#i cannot play games with controllers this way. my tablet takes up 2/3 of my usb ports and the last one is for my mouse

[squingy]

i was going to take a picture of my setup but i cant get both screens in one picture without getting a picture of half of my room along with it, and i'd rather not do that lol. instead ive done my best to illustrate it:

im a genius i set up my drawing tablet so i can use it like a second monitor. sure its in a shitty spot, but does that really matter when i can have two monitors? i think not

[aproxm]

on suffering

today, i am in pain. yesterday, i was in pain, too. one month ago, three months ago, and eight months ago, the same. but nine months ago, i was not. nine months ago, i started my final summer break drawing as fervently as i had since 2021 began--since i had found tegaki. but i started to notice a new sort of feeling after one extended session: palms on fire. had i pushed my right hand too far? after enough writhing and a promise to never spend so long on a piece again, i fell asleep. the days before i had drawn, i too hurt, and the days after, i hurt then, too. if six hours were too many to spend on art, that number slowly became 3, then 2, then 1. over the course of months and months, it became 30 minutes, down to 10, down to just daring to hold the pen at all.

and drawing was not the only hobby affected. gaming began to hurt, a controller no better than cacti. writing began to hurt, grading papers by hand a nightmare. typing began to hurt, grading papers that way awful, too. holding a steering wheel hurt. holding an umbrella hurt. and i write these in the past tense, but they are very much my current reality. drawing hurts. gaming hurts. writing hurts. holding hurts. typing hurts. typing this hurts.  there’s no grading anymore because i had to wrap up my degree, and then they gave me that degree and now it sits in a manila as useless and taunting as possible. how do you work a desk job when you can’t use the tools they hand you? how do you wear a blue collar when you can’t even hold a boxcutter? how do you apply to a job with the baggage of a sudden onset disability you can’t even name?

and that is a very good question, and one further is how to apply for assistance when your condition refuses identification. here’s the pain at its simplest: i can’t use my hands much. i can use them well--i’ve lost no strength. but i cannot exercise them without discomfort. this discomfort takes many different forms difficult to articulate. in the forearms, it’s a dull, burning ache, as if my arms beg to be stretched far past the meat allows. it radiates. in the wrists, it’s a stiffness, as if bones have grinded up against each other for just too long. in the hand--in the palm, in the individual fingers--it is some mixture of both. it’s an individual aching i am sure i make worse by following the impulse to crack them. in some cases, this pain builds up from overuse: from my wrist held above the keyboard for too long, from the peculiar positions it takes when trying to play the gamecube, from its use when drawing or laying on the tablet. but in other cases, the pain simply appears because time has passed. i can sit in my chair and watch movies. then, i might go for an hour long walk. when i return, i might bathe. i might eat, i might lay in bed with a rat, i might lay on the floor listening to music. despite the little to no use of my hands: pain. despite doing nothing: pain. i fall asleep to the pain at its peak and wake up to begin the cycle again. and waking up is interesting: it will hurt if i hold my phone too long while in bed, so it’s best i get out and begin my day as soon as possible. then, by dividing time between meals and activities--outdoor exercise and long baths--i can vaguely pretend to function like a human. besides mild discomfort, i’m not actively using my hands while walking, and so i can settle into what my earbuds play and feel like a person (left hand falling asleep after random periods of time notwithstanding). but when it’s time to lay my head on the pillow, it’s time to remember how things really are.

and that said, falling asleep has become more difficult than i realized it ever could’ve been. it is a battle now. on one front, i have to consciously ignore what hurts. on the other front, i have to wrestle with the thoughts that accumulate and clog. how long can i stay in this position before it’ll hurt? why does it hurt right now? how long will it hurt like this? what am i going to do for a job? what am i going to do for rent? am i dying? am i decaying? what am i going to do for money, and how am i going to pay the physicians, practitioners, chiropractors, orthopedics, and neurologists? the physicians, practitioners, chiropractors, and orthopedics who can only shrug at my condition, who can only throw best guess darts. soon i’ll meet with my gp again in a bid to be referred to a neurologist who will most likely waste my time as well and bill me as proof. the ortho before handwaved suggested possibilities--”it’s most likely carpal tunnel.” and then three unpaid bills later it became “well, it’s definitely not carpal tunnel.” great, so what is it? “well, here’s some meloxicam, see you in two months.” it still hurts, doctor. “we’ll do an mri for your right wrist, then--$500.” both arms hurt, doctor. “one wrist at a time, please.”

the worst part about writing a paragraph detailing my experiences with doctors is that it’s a paragraph--you can read through it quickly. but i waited for my non-answers with weeks and months in-between. i continue to wait as more appointments stack up on the horizon. the question always presents itself following phone calls: what am i meant to do in the meantime? i am not capable of much anymore. i can still cook myself meals, so i do that. i can still watch movies and shows, so i do that--as slovenly as it makes me feel. i can still listen to music, so i listen to much of it even if i’ve lost the hobbies i loved doing alongside. and i can still walk. i walk about 10,000 steps a day, if possible, though usually held hostage by the aforementioned falling asleep ticking time bomb on my left side. and that is about it. if i want to do more... if i want to chance a round of deep rock galactic, draw a quick colored abstract, articulate feelings on a piece of media, or write a lengthy blog post whining about my pain, i do so aware of the repercussions. i write this aware of how much it will hurt tonight and tomorrow. it is important i write this now before a day comes in which i no longer even have that choice. i despise how over-dramatic it makes me feel, but it’s one of the only things i have left.

i am miserable. if anyone has ever wished for me to be that way, they will be happy to know it is that way. i am battling with myself every day over a disease, disorder, infection, syndrome, or act of god that renders me uncomfortably near a vegetable. i wash down a handful of candy daily: turmeric, super b-complex, glucosamine chondroitin, and meloxicam, and i don’t know if they’re all useless or they fend off even worse pain. i have a stick of biofreeze, and sometimes it helps, and sometimes it exacerbates. i have some delta8, and sometimes it helps, and sometimes it exacerbates. i can’t drink because of the aforementioned ‘cam, and when i’m off the ‘cam there won’t be much to stop me from trying to seek out hope at the bottom of a bottle of vodka. i of course am aided by friends and loved ones who have offered their support, who will put on a thing for me to watch and who are willing to entertain me through this. my enduring misery should not reflect a failure on their part. it just simply hurts very much.

i am no spiritual person, and i have not sought a god in all this. i continue to brute force my existence because there are things i am desperate to see written in this world, art to be drawn, games to be designed. i have to tell those stories. i don’t want to let eight months undo twenty five years of living. but it is particularly depressing that i ended being 24 in pain and started 25 in worse. will i be 26 like this? surely not 27? what i am trying to articulate is the utter hopelessness this situation begets. i do not seek pity... i only want to be understood. in the longest winded way an art blog can write and conclude: i won’t be posting art for an indefinite time. thank you for reading.

[paintthestarsarttherapy]

Mission Possible: Tackling Screen-Time Addiction

We can’t blame Covid forever.

Fair warning: You may hate me for what I’m about to write in this blog. In my defense it’s my job. So here goes ...

Please, PLEASE, give your children screen time limits--structured and consistent limits. Oh, and to be clear: Screen time means video games AND phones AND tablets and laptops AND TV and, and, and! You get the point.

We in the mental health world are seeing a HUGE increase in behavioral outbursts, anger at home, lack of attention and focus at school and all-around oppositional behavior. This holds true for kids as young as 3 all the way into high school-aged children.

The common thread seen with all of the above is … you guessed it … screen time! 

These young, developing brains are ill equipped to handle the amount of screen time we are allowing them to have. The following image 

was created by a first grader using Model Magic. This 6-year-old told me that he is “addicted to playing on [his] iPad.” Addicted! If your 6-year-old said, “Sorry Mom and Dad but I am addicted to heroin,” YOU WOULD LOSE YOUR MIND! 

Here is what I asked this 6-year-old to do: Create yourself out of Model Magic doing something you love or something that makes you feel happy. To no surprise he created himself an iPad. I then grabbed that Model Magic iPad and took it away. “Uh oh. Time’s up for that. What else makes you happy, now that your iPad has been removed?” I asked him. The groans and moans set in. “Ugh. Nothing else makes me happy.” Well, this is clearly a huge problem. When you are 6 years old and the only thing you can think of that makes you happy is a screen? Ugh is right. I pushed and pushed and finally he said, “I guess my trampoline.” But that was it; in 30 minutes he could only give me two things that make him happy, and coming up with that second one took about half the session. 

We are letting these kids down. 

And we, as parents, need to take action--and we have to do it immediately. As our kids are now back in school, in some way, shape or form, it is the perfect opportunity to use it as the impetus for setting new, limited-screen-time routines. We cannot keep using Covid as an excuse. I won’t blow your mind with the recommended amount of screen time based on the age of each child. (But if you want to learn more check this out: https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-technology-use-children.) You don’t need to focus on the stats; we know those numbers often feel like an impossible goal. Instead I have put together some tips below to help you break free from this addiction. If you create small, tangible goals you will see success in creating those important screen time limits. 

Tip 1: ‘Family Rules’ Meeting: This is our starting point. Everyone should sit down together and you as parents must explain that school is now in session, we cannot be melting our brains with screen time any more. Lay out a plan for your kids to understand. They will each get X amount of screen time each day. (I’ll explain further how to do that below.) These limits can be reinforced by timers, parental control settings, apps, or frequent wifi password changes that force your children’s electronics to TURN OFF after a certain amount of time. (Here are some great apps to check out to help you with that!) Lay out the rewards and the punishments if they do not abide by these rules.

Rewards: If your kid(s) are calmly able to slow their use of X device each day, Mom and Dad will add on to your weekend screen time by Y minutes. But go easy with those rewards! Five minutes is plenty because if they are amazing rule followers and do it with ease 5 minutes earned each weekday easily adds up to 25 additional weekend minutes—which is plenty. 

Punishments: If your kid(s) throw(s) a tantrum when it is time to stop daily screen time you will lose X minutes each day on the weekend. If they continue to tantrum after that, the punishment is increased and all screens will be off limits for Y day(s). 

Ok, that was all tough to hear, I know. Take it in; absorb it. Now: Take a deep breath. You’re doing great! But nope, we’re not done ... 

Tip 2: Take whatever amount of screen time your child currently is allowed each day and cut it in half. That is the goal over the first month when starting this new routine. If they are playing Roblox 4 hours a day, then from now on that’s cut down to 2 hours. And this goes for all cumulative screen time. So for example, if your child plays on his/her tablet for 3 hours, plays video games on whatever device for another 2 hours you are adding all of that up together and dividing it by 2. I’m not recommending the cold turkey method on these little volcanoes, so you should spread out these cuts in a way that works for everyone. I personally like intervals of 20 minutes. It is enough time to start making a difference but also short enough that many kids won’t feel that change.

Example: If your child currently is on screens for 4 hours a day, then that first week you’ll reduce total screen time by 20 minutes, giving them 3:40. The following week you’ll take away another 20 minutes, giving them 3:20. And so on.

Starting in the third week you’ll start to take away a half hour out of their total allotted screen time. So that 3:20 now becomes 2 hours and 50 minutes. The fourth week is reduced by another half hour (down to a cumulative 2:20). Then the new month starts off with  2 hours of screen time a day. 

(You should be aware, however, that if your child is on devices more than 4 hours a day--I cried a little bit typing that--you may have to do larger time intervals to hit your goal in the month.)

See how easy? Good job, Mom and Dad!

Tip 3: Be prepared for total meltdown city—and your kid is the Mayor. THEY ARE GOING TO BE ANGRY. The tantrums will get bigger and louder, I assure you. But this is also how you know that what you are doing is working! Parents so often say, “What can I do?” Well, this. You can do this. And I promise you that you are strong enough to get through it. You are not hurting your children by doing this; you are helping them. You are creating a better home life for everyone. You need to factor in a 2-week period of hazing. Your children are hazing you—not the other way around. If they scream and you give in because you are tired of hearing those screams … game over. They just won. If you stand firm, follow the structure laid out and, most importantly, be consistent (What does being consistent mean? YOU MUST DO THIS EVERY TIME!) you will start to see changes after your hazing is complete. 

If the outbursts get out of control, get violent, last for hours, etc., then you have a serious addict living in your home and you must take drastic action! These tips may not be enough for your little screen-time addict; you may have to remove devices on a semi-permanent basis. Remember, one addiction is not harmless. Did you know that having one addiction puts you at greater risk for having another, future addiction? (Blame your dopamine.) I’ll let that sink in …

Tip 4: No screens should be accessible in your child’s room. No TV, video games, phones, tablets, etc. Why? Well, if a kid were alone in his/her room with the door closed what would expect them to do? Sleep? Haha. Okay then. These screens should always be kept in a common area so parents can easily keep track of their usage. For your older teens, I recommend a specific charging area in your home where phones and tablets are charged—again, not in their rooms. 

(In case you were wondering, no, your teens do not go to bed at a reasonable hour and yes they are online wayyyyyy into the night.) 

Tip 5: Don’t give in to the peer pressure. Your kids’ friends whose parents are not willing to go through these measures are going to make your kids feel like poop. Ready yourself for this and try to uplift moods with other fun options like taking a trip, hiking outside, going somewhere they’ve always wanted to go, family game night or even family movie night (with no phones!). Please do not believe that playing video games and texting and TikToking is the only way your kids are able to socialize. That is just not true. Our entire idea of what it means to be social has changed based on technology but when it comes to a psychological perspective, ‘social’ is not being interactive on a screen. If your kids and teens want to TALK to someone, let the talking be old fashioned. We still make phone calls, right? It is still possible to pick up a phone and call someone, last I checked. I’ve had parents ask me, “Is it okay to let my kids FaceTime friends?” Sure! But can the amount of FaceTime be limited or supervised? If the FaceTime chat is to do schoolwork together, let it be done at the kitchen table or a common area where a parent can supervise. Your teens will want their privacy, of course, so allow them to make FaceTime calls from their room but with the door open. If they are making strides in changing their idea of being social (less video game socialization for example) you can definitely loosen the reins a little depending on circumstances. For example, were your kids texting through apps like TikTok and Snapchat or gaming as a way of being social and are now instead bumping it up to actually seeing someone via video call and having a chat? I call that progress. These are added, simple ways to reduce unnecessary screen time. 

Tip 6: Watch yourselves. If you as parents are always on your phones or whatever screens you prefer you are sending a warped message to your kids. Sure, we love the idea of “do as I say not as I do” but for a smooth transition from brain-melting screen time to normalcy, limiting your own screen time use will help you in the long run. It also helps with kids of all ages to see that mom and dad are willing to go through this with you--that they are not alone. Start off small: no phones or electronics at the dinner table. Dinner is a great time to go around the room and discuss your day together as a family. Electronics can stay in their designated areas. Or if your children desperately need some sort of stimulation throw on some music and let everyone take a turn picking a song. 

Covid has not disappeared so I understand that many families aren’t able to schedule play dates and group social gatherings. Do what you can to make positive changes. Remember, being social is about eye contact, empathy, enjoying another person’s company, experiencing things together, and more. It is not about being logged onto something virtually and pretending it’s social because you can message a person, or see them in a video they made, or comment on their pics. The game of socialization may have changed a bit but the rules are the same. What I have laid out here for you is not easy. I promise you, parents, you will feel better and be happier, kids will feel better and be happier, schoolwork will improve, anger will decrease, sleep will get better if you follow my tips for decreased screen time. We are talking about full recovery! 

You’ve got this.

[xxairo-dev]

Next Log

So I started making a 2D pixel art game. Welcome to my new Dev blog!

No official name, but the unofficial name is Bowfish.

(TLDR and Dev log with pretty gifs at bottom)

Hello internet, friends, and 2020 -- those of you that have been following me all this time know that I’ve been doing art for a loooong time. Even before I got into digital art in 2010, I’ve been drawing with paper and pencil for as long as I can remember and probably started playing video games right at the same time. For reference, my earliest memories of video games consist of Lemmings 3D on PS1, followed shortly by Rayman and Spyro the Dragon. 

I’m still a big Spyro fan, also pretty sure this is how I became obsessed with dragons in general. 

Science based dragon MMO girl, wherever you are -- I feel you, I am you.

Basically, I’ve been playing video games all my life (to the detriment of my parents) and I owe it to gaming for igniting my early artistic ambitions. In fact, I remember learning how to draw by copying the character art of Neopets and Sonic Advance before one day stumbling upon one of my dad’s Game Informer magazines and being blown away by the art that I saw in there (particularly the WoW art). I’m pretty sure that was when I was first introduced to Big Boy™ game art and instantly thought, “Whoa, I want to be able to draw like that”.

Later, when I got my first drawing tablet and started making digital art, it became “I want to draw for a video game”.

Even later, when I learned that being a video game artist was not a very realistic career path and opted to pursue a bachelors degree in biology instead of art, it became “I want to draw for a video game... on the side”.

Even later-er, when I got my degree in 2017 and started working full-time and realized that work saps you of all energy and motivation to work on projects at home, it became “I want to draw for a video game... some day”. 

Well, today here we are in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, I got furloughed from my biology job due to the quarantine. I spent four months passing time, thinking that I’d go back to work soon. But by the end of July, I was at wit’s end of what to do with myself after getting burnt out on a number of hobbies, games, shows, books, etc. without spiraling into some very expensive hobbies (hello aquariums) with the money I wasn’t making. I badly needed to find something productive to do that I thought would also benefit me in the long run i.e. post-quarantine, and unfortunately I couldn’t work on wet lab techniques at home.

“Learn to code” is what my parents have said to me about a thousand times for the past 5 years. “Learn to code” is what I did try for about two weeks with Code Academy a few years ago before realizing that none of what I was learning was going to stick because I wasn’t programming in any part of my daily life. As a biologist, in evolution we like to call this “if you don’t use it, you lose it”. 

I know all too well about how coding is one of the best skills you can learn. However, I also know myself all too well to know that learning code for the sake of learning code wasn’t going to work for me. I wanted to wait to learn when the right situation presented itself, ideally when I would have an opportunity to use it almost every day at like a job or something.

Well, one of my good fellow artist (and biology) friends had recently taken the plunge into creating his first video game Meganura earlier in the year. I was (and still am) seriously -- and I cannot emphasize this enough -- impressed by his progress, dedication, and ability to learn coding for this game. Or more frankly, I was seriously impressed by his dedication and progress in to learning how to code for this game.

Meganura in all it’s crispy pixel-y goodness. Man, my friends are talented.

I dwelled on this for a while. 

I always considered making a game to be out-of-reach because I absolutely could not muster up the motivation to learn a single drop of code without being paid to do so after 1) being beaten over the head by “learn how to code” for so long and 2) having already tried and given up in the past. 

But as it got harder to sleep well, eat well, and feel happy during the quarantine, I feel like I hit a rock bottom where I felt like if I didn’t make a big effort to find a new purpose, then I was probably going to become depressed. To preface this, I have experienced depression before, and ever since I got out it has been my goal in life to never experience it again. 

The only way I was going to survive this quarantine was to give myself a new “job”.

I already had a creative mind and the skills to create art and animations for a game. I already had a lifetime of game playing experience that had formed a detailed list of specific mechanics and visual details that I knew I wanted or didn’t want in a game. I already had an analytical and detail-oriented mind (thanks biology... or thanks videogames?) that liked to plan and build things. 

All it would take is just a little bit of code...

If you’ve read this far, thanks for listening and I hope some of you hear yourselves in my story.

TLDR;

I am just a daytime biologist and hobby digital artist with zero coding experience.

I’m extremely proud to say that since 07/29/20, I have been successfully developing and coding my own 2D pixel art video game in Unity and am in full swing!

This is the start of my dev blog, where I’ll be logging my progress and thoughts throughout this journey for like-minded and aspiring individuals. 

My Goals:

- To create everything from scratch -- art, scripts, etc.

- To create a game about bow hunting with intuitive drag/release controls

- To create a game that has cooking and campfires

- To create a game with pretty water graphics

- To create a game that has sushi and cats

- To have a playable demo by mid 2021 (my guess for the end of quarantine)

How I’ve been learning C#:

I have been following along with YouTube tutorials to create a base script and then looking up things in Unity’s scripting documentation to expand and modify my code to achieve exactly what I want. I’ve been learning C# and how to read documentation through almost entirely pattern recognition (e.g. mimicking and experimenting with code I’ve copied from tutorials and recognizing keywords in documentation) and turning to Google or my Tech Career Peers™ for help when I get stuck or to clarify things.

The key thing is that even after copying some code, I read the documentation and figure out how every line of code in my script works before moving on.

This is because after spending a few days of looking up YouTube tutorials, I realized there were no tutorials for the exact bow controls that I wanted. Instead, I ended up watching multiple tutorials and learned how all of their scripts worked before combining and modifying pieces together. Then, I started relying entirely on documentation to write lines of code. 

I don’t know how many original lines of code I’ve written so far, but there are so many now and I am so proud of all of them.

So anyway, here’s what’s happened over the past 2-3 weeks.

Dev Log:

7/29/20

- Came up with an idea for a game

7/30/20

- Installed Unity and started watching Unity tutorial videos

7/31/20 

- Created water shader via shader graph (no coding required!)

- Created a basic background, player sprite, bow sprite, and arrow sprite in Photoshop

08/03/20

- First time coding in C#

- Struggle to code in Notepad++, switched to Visual Studio Code

08/06/20

- Created physics based slingshot controls for the bow and arrow with a line renderer bowstring

- Colliders!

08/09/20

- Unable to find a way to pull arrow back horizontally (-X) regardless of mouse Y movement (OnMouseDown)

- Decided that slingshot controls are for slingshots, not bows and arrows

- Scrapped physics based slingshot controls due to overcomplication (rip)

08/10/20

- Created new projectile based controls that still include drag/shoot physics

08/11/20

- Limited rotation of the bow while aiming to max 45° and min -45°

- Developed distaste for vector algebra

- Made it so that if you don’t drag far enough, you won’t release an arrow

08/12/20

- Created a trajectory line coming off the bow

- Made arrows fade away after colliding

- Created git repository to keep all project files backed up on github (Don’t wait to do this! Should’ve been done on day 1)

08/14/20

- Added physics and collider to player

- Allow you to face and move left/right with the A and D keys + updated bow controls to match

- Created left/right movement while aiming + updated bow controls to match

- Created mouse drag line for development use

- Created waterline

- Made it so the bow resets to it’s default position if you haven’t used the bow for over 2 seconds

08/15/20

- Updated Player sprite in Photoshop

- Obtained Asesprite

- Created walk animation

08/16/20

- Created  bow walk, bow equip, and bow unequip animations

Next Log

[cowardsanctuary]

Into the Object Hole:

Why is Nearly Every Object Show Flash-Animated?

(warning: a big, gigantic ramble generated by the mind of a comic artist)

I’m asking this question because I was bitten by the “Object Show” bug myself! It’s become a niche but easily replicated genre of its own within the animation community. Starting with the eponymous Battle For Dream Island (a show I think we’re all familiar with), we’ve seen many creators follow suit in the seemingly simple formula of having a bunch of inanimate objects participate in a game show-esque competition.

This is not to claim that Object Shows are unoriginal or overdone at this point: on the contrary. With the advent of resources for learning writing, animation, et cetera, I feel there’s a massive amount of potential that this community has, until now, mostly neglected. Battle for BFDI is, from what I can tell, reveling in its own, unique premise in the way it wants to. Inanimate Insanity’s second season has, as of late, recognized its potential to communicate a story about change and growth within individuals and the world around it. Unfortunately, I haven’t watched many shows, but I feel I’ve gotten my point across.

In another post, I asked about shows that didn’t use Flash, so i’m going to be responding to those before I embark on my tangent.

@apcwoc said:                                                                                                                            djshjksjhhdj most of the shows are probably done on flash because a lot of them were started when the og creators where much younger and flash is the easiest and most reliable to use when people start out animating            

that’s a common thread i’ve been finding!! one of the earliest object shows, Animation Island by legotd61, was created a year after BFDI—and at the time, legotd61 was 7 years old. granted the animation & visuals aren’t the most jaw-dropping thing in the world, but they were a kid so it’s automatically charming. in like, a kid sense.

@demi-gray suggested Modern Objects as a non-asset-using show!

Unfortunately, it still relies on assets for arguably the most important visuals: the characters! They do use the capabilities of Flash more extensively than other shows (that I know of), which makes watching the characters do their thing a lot more fun and engaging. The unique style compared to other shows definitely helps out a lot as well!

@payjayisgod said:                                                                                                                            i mean, i do frame-by-frame all the time, but for the sake of saving time i’ll be using assets for the bodies (gonna try doing everything else with frame-by-frame) in my own series i’ll be making with some friends ^^“ if you wanna see my animations my youtube is Icedog McMuffin :0c                            

PLEASE show me your show when you do it, because your animations are!!! really cute!!! also i’d LOVE to see stuff that takes the path of Modern Objects: with asset bodies, yes, but everything else is done according to the needs of the visuals. Use your medium to the best of its ability!

@dottival said:                                                                                                                            I once saw someone who Wanted to do frame-by-frame, but they never got their show off the ground. Mostly because they never really started??

you can’t just. tell me this. and not say who this person is (unless they want their identity under wraps, which i’ll respect)!!!! I’d love to ask them about their thought process towards their show, unless they didn’t actually plan much. I want to do some... ReSearch....

Speaking of planning, the thing that enchants and haunts me most about object shows is how much is going on behind the scenes. This is for any animated show, really, because as a bitty comic artist, I had no clue where to begin. I’ve started to draft and worldbuild for my own show, but I can’t help but wonder how much of it is done for other object shows.

(this is a thumbnail for a setting on my show!)

The medium, by default, demands attention on the characters at the forefront. The premise generates interest, the aesthetics (aren’t necessary but) lead viewers in, and the subject(s) of the show is what keeps audiences engaged. No matter what the creator(s) choose as the subject, they must make sure it’s polished to their best abilities, while ensuring other elements of their medium is properly balanced.

If you’re creating a character-driven narrative, for example, you’ll want to focus on the development of your characters. And, since it’s easiest to relate to concrete characters, that’s what novice content creators focus on developing as their content’s primary subject (and what professional content creators master).

However, the development of, say, a character is more often than not put into the hands of the viewers. How? Viewer participation: having the audience vote off who leaves a competition.

An interesting concept as, typically, animated shows require oodles of planning in order to convey the story it wants to the best of its ability. This makes the typical object show a challenge (forgive the word-play) to pull off properly, despite being deceptively simple enough of a feat on the surface. Character development can be volatile, as any character can be booted off (depending on how well you can predict a character getting eliminated).

Following this, the difficulty of creating a cohesive and well-written story through the Object Show format is very, very high. After all, you need to place time in your resources as wisely as possible, in order to avoid taking too much time on an end product you may not even like a little while later. The elimination of one character may upset a part or the entirety of the show’s plotline, if a creator is not careful.

Inanimate Insanity’s writing was able to excel at its greatest the moment viewer voting was dropped. One of the best shows in this genre (in my opinion), Modern Objects, isn’t even an object show: it’s formatted like a sitcom, and focuses primarily on characters and comedy. The one object show I was able to find that was primarily frame-by-frame animation (thank you, @bfb-basard!), Race to the Mansion of Tomorrow, is 100% script-driven; meaning, no viewer participation. This is the same for a few other shows as well, though I am not aware of them at this point of time.

(a snapshot of my animation process: this is for an animation of my OCs Milt and Malt, put to the audio of Big Bill Hell’s Cars.)

So why Flash? The answer is because it’s just easier. Not in the sense that the animators of these shows are lazier, but because animating in Flash saves time. Unless you’re putting all your stops into your show, or the contestants will always be present / aren’t quite as important to the narrative, you absolutely cannot afford to waste time and energy on things that can get thrown away later. Either that, or you don’t know where a character or a plotline or what have you will build up to, so you want to make sure whatever you do make isn’t wasted.

(Granted, I always feel there’s always time for weird plots to be resolved until it’s the very end, but retcons are also an option?)

You see this video? It’s a pretty simple animation of just a little softball walking around.

It took me 2 or 3 hours, give or take, to finish. Nearly every frame is unique, and I drew them all with my hands and my tablet, nothing else. All moving parts are either animated in 2′s or 1′s—the latter of which being 1/24th of a second. There are 35 drawn frames overall, stretched out onto 127 individual frames that constitute the entirety of the animation.

In other words, this clip is 5 seconds long.

If you want to finish an object show within your lifetime, let alone within 5 years, then Flash will be your best friend. It’s good, revolutionary technology that will make your life easier. With Flash, you don’t have to draw things over and over and focus instead on the motion, not the artwork.

Not only that, but being able to finish in a timely manner will help smaller content creators as, since we’re small and have small audiences, not everyone has a long enough attention span to hang onto you for decades. Certain shows like BFB and Inanimate Insanity have the advantage of popularity, so they can take their time with both the show and life (but they’re still rushed by their audience anyways so it’s a double-edged sword).

If you want to tell a story, consider what medium you tell it through wisely. Animation isn’t the only way, but I know for a fact that, if I get there, my show will be frame-by-frame. Why? Because I consider the artwork and the motion in my story just as important as my characters, if not moreso. You might not.

You can make it 3-d animated, claymation, traditionally animated, digitally animated, Flash, frame-by-frame, what have you. You can write your show as a novel, a script, a screenplay, a radio play, what have you. You can illustrate it as a children’s book, a comic, a graphic novel, or even an illustrated novel.

One of my favorite shows, up there with Modern Objects, is a comic by @swabsbloo​ called Escape From Abject Reality (which you can read on it’s own blog at @efarwebcomic​! Please read it! PLEASE READ IT! PLEASE!!! PL). Swabsbloo takes the premise of object shows and simultaneously puts it on its head while playing it straight: a bunch of objects wake up in an oddly absent field, only to figure out they’ve been trapped in a game show-themed death trap controlled (...?) by a(n apparent) sociopath named Snake Oil. You should read it. You should read their comic.

Hell, does your object show even need to be an object show? You can create stories that are beyond inanimate objects, or stories beyond competitions. Again, Modern Objects isn’t a competition show. You can base your characters off of objects as well, without needing to make them explicitly an object. The show I mentioned earlier, Race to the Mansion of Tomorrow, takes this latter approach for the most part!

As a storyteller, what I obsess about the most is storytelling. I love seeing all forms of it, and the potential that this community’s genre has astounds and fascinates me. The way in which we view the story doesn’t have to be important, but I find the ones I enjoy the most are the ones that utilize its medium to the best of its ability. It doesn’t have to be the best, it just needs to try.

So what do you want to try?

[gravefire]

Gameplay Thoughts and Inspirations

「 G R A V E F I R E 」will be a deck-building roguelike, as has been pointed out in its subtitle, and will be its key selling point. There are a lot of players who love roguelikes and a lot who like card games as well, and quite frankly there aren’t enough games out there to cater to the demand. I can barely count the most popular roguelikes on my two hands. As a deck-building game, they key difference from roguelikes would be that everything would be a card, and you build a deck as you progress through the game.

I will also actively blog about the game’s progression this time. 

Inspirations

I have written previously that my previous game Sheeping Around was inspired by Card Thief. GRAVEFIRE, though has a lot of inspirations. The primary ones are:

Meteorfall: Journey by Slothwerks

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series

Slay the Spire by MetaCrit

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (2010)

The first three are a good mix of roguelikes and turn based battle / card games, but you’d ask what does NFS: Hot Pursuit have to do with this genre? That game has a pretty good career mode UI they call “Autolog”, which inspired me to build something like that for my own game. More on that in the later sections of this post.

Platforms and Pricing Model

While Freemium is the reigning king as always and 90% of the new games released are free-to-play, and some devs report earning a good revenue from just ads, it’s just not for me, at least not for this game. I don’t feel very good about the whole economy that works by taking advantage of gamers’ psychology to extract maximum money out of them. “Milking the whales” as it is called.

GRAVEFIRE, therefore will be a premium game, and it will have no in-app purchases to buy extra in-game currency. (It will have in-game currency though, just purely for progression.) It may have IAPs / DLC to unlock extra content for future content updates, but that will not be present on release. I suffered somewhat of a backlash for having IAPs in a paid game for Sheeping Around. Pocket Tactics mentioned in its quite bad review of the game: “Extra supplies can be brought for real-world cash, a feature that is sure to irk many gamers, especially in a paid app.”

I will design the game to work well in portrait mode on mobile and landscape mode on tablets and desktop devices. The primary platform for the game will be PC, and mobile will be secondary. The audience on Steam isn’t very fond of mobile games repurposed / adapted to PC without much efforts. “Cheap mobile ports” as they say. I will make sure that doesn’t happen. It will work like a responsive website on a single codebase.

Pick Your Character

As in most role-playing games, in GRAVEFIRE too, you will be able to pick one of the three characters to begin your journey with. The three characters are: The Necromancer, The Crusader and The Alchemist. Each character will have its own cards and skills that differentiate it from the others. They will also have their own backstory of how they survived the grave fire, and what happens next.

A Burnt World to Explore

You will have a map to explore as you begin your journey. Select a location in the map to begin your game, which will be a mix of tower defense / turn based battle (more on that below). 

The map will have mountains, valleys, pits and other regions. Some thoughts around region names include: Lake of Blood, Mt. Blaze, Scorching Pit, Tree of Death. 

Like in Autolog in NFS: Hot Pursuit, you select a region as it becomes available, and pick an event to do in that region.

An event could be a main story quest, a side quest with rewards, or anything else (more on that later). You can do certain events as many times as you like. Some events may be a combination of one or more events.

Deck Lanes: Tower Defense meets Card Crawler

For GRAVEFIRE, I’m exploring a gameplay mechanic that I call Deck Lanes. Please excuse my lack of art skills:

Each dungeon in GRAVEFIRE will be a set of decks. Initially, it will be just one deck laid out in a 1x3 grid. Eventually the gameplay will get complex and may increase to 4x3 or even a 5x3 grid. Harder games will have a lot more cards in each deck. Possibly upto 50 cards per deck, totalling to a 250 card dungeon if laid out in a 5x3 grid.

Each dungeon deck has a set number of cards. In the most basic kind of event Survive, your objective is to survive until all decks run out. If you die in a dungeon, you lose and your game is reset to the last save / last event completed. The whole game isn’t entirely roguelike, only each event is: some people would call it roguelike-like or roguelite. 

Each dungeon deck can have monsters, skills for you to use, items and gold. Each turn, monsters advance one turn forward towards you, unless there is another monster ahead of it. If there is an item or a skill next to a monster and it wants to move forward, it will destroy the item and move forward anyway. So pick up any items before a monster comes your way. However, keep in mind, picking up items costs energy, so think wisely.

When you tap on the Necromancer, it shows cards you have in your hand. Each turn you draw 3 cards, and you can only hold a maximum of 8 cards in your hand. In the first turn you draw 5 cards. At the end of the turn, the cards you use are discarded in your discard pile. Using a card or picking up an item costs energy, indicated on the card. Each turn, you get 3 energy points to spend. The energy you have to spend will increase as you progress.

There will be lots of different types of attack / defense cards, skill cards that can impact the rest of the event. Items like potions can only be used once and they will disappear forever. Certain skills also can be used only once and then they exhaust, meaning they can not be used again for the rest of the event, but you will get them back in the next event.

Each monster in the lowest row has an intent to either attack or defend. (Or do more things like poison you or burn you, or it could bluff as well.) You must play your cards based on the intent of the monsters.

All of this is very similar in nature to Slay the Spire, but with the exception that everything is a card. Also the tower defense type ascension of monsters in deck lanes allows for some interesting gameplay design options.

Later during the game, you can also tame monsters and add to your team. It works a lot like befriending Pokemon in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. You cannot control them (they will move on their own), but you can use moves and skills to help boost their strength. If they die, you lose them permanently, so if a monster is really precious to you, you’d want to reset to your last save.

Event Types in GRAVEFIRE

Events will play a key role in GRAVEFIRE. Each region you unlock on the map will have various events that you can do. Like in Autolog in NFS: Hot Pursuit, each event could be a race, hot pursuit, preview, interceptor, etc.

Or like in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, each mission could be a rescue mission, or a mission to find an item, or to battle a legendary.

Events in GRAVEFIRE could be one of the following in the list, or a combination of two or more events:

Survive: The most basic type of event. Just explore a dungeon and survive until the dungeon decks run out. Your typical dungeon crawler. Each dungeon would have its own set of monsters and specific items or skills to acquire. You can explore a dungeon as many times as you want.

Soul Liberation: GRAVEFIRE has caused a lot of souls to be trapped, and they want to be free. Explore a dungeon, and find a soul stuck in one of the dungeon decks (most likely at the bottom of it) and use your special skills to liberate it.

Soul Searching: Some bodies have risen from their graves but have no purpose without their soul. They are harmless, but also aimless. Escort them to their soul stuck in one of the dungeon decks (most likely at the bottom of it). The key difference here is that the undead creature sits besides your primary character’s cards and the dungeon monsters can attack it. You must use your skills to protect yourself and the undead until it finds its soul. In return, they will reward you with some powerful skills and moves.

Soul Capture: In certain dungeons, monsters have become all powerful because of presence of a lot of wandering souls. Places like the Tree of Death are key areas for such events. In this kind of event, you must battle monsters and can also capture their souls and add to your team. They will be on your side starting your next turn. If they survive the deck, they will stay by your side in future battles too.

Find an Item: Much like soul liberation, there is a special item that you need to find. Explore a dungeon and find the item stuck in one of the dungeon decks (most likely at the bottom of it). Once you get to the item, acquire it.

Situation: A situation is choice driven event, where you are in a story based event and are given between 2-4 options to proceed. A situation may have between 2 - 5 steps that may happen based on your choices. The outcomes will result in you obtaining a few cards and skills to add to your deck, or to raise your HP or strength or even lose a few cards in your deck. The outcomes may be good or bad, depending on the type of situation you are in and your choices.

Healing: A healing event will never occur standalone on its own, and will most likely occur before an Elder Battle, GRAVE Battle or GRAVE Survival, or something really troubling. It is a special kind of Situation which only results in good outcomes. It will let you regain HP, boost your strength or gain special skills that will help you in the upcoming battle.

Elder Battle: Elders are special monsters that take between 2-4 entire deck lanes. Ordinary deck lanes will keep on moving forward as usual. you must defeat the elder to win this event. 

GRAVE Battle: A GRAVE Battle is a special kind of Elder Battle, where there are no ordinary deck lanes. There is just one massive Elder occupying the entire screen. You must defeat the monster to win this event. There will be only one GRAVE Battle in GRAVEFIRE and that comes towards the end. This special Elder is a monster that caused the grave fire. Battle and defeat it to beat the game and unveil the final secrets of GRAVEFIRE.

GRAVE Survival: The Elder that caused the grave fire will appear many times, but you will never be able to beat him until towards the end you acquire the skills to defeat him. In GRAVE Survival, you must only survive the battle against this Elder for a certain number of moves. This event will occur many times throughout the game, and each time you survive, you will unlock something rare and powerful and learn more about the backstory of GRAVEFIRE.

Suggestions?

In the coming few weeks, I will come up with a prototype, and also talk about the team behind the game, and progress updates including exploration of the art style, choice of music, and some UI designs.

If you have read so far, and like the concept, do let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Stay tuned for「 G R A V E F I R E 」.

[littleredroseonthevalley]

Red Rose - Chapter 7

Prologue Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6 CH. 7 Ch. 8  Ch. 9 Ch. 10  Ch. 11 Ch. 12 Ch. 13 Ch. 14 Ch. 15 Ch. 16

Summary: The Court arrives to Lythikos, and Nevrakis play it dirty. How is Riley going to fare behind enemy lines? And is Cordonia the land of fairytales and dreams or some dirt lies beneath the opulence of nature and palaces?

Notes: I stand by my statements. I think PB’s gone nuts with poetic freedom this last chapter, and I’m writing this Goddamn fic until I get there, which might take us a long, long time, but whatever, I’m young and patient.

Alors!

Epidamnus, Cordonia, Fall 2015

“Charlotte!” Riley hissed to the phone. “Charlotte, for the love of all there’s good and mighty, wake up and answer this damn phone! I need your help!” She hung up.

Riley, Bertrand and Maxwell were going to the Duchy of Lythikos, northern Cordonia. They’ve left early that morning, and, two hours into the voyage, Maxwell got restless and nagged Bertrand for them to stop.

As for now, they were at a rest stop off the city of Epidamnus, Cordonian mid-littoral. The capital city of Lythikos was still an hour and a half away, and the beach was right on sight, but the weather is beginning to get chilly and overcast.

Riley was trying to call Charlotte restlessly ever since last night, but so far, the blonde hasn’t answered the calls. She was growing anxious, she needed to talk with the other woman as soon as possible.

Distracted, the black-haired hadn’t heard Maxwell approaching. “Are you excited for snow?”

“Good Lord, Maxwell!” She jumped, scared. “You’ve just took five years from my life.”

He couldn’t control himself and laughed. “Sorry, Riley, sorry.”

“Yeah, I know how sorry you are. To answer your question, yeah, I’m excited. I really like snow, and I was getting suffocated in Valona with all that heat!”

Bertrand chose that moment to intervene. “You shouldn’t be so glad. We’re going to Olivia’s estate. If you want to steal a moment with the Prince, you’ll have to beat her in her own game.”

“It hasn’t been a problem so far, I’m sure it won’t be a problem now.” She shrugged. “So, are we done here?”

“Sure.” Maxwell said. “I just need to fetch some candy, I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Okay, then.” She responded. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

“And trying to reach Charlotte on the phone.” She thought.

Scodra, Lythikos, Cordonia, Fall 2015

An hour and three quarters later, a sign read, in three languages:

Σκόδρα

Скадар

Scutari

“Cyrillic?” Riley identified on her mind. “I haven’t come across any Slavic languages in Cordonia so far. How many people Napoleon shoved into this country again?”

There seemed to be a traffic jam in the entrance of the city. Bertrand snorted. “What on Earth is on ahead? Driver, make a detour, we have to be at the Nevrakis as soon as possible.”

The man obeyed, and made a merger into a residential neighborhood of the city, navigating the streets to try and avoid the jam up ahead. As they neared the city Centre, the amount of people on foot was raising. Many were carrying or wearing a red flag, which had a lion and a double-headed eagle.

“What is all these people doing with the Zastava?” Bertrand wondered out loud.

“Zastava?” Riley asked.

“It’s the province flag for Mavrovoúnio, up north. The Slavs also use it as some sort of national symbol.” Maxwell explained.

“In which case, this seems to be a protest of sorts.” Riley concluded.

“You could be right.” Bertrand conceded. “We should be careful. Driver, try to return, we don’t want to be here if this protest turns violent.”

“It won’t be possible, Your Grace.” The man said. “There’s too many people, I can’t go nor forward nor back.”

The Duke hmphed. “Then it’s best if we lock the doors and try to keep inside.”

A few hundred meters ahead, there was a large square, where a few hundred-people convened, shouting watchwords. While she couldn’t speak Serbian, and so couldn’t be sure to what they were saying, they sure felt very strongly about it.

A few minutes in their isolation, they started bringing out big pictures.

“Is that Olivia?” Riley asked.

Bertrand observed a little more careful, and concluded: “Yes, it must be. The Nevrakis are the lords of this land since the Middle Ages, up to this day they appoint the regional governor to Lythikos.”

“Something tells me these people aren’t happy with it.” Riley commented.

“Look!” Maxwell pointed ahead. “That one looks like the King!”

The frame even had a small crown on top of it. As it passed through the square, people booed it and threw stones and eggs.

“The Royal Family sure isn’t popular up here.” Riley was growing anxious. “Is it okay for us to be around?”

“So far no-one noticed our plates, let us hope it keeps like that.” Bertrand commented, also restless.

As the pictures reached the main building that domineered the square, which Riley assumed it had to be some sort of government structure, they were set on fire, with the protesters shouting things that sounded oddly like “burn!”.

There were many reasons which Riley had to dislike Olivia, but it was still very uncomfortable to see her effigy being burnt so ritualistically.

As the pictures were consumed by the fire, she noticed a man, some steps ahead, was pointing to the car and screaming.

“Oh, Lord.” Riley let out. “I guess our cover is blown!”

“What?!” Bertrand was very nervous. “It cannot be!”

A mob was forming around the car, shouting things in Serbian.

“We’ve come in peace!” Maxwell shouted, to no avail.

The people started to swing the car. “They want to turn over the car!” Riley said.

They were almost succeeding, when an explosion was heard off the right side of the car.

It was the police breaking up the protest.

As soon as the mob was dispelled, an officer knocked on their window, motioning for them to get out of the car.

As they get out, the police officer asked the woman: “Are you well, madam?”

“Yes,” She shakily responded, and then repeated, more steadily: “Yes, I’m alright, thank you.”

The people on the square were violently dispersed, as Riley observed. She could faintly hear Bertrand complain with the policemen and his driver, while Maxwell tried to contain him.

“Excuse me, sir.” She motions for a policeman who was by her.

“Yes, madam?”

“What was this protest for?”

The man was somewhat ill-at-ease. Maxwell was staring the officer incisively, as in to try and intimidate him not to tell her, and Riley could see clearly something is rotten in the State of Cordonia.

The man chose his words very carefully: “They are Slavic nationalists.” To avoid further questions, he turned his back and left.

Soon enough, Bertrand was on her case and they went back to the car, to continue their trip.

While far from satisfied with her lack of answers, Riley supposed she couldn’t very well pressure the men to tell her further information. For now, she capitulated, but what put her mind at ease is that she could investigate further when they arrive at the Nevrakis chateau.

Nevrakis Chateau, Valbona, Cordonia, Fall 2015

It was early evening when they finally arrived at the chateau. As it was expected, there was no welcoming, and the service was much to be desired. Surely, it was an order issued personally by Olivia.

Even at dusk, Riley could appreciate the scenery. The retreat was nestled on the feet of Mount Neolaías, the highest peak on the Dinaric Alps, close to the border between Cordonia and Kosovo.

The winter seemed to come to full force to this part of the country, as the snow was at Riley’s ankles by then.

The opulence of the palace was brought to her attention. Valbona, the last village they passed on their way to the chateau was poorly-lit, and while she couldn’t say with certainty, she would suppose most homes hadn’t proper heating either. The wood and stone abode, however, glinted more than the stars on the sky, and the black-haired was sure that, if so Olivia desired, the interior could be as hot as a Avlonas Summer afternoon.

As Riley finished taking her suitcases up to her room, she swiftly locks her door and dials a number on her cellphone.

It rings an innumerable amount of times. Riley was about to give up when a sleepy voice answered: “Hello?”

“Charlotte!” Riley exclaimed. “Good Lord, woman, I’ve been trying to call you for two days now!”

The other woman scoffed. “It serves you right for ignoring me for so long. If you must know, the flight between Cordonia and Italy is tiring, I was resting. I’ve also been to this spa in Parma which you cannot be-lieve…”

Riley cut her off. “Charlotte, please, I’m on a crisis here.”

Sensibly displeased, the other says: “Big whoop. What is bothering you now?”

“Do you have a copy of the magazines you’ve sent me? Specifically, last week’s Dēmokratía?”

“Why on Earth would I have a copy of that?” She wondered. “Such a bore!”

“Well, Charlotte, you should. There’s a potentially disastrous article in there.”

She hmphed. “Alright, alright, I’m opening the digital issue on my tablet. Just a sec.”

“Go to page 61.”

Charlotte did what she was told. “‘The Red Princess’? Are they freaking serious?!”

“Serious or not, it’s a picture of me and a statement, grossly misquoted, might I add, in which I supposedly am firmly against the lease of the Port of Valona to Rosenberg Fund!” Riley was half-screaming to this point.

“Oh, if only they knew…” Charlotte mocked her.

“That’s exactly the point, Charlotte!” She screeched. “It is for them not knowing!”

“It is funny, though. Can you imagine the face…?”

“Charlotte, focus, please!”

“Calm down, girlie. No-one of importance will see that. I can assure you of that. He,” The woman said the word pointedly. “Rarely attends those meetings any longer. You could jump-start the Communist takeover in the Balkans, and most probably they wouldn’t hear about it at all.”

Slightly more comforted, Riley says: “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am. And if it makes you feel more at ease, I’ll monitor them and throw a few false leads here and there. Would you like to go to Belarus? ‘Cause I’m making you magically appear in Minsk!”

“That would be great, thank you, Charlotte.”

“No problem, Riley! *wink, wink*” Charlotte laughed, while Riley rolled her eyes. “Now, tell me, how these last few weeks have been treating ya?”

“Oh, it’s been such a bore!” She moaned. “All these pretentious people swaying in stupid events make me sick!”

“Noblesse oblige, I guess. But there haven’t been no highlights up-so-far?”

“Well…” She shyly conceded. “Liam has been absolutely charming ever since I came here, and Drake has gradually stopped being a jerk, which is definitively a plus. Maxwell and Hana have been great, too.”

“Oh, yes, the Spare Rys and Broody Walker. I recall them. I wasn’t introduced to the other two.”

Riley lips thinned, but she answered all the same. “Maxwell is the Beaumont’s’ youngest, and Hana’s from mainland China.”

“Right!” It seemed to dawn on her. “I recall them. The hyper brunet and the shy Chinese girl!”

“Which reminds me,” Riley said. “I’ve met Madeleine.”

“What?!” Charlotte screeched. “What came to your mind to reach for that vile serpent?!”

“I did not. She came to me. She’s a contender.”

“That’s just precious!” She spat. “Madeleine just do not know when to quit! Careful with that woman, Riley.”

“I am well-aware, Charlotte. She has the ear of the Queen, and it certainly hasn’t worked out on my favor.”

“Why are you so worried about this competition, anyways? You surely don’t expect to maintain this charade being Queen, do you?”

“Of course not!” Riley was emphatic. “But I can’t be a total disaster, either. The press would have a field day! Besides, if the Queen dislikes me so, she might want to investigate me or take me down. And she might be the only person in this country that could very well succeed.”

“Both of these ships have sailed!” Charlotte argued. “You’ve already all over press. You’ve been on a political journal for Christ’s sake! And do you really think Regina hasn’t run a complete background check on you? For all I know, she must have your pretend dental record on her hands this minute!” She took a breath and then continued. “If you ask me, you’re worried about Prince Charming finding out. Or is it Grumpy-Pants?”

“I won’t deny I’d prefer that they never found out, but I much prefer them knowing rather than him knowing.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that.”

Riley sighted. “What even happened with Leo?”

“Haven’t you heard?” Charlotte tells her. “He abdicated three Summers ago. Everything was very hush-hush, you see, but I was informed that it was because of a girl! An American girl!”

“No wonder people are wary of me around here.” Riley said, more as a confirmation to herself. “Do you know where he is? I’d like to have a word with him soon.”

She laughed. “As of now, I don’t suppose Leo himself knows where he is. Either way, I suppose it wouldn’t be hard to find him, he’s stupidly predictable. He’s bound to show up at some of his regulars soon enough.”

“I have no hush. Just call me if he appears somewhere.” Riley said. “Which reminds me, you married? Who?”

Charlotte responds with some sort of contempt. “Federigo Torelli, Duke of Guastalla.”

“A Duke, huh? Your mother must be overjoyed.”

“That she is.”

“But do you like him?”

She takes a few moments to think. “I don’t hate him. Despite him being more interested with his winery, his company and the secretary’s pussy. At least he leaves me alone.”

“Oh, Charlotte…”

“No!” The woman shouted. “Don’t you dare pity me! I am fine!”

Riley sighed. “If you say so.”

“I do. And it’s late, I’m going to bed.”

“Goodnight, Charlotte.”

“Buh-bye!” She hung up.

Nevrakis Chateau, Valbona, Cordonia, Fall 2015

Riley and Maxwell were skating through a frozen lake just by the Chateau. Around them there were Olivia, Hana, Penelope, Kiara and, of course, Liam. They were also enjoying the pond, or at least trying, as it was.

Riley grabbed Maxwell’s arm and said: “It sure is nice to be out here. I was starting to believe I wouldn’t be able to skate this season!”

“I’m glad you’re glad.” Maxwell said. “Where did you learn how to skate like that?” He enquired, curiously.

“Back home. I’d go out to skate every so often.”

“In New York?”

“No, I grew up in Rhode Island.” She said, and then asked: “Where is Bertrand, again?”

Maxwell frowned. “He got called away. He left early this morning.”

“He’s gone?!” Riley celebrated. “This is starting to look like a vacation after all!”

Maxwell laughed and intertwined his fingers on hers. “That’s one way to put it. Now we can really enjoy ourselves.”

As they both talked amicably, Riley heard Olivia talking to the Prince: “… Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten just how well I can skate!”

“Oh, I very much remember,” He answered.

“Remember to keep your eyes on the prize,” Maxwell nudged. “Get out there and get some alone time with Liam while I distract Olivia.” He waves at the red-head and scream at her. “Olivia, you gotta see me do a spin! Don’t move!”

He discreetly hip checks Riley, who goes sliding through ice on Liam’s direction.

“Lady Riley, a pleasure to see you as always.” Liam greets her. “You’re a vision of grace on those skates.”

“My uncle would be very glad to know all his efforts teaching me paid up, thank you.” She responded.

“It did, very much so. I take you’ve come to skate with me today?” He said, hopeful.

“If you could save me a moment, I’d like that a lot.”

“Then, please, accompany me.” He offered her a hand.

As they skate, he comments: “You look very lovely today. And warm.”

“I wouldn’t want to get sick once again.” She smiled. “Do you and the court come out here regularly?”

“Not often. However, when we do, Olivia’s always been very generous by having us at her estate. But, actually, I used to come out here frequently while I was younger. Olivia and I would play in the snow together.”

“You and Olivia, huh?” She huffed, in equal parts annoyed and uncredulous. “I cannot believe you’re friends with her.”

“Olivia…” He struggled with words. “Can be a tough person to get along with.”

To that, Riley just rose an eyebrow.

“Olivia had a difficult childhood.” He defended. “Her parents were killed in a political assassination when she was only five years old. She was alone, without family, at her estate for the better part of a year before my parents and I officially visited.”

His expression turned dark. “She was supposed to be in the care of her great-aunt, but the woman had left to summer on the Riviera, abandoning her…” Liam took a shaky breath. “Olivia didn’t have anyone. She was so alone.”

“What about the servants? Weren’t they encharged to her care?”

“They were doing their best, I believe,” Liam sadly responded. “But they were traditionalists, Nevrakis family-trained for decades. After a lifetime of holding the nobility up on a pedestal, they weren’t prepared to give her what she needed the most, love.”

Liam, then, seemed lost on a memory. “The first few days of our visit, she was sullen and withdrawn, I thought she hated me. But one night, I heard her sobbing through the wall. I actually believed it was a ghost, at first, but once I got over my fear and decided to investigate, there she was…

He sighed, as if it was happening before his eyes. “Little five-year-old Olivia weeping and clutching one of her mother’s gowns, pleading over and over again for them to come back. I knelt beside her and held her until she cried herself to sleep.

“I know we couldn’t leave her there, so I convinced my parents to invite her to live at the palace with us. For almost two months, she wouldn’t leave my side. Just about drove Drake crazy, actually, but…”

Just then, Olivia skates over, interrupting their conversation.

“That Maxwell is a persistent one.” She huffed.

“He can be high energy.” Liam conceded, smiling in mirth.

“I can tell.” Olivia said, crestfallen. In a heartbeat, though, she turns to Riley, with a shark-like smile. “So, Riley, I bet you’ve never seen a countryside this spectacular. Aren’t you impressed?”

The black-haired swallows her desire to be nasty, and says: “Actually, it is gorgeous.”

Olivia does a double-take, and Riley continues. “Your home is truly lovely. The snow, the lake, the trees… it is absolutely breathtaking.”

Not sure how to respond, she says: “Oh… Well, it is.” The redhead soon is back to her usual self, though. “I’m glad even someone like you can appreciate the elegance and splendor of nature.”

Riley once again swallow a retort, as Olivia wraps her arm around Liam’s. “Now, Prince Liam,” The duchess says. “I believe you owe me a round around the pond.”

“Excuse me, Riley… I do owe her… I will see you later.”

She gives him a clipped smile, as they skate off together. Riley can’t shake the feeling she was scolded, and she did not appreciate it.

As she was about to leave the lake, Hana slides across the ice, and, backwards, greets her.

“Looks like Olivia stole Liam from you.” She said.

Riley supposed she could tell Hana what was on her mind, she didn’t suppose the other woman would go around running her mouth, but preferred to keep her peace, as she didn’t want to burden her. “Oh, it’s fine. Liam has obligations, I don’t take personally.”

“That’s level-headed of you.” Hana praised.

“On another note,” Riley said. “Where had you learn to skate like that?”

Hana didn’t seem as enthusiastic. “Ice skating is one of the things my parents sent me to lessons for. It’s a skill I learned to appeal to suitors. I was told that a display of elegance can go a long way.” She says that last sentence on a mockingly deep voice.

“That’s an odd way to get a boyfriend. Do you even like ice skating?”

She dismissed. “Oh, you know… it’s okay.”

“So… no?”

She sighed. “When my parents were selecting my activities, whether I enjoyed them wasn’t a factor they considered. Now I find myself with all sorts of skills that I honestly have not much interest in.”

As Hana finishes speaking, Olivia finds herself on a suitable opportunity to drop by and be smug.

“Alright, everyone, lunch is being served.” The hostess announced.

“Well, Riley,” Hana says. “Are you coming down to eat?”

“Perhaps later,” She responded. “I’ve got to make a call before that.”

Cedar Cove, Rhode Island, Summer 2009

A black-haired woman tapped her foot anxiously, as she waited to be called. She feared what could be said when she got the chance to talk to him, but this uncertainty was starting to make her ill.

Though, it was fair to say, her sickness could be a byproduct of the foul stench of the paper mill she was currently at. The desk next to her, in which the secretary sat, had a lavender incense, but its effects weren’t noticeable, at least not at such a distance.

She could hear the telephone ringing faintly, a testament for how far within her own mind she was.

“Miss?” The secretary called.

“Yes?”

“You may go in now.”

“Okay, thank you.” She thanked the woman and stood up.

“This is it. It’s now or never.” She thought. She knocked on the door to the office, and was told to come in.

“Hello, uncle. How are you?” She asked.

“I am very well, thank you.” He said, with a smile. “Sit, please.”

She obeyed, meekly.

“It was not easy,” He started saying. “But I arranged for what you required of me.”

He took a manila envelope off a drawer and slid it through the desk.

“Really?!” She excitedly exclaimed, while opening the envelope. “Thank you!”

Inside the envelope there was a birth certificate for Riley Leia Flowers, daughter of Amara Gray and Brennan Flowers, a death certificate for said Brennan Flowers, a high school certificate at William S. Rogers High School, a diploma in History from Hartfeld University, a social security number and a passport.

“Do not thank me,” He said, weary. “I just hoped it had a better way.”

“I did too, uncle.”

He sighed, and then asked: “Where are you going now?”

“I don’t know, actually… Iowa, I think?”

“It is an exciting place to be,” He commented, with some irony, deceiving his melancholy. “Good-bye, niece of mine. It has been nice having you, for as short as it has been.”

A tear slipped from Riley’s right eye as she hugged him and laughed humorlessly. “What are you even saying, uncle? You had me for all my teenage years.”

“How foolish of me.” He smiled at her, encouragingly. “Take care, Riley.”

“Thank you, uncle.”

Nevrakis Chateau, Valbona, Cordonia, Fall 2015

“Good morning!” Charlotte answered the phone, uppity.

“Charlotte, I know for a fact it’s noon in Italy right now. Were you sleeping that late again?” Riley inquired.

“Yes, I have. Don’t nag me, for sleeping late is one of the perks that come with being rich.” Charlotte said. “Why have you called?”

“I need to vent, and there’s no one who listens here in Cordonia.”

“I doubt it, but alas, I’m all ears.”

Riley rolled her eyes. “Well, it’s about Liam and Olivia. Olivia Nevrakis.” She clarified for the other woman.

“Oh, I remember her. A prickly redhead, right? She hung on the Spare like a koala to a eucalyptus, it was kind of pathetic, really.”

“That’s the one, though I’d change the metaphor. Koalas are cute, Olivia’s challenging on a good day, menacing on a bad.”

“Go on,” Charlotte encouraged.

Riley told her about her exchange with Liam earlier that day, and about how Olivia has been making her stay in Cordonia more difficult than necessary. “While I feel I was told off by Liam, which annoys me to no end, I can’t help feeling that he might have a point. I should be the bigger person here.”

“Riley, I may not be the most adequate person to give moral advice, but I don’t think you should be nicer to Olivia just because she went through a hard time. Both of us know how hard our lives have been, too, and neither me nor you turned out that vicious. Everybody’s lives suck. Some suck more, some suck less. But Olivia’s an adult now, she should understand that behaving like a bully is not okay.”

“You’re right, but what if by being kind to her she drops my case a little?”

“In such a scenario, it would be great, but she’s not preying on you because you’ve been nasty to her, but because you’re her greatest adversary. If it means she would have Liam for herself, I don’t think she’s above murder.”

Based on what she knows about the Nevrakis’, neither did Riley.

“About Liam,” Charlotte continued. “Have you given any thought to why you are so mad?”

“Of course, I’m mad because after all I’ve endured being here, he feels like he has the right to lecture me! About Olivia, not less!”

“You know I know the truth, right? Riley, even if you’ve never met Liam, even if you hated his guts, you’d have gone to Cordonia, you’d partake with those ridiculous events, you’d endure,” She says the word with an emphatic flare. “All that all the same. You’re doing it for yourself, to escape, to survive, not for Spare Rys.”

Riley huffed. “What are you trying to say, then? That I’m an egoist, and should not get angry? And for God’s sake, can you stop calling him the spare?!”

“Someone’s defending their boyfriend’s honor! How valiant!” She responded, nastily.

“Charlotte, your point, please.” She demanded, annoyed.

Despite being on the phone, Riley could see Charlotte rolling her eyes. “No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying that you’re not angry just because somebody told you off, but because Liam sided with Olivia, not with you.”

“What are you implying, Charlotte?”

“I’m implying you like the Prince, and that’s concerning.”

Riley laughed, dismissively. “Of course, it would be. If it was true. I do like Liam, but I don’t like him. That would be absurd!”

“Not to mention immoral.”

“You know I left that on the past, Charlotte. I would appreciate if you did too.” Riley oriented, angrily.

Charlotte scoffed. “Whatever you say, honey.”

“I must go, Charlotte. They’re bound to be waiting for me at the ski tracks.”

“I’m sure they are. Good-bye.”

“Bye.” Riley hung up.

Mount Neolaías, Cordonia, Fall 2015

“So, Flowers, you finally made it to the slopes.” Drake greeted(?) her, as she got off the lift.

“What’s wrong, Drake? Were you starting to miss me?” Riley teased.

“Hardly. I was just getting bored.”

“If you went skating, perhaps you’d have found amusement.”

He scoffed. “Figure skating is not my thing.”

“Don’t tell me!” She faked surprise. “I, for one, think you’d look great on a tutu.”

Drake shuddered. “Some mental images aren’t worth the effort.”

“Is skiing manly enough for you?” Riley asked.

“I’d hardly call what’s going on here skiing.” He demeaned. “But I’m looking for changing that. How about a race?”

She smirked and raised a defiant eyebrow. “It’s on, mister.”

“Alright. Ready, set… don’t wipe out!”

He takes off down the hill.

Riley shook her head and chased after him. As she goes down and picks up speed, she notices Liam and Olivia off to the side, skiing and talking together.

“This is no time to wonder about that,” Riley thought, as she sped up, flashing through the pair.

She maneuvers experiencedly through the obstacles, quickly approaching Drake.

He goes around a falling branch, turning back to look at her and shout: “Watch it, Flowers.”

She just smiled smugly and jumped over the fallen tree.

As Drake admired her movement, she slipped past him and finished first.

“It seems that I won.” She declared at him.

“I’m not too thrilled, but if you’re going to hop a branch like that, you deserve to win.” Drake said, impressed.

He takes a deep breath and continues: “This trip hasn’t been half bad so far. Shame that tomorrow it’s back to waltzing and bowing.”

“Why do you hate waltz so much?” She wondered, mockingly. “It isn’t even that big of a deal at the events!”

“Oh, Flowers, Flowers, Flowers…” He lamented. “What would you do without me?”

“What?” She was legitimately confused.

“There’s a ball tomorrow. All of the ladies are expected to dance the Cordonian Waltz in front of everyone.”

“I know how to dance. How difficult it could be?”

He barely contained a cruel laughter. “It’s very complicated.”

“It’s a waltz! I doubt it very much!”

“Whatever you say, Flowers.”

“But now that you’ve mentioned,” She said. “How does one dance the Cordonian Waltz?”

“Sadly, I can’t help you there. I don’t know the steps.” He said. “You should ask Hana. If anyone knows that forwards and backwards, it’s her.”

“Dumping the work on a girl. How chivalrous.” Riley barbed, all on the while joining the group surrounding Olivia.

“It’s time to head over to my spectacular lodge to warm up.” Olivia announced, arrogant.

“Thanks for the race.” Drake said, on a low baritone. “I actually had fun.”

She smiled. “Perhaps you’re not as bad as it seems.”

“You’re going soft on me, Flowers.”

He went on ahead, as Riley helped a servant organize her skiing equipment.

Nevrakis Chateau, Valbona, Cordonia, Fall 2015

As the sun set, Riley, Drake, Hana and Maxwell were sat together by the fire with hot chocolate.

“Have you had fun, Riley?” Maxwell said.

“Sure did, Maxwell. And now I have hot chocolate.”

“This is wonderful!” Hana exclaimed. “Look, little marshmallows shaped like hearts!”

Drake grumbled. “Just adorable.”

As Olivia approaches, Maxwell whispers: “Be careful. We’ve got incoming.”

“Well, hello, my dear guests.” The redhead smiles viciously. “I hope you’re enjoying my marvelous hosting.”

Riley did not suppose someone should boast their hosting skills that often.

“I always enjoy my time here with you, Olivia.” Maxwell was diplomatic.

Drake, however, was less concealing. “It’s… something”

A mistake, as Olivia zeroes on him. Her eyes narrow and her smile thins. “Did you see that we have éclairs, Drake? They always remind me of dear, darling little Savannah.” She says the name in a sickly-sweet tone.

“Oh, no.” Riley thought.

Olivia, however, wasn’t satisfied. “She’d gobble them down like a sow at the trough.”

Drake fell right into her game. “Don’t talk about my sister.” In a barely-contained, white rage.

“Why ever not?” Olivia instigated. “She was such a fixture at court, and then she just up and disappeared. You never told us what happened, and usually gossip is quick to spread.”

“She left because of people like you.” Drake was near his cracking point.

Riley tried to stare at him, as in to call his attention and calm him down, but it was to no avail.

“She was always the sensitive sort.” Olivia faux-lamented. “Ladies like that don’t last long around here.”

His jaw clenches, and a mean retort pass through his eyes, but as if magic, he sneers. “You know what? I just remembered I’ve got somewhere I need to be. If you excuse me.”

Drake acknowledges Riley and Hana, turns and strides off.

“Wait, Drake dear! Come back! I wasn’t finished with you!” Olivia chanted behind him, in a sadistic glee.

Riley, however, was less than pleased. “Olivia, either you shut up and sit down, or I’ll rip off each and every white tooth from that smug smile of yours.”

Drake freezes for a second at the door, but soon enough he leaves.

“Ooh, does Cinderella have a soft spot for the rough-around-the-edges commoner?” Olivia teased.

“It might be a concept that eludes you, Your Grace, but humanity entails taking offence when a fellow person is treated as such.”

“What a valiant hero to the masses. They must sing songs about you.” Olivia said.

Riley clenched her teeth, barely keeping herself from screaming that, at least, no one ever burnt her effigy at a public protest.

“Now, as charming as it was,” Olivia continued. “I’ve got to get back to Prince Liam. I’ve promised him a private tour of the chateau. Bye-bye, darlings!”

The redhead left, as Riley breathed heavily, in anger. Maxwell tries to calm her down patting her hand, while Hana says: “I cannot believe the things Olivia says…”

Maxwell agreed. “He doesn’t normally let Olivia get under his skin like that.”

Hana shook her head. “I hope he’s alright. I saw him go outside, but it’s not a good idea to be out there right now. I’ve heard it gets really cold at night around here, and he left without his coat. What can be he thinking?!”

Riley jumped to her feet. “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

“You mean you’re thinking about following him?!” Hana seemed dumbstruck.

“I’m not thinking about anything.” Hana visibly relaxed, but Riley was not done. “I’m doing it.”

And with that she took their coats and ran off through the door, while Hana and Maxwell called her from behind.

 A short walk off the chateau, Riley could see Drake at a clearing, looking up. It was windy, but there was no snow, the sky was very clear.

“Hello, Drake.” She announced herself.

“Riley!” He seemed surprised. “What are you doing here?!”

“I saw you going off on your own without a coat, and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.” She sighed. “After what Olivia said, I could see it struck something inside you.”

Drake seemed angered about it. “You’re the last person I need looking out for me.”

“Fine, then. I’ll leave.” She threw his jacket at him and motioned to leave.

“That’s not what I… Oh, Hell.” He yearned. “I’m not trying to be a jerk, Flowers.”

“Yet, it comes so naturally!” She pointed out, angry.

He looked pointedly at her. “I only meant that you shouldn’t have to worry about me. You should only be looking out for yourself.”

“Coulda, shoulda, woulda. No matter. What did you come out here to do, exactly?”

He smiled boyishly. “If you really want to know, you’ll have to trust me.”

“If I must.”

“Here goes.”

Drake closes the distance between them and shoves her to the ground. As she falls in the soft snow and she looks up, Riley saw the clear, starry sky.

“Drake…” She was speechless.

He dropped down on the snow right next to her. “Yes, m’lady?”

“This is absolutely gorgeous!”

“Nothing beats a clear view of the sky during a meteor shower.”

“I’m glad I did not miss this.”

“Really?” Drake wondered, half-teasingly, half serious. “Would’ve figured you’d rather eat bon-bons and dress up tiny dogs, or whatever Olivia has planned for the night.”

She scoffed. “Not exactly my scene.”

As the two stare up at the sky, Riley sees clouds starting to creep across the stars.

“Looks like we were just in time to see this before a storm comes.” She said.

“Yeah, I really didn’t want to miss it.” He told her. “I used to do this with my younger sister, Savannah, every year. We grew up around the royals, my dad used to do security for Liam and Leo, and my sister and I were allowed to hang out with them. Liam and I ended up getting close, even if I didn’t have the lineage to merit it.

“Savannah, on the other hand, got along with everyone, and they were all friendly with her. She loved living at the palace when we were kids, being around all the pretty dresses and jewelry.”

“Such a contrast.” Riley thought.

“But it got harder when she was older.” Drake stumbled with the words.

“What happened?”

“She…” He took a deep breath, trying to control himself. “It was hard on her. She couldn’t take it, I guess. After what happened with… I… I failed her. I couldn’t protect her. I couldn’t protect her from this place… or these people…”

Drake places his hand over his eyes and is quiet for a moment.

“Sorry, it’s… I guess I’m not ready to talk about it. This is more than I’ve talked about it with anyone in the last year, actually.”

“Oh, does that mean Broody-Drake considers me his friend, now?”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Flowers.”

“Well, that’s too bad. I’m calling it. I’m making matching t-shirts for us, written ‘Friends Forever’, and with arrows.”

“I guess I can’t really stop you, can I?”

“Nope.” Riley said, smiling.

As the snow start falling, Drake announces, sadly: “We better go back. It’d be quite a scandal if I let one of the Prince’s suitors freeze to death out here on my watch.”

“I’d hate for my untimely demise to cause you any difficulty.”

“Not to mention, Maxwell would never let me hear the end of it.”

She snickered at a thought. “I’m sure even Bertrand would be upset, in his own way.”

“Bertrand?” Drake teased. “He’d only be upset if he couldn’t turn it into some kind of press event. Now, let’s go.”

As the wind picks up speed, and the snow made it difficult to see the path ahead, Riley takes Drake’s hand.

“So, we don’t get separated.” She said.

“It’s really slippery out here.” He agreed. “We should both be careful.”

“Exactly.”

 As they step into the chateau, Hana comes running to them. “There you are!” She said, worried.

“You’re up late.” Riley says, bashfully.

“I couldn’t sleep. With you and Drake out there in the storm…”

“I’m sorry we worried you, but we’re okay. We mostly missed all that bad weather.”

“Well,” Drake made himself known. “I’m going to go get changed. G’night, ladies.”

“I suppose we’d better go to sleep, too. The Cordonian Waltz is tomorrow night after all, and we’ll need our rest to pull it off successfully.” Hana said.

“I just cannot believe this dance is that hard.” Riley said.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, I don’t know the waltz, but it’s a waltz!”

“Oh dear!” Hana made a big deal off it. “It’s late, but if you wanted to, I could show you.”

“If you’re offering,” Riley made a flaunt. “The lady would care for a dance?”

She smiled. “Of course, let’s go up to my room.”

As soon as they got to the quarters and moved up some furniture to create a space for dancing, they were ready to start the lesson.

“Okay!” Riley was pepped-up. “Let’s get the show started!”

“Oh, by the way, I’m sorry I hadn’t mentioned it earlier. I just didn’t think nothing of it. It’s a good thing Drake’s looking out for you.”

“No problem, that’s really kind of Maxwell’s job.”

“How good of a dancer you are, Riley?” Hana asked.

“I don’t usually step on toes.”

“That ought to be good enough. If you have a good sense of rhythm, I think you can pick it up easily.” Hana said. “The Cordonian Waltz is a choreographed dance with specific steps. If you know your part for each of them, you can follow your partner. I’ll put some music and we’ll begin.”

Blue Danube rings softly through the ambient.

“I’ll lead, okay?” Hana says.

“Very well, Liam, dearest.” Riley smiled at her.

Riley places her left hand on Hana’s shoulder, while her right arm stood straight, taking Hana’s hand.

They do a 1-2-3 movement. “This is the box step. It’s the most basic movement and kind of a bridge between the other steps.” Hana instructed.

“So far, so good.”

“Now the next three steps are the reverse, the spin and the twirl. First, we’ll do the reverse.”

Hana shifts her weight and stride forward, as Riley moves backward. They effortlessly glide in a straight line down the length of the room.

“Perfect!” The Asian praised.

“Just following your lead.”

“That’s a good thing. You’re able to read me. Did you feel that pressure I put on your hand? It was a cue to move backwards. Ultimately, the waltz is like a conversation. You and your partner make a connection, responding to each other to make the dance work.

“It’s kind of romantic really… it’s supposed to be a courtship dance, which is sure why Olivia chose it for the ball tomorrow.”

They started to practice the spin. Hana moves so that she’s grasping Riley’s hands as she begins to swing her around.

“Yippee!” Riley laughed. “I just love the spinning.”

“You’re doing it perfectly!”

At an appropriate moment, Hana steadies Riley back into the box step.

“Now, for the last step, the twirl.” Hana says.

She twirls the other woman so that Riley’s facing away from her, her arms coming around her waist. They hold the position as the Blue Danube fades.

“And that’s the Cordonian Waltz!” Hana celebrated. “How do you feel about dancing it now?”

“I’m gonna blow this thing!”

The other laughed. “I’m glad.”

“But, Hana, I’ve got to ask, how come you’re good at so many things?”

“As much as I’d like to claim natural talent, it’s as I said before. My parents have been pushing me to learn all the courtly and social arts since I was very young.”

“That cannot allow for much free time.”

“Between school, music lessons and etiquette classes, my schedule was very full. My parents expected a lot. They were devastated when I was born a girl, so they pinned all their hopes on me.

“Every day of my life has been about grooming me to bring fame and fortune for my family by winning some prince or noble’s hand. For all the good it’s done after my last engagement.”

“May I ask what happened with your last fiancé?”

“Peter was an English nobleman. He was well-off and had an ancestral title. All the things my parents wanted for our family. We’d spend long afternoons horse riding and sailing. He was very kind. That, and he’d been raised with romantic notions about true love and a lifetime of happily wedded bliss. It should have been perfect.”

“I feel a but coming up very soon.”

“But, the truth was that I did not love him. My parents never asked me what I wanted, never gave me a reason to think I might also love the person I’d marry. So, when he proposed, I knew I had to accept. I tried my best, but he became suspicious. At our engagement party, a month before the big date, he cornered me and asked me if he was what I wanted. And even though I told him what he wanted to hear, I couldn’t keep back the tears.

“He knew me well enough by then to know. He could tell I was miserable. I don’t think he understood why I would go through with it. But he was born with power and privilege, how could he understand?

“He was good enough not to make a big deal out of it, but there was a lot of ugly speculation about why we parted. Especially because he got married shortly after with another woman.”

Hana lets out a deep breath, one that she seemed to be holding ever since she started talking.

“But that’s behind me now. My parents are upset, but they’ve given me another chance. Here, now.”

Riley seemed thoughtful. “Are you not worried that history will repeat itself?”

Hana sighed. “I’m hopeful that things will turn out differently this time. And I don’t want to disappoint my parents. Besides, it’s not all bad, they’ve been pressuring me to spend more time with you.”

Riley laughed. “I hope it’s not too much of a bother.”

“I do like to spend time with you, Riley.”

“I’m not one to twitch my nose to a new friend.”

Hana seemed thoughtful. “It’s kind of funny that even though we’re technically competing against each other, we can still be friends.”

“We should take a page out of Penelope and Kiara’s book. No matter who wins, the important thing is what we will have done while we’re here.”

As Riley said that, the clock struck twelve.

“I suppose we should get some sleep.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Impulsively, Hana reaches over and hugs Riley, which returns her embrace with a smile.

“Good night!”

Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, Rome, Italy, Spring 2011

“Run,” She thought. “Run, faster, I’m almost there!”

The suitcase frazzled unsteadily behind her, as she ran to her gate. She already went through customs, but her heart beat furiously against her ribcage, she couldn’t feel safe until she was finally on the skies, faraway from Italy.

As she looked back, she saw some men in black. Her breath hitched. One of them looked straight to her eyes.

She tightened the scarf covering her hair and adjusted the sunglasses protecting her eyes.

As she looked ahead, she saw more of those men. Scared, she started running to her left.

She went around a kiosk selling coffee, trying to hide. But soon enough those men found her.

Not one to let herself be beaten, she ran back, trying to find a way to get to her boarding gate.

But, soon enough, she finds herself surrounded.

She got desperate, running in circles like a caged beast.

They were closing on her.

In her fretfulness, her heels snap, sending her to the ground and her suitcase rolling through the atrium.

She cried. A cold hand squeezes her shoulder.

“Ma’am,” A deep voice accompanies that feeling, dread filling her stomach. “It’s time to go home. You’re late for your wedding.”

“Please!” She pleaded. “Just let me leave! Please!”

He did not say a thing, just tugged on her arm, motioning for her to raise to her feet.

With no other choice, she complied. She would go through it, but no-one could force her to be glad about it.

No photo of Charlotte Amelie von Rosenberg’s wedding shall picture a glowing bride.

Red Rose - Masterlist

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[bloojayoolie]

Anaconda, Children, and Click: Jolly black and white package of a young dog. So handsome, Gentle, Energetic and Fun. Happily Playful Loves to play with balls and toys. Kissy, Huggy and Sweet. ЕЕ 3 yrs old, 59 Ibs Strambeli SEDH 3120 ent Ready o hoeManon ACC ****TO BE KILLED 6/26/18**** Indulge yourself with Delicious Stromboli <3 Handsome, Playful and Super Friendly Boy @ MACC A volunteer writes: A very good time awaits you in the form of Stromboli. Not the tasty Italian roll, but our very own delicious boy. A jolly black and white package of a young dog keeps a clean kennel, and pounced with gust upon balls and toys pitched his way. Stromboli's exuberance is best channeled through plenty of exercise, and obedience training. Walks will be a pleasure with this active chap if Stromboli is harnessed with a front clip model, or head halter. A meeting is recommended for homes with older children and resident dogs. Indulge yourself with Stromboli, available right now at the Manhattan ACC! VIDEOS: https://youtu.be/6CNxvNZvV2M Stromboli and Nala https://youtu.be/gmmzLlgkFj0 Playful Stromboli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpVCLWBZ37UPlayful Stromboli ID# 31120 MANHATTAN ACC 3 years old, 59 lbs BLACK / WHITE MALE Large Mixed Breed Cross Found Stray Intake Date 6/13/2018 SHELTER ASSESSMENT EXPERIENCED HOME / No young children (under 5) My health has been checked. My vaccinations are up to date. My worming is up to date. I have been microchipped. BEHAVIOR NOTES Date of intake: 13-Jun-2018 Spay/Neuter status: No Means of surrender (length of time in previous home): Stray SAFER SCORES: Date of assessment: 14-Jun-2018 Look: 1. Dog's eyes are averted, with tail wagging and ears back. Allows head to be held loosely in Assessor's cupped hands. Sensitivity: 1. Dog leans into the Assessor, eyes soft or squinty, soft and loose body, open mouth. Tag: 1. Dog assumes play position and joins the game. Or dog indicates play with huffing, soft 'popping' of the body, etc. Dog might jump on Assessor once play begins. Paw squeeze 1: 2. Dog quickly pulls back. Paw squeeze 2: 2. Dog quickly pull back. Flank squeeze 1: Item not conducted Flank squeeze 2: Item not conducted Toy: 2. Dog takes toy away, keeps a firm hold. His/her body is between you and the toy, and is loose and wiggly. No growling or stiffness. Summary: Stromboli quickly approached the assessor with a soft body. He jumped up high and hard during the assessment, in a playful social manner. He displayed a high level of excitement and barked at both the assessor and the assistant in an excitable manner. He allowed all handling and was social throughout. Summary: Stromboli has mostly displayed attempts to mount female dogs during off leash introductions. He has at times displayed brief interest in play. When offered correction, Stromboli briefly ceases before attempting to mount once more. Stromboli has allowed approach from other male dogs. Slow introductions are recommended to social dogs who are playful and also may be tolerant of the observed behaviors. Summary (1): 6/14: When introduced off leash to the female greeter dog, Stromboli offers brief sniffs, roams away. Summary (2): 6/15: Stromboli mostly follows the female dog sniffing and posturing to mount, occasionally engaging in brief bouts of running play with her. Summary (3): 6/17-18: Stromboli follows and attempts to mount. Summary (4): 6/19: Stromboli engages in play when introduced to a playful female dog. He is tolerant of approach from a larger male dog. Date of intake: 13-Jun-2018 Summary: Stormboli had a soft body and allowed handling. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION: EXPERIENCE (suitable for an adopter with some previous dog experience, especially with the behaviors outlined below) Recommendations: No young children (under 5) Recommendations comments: No young children: Due to the high level of jumping seen at the care center, we recommend a home without young children. Older children who are comfortable around large, jumpy dogs should have an in-depth interaction prior to adoption. Potential challenges: Basic manners/poor impulse control Strength/leash pulling Potential challenges comments: Basic manners/poor impulse control: Stromboli is a large dog who jumps up high and barks when excited. It is recommended that default behaviors such as "Leave it", "Sit/Stay", "Down" are reinforced to substitute any frustration and teach him to control his impulses instead of simply reacting; proper management is also advised. Force-free, reward based training only is recommended. Strength/leash pulling: Stromboli is a very large, strong dog with the capability to pull over an average adopter. His adopter must be prepared and able to handle a dog of this size and strength. It is recommended that he be walked on a front clip harness or head halter, which help diminish his strength through leverage, and that he be trained using positive reinforcement, reward based training to not pull on leash MEDICAL EXAM NOTES 15-Jun-2018 DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: 4 years old Microchip noted on Intake? No Microchip Number (If Applicable): History : Found tied to pole prior to surrender Subjective: BAR Hydr wnl Observed Behavior - Very compliant for exam including rectal Evidence of Cruelty seen - None observed Evidence of Trauma seen - None observed Objective T = 100.8 P = 160 R = wnl BCS 3-4/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: fx dital crown r upper k9, mild to mod tartar PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupnic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated, perineal area appeared to have distention from superficial exam, rectal exam -diverticulum ventrally but distal colon palpated normally U/G: MI, prostate could not be palpated -feces in colon (wnl) MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, mod to severe pododermatitis bilat front paws, mild to mod bilat hind paws CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: see above Assessment: r/o early pah, other pododermatitis Prognosis: good Plan: Cephalexin 500 mg 1.5 bid x 1 week SURGERY: Okay for surgery * TO FOSTER OR ADOPT * If you would like to adopt a dog on our “To Be Killed” list, and you CAN get to the shelter in person to complete the adoption process *within 48 hours of reserve*, you can reserve the dog online until noon on the day they are scheduled to die. We have provided the Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan information below. Adoption hours at these facilities is Noon – 8:00 p.m. (6:30 on weekends) HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! *PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! ** STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: https://newhope.shelterbuddy.com/Animal/List Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC)nycacc.org HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU *CANNOT* GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications.

[wingedperfectionking]

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Trouble Shooting/Frequently Ask Questions Mobius1/General:

Q. What is the difference between the Mobius, Mobius2 and the MobiusMini cameras?

USB interface 7. AV-IN interface 8. Reset button OK Button 1. Stop / start recording on video recording mode 2. Take picture on photo mode 3. Start playing the video on reviewing mode 4. Confirm button in other mode Mode Button 1.

A. Other than the obvious visual differences and size, the cameras do have different functionality. This can best be seen by looking at this compare document using msetup screens; Click Here

Q. What are my benefits from ordering from this website?

A. Aside from being able to purchase some of the exclusive mounts and accessories, like the Bar Mount, or the Magnet Mount, or the Weather Cover (all of which are included in the Pro16G Package) we also offer the Mobius shielded case option as a separate item or as an option in some of the packages. You also get access to our full customer service and support via Chat, Email or Phone. (note, this support is only available to our customers) You get a business that is dedicated to any an all things Mobius!

Q. Having a problem with Windows 10 seeing my Mobius or running msetup.

A. Do you have an SD card inserted into your tablet? If yes, then removing it may resolve the problem. This information is from another user who had problems with his Dell tablet. After removing the SD card mSetup would run normally. The non-responding hourglass appears as if a system call, maybe to a 3rd party driver, is never returning. (comment supplied by Isoprop RCGroups)

Q. Will the Mobius lens/sensor assemblies work with the Mobius2?

A. No, flat flex cable connectors are different

Q. How do I focus the lens on the Mobius camera?

A. Focusing the lens:

This can be most easily done by putting the camera in webcam mode.

Open the camera by removing the (2) small screws from the back of the camera.

Using the small hex wrench supplied, loosen the small set screw on the lens assembly. (note: handle lens assembly very carefully being careful not to pull on flex cable connection and handling the PCB by the edges)

Remove the memory card, plug in USB cable to computer, then turn camera on and view in webcam utility, i.e. AMCap

Turn lens until desired focus is achieved, it shouldn’t require much adjustment (again, being careful to not screw in too far as damage may occur to sensor glass) then tighten set screw and reassemble camera.

Q. I’m having troubles playing my videos with my current media player?

A. We have found one of the most robust media players to use is MPC-HC (Media Player Classic Home Cinema), which is a free download (HERE) With all the different/new video codecs, etc not all media players are up to the current technology.

Q. How can I configure my Mobius on a Mac?

A. The ideal method of configuring your Mobius is by using the MobiusManager.App software. Note that there are different versions depending on which firmware version your camera has. It can also be done via a text file as outlined in the user manual.

Q. Can I charge the Mobius camera while recording?

A. Yes, if charging with a USB “data” port, you must turn the camera on and start recording first, then connect to USB port; otherwise just connect to USB power source.

Q. Can I use my cell phone charger to charge my Mobius camera?

A. If you phone wall charger has a detachable cable with a standard USB connector on it then you should be ok using it. It should provide 1000mah min.

Q. Can I acquire images from Mobius camera into a computer?

A. Yes, very easy, camera operates like a thumb drive; drag drop and double click.

Q. Can the Mobius be connected to a laptop after it is mounted in the car in order to see a live feed to verify it is mounted properly?

A. Yes, the easiest way to do this is to put the camera into webcam mode, which is easiest done by removing the memory card.

Q. How can I configure my Mobius on a PC?

A. The ideal method of configuring your Mobius is by using the msetup.exe software. It can also be done via a text file as outlined in the user manual.

Q. Where can I find instructions for the Mobius?

A. Instructions can be found inside of the msetup.exe configuration tool, or on the Download/Info page.

Q. Is it possible to control the Mobius camera via USB?

A. That can achieved that by configuring the camera to start when it sees external power, and power is supplied thru the USB cable. It can also stop when external power is removed or continue even if external power is removed.

Q. When filming, the sound is ok, but there’s no image (all black), and when taking pictures it’s also black except the time and date stamp.

A. Check the camera configuration using msetup, on the last tab (Advance Image Settings) make sure all the slider bars are in the middle position, not to the extreme.

Q. Are there any special drivers for using the Mobius on Windows 10?

A. No special drivers are required, you may want to make sure you are using the most recent version of msetup, this comment from one user; I have W10 on a desktop and tablet with NO issues with mSetup. There have been reported problems with some users using laptops that have a memory card in the laptop reader, but this has been unverified…

Q. What software can I use to use the Mobius as a webcam?

A. AMCap is a nice piece of software and is a free download.

Q. What software can I use to capture video in webcam mode while connected to my PC?

A. AMCap is a nice piece of software and is a free download.

Q. Is there a new Wide Angle “C” lens?

A. The original “C” lens has been replaced by the new “C2″ lens assembly (more info here)

Q. What are the widest FOV of the A, B & C lenses?

A. Standard “A” Lens in 1080P wide = 85 deg./Wide Angle “B” Lens in 1080P wide = 116 deg./Wide Angle “C”/”C2” Lens in 1080P wide = 132 deg.

Q. What is the focus distance of the Standard “A” lens?

A. If using the camera in near field, then the Standard “A” lens would be recommended and focus distance is 10-12 inches (254-305mm)

Q. What are the differences between different memory cards?

A. The following link has some helpful info about Micro SD cards and their differences. Here also. Here also.

Q. How do I remove the SD card from the Mobius?

A. Using a finger nail, push the card in, you will hear it click, then release and it will pop out. Inserting is the same, when you hear a click, it is inserted.

Q. What is the video file format the Mobius generates?

A. The Mobius can be configured to create .MOV/.MP4/.AVI/.WAV (audio only) files.

Q. I want to synchronize multiple Mobius cameras for 3D, how can I do this?

A. Set all cameras to start on external power; (Power-On Auto Record) the cameras don’t need to be continually externally powered, this can be done by setting “Power-Off Disconnect” to disabled. This would allow the cameras to begin to record when seeing external power, then once started external power can be removed and they should continue to record.

Q. When using my camera as a Dashcam, the last few minutes of video are not recorded. For example, when I take a 7-minute drive, a video file in .MOV format includes the video for the first five minutes of the drive, but there is no file including the video for the last two minutes of the drive. In another example, when I take a 14 minute drive, there are two files, each for 5 minutes, for a total of 10 minutes, but there is no video for the last 4 minutes.

A. This can happen when using the Super Capacitor. The setting for “Power-Off Disconnect” must be set for “Immediate”

Q. Mobius camera is not recognized as a removable drive.

A. Do you have the video-out cable connected? If so, The camera will never be recognized as a removable drive when the video-out cable is connected. Use the standard supplied USB cable.

Q. How do I know if I have the new Wide Angle “C” lens vs the “B” lens?

A. A detailed description can be found here.

Q. Can I save a specific video clip while recording in loop mode so that it won’t be over written?

A. The current clip can be Write Protected by briefly pressing (max. 1 second) the Mode button while the camera is recording. This will set the file’s read-only attribute which will prevent the current recording from being deleted.

Note that formatting the card will delete all the files, including the protected files with the read-attribute set. ►Depending on the length of the current recording, the previous or the following clip may also be automatically locked.

If the current recording file is less than 1 minute, both the previous file and the current file will be locked.

If the current recording file will be closed in less than 1 minute, both the current file and the following file will be locked.

If the current file has been recording for over 1 minute but will only be closed after at least another 1 minute of recording, only the current file will be locked.

Q. When taking still images, they are tagged with full metadata. When setting image mode to use timed shots (any interval), they are saved with minimal metadata. Is there a way of having full meta data supplied?

A. The metadata (as well as the date/time stamp) must be omitted for timed photos (i.e. “time lapse” mode) whenever the delay between photos is set for less than 2 seconds. This is necessary in order for the photo processing to have enough time to capture and compress the image, and write the image file to the memory card before it’s time to capture the next image. The extra time needed to also capture the date stamp and all the metadata takes to long when the delay between images is set below 2 seconds. FW cannot fix this since it’s a hardware problem. The only solution (which is probably not an acceptable one to your customer) is to set the delay to 2 sec. or higher.

Hint: If you boot Isoprop’s mSetup.exe GUI, open the Photo Tab, and hover the mouse over the Time Lapse Photo function name, you will see this limitation mentioned there (assuming you have not toggled off the Tool Tip feature of the GUI).

Q. How can I tell how much charge my camera has?

A. When turning the Mobius on, the Red LED in the rear of the camera above the memory card slot will flash rapidly from 1-3 times indicating the amount of charge; (1) being the least.

Q. How can I use my Windows 7 laptop to align the camera once I mount it?

A. You could put it in webcam mode. Easiest by removing the memory card, may need to download and install AMCap software.

Q. Where can I find the instruction manual for the Mobius?

A. The manual can be found inside of the msetup & MobiusManager configuration tool thru the HELP button. The link to downloading the manual can also be found on the Downloads/Info page.

Q. After installing and using the Mobius Android App the camera is no longer detected as a new USB device with my computer?

A. Not sure why this is happening , but the camera can still be accessed by it’s drive designation i.e. (H:) thru File Manager/Windows Explorer. For those that don’t know how to access; Right click on Windows Start Button, lower Left Corner, select “Open Windows Explorer” you should see the camera as a drive letter in the Left column. Click on it to view contents of camera.

Q. mSetup will not start on some Windows 8.1 tablets if the tab has a micro SD card installed

A. Apparently a weird bug, See comment 12 at http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/one-program-will-not-load-which-runs-on-my-win-8-1-laptop-dell-venue-8-pro.60392/

With the sd card removed from tablet, the Mobius program then started with no problems. (thanks to Pete for sharing his find!)

Q. Why has my clock/calendar reset?

A. The only thing that can cause the time to re-set is removal of power from the camera; or possibly an intermittent power issue, or possibly if the battery got so low… This should not happen under normal circumstances.

Q. Setup software won’t run on my Windows 8?

A. mSetup will not run on Windows 8.0/8.1 RT (ARM processor). It should run on all true versions of Windows from XP to Windows 8.1

Q. When camera is set to take time lapse photos and then are transmitted via USB output thru a FPV transmitter, the pictures are Pink or Green or may be split etc.

A. Set Time Lapse Photo setting to (1) picture every 2 seconds or higher.

Q. I was updating my firmware and the update failed and now the camera just has a steady Blue light and the computer can’t communicate with it, what do I need to do?

A. Either, put the memory card into a card reader and delete the *******.bin file, then place the card back into the camera, or insert another memory card. Once able to communicate with the camera you can then try the firmware update again. (insure that the battery is fully charged and that no buttons are pressed prematurely during the update process).

Q. Does the memory card need to be inserted into the camera to connect to the computer and use the msetup configuration tool?

A. Yes, with the memory card the camera is seen just like a thumb drive, without the card the camera will be seen as a webcam.

Q. I can format the card and update the firmware but the camera refuses to record video. The rear LED is solid red instead of blinking. The yellow LED may also flash once when you press the shutter button.

A. Most likely you are using an SD card which is not compatible with the camera. Some batches of cards don’t work properly. A typical example is Sandisk 32GB Ultra (class 10) which did not work on earlier firmware versions. If you are having problems with your card use firmware v1.17 or above or try a different card or try formatting the card.

Q. I can’t take videos or photos and the camera is also not recognized by my PC as a removable drive.

A. It’s likely that the SD card is full or the file allocation table (FAT) has become corrupt. Format your card using an external card reader or try another card.

Q. The camera is not recognized as a removable disk or as a Webcam.

A1. The operating system must be XP or greater. The camera must be connected using a standard USB cable. Confirm that the cable is not defective by attaching another USB device using the same cable. Do not use a USB hub. Try using another USB port. Defective cables are the most common problems when the camera is not correctly recognized by the PC. You might also try unplugging other USB devices, then plug the camera. In some cases this seems to “wake up” the USB drivers and things start working again, then you can plug other USB devices back in.

A2. Actual customer process (Mike) used to get his computer USB ports to see the Mobius: I unplugged everything I had plugged into my USB ports except for my mouse (printer, keyboard, mem card reader). I uninstalled every drive except the one the mouse was using. Next I booted up from off with the camera attached. All my devices reinstalled and asked me to reboot. I rebooted, clicked on MSETUP.EXE and it worked.

A3. Actual customer input; Tried all the mentioned fixes, re-formatting, cables etc. Works on laptop but not desktop Dell Precision T3500 with two front USB ports. Tried the other port and it works!. Switched back to the previous port and it does not work. Maybe this will help other befuddled users.

(There are so many things that it could be with a computer, firewall, antivirus, devices, drivers, etc. this is one example.)

Q. An SD card is installed, but the camera is not recognized as a removable disk or by mSetup.

A. If you are sure your USB cable is not defective, then it’s possible that the PC USB drivers are not working properly. Try connecting the camera before turning on the PC. After the PC is turned on, the camera should be recognized as a removable disk. DriveCleanup.exe (freeware) may also be able to fix USB corruption problems. You may also want to try a different USB port on the computer or try the camera on a different computer. This will help to determine if it is a camera or computer issues.

Q. When the camera is connected as an external disk all the files on the SD card appear as corrupt.

A. There is a problem with your cable or the PC USB drivers are corrupt. DriveCleanup.exe (freeware) may be able to fix USB corruption problems.

Q. When the camera is connected to the PC and then turned on I can take pictures and movies but the camera is not recognized as a removable disk.

A. The USB cable is defective.

Q. When I turn the camera on the blue LED turns on and then off and is followed by a short yellow flash which is immediately followed by 15* red or yellow flashes and then 32* very fast red or yellow flashes. The camera then turns off.

*The flashes are either red or yellow, depending on what firmware version is running. There are 3 red flashes at the end of the sequence which may be visible or not visible.

A. There is no SD card inserted or the card is full or not formatted correctly or the card contacts are dirty. Format the card or use another card.

Q. The yellow LED flashes once per second 4 times and then flashes very quickly before turning off.

A. There is no micro SD card inserted, the card is not properly inserted, the card is full or the card is defective. The card must be inserted with the gold contacts facing upwards, towards the buttons. There should be a distinct spring action when inserting the last 5 mm and there should be no friction whatsoever.

When the card is pushed 1 mm inside the body the card should latch with a distinctive click.

Never force the card, and never push the card more than max. 1 mm into the camera body.

Q. When the camera is turned on, the blue LED turns on for a second and then the yellow LED turns on as normal. However, the Mode and Shutter buttons don’t react and I can’t take any video or pictures. The camera is also not recognized by my PC as a removable drive.

A. The lens module ribbon cable is not connected properly or the lens module is damaged.

Q. The camera does not react. The green LED may be on or off.

A. The firmware may have entered a continuous loop, or the battery may be discharged.

Make sure the battery is fully charged.

Use a paper clip or similar object to press the Reset button. This should force the camera to be turned off.

Wait 10 seconds.

Turn on the camera.

As a last resort, disconnect the battery and reconnect again after waiting 30 seconds.

Q. The camera functions normally but only records very short (5 sec.) clips and may turn off.

A. This can be caused by the following:

The battery may not be charged. Charge the battery for about 2.5 hours until the green LED turns off. (Use caution when charging from a laptop, when they go into hibernate mode they shut down ports/power and turning off LED’s, giving the user the false sense that the Mobius is charged, when reall it may have only receive 5 minutes of charge)

The battery is too cold to provide the power needed to record video. Keep the battery warm before using the camera in cold temperatures (around freezing and below).

Check the integrity of your card by using the program h2testw to make sure your card is genuine and not a fake card that has been up-rated.

The card used is not compatible with the camera. Use class 4 cards. Kingston cards are recommended.

Problematic 64GB cards (or larger) may work better if formatted with FAT32.

Q. Playback is erratic or stutters or the playback colors are psychedelic or the video flashes, has corrupted blocks etc.

A. Always first copy the video file from the memory card to your hard drive.

Your PC or graphics card may not be powerful enough to playback the video stream.

You may not have enough memory installed in your PC.

Use VLC Media Player. Window Media Player often chokes on underpowered machines.

Psychedelic colors may also indicate problems with the CMOS lens module. Make sure the CMOS lens cable is correctly seated and not cracked. The lens cable is very fragile.

Q. There is a distinctive buzzing or clicking noise when videos are played back.

A. Only use quality micro SD cards with a class rating of 4 or above. Low quality cards can draw excessive current which may result in electrical noise in the recording.

Q. When I update the firmware the blue LED remains on for about 2 seconds and then the yellow LED remains on. The firmware is not updated, but the firmware file is deleted from the card.

A. Firmware must be updated using an SD card formatted in FAT32. Larger cards with a capacity of 64GB and above are formatted with exFAT. New cards with a capacity up to 32GB are formatted with the FAT32.

Q. How can I clean my Weather Cover?

A. The Weather Cover can be wiped down using a Cotton Ball and Rubbing Alcohol or soap and water.

Q. There is no sound on playback.

A. Always first copy the video file from the memory card to your hard drive. This sometimes happens in certain media players depending on versions, codecs, etc. Best, most robust media player is VLC and is freeware.

Q. Having problems getting the Mobius to connect with a Mac, along with other Mac related issues.

A. Refer to the Mac related documents and helpful information found here.

Q. What is the screw type and size used in the Pro Mounts?

A. It is a #2 tri-lobe thread forming screw and requires a #1 phillips heads screw driver for proper fit.

Q. How many minutes or hours of video will my memory card hold?

A. For 1080P video, there is approx. 132,209KB of memory per minute of video (1GB=1,000,000/132,209KB=number of minutes) A. For 720P, 30fps video, there is approx. 63,537KB of memory per minute of video (1GB=1,000,000/63,537KB=number of minutes) A. For 720P, 60fps video, there is approx. 132.000KB of memory per minute of video (1GB=1,000,000/132,000KB=number of minutes)

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Example, 16GB gets about 2:20min of 1080P video, 720 60fps is about the same, 720 30fps is about double (4:30 min). From that you can figure how much different size cards will hold.

Q. How many high resolution photos will my memory card hold (time lapse photos)

A. A 2304 x 1536 picture =889Kb, (1GB=1,000,000/889=1124 photos) (16GB=1126 x 16=17984 photos) (32GB=35968 photos)

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Q. What size Hex wrench is used for the lens focus lock down set screw?

A. 0.9mm (.035in)

Q. What is the easiest method to focus the camera?

A. Check to see if you can turn the outer portion of the lens with the lens cap removed (wide Angle lens, for std lens the case will need to be opened). If you can rotate it then you will be able to focus it.

This is most easily done by putting the camera in webcam mode. The easiest method is to remove the memory card, then connect to your PC. Check in your devices to see if your computer lists a USB camera, if not you may need to download the AMCap software, which should then allow you to see your camera as a webcam (i.e. live video) at this point you can now adjust the focus on your camera while looking at your monitor. Point the camera at an object, (I like to select something with text) and adjust until you see the sharpest/crisp image. Your camera is now focused.

Q. How can I rotate a video and save it?

A. This is easily done using VLC media player. This is one of the best medial players in our opinion and the most robust. Steps to Rotate and Saving a video can be found here.

Q. Is the only form of payment PayPal?

A. PayPal processes all of our payments, but you can use any credit card if you choose or your Paypal account. Billing address must be in the same country as your delivery postal address. (Note: you are only paying with your PayPal account if you enter your PayPal password)

Vlc 8825 Reset Button Slot Machine Troubleshooting

Trouble Shooting/Frequently Ask Questions Mobius1/General:

Q. What is the difference between the Mobius, Mobius2 and the MobiusMini cameras?

A. Other than the obvious visual differences and size, the cameras do have different functionality. This can best be seen by looking at this compare document using msetup screens; Click Here

Q. What are my benefits from ordering from this website?

A. Aside from being able to purchase some of the exclusive mounts and accessories, like the Bar Mount, or the Magnet Mount, or the Weather Cover (all of which are included in the Pro16G Package) we also offer the Mobius shielded case option as a separate item or as an option in some of the packages. You also get access to our full customer service and support via Chat, Email or Phone. (note, this support is only available to our customers) You get a business that is dedicated to any an all things Mobius!

Q. Having a problem with Windows 10 seeing my Mobius or running msetup.

A. Do you have an SD card inserted into your tablet? If yes, then removing it may resolve the problem. This information is from another user who had problems with his Dell tablet. After removing the SD card mSetup would run normally. The non-responding hourglass appears as if a system call, maybe to a 3rd party driver, is never returning. (comment supplied by Isoprop RCGroups)

Q. Will the Mobius lens/sensor assemblies work with the Mobius2?

A. No, flat flex cable connectors are different

Q. How do I focus the lens on the Mobius camera?

A. Focusing the lens:

This can be most easily done by putting the camera in webcam mode.

Open the camera by removing the (2) small screws from the back of the camera.

Using the small hex wrench supplied, loosen the small set screw on the lens assembly. (note: handle lens assembly very carefully being careful not to pull on flex cable connection and handling the PCB by the edges)

Remove the memory card, plug in USB cable to computer, then turn camera on and view in webcam utility, i.e. AMCap

Turn lens until desired focus is achieved, it shouldn’t require much adjustment (again, being careful to not screw in too far as damage may occur to sensor glass) then tighten set screw and reassemble camera.

Q. I’m having troubles playing my videos with my current media player?

A. We have found one of the most robust media players to use is MPC-HC (Media Player Classic Home Cinema), which is a free download (HERE) With all the different/new video codecs, etc not all media players are up to the current technology.

Q. How can I configure my Mobius on a Mac?

A. The ideal method of configuring your Mobius is by using the MobiusManager.App software. Note that there are different versions depending on which firmware version your camera has. It can also be done via a text file as outlined in the user manual.

Q. Can I charge the Mobius camera while recording?

A. Yes, if charging with a USB “data” port, you must turn the camera on and start recording first, then connect to USB port; otherwise just connect to USB power source.

Q. Can I use my cell phone charger to charge my Mobius camera?

A. If you phone wall charger has a detachable cable with a standard USB connector on it then you should be ok using it. It should provide 1000mah min.

Q. Can I acquire images from Mobius camera into a computer?

A. Yes, very easy, camera operates like a thumb drive; drag drop and double click.

Q. Can the Mobius be connected to a laptop after it is mounted in the car in order to see a live feed to verify it is mounted properly?

A. Yes, the easiest way to do this is to put the camera into webcam mode, which is easiest done by removing the memory card.

Q. How can I configure my Mobius on a PC?

A. The ideal method of configuring your Mobius is by using the msetup.exe software. It can also be done via a text file as outlined in the user manual.

Q. Where can I find instructions for the Mobius?

A. Instructions can be found inside of the msetup.exe configuration tool, or on the Download/Info page.

Q. Is it possible to control the Mobius camera via USB?

A. That can achieved that by configuring the camera to start when it sees external power, and power is supplied thru the USB cable. It can also stop when external power is removed or continue even if external power is removed.

Q. When filming, the sound is ok, but there’s no image (all black), and when taking pictures it’s also black except the time and date stamp.

A. Check the camera configuration using msetup, on the last tab (Advance Image Settings) make sure all the slider bars are in the middle position, not to the extreme.

Q. Are there any special drivers for using the Mobius on Windows 10?

A. No special drivers are required, you may want to make sure you are using the most recent version of msetup, this comment from one user; I have W10 on a desktop and tablet with NO issues with mSetup. There have been reported problems with some users using laptops that have a memory card in the laptop reader, but this has been unverified…

Q. What software can I use to use the Mobius as a webcam?

A. AMCap is a nice piece of software and is a free download.

Q. What software can I use to capture video in webcam mode while connected to my PC?

A. AMCap is a nice piece of software and is a free download.

Q. Is there a new Wide Angle “C” lens?

A. The original “C” lens has been replaced by the new “C2″ lens assembly (more info here)

Q. What are the widest FOV of the A, B & C lenses?

A. Standard “A” Lens in 1080P wide = 85 deg./Wide Angle “B” Lens in 1080P wide = 116 deg./Wide Angle “C”/”C2” Lens in 1080P wide = 132 deg.

Q. What is the focus distance of the Standard “A” lens?

A. If using the camera in near field, then the Standard “A” lens would be recommended and focus distance is 10-12 inches (254-305mm)

Q. What are the differences between different memory cards?

A. The following link has some helpful info about Micro SD cards and their differences. Here also. Here also.

Q. How do I remove the SD card from the Mobius?

A. Using a finger nail, push the card in, you will hear it click, then release and it will pop out. Inserting is the same, when you hear a click, it is inserted.

Q. What is the video file format the Mobius generates?

A. The Mobius can be configured to create .MOV/.MP4/.AVI/.WAV (audio only) files.

Q. I want to synchronize multiple Mobius cameras for 3D, how can I do this?

A. Set all cameras to start on external power; (Power-On Auto Record) the cameras don’t need to be continually externally powered, this can be done by setting “Power-Off Disconnect” to disabled. This would allow the cameras to begin to record when seeing external power, then once started external power can be removed and they should continue to record.

Q. When using my camera as a Dashcam, the last few minutes of video are not recorded. For example, when I take a 7-minute drive, a video file in .MOV format includes the video for the first five minutes of the drive, but there is no file including the video for the last two minutes of the drive. In another example, when I take a 14 minute drive, there are two files, each for 5 minutes, for a total of 10 minutes, but there is no video for the last 4 minutes.

A. This can happen when using the Super Capacitor. The setting for “Power-Off Disconnect” must be set for “Immediate”

Q. Mobius camera is not recognized as a removable drive.

A. Do you have the video-out cable connected? If so, The camera will never be recognized as a removable drive when the video-out cable is connected. Use the standard supplied USB cable.

Q. How do I know if I have the new Wide Angle “C” lens vs the “B” lens?

A. A detailed description can be found here.

Q. Can I save a specific video clip while recording in loop mode so that it won’t be over written?

A. The current clip can be Write Protected by briefly pressing (max. 1 second) the Mode button while the camera is recording. This will set the file’s read-only attribute which will prevent the current recording from being deleted.

Note that formatting the card will delete all the files, including the protected files with the read-attribute set. ►Depending on the length of the current recording, the previous or the following clip may also be automatically locked.

If the current recording file is less than 1 minute, both the previous file and the current file will be locked.

If the current recording file will be closed in less than 1 minute, both the current file and the following file will be locked.

If the current file has been recording for over 1 minute but will only be closed after at least another 1 minute of recording, only the current file will be locked.

Q. When taking still images, they are tagged with full metadata. When setting image mode to use timed shots (any interval), they are saved with minimal metadata. Is there a way of having full meta data supplied?

A. The metadata (as well as the date/time stamp) must be omitted for timed photos (i.e. “time lapse” mode) whenever the delay between photos is set for less than 2 seconds. This is necessary in order for the photo processing to have enough time to capture and compress the image, and write the image file to the memory card before it’s time to capture the next image. The extra time needed to also capture the date stamp and all the metadata takes to long when the delay between images is set below 2 seconds. FW cannot fix this since it’s a hardware problem. The only solution (which is probably not an acceptable one to your customer) is to set the delay to 2 sec. or higher.

Hint: If you boot Isoprop’s mSetup.exe GUI, open the Photo Tab, and hover the mouse over the Time Lapse Photo function name, you will see this limitation mentioned there (assuming you have not toggled off the Tool Tip feature of the GUI).

Q. How can I tell how much charge my camera has?

A. When turning the Mobius on, the Red LED in the rear of the camera above the memory card slot will flash rapidly from 1-3 times indicating the amount of charge; (1) being the least.

Q. How can I use my Windows 7 laptop to align the camera once I mount it?

A. You could put it in webcam mode. Easiest by removing the memory card, may need to download and install AMCap software.

Q. Where can I find the instruction manual for the Mobius?

A. The manual can be found inside of the msetup & MobiusManager configuration tool thru the HELP button. The link to downloading the manual can also be found on the Downloads/Info page.

Q. After installing and using the Mobius Android App the camera is no longer detected as a new USB device with my computer?

A. Not sure why this is happening , but the camera can still be accessed by it’s drive designation i.e. (H:) thru File Manager/Windows Explorer. For those that don’t know how to access; Right click on Windows Start Button, lower Left Corner, select “Open Windows Explorer” you should see the camera as a drive letter in the Left column. Click on it to view contents of camera.

Q. mSetup will not start on some Windows 8.1 tablets if the tab has a micro SD card installed

A. Apparently a weird bug, See comment 12 at http://forum.tabletpcreview.com/threads/one-program-will-not-load-which-runs-on-my-win-8-1-laptop-dell-venue-8-pro.60392/

With the sd card removed from tablet, the Mobius program then started with no problems. (thanks to Pete for sharing his find!)

Q. Why has my clock/calendar reset?

A. The only thing that can cause the time to re-set is removal of power from the camera; or possibly an intermittent power issue, or possibly if the battery got so low… This should not happen under normal circumstances.

Q. Setup software won’t run on my Windows 8?

A. mSetup will not run on Windows 8.0/8.1 RT (ARM processor). It should run on all true versions of Windows from XP to Windows 8.1

Q. When camera is set to take time lapse photos and then are transmitted via USB output thru a FPV transmitter, the pictures are Pink or Green or may be split etc.

A. Set Time Lapse Photo setting to (1) picture every 2 seconds or higher.

Q. I was updating my firmware and the update failed and now the camera just has a steady Blue light and the computer can’t communicate with it, what do I need to do?

A. Either, put the memory card into a card reader and delete the *******.bin file, then place the card back into the camera, or insert another memory card. Once able to communicate with the camera you can then try the firmware update again. (insure that the battery is fully charged and that no buttons are pressed prematurely during the update process).

Q. Does the memory card need to be inserted into the camera to connect to the computer and use the msetup configuration tool?

A. Yes, with the memory card the camera is seen just like a thumb drive, without the card the camera will be seen as a webcam.

Q. I can format the card and update the firmware but the camera refuses to record video. The rear LED is solid red instead of blinking. The yellow LED may also flash once when you press the shutter button.

A. Most likely you are using an SD card which is not compatible with the camera. Some batches of cards don’t work properly. A typical example is Sandisk 32GB Ultra (class 10) which did not work on earlier firmware versions. If you are having problems with your card use firmware v1.17 or above or try a different card or try formatting the card.

Q. I can’t take videos or photos and the camera is also not recognized by my PC as a removable drive.

A. It’s likely that the SD card is full or the file allocation table (FAT) has become corrupt. Format your card using an external card reader or try another card.

Q. The camera is not recognized as a removable disk or as a Webcam.

A1. The operating system must be XP or greater. The camera must be connected using a standard USB cable. Confirm that the cable is not defective by attaching another USB device using the same cable. Do not use a USB hub. Try using another USB port. Defective cables are the most common problems when the camera is not correctly recognized by the PC. You might also try unplugging other USB devices, then plug the camera. In some cases this seems to “wake up” the USB drivers and things start working again, then you can plug other USB devices back in.

A2. Actual customer process (Mike) used to get his computer USB ports to see the Mobius: I unplugged everything I had plugged into my USB ports except for my mouse (printer, keyboard, mem card reader). I uninstalled every drive except the one the mouse was using. Next I booted up from off with the camera attached. All my devices reinstalled and asked me to reboot. I rebooted, clicked on MSETUP.EXE and it worked.

A3. Actual customer input; Tried all the mentioned fixes, re-formatting, cables etc. Works on laptop but not desktop Dell Precision T3500 with two front USB ports. Tried the other port and it works!. Switched back to the previous port and it does not work. Maybe this will help other befuddled users.

(There are so many things that it could be with a computer, firewall, antivirus, devices, drivers, etc. this is one example.)

Q. An SD card is installed, but the camera is not recognized as a removable disk or by mSetup.

A. If you are sure your USB cable is not defective, then it’s possible that the PC USB drivers are not working properly. Try connecting the camera before turning on the PC. After the PC is turned on, the camera should be recognized as a removable disk. DriveCleanup.exe (freeware) may also be able to fix USB corruption problems. You may also want to try a different USB port on the computer or try the camera on a different computer. This will help to determine if it is a camera or computer issues.

Q. When the camera is connected as an external disk all the files on the SD card appear as corrupt.

A. There is a problem with your cable or the PC USB drivers are corrupt. DriveCleanup.exe (freeware) may be able to fix USB corruption problems.

Q. When the camera is connected to the PC and then turned on I can take pictures and movies but the camera is not recognized as a removable disk.

A. The USB cable is defective.

Q. When I turn the camera on the blue LED turns on and then off and is followed by a short yellow flash which is immediately followed by 15* red or yellow flashes and then 32* very fast red or yellow flashes. The camera then turns off.

*The flashes are either red or yellow, depending on what firmware version is running. There are 3 red flashes at the end of the sequence which may be visible or not visible.

A. There is no SD card inserted or the card is full or not formatted correctly or the card contacts are dirty. Format the card or use another card.

Q. The yellow LED flashes once per second 4 times and then flashes very quickly before turning off.

A. There is no micro SD card inserted, the card is not properly inserted, the card is full or the card is defective. The card must be inserted with the gold contacts facing upwards, towards the buttons. There should be a distinct spring action when inserting the last 5 mm and there should be no friction whatsoever.

When the card is pushed 1 mm inside the body the card should latch with a distinctive click.

Never force the card, and never push the card more than max. 1 mm into the camera body.

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Q. When the camera is turned on, the blue LED turns on for a second and then the yellow LED turns on as normal. However, the Mode and Shutter buttons don’t react and I can’t take any video or pictures. The camera is also not recognized by my PC as a removable drive.

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A. The lens module ribbon cable is not connected properly or the lens module is damaged.

Q. The camera does not react. The green LED may be on or off.

A. The firmware may have entered a continuous loop, or the battery may be discharged.

Make sure the battery is fully charged.

Use a paper clip or similar object to press the Reset button. This should force the camera to be turned off.

Wait 10 seconds.

Turn on the camera.

As a last resort, disconnect the battery and reconnect again after waiting 30 seconds.

Q. The camera functions normally but only records very short (5 sec.) clips and may turn off.

A. This can be caused by the following:

The battery may not be charged. Charge the battery for about 2.5 hours until the green LED turns off. (Use caution when charging from a laptop, when they go into hibernate mode they shut down ports/power and turning off LED’s, giving the user the false sense that the Mobius is charged, when reall it may have only receive 5 minutes of charge)

The battery is too cold to provide the power needed to record video. Keep the battery warm before using the camera in cold temperatures (around freezing and below).

Check the integrity of your card by using the program h2testw to make sure your card is genuine and not a fake card that has been up-rated.

The card used is not compatible with the camera. Use class 4 cards. Kingston cards are recommended.

Problematic 64GB cards (or larger) may work better if formatted with FAT32.

Q. Playback is erratic or stutters or the playback colors are psychedelic or the video flashes, has corrupted blocks etc.

A. Always first copy the video file from the memory card to your hard drive.

Your PC or graphics card may not be powerful enough to playback the video stream.

You may not have enough memory installed in your PC.

Use VLC Media Player. Window Media Player often chokes on underpowered machines.

Psychedelic colors may also indicate problems with the CMOS lens module. Make sure the CMOS lens cable is correctly seated and not cracked. The lens cable is very fragile.

Q. There is a distinctive buzzing or clicking noise when videos are played back.

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A. Only use quality micro SD cards with a class rating of 4 or above. Low quality cards can draw excessive current which may result in electrical noise in the recording.

Q. When I update the firmware the blue LED remains on for about 2 seconds and then the yellow LED remains on. The firmware is not updated, but the firmware file is deleted from the card.

A. Firmware must be updated using an SD card formatted in FAT32. Larger cards with a capacity of 64GB and above are formatted with exFAT. New cards with a capacity up to 32GB are formatted with the FAT32.

Q. How can I clean my Weather Cover?

A. The Weather Cover can be wiped down using a Cotton Ball and Rubbing Alcohol or soap and water.

Q. There is no sound on playback.

A. Always first copy the video file from the memory card to your hard drive. This sometimes happens in certain media players depending on versions, codecs, etc. Best, most robust media player is VLC and is freeware.

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Q. Having problems getting the Mobius to connect with a Mac, along with other Mac related issues.

A. Refer to the Mac related documents and helpful information found here.

Q. What is the screw type and size used in the Pro Mounts?

A. It is a #2 tri-lobe thread forming screw and requires a #1 phillips heads screw driver for proper fit.

Q. How many minutes or hours of video will my memory card hold?

A. For 1080P video, there is approx. 132,209KB of memory per minute of video (1GB=1,000,000/132,209KB=number of minutes) A. For 720P, 30fps video, there is approx. 63,537KB of memory per minute of video (1GB=1,000,000/63,537KB=number of minutes) A. For 720P, 60fps video, there is approx. 132.000KB of memory per minute of video (1GB=1,000,000/132,000KB=number of minutes)

or

Example, 16GB gets about 2:20min of 1080P video, 720 60fps is about the same, 720 30fps is about double (4:30 min). From that you can figure how much different size cards will hold.

Q. How many high resolution photos will my memory card hold (time lapse photos)

A. A 2304 x 1536 picture =889Kb, (1GB=1,000,000/889=1124 photos) (16GB=1126 x 16=17984 photos) (32GB=35968 photos)

Q. What size Hex wrench is used for the lens focus lock down set screw?

A. 0.9mm (.035in)

Q. What is the easiest method to focus the camera?

A. Check to see if you can turn the outer portion of the lens with the lens cap removed (wide Angle lens, for std lens the case will need to be opened). If you can rotate it then you will be able to focus it.

This is most easily done by putting the camera in webcam mode. The easiest method is to remove the memory card, then connect to your PC. Check in your devices to see if your computer lists a USB camera, if not you may need to download the AMCap software, which should then allow you to see your camera as a webcam (i.e. live video) at this point you can now adjust the focus on your camera while looking at your monitor. Point the camera at an object, (I like to select something with text) and adjust until you see the sharpest/crisp image. Your camera is now focused.

Q. How can I rotate a video and save it?

A. This is easily done using VLC media player. This is one of the best medial players in our opinion and the most robust. Steps to Rotate and Saving a video can be found here.

Q. Is the only form of payment PayPal?

A. PayPal processes all of our payments, but you can use any credit card if you choose or your Paypal account. Billing address must be in the same country as your delivery postal address. (Note: you are only paying with your PayPal account if you enter your PayPal password)

[dramataste9]

Exceptional Suggestions to Pick a Cell Phone for your Teens at Home

Having young kids and utilizing a cellphone before them is not smart, and oftentimes not encouraged. Little Children desire all sorts of things that's in the hands, and your cellphone is the right mix of enjoyment and simplicity. Hiding your smart phone is just a futile solution. Maybe it's worse, I believe. A month ago, was his chance to disguise your smart phone. Right until pretty recently, the recommendation was that parents avoid showing children under 2 screens of any sort, including TV, tablets, or mobile phones. In 2016, it somewhat eased the guidelines. We broke this guideline a long time ago. I do not remember whenever we first hold an iPhone before his face, but over the last couple of months, we've viewed in horror as my son has developed a full-blown dependence on phones, long before he's also old enough to own one. During the last decade, much continues to be written about the fantastic display time debate: how often should our children be exposed to screens, and at what age? As recently as October 2016, a newspaper published an attribute that coated a dark vision of children and screens, using a estimate from a Facebook executive assistant stating that only bad things lurks inside our devices. Immediately after reading the story, we went into total panic mode and instituted a rule in our house where no-one is permitted to give our new son a cellphone. For the moment, this has kept the devil at bay. Still, I understand there should come a period when I'll yield to the inevitable and purchase my son his first phone. The possibility currently makes me stressed.

Regarding to a 2016 record, 72 percent of children between the age range of 13 and 16 have their own phone, while a 2018 survey indicates that nearly 44 percent of kids get their own personal cell phone plan between the age range of 11 and 12. In linked houses those that have more than 3 gadgets, kids obtain first tablet if they are 5.5 years old, and their first phone at the age of 6. These days, many adults are having technology in children's hands when they can keep them. But when it comes to what kinds of cell phones parents should actually buy their kids, the market offers very few options: There is no iPhone equal for kids, and there by no means has been. Generally, children are stuck with their parents' hand-me-down smartphones, as well as the responsability is definitely on the parent to install the necessary parental controls. Therefore, why hasn't the industry successfully made a mobile phone for kids? And if it did, what would such a device actually appear to be? While couples are often shamed for utilizing monitors to entertain their little children or supervise them by proxy, many people will concur that presenting their a kid a cell phone can be part and parcel to be a accountable parent in 2019. Ideally, a good smartphone for young adults should be mainly because strong as you can, maybe it would possess a way to text when there is a school emergency or some other kind of emergency, or not really allow them to carefully turn off their GPS or erase text messages. Others claim that such a tool should be sociable social media-free. No image no internet may be the matter we kept hearing from parents. With out a video camera or connectivity, teenagers cannot take selfies or build relationships social media, two actions parents are eager to control. Whilst tablets have already been properly promoted to little children, efforts to build up smart phones for kids have nearly universally failed. We have seen a lot of cell phones for kids over time and they are all junk. In 2014, one kids' tech company released the Kurio Google android phone, that was made to operate and appearance just like a grown-up cellphone, but with safety product features and usage limits to hide all scenarios. While fairly bland-looking, the telephone had all the things an anxious parent would've wished for: it blocked 450 million websites, allowed couples with children to remotely view texts and contact logs, and provided period limits on apps a long time before Apple introduced similar features. It even included a customizable in case of emergency form, featuring the child's allergic reaction information and blood type. Later in 2018, VTech, a plaything business, presented the KidiBuzz, a phone for kids between the age range of 5 and 9 that allows children to receive and send texts, photos, and voice messages. The kids cellphone was a marvelous flop and it had been forgotten the same year it had been unveiled. The unit was expensive to produce, but as it was not top quality, it could not really be sold at a proper price, it had been not Apple or Samsung, and this group the smart phone was aimed at, pre-tweens/tweens, is very brand and look-conscious. On the other hand, the KidiBuzz provides 35 percent one-star testimonials about Amazon, with one commenter observing that it generally does not even make a strong paperweight. Area of the issue with child-focused smartphones is efficiency: several devices occupy an amorphous grey space among a gadget and device. The KidiBuzz, for instance, presents features like video games and apps, but doesn't actually allow users place telephone calls. Adults searching for sensible mobile phones for children on Amazon may also come across dozens upon dozens of nonfunctional play phone items, gadgets that appear to be cell phones but are in fact toys which come equipped with various ringtones and flashing lights. An extra added problem is that items marketed as kid-friendly, have a built-in expiration time. There's very little activity happening in the child-specific space, since it just doesn't level well. You're talking about a very small segment of it: kids ages 4 to 10 or 9 to 12, etc. And it's really actually even smaller sized than that, mainly because at a certain age I don't believe children want the particular mobile phone. They need the same device you're utilizing. https://www.networkworld.com/article/2172154/iphone-6-rumor-rollup-for-the-week-ending-nov--22.html By and large, the truth is which the devices people want to use will be the devices coming from the big manufacturers. Why build some thing that is intent-built and a single model of these devices when you could basically consider any vendor's design and work with a parental controls app to greatly help control that? However, there's real anxiousness around giving developing children access to products that are nothing in short supply of addictive to grown adults. And more research has emerged linking excessive display time to, among other activities, depression, reduced rest, and speech hold off in infants. All that has pushed a small number of entrepreneurs to generate substitute solutions for children. The primary issue with providing young kids smart phones, is that, for lack of a better term, it's such an attractive, glossy device, you want to download games, open the web. That's almost inherent to the phone. I feel it actually myself in my phone. It is an extremely powerful issue. The first iteration from the Light Phone was meant to be used as little as possible: it might place cell phone calls, and mainly nothing else. The coming Light Mobile phone 2 may also allow users text. It's among a handful of entries in the smart, or dumb phone movement, which was spurred by a growing concern about smartphone reliance. Although not intended for children, the Light Telephone has gotten significant amounts of attention from couples. Couples have a problem with this problem: they need a smart phone so their child can contact them within an emergency, but Snapchat really scares them. The Jitterbug, which includes a large screen and good sized type, is one more dumb cellphone repeatedly cited as a good choice for young kids - even though it was developed for elderly people. additional hints The Jitterbug can place telephone calls and receive and send texts; at less than $50 for the turn mobile phone version, it's also substantially cheaper than the Light Phone 2, which includes not delivered out however but happens to be priced at $290. Some producers are bypassing cell phones altogether by entering the wearables marketplace. GizmoWatch, for instance, enables adults to monitor their kids' location and provides alerts if they enterprise outside a specific radius; it also lets young kids text and make phone calls to up to 10 friends on the preprogrammed get in touch with list, allowing parents to stay in touch using their children while curbing their display time. Without technically a wearable (if you can hook it to clothing having a carabiner-like item), the Relay, an identical to walkie-talkie gadget, is an additional access in the children' technology space. The device presents itself like a middle surface for less tech-savvy parents who are worried about display screen time, but don't want to navigate the complicated world of parental control apps. There's no way to view a bad YouTube video or seek out something unacceptable using the cell phone, because there's no display. Though devices just like the Relay and the GizmoWatch also appear to be exactly what these are: products for kids. And that may be a problem. Almost always there is some potential with wearables, but I'm a little hesitant to state they're gonna be considered a big seller. The marketplace demand in comparison to alternative options is such that the influence tends to be fairly limited. I could get my child a child smartwatch, that they may or might not use, or I could give them a phone. Wise watches, are not going to substitute cell phones for children. Children want even more. They are inundated with messaging to remain interconnected constantly. This is actually the world kids are developing up in. With out better alternatives, couples with children are generally stuck passing off their worn out Androids or iPhones or buying an old mobile phone, that still costs hundreds of dollars. There is just a certain comfort and ease there because that's what dad and mom have always utilized. Handing down our previous smart phones is normally low-cost as well as the parental handles work fairly well. Children aren't some unique animal that require special tools with regards to smartphones. These are little humans, and I prefer to respect them with regards to tech. And rather than creating new products, producers have started developing features to create their adult-focused items more teen-friendly. Apple's new operating system parental configurations include a Screen Time feature, that allows you to set period limits for particular applications and monitor how much period they're spending on their cellphones. Google has unveiled Google Family members Link, a free of charge app which allows couples with children to monitor their kids' screen time as well as wirelessly secure their products if they're spending too much time using them. These application work-arounds aren't ideal - kids are apparently hacking Apple's Screen Time by just changing the time setting on their device, but they're a recognition that children of a particular age want to own the same thing everyone else has. And if everybody else has an iPhone or an Google android, many will not accept anything less. Yet eventually the stress parents experience around what sorts of devices to buy their young kids so when may also be a way of projecting worries about our very own complicated relationships with cell phones. The solution may possibly not be finding the right device for our kids, but wrangling our very own impulses, especially because a handful of analysts say that parents who are overly distracted by their gadgets are establishing behavioral issues within their teenagers. Young Adults will do what you carry out, not what you tell them to do. You must model great digital habits. In fact, a 2016 research found that although 80 percent of couples with children thought they were modeling great screen behaviors for his or her kids, they were spending an average of nine hours each day with their screens, a lot more time than their children were. When I noticed that I was spending far more period scrolling through my e-mail and Twitter than I used to be playing on to the floor with my child, I realized that the challenge was not with displays bending his fragile mind. It was that I'd currently allowed my mobile phone to bend mine. So these days, we try not to use our cell phones at all before our son. That is a habit that can be easily designed for later years and really depends on the parents to maintain our young children away from cellphones until these people understand responsibility.

[gamehayapkmod]

Doomsday Master

Doomsday Master

Game Doomsday Master là dòng game Arcade

Giới thiệu Doomsday Master

Biochemical disaster erupts, the world is at stake? No, the world has been destroyed. You may be the only male currently known to survive. Now please pick up this gun, wear your only protective gear, and rescue the beautiful young ladies and sisters of all professions with you in the last days. Go ahead, I dare not say that there is an end to this end, because the levels we designed seem to be endless (laughing and crying), but because of this, we have carefully developed several intimate and small auxiliary robots to help you Hang these zombies with your sisters and you will soon pick them up by the road ~~~ Game Features: 1. This game does not really have any pay windows. 2. The game is not tied to the traditional shooting framework. We have added a partner gameplay to make the player look more like an array than a single individual. 3. The auxiliary robot is a very special point of play. Most of the robots are responsible for things other than attacks, such as defense and control within a certain range. You can even use a shield robot to push the front zombie. 4. Although the zombie bosses in the game are not as perverted as in the traditional horizontal axis breakthrough, they also have unique skills, and after the game has reached a certain stage, they will also strike in teams, which will definitely make you focus and forget A lot of troubles ~ 5. In fact, the gameplay is very simple. Eliminate more zombies, get more resources, 6. Friendly reminder, please keep your characters away from the zombies, if they are too close together, they will smell alive. Producer's words: Hello everyone, I ’m Xiao Yang. One of the developers of this game. I have developed this game in cooperation with another developer Xiao Zhang. As a standard two-person team, we have ten years of game development. Experience, and like many friends here, no less than 20 years of player experience, from the arcade red and white machine era to the computer room (single Internet cafes without Internet) to GB, GBA handheld to Internet cafes to mobile phones and tablets, Almost seamlessly throughout our childhood, to the beginning In high school, of course, we are inevitably addicted to online games, have made us over and over the school walls at night again and again, We resigned, but fortunately, we have a little pitiful savings, so that we have the courage to take the first step on the road to "making a game that we think is good." How can a man who cannot stop know how to write the word fear? Then we referred to some of the most popular casual games at the time, showed us the way to get a smooth gaming experience without players spending any money, which made us see hope. Smooth and intense game experience, beautiful food without recharge, creative gameplay, these are exactly what we want! So we started to do it, after eight months (there is still some outsourcing in the meantime, you know, we do n’t have to worry about it), We have officially passed the mutual abuse phase of internal testing. We are determined to abuse ourselves as much as possible to reach the standards of current players. So we put it on the platform for testing. I hope that we can make you a "good game" through the flogging of everyone. With all my aspirations, this work will be continuously improved to pay tribute to all players and players along the way! I also hope that you guys can support us, and let us go further and further on this rebellious road! remove vungle and some bugs

Download APK

Tải APK ([app_filesize]) #gamehayapk #gameandroid #gameapk #gameupdate

[bagelpyjama19]

Practical Strategies to Pick a Cellphone for your Students at Home

My son is going to be a couple of years old, and his most popular plaything is definitely my own iPhone X. I stash it all over the place: in back of fluffy teddy bears, among reference books, inside furniture. He locates it every time and runs up to all of us, holding it in his little fist and moans when I say no, he just crumples onto the ground and weeps. It could be worse, I believe. Last month, was his turn to tuck away the mobile phone. Right until pretty recently, the recommendation was that couples avoid showing children under two displays of any kind, including TV, iPads, or smartphones. In 2015, it somewhat eased the guidelines. My husband and I violated this guideline a long time ago. I don't keep in mind whenever we first cradled an Apple iPhone before his eyes, but during the last couple of months, we've viewed in horror as my child is rolling out a full-blown dependence on phones, a long time before he's even old enough to own one. During the last decade, very much continues to be written about the fantastic display time debate: how often should our children come in contact with screens, with what age? As lately as Oct 2017, a paper published an attribute that decorated a dark eyesight of children and screens, using a estimate from a Facebook professional assistant saying that only bad stuff lurks in our devices. Soon after researching the story, we went into total panic mode and implemented a rule inside our house where no one is allowed to give our kid a smart phone. For the time being, this has kept the devil away. However, I know there will come a period when I will give in towards the inevitable and buy my son his first phone. The potential already makes me stressed. Relating to a 2014 survey, 73 percent of children between the age range of 12 and 18 possess their own phone, while a 2017 study indicates that nearly 44 percent of kids get their own personal cell phone plan between the ages of 10 and 13. In connected households people with a lot more than 3 devices, kids obtain first tablet when they are 5 years old, and their first phone at the age of 6. These days, many couples with children are putting technology in youngsters' hands when they can hold them. However when it involves what kinds of cell phones parents should purchase their kids, the market offers hardly any options: There is no iPhone equivalent for kids, and there never has been. Generally, kids are stuck with their parents' hand-me-down smartphones, as well as the responsability is definitely on the parent to install the required parental adjustments. Therefore, why has not the industry effectively made a telephone for children? And if it do, what would such a device actually appear to be?

Although couples with children are often shamed for utilizing screens to entertain their teens or supervise them by default, many individuals will agree that presenting their a kid a cellphone can be part and parcel to be a accountable parent in 2019. Ultimately, a good mobile phone for teens ought to be simply because strong as is possible, probably it would possess a way to text if there is a school emergency or various other type of unforeseen emergency, or not allow them to turn away their navigation or delete texts. Others claim that such a tool should be public social media-free. No picture and no internet may be the factor we held hearing from adults. Without a video camera or connection, teenagers cannot take selfies or engage with social media, two activities parents are eager to control. Even though tablets have already been systematically publicized to little children, efforts to build up smart phones for little children have almost universally failed. We've seen a whole lot of cell phones for children over the years and they are all junk. In 2014, one teenagers' tech business unveiled the Kurio Google android mobile phone, that was made to operate and appearance just like a grown-up mobile phone, but with safety product features and usage limitations to hide all situations. While fairly bland-looking, the phone had almost everything an eager parent would've wanted: it blocked 415 million websites, allowed parents to remotely view text messages and call logs, and provided period limits in apps long before Apple introduced similar features. It actually included a customizable in case of emergency form, featuring the child's allergy information and blood type. And in 2017, VTech, a toy firm, presented the KidiBuzz, a mobile phone for children between the age groups of 5 and 11 which allows children to receive and send texts, photographs, and voice communications. The kids phone was a wonderful flop and it had been discontinued the same year it had been introduced. The unit was expensive to produce, but since it was not branded, it could not really be offered at an effective price, it had been not really Samsung or Apple, and this group the cell phone was targeted at, pre-tweens/tweens, is very brand and look-self-conscious. In the mean time, the KidiBuzz provides 34 % one-star reviews in Amazon, with a single commenter observing that it generally does not even make a decent paperweight. this hyperlink Part of the concern with child-focused smart phones is features: several products occupy an amorphous gray space among a toy and device. The KidiBuzz, for instance, gives features like video games and apps, but doesn't even allow users place telephone calls. Parents looking for wise cellphones for kids on Amazon may also run into dozens upon a large number of nonfunctional play phone items, products that look like phones but are actually toys that come equipped with various ringtones and blinking lights. Another added challenge is that products marketed as kid-friendly, have an integral expiration day. There's not a lot of activity taking place in the child-specific space, because it simply doesn't scale well. You're discussing a very little segment from it: kids age range 4 to 10 or 7 to 11, etc. And it's likely even smaller sized than that, because at a particular age I don't believe children want the special cellphone. They want the same device you're using. By and large, the truth is how the devices people wish to use are the devices from the big producers. So why build some thing that is purpose-built and an individual model of these devices when you could basically take any maker's style and use a parental settings app to help control this? However, there's real stress about giving developing children access to products that are absolutely nothing in short supply of addictive to grown adults. And even more research has surfaced linking excessive display time to, among other things, sadness, reduced sleep, and speech postpone in babies. All that has pushed a handful of entrepreneurs to produce alternate solutions for kids. The main concern with giving children cell phones, is that, for lack of an improved term, it's such a sexy, glossy device, you want to download games, open the web. Which is almost inherent to the telephone. Personally i think it also myself in my own mobile phone. It's a very effective issue. The first version of the Light Phone was designed to be used as little as possible: it might place telephone calls, and fundamentally nothing else. The impending Light Mobile phone 2 will also let users text. It's one of a small number of entries in the minimalist, or dumb telephone movement, which was spurred by a growing concern about cellphone addiction. While not designed for children, the Light Telephone has gotten significant amounts of attention from couples with children. Adults struggle with this dilemma: they want a phone therefore their child can contact them within an emergency, but Snapchat actually scares all of them. The Jitterbug, which features a larger display screen and larger type, is one more dumb cellphone routinely cited as a good option for young kids - though it was developed for seniors. The Jitterbug can make telephone calls and receive and send texts; at less than $50 for the turn smart phone version, it is also substantially cheaper than the Light Telephone 2, which has not shipped out yet but happens to be priced at $290. Some producers are bypassing phones altogether by entering the wearables market. GizmoWatch, for instance, enables couples to monitor their kids' precise location and provides alerts when they venture outside a particular radius; in addition, it lets young adults textual content and make calls to up to 10 people on the preprogrammed contact list, enabling parents to stay in touch with their kids while curbing their display screen time. Without technically a wearable (though you may hook it to clothes with a carabiner-like item), the Relay, a similar to walkie-talkie gadget, is an additional entry in the kids' technology space. The device presents itself as a middle surface for much less tech-savvy parents who are concerned about display screen time, but don't need to navigate the complicated globe of parental control apps. There's no way to watch an undesirable YouTube video or seek out something inappropriate using the mobile phone, because there is no display screen. But devices just like the Relay as well as the GizmoWatch also appear to be exactly what they may be: items for children. And that may be a issue. Almost always there is some chance with wearables, yet I am just a little reluctant to state they're gonna be a big vendor. The marketplace demand in comparison to alternative options is in a way that the impact tends to be fairly limited. I could get my kid a kid smartwatch, which they may or may not wear, or I could give them a phone. Smart watches, are not going to substitute cell phones for teenagers. Kids want even more. They are bombarded with messages to remain interconnected frequently. This is actually the world children are growing up in. Without better alternatives, couples with children are mainly trapped passing off their worn out iPhones or Androids or buying a vintage cellphone, which still costs you hundreds of dollars. There's only a certain comfort and ease there because that's what dad and mom have always utilized. Handing down our previous phones is normally low-cost as well as the parental controls work fairly well. Children aren't some particular animal that want special tools when it comes to cell phones. They are little humans, and I prefer to respect them when it comes to tech. And instead of creating new products, producers have begun developing product features to create their adult-focused products more youth-friendly. Apple's new iOS 12 parental settings include a Screen Time feature, which allows you to create period limits for particular applications and track how much time they're shelling out for their cell phones. Google has released Google Family members Link, a free app that allows couples with children to monitor their kids' screen time as well while remotely secure their gadgets if they are spending a lot of time using them. All these program work-arounds aren't perfect - kids are reportedly hacking Apple's Screen Time simply by changing enough time setting on their device, but they're a recognition that children of a certain age want to own a similar thing everybody else has. And if everybody else comes with an iPhone or an Android, many won't settle for anything less. However eventually the stress parents feel around what types of devices to buy their kids and when may also be a way of projecting anxieties about our own complicated relationships with mobile phones. The answer may not be discovering the right device for our children, but wrangling our very own impulses, especially because a few analysts say that adults who are exceedingly sidetracked by their devices are creating behavioral issues within their teenagers. Little Children will do what you carry out, not what you inform them to do. You have to model good digital habits. In fact, a 2017 research found that although 79 percent of parents thought these were modeling good screen behaviors for their kids, these were spending an average of nine hours each day with their displays, a lot more time than their teens were. When I pointed out that I was spending far more period scrolling through my e-mail and Twitter than I had been playing on the floor with my kid, I noticed that the challenge wasn't with displays warping his delicate mind. It had been that I'd already allowed my mobile phone to bend mine. So nowadays, we try not to use our phones at all in front of our son. This is a habit that can be easily shaped for later years and really depends upon the parents to maintain our little children from smartphones until these people grasp responsibility.

[alexfridayfesten]

BREAKDOWN OF HELENA'S SCENES: Below I have attached a copy of all of Helena's lines with her scene objectives per scene. This is something that I do every time I receive a script. At this stage in rehearsals its extremely important as well as beneficial to be recapping over all my lines and cue lines so they are fixated in my brain, as the reality of acting comes from “doing” and you cannot “do” things from instinct until they are cemented and locked in like a third language.

ACT 1, SCENE 3:

*Pia & Christian – Christians bedroom*

Helene enters with Butler Lars.

Moment before: mingling with fellow guests in the dinner party before being taken down to find where I am staying...

ACT 1, SCENE 3 Objective: to reveal the cues left behind by my sister to find out why she killed herself.

Inner monologue:  Talking to my sister “Linda please give me something, please give me a clue as to why”- desperation.

Obstacles: Lars finding out the truth and potentially exploiting it.

 Christian: yeah exciting.

HELENE: I don’t know if this means anything to you, I don’t know how sensitive you are.

Lars: I’m sorry?

HELENE: I’m not making a fuss, but this is my sister’s room. It’s not really-satisfactory. But I suppose it’s better than giving it to Christian.

Lars: would you like me to find you another room?

HELENE: Christian and Linda were twins, Jesus it’s spooky. It happened in there, in the bathroom.

 ·        Michael & mette scene*

-         Michael exits

Mette: they must be here somewhere.

HELENE: perhaps it’ll be better if you find me another room, im getting a really bad feeling about this.

Michael: listen, I can’t go to dinner in brown brogues, my dad will go fucking nuts.

*Bath Water trickling*

HELENE: did you hear that? I think she’s in the bathroom.

Lars: no, please, she’s dead.

Mette: MICHAEL!

HELENE: let’s have look!

Lars: I think we should find you another room.

HELENE: Let’s have a quick look.

*Mette & Michael fight*

HELENE: Jesus!

Lars: Miss Hansen.

HELENE: There.

Lars: what?

HELENE: There, look pointing sideways.

 *Mette, Michael arguing scene*

Michael: well then, stop that.

HELENE: And there, there’s another arrow.

Pia: what do you think? I’ve still got a great ass.

HELENE: There.

Pia: are you just going to send me into the bath Christian?

Christian: I think so.

HELENE: And there.

Pia: You can’t even be bothered to make love to me. Do you think im too skinny?

HELENE: Jesus where is it?!

Pia: Christian where are you?

HELENE: Can you lie down on the bed? Just for a minute. If you lie down sometimes you can see something.

Lars: you want me to lie down?

HELENE: Sometimes the different perspective helps.

Lars: im not sure I understand the game.

HELENE: look up. Look and see if you can see another little arrow or something like that. Like a wave. Or a fish, or a bird. You know like playing getting hotter getting colder, she always played it, were getting hotter I can feel it.

Pia: Christian?

Mette: stay there.

HELENE: Look, she’s drawn a little bird! How sweet, like a sparrow.

I can’t bare this. There’s an arrow. And there’s another arrow. We’re getting hotter and hotter but.

Lars: look, up there, up in the rim of the shade, there’s something there.

HELENE: Quickly! Quickly!

*Helene climbs on to bed to find letter-Michael has an orgasm*

HELENE: Here it is!

*walks away to read in private... Lars comes closer to her*

Lars: what is it?

HELENE: BOO!

*Lars jumps*

Lars: Ah!

HELENE: It doesn’t say anything. Im sorry. Did I make you jump?

Lars: no. not at all.

HELENE: it doesn’t say anything.

There have always been ghosts in this house.

Lars: oh.

HELENE: I think I’ll be alright in here.

Lars: are you sure?

HELENE: I’d like to stay in here actually. Really. Thanks so much for your help. Thanks.

Lars: okay.

*Helene reads the letter again, she begins to cry... gets her handbag were she finds a  tablet bottle out her bag and puts the letter inside it then back in her handbag, then sits on the bed crying*

 ACT 2, SCENE 1:

Moment before: just found letter, trying to hide my discovery

 ACT 2, SCENE 1 Objective: get through the evening with nobody exploiting the truth.

 Inner monologue: “how could you dad...”

 Obstacles: Christian’s speeches exploiting my father, IF Lars seen the letter.

 -         *Bring on plate cutlery & wine glass.*

 SING: Its daddy’s birthday, oh yes it is, and it is today.

X2

 And now you’ll hear how loud we sing

And now you’ll hear how loud we sing

 Tra la la la la

La la la la la

 *Repeated 3 times “clap” *

 All stand around the piano before walking over to our seats at dining table.

 Else: I hope that you can behave yourself Cousin Hugo.

 HELENE: No she’s right.

 Cousin Hugo: (to mette) and you dear, I’ll probably say something later and it won’t be for the ears of little girls.

 HELENE: Oh Hugo.

     *Chatting over table *

POUL: It’s very hot in here.

 HELENE: I think it’s hot.

 *Chat between Michael helge Helmut*

 Michael: poul would you like a drink?

 Cousin Hugo: “... but it won’t be for the ears off little girls”

 HELENE: im sure it won’t be.

 Poul: the salmon soup is delicious.

 HELENE: Is it a salmon soup?

 Cousin Hugo: yes the tomato soup is terrific.

 HELENE: it’s not tomato soup, its lobster soup.

Christians 1st toast...*

Poul: take the yellow one!

Michael: that’s better you miserable sod!

HELENE: Look he’s snapped right out of it now!

Christian: “im not sure if you remember, but dad was always taking baths”

*Helene knocks wine glass over*

 Cousin Hugo: Christian, you were the first to speak but now it’s my turn, else today is your birthday.

Poul: its helge.

Cousin Hugo: what did he say?

HELENE: He said, that its helges birthday today, oh dear that’s Hugo for you.

Cousin Hugo: …. “He had found it difficult to meet girls.”

HELENE: Im sorry for interrupting. I’d just like to say, I hope you didn’t take what Christian said seriously, seriously he’s my brother and I love him very much but what he said is ludicrous. If there had been anything remotely true in what he said then I would have known. Im sorry for interrupting, it’s just that I got quite a shock then, im sorry.

Cousin Hugo: “... you can handle a story that’s a little bit blue can’t you.”

HELENE: no Hugo.

Helmut: oh no, not again.

HELENE: this is the fourth time!

 ·        Christians 2nd speech- people begin to leave dinner table.

Helmut: this way.

Helene exit.

Poul: SONG “and got eaten by a shark and died.”

Helene enter.

HELENE: Are you inane?

Can you hear what im saying, Christian?

Are you completely fucking insane!

Christian!

  ACT 2, SCENE 2:

Moment before: shouted at Christian for his speeches at the dinner table, frightened what’s going to happen next, probably smokes a spiff/ line while waiting for kai.

ACT 2, SCENE 2 Objective: To get rid of Michael to be alone with kai. To stop him being so cruel, to protect kai.

Obstacles: his fascist views, his anger.

 Michael: now listen mate, I don’t know how you know my sister and I don’t want to now just get out my face.

Kai: excuse me?

Helene enters.

HELENE: Hi baby! I’ve missed you so much. Come here.

Kai: how are you doing?

HELENE: I’ve missed you so much im so happy you got here.

Michael: whoa whoa whoa!

HELENE: Michael, what’s goin on?

Michael: what the fucking hell do you mean what’s going on?

Kai: he was trying to throw me out.

Michael: what the hell do you think you’re doing dragging a fucking tranny to dad’s birthday! Jesus Christ a bloody tranny look at him.

HELENE: You DON’T stand there and call kai a tranny do you understand me?

Michael: relax… I’ve got everything under control.

*Helene hits Michael… *

HELENE: you’re facing sick in the head you know that Michael, you fucking Nazi prick! You fascist!

 Poul enters

POUL: you haven’t seen my car keys have you?

Michael: no we haven’t poul

POUL: I feel on the praecipe this evening you know, very close to a complete collapse.

HELENE: do as you please poul.

*All settle at the dinner table.*

 Poul: I suffer from extreme depressions and this isn’t helping one bit.

 Helmut: poul please, be quiet and join in.

 HELENE: this is my boyfriend mum. Kai this is my mother.

 Else: welcome my girl, welcome.

 Kai; hello

 Else: it’s not fancy dress dear...

 HELENE: no mum, that’s how kai dresses.

  -         EAT MEAL.

ELSES SPEECH...

Else: “speaking of which I would like to welcome Kylie.

HELENE: Kai mum.

  Christians 3rd speech…

 Moment before: Helena is still angry with Michael for how he treated kai.

ACT 2, SCENE 2 objective: to protect kai from being dragged into trouble by her brothers. Protect Christian as he is as vulnerable as he is beginning to exploit the truth.

Inner monologue: “please don’t hurt kai, Michael please don’t hurt Christian.”

Obstacles: Michaels fascist views, Christian exploiting helge to Michael.

Christian: I just want to say one more thing!

Kai: what are you doing?

Christian: you were at boarding school!

Michael: keep your nose out!

HELENE: Michael what are you going to do!?

Christian: you don’t know shit about anything!

Kai: what are you going to do? Tuck him in? Kiss him goodnight? I don’t think so!

*Michael let’s go of Christian an walks to kai*

Michael: have you got a problem,

Christian: you know it’s true

HELENE: don’t Michael! Don’t Michael! Please Michael!

…………………………………………………

Kai: To your brother. To Christian.

Michael: why don’t you get up and make a speech then eh?

HELENE: stop it plisse Michael.

Kai: what?

HELENE: MICHAEL. ENOUGH.

Michael: speech!

Kai: don’t tempt me.

*homophobic song is being sung by everyone.*

Kai: what is this?

HELENE: it’s a fuckin homophobic song

Kai: fuck you!

Helge: else.

*Michael goes to start a fight with kai*

HELENE: Michael no, no. no. leave it.

Helmut: Christian:

HELENE: I just want to go home, I really want to go home.

 Exit.

Michael & Helmut leave Christian and return into the house...

Daddy’s birthday reprise.

 Christian: what’s that? Who’s there?

Kai: everything will work out fine.

HELENE: you’re not fucking helping.

Kai: what?

HELENE: I don’t know, just get away from me. My head, my head hurts. There are some tablets in my bag can you get them for me? I just want to go home now.

 CONGA:

IT’S DADDYS BIRTHDAY….

 Little girl: its daddy’s birthday…

Christian: Linda?

Little girl: mummy? Mummy?

Little girl exits.

Christian: come here.

HELENE: I can’t stand this. I just want to go home.

  Act 3, SCENE 2.

Moment before:

ACT 3, SCENE 2 objective: to go home, not be around for when the truth is revealed.

Inner monologue: “I need to tell the truth about my sister an exploit my father”

Obstacle: embarrassment, what Michael/helge may do to me/ would people even believe me?

 Kai: everything will be fine. I know it. I can feel it.

HELENE: are you sure?

Kai: trust me.

Kai: Christian my man.

HELENE: Christian…

Christian: what time is it?

HELENE: I don’t know where Michael is?

*Christian shows Helene the letter.*

Christian: you dropped something. You should be more careful.

HELENE: Christian…

·        CONGA ENTEERS THE ROOM “DADDYS BIRTHDAY” BEING SUNG...

Helge: well, well, well you’ve still got it after all these years.

Helmut: I can keep going for longer than you think helge.

Else: you’re not going are you?

HELENE: yes.

Else: no, don’t go.

HELENE: I want to go home.

Helmut: I love these family traditions. Look! Adder the dance a note appears on the toastmaster’s glass. And there it is! “A certain man urges his sister to read a letter to her father.”

Are you feeling shy Helena? Well it’s kind of your brother to get you started. Well it seems there’s peace in the family again. So let’s all give Helena a hand.

Michael: go on Helene

Pouk: go on then dear

Cousin Hugo: don’t be shy.

·        Helena tries to leave but is surrounded- she knows she has to read this letter.

HELENE: it’s um. This is from my sister…

·        READ LETTER*

·         

[bloojayoolie]

Animals, Apparently, and Beautiful: Hi my name is Adrian # 24322 4 yr old boy with love Brooklyn ACC They say I am a beautiful inside and out, a calm& quite gentleman, with sweet affectionate eyes, I still know how to bounce and play when the games start, play well in our play group with dogs I meet and have proved to be an even tempered - tolerant cool fella, won't you please give me a second chance. All Heart ****TO BE KILLED 4/12/18**** Sweet, Goofy Mushface <3 A volunteer writes: "Yo Adrian!!!" (sorry, had to do it...) Well this young fella's name is Adrian, and he is a 4 year old large mixed breed. Just like Rocky's love interest, this guy is very calm and quiet. That's not to say he doesn't know how to have fun. He is still young and has plenty of energy. So you get the best of both worlds. In fact, it's like Rocky and Adrian all rolled into one! Unfortunately, Adrian has found his way here as a stray, so we don't know how he is around children or cats. However, he is a playgroup participant, so we know he is well behaved around most dogs. He is also a "Drool Donor" for Monmouth Universities study on the effects of playgroup on the stress levels of shelter dogs. Basically it means he is very even tempered, and tolerant. (Especially to having hands put in his mouth to swab his saliva...) So come on down to our Brooklyn location and say "Hello" to this awesome boy! He's definitely a Knock Out! VIDEOs: https://youtu.be/9t8pIYtq-Nc https://youtu.be/qSRTjeqRZ70 Adrian fetch https://youtu.be/qQyGhsrwWGk Adrian #24322 BROOKLYN ACC 4 yrs old, 59 lbs BLUE ROAN / WHITE MALE Large Mixed Breed Cross Intake Date: 04-02-2018 My health has been checked. My vaccinations are up to date. My worming is up to date. I have been microchipped. Behavior Assessment Date of intake:: 4/2/2018 Spay/Neuter status:: No Means of surrender (length of time in previous home):: Stray, no known history. Previously lived with:: Unknown Behavior toward strangers:: Friendly and exuberant Date of assessment:: 4/4/2018 Look:: 3. Dog jumps on Assessor, consistently rubs his shoulder on the Assessor, and will not allow Assessor to conduct the assessment. Sensitivity:: 1. Dog leans into the Assessor, eyes soft or squinty, soft and loose body, open mouth. Tag:: 1. Dog follows at the end of the leash, body soft. Paw squeeze 1:: 1. Dog does not respond at all for three seconds. Eyes are averted and ears are relaxed or back. Paw squeeze 2:: 1. Dog does not respond at all for three seconds. Eyes are averted and ears are relaxed or back. Toy:: 3. Dog takes toy away, keeps a firm hold. Body is stiff. Summary:: Adrian came into the assessment room with a high energy,jumping and mouthy. He allowed handling but would mouth the assessor's hand with light pressure. Adrian was relaxed and soft when his paws were touched. He takes the toy away with a firm grip. Summary (1):: Adrian was surrender as a stray so his past behavior with other dogs is unknown. Here at the Care Centers, Adrian is social as well as sexually motivated. He flirts while on his tip toes but does not mount. The Behavior Department recommends that Adrian be placed in a home with resident dogs that match his calm sociability. 4/3: When off leash at the Care Centers, Adrian greets the female helper dog with chatters and genital sniffs. He follows her around the pens, flirting with her but he does not mount her. 4/4: Today, Adrian was much more respectful. He continues to be slightly sexually motivated however he is able to read the other dog's uncomfortability, control his impulses and redirect his attention elsewhere. 4/5-9: Adrian appropriately greets the other dog, then explores the pens.He has begun to solicit and engage in short burst of play with other dogs but is conflicted, grumbling when any body contact is made. Date of intake:: 4/2/2018 Summary:: Unknown Date of initial:: 4/2/2018 Summary:: Very sweet, high energy and allowed all handling. ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Adrian so we cannot be certain of his behavior in a home environment. Adrian displayed high energy and movement throughout assessment. Adrian will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: ADULT ONLY HOME Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No children (under 13) Recommendations comments:: No children: We have no history on Adrian so we cannot be certain of his behavior in a home environment. However, in the care center he is a enthusiastic, social dog with a high energy and has potential to mouth when engaged in exuberant play. He will need daily mental and physical activity to keep him engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct his energy and enthusiasm. We feel that an adult-only home would be most beneficial at this time. Potential challenges: : Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition Potential challenges comments:: Mouthiness/poor bite inhibition: While he applies only light pressure, Adrian was mouthy throughout the assessment and is quick to put his teeth on skin. This is likely an attention-seeking behavior, but it should be replaced with an alternative behavior as it can frighten people. We recommend never playing with bare hands – always with a toy - and ending play or attention whenever Adrian puts teeth on skin. He should be rewarded with attention and treats when he stops and/or when he is seeking attention in alternate ways. My medical notes are... Weight: 59 lbs Vet Notes 2/04/2018 DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: ~4 years Microchip noted on Intake? negative History : stray Subjective: BARH Observed Behavior - very sweet. High energy but easily handleable. Did well for all medical handling and procedures Evidence of Cruelty seen - no Evidence of Trauma seen - no Objective P = wnl R = eupneic BCS 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear with periocular erythema ou, ears clean, no nasal discharge noted Oral Exam: adult dentition with mild tartar, no oral lesions noted PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, CRT < 2, Lungs clear, eupneic ABD: Non painful, no masses palpated U/G: MI, 2 testicles descended MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, healthy hair coat CNS: mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Assessment: Apparently healthy Possible allergies Plan: Continue to monitor while at BACC If erythema worsens around eyes, consider antihistamines vs steroids Prognosis: Excellent SURGERY: ok to schedule for surgery 4/04/2018 brief cage exam for "excessive drooling' visual exam showed some droolat edges of glossa wnl and not typical for nausea eg. Dog appears to have eaten full meal recently. no follow up needed at this time. 5/04/2018 Progress exam History : stray intake 4/2 4/4 noted to be drooling but cageside exam revealed NSF Subjective: BAR. No csvd. No hypersalivation. Good appetite. Diarrhea noted on rounds board 1-2 days ago but none noted since. No signs CIRDC at this time. Objective EENT: Eyes clear, no nasal or ocular discharge noted H/L: Normal RR/RE, eupneic MSI: Ambulatory x 4, healthy hair coat, mild erythema around face CNS: mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Assessment: Apparently healthy Plan: Continue to monitor while at BACC Prognosis: Excellent 7/04/2018 Monitor for CIRDC S/O: BAR. Very active, attention seeking, excellent appetite EENT: Eyes clear, very small amount of crusted mucoid discharge at left nostril HL: No coughing or sneezing, normal RR/RE INTEG: Full coat MS: Ambulatory x 4 UG: Male A: Apparently healthy P: Continue to monitor while at BACC 8/04/2018 Progress exam History : stray intake 4/2 Subjective: BAR. No csvd. Mild dried crust on top of nose but no active discharge. No signs of CIRDC Objective EENT: Eyes clear, no nasal or ocular discharge noted H/L: Normal RR/RE, eupneic MSI: Ambulatory x 4, healthy hair coat CNS: mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Assessment: Apparently healthy Plan: Continue to monitor while at BACC Prognosis: Excellent 9/04/2018 Progress exam History : stray intake 4/2 Subjective: QAR. Coughing especially when outside in playgroup. No sneezing but has nasal d/c. No v/d. Objective EENT: Eyes clear, no ocular discharge noted, mild serous nasal d/c H/L: Normal RR/RE, eupneic but coughing MSI: Ambulatory x 4, healthy hair coat CNS: mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Assessment: CIRDC Plan: Continue to monitor while at BACC Move to iso Start doxycycline 10mg/kg PO SID x14d until 4/23 Prognosis: Good * TO FOSTER OR ADOPT * If you would like to adopt a dog on our “To Be Killed” list, and you CAN get to the shelter in person to complete the adoption process *within 48 hours of reserve*, you can reserve the dog online until noon on the day they are scheduled to die. We have provided the Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan information below. Adoption hours at these facilities is Noon – 8:00 p.m. (6:30 on weekends) HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! *PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! ** STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: https://newhope.shelterbuddy.com/Animal/List Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs. It should read, "reserve in progress". That is YOUR reserve. Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) nycacc.org At-Risk Animals Thank you for your interest in adopting from Animal Care Centers of NYC. Our At Risk List is posted each day (except Saturday) at 6:00PM and remains viewable until 12:00PM noon the following day. newhope.shelterbuddy.com HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU *CANNOT* GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications.

[timsim26]

Nintendo Switch - Impressions

So Nintendo’s new console is out and causing quite the stir for both negative and positive reasons. After owning the console for around a month, I can safely say that I am really enjoying it as a gaming console and as a portable device. I have spent the majority of my time playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild (lets be honest who hasn’t?) and the console has really delivered on a lot of what Nintendo promised. There is a lot of great things going for the Switch and it has been fantastic hearing the positive reception from my friends and to see that it is selling just as well as they’d hoped if not better.

What Is Working Well 

The portability of the switch is absolutely incredible and still boggles the mind that I can take games on the go like Zelda and in the future something like Skyrim (cross your fingers everyone). The device’s battery life leaves a bit to be desired, but at 3 hours and around 10 with a portable charger, it is the perfect for train trips and commutes of a short distance. The primary portability use that I have so far is playing my games in bed or when the TV is in use, or I can’t be bothered being in my games room. It gives you more options to keep playing.

I adore the feel of the system and the overall design when in portable mode. The console feels very sturdy and unlike the DS doesn’t feel like I could break it just by holding it. It is comfortable to hold and feels ergonomic unlike other handhelds in the past. I really enjoy the way the thumb sticks are responsive and feel natural unlike the vita and 3DS thumbsticks. The out of the box piece of plastic controller also feels much better and is easy to hold. The original look, made it seem like it was going to be hard to hold, but when both Joy-Cons are strapped into the plastic hold, it feels natural and familiar. Nintendo have finally figured out how to make a controller that makes sense while maintaining their quirky nature

Just like the original commercial, switching the Switch is just that easy. Pulling the switch out to take your games on the go feels futuristic and certainly is something I don’t foresee getting old. Even better is when you put your handheld mode into the simple, yet effective dock to output it to your tv. This concept was definitely something I needed to see to believe and they have pulled it off effectively.

The tablet of the Switch is fantastic to look at. Another doubt that has been put to rest is how are games going to go with a 720 output when so many games are concerned with the highest possible output these days. The tablet of the Switch looks great. The colours are vibrant, the touch is responsive and it is perfect to look at from every angle. It also seems like the perfect size between not being big enough and being too big.

The UI of the Switch is very stylish and easy to use. Nintendo have clearly looked at the competition to see what is working well and how to improve the quality of their Storefront. The E-Shop (lacking music) is quick, responsive and easy to navigate. The way the UI functions as a responsive and organised system gives the feel that the Switch means serious business and should be considered equal to the Xbox One and PS4.

Zelda: Breath of The Wild. What can I say. This game is remarkable and clearly one of the best games ever made. The way everything works together so well, the world reacts to the systems surrounding it and the fantastic gameplay loop that requires patience in combat, planning when cooking and preparing for battles and also one of the most open, engaging worlds ever shown in a video game. This makes the Switch purchase justifiable and 15 hours in I have only just scratched the surface of this incredible experience.

Even Better If 

Obviously one noticeable absence for the Switch is games. Games right now and also games coming in the future right now there are no big titles announced for the Switch coming in the latter stages of the year and nothing in the immediate horizon other than the re-release of Mario Kart. This is a huge problem as the Xbox One and PS4 are completely spoiled for choice right now with huge games coming and consistently releasing all through the year. Games like Mass Effect, Shadow Of War, Prey etc. are expectedly absent from Nintendo’s console and they need something to release in order to keep their loyal fans happy during the holiday season. The recent indie movement and announcement of a bunch of high quality experiences coming to the platform has certainly done a lot to instil confidence and it would amazing to continue this trend if Nintendo cannot get the biggest AAA releases on its platform.

The online community is a massive aspect of gaming consoles these days and currently the Switch has no online community. Coming very soon (so they say) is the Switch’s answer to Xbox Live and The Playstation Network. Nintendo need to release this flawlessly and ensure the experience is user friendly and free of bugs. Releasing this after the console release may benefit them greatly, as they now have a chance to respond to the feedback and criticism. One game a month to rent is definitely not something people are going to be throwing money towards. Currently Nintendo have returned to friend codes. In the globalised world of gaming, I have friends from all over the place from Facebook groups and forums that I want to have on my friend list. Acquiring their friend code is a pain and remembering mine or checking online is a unnecessary hassle. With this you are also unsure who is adding you as names for users can repeat so you can have anything you like. Blake is adding me. I know a Blake, but is this the Blake that I know? This situation should not be occurring in 2017 for an online console. Also it is very, very, very important Nintendo get their shit together and sort out home systems and cloud saves similar to Xbox and Playstation. Right now I cannot take my saves to another console. This downright idiocy and completely frustrating in terms of a user experience. Buying a Switch to have at my parents etc. or simply wanting to log in to a friends and play my games is currently impossible unless I want to start again. Who knows what happens if my Switch breaks and my 100 hour Zelda video game save is lost. These are all very important aspects of the service that need to be fixed or added as soon as possible

As there is with any launch of new hardware, there are currently a ton of technical problems that people are having. Touch wood, I haven’t had anything go wrong with my Switch, however it is definitely widespread news that the left Joy-Con is an issue amongst the community. People have noticed that in a variety of situations the left Joy-Con will lose connection to the Switch and as a result it is causing huge latency issues that have dramatic impacts on gameplay or little dips of control. Watching Link pelt to the ground after walking off a cliff for no reason was definitely an annoyance the first and only time it has happened to me, but this is not acceptable. Hopefully Nintendo can either organise a software update that addresses the problem or they may face re-calling the left joy-cons and replacing them altogether. Another huge issue that has caused the sale of many screen protectors is the fact that sliding the Switch into the dock has caused noticeable scratches to the screen. This would cause me to hurl my Switch into the sun, as the very mechanic that sells the devices has been harming the product. People have been adding soft surfaces to the inside of the dock, adding tempered glass or screen protectors or withholding from the dock altogether as a result. It will be fascinating to see whether Nintendo remake the doc or add something that will keep the surface of the tablet safe. The battery life has also been an issue for people, as Zelda is lasting anywhere between 2 and 3 hours depending on brightness and sound. As a portable this is an issue. After taking my Switch down to Geelong for trips and now a bus trip too and from Canberra for 8-9 hours, I am glad that I spent 100 dollars on a portable charger. The device sucks power up and isn’t really designed to be a take out all day and keep playing kind of device. The Vita and 3ds’ charge make the Switch look terrible in comparison. With the output of the games, I really can’t complain.

One kick stand - really? That is pretty much all that can be said about that. What were they thinking. It is terrible quality too. I fear for my Switch’s life whenever I pull it out. I would not be surprised to see the Switch 2.0 release with 2 kickstands to make it that much sturdier.

So many additional purchases and ludicrously high prices. As mentioned previously the need for a screen protector and portable charger are only some of the extra purchases that I have made for the Switch. A carrier case, microfibre and a pro-controller are all additions that I have made so far with new Joy-Cons a likely buy down the track when hopefully a new Mario Party game is announced . This has added to price dramatically and the need to have these things begs the question, should they have come in the box? Nintendo definitely enjoy profiting from peripherals, however these prices and needs seem slightly ridiculous.

Hopes For The Future -

The Vita was definitely an impressive machine when it launched. It had ridiculously good games both of the Indie and AAA caliber. However it never fully became the AAA machine that many wished it was. The promise that the handheld had originally due to the hope of a new God of War, Portable Infamous and the like came to a grinding halt when Sony didn’t support their machine with exclusive games and massive releases. The Switch will definitely have the AAA support that Sony never gave their handheld and with the notion that this is actually a home console, there is a guarantee that AAA Nintendo games that will be playable on the go in the future. This is terribly exciting if third party publishers can start releasing their games as well in order to develop the best portable gaming ecosystem in history.

Speaking of AAA support, this is the biggest aspect that will either make or break the Switch. The Wii-U suffered with the lack of third party support and games like Watch Dogs, Call of Duty and Assassins Creed didn’t really capture gamer’s interest on the platform due to inferior versions and delayed release dates. It was great playing Assassins Creed 3 months after it had already come out (not). If the Switch is too succeed then it must get developers on board and releasing their games in a timely manner. With the limited power compared to the PS4 and Xbox One and soon to be dwarfed by Scorpio, this is definitely Nintendo’s biggest problem. Without these games, we will again rely on Nintendo’s first party and indie releases for the Switch. Even if Nintendo organise to get older games and ports like they have with Skyrim, the system will have more chance to succeed.   people get on board

The boldest move that Nintendo could possible make is to leave the 3DS behind and move Pokemon to the Switch. After Sun and Moon’s absolutely massive release, selling hundreds of thousands of copies, Nintendo needs to ensure that Pokemon is only available on this platform. I am sure that this will enrage many people, but it wouldn’t be the first time that people have had to move on from a system. A Pokemon game with more processing power and a better quality screen and also the ability to play it at home on your TV would be absolutely incredible and a huge system seller for the console. Nintendo need to strike while the iron is hot after the hype generated by Pokemon Go and this may be the necessary unit mover that the Switch needs.

Open world RPG’s are exactly what the Switch needs. After seeing how people have lost themselves in the world of Hyrule with Zelda, the Switch and Nintendo need to embrace this style  and genre and get as many games as possible that are similar. People are enjoying having something as deep, complex and engaging that can be taken on the go. More of these games will be a great thing for the console.

An obvious need and hope is the fact that Nintendo absolutely bring it with their AAA exclusives just as they did with the Wii-U. Zelda has set the bar at absolutely unreachable heights, however I have faith Nintendo understands how essential it is to release games that are this calibre. If the Switch picks up a larger audience, then these games have the chance to really shine as some of the best ever released just as Zelda has. A new Metroid game, a new Mario, A new Mario Party and a new Smash Brothers and a exclusive Pokemon Switch game are all at the top of my list.

[phooll123]

'Fortnite Mobile' Is Coming To iOS, Will Feature PS4, PC Cross Play

Epic

Just in case it wasn’t clear Fortnite is taking over the world, today Epic has announced it’s coming to the biggest gaming platform of all: mobile. Fortnite Mobile is very real, and early tests are rolling out in iOS as soon as this Monday. Epic detailed the mobile version of the game in a short blog post today and it’s…pretty much just Fortnite. The exact same game, the same map, the same constant updates, just on mobile instead of PC or console. The best part about it? Fortnite Mobilewill feature cross play on PS4, PC, Mac, iOS and eventually Android. Missing from that list is Xbox One, which is normally very much into cross play in a way Sony is not, but I’m not quite clear on what’s happening here, as it could possibly have something to do with Microsoft’s embrace of PUBG as console exclusive, though I’m not positive. The arrival of Fortnite Mobile is imminent. Monday, March 12th will be an iOS invite event that you can sign up for here, which will be your first look at the game on mobile if you’re chosen to participate. For now it’s only on iOS, but it’s clear Epic wants to expand to Android eventually, and if you do get a code, you’ll get a few to share with your friends. The obvious question is how a fully functional version of Fortnite will perform using iPhone and iPad controls, which are notoriously not fantastic for shooters. While not impossible, surely, I will be curious to see how this goes, and what changes Epic has made in order to get this to work. It’s pretty amazing that not only is this a full version of Fortnite, not a stripped-down port, but also that it’s built-in with cross play. Though again, I do wonder how mobile players will compete with console players and especially PC players, who have the greatest amount of control through a mouse and keyboard. But the point is…if you want to play Fortnite on the go, you can, which is why people have been begging for a Switch port since launch (and will still beg after this, because I’m guessing most people would rather play on a Switch than an iPad).

Epic

Fortnite continues to show its dexterity where its rival PUBG simply cannot keep up. Fortnite was the first to reach consoles, and was able to get itself on 75 millions PS4s while PUBG couldn’t because Sony doesn’t have an early access program. And if we see a fully-fledged version of PUBG on phones and tablets any time soon, I will be amazed. I’m amazed enough that Fortnite is doing it. Fortnite is already clocking well over 3 million concurrent players with 40+ million total, and those numbers could increase exponentially if the mobile version is a hit. And given the current state of Fortnite, the mobile version notbeing a hit is almost unthinkable, provided gameplay isn’t a total disaster. On a day when The Division 2, Black Ops 4and Super Smash Bros. Switch were all announced, this still might be the most significant news of the day. Fortnite is unstoppable, and will have a billion more devices it can dominate soon enough. Follow me on Twitter and on Facebook. Pick up my sci-fi novel series, The Earthborn Trilogy, which is now in print, online and on audiobook.

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