#Oliver Petrus

[lilacargent]

At it again, from another angle this time.

‘Old’ weapons. Or at least redundant, as a species traverses into space the new technology makes an old gun or even older sword/arrow/spear and so on useless and nearly powerless. The new weapons are ‘ray this’ and ‘beam that’ ‘plasma so and so’ .

Ofcourse this makes sense, the energy based weapons are far less wasteful and lighter, easier to carry and easier to handle. No need to sharpen weapons with a plasma blade and even then, why use close quarters weapons if you have access to stun, kill or poison rays and many more.

On top of that many civilisations prefer to forget their less then stellar past and make analog weapons obsolete. When the humans joined the council many expected them to do the same. They didn’t, production stopped yes, but interested people could still partake in lessons and the old fashioned ways were shown off in museums. Training to be part of a spaceship crew still included lessons in their old weapons as an opportunity to be prepared for going to “newer” worlds.

So with that in mind i have a few little vignettes ideas and for ease’ sake its gonna be on the same ship, the Serpentine.

Important crew:

Primoz, captain -Limoyh a four armed species-

Krag, second in command (brother of Primoz)

Kit, dokter -avian, bird like, she has feathers like a swallow-

Ortez, ASR (all species resources, human resources in space) -kiltak, insectoid species, think ants but exoskeleton-

Lugea, helmsperson (does the steering) -rock like alien-

Artex, engineer/mechanic 1 -also Kiltak-

And then our humans:

Kamari, navigator -Eritrean woman- (has cat named Sidra)

Markus, weapons expert (knows how to use them and upkeep, also shields) -Swedish man-

Petrus, mechanic/engineer 2 -Italian man-

Lilly, administrator/note keeper (learns languages for fun)-english woman-

Yes i know all of this could have also been accomplished by saying they are all from America… nope this is more fun. This is under the assumption that to get into the joint academy for space faring you need to be able to speak and write English.

Obviously there are more people on the ship but these are most important

~~~~~~~~

1. Sparring

Ortez was having a good day, the serpentine had left port and was making good progress toward their next destination on w-kl-18, referred to as deltax by it’s residents, for a routine drop off.

In port on Unity (the planet where the council resides and the universal court is) they picked up the final crew members among who a ‘team’ of humans. Pre bonded humans were supposed to be less chaos inducing and easier bonded with the rest of the crew. Ortez was rather happy the captain listened to him on this matter.

The humans had been more diverse than he expected and were currently what they called ‘settling in’. He was on his way to the rooms they had.

‘Stop it please we’ve been here less than 4 hours!’ The soft voice he recognises as Lilly’s is barely audible over the loud clanging sounds. Rounding the corner Ortez sees a terrifying scene. The two human males locked together with two sticks made of metal baring teeth at each other, with a push the olive skinned man, he remembers is called Petrus, breaks the hold and goes in low swiping at the tall mans legs making Markus fall over.

Ortez is about to intervene when without a sound the dark skinned leader of the group seemingly appears without a sound behind him and runs into the fray with a similar stick.

Whacking Petrus stick away from Markus’ throat she steps inbetween “stop it. You’re scaring our ASR. We want to make a good impression remember.” The men look right at him and both put down the sticks, Markus puts his hand up in a ‘wave’ “sorry about that, Ortez it was right? We were just sparring.’ Moving further into the room he uncurls his front two claws tapping at the metal poles “sparring with this? We usually only do body to body training, this seems rather old.” Petrus speaks up to that “ah yes those are old earth weapons, we like keeping up a bit of skill with several kinds as a side activity. Don’t worry tho, we train with blunt weapons.”

Not entirely appeased the insectoid looks to the imposing woman, who seems entirely at ease even though two people had been fighting. When she caught his eyes, she smiled that terrible toothy grin “truly don’t worry, like Petrus said they are blunt and it is a way for us to let of some steam and keep in shape. But next time we’ll do it in the training rooms… right boys?” Pinning the two men with withering stares they nodded quickly.

Ortez did not know humans released steam, but he felt right now was not the moment to go into that. Saying his goodbye he skittered to inform the captain.

This was bound to be interesting.

~~~~~~~~~~~

2. “The Roman empire”

“So you are telling me that at any given moment you could be thinking about a several thousand years old society that no longer exists and it would surprise nobody?” Artex was perplexed, when he and Petrus were working on the reactor core Lilly had wandered through and mentioned this old civilisation sparking heated debate. She thought the greeks were far more interesting but Petrus had been unmoved by her arguments. The other man speaks while pushing some buttons “well yea, the empire made great strides and amazing structures, Lilly just prefers the mythos of the greek while i enjoy the focus on millitary prowess.” Shrugging he looks up “don’t you guys have something like that?” Artex stretches his legs, all 6 of them in a wave like motion “not really, when change happened the history books were changed to make it seem like it was always that way” the human makes eye contact “wait so how do you know how to play -old civilisation- as a kid? We play fought with wooden sticks, wooden swords and branches we cut to look like guns…” that horrofied the insectoid, raised with violence like it was a normal thing.

Almost like they never left their dark ages

~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. Whats in a name (bit off topic but the idea just kinda happened)

Te very first time the humans were introduced to their new crew there was a bit of a hiccup. When Kamari introduced herself they looked up a bit confused but went further down the row. After Lilly they came back around and referred to Kamari as moon. Now Kamari recognised the strange look, they had translators that only had basic human translation, which means that her name “Kamari” which comes from Arabic and is a word for moon/soft glow of the moon, is translated fully but not as name so when they speak to her it translates out of their language to English which would be moon. This is luckily easily fixed with an update, but it was something that stil spoke of how new the human race was to the cosmos.

Her cat Sidra made them laugh as that means Star so she was the moon with her star.

(Random thought about how multiple human languages could screw with translations)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Soooooo kinda had a 4th story that is pretty sad but also bad ass, but this is getting too long already

Imma write that in a new post over the coming days

Hopefully people like this, if you have prompts you’d like to see with this crew feel free to ask.

[mamomare]

Ultimate Decades Challenge: 1420-1430 The final decade of the Brookers...

* TW: This post contains a plotline that includes babies and mothers who died during childbirth.

The curse of the heir mums dying young has finally, irrevocably changed this challenge. Felicity Brooker, the wife of Leif Brooker, did not pass her roll into Young Adulthood in 1423, and left behind a single, surviving child - a girl, named Olive. Olive, so far, has survived against all odds and can carry on the bloodline of the Brookers. However, her husband will become the new heir and will bring with him, a new name.

Comment below if you have any suggestions for the new family name!

Marriages [3]

1421 - Henry and Petra Chapman 1422 - Leif and Felicity Brooker 1425 - Callum and Marigold Armstrong Births [8] 1420 - Joyce Montague 1421 - Eira Everett 1423 - Lothar Montague, Olive Brooker 1424 - Rachel and Joy Everett 1425 - Agnes Everett 1428 - Ricard Everett

Deaths [9] 1420 - Eva Clifford (Dysentery) 1421 - Petrus de Burgh (Malaria) 1423 - Petra Shaw (Syphilis), Felicity Brooker (Tuberculosis) 1425 - Lucy Brooker (Heart attack) 1426 - Marigold Brooker (Hypothermia) 1427 - Colette Clifford (Pneumonia) 1428 - Galwin Bigod (Liver failure), Anika Shaw (Exhaustion) * Babies that never were [3]: Cassian Armstrong, Roger Chapman, Crispin Everett

Family Tree

Gameplay

[ashintheairlikesnow]

y'know, I feel like Nancy and Chris's aunt would have a lovely time together in prison, it's a shame Oliver Branch can't join them, really

Oh... Joanne's dead now. Whoops. Nancy's the last one alive, other than Luke Petrus, who laid a violent hand on Chris.

[keycomicbooks]

Some of the comic books and toys I hauled away from friendly neighborhood comic book shop #FunkoPOP! Jumbo #SheHulk - #TargetExclusive #1135 BRAND NEW IN BOX, #ActionComics #1059 #CarlaCohen Card Stock Variant, #Somna #1 Cover G Tula Lotay Explicitly Sexy Variant, #AmazingSpiderMan Presents #AmericanSon #1, #AmazonsAttack #2 Dani Card Stock Variant Key 1st App of Goddess of Discord, #POWERGIRL #3 Rahzzah Card Stock Variant Key Possible first appearance of #Symbio, #Carnage #1 #DellOtto Foil Variant, #Shazam! #6 #JohnTimms Card Stock Variant 1st appearance of #Shazamite, Batman Santa Claus Silent Knight #1 Ben Oliver Rub And Smell Variant Key #Santa #Batman Teamup, #JusticeLeague vs #Godzilla vs #Kong #1 Christian Duce Godzilla Roar FX Gatefold Variant Crossover, BATMAN #428 #ROBINLIVES (ONE SHOT) #MikeMignola Foil Variant Key Alternate Ending, Batman  Gargoyle of Gotham #2 Grampa Acetate, #WesleyDodds #TheSandman #3 #JeffLemire Card Stock Variant key 1st appearance of Fog, #PLOTHOLES #1 #Simoson Variant, #Starfinder #AngelsoftheDrift #1 Cover B Pace, BATMAN #OFFWORLD #1 Key 1st appearance of #CaptainSyyn, #XMEN #29 key 1st team appearance of the #SevenDaggers, #ThisLittlePiggy #1, #VECTORS #1, #Catians #1 Cover C #Petrus, #HowardTheDuck #1 #InsigniaVariant Key 1st appearance of Peeper, an all-seeing cosmic entity, #TheHolyRoller #1 #ANDYSAMBERG writer, #TheSentry #1 #Momoko #NightmareVariant 

[houtbayvineyards]

Summer Open Weekend - 25 & 26 Nov

THE WAIT IS FINALLY OVER - BRING ON THE BUBBLES!

After almost 2 years without Hout Bay Vineyards bubbles, we are delighted to offer you our 2020 Vintage MCC, Klasiek by Catharine.

In the last couple of years, we have planted 2 new Chardonnay vineyards in Hout Bay in order to increase our MCC production and keep it as a Hout Bay Wine of Origin product.

Did you know that some of the world’s finest sparkling wine is produced in South Africa? Alongside Champagne, South African bubbly is globally known and respected as a traditional method wine. South Africa, in 2020, was ranked as the world’s eighth largest wine producer, contributing 4.0% of the total wine volume.

Methode Cap Classique (MCC) refers to South African sparkling wines made in the traditional method. The term was adopted in 1992 in response to the ban on the use of the words ‘Champagne’ and ‘Champenoise’ for anything other than the bottle-fermented wine from the Champagne region in France.

MCC is a premium sparkling wine reflecting South African climate, soils, terroirs and the passion of the producers here. It is not a replica of Champagne. It is Methode Cap Classique itself. There will now also be a new Category - of which our Klasiek By Catharine already qualifies.

“Methode Cap Classique with extended lees aging”

Quite a mouthful, but this means that you will be able to distinguish it as a wine made from the three classic Champagne grapes only, and has been bottle fermented and aged for a minimum of 36 months.  This is a fantastic effort by the MCC Producers Association to ensure the quality of this noble drink!  We happily raise a glass to them!

Back to Vineyards

While the Northern Hemisphere harvest is already finished, for us below the equator, we are rapidly starting to prepare for the 2024 season. Vines are showing more leaves by the day, winemakers are bottling and shipping out wines to make way for the new harvest, inventories are being checked, machines serviced, and in many cases, vineyard activities now also have to incorporate damage control after the recent devastating floods. 

Hout Bay Vineyards was fortunate enough to have escaped the floods relatively unscathed.  Apart from an enormous amount of water rushing down the mountains on all sides of the valley where we have our vineyards, we suffered only a few mudslides and some freshly cut out grooves & ruts between the vines.

After a cold and very wet winter, we are positive and optimistic about the upcoming harvest. While we saw a smaller harvest this year, ideal winter conditions and lots of rain has set the stage for a promising 2024 harvest. So far so good. Bring on summer!

Summer Open Weekend - 25th & 26th November

With that said, our 16th summer open weekend  will be held on  25 & 26  November.

We will be selling our 2022 Sauvignon Blanc, Blush & Rosé. Along with this will be the 2020 Klasiek by Catharine, and 2020 Merlot & Shiraz as well as the 2018 Petrus. On special will be a few ‘cellar master’  Petrus releases as well.

On Open Weekend, we look forward to welcoming you from 12h00 onwards. As always, it is a happy occasion and everyone is welcome, so please bring friends and family along, but we kindly request that you leave your dogs at home.

We will be selling our wines at cellar-door prices, which of course means that the standard price includes VAT. 

In addition to Maxine’s honey and Samantha’s olives and olive oil, we will have the following wines available for tasting and sales:

2022 Vintage

Blush

Sauvignon Blanc

Rosé – Grenache Noir

2020 Vintage

MCC Klasiek by Catharine

Merlot

Shiraz

2018 Vintage

Petrus   

Black Swan 10-year-old Tawny Port 

A great variety of delicious food will also be on offer. Maurizio from Origin Food will once again be offering his fantastic charcuterie platters and Gill of Seven Circles will have a variety of tasty wraps and burgers.

An entrance fee of R100 will be charged. This includes 6 wine-tasting coupons and a R40 refundable deposit for the glass.

We do hold wine tasting by appointment at our cellar. This is a very special, personalised time for not only tasting the wine but also for learning about the grapes and the production of the different wines.

Accepted methods of payment are cash, credit card and SnapScan.

[lakelandseo]

A Small Gift for Local SEOs and a Big Cheer for Original Images

“Localism” - Miriam Ellis

We know that a picture is worth a thousand words and that Google is betting the house on a visual future, yet I’ve often struggled to find the exact image asset I want to illustrate the story of local businesses and local SEO. So, I decided to create my own asset, and today, I would like to offer the above painting to all of my colleagues in local search. Please, feel free to use it in your speaker decks, client pitches, articles, marketing materials, and any place else you would like to instantly convey the thriving spirit of economic localism which underpins the passion we have in common with our audiences and clients.

This impressionist painting is original, hand-done, by me (no AI) and I offer use of it as my valentine to all of my colleagues and to local business owners with affection and tremendous respect for all of your contributions to many communities. I hope it will add vivid storytelling power to your work! If you would like to credit me, my fine art website is at MiriamEllis.com.

According to 3M research, visual aids improve learning by 400% and humans process visual media 60,000 times faster than text. Meanwhile, Time’sTop 100 photos focus on the mighty power of imagery to make an emotional connection. But we’re at a funny moment in time with image content, because we could be on the verge of inundation. I’d like to look at this phenomenon with you today and consider how the local businesses you market can stand out in an increasingly-illustrated world.

Thinking about imagery at this moment in time

Local places matter to us. Petrus Christus knew it when he painted “A Goldsmith in His Shop” six hundred years ago (local SEOs might call it the Barbara Oliver Jewelry of its day!):

Van Gogh was just one of thousands of painters who have worked to capture the mood of local “cafe society” and – if they had mobile devices – what do you think these people would be writing in their Yelp reviews?

And Hopper’s “Nighthawks”, set in a Greenwich Village diner, has become one of the most-recognized paintings in American art history. Looking at it 80 years after it was painted, it evokes a feeling in me of the value of local businesses keeping the light on in hard times:

Point being: local businesses are so vibrant a component of culture that they inspire fine art. They are an integral part of the history of communities, towns, and cities, and they readily lend themselves to impactful visual representation.

It’s a topic for this moment in time, because we are poised between a past littered with bad stock photos and a future that could be made up of assembly line AI graphics. Some may argue that the availability of images for pennies or the capacity to command robots to produce pictures is democratizing, and I can respect that viewpoint, but I have also noticed that mass-produced art lacking in meaningful human intention can quickly become clutter, overlooked by the very people we are trying to reach.

And that’s a problem, because when we look at art that we find beautiful, blood flow to the brain increases by 10%. According to University College London, this is the same lift we get from seeing the face of a loved one, and I have to wonder, then, what it does to us to be subjected to imagery that we find dull, repetitive, and soulless. Andy Warhol may have seen beauty in Campbell’s soup, but how often do you gaze with joy at can labels in the grocery store, when every single tin on the shelves offers a picture?

What will search be like when every query ends up in a kind of supermarket aisle, full of visuals? In 2016, visual elements made up just 2% of mobile search results, but now they make up 36%. Google reps are very transparent about this, stating,

“We’re transforming the SERP into an endless stream of visual ideas.”

As an artist, I’m automatically intrigued by any visual medium, and am keeping both eyes on multisearch, visual search, and all the permutations of image search. Now is the time to consider how visual media will fare if we become oversaturated with it in the next few years.

Standing out amid visual clutter

The art of differentiation is always going to be a relevant question for SEOs and local SEOs. Right now, we know how much of a competitive advantage high quality visuals can give our clients. Google says that shoppers are 90% more likely to purchase from businesses with images in Maps and search. Large, high quality images can have a demonstrable impact on organic rankings and Google’s own documentation cites their impact on local rank. UGC-uploaded photos even impact Google review order. Early adopters will get early benefits, but diminishing returns can result once a practice that was formerly special becomes commonplace.

Right now, we haven’t yet reached peak images in local SEO. Expert and friend, Darren Shaw, recently offered an excellent Twitter thread on the 7 types of visuals every Google Business Profile needs, including brand identity shots, exterior and interior premise shots, staff photos, product/service photos, UGC, and review screenshots. It’s a list long enough to keep any business busy in 2023, and the truth is that so many local businesses haven’t even created listings yet, but I’d like to encourage you to begin thinking beyond the standards before they become givens.

If your plan is to use AI graphics to keep pace with competitors, you may end up looking just like them, and that’s in direct contrast to one of the core reasons independent local businesses are beloved: because they are different! Predictability may be what made fast food chains a success via the McDonaldization phenomenon, but uniqueness of products, services and experiences is the magic ingredient behind 3 in 4 customers shopping small and local. Doesn’t it stand to reason that your digital visual presentation could take its cues from this existing dynamic and dare to be different?

To that end, here are my five outside-the-box suggestions for visually differentiating the local businesses you market online from less creative competitors:

Hire a local artist to paint your business. Imagine how uncommon your Google Business Profile photo deck would look if it included glowing fine art featuring your store, your grounds, your staff, your inventory, and customers coming in for experiences with you. I guarantee that there is a good fine artist near you with the talent of capturing how your business is a vibrant part of the local community. Give your staff and your customers reasons to feel proud of where they work and shop.

Hire a creative professional photographer to make your business look intriguing. Joel Headley has already documented the lift in traffic, calls and other conversion metrics when stock photos are replaced by original images, and you need basic shots of the assets Darren Shaw mentions, but a talented art photographer could take this a step further by photographing aspects of your business in such a way that the public will want to come experience them personally.

Are you working in a vertical people constantly call “boring?” Would it lend itself to humor that could make your listings stand out? Consider hiring a local cartoonist to make your community laugh with you and remember your brand.

Maximize every opportunity for making your premises a green space. Connectivity with nature is increasingly cited as key to mental health. It’s why Trinity College Dublin has torn up its lawns and replacd them with wildflower patches, full of blooms and butterflies. Photograph the planted areas people can experience when they visit you, and be sure to highlight accessibility and areas for sitting and quiet contemplation as a break from shopping.

Consider the role of art at your place of business, be that paintings, photography, sculpture, community projects, music, and more. A grocery store can have a great soundtrack and a retail shop with wall space can double as a gallery or a social media hotspot. The more inviting your premises are, the more likely that customers are to want to photograph themselves there. Because every person is unique, that thing we call UGC can become a major asset, enabling you and your community to see how your business looks through the gaze of many.

My two-point perspective

On the one hand, convenience sells. Why open a cookbook, turn on a light switch, sweep your own floor, work hard on writing something, or mix your own colors for a hand-done painting when a robot can do it all for you? We’re all so fatigued, so why not take it easy? But the thing is…there is something about this perspective that’s really been bothering me lately, and I think I’ve figured out what it is. It sounds like the little voice in my head that would let me be monumentally lazy instead of struggling to do my best despite living with a chronic disability. That insidious voice that wants me to take it too easy instead of doing as much as I’m able to for myself, and that is reinforced by every marketed offer to take every load off my shoulders.

I suppose that because I’ve pushed back against this temptation for years and pushed myself to stay positive and creative in some very hard times, I am wary of this insidious voice being a driving force in society. I don’t think everything should always be as easy as possible, because I don’t believe humans produce great writing, art, music, movements, or anything of lasting value when shortcuts are prioritized over strenuous effort. Yes, we can increasingly choose to let machines do all the work for us, and even think for us, but my other perspective tells me what we may miss if we never do the hard work ourselves.

I’ve entered a number of juried art events over the years, and there is nothing quite like the thrill of walking into a big, buzzing exhibition grounds, searching the crowded walls for your painting, finding a blue ribbon hanging on it and seeing that little “sold” sticker on the accompanying card. You know exactly what you put into that piece, from ideation, to drafting, to completion, and there is such joy in realizing that someone else saw your work and chose it as the best in the show, or even as something to bring home into their personal space.

This is the sense of accomplishment I want local business owners and their marketers to feel when they are chosen because, instead of giving into low standards, they have brought the highest standards to bear in the creative presentation of their companies. When local businesses go the extra mile, it can be deeply felt in the quality of life enjoyed by their whole community. It’s a very good thing.

I hope you may find a use for my painting in your work, even if it’s only as a spark for your own ideas about being seen amid the clutter of an increasingly-automated visual web. Your inventiveness, intentions, and most of all, your uniqueness matter. Some say that life is an artform, so let’s close with a quote from Cézanne today, who said it so well:

“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.”

No matter how artificially “intelligent” we make the bots, the emotions are all on our side, ready to connect us with the people we care for and serve.

[bfxenon]

A Small Gift for Local SEOs and a Big Cheer for Original Images

“Localism” - Miriam Ellis

We know that a picture is worth a thousand words and that Google is betting the house on a visual future, yet I’ve often struggled to find the exact image asset I want to illustrate the story of local businesses and local SEO. So, I decided to create my own asset, and today, I would like to offer the above painting to all of my colleagues in local search. Please, feel free to use it in your speaker decks, client pitches, articles, marketing materials, and any place else you would like to instantly convey the thriving spirit of economic localism which underpins the passion we have in common with our audiences and clients.

This impressionist painting is original, hand-done, by me (no AI) and I offer use of it as my valentine to all of my colleagues and to local business owners with affection and tremendous respect for all of your contributions to many communities. I hope it will add vivid storytelling power to your work! If you would like to credit me, my fine art website is at MiriamEllis.com.

According to 3M research, visual aids improve learning by 400% and humans process visual media 60,000 times faster than text. Meanwhile, Time’sTop 100 photos focus on the mighty power of imagery to make an emotional connection. But we’re at a funny moment in time with image content, because we could be on the verge of inundation. I’d like to look at this phenomenon with you today and consider how the local businesses you market can stand out in an increasingly-illustrated world.

Thinking about imagery at this moment in time

Local places matter to us. Petrus Christus knew it when he painted “A Goldsmith in His Shop” six hundred years ago (local SEOs might call it the Barbara Oliver Jewelry of its day!):

Van Gogh was just one of thousands of painters who have worked to capture the mood of local “cafe society” and – if they had mobile devices – what do you think these people would be writing in their Yelp reviews?

And Hopper’s “Nighthawks”, set in a Greenwich Village diner, has become one of the most-recognized paintings in American art history. Looking at it 80 years after it was painted, it evokes a feeling in me of the value of local businesses keeping the light on in hard times:

Point being: local businesses are so vibrant a component of culture that they inspire fine art. They are an integral part of the history of communities, towns, and cities, and they readily lend themselves to impactful visual representation.

It’s a topic for this moment in time, because we are poised between a past littered with bad stock photos and a future that could be made up of assembly line AI graphics. Some may argue that the availability of images for pennies or the capacity to command robots to produce pictures is democratizing, and I can respect that viewpoint, but I have also noticed that mass-produced art lacking in meaningful human intention can quickly become clutter, overlooked by the very people we are trying to reach.

And that’s a problem, because when we look at art that we find beautiful, blood flow to the brain increases by 10%. According to University College London, this is the same lift we get from seeing the face of a loved one, and I have to wonder, then, what it does to us to be subjected to imagery that we find dull, repetitive, and soulless. Andy Warhol may have seen beauty in Campbell’s soup, but how often do you gaze with joy at can labels in the grocery store, when every single tin on the shelves offers a picture?

What will search be like when every query ends up in a kind of supermarket aisle, full of visuals? In 2016, visual elements made up just 2% of mobile search results, but now they make up 36%. Google reps are very transparent about this, stating,

“We’re transforming the SERP into an endless stream of visual ideas.”

As an artist, I’m automatically intrigued by any visual medium, and am keeping both eyes on multisearch, visual search, and all the permutations of image search. Now is the time to consider how visual media will fare if we become oversaturated with it in the next few years.

Standing out amid visual clutter

The art of differentiation is always going to be a relevant question for SEOs and local SEOs. Right now, we know how much of a competitive advantage high quality visuals can give our clients. Google says that shoppers are 90% more likely to purchase from businesses with images in Maps and search. Large, high quality images can have a demonstrable impact on organic rankings and Google’s own documentation cites their impact on local rank. UGC-uploaded photos even impact Google review order. Early adopters will get early benefits, but diminishing returns can result once a practice that was formerly special becomes commonplace.

Right now, we haven’t yet reached peak images in local SEO. Expert and friend, Darren Shaw, recently offered an excellent Twitter thread on the 7 types of visuals every Google Business Profile needs, including brand identity shots, exterior and interior premise shots, staff photos, product/service photos, UGC, and review screenshots. It’s a list long enough to keep any business busy in 2023, and the truth is that so many local businesses haven’t even created listings yet, but I’d like to encourage you to begin thinking beyond the standards before they become givens.

If your plan is to use AI graphics to keep pace with competitors, you may end up looking just like them, and that’s in direct contrast to one of the core reasons independent local businesses are beloved: because they are different! Predictability may be what made fast food chains a success via the McDonaldization phenomenon, but uniqueness of products, services and experiences is the magic ingredient behind 3 in 4 customers shopping small and local. Doesn’t it stand to reason that your digital visual presentation could take its cues from this existing dynamic and dare to be different?

To that end, here are my five outside-the-box suggestions for visually differentiating the local businesses you market online from less creative competitors:

Hire a local artist to paint your business. Imagine how uncommon your Google Business Profile photo deck would look if it included glowing fine art featuring your store, your grounds, your staff, your inventory, and customers coming in for experiences with you. I guarantee that there is a good fine artist near you with the talent of capturing how your business is a vibrant part of the local community. Give your staff and your customers reasons to feel proud of where they work and shop.

Hire a creative professional photographer to make your business look intriguing. Joel Headley has already documented the lift in traffic, calls and other conversion metrics when stock photos are replaced by original images, and you need basic shots of the assets Darren Shaw mentions, but a talented art photographer could take this a step further by photographing aspects of your business in such a way that the public will want to come experience them personally.

Are you working in a vertical people constantly call “boring?” Would it lend itself to humor that could make your listings stand out? Consider hiring a local cartoonist to make your community laugh with you and remember your brand.

Maximize every opportunity for making your premises a green space. Connectivity with nature is increasingly cited as key to mental health. It’s why Trinity College Dublin has torn up its lawns and replacd them with wildflower patches, full of blooms and butterflies. Photograph the planted areas people can experience when they visit you, and be sure to highlight accessibility and areas for sitting and quiet contemplation as a break from shopping.

Consider the role of art at your place of business, be that paintings, photography, sculpture, community projects, music, and more. A grocery store can have a great soundtrack and a retail shop with wall space can double as a gallery or a social media hotspot. The more inviting your premises are, the more likely that customers are to want to photograph themselves there. Because every person is unique, that thing we call UGC can become a major asset, enabling you and your community to see how your business looks through the gaze of many.

My two-point perspective

On the one hand, convenience sells. Why open a cookbook, turn on a light switch, sweep your own floor, work hard on writing something, or mix your own colors for a hand-done painting when a robot can do it all for you? We’re all so fatigued, so why not take it easy? But the thing is…there is something about this perspective that’s really been bothering me lately, and I think I’ve figured out what it is. It sounds like the little voice in my head that would let me be monumentally lazy instead of struggling to do my best despite living with a chronic disability. That insidious voice that wants me to take it too easy instead of doing as much as I’m able to for myself, and that is reinforced by every marketed offer to take every load off my shoulders.

I suppose that because I’ve pushed back against this temptation for years and pushed myself to stay positive and creative in some very hard times, I am wary of this insidious voice being a driving force in society. I don’t think everything should always be as easy as possible, because I don’t believe humans produce great writing, art, music, movements, or anything of lasting value when shortcuts are prioritized over strenuous effort. Yes, we can increasingly choose to let machines do all the work for us, and even think for us, but my other perspective tells me what we may miss if we never do the hard work ourselves.

I’ve entered a number of juried art events over the years, and there is nothing quite like the thrill of walking into a big, buzzing exhibition grounds, searching the crowded walls for your painting, finding a blue ribbon hanging on it and seeing that little “sold” sticker on the accompanying card. You know exactly what you put into that piece, from ideation, to drafting, to completion, and there is such joy in realizing that someone else saw your work and chose it as the best in the show, or even as something to bring home into their personal space.

This is the sense of accomplishment I want local business owners and their marketers to feel when they are chosen because, instead of giving into low standards, they have brought the highest standards to bear in the creative presentation of their companies. When local businesses go the extra mile, it can be deeply felt in the quality of life enjoyed by their whole community. It’s a very good thing.

I hope you may find a use for my painting in your work, even if it’s only as a spark for your own ideas about being seen amid the clutter of an increasingly-automated visual web. Your inventiveness, intentions, and most of all, your uniqueness matter. Some say that life is an artform, so let’s close with a quote from Cézanne today, who said it so well:

“A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art.”

No matter how artificially “intelligent” we make the bots, the emotions are all on our side, ready to connect us with the people we care for and serve.

[fremedon]

RIGHT. FRENCH ROMANTICS. Specifically the younger, more radical set of them variously called the Petit-Cénacle, Jeunes-France, or frenetic romantics. They were basically a fandom--a group of artists--principally writers, but most of them at least dabbling in multiple forms--who came together first as fans of the slightly older Romantic circles centered on Hugo and Dumas, and specifically through their participation in hyping Hugo's 1830 play Hernani.

For an intro to the principal people and their social scene, start with Théophile Gautier's History of Romanticism, or at least the first half, which is the group's origin story.

(Bonus media: There is a French TV movie about the "Battle of Hernani" (part one) (part two).)

Gautier wrote History years after the fact, looking back on his youth from his middle age. His novel Mademoiselle de Maupin (part one) (part two) is him looking back on his early twenties from the jaded vantage of...his mid-twenties, and features All The Gender Feels in every direction, strikingly literal landscape porn, and a fursuit sex scene. Do read the preface, an unfortunately still very relevant rebuttal to moralism in literature.

I'm going to put two quite recent translations on the list which are not available for free that I know of, but they're worth buying or asking your library to order.

Gérard de Nerval's The Salt Smugglers is basically like if The Princess Bride had been written in 1850 to troll the press censorship policies of Prince President Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. Louis-Napoleon had banned serial novels; Nerval sets out to write a piece of History, Definitely Not A Work of fiction--and then spends many chapters detailing his attempts to find the book he needs to confirm the historicity of his tale; and then readers start writing in with corrections to his Definitely Historical Facts, and it turns into a meta exploration of what fiction is and whether you can have a narrative that's not in some way fictional, while also being a charming picaresque about Nerval's adventures in research.

(Salt Smugglers is Nerval in a light mood; his poetry is a little more typical. "El Desdichado" is maybe his most famous poem; I think you will especially like his "Christ on the Mount of Olives" as well.)

Petrus Borel's Champavert: Immoral Tales is equally meta, but without any ironic distance, on the topic of authorship and what it means to take responsibility for crafting a narrative. Borel is angry about misogyny, angry about colonialism, angry about antisemitism, and angry about being part of a society that makes him complicit in them. The subtitle invites us consider whether moral tales are possible--about what it means to write a fiction where people get what they deserve, and present it as a reflection of the world.

Champavert is an experimental short story collection from 1835 which begins with a largely true biographical sketch of Borel himself--and then insists that Borel is dead by suicide, his real name was actually Champavert, and that these are Champavert's posthumous papers. Those papers, which make up the rest of the book, are eight short stories, in which the same themes and situations recur in different historical settings, starting with a morality play with a clear-cut victim and villain and then getting progressively more complicated. Each story is named for its protagonist; the last one is called "Champavert," and is a first-person account by the person we heard about in the preface, the alleged author of the other seven stories--and makes those stories appear to be 'Champavert's' attempt to make sense of the events of the final story. Each story invites the question, Who is to blame? And the last one gives the final answer of Everyone. (Content warning for basically Everything, but Borel's anger makes it a very bracing and refreshing read despite the subject matter.)

I would start with those, and also with diving into @pilferingapples' tags #four people and a shoelace (for the Petit-Cénacle specifically) and #actual romantics (for the broader movement.)

i think...i think i want to start reading again but as part of a project which might make it easier, and what occurred to me as a project is "deep dive into [subgenre/literary movement] as if i were taking an upper level undergraduate class about it" bc i read SO much in college and i enjoyed almost all of it, i did not share the common experience of an english degree ruining one's enjoyment of reading. i LOVED reading in college.

so! i am hoping to crowdsource some nominations for "courses" and possible books that could be on their syllabus. this is Your Chance to design a course in your literary special interest and get someone else to read about it. :D?

(limitations on subject matter: i'm not really into post-ww2 realistic literary fiction (minus historical fiction which is good). open to literally anything else tho)

[oliverpetrus]

“I went to Rome with my phone.”

Roma 2018 ©  Oliver Petrus

[liigainenglish]

Liiga Valentine’s pt. 3

[tinystudentstranger-me]

Das neue Department der Nephrologie im Petrus-Krankenhaus in Wuppertal-Elberfeld

In der Nephrologie am Wuppertaler Petrus-Krankenhaus behandeln Dr. Scott Oliver Grebe und sein Team akute und chronische Nierenerkrankungen. Dabei sind häufig umfangreiche Untersuchungen nötig, um die Gründe für ein teilweises oder komplettes Nierenversagen genau zu bestimmen.

[sadistgalore]

me when @ashintheairlikesnow liked my master list

Me any time @whoopsalittlewhumpy @straight-to-the-pain and @whumblr like any of my posts

[norzyczki]

Columba

Columba represents Noah’s dove. Petrus Plancius created the constellation from the stars located behind Argo Navis, the constellation that represented the Argonauts’ ship and was later split into several smaller constellations. Plancius later renamed Argo Navis to “Noah’s Ark” on a celestial globe of 1613.

In the myth, Noah’s dove is sent from the Ark to see if there is any dry land left after the Great Flood. The bird returns holding an olive branch in its beak, signalling that the flood is receding. In some interpretations, Columba represents the dove sent by the Argonauts between the Clashing Rocks to ensure the Argonauts’ safe passage.

You can read more about Columba here.

[nemhaine42]

26.05.2021 | Greefall Companions + Constantin + De Sardet

Flat colouring, because I truly did not have the stamina for anything more and my brain is ready to move on

The one thing you should take away from Greedfall is that the hats are part of the character design.

My De Sardet, whom I named Margot.

Constantin is our sweet baby cousin who is the epitomy of that 'carrying kevin hart' meme, I will accept no other opinion.

this whole thing started with me trying to give Vasco tattoo designs beyond the ones we see on his face.

I never actually took Aphra's hat off during the game so I didn't have any idea what her hair looked like? All I had to go on was screenshots and youtube footage from others, which seemed to suggest she has some sort of braid that fits under the beret.

I DID take off Petrus' hat in game and then IMMEDIATELY put it back on. The hat is CENTRAL to the character design. Without the hat? Who is this Oliver Cromwell-General Custer hybrid? I don't know all of a sudden, I can't see. Put that hat back where it came from or so help me.

[sciatu]

Dalla mia tavola - Frittura di pesce (di Comare Antonella), Calamari ripieni al sugo (di La Moglie), pasta ncaciata ( di La Moglie), sarde in beccafico al sugo (di La Cognata), Caponata in agrodolce ( a cumari i me cumari), gamberoni freschi alla brace (di ferribotti), Castrato al forno (di Petru u jancheri), sasizza alla brace (di Petru u jancheri), bianco e nero (profitterol con panna immersi in una crema nocciola di Terranova), Cannoli alla ricotta e granella (di Terranova).

La nonna diceva sempre “Mancia c’ammazzi i mali” , “mangia che uccidi le malattie” e mi propinava piattia a mai finire con pastina nel brodo di 45 polpettine, o 150 gr di maccheroni fatti in casa con il sugo del coniglio di 5 chili cucinato per l’occasione e poi mi dava la coscia del coniglio, morbida di sugo e più grossa del mio braccio, oppure un piatto enorme con fagiolini e patate o la pasta fatta in casa con il sugo del pomodoro fresco o gli spaghetti con le zucchine fresche fritte, la pasta al pomodoro con le melanzane fritte, le braciole messinesi, il pescistocco alla ghiotta, le sarde fritte, i calamari ripieni, la salsiccia, la cotoletta, il falsomagro, il pescespada con la cipollata in agrodolce, i peperoni arrosto con le patate fritte, la cipolla cruda tenuta a bagno nell'aceto, la pasta con le fave, la pasta con i ceci, il minestrone, la verza con il maiale, il sugo di muso di maiale o di piedino di maiale, il fegato arrostito nel grasso del maiale, il pane fritto con i finocchietti selvatici saltati con aglio e peperoncino, il pane caldo con l’olio nuovo e lo zucchero, il pane caldo con il pomodoro fresco e le olive schiacciate tenute sott’olio con il sedano e il peperoncino, le melanzane fatte al forno con olio e peperoncino, l’insalata di limone, l’alonga al sugo, i totani ripieni al sugo, il sugo di salsiccia, le cozze bollite, le cozze ripiene, la pasta con le cozze, gli arancini, la granita fatta in casa con i biscotti di pane, le fraviole ripiene di ricotta e cioccolato, i rispeddi fritti con l’uvetta, la torta con il pan di spagna e il vermut tra strati di crema alla vaniglia, crema al cioccolato, crema di ricotta, la ricotta fresca con lo zucchero o il caffè macinato, la pasta con i broccoli, il torrone della zia, la torta al limone e ancora tutto quello che era commestibile e digeribile con lei che ripeteva “Mancia chi ‘mazzi i mali”, e allora io dico a voi mangiate che mazzate du figghiu i buttana du curona virus, manciati, manciati....

[ruined-shaper]

Cirathiel, Shaper of Hope; Cereniphes, Shaper of Furor

Aprelle 12, 1543; 1 hour after the Dawngate opened

The light of the explosion continued on, having all but eradicated mortal life within the vicinity of the blast. Near the gate was a lone guardian, immune to the effects; stains of blood on the ornate inscriptions of the gate, and a vacant suit of armor laying on the ground, the body of the owner burned away.

As the power dimmed and stabilized, the Dawngate began to realize itself in the empty eyes of nature. Where once there were ashes, trees sprang forth; taller and prouder. Where once wildlife lived, new creatures infused with the power of the spirits made themselves known; vessels for the considerable untapped Vim. And where intelligence and sentience found no purchase...

Silence encompassed the heart of the world for a brief moment. The night was still and the light of the world seemed to dim as a new being approached from above.

Like a cloud descending to earth, or a blanket of snow spiraling downward; a soft white soul descended. As though casting a shadow, another entity manifested; a pool of starry night swirling together on the gate’s intricate grounds.In moments, the two essences collided; and a genesis was founded: a final flash of iridescent light.

Standing now was what many would call angels: Wings purer than the white of a dove; eyes, olive portals into the world’s beating heart. One, a woman; the joy and wonder of the heavens and earth, a being of grace and benevolence. The other, a man; a guardian of all that was, powerful and commanding as a summer storm or arctic wind.

From the innermost shadows of the forest emerged two onlookers: twin spirits unfamiliar to this world; frightened for their future somewhere so chaotic and uncertain. The beings, synchronously, began towards them. As though predicting this event, they undertook separate approaches.

Calmly, the woman knelt down, gently resting and closing her wings. With a closed, quick smile and welcoming arms, she began to hum.

By contrast, the man stood tall, his arms crossed and expression neutral. Spreading his wings to their limit, he exuded an aura of power.

In tandem, the vitalities of Hope and Furor made their pacts, content with what they’d been offered. Glancing back at each other, the celestials nodded.

Quiet as they’d come, they’d vanished without a trace.

Vessels of purpose unknown and power unbound, The Shapers of Hope and Furor harbor a powerful connection to life, the universe, and everything. As the era of Shapers comes to pass, Cirathiel and Cereniphes will find themselves as mysterious allies and dangerous enemies to many. Those of the latter will find them more than prepared for the challenges they present.

Allies: Each other, Marah (They see what is to come / Pray they can act.)

Friends: Voluc, Mina, Salous (Tortured souls... I will guide you... keep Hope close.); Fenmore, Basko, Rezen (You promise a better world. I respect your resolve.)

Enemies: Desecrator, Voluc, Vex (Die again, Abominations.); Petrus, Viyana, Rezen (You cannot abandon morals for personal gain.)

//A drabble for @celestial-s-feathers / @cirathiel; who is a lovely little borb. I hope this doesn’t come off as too scatterbrained! I enjoyed writing this thoroughly!