsultancy asked which opportunity businesses were most excited about for the year ahead. The #1 response?

Customer experience (aka CX).

More than content marketing, more than mobile, more than personalization, and more than social. Experience – and by extension, satisfaction – beat out some very heavy hitters.

The good folks at Walker also discovered that 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for a better CX.

Businesses are going to focus on customer satisfaction and experience, and consumers are actively looking for those brands that deliver on the promise.

Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But of course, you may have more questions than answers: how do you achieve customer satisfaction? How do you increase customer satisfaction? How do you define customer satisfaction?

Let’s dig in.

What Is The Meaning Of Customer Satisfaction?

Before we explore it in more detail, we need to define customer satisfaction itself.

At its most basic, customer satisfaction measures how your product, service, and overall experience either falls short, meets, or exceeds customer expectations.

How you measure it varies from business to business. Some may base it entirely on retention and repeat customers, while others may create a numerical value based on data and/or customer feedback.

Regardless, it measures, rates, and attempts to manage how happy your customers are with you, your products, and your brand as a whole.

Happy = good. Not-so-happy = bad. It’s really that simple.

Why? Glad you asked.

The Importance of Customer Satisfaction in Business

It’s obvious that satisfied customers are a good thing. However, it may be a bit harder to articulate exactly why.

The short answer: companies that prioritize customer satisfaction grow and increase revenue. Those that do not, don’t.

So, are you prioritizing customer satisfaction and success? And if you’re nodding your head, are you absolutely sure? Less than half of surveyed consumers – only 48% – believe the brands and businesses they buy from are actually doing so.

Growth and revenue are key elements of a successful business. That goes without saying.

Benefits

Beyond the growth correlation – if you actively work to increase customer satisfaction, you’re more likely to see an increase in revenue – there are plenty of other reasons to make it a top priority.

Take word-of-mouth, for example. It matters, especially in the ultra-connected and always-on digital world we call home. We can instantly share our experience with a brand with thousands of others on social media and review sites like Yelp.

And aside from that potential reach, we trust and seek out online recommendations:

92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family.

68% of respondents said a positive review made them more likely to use a business, while 40% said a negative one made them not want to use it.

93% turn to online reviews to decide if a business is good or bad.

Just under half of consumers won’t consider a business with less than a 4-star rating.

34% read 4-6 reviews before deciding to trust a business.

Word-of-mouth is listed as a key influencer for 74% of consumers.

Facebook and Yelp are the two most trusted review sites.

That’s a lot of potential goodwill and positive publicity. But it works both ways. 60% of consumers share a bad experience with others – and they tell 3x as many people – compared to only 46% who share the good ones.

The takeaway? You’d better do your best to ensure each customer interaction is a positive one. If you don’t place a premium on relationship marketing and customer satisfaction, you won’t be aware of problems or complaints until it’s too late.

Once the word is out, it’s out. As the saying goes, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. If you prioritize keeping your customers happy, you’ll a) reduce the number of unhappy ones, and b) know about and work to resolve dissatisfaction that much faster.

Win-win.

But the benefits of a customer-first approach don’t stop there:

Brand loyalty Why would a happy, satisfied customer ever look elsewhere or want to leave you? You’ll see lower churn, and higher retention. And a 5% increase in retention can increase profitability by as much as 25-95%. Let that sink in.

“Return customers tend to buy more from a company over time. As they do, your operating costs to serve them decline. What’s more, return customers refer others to your company. And they’ll often pay a premium to continue to do business with you rather than switch to a competitor with whom they’re neither familiar nor comfortable.” ~Fred Reichheld, Creator of Net Promoter

Brand buzz A platoon of happy advocates and cheerleaders singing your praises on social media and review sites is the absolute best publicity that money can – or can’t – buy. Work to make it happen.

Brand trust Consumers trust people – even strangers – more than they do advertising and marketing.

“Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can’t measure something, you can’t understand it. If you can’t understand it, you can’t control it. If you can’t control it, you can’t improve it.” ~H. James Harrington, CEO of Harrington Management Systems

Measure, understand, control, and improve.

Customer Satisfaction Goals

So, what should your customer satisfaction goals include? Hard to say. No one knows your business better than you. Your goals may not be my goals, and vice versa.

Generally speaking, you want to keep things simple. Use the SMART goal system (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-limited). Set only 1-2 at a time (otherwise they start competing with each other). Write them down (studies show you’re 2-3x more likely to follow-through). Keep them realistic.

Your first goal should be to start collecting customer satisfaction data if you haven’t already. That’s a no-brainer, and we’ll get into the how in a moment.

Identify the problem spots, the bottlenecks, and the frequent complaints.

After that, your goals may include reducing churn or increasing retention by X%, reducing the number of contact points with repeat customers, decreasing complaint response time, increasing the NPS by X%, experiment with different communication channels, boost the number of “completely satisfied” customer interactions, reduce shipping time, and so on.

What would most benefit your business and your customers? Go with that.

Learn How to Measure Your Customer Satisfaction

Now we get to the meat and potatoes. It’s all well and good to plan and promote customer satisfaction within your business, but how exactly does that play out in the world?

Hubspot recommends a simple acronym to remember the steps: OCCAM (as in Occam’s Razor, the idea that the simplest explanation or approach is usually the best one):

Outline goals and plan.

Create customer survey.

Choose trigger or timing.

Analyze the data.

Make adjustments.

You can’t get much simpler than that.

Begin by asking yourself: Why? Why am I doing this? What do I hope to accomplish? What do I want to get out of this?

A customer satisfaction survey is one of the easiest and most reliable methods for getting a snapshot of satisfaction levels around a particular element of your business (your products, your complaint resolution, your customer service, and so on). Popular methods include:

Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), which measures their satisfaction on a particular interaction.

Customer Effort Score (CES), which examines the ease with which they were able to have their issue successfully resolved or complete an action (like making a purchase).

Net Promoter Score (NPS), which asks how likely they are to recommend your business to someone else.

Next, determine who will receive your survey, and when. Immediately after a purchase? At the end of an online chat? A week after a complaint was lodged? Look to your goals from the first step for guidance here, as the who and when is determined by what you’re trying to accomplish.

The cardinal sin of data collection is doing nothing with it. Once you have the data, make sure you analyze and use it to make improvements. Otherwise, you’ve wasted everyone’s time and effort.

Some methods are easy to analyze – NPS is simply the percentage of Detractors subtracted from the percentage of Promoters – while others are more complicated. Many customer satisfaction tools have built-in analysis as part of the service. If not, a quick online search can provide dozens of tutorials and how-to guides.

Surveys with a single question and a multiple-choice answer are typically best, but don’t be afraid of longer ones with open-ended questions. They require more effort in both creation and analysis, but they also provide deeper and more varied understanding. You get what you put in.

Once you have some insight, use it. Make adjustments. Unclog bottlenecks. Remove friction. Make it easy and convenient for your customers to get what they want and do what they need to do.

That’s the whole idea.

3 Customer Satisfaction Examples

Looking for some inspiration? Here are three examples of the satisfaction game done right:

In Action

Trader Joe’s is a popular chain of grocery stores with 470+ locations. They have a truly remarkable return policy that puts customers completely at ease and removes all friction, especially those thinking of trying a new product. They will literally take back any product – even if it’s open and/or partly consumed – without a receipt. No. Questions. Asked. The policy includes food, beverages, and alcohol. Don’t like that new wine or beer? Bring back what’s left, get a refund.

“Try it. We think you’ll like it. If you don’t, bring it back for a full refund.” ~Trader Joe’s

With a generous return policy like that, you can bet everyone is recommending them to their family, friends, and followers.

Read or Leave a Review Amazon clearly knows what it’s doing. Every product on the site has a star-rating at the top of the page, and every customer is encouraged to leave their honest review.

Click the upside-down triangle, and you can select the star-rating that matters most to you, and instantly read the comments left by those consumers that rated it as such. What problems did people have that resulted in a 1-star rating? What pros motivated others to give it five stars?

Not only is Amazon collecting mountains of valuable data on customer satisfaction to answer those questions and more – allowing them to identify common complaints and issues – but they’re also leveraging that data immediately as testimonials – both positive and negative – for those thinking about making a purchase. One-click. One stop.

And that’s one of the many reasons why Amazon is the king of the e-commerce game.

Customer Satisfaction Survey The humble customer survey performs outside its weight-class. Easy to create and execute, but delivers a powerful data punch.

Dashlane is a password vault and manager. Already one of the most popular in the niche, they’re not resting on their laurels.

This simple NPS survey was sent out via email to existing customers, literally takes just seconds to complete, but collects priceless data and makes their customer base feel warm, fuzzy, and appreciated (their opinion matters).

The Best Strategies to Improve Customer Satisfaction and Retention

Convinced yet? You should be, so let’s jump into some of the best strategies for better customer satisfaction and retention.

Net Promoter Score

The NPS is one of if not the most popular strategies for gauging customer satisfaction with and loyalty to a particular brand. It’s simple, easy to calculate, and boasts some excellent completion rates because it takes just a few seconds to complete.

One basic question (usually a straightforward one like “How likely are you to recommend us/this product to your friends and family?”), and a scale from 1 (least likely) to 10 (most likely). That’s it.

Anyone answering from 0-6 are called Detractors. They’re your unhappy customers, and they can do a lot of damage to your reputation if left to fester.

Passives are those that answer either 7 or 8. They’re satisfied, but not really enthusiastic.

Your Promoters are those customers responding 9 or 10. They’re happy, loyal, and frequently recommend your brand and products.

Your NPS is a quick calculation:

Percentage of Promoters – Percentage of Detractors = Net Promoter Score (a value ranging from a low of -100 to a high of 100).

Just knowing your score instantly tells you how your customers feel about you. But you can do so much more with it: segment your customers into promoters (reward and encourage them), passives (what can you do to increase their enthusiasm?), and detractors (what issues are making them so unhappy?), collect “reasons why” (most services allow for a follow-up open-ended question about why they responded as they did), drive reviews and improve retention.

The Likert scale survey can deliver most of the same benefits, too.

Social Media Monitoring

The internet is awash in people talking about, well, everything. It’s your job to keep abreast of what people are saying about you, your brand, and your products. You can’t sit back and assume everything is hunky-dory.

To that end, social media monitoring has become a keystone of digital existence. And there’s a long list of top quality tools and services that do it for you (more on that below).

Select one, set a few keywords and phrases, and start listening. The faster you “hear” that someone had a bad experience, the faster you can reach out and try to fix it. Likewise, the faster you “hear” someone had a great experience, the faster you can reach out and thank them, possibly offering some special reward or discount for their patronage.

Listen. Respond. React.

Ask for Feedback

Ask and ye shall receive. The simplest way to improve customer satisfaction and retention is to ask for feedback.

Consumers are ready, willing, and able to provide feedback and reviews…if you ask them. Far too many businesses don’t bother. What better way to find out exactly how they feel about everything and anything than asking them directly?

It might be a message on social media, a short email, a pop-up on your site, a push notification, a link at checkout or the end of a chat, or anything else you can think up. The method isn’t all that important. The asking is.

Customers want to feel appreciated and recognized as individuals, not just dollar signs. Asking for their opinion gives them that, and gives you the concrete data you need to make good business decisions.

They feel respected. They feel valued. And that’s half the satisfaction and retention battle right there.

Provide Solutions

Asking for feedback is one thing. But how do you use that to improve customer satisfaction?

You provide solutions. If they’re unsatisfied with some aspect of your product or service, it’s easy to offer excuses and get defensive.

That benefits no one. You need to provide solutions to their complaints.

Shipping takes too long? Offer an express option. Customer service not available at midnight on a Tuesday? Launch a chatbot or self-serve help center.

Their problems + your solutions = better satisfaction and retention.

Try implementing these four strategies to increase customer satisfaction today. Not tomorrow. Today. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it will kick start things and deliver some quick wins to motivate you and make you hungry for more.

Customer Satisfaction Tools And Methodologies

No matter what strategy or method you’re considering, the tools exist to make it fast, affordable, and convenient for businesses or any size or budget.

Net Promoter Score

Promoter.io

AskNicely

Delighted

Wootric

Social Media Monitoring

Brand24

Mention

Google Alerts

Talkwalker

And many, many more

Customer Feedback

SurveyMonkey

SatisMeter

Feedbackify

OpinionLab

Survicate

PollDaddy

UserReport

GetSatisfaction

Online Reviews

TrustPilot

Feefo

User Testing

Hotjar

Zarget

CrazyEgg

Email Survey

Customer Thermometer

No matter what you need, a Google or Bing search will find you dozens of tools and services to get the job done. Then, do it. Ask the right questions. Make the right decisions.

Are Customer Satisfaction Surveys Useful?

Ah, the $64,000 question. Is it worth it?

Short answer? Yes.

We’ve already seen the connection between prioritizing customer success and revenue growth. That alone makes it a worthwhile exercise.

Identifying satisfied customers allows you to nurture them into loyal customers using reward programs, special incentives, personalized content, and more.

A focus on customer satisfaction makes you stand out from the masses. Not everyone is doing it yet. Make an impression now.

Satisfaction surveys bridge the gap between what you think you’re doing, and what your customers believe you’re actually doing. For example, 80% of surveyed CEOs said they deliver an exceptional customer experience, but only 8% (!) of customers agreed. That’s a serious disconnect.

In 2018 and beyond, the customer experience and satisfaction is everything.

What is The Best Way to Deal With a Difficult Customer?

No matter how hard you try, you will encounter unhappy, upset, and difficult customers. How you deal with them will determine your overall success.

You can’t make everyone happy all the time. Don’t even try. When a difficult customer crosses your threshold – digital or otherwise – follow a few best practices:

Listen without interrupting. Let them rant and vent and get it all out. They want to be heard.

Apologize with empathy. Let them know you understand the issue, and appreciate how frustrating it must be.

Ask questions for clarification as necessary. Explicitly ask what they would like to see done in response.

Offer solutions. Never excuses. If you can’t give them exactly what they want, offer alternative solutions. Use positive language: instead of saying “I can’t do that”, try leading with “here’s what I can do…”

Remain calm. Some customers are unreasonable. Keep your emotions in check.

Follow-up later to determine if it was resolved to their complete satisfaction.

Learn from the experience.

Of course, they are other tips and tricks you could employ in the situation, including some psychological strategies if you want to get fancy, but the steps outlined above are the simplest way to turn a difficult customer into a satisfied one.

How To Treat Customers And Provide Them a Good Service

With respect.

It goes deeper than that, of course, but treating them with respect at all times goes a very long way in creating happy, satisfied, loyal customers.

In addition to that:

Have open lines of communication. Email, phone number, social media profiles, online chat, instant messaging, and more. Provide the channels they want.

Respond to communication – both positive and negative – in a timely manner. As a rule of thumb, people expect an online answer in well under and hour.

Under-promise and overdeliver.

Say “thank you”.

Train your staff in delivering spectacular customer service. It’s a skill. Don’t assume your employees have it already.

Listen. Respond. Ask for feedback. That’s the satisfaction loop to create.

We could devote an entire post to this subject. Suffice to say, follow the golden rule: treat others as you’d like to be treated. You may be a business owner, but you’re also a customer at other times. What do you look for in exceptional customer service? Do that.

Common Questions About Customer Satisfaction

The quality of questions you ask determines the usefulness of the answers you get. You can – and should – ask questions about every aspect of your customer service:

The quality and quantity of offered products/services

Your commitment to customer success

Your pricing

Company transparency

Accessibility to both your customer service reps as well as your products/services themselves

Your consistency

Your business aesthetics, including your sites, physical stores, brand messaging, and corporate values and ethics

Ask how well a product meets their needs. Ask about the most important missing features. Ask which features are most important to them. Ask them what one thing they would change. Ask if they’d recommend your business or product to a friend. Ask if they’re likely to buy from you again. Ask about the ease in which they accomplished their purpose (make a purchase, make a complaint, resolve an issue). Ask about your competition. Ask, ask, ask.

Ask questions. Get answers. Then ask why they gave that answer. Keep it short. A multiple choice or scale question with a short input field to explain why is about all you need.

Conclusion

Customer satisfaction is your business, regardless of your product, industry, or niche. You must make it a priority. That’s true today, and will only increase in importance in the years to come.

Collect, analyze, and use data on customer satisfaction for every stage of your funnel, every interaction and touch-point, every product launch, and more. Pick and choose your moment, of course, as no one wants to be inundated with surveys all the time. But no area is off-limits for selectively surveying and asking for feedback.

That’s how you improve. That’s how you grow. And that’s how you turn customers into repeat customers and repeat customers into cheerleaders.

About the Author: Neil Patel is the cofounder of Neil Patel Digital.

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