WOTF #8: Voting Thread

Sanae

Active Member
Staff member
#1
Welcome to the 8th WOTF!

Vote for which piece you think is the best! Please don't forget to read the voting rules!

Voting Rules
1. Don't vote for yourself (and yes, we know if you voted for yourself)!

2. Only vote once.

3. Votes should be in bold, for clarity's sake.

4. When you vote, you must provide a reason for your vote. "It's cool" or "I like it" is not a good reason.

5. Feel free to give constructive criticism, but do not flame the author in the process!
 

Sanae

Active Member
Staff member
#2
Entry 1: Retrospectively, Our Youthfully-Genuine, Beloved, Ideal Vacation

'tis Red the blood that flows through human veins
Burgundy hue of that which leaves the scent
'tis Orange flowers scattered o'er the fields
As goats and sheep abound in their content

'tis Yellow sun magnif'cent shining down
The rays of grandeur on your gleaming face
'tis Green the grass, all rust'ling in the wind
Although wind's caress pales to your embrace

'tis Blue the sky and pepper'd with the clouds
The azure bluebirds saunt'ring in the skies
'tis Indigo the chroma of your dress
To you alone only my love applies

'tis Violet-perfum'd scent of flowing hair
In aft'r'noon meadow 'xuding lovely hue
Amalgamate the colours of the light
The rainbow's spectrum r'minding me of you
_______________
Writer’s Note:

The poem is written in Iambic Pentameter (10 syllables per line), and thus that all aprostophe marks (') in words are elision (deliberate word contractions) intended for euphonic effect.
 

Sanae

Active Member
Staff member
#3
Entry 2: Threshold

Long lights marked the ceiling overhead, casting a dusty orange glow on the narrow hallway. Black outlines within the plastic shells of the light fixtures marked where moths and mosquitoes had been locked within to wither and die.

A guard led Clarence by the arm through the empty corridors, the steps of Clarence's worn prison-issued shoes rapping against the clean, waxed floor. The floor was checkered with tiles of white and gray, intersecting sharply. The guard's grip on Clarence's arm was cold and tight, not unlike the polished steel cuffs which held his wrists behind his back.

"We're almost there, Clarence," the guard said. As with most professional guards, his warm demeanor was filtered through a veil of well-trained suspicion. Walking, they passed dozens of cells. Within their cages, dispossessed prisoners watched them with eyes like pieces of dirty glass. Each was trapped, shadows in the lights of their cells. . .colorless. . . faceless. On their left, sunlight filtered through the windows, long beams of rectangular light marked dust hanging purposelessly in the air.

Clarence glanced through the passing windows. From within the box of sterile cement and steel, the green hills of the outside world had long become a lie. Sun is like blood. Deprived of the sun, the light dims, and the colors slowly drain from the earth.

At the end of the hall was a door that marked the end of the cell blocks. The guard pushed it open and led Clarence into a private room. Stepping behind him, the guard slid his key into the handcuffs, unclasping them. Clarence's skin breathed free, but grooves remained in his wrists.

The guard presented him a bag of clothes. "Change into these street clothes, all right? I'll be outside."

Clarence glanced into the bag, rifling through its contents with his fingertips The bags contents were business clothes. The suite was gray with matching pants and a tie of diagonally-striped silver and crimson.

Need to look nice for the clients. Soft yellow Champagne in crystal glasses, sparkling in the flicker of the candlelight. Bloody steak lay half-eaten, carved by tools of gleaming silver. Pools of blood on pure white plates. Clarence remembered the images, reflections from another life.

He slid on his street clothes. The fabric felt unnatural against his skin, which yearned for the familiar shell of his prison jumpsuit. His arthritic hands fumbled with his tie. It had been too long. He no longer knew how to tie it properly. He hung the tie around his neck like a scarf. Clarence felt as if he were a Milky Way in a Snickers' wrapper.

The guard frowned when he saw Clarence enter the hallway. "Damn Clarence, your tie. Let me help you with that, man." The guard grasped the tie, tugging on it and twisting it until it was tight around his neck like a collar. "Now that's nice, Clarence. Nice and spiffy. Don't you think so?"

Clarence glanced to his reflection in the window, viewing his misty reflection. His second self, a pretender, looked back at him from the wrong side of the dusty glass. His own empty eyes met his gaze. He searched himself for a soul, but saw nothing but a tired old face, a pair of dull gray eyes and a bed of scraggly white hair. He was a beaten man in a fancy suite.

My brown hair still fresh from the work of a barber's scissors, standing in a crisp blue suite and a golden tie. A building marked by gray pillars of lifeless stone. I stand. Seated around me, strangers with blood-red eyes watch with anticipation.

A grim man in a black robe narrows his eyes and raises his voice. "How does the defendant plead?" The blackness of his robes is a hungry maw that sterilizes all it can grasp.

"Comon' Clarence, we're on a timetable. Let's go." Clarence followed him. The guard led him through an indoor gate. A man in a fortified cubical unlocked the barred gate with a loud buzz as it slid open. The eyes of the uniformed guards and stewards, watched him walk with a mixture of disdain and soft pity.

After signing some papers, the guard led Clarence through a set of double doors and into the pale morning sun. There were no prisoners on the yard. Fresh blacktop crunched beneath their feet as they approached a tall silver gate flanked by guard towers. A lone sentry with a shotgun stood in the morning air. "Remember that sheet we gave you, Clarence," the guard said as they neared the gate, "it has the contact information and the address of your parole officer. You need to report to him immediately. Do you get me Clarence?"

"I get you." Another buzzer sounded and a red light flashed atop the gate as the fence-mesh door slid aside on steel wheels. With a metallic shriek, the great maw opened to the outside world. He recalled his entrance to the same prison. Metal shrieking. The portal closes behind me. My world is sterilized.

Clarence stepped forward. His heart began to pound as he stepped through the gate. Dazzled by the sun, Clarence narrowed his gray eyes and held up a single wrinkled hand to shield himself. "Good luck out there, Clarence." The words fell from the guard's mouth.

Clarence nodded. He knew the guards had stakes on how long it would be until he was dragged back to his old cell in handcuffs. Sterilized. He walked out along the barren blacktop, shimmering with the heat of the waxing sun. The area outside the prison stretched out in all directions, defined by rolling grassy hills with wheat-fields occasionally inter-mixed. A single road cut through the open area with flowers on either side.

On that road, in front of him, a single white truck was illegally parked. Two figures, one man wearing a blue buttoned shirt and one woman clad in a wispy white dress sat against the hood of the car, watching Clarence--waiting for him. Clarence approached.

The woman was a stranger and yet she was also his only remaining tie to the world. "Hello dad," she said. Her eyes shone in the morning sun like light reflecting from polished glass. Clarence felt his memory fail him. What color are her eyes?

Not all barriers are walls. Some barriers can't be touched. Some barriers can be felt only by the heart.

Clarence knew that when he saw the coldness in his daughter's eyes that his heart was still imprisoned even now that his body was free. Perhaps it was a prison from which he would never escape. But he knew that he had to try.

"Let's get out of here, huh?" Clarence said, smiling to his only daughter.
 

Sanae

Active Member
Staff member
#4
Entry 3: His Last Gift

“Sir, the robot has arrived.”

The man in front of me nods in reply. “Make sure the robot does not find out what is going to happen to him before he enters this room. If he really has his own will like you said, then we have to make sure he does not run off.”

I hint the disbelieve in his voice, but I nod obediently. I really hate that man, but there is no way I cannot follow his orders. There is also no way I am going to lie to Sean, the robot. He is like a son to me and in a way he is my son. I designed him and I created him. It was a progress of a year, just a tad bit longer than a normal pregnancy.

I open the green door towards the room in which a little boy sits. To the outside world, that really must be what he looks like. Just a normal boy of 10 years old, but in fact he is the robot that will soon get a new program. It will erase everything he knows now. He will forget about me and he will forget about the wondrous things he has seen.

Sean is designed to see, collect and track aura’s. Every human being has an aura with an unique color, around that is another ring of colors that indicates the mood of a person. Right now my indigo aura will be surrounded by the color of sadness and loss. My dear Sean will be able to see that.

“Hello, mother.” His blue eyes widen in an abnormal manner and I know he’s reading my aura. “What is it that saddens you so much?”

He walks towards me and puts his arms around me as in a clumsy hug. He knows I find some sort of comfort in that. I untangle myself from his arms and take his head in my hands.

“I shouldn’t tell you this, but I cannot bear to keep it a secret from you…” His artificial brain noticed the seriousness in my voice and nodded. “Some rich man wants to have a guard for his son at all times. As you know, it’s very obvious who the guard of a child is if there is a grown man in the same classroom. So they want to have a guardian robot. You heard of those right?” I do not wait for the answer. “They want someone to be a guard in a classroom, without it being noticed. The supervisor decided that you will be perfect for the job, be it that you don’t have the right program to run as a guard… They will change your program so that you are capable to take that job as guard of a very rich child.”

“But by reprogramming me, I will lose all the data I have gathered. All… memories. Will I ever see you again?”

“You will not remember me, you will have to get to know me again.”

“That is not what I mean. Will I see YOU, mother. Will I still be able to see the colors of auras?”

“No…”, I say with a soft sob. “They will take that away from you, my dear. You will be filled up with fighting skills and other important skills you need as guard.”

“Is that the reason why you are upset, mother?”

I nod and hold him in my arms once more. “I know it means the world to you, and I really tried my best to make sure you keep that ability, but, but…” I start crying. “They do not believe you are alive, that you have a own will. They do not believe I was able to create that.”

“Shh, mother. Do not cry. I will try my best as guard.”

“Oh, I know you will! That’s never been a problem, my dear boy.”

My badge starts to beep and as I dry my tears. I take a deep breath and answer with a steady voice. “Ms. Michaelson here.”

“We’re ready”, is the ominous reply.

My eyes get wet of tears again. “I will miss you.” I say with a yet again broken voice. To me it feels like I bring my own child away to be executed.

“Mother, I told you: cry not. My life was a colorful one. I am glad for the time given to me. For all the beautiful auras I got to see. Do you remember what I told you about Michelle?”

“Of course I do! How can I forget about that.” Michelle was my baby girl. She only lived for 4 days before she passed away. Even though she had a short lifespan she was given a beautiful aura.

“Her aura seemed to capture the light like a diamond. She seemed to emit the colors of all the auras I have ever seen. She was true beauty. I think I will miss that the most. The data of that perfect silver aura surrounded by many colors. You know, mother. Ever since she passed away, you carry the same silver color around your aura. It is embracing the indigo color of your own aura. I am sure that, that is a part of her. You carry her with you, mother. I know I am just a mere robot, but I would like it if I could join your daughter after I vanish. Remember me, mother, remember my memories.”

He walks through the doorway and takes place in the chair. He shows no concern, just peace. But I cannot help it to see a little child walking to his execution chair. I secure him to the chair myself and stay with him, holding his hands as I hear the commander shout his commands.

I do not look up to see what my colleagues are doing, I only look in the calm bright blue ocean of his eyes. He is ready to start anew. It was me, who did not want to face it.

His grip on my hand tightened as he whispered. “This will be my last gift for you, mother.”

I only feel the pain at first but then all of a sudden images flow through me. I gasp at amazement as I see all the auras of the people who Sean saw in his short 5 years of service. It keeps hanging on the aura of Michelle. It was a breathtaking sight, it was more beautiful than Sean had described. Then the images stop and all I can see is the blackness of my closed eyelids.

The reprogramming was finished. Sean now looks at me with eyes that hold no emotion. I tell him my name and my purpose solemnly. He accepts me as his mother yet again, but it’s not the same boy. It is someone completely different. He stands up and leaves my sight.

I’m frozen on the spot where I last saw my Sean.

“You did well, Kayla. It is over now.” I want to hit the man in the face for killing my Sean, a robot who was way more than just a robot. But I stopped when I saw him. He was surrounded by an aura. Awe-struck I look at him while he shakes his head and shrugs.

I run out of the run into the halls of the building. Lots of people have gathered there and all of them had bright colors around them, they were mesmerizing. And not just the humans had auras even the plants and fish had a faint thin aura around them. I watch all of them until my eyes start to tear.

As I pass a mirror I touch my mirror image. In my own aura I can see a silver and black line surrounding the indigo of my own aura. He really is there in my aura, close to me just like Michelle is. I smile at peace. He wanted to have an aura. And what is a better color for someone who held no aura, but gathered the auras of others, than black, which is not really a color but also all the colors that exist together.

I lost my dear boy, but his last gift to me was the ability to see; to truly see the colors of life.
 

Sanae

Active Member
Staff member
#5
Entry 4:

"A rainbow, it's a rainbow!" my younger brother excitedly pointed out the arched color spectrum that had formed over our heads. A rainbow is in itself a most mysterious entity. It brings to mind an old tale about a leprechaun hiding his gold at the end of the rainbow. I used to believe in that story, and I still do to this day. I myself have a story to tell about the rainbow.

As a teenager, I always had trouble with managing my anger. Any small disturbance could cause me, using a cliche expression, to see red, and a snide comment always meant an instant ticket to meet my fist. Everyone who knew me learnt how to keep from offending me. I'm not sure if it was because of that, which made people start to avoid me, as they got tired of trying not to offend me altogether. I also got livid over people avoiding me on purpose. I would question their cowardice, how they avoided me instead of being straightforward and telling me they have a problem with me.

Then the person who would change my life forever appeared. Comparing the two of us would be like comparing apples to oranges. We were two different entities. Polar opposites. When we first met, we clashed. I remember it not being pretty. It wasn't surprising that we would, but it was annoying when I remember how much she pissed me off. Our first meeting went a little something like this.

I remember a girl with brown hair tied in a ponytail approaching me. Her face was angular, she had green eyes. Her name was Jeanette.

"Hey, you." she had greeted me in a hostile tone, and I was irritated at that.

"What?" I snapped.

"I've heard rumors of a silly little snob who couldn't take insults. Is it because your brain is smaller than your fist?"

She was looking for trouble, and I knew it. But if I retaliated with violence, it would only prove her right.

"Whoever you heard that from must have had the brain the size of a peanut himself. I'm not afraid to take you on."

And just like that, everyday, the two of us would exchange all forms of verbal banter, ranging from insults, witty comments and remarks about each other's sexuality. This continued for a few weeks.

One day, she approached me. I was getting ready a large arsenal of replies to whatever she would say, but it was obvious my large arsenal didn't include anything to counter what she had approached me for.

"It appears we'd gotten off to a bad start. I've enjoyed our battle of wits, but it's gotten a little tiring." she sighed. "Honestly, after these few weeks, I'm surprised that you haven't raised your fist against me, after all I've heard about you."

"Yeah, well, I'm surprised I haven't raised my fist against you either. It might be because of what you said when we first met."

And on that day, two completely different entities stopped clashing against each other. It's hard not to sound cliche here, but from the worst of enemies, we became the best of friends. Many things about her surprised me. At first, I'd thought of her as some high-and-mighty whore. To me, it was surprising that she had a sense of justice. It was surprising that we actually had something in common. It was surprising that we weren't as different as I thought we were.

Most of all, it was surprising that I was attracted to her.

And she knew it.

I had always been a total coward when it came to romance. Perhaps it was the trauma of having other kids tease me about childish romances when I was younger. Perhaps everyone would have gone through that at one point of time in their lives, but it affected me badly. Yes, that was me, the yellow-bellied fool, too afraid to ask a girl out. Perhaps I was afraid of losing her as a friend.

A month later, we gathered a bunch of friends to celebrate her birthday. It was a fun party, that one. Somehow, someone had gotten his hands on a case of beer. All of us then promptly proceeded to get wasted on the beer. While I was drunk, I remember doing something that made me very happy. I don't regret getting drunk that night.

"Jeanie," which was my pet name for her, "will you go out with me?" I posed her the question in front of everyone. She blushed and gave the green light, in the form of a small nod. Everyone else was cheering, for they had known that I had a thing for her for ages now. That was the only moment that night which I remember clearly.

Certainly, that night made me feel elated. I would always thank the person who brought the beer to the party. But the story couldn't be this simple. We had been dating for a while now, and things slowly deteriorated to the point where we were back to the first time we had met. It was my fault, really, now that I think about it. I was paranoid and over-possessive, whenever she spoke to another guy, I would get suspicious and question her about it.

Maybe I couldn't see the signs, but one day, after a bout of argument, she finally brought it up. The one thing that really broke my heart.

"Let's just break up." she said in a huff of anger.

"Alright, fine!" I shouted at her. I turned on my heel, immediately regretting what I just said, but I wasn't going to take it back. Not now. It would take a miracle for me to take back what I just said.

For the rest of the week, I was feeling blue and just out of it. I felt like I could not reclaim what I had lost. Jeanie... Her existence meant more than anything else in the world at that moment. And I had lost her. To what? A fit of anger and rage. That was all it took to bring our relationship to an end.

One day, I saw Jeanie holding hands with another guy. It made me feel irritated, but I could do nothing about it. I had already broken up with her. There was nothing I could do about it. But, at that time, I had a friend with me who gave me advice that I thank him for.

"If you're going to give her up without even fighting for her, then she's better off with someone else."

I stood up immediately and walked over to them.

"Jeanie, we have to talk."

She turned to look at me.

"Please, Jeanie," I begged.

The other guy with her started to get irritated.

"Can't you see that she doesn't want to speak to you?"

"Shut up. This is none of your business." I retorted.

All I did was piss him off, though. A single punch that threw me onto the floor. Jeanie coming to assist me. Out of sympathy? I don't know. But I had gotten her attention. The other guy stormed off.

I had called Jeanie out to a small hill nearby the school, at a time when the sky was painted indigo. I sat on the grass, waiting for her to appear. If she still cared for me, she would appear. I thought about what would happen, thought about the time we spent together.

"What's with you, getting yourself hurt just to call me out here?"

I turned around and saw Jeanie standing behind me. She was there, smiling at me. I stood up. As if we knew what the other was thinking, we hugged each other. She whispered softly into my ear.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you too."

That exchange was perhaps all we needed to communicate our feelings at that moment, and we stood in each other's embrace for a second or two. Finally, we let go. The two of us, on the small hill near our school, with the sky dappled a deep hue. I took her face in my hands, staring deeply into those eyes, those green eyes. Slowly, I brought her face closer to mine, and I could feel her breath on my face. My lips touched hers, and we kissed beneath the sky that had now turned violet, signifying the end of this story.

The rainbow shone brightly above. Do you remember the tale of the gold at the end of the rainbow? I chased the rainbow to the end. There, I didn't find any gold. What I found was the person most precious to me, Jeanie.
 

HappyNisa

Super Moderator
Staff member
#6
There are 4 entries O_O That is a record O_O
Eh I'll read them all later when I get back from ehm well hanging out with friends XD
 
#7
Let's see...


Entry #1 - Nice use of the Iambic Pentameter. I didn't know anyone else here knew about it. Anyway, I thought it was nice. Flowed pretty well, and the title was a clever one (ROYGBIV!). Still, I feel that it didn't have that much to offer compared to the others. It's nice and all, but some of the other entries were nicer.

Entry #2 - Good entry, grammatically sound. I would have voted for this one if it weren't for the fact that the theme of colours was either highly obscure or completely absent. I can see some references to colour through the symbolism, but I felt it wasn't expressed clearly enough. We're writing for the general member audience here, not literature majors. The symbolism was fine and all, but it could have been clearer.

Entry #3 - I love how the author uses colours to strike a poignant tone in this entry. A few tense errors here and there, but generally a well-written, mature piece.

Entry #4 - Honestly, this piece was engaging, and a joy to read, but the problem so prominent in Entry #2 reappeared here. The colour symbolism needs to be better-defined. Also, I kinda felt that the plot was a bit rushed, especially at the second half. Some grammatical errors and all, but still, an engaging piece!

My vote goes to Entry #3.
 

Crestham

~*†Tank†*~
#8
Entry #1 - It was a nice poem, and had a nice ring to it. Iambic pentameter? You used it well. However, the first two lines I feel didn't quite connect with the rest of the poem. Instead of using red to describe blood, maybe it can instead be used to describe passion or even the afternoon sky. A change in setting perhaps, to maybe sunset to further accentuate the red, although then you wouldn't have many animals around at sunset.

Entry #2 - There were some attempts to connect the story to the theme, but on the whole, I couldn't see any connection. The story was colorfully described though, and vivid, but somehow I don't understand some of the expressions used in the story. It is important to make sure that you write a story that everyone can understand and enjoy.

Entry #3 - I liked this piece. It was written in such a way that the reader could empathize with Kayla and how she felt about losing her robot, and it was just well connected to the theme. Nothing much to say here.

Entry #4 - This entry felt a little rushed. It would be more interesting if you had given it a proper climax, perhaps where the character had to fight for his love with Jeanie. A little more conflict would have been nice. That being said, the introduction ties in nicely with the ending, but the story itself doesn't bring out the theme of colors, other than the fact that you used color-related idioms in the order of the rainbow.

My vote goes to entry #3
 
#9
I'd love to vote for #4. The sentences almost feel like they're coming from the mind of that kid. I love it when even the prose itself is in character.

Runner up is Entry #3 which was also good, but I think it stumbles over the dialog a bit. Plus, I think the emotional cues could have been a little more subtle. I feel like we're getting smacked over the head with them.

All things considered, my vote goes to Entry #4 even though the colors theme is pretty weak.
 

HappyNisa

Super Moderator
Staff member
#10
UHm well eventhought there were 4 entries i have to say I'm a bit disspointed in how the people followed the theme =(
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed reading all of them, but I felt like they all didn't really touch the theme. Gah it's gonna be hard to choose T_T

Hmm entry number 2 did the least well to follow the theme in my opinion, It was a lovely piece, though I have to admit it took me a while to get into it, I was kinda waiting for the clue of the story XD But I liked it pretty much, still can't vote for it because the only reference to colour is the emphasis on the colour of his surroundings.

Ehh okay so lemme continue with entry one then, I have no clue what a Iambic Pentameter was before i read it and If I read it I'd have guessed something with 5... as it's penta.. and penta is greek for 5. (lol I googled it apperently it's because iambic is a sort of foot in english and you have 5 of them in a line, woot had the five right there XD) Ehm well it follows the theme quite nicely by putting the colours in the beginning of the sentences... but that's actually hiding the fact that it is just as with number 2 just descrbing the colour of the surroundings.. Ugh I suck at explaining things sorry OTL I really like the flow of the poem though, I cant write poems myself very well, but I know how to recite them and this is just great to recite, so full of feelings =w=

EHm then number 3, it feels like a lot of explaining before actually getting to the point of the whole story, ehm just as with entry number 2 I was really waiting for the point of it all XD Oh and I really think it would maybe have been nicer to see it al from the Robot's point of view.. but then you really lose the whole point xD eheh anyways nice enough, but still colours dont really feel like the subject, more like the departing or the death of someone...

Ehm then entry 4, it misses a title. Sorry, had to be said XD I ofcourse doesnt really need a title but well. I really loved to read about the relationship of the two people but I have to agree that it felt rushed. I like how in this case the colours are the rainbow, and the rainbow has a memory tied to it. But I have the feeling that the writer wanted to do something with the pot of gold a the end of the rainbow. And if he really found her there then that would have been the first time they met, not when they get back together. But nice enough I get it XD

Geez and now I have to say eventhough I wrote that all down I still have troubles choosing, they're all lovely pieces and they all didnt follow the theme that greatly, but then again colours might be a very hard theme xD Ehm well :nooo:

Peep it I really dunno. I'm impressed by the poem (as I suck at writing poems) but to say I really enjoyed reading it as let's grab something to read, no. but then again... I don't really like to read poems, only to recite them and figure out their meanings. (yeah yeah then you read them too but get the point that's no relaxation XD)
Then I liked the rainbow one, but I felt it lost it's potential along the way.
Then the Robot was was quite nice but all sad and weirdly happy too? Ehh?
Then the Break-out-of-prison one was great but only at the end for me, it was too much about the walking out... while I think I'd like it more if it had been about the ruenion of daughter and father, yeah hell the colour theme is not thatto there anyway XD

Yup yup I'm still doubting while I put all reasoning again. I fail OTL never been so hard choose XD
Ehm well I go for entry :nooo: I DUNNOOO I like them all in a different way T_T

Entry 1 GMV gotta have respect for someone who can write poems with a nice flow a romantic one on top of that. Besides it really nicely masked that it just used colours as emphasis.
Gawd I wrote soo much >.>"


Oh well everyone else just knew what to vote for well boo. I peeping hurt my head over it >.<

Oh and well done all contestants, just try to keep to the theme more :/ though for next wotf that won't be a problem XD
 

HappyNisa

Super Moderator
Staff member
#11
Sad :/ 4 entries, just 4 votes OTL

*pokes thread*

People vote and comment on those stories D: Y'all have no problems voting for the SOTW D< what's with just 4 votes here D: Writings not good enough for ya? Poor writings, they probably feel all unimportant now next to their buddies, the siggies.