#my resolutions for this year are to engage with content more (commenting once a day on something i like)

[touhoutivations]

Congraunntulations~*!

The new year is finally here! Aah, what a nice and fresh start~ Huh? It's been a few days? Well yeah, you gotta give a rest break from all the partying, and sip some amazake.

What are your resolutions for the year? I reckon life should be about adding things, not taking them away- like when I first started at the shrine I was like 'okay this year I'm not allowed to get distracted ever!' but then I kinda realised that playing around with a ball or looking at the beautiful things around me helped me way more! Sooo that's why my resolution is to get lots of pats! A 10% pat increase compared to last year, minimum! Isn't that a smart goal? Hehe, don't just stand there- give me some scritches!

Oh, and don't forget to put in the box what you wanna do this year!

[iglowindark]

@sideguitars and @makicarn you may regret engaging me about my 2025 Pasta Shape Rubric of Awesome (TM). 😜

i was getting quite annoyed with the New Year's Resolution questions from friends and fam - like, i consistently fail to overhaul my life during the other 11 months of the year, why would January be a magical success month? but i was also bumming everyone out during Resolution Reveals so i decided to pick something that would be fun for me and mildly upsetting for my elders!

the initial format was to "try every pasta shape in 2025". but. there are more than 400 pasta shapes. do you know how often i would have to eat pasta to accomplish this? i mean, i had to use a calculator because i forgot a year had 365 days, but it's MORE THAN ONCE PER DAY. i love pasta, but i also love other food, and i need to leave room in my life for every other cuisine.

so then i settled on "52 pasta shapes in 2025" - but glowy! (you might say) how will you decide which 52 pasta shapes to eat??? out of more than 400???

the answer is, of course: arbitrarily! but with a spreadsheet twist, because my first love in life is hot sauce, and my second love in life is a spreadsheet - no, i lied, i forgot about ms underfoot 😸, ok, she's #1, then hot sauce, then spreadsheets, then probably my family i guess.

ok, so please understand, i literally spent 7 hours and 40ish minutes over the past week assembling, editing, auditing, and admiring this spreadsheet. i started with trusty wikipedia, which helpfully broke down pasta shapes into groups like "long/medium" and "short cut" and "soup". it also had a group for "filled", but maki, sorry to say, this group i eliminated wholesale. there was just so much variation in what they might be filled WITH, and i needed some sort of control element. i didn't think it would be fair to compare cheese ravioli with 3-cheese tortellini? the cheeses are not equal! 🧀🧀🧀

so THEN: i did my own sub-grouping. (actually, first i split long and medium into their own groups, because, duh, they're different) long-flat and long-rolled, for example. i also started combining shapes that were really similar. like linguini and tagliatelle are kinda just the same noodle with slightly different widths/shapes/ingredients? (please, nonnas of the world, do not come for me in the comments, this was SO HARD). this part involved a lot of googling. my ad content for the next 4 months is gonna be all pasta related. through many gruelling rounds of re-googling to remind myself what shape was what, and some painful, tearful cuts (lasagne noodles are for lasagne, not for unserious noodle frippery) i finally finally finally culled my list down to 52 pasta shapes. 🍝 (editor's note: the single emoji does not represent this publication's favored pasta shape)

then the FUN part: how was i going to score these 52 pasta shapes? every google result went to pains to insist that different shapes were meant for specific sauces, and i'm sure that's true, but what's the fun in scoring something based on what it's meant to do? (also i didn't want to commit to having to make 52 different sauces/soups) so i came up with this scientifically rigorous scoring rubric:

BUTTERED/RED SAUCED (depending on my mood and whether or not i have red sauce available)

a pasta may earn up to one (1) point for being really good at holding butter/red sauce

a pasta cannot lose points in this category

PRIMAVERA (my version of primavera just means that i diced up whatever veggies i had handy and tossed them w/ the pasta)

a pasta may earn up to one (1) point if i can make one perfect bite that includes veggies/sauce/pasta

a pasta cannot lose points in this category

ALTERNATE USES

a pasta may earn one (1) point (max 5 points) for every non-food alternate use that i can dream up. for example, orecchiette could be used as hats for frogs! or to decorate the ramparts of a sand castle! 2 points for orecchiette!

a pasta may not lose points in this category

MISC/GENERAL (here's where i let my freak flag fly)

a pasta may earn one (1) point if i think the name is fun to say

a pasta may earn one (1) point if i think the shape is "cute"

a pasta may earn one (1) point if it works in a soup

a pasta may earn one (1) point if it might stick (cooked) on the ceiling

a pasta may earn one (1) point if it could probably be used to build a bridge for matchbox cars

a pasta may lose one (1) point if it sticks together unreasonably

a pasta may lose one (1) point if water gets stuck in it and surprises me with pasta water bites

a pasta may lose one (1) point if i can't eat it with a spoon

a pasta may lose one (1) point if it won't fit in a pot without being broken up

a pasta may lose one (1) point if it breaks when dropped from 5 feet (dried and uncooked)

all pasta shapes must be eaten twice (once with butter or red sauce, and once in a primavera), and once i've submitted my scores to myself, i cannot be influenced or bribed to change them. at the end of the year, a Champion Pasta Shape will be announced and celebrated.

so... was that a lot of senseless work for an absolutely pointless goal just so i can eat lots of pasta? heck yeah it was!!

[ombrellica]

We've made it to 2024! I was in my hometown last Christmas. I was inspired to do a massive clean out of my belongings at my parent's house. There was a couple of things that lead to this.

Firstly last September, an interesting channel called Midwest Magic Cleaning slid into my Youtube recommends. The channel is about cleaning up hoarder houses. The Youtuber shares his vast knowledge and experiences with the psychology of people who live in these conditions. In one of his videos he talked about how people who are hoarders treat everything with intense emotion and importance. Watching him clean out really random mundane things that didn't look important at all to me, made me seriously reflect about how I lived before moving the town I am currently living in.

Another event that sparked change in me was an online creator’s retirement. I admired this creator a lot but she moved onto other things last year. She said on her last day to viewers who wanted to hold onto her content: it's okay to let her go. I think I needed to hear that from someone I had a lot of respect for. It helped me reconsider how I view things from people who aren't part of my life anymore.

Fortunately I wasn't fire hazard levels dangerous or anything but I did give things extreme emotional weight and associated things with specific memories. Which is a little similar to people who hoard. So I began to ask myself if the things I was sentimental about were they really important. When I booked my flight home during the holidays, I had the intent to go through my things properly and let it go. To be honest once my time there was over, I was nowhere near finished.

Having a different perspective on life now, I was really surprised by what I was like. I had kept broken things, dirty worn out things - just because it reminded me of someone or something. I used to think that even when things ended between me and other people, I could still cherish any good memories. But in reality by doing so, I also keep the bitter memories alive.

I ended up filling ten garbage bags. I still have a bookshelf and some belongings in the storage room yet to go through.

I found my Nintendogs game while I was at home and I made a Nintendog based on my old dog. I was shocked to find on my in game friend list that I kept the profile of a school bully there. I deleted it afterwards but what I found kinda weird was that the bully's profile comment was rude jab at my profile comment. Somehow I never noticed that before. That's really random that they went out of their way to do that.

I realised something during this. In hindsight the bully was jealous of me. They were always trying to outdo me in hobbies I was passionate about and attempting to isolate me and trample on anything I was interested in. Those are things a jealous person does. But at the time I couldn't perceive myself as someone people could be jealous of, so I thought I was the problem. I have recognised this as the roots of where my toxic shame began. Here is a great video accurately describing my lived experience from that point:

One of my New Year's resolution this year is to learn what my true personality is. I am engaging in things that draw my attention now and also revisiting past interests. I am a lot more happier these days but I think I am due for a break to let my body properly process things. Even if it was for the best I still feel a little sad letting my burdens go. Sort of like my heart needs to catch up with my mind. Best way to describe it 🌼

Well that's all! I hope everyone is enjoying their January. To wrap things up here's a picture of a pineapple with an interesting top:

[evilzoldyck]

Hell is Other People

Admiring the heavy rock that was tailored perfectly to match your finger in silent awe you gleamed almost as brightly as the diamond which glittered underneath the moonlight. 

You could hear the murmurs of your guests and the faint music of the orchestra playing in the background from afar as you stood in your private balcony to revere the ring that symbolised an emblem of eternal faith and affection. To be quite honest with yourself you hadn’t seen it coming, just earlier in the day you’re mulling over which dress to wear for the evening party that your partner scrupulously planned for since months, now that he had proposed to you in front of all your highly esteemed company it all made sense.

This was your engagement party. 

Pleading with a resolute ‘yes’ for an answer, the colossal baroque hall erupted into an applause at the sight of the new happily engaged couple. Wiping a few tears of joy and sharing quick loving kisses from your partner he proudly showed you around where his parents eagerly took you in as part of the family. His Mother held you tight as if you were her very own and his Father kissed the back of your hand cordially in response. You’ve never felt so welcomed before, the warmth of having a real family was one that was foreign but comforting for you.

Taking a break from meeting all the guests he had personally invited to witness his ardent declaration of love, you stood alone in the cool breeze to process all the adrenaline in blissfully. To think, engaged during a peaceful warm season, you couldn’t believe you’re going to celebrate your anniversary every year on such a beautiful weather, making a special connotation to the word summer now. 

Suddenly feeling an unwanted presence behind you, your face that was once graced with a contented smile had turned into a sour frown. You knew exactly who would turn the most happiest night of your life upside down, trailing after a bloody carpet and reigning chaos until the dawn rises. 

The harbinger of death itself, Chrollo Lucilfer.

“So he’s finally proposed,” his dark timbre voice reverberated through the quiet night, startling such a tranquil silence. “I’d congratulate you on your engagement, but I can’t say I’m quite pleased.” There were hundreds of guards your partner employed on duty at the whole premise, guarding every entrance and exit making sure to keep trespassers at bay to keep this party perfect. Though with all the security money could by at your disposal, you weren’t completely surprised someone like him could get through easily, he is the head of the spider after all, capable of going in and out wherever he pleases.

“Chrollo,” you acknowdleged him with an air of indifference, turning around to the slightly to see him dressed in a fine black suit and tie, oddly appropriate for the occasion. “Where are the rest of the troupe? Couldn’t imagine you pulling off a heist on your own.” It was true, there were many treasures such as valuable paintings and ornaments all held in a considerable amount of monetary value scattered along the place, and even then, there were hidden assets stored deep underground that even you had just learned about, or perhaps he’s come for the family’s precious heirloom?

“No need to be so tense, it’s just me tonight.” He suddenly appeared before you, holding the hand in which the engagement ring was secured onto. Smiling bitterly at the glistening jewellery, he showed no movement or even an ounce of intention to take it away from you, rather he looked to be quite pensive as he studied it with a forlorn expression. “I don’t necessarily like to intrude, but it seems that I was uninvited by your charming fiancé.” 

Taking your hand away from his cold hands without ever leaving your skeptical eyes off of his lackadaisical form, he reluctantly lets it go. “The feeling still stands.” Glaring at him with a scathing passion. “There is nothing for you to take here, nothing that you have not already seen before. Leave this people alone, they have nothing worthy of you to steal from.”

“You seem to be quite fond of them,” Chrollo commented motionlessly, closing the space even closer. “Perhaps even more than me.” A distasteful tone from him had you nearly shivering in your heels, however you needed to stand your ground you couldn’t let him ruin everything you worked so hard for. 

“I’ve let you had your fun, released you from your ties, gave you time for yourself and now what do you do? Run into the arms of another man.” He trapped you in between his body and the stone carved balustrades. “Don’t tell me I’ve been replaced,” he whispered in bitter disbelief before placating himself quickly and placed a gentle hand upon your cheek. “My dearest friend, do I really stand no chance with you? Didn’t you once held me high in the standing of your heart?”

Your throat went completely dry as he bared his unbridled affections for you. “Once,” you answered truthfully. Years before in Meteor City you both shared the same vision, the same utopian perspective of your future filled with comfort through grim determination. However as time progressed he began to stray further away from what you both shared. You watched his avarice grow beyond expectancy, stepping over bodies to get what he desired without a vestige of remorse or empathy. Time turned him to be such a monster, an unrecognisable stranger who’s oddly keeping you alive by his side. “A long time ago, but now I barely remember the traces of where I held you in such position.”

Chrollo smiled sullenly at your response, as if he was expecting the daggers of your tongue into his heart. “You’re too cruel,” he detached the palm of his hand from your soft skin. 

“I can’t help but ask after all this time.” He placed a hand against the railing, thoroughly interrogating you closely. “Was it fun, making me chase after you? Did you enjoy the idea of me grovelling for your attention, for you to spare me a simple kiss? I’ve circled the world for your heart and yet it never seems to be enough.” 

He kept the bitter quirk on his lips as he continued, “like I’m never enough.”

Gripping onto the hard stone you willed yourself not to let your knees give out. Though he didn’t show it, you could see the raging storm of emotions in his eyes, the pain and betrayal he felt when you left and the sliver of intention to hurt you. You wanted to calm him down, pacify his anger like you did before when you were both younger. However you couldn’t reward his behaviour anymore, you couldn’t be on the same side where history would echo the time in which evil was left untamed

“What is it he has that I couldn’t give you?” He spoke so softly you could feel the sincerity in his words. 

“It’s not something you could give me,” your tone as careful and gentle as ever around the capricious being. Unfortunately that set every fibre of his being on fire. 

“Do you even love him?” 

You took his challenging words as a personal affront to your integrity. “I find it hard to see if that is any of your concern.” 

“He’s nearly twice your age.” Chrollo staunchly dismissed. “I see the way you look at me, you look at me with such anger in your eyes, like I’m the lowest being to walk on earth; a vermin with no moral compass.” The warm night air suddenly turned frigid at the sound of his strained voice that was holding back such malice. “And you’re right, but what differentiates me from you is that at least I don’t lie to myself.” 

“And the worst thing is that you don’t even seem to realise it do you? You willingly use others for your own interests and discard them once you no longer had use of them. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself, you and I both know your true nature. You’re exactly like me- in fact you might even be worse than me, robbing people blind. I do my work in the dark but you do yours in broad daylight,” Chrollo stated. “I’m not the only monster here.”

“Don’t talk to me of hypocrisy when you value those philosophical books so much,” you angrily countered, noting how much time he spent on the ideas and theories discussed in heavy literatures such as the Leviathan. “Never have I met someone so ridiculously obsessed with Western perspectives on rules and regulations and yet completely disregards them in practice.” 

“But isn’t that what’s so appealing about it? Of course I don’t take these words as gospel when there’s so many critiques to each theory. It’s too nuanced and complex to ever rightfully regulate civil society that who could determine what I’m doing is immoral? For Hobbes I’m merely exercising my right of nature as it is ‘the liberty each man hath, to use his own power, as he will for himself, for the preservation of his own nature,’ you remember right?” He quipped, reminding you of the times he shared his esoteric books with you, engaging in meaningful and intellectual thoughts until the candle burned out. 

“I have not consented to the laws of nature and therefore I have yet to surrender my natural rights. Thus the sovereign is illegitimate to me and I’m under no obligation of the state as I have not entered in any form of contract bound by the will and rule of the sovereign. I’m not bound to any laws of this land for I do not conform to the will of others but myself. Plato’s Crito would further support his argument on the laws of consent.”

Scoffing at his misconstrued interpretation you vacantly refuted. “Hobbes also said that if there is reasonable hope in preserving peace to seek and follow it.”

“However I may think it not necessary or the best for my life to be best preserved then I may seek and use all helps and advantages of war.”

“Nevertheless all that is futile for his argument remains that the design of men is the willingness to put restraint upon themselves for a more contented life thereby. We should ultimately consent for the second law of nature requires that we should covenant for peace if others are willing.”

“If others are willing.” He repeated and stressed out the first word. “Do you remember where we lived? No person there would opt for peace, it’s every man for themselves. It is what he hypothetically calls the state of nature, a horrible nasty, brutish and short life, except it’s real. Meteor City is a lawless land and as he states that no contract could be formed in the state of nature. Thus this paradox leaves us in a perpetual natural state of mankind; war.”

“You know there’s more to philosophy than just the Leviathan, Rousseau’s Social Contract and Locke’s Second Treatise of Civil Government has a lot to say on your so called ‘freedom’. There is no advantage to stay in the state of nature, the natural progress of humanity is the establishment of a common political authority for the sake of improving our way of life.”

“Actually Locke and Hobbes states that the state diminishes our sense of freedom but is justified in doing so, by no means did they implied our freedom would be retained, and that, is what I don’t find an improvement.”

“Rousseau would disagree with you, the state is a necessary condition of our freedom for the sovereign is the construction of all through the general will and so is directly exercised by the citizenry. Therefore, this eliminates the tension between political authority and individual freedom.” You sighed, “Chrollo even if you wanted to retain individual autonomy over yourself you’d surely remember Mill’s first sentence on the harm principle, ‘the only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to attain it.’ In other words, as long as you don’t harm others you can do whatever the fuck you like, but you seem to struggle with that concept of freedom don’t you?”

He suddenly chuckled lightly at your remark. “How are you so quick to mark me wrong as if I had forgotten your favourite book?” You suddenly shifted uncomfortably on your feet as he smirked amusingly at your cornered form. “I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the revered Mary Wollstonecraft, we would often read her passages for hours didn’t we? A Vindication of the Rights of a Woman, well, I guess we’re both hypocrites here.” 

“What was her argument? That women were rendered weak, lacked the use of reason, had no special moral value?” He droned on and looked afar as if he was in deep thought before returning his sharp gaze to yours. “You had a lot to say about the sexist social arrangements in today’s society, you argued that women are deprived of their natural rights to acquire virtue through the use reason. How Wollstonecraft would be so disappointed if she could see you right now, the most passionate proponent of her work devoting her energies in pleasing and making herself attractive to men.”

“Stop it.” You hissed as he jabbed at your pride, mocking your own words of the past to further humiliate your contradicting present.

“What were the words you used to quote to me? ‘Have women so little in ambition as to be satisfied with such a condition? Can they supinely dream life away in the lap of pleasure and render themselves conspicuous by practicing the virtues which signify mankind? Surely she has not an immortal soul who can loiter life away merely employed to adorn her person, that she may amuse the languid hours, and soften the carress of a fellow-creature who is willing to be enlivened by her smiles and tricks, when the serious business of life is over.’ Aren’t you becoming the women she is scathing about?” 

“What’s so wrong with pleasure? Wanting to be taken care of? The want and human need for companionship and love is not one to be jeered at. Might it just even cross your mind that I chose this life instead of ‘building my faculty.’ Those texts described the social conditioning of women back in the eighteen hundreds, women have more options now and are more than capable to choose. Times have changed.” 

“Have they?” Chrollo hummed. “Is the pleasure that you insist on promoting for you, or for him?” He rubbed the silky garment of your dress impassively. “Don’t you wish to be more than a pretty ornament? To have purpose and participate in the natural rights of mankind? ‘Virtue, says reason, must be acquired by rough toils, and useful struggles with worldly cares.’ Sure you are provided with goods and raiment but liberty and virtue are given in exchange. You could build your character by the sense of struggle of living-“

“How can you call that living?!” You exploded abruptly, pausing for a moment to realise that you were shaking all over as you stood in your designer heels before him with glassy eyes. “What we did- to those people, those families, it was never enough for you. I may be what I despised in my youth but I’m better off being an indulgence for others rather than taking account for mass genocide; for what I lack in virtue I make up for my own compassion.”

“How kindly of you,” he nodded absently. “Then perhaps we should test it. Referring back on your comment on Mill’s harm principle, you must know then that the cause of evil not only takes account of a person’s action but also their inaction, and in either case he is justly accountable for the injury.”

“What are you saying?”

“Let’s hypothesise that I would come back on your white wedding day and that I would kill everyone present during the reception, by learning this information, you then would be held responsible for each of their death.” You griped your hand so hard you’re sure that you’ve left specks of bloody crescent moon marks on the palm of your hands. 

“I have no obligation of duty towards you, therefore the harm principle does not apply to me for I am not responsible or related for your actions.” You countered at his allusion to the other-regarding actions where a special role of obligation is placed within the liberty principle.

“No unfortunately you’re not,” he agreed. “But him, would you not protect him at all costs? Surely as your soon to be life long partner you would do whatever it takes to promote his health and well-being. If you would simply come back to me before the day of wedding, denounce your engagement and reinstate your affiliation and loyalty towards the troupe everybody gets their happily ever after.” He finally took a step back. “In failing to meet our obligations to others we are actually harming them.” 

“I’m tired of your philosophical rhapsodies, if you were to kill others or even yourself I would not hold myself accountable so I suggest you’d best return to whatever matters you currently have and leave us alone.” You’ve grown anxious and wary of the dangerous connotation of his words and with the way he was impishly grinning at you suggested that he saw right through your bluff. 

“Its getting late, you should return to your awaiting fiancé before he realises you’ve been gone for too long,” looking back down at the sight of pretty swirls of dresses on the ballroom quietly dwindling down as the night grew longer. “It’s reassuring to see that you haven’t changed at all, I missed our philosophical prattle.” 

“I can hardly say the same, discussing Western philosophers on an engagement party is certainly not in the least enlightening, I suggest you turn to the East for matters such as these.” 

Chrollo gave a half-suppressed laugh and an amused smile, one that was rare and sincere in which held no trace of malice or cruelty. “Before I forget to tell you, you look beautiful.” You didn’t let your hardened expression change when his comment took you by surprise as he slowly backed away from you and into the shadows.

You heard your name being called out by Thomas where he sighed in relief and ran towards you in a light jog before taking you into his arms. “So this is where you’ve been? I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he playfully chastised with a turn on his lips. He led you back inside the bright chandelier lit hall to bid your guests farewell for the night, however, you couldn’t help but glance back from your shoulders to see that Chrollo had disappeared. 

Though his presence was now absent, his words still rang loudly inside your head. His confrontation of your nature, how the spotlight is too blinding for someone like you and how it’s just a matter of time you would run into the dark once more with your back up against the wall and tangled up in his web seem to be conveyed as a confident prediction rather than insults to your moral character.

Chrollo wasn’t here to steal anything, not even you, he wanted you to come to him on your own accord even if he had to force pieces to make you submit to his will. However, his appearance tonight also wasn’t meant for mere formalities, in fact he made his purpose and intention clear when he first spoke of the day you would finally be wed. 

It was a warning.

[nancydrew428]

Game 34

As of yet, there’s no proof that there’s going to be a 34th game. Her Interactive has answered a few fans and said that they were working on a game, but who knows what that really means? To get a semblance of an idea, let’s do a deep dive.

Starting with the past couple of weeks, HeR is selling all of the physical copies of their games, as well as some other products (like their physical puzzles). I watched a YouTube video that said that while this may seem like a bad sign, it might not be. For starters, many of the physical games have been sold out for literal years because they only make a set amount of physical copies. When they run out, that’s it. So this isn’t a completely new thing. However, they are doing a mass sale. On the one hand, it could be a last ditch effort to get whatever money they can before calling it quits. But on the other, it could mean that they are trying to make the best financial decision that they can think of. Story Retold (LJ), on YouTube, works for Her Interactive and commented on that video in early April.

The most accurate explanation is that we at HeR Interactive wanted to celebrate the month of April as Nancy Drew’s anniversary. 💜 We made it themed as collectibles but yes, once the physical units sell out, we don’t make anymore. :(

I personally don’t believe that that is the only reason. It makes sense that they want to honor Nancy Drew’s anniversary (the first book came out in April 1930), so maybe that’s why they chose this month? But I feel like that can’t be the only reason.

I agree with Nancy Drew Walkthroughs on YouTube that Her Interactive probably has to pay for storage to keep physical items, so by selling the games, they won’t have to pay for the storage. They’ll also be making money off the games that they otherwise would not be making money from. As we have learned with the pandemic, and as marketers have known for decades, having people panic is a really effective way to sell something out. It’s why so many websites will have flash sales, the biggest words will be “for a limited time only,” and sometimes they’ll tell you how many copies of the product there are left, how many people have it in their carts, or they’ll say “hurry now, less than 50 left!” Even if you realistically had a long time to buy that product or the company actually has a lot of the product left, they create artificial scarcity and manufacture panic so that you’ll make impulse purchases. While it feels kind of slimy, it is effective when done right. And, correct me if I’m wrong but, I don’t think that Her Interactive has really done this before. So it seems like they might be stepping up their marketing which could be a good sign for the company.

I think this could be the company taking a step in the right direction to make everything digital. Although I absolutely love having physical copies of the games and other memorabilia, I also think that we are living in an increasingly digital world, and it only makes sense for them to get with the times. Go digital, spend less money on making physical games, etc. So many laptops these days don’t have CD/DVD drive, so many of their older games (and their newest game) have issues which can be especially hard with a disc, and so many stores don’t sell the physical games anymore. With a smaller, probably not very wealthy, company, it makes no sense for them to waste money on this. Like I said, I love collecting the physical copies, but I don’t really use them, and younger people coming across the games will probably go for the digital version, probably even buying it directly from Steam. (Which kind of a side note, kind of related, this article on Her Interactive is really interesting. It mentions that HeR kind of fought putting their games on Steam, because Steam took too big of a cut of their money. But I do think that that’s better than not having any of your games sell. And if they’re going completely digital, and almost all of their games are on Steam now, it seems like maybe they’re modernizing and progressing.)

While this could be a bad sign and I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, I do have some hope that it might actually be a good sign that they are finally getting smart.

Another thing that could either be worrisome or a good sign is that they changed offices. In another video from that same YouTuber, he talks about how Her Interactive still has the address that they’ve had for years on their contact page, but on their privacy policy page, they changed their address to a PO box. Plus, there’s a listing for their old office.

Obviously, this could be a bad thing, because they no longer have an office, and that just doesn’t sound good? But this also means that they’ll be saving money by doing so. During the pandemic, they’ve probably had to work at home anyway, so why pay for an office that no one is going to be in? It also makes sense, because at this point, they probably are not the ones making the games. They’re a marketing team who gives the Nancy Drew name to other companies to make the games. All of this can be done from home. LJ also commented on this video in early April, saying:

As far as I know, we are NOT going out of business. 😋 We are all remote working now, since our team (including a male) is all over the U.S. Our work is digital, so it’s an easy change.

Something else that he talks about in that video is that they changed the layout of their website. He points out that it costs money to pay someone to change a website, especially where it seems like multiple details have changed. Hate it or love it, you have to admit that the website is more sleek, modern, and just a different vibe to what it was before. Why would they put in the money for a website and company that’s going to be dead soon?

Lastly, he discusses the company’s change in advertising. I hadn’t even noticed the change (mostly because I don’t look at what they post; I only come across it if it’s posted by someone on here), but when he pointed it out, I did see the difference. The picture advertisements that they post are better quality (not necessarily in content, but in size and resolution). They’ve also changed the font that they use, they’ve ditched the logo, and they use random pictures as well. Regardless of whether it’s good or effective or not, it is a change. Here are two examples (one, two) from the past two years, and here are two examples from the past two weeks (one, two).

This change in marketing is also in line with their Facebook posts. Facebook is the social media that they are most active on when it comes to engaging with fans, at least from what I have seen in the past. But at least since January, they didn’t respond to any comments until they announced that they were selling out all of their physical copies. They didn’t respond to too many questions, but they responded to a few, for the first time in literal months. If they were shutting down, why would they start caring about answering fans’ questions now?

I also found information about some of the stuff that HeR has been doing in the past 2 weeks. I don’t have an account on the website so I can’t see all the information, so I don’t know what was blurred out. I also can’t see any other “scoops” about them, so I don’t know what they’ve done in the past, and I don’t know if this amount of activity is normal or more or less than they usually have. But the company has been doing a few things here and there, so as I keep saying, maybe this is a good sign.

With all of this being said, it seems like Her Interactive might not actually be going under. We can’t be sure, but we can have a little bit of hope. But even if that is true, just because they’ll still be a company, does that mean that they are going to make any more games?

I honestly don’t know. There isn’t much information out there about game 34,  but I will still compile the information that I’ve found here. Unfortunately, it gives us nothing other than them maintaining that there will eventually be another game.

(Timeline) TL;DR: I think that the key points are that they started saying that they were working on the game in December 2019 (as far as I can tell), but since then they’ve also said that they were planning the game. To this day, they are saying that they can’t give out any information regarding the new game yet and can’t make guarantees as to when they can release any information, let alone the game itself. The only thing LJ has seemed to say with certainty is that the next game will be made on Unity. They also have confirmed that there will be some improvements from MID, but it will be similar.

Some other tidbits from this that sound promising but probably don’t mean much: they have said that it shouldn’t take as long for future games as it did for them to make MID, they’ve mentioned that there are plans for multiple more games, that we should subscribe to their newsletter to stay up to date with any new information regarding anything (game 34 or otherwise), and LJ hopes to share news in the near future.

And other things that they’ve said that I’m 99.99% sure don’t mean anything at all: Nancy might potentially someday go on a boat in the future, LJ likes jump scares too “😉,” and Bess and George might appear in future games. (The first two are probably just jokes and fun, but the last one seems like it could be true, just because they’re in most of the games in some way or another.)

Lastly, some speculations: the next game might take place in Austria, and they might address the drama between Nancy and Ned.

Now here is the timeline.

On May 8, 2017, someone from Her Interactive said: "Yes we plan on making a 34th ND game. No is hasn’t been designed yet. Yes there will be a teaser at the end of MID, but no, we haven’t decided on what that teaser will look like yet." Obviously, it’s been years and plans can change (proven by the fact that there was no trailer at the end of MID, lol).

In December 2017, Her Interactive posted a letter about why MID was taking so long to come out. Here was the most important part:

As you may recall, we are moving to a new engine to be able to develop a game not only for PC/Mac but also for tablets, consoles, and now for the increasing popularity of augmented or virtual reality. Very exciting!  Part of us going down this path was to ensure that we have multiple platform options for future Nancy Drew titles so that all Nancy Drew game fans and those new to our games could play these amazing games no matter what their preferred device or platform.

This versatility means that the design and development of our games are even more complex than in the past. Our PC/Mac game design will work for players on the go with tablets and possibly for players that may want to immerse themselves in the mixed reality world. We are also constantly evaluating new technologies and trends in the game industry. Consequently, this is why it is taking much longer to develop this title than previous ones. This thoroughness will put HeR Interactive in a better position for the future while providing us with the tools necessary to continue to deliver amazing experiences for our fans.

On January 2, 2018, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hello Carmen! South America is always a possibility for future game locations. However, we haven’t planned that yet. MID will be available for PC as well.”

On July 21, 2019, a Reddit fan posted a response they got from Her Interactive. They explained that they lost trust in the company and would not be preordering the game. They responded with their reasoning for the game taking so long and how it won’t happen in the future.

We are moving to a new engine to be able to develop a game not only for PC/Mac but also for tablets, consoles, and now for the increasing popularity of augmented or virtual reality. Very exciting! Part of us going down this path was to ensure that we have multiple platform options for future Nancy Drew titles so that all Nancy Drew game fans and those new to our games could play these amazing games no matter what their preferred device or platform. This versatility means that the design and development of our games are even more complex than in the past. Our PC/Mac game design will work for players on the go with tablets and possibly for players that may want to immerse themselves in the mixed reality world. We are also constantly evaluating new technologies and trends in the game industry. Consequently, this is why it is taking much longer to develop this title than previous ones. This thoroughness will put HeR Interactive in a better position for the future while providing us with the tools necessary to continue to deliver amazing experiences for our fans.

On October 1, 2019, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “Hello Grace, the consistent schedule back then was on a system that never changed or upgraded with the times. Once we get the structure of this upgraded game done, the future games will not take 4 years to make.”

On October 2, 2019, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “The frustration is understood. We hope to be more accurate in the future, and to regain our players' faith in the next game release.”

On October 4, 2019, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “Hello Lisa, we understand the frustration and loss of trust in us. Since this game was designed from the ground up, we have certainly learned a lot and will be applying our lessons to the future games.”

On October 4, 2019, they responded to another fan on Twitter saying, “Hi highly doubt the next game will take this long - since we had re-designed from the ground up in a new system this time. We apologize for lengthy delay. :(”

On November 6, 2019, two users on Gameboomers made comments:

One said that LJ said there wouldn’t be a trailer for the next game after MID, but “she did say that there were some ‘early ideas’ floating around for the next game.”

The other got an email from Her Interactive that said, “We will absolutely be releasing more games after Midnight in Salem. We cannot commit to a release schedule as of right now since all of our focus is on MID. It will definitely not take us as long for the next title to release. Four years is not the new normal.”

On December 3, 2019, Midnight in Salem was released. The end of the game didn’t have a trailer for the next as is the tradition for Nancy Drew games, but there seemed to be some drama between Nancy and Ned, and she mentioned wanting to go to Austria. A user on the Her Interactive message boards pointed out that the game was outsourced to an Austrian company so that might be the reasoning. But maybe it could be the plan for the next game.

On December 3, 2019, an article came out about the company that said, “Her Interactive has already developed a Nancy Drew VR proposal based on one of the books with a Spanish director, but it's more likely an AR project would come to market first.”

On December 17, 2019, a user on the Her Interactive message boards said that they emailed Nancy’s new voice actress who confirmed that there will be more games where she will play Nancy.

On December 29, 2019, they responded to a fan’s DM on Instagram asking if they were going to make another game to which they said. “Absolutely!  We’ve already begun!”

On January 7, 2020, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hello Oona! Yes, we are planning on more Nancy Drew games. Can’t say when the next one will be released, yet. 🙂”

On January 8, 2020, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hi again Jillian! I’m not sure on the release month or year just yet, but I do know it will not take 4 years to make. 😉”

On January 10, 2020, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hello SWhite5052! I’m not sure what the intent from our designers is for poor Ned. I’m a big fan of Nancy’s boyfriend, and I do hope we get to have him in-game someday, be Nancy’s hero and also take her out on a romantic date. 😉” I don’t think this really means anything, but I hope it means that she has hope that there will be future games.

On January 28, 2020, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “Yes, there are plans for more Nancy Drew games. :)” Plural?

On February 3, 2020, LJ responded to a comment on the blog saying, “Hi Jam5022! We do not have any news to share yet, but we are working on the game. 🙂”

On February 11, 2020, LJ responded to two comments on the blog:

“Hello felicity18! Glad to hear you enjoyed Midnight in Salem! The leads didn’t add a teaser to the end of the game per tradition since we are secretly working on the next one, and haven’t put together footage to share or tease on it yet. Stay tuned for future updates!”

“Hi Madi! Ship of Shadows was shelved, meaning we stopped working on it. At this time, we are only focusing on the main mystery adventure line.”

On February 20, 2020, LJ responded to two comments on the blog:

“Hi Sarah! Yes, the next game will be made on Unity. 🙂”

“I hope so, Nicole! I always like having Nancy’s best friends on the case with her! No promises just yet, but it’s likely for a future game. 🙂”

On February 25, 2020, they responded to a fan’s DM on Instagram saying, “New game info coming shortly. Stay tuned!” This didn’t happen.

On April 13, 2020, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “Hi Anna! When we have news on the next Nancy Drew game, we will be sure to share it! #NancyDrew”

On May 22, 2020, they responded to a fan on Twitter saying, “No news to share yet, but we are working on it!”

On September 13, 2020, someone on Reddit said that there was an untitled 34th game on Wikipedia. As they pointed out, anyone can edit entries on Wikipedia. But almost 7 months later, it hasn’t been taken down.

On November 29, 2020, someone on Reddit posted LJ’s response to a YouTube comment. “Game 34 is in the works. That’s all I can say for now. :)”

On December 1, 2020, LJ responded to some comments from October 2020 on a blog post:

“Hello! Game 34 is in the works. Stay tuned for future updates and be sure to subscribe to the newsletter for when we announce news. Glad you liked the graphic!”

“Hello! No news yet to share at this time, but that we are working on it. Keep an eye out in future newsletters for future bits of information. 😀”

“Sadly, I do not have anything to share about the next game. 🙁 I hope to be able to tease out clues in the future, though!”

On December 4, 2020, LJ responded to some comments from October/November 2020 on a blog post:

“Hello, beka! Sadly, I do not have any new info to share about the future game at this time. 🙁 I hope to share news with you in the future!”

“Hi Stephanie! It has been a while, hasn’t it? Sadly, I do not have any news to share at this time. As soon as I have some that I can share, I will!”

“Hi Natalina! It has been a while since we have had a Twitch stream. Sadly, we do not have any news to share yet about the next Nancy Drew game. Stay tuned!”

“Hello Foundation2430, things have certainly changed since Sea of Darkness. I am limited to what we can share behind the scenes, but once I have things I can share with you about the current and future games, I will. I don’t think the next game will take 4 years. 🙂”

On December 11, 2020, LJ responded to a comment from a blog post saying, “Hi ali! We are working on the next game, but we do not have a release date for it just yet.”

On January 6, 2021, LJ responded to a comment from a blog post saying, “Hello Natalina! Sorry, I do not have any news to share about new Nancy Drew games or projects. 🙁”

On January 8, 2021, LJ responded to two comments on the blog:

“Hi Aly! The next game is indeed in the works. Sadly, I cannot share anything about it at this time. 🙁 But I do hope you have a great new year as well! I hope to share more secrets with you in the future!”

“Hello Sanjeet! Happy New Year! We do have game 34 in the works, but I cannot share anything with you at this time. 🙁”

On January 28, 2021, LJ responded to a comment on a blog post saying, “Hi Cleanna! I think Nancy spending time on a ship is a great idea, too. Hopefully, she will get to do that in the future!” I doubt that this will happen, but she didn’t have to answer it this way. I guess it was probably to create some hope.

On February 2, 2021, LJ responded to two comments on the blog:

The first response was to a fan who talked about VR where she said, “Hello Madi! Thanks for sharing your concern. We have seen others comment their worry about the graphics since they get easily sick from motion as well. We are keeping this in mind for our future games. 🙂” I don’t think that they ever really planned to do VR, but she didn’t have to add that last part. Again, I’m guessing it was to create some hope.

The second response was to a fan who asked a question on January 15th where she said, “Hi Jessica! I do not know when the next game will be released, but once I have info, I will be sure to share it!” She answered this a few days after she answered the first question, when this was the first comment on the post. I wonder if she didn’t skip it, but rather waited until she could say the right thing.

On February 15, 2021, LJ responded to a few comments on a blog post:

The first comment asked if they’ll share any information on the game this year to which she responded, “Hi Rach! I do not know when news will become available to share. Sorry!” I understand this because MID was a hot mess where they kept giving dates and time frames that they couldn’t keep. But if they’ve been supposedly working on this since November, a year should be plenty of time for them to give some information, right? That they’ll keep the same voice actress for Nancy, part of the plot, who a phone character will be, the state or country it will be set in, or something super simple. Yet she couldn’t even say that she’d give any information this year.

She also responded to someone saying, “Hi Sarah! I cannot say exactly, since the behind-the-scenes work is top secret. I hope to share news in the near future when I’m able to!” One minute she couldn’t say whether they’d give out any information this year at all, the (literal) next minute she said she hopes to share news soon.

On March 3, 2021, LJ responded to a few comments on a blog post:

“Hi Lindsay! There are plans for the future. Stay tuned for news when I am allowed to share it!”

“Aw thanks for sharing! We are indeed working hard behind the scenes here. 😉”

On March 10, 2021, LJ responded to a comment on a blog post saying, “Hello Rishi! I would love to share information about our next game, but sadly, I cannot at this time. All I can say is that we are indeed planning another game. 🙂” So they’re still in the planning stage for the next game?

On March 30, 2021, LJ responded to a few comments on a blog post:

“Hi Becca! Jump scares are my favorites, too. 😉 Sadly, I do not have any news or even a date when we will share news about the next game. 🙁” (I kept the first part, because she didn’t need to put a winky face. I’m sure this is just wishful thinking, but maybe there will be a jump scare in the new game? Lol. But she doesn’t even have a date for when she can even share news about the game.)

“Hi Grace! We are indeed working on another game. I do not have any idea when we will be sharing news about it, though.” Pretty much the same, generic response.

On April 5, 2021, Her Interactive responded to a Reddit fan on Instagram about the future game saying: “Hello lorichelter! The next game will have some improvements but will be similar to MID. We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the game! Also, future games will be Mac compatible, but unfortunately we do not have plans to remaster the old games at this time. :( If we ever find a workaround for the Apple restriction of 32-bit games, we will quick to share that trick.”

[romioneficfest]

My Gift to the RFF Community

Good Evening/Afternoon/Morning to everyone who has read, commented, reviewed, and most of all created content for this inaugural fest. My Black scaly heart is almost beating normally for all of the excellent works presented for consideration and appreciation.

While the one who inspired this fest didn’t contribute (and ‘tis since RL is a pain in the arse right now for most people!) I’m glad so many did contribute their time and efforts to this fest. 84 total works were submitted, 77 of which are up for voting consideration.

1 more will be published, an unabridged version of one of the fics submitted. The creator trimmed it down to meet fest rules but I promised them I’d post the unabridged version once voting started. 

However, I wish to offer my gift to you, one from a special place in my heart - the old theory of what happens to the man who suddenly has almost everything he wants yet doesn’t need? Does it corrupt him, like the Invisible Man? Or is his character so resolute that it doesn’t affect him in the least?

Thus, I give you this fic, as to how I think it would progress.

Title: Windfall Prompt: Bonus Day  Author: Dragon Rating: K+ Brief Summary: Hermione comes home from work and finds Ron sitting quietly in his office, reading parchment. When he doesn’t hear her, which is odd for him, she goes to investigate. Ron shows her what has his attention.

Content Warning: Indirect mention of minor character death; Hermione giving serious cheek

‘What a bloody long day,’ Hermione kicked off her dress shoes and put down her satchel, appreciating the fluffy carpets under her toes. Dealing with law enforcement misconduct was always a pain. They needed different procedures on Bailiff and Auror interactions.

Broken from her thoughts by the lack of dinner smell, she looked around. Ron wasn’t in the kitchen, preparing dinner like he loved to do. The kids were still at Hogwarts, with another month’s worth of term left before they returned home.

She tossed aside her purse and went to their office, the one he magically and lovingly expanded so they would have room to work without getting underfoot while also appreciating each other’s company. Sure enough, Ron was in there, wearing the half-moon glasses he picked up last year to help with the small print reading he said to her, even if she knew already. It wasn’t like she didn’t have her own sets to wear as well since there were so many documents crossing her desk that had too much fine print to read comfortably after long hours at the office.

‘Ron,’ said Hermione. He hadn’t heard her walk into their home which seemed a bit odd. He hadn’t heard her this time, either.

She walked the five steps to where he was sitting in his comfortable chair and put her hand on his shoulder. He reciprocated and without saying a word, he handed up the three sheets of parchment up to her, saying nary a word.

Hermione scanned the first page and gasped! While she was never close to Aunt Muriel, she was his family and she would treat her with respect, even if she didn’t like her too much, not with how nitpicky she was with the women in the family. Angelina was the only one. Somehow they’d bonded and were fast friends. Hermione couldn’t understand it.

She flipped to the second page, reading the document and as she scanned the page, her eyes widened for every single subsequent line she read. She flipped it to the third before looking down and seeing her husband quite lost in thought.

She went back and re-read it all, making sure she knew and understood what she read. 

‘I’m sorry about Aunt Muriel,’ the bushy-haired witch said. 

‘I’m surprised she lived as long as she did. But even Healers couldn’t help her any longer.’ 

‘She is still family,’ Hermione put her hand back on his shoulder and squeezed. 

‘She wasn’t a favourite of mine, not like you or Dad.’ Ron took the parchment and put it back down on his desk. ‘What are we going to do?’ 

‘That’s up to you, Ron. It’s not like either of us is comfortable attending funerals anymore.’ 

‘Hell no,’ He sighed. ‘I should go. It’s the right thing to do.’ 

‘Why don’t you ask Mum and Dad what they think? If they say you don’t have to, then don’t.’

Tapping on the office window interrupted their conversation. ‘Wonder what else is going to happen today?’ Ron got up and went to the window, letting the small barn owl land on his wrist while sticking a leg out for the small rolled parchment attached. ‘Need a kip or a rasher?’

The owl hooted and Ron put it on the temporary roost where the owl could have a drink of water and a snack. ‘Does this need a reply?’ The owl gave one very long hoot. ‘No? Ok. Stay as long as you need. I’m sure you’re a bit tired.’

He unrolled the parchment and scanned the short note, breathing a sigh of relief. ‘It’s a note from Mum. She said that Aunt Muriel made all of her arrangements and, said there are no services since she said we’d been through enough.’

‘That’s surprising, the way she prattled about everyone coming to visit.’

‘Nah, she meant well, even if she was as cranky as Crookshanks.’

‘Well, he is very old, and so was she.’

The silence grew between the married couple, both lost in their thoughts.

‘We could move to a bigger house,’ he blurt out. ‘I know the kids aren’t home much nowadays and that we’re both still working entirely too much but maybe something closer to Mum and work might make things easier?’

‘Our house is fine, Ron. I’m comfortable here especially since most people don’t know where we live. We decided that issue years ago. While yes, I am well known and so are you, if not in the same ways, we don’t need an enormous country estate to flaunt our prestige.’

‘A holiday, perhaps? It’s been a little while since we were off work and away from here.’

‘We can do that,’ Hermione replied noncommittedly. ‘An extended Holiday might be quite lovely, especially if it is somewhere cold this time of the year.’

‘It’s the middle of winter in Australia right now,’ Ron smiled. Hermione returned it fondly, reflecting on that complex time in their lives when grief and rage along with relief and exploration fueled their time tracking down her parents. ‘You said you wanted to return. We could take the kids with us and let them see some of the sights.’

Hermione hummed noncommittedly.

‘What are you thinking, dear?’

‘Do you remember that memorable night about a week after we arrived in Australia?’

‘Which one? Most of them were memorable while we were in Australia. So you’ll have to remind me.’

‘We were in bed after,’ Hermione blushed, ‘and you said what you would do if you had a ridiculous sum of money. While the reward money from the Order of Merlin presentation was nice,’ she added.

‘It was enough to get you your engagement ring and have some galleons in a Gringott’s account,’ Ron added. ‘I think I remember that night now.’

Hermione ran her fingers through his hair. ‘Do you remember what you said you’d do if you had Malfoy money?’

‘You mean before they were bankrupted funding the coup, left destitute and so desperate for galleons Draco went to work?’ He smiled. ‘That part is a bit fuzzy, but then I do think it was half three when we had that conversation and I was about asleep.’

She smiled. ‘You said if you lucked into a stupid amount of money someday and that if we were comfortable financially, you’d want to help others.’

‘I’ve wanted to help others, Hermione. You know the shite I went through, with a broken wand, robes that were too small, clothes that were so short I showed inches of ankles, and those ghastly dress robes.’

Hermione stood behind her husband, rubbing his shoulders. ‘We’ll see to your parents first.’

‘Mum and Dad always come first,’ Ron said without hesitation.

‘And if they don’t want it or say they don’t? What do you want to do?’

‘Tell Bill to put some in there anyway,’ Ron answered.

‘And if the will has them sorted?’

‘I dunno, maybe a Holiday?’

Hermione was quiet, with Ron turning to look at her. ‘What?’

‘Hear me out on this. What if we took some of that windfall and were able to help kids in your situation so they don’t have to be hampered with a broken wand, or robes that don’t fit or can’t afford the books for the term?’

‘Well, the books have already been seen to. You took care of those issues years ago, once you started working.’

‘True but other supplies weren’t included,’ she added. She lifted the parchment and scanned the document. ‘Reading this as I think I am,’

‘Which you probably are,’ Ron added.

‘If we got with some of the rest of the family and asked them to chip in a little bit, say 10 galleons each, once, and with this, we could fund a Trust for underprivileged students.’ She took the glasses down her nose a touch, looking over the top of them at his befuddled face. ‘Imagine being a first-year student with a hand me down wand, hand me down robes, and tattered books. How much more do you think you’d have done if you’d had a set of nice daily robes, a wand that worked, or books that weren’t held together with sellotape?’

‘I thought there was a bunch of wands they used later for the kids who couldn’t afford one.’

‘And you know the lore better than I do – The wand chooses the Wizard. ‘

‘But there are things we need to do first,’ he added. ‘Like – ‘

‘Love,’ she interrupted, smiling brightly. ‘I don’t know if you realize, but the amount bequeathed is a vast sum.’

‘Vast?’

Hermione smiled. ‘Vast, love. Off the top of my head, and the current conversion rate of 10 pounds to the galleon, I’d say it’s –

’10 British pounds to the galleon? You’re full of it.’ Ron took them back and looked at the parchment. He muttered a few words under his breath, doing his calculations.’ He looked up from the parchment and his eyes were about to water. ‘Holy Fuck. Where the bloody fuck did she get that kind of money?’

‘I’m sure it’s been passed down the Prewett lines and with your Uncles perishing before marrying – ‘

‘That left Mum sole beneficiary – ‘

‘And Mum probably asked for Aunt Muriel to pass it over it to the kids.’

‘I imagine the Goblins liked getting their hands on their portion of the Estate. I get that’s how they afford the upkeep and everything but it’s bloody buggering hard to see them get 25% of the value.’

‘At least it’s not on the Muggle side. Theirs is 40% over a certain value.’

Ron looked back at the paperwork. ‘Well, I at least want to give Mum and Dad a Holiday. They’ve not been anywhere for themselves in yonks.’

‘Oh, I agree. And we can take a small one too. It still leaves us quite a bit to play with, I reckon.’

Ron sighed. ‘Growing up, I always wanted to have galleons in my own vault at Gringott’s. I didn’t like that we had to scramble to pay for things second and third hand, listening to Mum begging us to make something last ‘just one more year’. Ron turned his chair around and gave her a crushing hug, squeezing hard but not enough to make her wince. ‘It hurt, Hermione.’

‘I know and we’re not in that situation. We worked very hard early on, saved our galleons, lived frugally and modestly and here we are. The kids are happy and want for nothing, even if they don’t get all they want. We have some nice things, we travel a bit for pleasure, and we’re comfortable.’

‘It’s hard to let go of that mindset, Hermione.’ Ron looked up at his wife, smiling at her. ‘But if we can keep kids from going through what I did, I think it’ll be a big benefit and a tremendous help down the line.’

Hermione kissed Ron on the forehead. ‘Maybe we could speak with Parvati and Lavender and ask them how much a basic robe costs? It wouldn’t be fancy but something that the kids wouldn’t mind.’

‘What about regular clothes? Aren’t most kids in better shape than we were?’

‘It’s easy enough to pick quality things up at charity shops. Supplies shouldn’t be difficult to acquire as well. I’m sure if we ask McGonagall if there are students in need, she’d let us know.’

‘You think we can do this? You think we can make a difference in a kid’s life?’

Hermione knelt, holding her husband’s face in her hands. ‘How much did you appreciate getting nice robes fifth year and a new broom?’

‘Loved it,’ he whispered. ‘I didn’t know for yonks that Harry told the twins to buy me new robes, the git.’

‘But it helped, didn’t it?’

‘I reckon so.’ His face betrayed how he really felt.

‘If you’re worried about people connecting you with what we’re doing we can always put it in another name. We could call it the Muriel Prewett Trust.’

‘She’d go nutters if she knew it was named after her.’

‘So name it after your Uncles? Or Fred? Or Weasley Family Trust?’

An enormous smile broke out on his face. Ron stood, taking his wife’s face in his hands and kissed her deeply, showing her how much her help was appreciated.

‘Esteemed Directors,’ Hermione’s voice boomed in the Wizengamot. She stood in the middle of the floor, splendid in her Tyrian purple robes, a set of gold wands embroidered on the right chest and a Prewitt family heirloom brooch on her left. ‘I wish to broach the last bit of business with you before the term starts.’

‘Go ahead, Solicitor Granger,’ Kingsley’s voice echoed well in the chambers. He smiled, knowing what was about to be discussed.

‘A few months ago, the last of a particular family name from the Sacred 28 passed away from old age. Her heirs, with their blessing,’ Hermione looked up into the stands and saw her husband smiling back at her, ‘have asked to establish a trust for the students of Hogwarts.’

‘The school is properly funded for decades. Why do we require a Trust?’ The elderly wizard she knew all too well spoke first. ‘Hogwarts does not need a trust.’

‘I didn’t say the school, Mr Purifoy,’ she stared back at the old wizard who had previously been Chief Mugwump for the Wizengamot before retiring years prior. ‘I said for the students. The school is well funded. I verified the books before making this appointment.’

‘Go on,’ an elderly witch spoke up. ‘It’s time for afternoon tea.’

‘I promise to hurry, Minister Shafiq.’ Hermione looked around at the old faces and ancient robes. ‘The trust is for the students, for those in need. While many might bristle if it’s considered charity, there are those in need.’

‘No student has ever been turned away from Hogwarts, not in the centuries it’s been open.’

‘I realize that. What I am proposing is that this trust is for those students who arrive at Hogwarts with legitimate needs. How many students arrive at Hogwarts wearing second-hand robes, or a cauldron that explodes the first time they use it because the bottom is too thin? How many have out of date books because that’s all the parents can afford? Minister, we still have a few students coming to us who are the last of the War Orphans. These children have meagre means and no way to catch up with their peers. What I am proposing on behalf of the family is equity, not charity, but investment and philanthropy.’

‘Go on,’ another voice spoke.

‘These students, when they receive their letter for Hogwarts will include in their parchment parcel a letter from the Trust, offering to assist them financially, should they choose. The offering is a set of robes, all necessary supplies, a set of books, and a voucher for Ollivander’s to receive their first wand. Since we don’t recommend children having a duel for a wand, and the number of wands inherited from elders are limited, why not offer these students a head start to their magical education?’

‘That’s ridiculous! Everyone would leap at the chance to have someone else pay for all of their necessities.’

‘You misunderstand me, sir. No one person makes this decision, nor is it made lightly. Why would we make this offer to, say, Draco Malfoy, for his son when they are financially comfortable? These would be pre-screened before they receive their letter.’ She looked around and saw a few heads nodding. ‘It’s not equal treatment, esteemed colleagues, but equity, where those students in need of a hand receive it. While we educate them, we’re also meeting their basic needs and we’re building a better future for our way of life. The funds wouldn’t be thrown around for parties, or fundraising. No, this trust is self-funded by the family in question. And there are ample funds to last for centuries if handled properly.’

‘How many can this help immediately, Solicitor?’ Another voice spoke up.

‘Immediately? Ten students. That accounts for half the starting fund. For every student that doesn’t need assistance, the funds accumulate. Eventually, if properly managed and the one entrusted is bonded to manage the Trust, in 30 years, half the school could be seen to, given current enrollment figures.’

‘Half, you say? That’s a load of rubbish,’ Ewan Purifoy retorted.

‘Rubbish, you say? Since you grew up when being part of a Pureblood family guaranteed your position in society,’ a rumble erupted through the chambers, ‘there are dozens of children starting at Hogwarts who lack a quill or an ink jar. How much return on the investment would we receive to giving those less fortunate children an equal start? How much benefit would Wizarding society receive for these children coming to Hogwarts, not privileged but receiving the tools and supplies they need to prosper? I don’t see you opening your vault, Sir, to afford an opportunity, though you have the means.’

He harrumphed. ‘If the family in question wishes to bankrupt themselves on children who won’t appreciate the generosity of charity, who am I to tell someone how they afford it?’

Hermione bristled. ‘You stood aside when children died. You sneer at as charity is an investment in our way of life’s future. Wasn’t enough magical blood spilt for supposed Pureblood Supremacy? They are our future. You aren’t part of it, Purifoy,’ she pierced him with a hard stare, earning one in return.

A roar erupted.

‘Order,’ Kingsley’s voice boomed. He waited for the room to settle. ‘Motion to proceed on approval of the Fredrick Gideon trust raise their hands.’

Most members raised their hands.

‘Motion to dismiss?’ Two hands went up.

‘Motion is hereby approved. The Fredrick Gideon Trust for Hogwarts students is available as of 8 am tomorrow. Adjourned.’

Immediately Hermione was engulfed by strong arms. “You did it!” Ron spun her around.

“No Love. You did it.” She kissed him.

[veinsandknuckles]

Long hard road, pt 2

So, this is a new part 2, making what used to be part 2 part 3. Makes total sense, right?

Vimes/f!Reader Slow burn AU where Vimes isn’t married. Will definitely become hard R down the line. Content warnings: none Read part 1 here, part 3 here One sunny day about two weeks after Stone’s arrival, you found him lurking in a shady corner of the courtyard, leaning against a crate with an amused expression on his face. Today you were shirking so you followed his gaze to see what he was seeing.

It was Conrad and one of the local boys, around thirteen or so, engaged in a mock battle with a stick each for a sword. They weren’t playing, either. Conrad stopped every other minute to give minute advice with an air of great authority. Stone nodded to you when you joined him. “He’s always fancied himself a bit of a strongman, I think,” you said by way of a greeting. Conrad did have endless stories about his adventures, and it was fun to keep track of the details he got wrong with each retelling. “He’s got the posture down, I’ll give him that.”  It really was the kind of form you’d see in an instructional engraving; shoulders drawn back, chin in the air and his free hand behind his back. The boy caught him a blow on the outside of the thigh and Conrad loudly discounted it as unsportsmanlike. It was hard to tell if the kid was actually holding on to his every word, or just playing along for the excuse to beat a grown man and get away with it.

“Could you do better?”

Stone looked over at you with a suspicious frown. Then he shook his head. “You can’t bait me that easily.”

You nodded to the sword at his side. He never left the inn without it, and as plain as it was, it couldn’t be because he worried about it going missing. “So, what, you just carry that thing to impress the ladies?”

“Good grief.” But he must be in a good mood because then he smiled with a faraway look in his eye. “You know, I did try that for a time in my youth. When things grew desperate.”

“Did it work?”

“Nope.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure where that idea came from in the first place.” Conrad had backed the kid up against a wall with the point of the stick at his chest and looked a little too pleased about his victory. “In my experience, any excited talk between women about a big sword and the like is usually intended as a humorous metaphor.”

“You give men too much credit if you think we can tell the difference.” Stone still smiled, but you knew his words were a little too true for comfort. It was interesting that he could join in with this kind of talk so easily as long as it remained impersonal.

When Conrad turned his back to return to his starting position, the kid whacked him with his full strength across the leg. Conrad howled and nearly lost his balance. You couldn’t help laughing and the two knights in training finally discovered their audience. The boy bolted, Conrad scowled and limped off towards the kitchen, throwing the stick to the ground as he went.

“Show’s over,” said Stone and stood up straight. “Suppose I’d better get my own exercise in while there’s some daylight left.”

“Want some company?”

He sighed with an expression that was half amused, half irritated. “Do I have a choice?”

Of course he did, but if you said so he’d feel obligated to turn you down. He had to be able to tell himself he was being befriended against his will. After all, if he really wanted to avoid you, you knew he was more than capable of being impolite enough to say so. “What do you think?”

“Fine. A short walk, then.” Stone gestured for you to choose a direction and you headed out through the gates with him beside you, falling quickly into his leisurely pace.

The thaw had gotten an early start this year and everyone was fooled by it into hoping it would last, despite years of experience to the contrary. Every winter it was the same way - half a week of mild, sunny weather and not even the born locals could help thinking that this time it might be different, this time spring might arrive a month before it was due. Perhaps it was just human nature to talk big about expecting the worst and getting suckered despite of it.

Stone seemed a wonderful exception to this rule. There didn’t seem to be a silence thick enough to tempt him into speaking of the weather. He walked beside you, occupied with his own thoughts, completely at his ease.

“How long do you think you’ll be staying with us, mr Stone?”

He snorted. “Not a moment longer than I have to.”

The road you followed clung to the side of the mountain and bordered on the other side to dense pine forest growing from almost vertical ground. The little buildings of the inn huddled together on one of the wider plateaus and marked the edge of real vegetation before the path continued up towards the pass. You had just reached a bend in the road, a perfect vantage point to take in the stunning view of the mountain range to the side and the valleys below. On such a clear day, you could see the wide river even from here, snaking through the landscape like a silver inlay.

“How is it possible to tire of all this?”

Stone raised his eyebrows and regarded it dispassionately. “It’s just nature.”

You laughed. “I guess I can’t argue with that.”

“Since when are you so in love with the place? Thought you were bored to tears.”

“I’m not,” you conceded and tore yourself away from the view. “Just making the best of it.”

Stone took the lead now and followed the next trail leading in between the trees.

“Why not leave?”

“And go where? To do what?”

“I don’t know,” Stone shrugged. “You must want more than this, surely. You could settle down, start a family...” His ears caught up with his mouth and you saw him screw his eyes shut and shake his head.

Because of course the height of every woman’s ambition is a husband and children. You laughed and elbowed him in the side. “Mr Stone, are you offering to take me away from all of this?”

“Hah!” For once, he looked more amused than uncomfortable with the suggestion. “That’s me, walking model of fairy tale prince.”

“I’d say you’re more like the dangerous, good-for-nothing rogues that my mother should have warned me about. I’m sure you’ve left a few broken hearts in your wake.”

Stone snorted. “Right. You’ve really got me pegged.”

You bit your lip and kept watching him, but he was resolutely focused on the trail ahead. It didn’t seem like false modesty; he really did seem completely ignorant of his own charms. How could he not be, if he mistook every kind of flirtation for a joke?

Perhaps you weren’t his type. It happened. Not every man was ready to pounce on every opportunity that presented itself. Perhaps he didn’t want to pounce on anything in the first place.

But if that were the case, surely he would say so, instead of sarcastically playing along or pretending to misunderstand you. Whatever other obstacles may present themselves, the first and largest was that he wouldn’t believe you.

“Oh well,” you said. “Can’t blame a girl for trying.”

“No, I suppose I can’t,” he said, as if wishing he could. “But I can judge you for having poor taste.”

That was exactly the kind of comment you could hardly interpret as anything other than encouragement for you to continue.

“Are you asking to be complimented?”

Stone half turned towards you with a look of startled dread. “Absolutely not.”

Exasperated, you rolled your eyes and decided to drop it for the time being. “Fine. You pick a subject, then.”

For a moment, it seemed as if Stone couldn’t pull himself back together. The silence was thick and uncomfortable and you could have sworn you saw him, out of the corner of your eye, looking at you with some earnestness.

“Do you... er. Have you lived here long?”

“A few years.” The poor man really was ready to scrape the bottom of the barrel, but you felt like you owed him a little help in steering back into safer waters. “You’re from Ankh-Morpork, aren’t you?”

The little path forked up ahead and Stone chose the path that looped around to the other side of the inn. He really had explored his surroundings. “I suppose that’s not much of a secret.”

“The accent is pretty strong.”

“Huh.” He sniffed. “Your Morporkian is, er... it’s very good.”

“Thank you.”

“Must be from reading all those books.” He’d seen you read once, but apparently that was enough to set you down as a confirmed book worm.

For a while, you walked together in silence and slowly his ruffled feathers seemed to settle down. It was beautiful out here, every shadow in the snow a rich blue, every dapple of sunshine glowing peach and gold as the afternoon wore on. Your footfalls made a pleasant, hypnotising creaking sound with each step you took.

Before you could think it through, you asked a question that had been weighing on you for some time. “Is it safe for you to be here?”

There was a pause. “...for me or for you?”

Oh gods. “Either, I suppose.”

Stone thought this through. He looked very weary.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I suppose we’ll find out.”

You tried to smile. “I guess I wasn’t too far off with the ‘dangerous rogue’ thing, then.”

“Well, you knew that already.”

“Yeah... next time you should have a backstory and name picked out before you introduce yourself.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” he replied drily.

Despite everything he’d said (and failed to say) and despite how incredibly intimidating he could be, it was impossible for you to view Stone as a threat. If he had tried to make himself likeable or if he’d tried harder to bullshit an excuse for being here in the first place, it would have been another thing altogether. He didn’t seem as if he wanted anyone to like him very much and that indifference was predictably irresistible.

He was just so... self-contained. He seemed perfectly content on his own and perfectly careless of his reputation. His attitude towards whatever danger he was in seemed to consist mostly of boredom, as if he was just waiting to get it over with and wasn’t all that invested in the outcome. In many ways, he was untouchable, and of course that only made you more desperate to try. It was also very difficult to believe he didn’t have to fight people off with a stick.

You should really know better. So far everything had gone his way, which meant he could afford to be a gentleman, but who knew what desperation could drive him to do? When his reality caught up with him, you might all be acceptable casualties - to him as well as to whoever, or whatever, was chasing him. Somehow, all these facts were trumped by a strong gut feeling in his favour and here you were, walking beside him feeling as safe as if you’d known him for years.

The inn was coming back into view. Stone was deep in thought, but when the climb to get back onto the road got a little steep, he scaled it ahead of you, turned and offered his hand to help pull you up.

It was big, rough and warm - you felt the heat of his skin even through your mittens - and yours seemed almost to disappear into his grip. With a slowly creeping flush you realised that your attraction to him had grown much quicker than you had intended it to. Soon, if he kept deflecting your advances, you might find yourself too shy to continue them or, if you were very careless, growing lovesick.

“Thank you,” you said as you stepped onto the road and he immediately let go. You worried that you might have sounded a little too breathless and sincere.

“Course.” Stone cleared his throat and walked briskly towards the stables. “And, er. Thank you for the company. Although,” and he shot you a glance, “it shouldn’t become a habit. Seems all people do round here is gossip.”

“Of course.” You couldn’t deny it even if you wanted to, but it was very sweet of him to care about your reputation. “We wouldn’t want anyone to think you were a loose man.”

The shadow of the house crossed your path and Stone immediately seemed more at ease when he stepped into it. You could sense that he wanted to be alone with his thoughts now and so you forced a little smile and waved him off. A curt nod, and then he slunk in among the buildings, off to do whatever mysterious things usually filled his time.

[robinlestrange]

Something a little different this week - it’s not Strike based!

Broken Stones

Chapter One Detective Inspector Gemma Shepherd shoved the last of the contents of her locker into an overflowing Ikea bag. The rustling, bright blue plastic seemed incongruous in the staff room at New Scotland Yard, and for the first time since she’d made her application to take a twelve-month sabbatical from the force, she felt distinctly uneasy about her decision.She had begun her career with the Met as an eager eighteen-year-old, fresh from A-levels, fiercely determined that she would catch the all bad guys and change the world. She’d been equally resolute to embark upon a career that would enable her to leave home as soon as possible, if the truth be known, but the bad guys were her main reason for joining. She’d grown up with T J Hooker, Chips and Miami Vice. Then there was the Bill and Dempsey and Makepeace who had adorned the walls in her bedroom for several months during the later stages of middle school. She’d even managed to convince her mum to let her have her hair cut from waist length to a chin length bob with a blunt fringe, just like her fictional detective heroine.And just like Harriet Makepeace, she’d fallen for her colleague, except they didn’t quite manage the happy ending.  *     *      * As she approached Detective Chief Inspector Andy Clarke’s office, she watched his eyes flicker in her direction, and saw him pick up the phone, indicating to her with a swivel of his eyes and a nod of his head that she should take a seat just outside.She bit her tongue slightly to assuage the urge to visibly roll her eyes back at him. She was damned if she’d give him the satisfaction of getting a reaction out of her. It was bad enough that the timing of her sabbatical had coincided with his appointment as her senior officer. “You still hanging around?” DS Tim Eldridge asked as he passed by on his way to the photocopier. “Thought you’d be out of here and down the pub like a rat up a drainpipe.” He glanced through the glass wall of the office behind and smiled sympathetically. “Keeping you waiting is he?” “Yep,” she pursed her lips, “I’ll be there as soon as I’ve handed in my Oyster and badge. You’re coming right?” “Of course. Ennis will be along later and Vince and Hammond are going to meet us when they get off at eight o’clock. Not tempted to invite His Lordship then?” he nodded in the direction of DCI Clarke. “Not a snowballs,” Gemma responded, to which Eldridge laughed, having known he would get exactly that reaction, if not something even ruder. DCI Clarke was not a popular man.Naturally it was at that precise moment that he appeared, having finished his phone call. “DI Shepherd – come in.” Gemma followed him into the office and sat down immediately opposite him, rather than waiting to be asked as she would normally with a superior officer. He eyed her with a combination of mild amusement and thinly veiled hostility, his sharp features more hawk like than ever, his cold, blue gaze almost palpable. “So, I need to run through a few things with you before you get on your way. You won’t mind that though will you,” he paused for effect, “…being as you’re so good at running?” Gemma refused to break eye contact.“Thank you,” she replied, turning his barbed comment into a compliment, “Here’s my badge and card.” She pushed a small padded envelope across the table. He opened it immediately and made a show of thoroughly checking the contents. For God’s sake! “DS Shepherd, you’ve applied for a 12-month sabbatical for the purposes of study and personal development which has been granted on the basis of your previous twenty-five years service. You understand that this period will be unpaid and will not count towards your pensionable service. You cannot work in a similar role during the sabbatical period and you will not accrue any annual leave during this time.” “The sabbatical period will terminate on 31st March 2020. You understand that your current position will not be held open for you to return to and that you will therefore be expected to begin the redeployment process and paperwork by 1st October 2019 in order that you are back in an appropriate post on 1st April 2020. Do you have any questions?” “No.” She was determined to give him no reason to prolong this meeting any more than was absolutely necessary but could almost hear his brain turning over, trying to grasp something, anything, that would enable him to have the last word. “Right, off you go then.” The words were friendly, the tone was anything but. Still, Gemma welcomed the opportunity to leave and was on her feet and halfway to the door before he spoke again. “I must admit I’m surprised at your decision.” She stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him, an automatic response borne of common decency and politeness, rather than any actual desire to engage in further conversation. She let out a barely stifled sigh of resignation and decided she may as well get it over with. “Really. And why’s that?” “You’ve always been so bloody stubborn. I thought I’d be stuck with you until one or both of us retired. Mind you, you ran away from your responsibilities as a mother and a wife, I suppose it was inevitable you’d run away from the job eventually,” he paused, performing a slow head to toe examination of her appearance that made her want to throw up. “Or perhaps it’s not the job you’re running from?” he smirked, “How long has it been now Gemma, eight years? Isn’t it about time you moved on? It’s not as if you had problems on that front when we were married.” She stood in silent appraisal of the man she had once promised to love and honour, the man who had fathered her only child, and wondered how on earth they had gone from those levels of intimacy to an animosity so intense it was like she’d never known him any other way. It was as though they had always hated each other on a level so deep it was almost primal. She took half a dozen slow, deliberate steps across and leant on his desk, bringing her eyes level with his. “May I remind you, DCI Clarke, that you’ve seen the dates on my sabbatical application, and you are therefore well aware that my decision to take a career break has precisely fuck all to do with your appointment, and whether or not I’m on sabbatical, I can still make a formal complaint about your bringing personal grievances into the workplace…” She paused for a split second, unsure whether to call him on what was bothering her most. “As for my parenting skills, remind me? When was the last time you saw our daughter?” She didn’t give him a chance to reply, simply raised herself to her full five feet seven inches, gave him a final, withering look and walked out of his office and onto Victoria Embankment, where she took a sharp right turn and headed, with an immense sense of relief, to the pub. *     *      * By ten o’clock the table around which Gemma and her colleagues sat was a chaotic mess of empty bottles and glasses. They’d ordered a few sharing platters between them, which were nowhere near adequate to mop up the amount of alcohol that had been consumed, particularly by those without a shift the following day. Tim Eldridge had just returned from the bar and set down a full round of Café Patron shots, when the laughing crowd became aware of a tall, unsmiling figure looming silently over their table, and their chatter ceased in relay like a tumbling line of dominoes. Gemma was the last person to become aware of the new arrival and turned around to find herself looking straight at her ex-husband. “Oh, do sod off, you weren’t invited for a reason.” She was on sabbatical now, he no longer had any power over her and she no longer felt any need to even attempt civility. “I’m not here to join you, I just need to speak to you for a minute.” She looked him over, eyes slightly heavy with intoxication, resentful of the fact that his appearance was bound to ruin her night. “Seriously? Can’t it wait until like, next April?” she laughed. “It’s a private matter,” he replied tersely, “Come outside with me for a minute and then I’ll go.” She recalled his appraisal of her in his office earlier, the veiled reference to her sex life, or lack thereof, and felt herself rapidly sobering up. “If you’ve anything you need to say to me, you can say it here.” She knew he would see the challenge as her being difficult and uncooperative. As far as she was concerned it was simply self-preservation. “Fine, have it your way,” he replied coolly. “We’ve had a call from Sussex Police. Oscar’s dead.”

[babydragon1]

The Advantages Of Mediation Services.

Regarding Mediation

Content

The Mediation And Conciliator: What To Expect.

Find Your Regional Mediator.

Advantages Of Mediation Solutions.

The courts are usually known for their adversarial strategy as well as individuals commonly try to 'win' versus the various other, without looking at the overall image. It is well known that when moms and dads co-operate, there is an useful effect on youngsters, as it helps them preserve vital family members partnerships. Emma Ingham FMCT Emma is a non-practising family lawyer as well as experienced conciliator. Katie Jolly FMCA Katie is an accredited family arbitrator as well as covers the workplaces in Berkshire and Hertfordshire. Chloe Evans FMCA Chloe is a previous solicitor and certified family conciliator and covers Hampshire and also Surrey. Christine Reynard FMCT Christine is a skilled household moderator as well as chair of West Surrey Mediation Service. Cherreem Lindsay FMCT Cherreem is a lawyer, family members and also civil arbitrator.

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The arbitrator may not be familiar with or perhaps have accessibility to the documents currently submitted with the court. It is not his function or necessary for him to recognize all the information and realities. The arbitrator will know that feelings in addition to realities may impact the celebrations' decision production.

The Mediation As Well As Conciliator: What To Anticipate.

90-minute fast lane meeting to settle and sense-check your contract. All arrangements can be made legally binding in a Child Program Order by approval. Arbitrators assist those in dispute connect regarding the issues of concern to them, and help participants discover options that are acceptable to everybody entailed. We use this info to make the website work along with feasible and also boost federal government solutions. Settlement isn't affordable as well as you can't obtain legal help for it, yet it could still be less costly than litigating. You as well as your ex-partner have your own lawyers that are particularly trained in joint regulation. The 4 of you meet in the exact same space and work together to reach a contract.

Trademark litigation: a global guide 2021 - France - Lexology

Trademark litigation: a global guide 2021 - France.

Posted: Fri, 08 Jan 2021 08:00:00 GMT [source]

We 'd like to maintain you upgraded with our month-to-month Tips from Top Mediators, our Situation Law Upgrades which highlight situation regulation growths in connection with mediation, our quarterly newsletters as well as invites to any kind of events we are hosting. This kind is private to In Place of Strife and also the events to this conflict. with our Case Regulation Updates which highlight case regulation growths in connection with mediation, our month-to-month Tips from Top Mediators, our quarterly newsletters and also invitations to any kind of events we are organizing. The moderator is there to assist the parties negotiate, not choose that is right or incorrect. He is impartial and operating in the best interests of both parties.

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Below 30-day trial can offer us the details of the celebrations entailed as well as a brief history of the disagreement. We have actually been doing this a very long time and, for many years, we've established a finely tuned procedure that makes sure the very best feasible chances of success. As professional dispute resolution practitioners, they are educated to listen, confidentially and without reasoning in order to help you locate a sustainable means forward. While the normal means of doing points is disrupted, we are still running arbitrations online and by telephone.

What happens after mediation?

If the mediation resulted in a settlement or agreement, once the releases are signed and the payment is made, the lawyers will send a dismissal order to the judge who signs the order. At that point, the legal case is resolved and in most civil cases the parties will not need to return to court.

One type of Different Disagreement Resolution progressively motivated by Juries as a means of keeping instances out of court is mediation. Our function is to encourage individuals experiencing splitting up as well as divorce to make informed choices currently and for the future, and where there are youngsters, to offer concern to their demands. Mediation by video clip meeting is an acknowledged approach, accepted by the FMC. We have used Zoom for MIAM meetings for a number of years and we have now used it effectively to help lots of clients to get to agreements throughout the lockdown duration. The mediator paid attention very thoroughly to what I needed to state and also was very patient as I was really feeling extremely at risk and also fragile after my experiences. By the time we came back the 2nd time, really the problems had been resolved at the first meeting.

Both of these alternatives can be pricey, however they could still be less expensive than going to court. If you differ regarding cash or residential property and also you have actually attempted mediation, a solicitor will probably suggest sort points out in court. If you disagree about what ought to occur with your kids, a lawyer might suggest that you keep attempting to reach a contract in between yourselves. You should speak with a solicitor if you can not reach a contract with your ex-partner via mediation. You can look for an approval order after you've started the process of obtaining separated or ending your civil partnership. If your arrangement has to do with cash or property, it's an excellent idea to take your memorandum of recognizing to a solicitor and ask to turn it into a 'consent order'.

When should you not use mediation?

Mediation only works if one party pays money and the other party is willing to take less than what they might get at trial. However, if a party believes it is not liable and should not pay any money, then mediation will not resolve the dispute.

This implies you can take your ex-partner to court if they don't stay with something you concurred. If you have youngsters, your arbitrator will normally focus on what's finest for them and also their requirements. The mediator might even talk with your children if they believe it's appropriate and you consent to it. You as well as your ex-partner can being in various rooms if you really feel incapable to sit together as well as ask the arbitrator to return and also forwards between you. This type of mediation takes longer, so it's typically a lot more expensive. It's important that you and your ex-partner are sincere when you talk about your financial resources.

And also after that it was much smoother as well - it sounds practically miraculous - but mentally it became much less laden. We are able to use initial meeting/ MIAMs appointments within 24hours and visits for mediation meetings, within 5 functioning days. We 'd like to maintain you updated with our Situation Regulation Upgrades which highlight case regulation growths in regard to mediation, our regular monthly Tips from Top Mediators, our quarterly e-newsletters as well as invitations to any kind of occasions we are organizing. with our month-to-month Tips from Top Mediators, our Situation Law Updates which highlight situation law advancements in relation to mediation, our quarterly e-newsletters and invites to any kind of events we are organizing. You will have the ability to handle which emails you receive as well as unsubscribe at the foot of every e-mail we send you.

Update: School employees fail to reach contract agreement over pay raises in Pasco - Tri-City Herald

Update: School employees fail to reach contract agreement over pay raises in Pasco.

Posted: Wed, 06 Jan 2021 13:00:00 GMT [source]

He will try to regulate emotions and maintain the settlements on the right track. https://workplacemediations.co.uk/conflict-resolution/bournemouth/ to the fact that the mediation happens over the telephone, it is a practical and also affordable method of attempting to resolve a conflict. The comments we obtain is that the tiny insurance claims mediation can be extremely hard to acquire. Perseverance might be the secret so if you want to engage the solution, contact us very early and also keep calling. The conciliator's duty is not to choose who is appropriate or wrong as well as it will certainly not take sides.

If terms of negotiation are reached, the conciliator will certainly aid record them and also inform the court personnel. The conciliator will certainly not however take any kind of steps or be involved in imposing the regards to a negotiation if one celebration falls short to conform.

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[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT NEWS, RESOURCES & STUDIES, early February 2020

Welcome to my latest summary of recent ecommerce news, resources & studies including search, analytics, content marketing, social media & Etsy! This covers articles I came across since the late January report, although some may be older than that. Report is a bit short because I was sick this last week; don’t worry, I used hand sanitizer before typing this up, so you are all safe 🤒

I am currently looking into setting up a new ecommerce business forum where we can discuss this sort of news, as well as any day-to-day issues we face. I need some good suggestions for a cheap or free forum space that has some editing tools, is fairly intuitive for inexperienced members, and is accessible. If you have any suggestions, please reply to this post, email me on my website, or send me a tweet. (I will put out a survey once we narrow this down to some good candidates, but if you have any other comments on what you want from such a forum, please include those too!)

As always, if you see any stories I might be interested in, please let me know!

TOP NEWS & ARTICLES 

Searchmetrics says Etsy did quite well [podcast & text] in the Google January Core Update, while both Amazon and Walmart lost a little bit. “Who won January? I’m going to say Etsy. Etsy has really done a tremendous job [with Google visibility] over the last two years. Sure, they’ve been on the winning side of the algorithm update, but consistently, being in that a position, from my experience, isn’t by chance.” Here’s more analysis listing the US winners and losers, including by subject category (sadly, not shopping sites). Marie Haynes says that the update likely targeted sites that aren’t properly disclosing affiliate links, as well as some pet health sites. 

Since a quarter of Americans have a disability, your website, your products & your marketing should be more accessible. Lots of good ideas in here! 

ETSY NEWS 

TOU alert: Etsy has banned the sale of spent bullet casings (often used as craft supplies). It’s not clear why. There is a thread from a seller whose listings were pulled here.

The 2020 wedding trends blog post is one of those pieces that is useful to sellers & buyers alike, and is also good for Etsy because it attracts outside articles and links. Some trend & keyword info of interest: ”there has been a 171% increase in searches on Etsy for bridesman items and a 72% increase in searches for best woman items”... “searches for ‘70s invitations increase 18% and searches for disco ball items increase 18%” ...”24% increase in searches for bridal jackets and a 4% increase in searches for women’s pantsuits” …”searches for reused, recycled, or reclaimed wedding items increasing 7%” in the last six months (compared to the same time the previous year).

Etsy released its annual diversity & inclusion report on January 29, getting some media coverage along the way, for example here, here and here.

Reverb hired David Mandelbrot as their new CEO; he most recently ran Indiegogo. (Etsy bought Reverb last year.)

The 4th quarter 2019 results will be out Feb. 26. I am currently planning on doing my usual summary thread in the forum. 

Decent overview of product photography for beginners, with some pointers on what Etsy wants you to do with photos. For example, “The recommended size for listing images is 2000px for the shortest side of the image, and a resolution of 72PPI.”

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

So you know what Etsy tags are, but you get confused when people talk about tags for search engines? Read this beginners guide to SEO meta tags. (not needed for Etsy shops, but it is terminology used by some website builder sites, as well as coders of course.)

Data provider Jumpshot will be closing due to the controversies over the revelation that their parent company Avast (the anti-virus software) provided user activity to Jumpshot while perhaps not always fully disclosing this to the users. This will affect some SEO tools that relied on these click stats to generate estimates for traffic & search term use, Hitwise & Moz among them.  “In all likelihood, Avast took the action to protect its core business, as multiple articles, including from Consumer Reports, called out the company for its data collection practices, while some called for the uninstallation of the Avast software. This is probably as much PR damage control as it is driven by any principled position.”

Forbes appears to have been hit by some Google search issue, but it happened later than the Core Update, so no one is sure what is going on.They were previously penalized for selling links, but that was years ago.   

John Mueller listed all of the big Google search news from January in this almost 9 minute video. Click to see the detailed info under the video, because they helpfully summarized the important topics by timestamp, and linked to text resources as well. (Some of it is technical/coding relating; you have been warned!)

There may be another big Google ranking update happening right now (Feb. 9), as tracked by Search Engine Roundtable. Check that site over the next few days for any updates. 

CONTENT MARKETING & SOCIAL MEDIA (includes blogging & emails) 

The time you send your marketing emails matters, although it’s going to vary more than this article lets on. Keep track of your own stats. 

Debunking some myths about Instagram, including the importance of your follower count. “...your follower count isn’t the most important metric on Instagram. Your engagement rate is. Your engagement rate (which is found by calculating the number of engagements you receive divided by EITHER the number of people who saw it OR your total followers, depending on who you ask) is crucial.”

If you use the app Social Captain for Instagram, be aware that your Instagram password was publicly available in the source code. 

Facebook’s algorithm has a lot of different factors controlling who sees your posts, including actually having conversations with others, and including “quality, original videos.”

Facebook’s revenue was up 25% in the 4th quarter of 2019, to $21.1 billion, but they expect the privacy controversies to cut into growth this year.

Pinterest is testing an augmented reality tool called “Try On” that allows users to see what they will look like with specific lipstick colours. 

ONLINE ADVERTISING (SEARCH ENGINES, SOCIAL MEDIA, & OTHERS) 

Google Shopping Ads will soon be shown in Gmail accounts, YouTube and the Discover feed, starting March 4th. Note that “Retailers have been steadily shifty more of their search budgets from text to Shopping ads.”

A comparison of Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads, with plenty of tips. According to them, if you are seriously considering one, you should probably do both. “When we talk about Facebook, we’re also talking about Instagram, What’sApp, and Facebook Messenger. Google also includes YouTube, the second-most trafficked site in the world (behind Google itself).”

Google’s revenue was up 17% in the 4th quarter in 2019, almost all of it from advertising. YouTube makes more on ads than Amazon does. 

ECOMMERCE NEWS, IDEAS, TRENDS 

eBay released its 4th quarter results for 2019 on January 28, with revenue down 2% and gross merchandise value down 5%. Amazon’s sales were up 21% for the 4th quarter. 

BigCommerce now allows customers to check out in over 100 currencies, integrated with several different payment processors. 

Wondering what a good conversion rate would be for different ecommerce pages? Here’s a brief overview of the known stats, with some tips on improving.. (Note that any action can be counted as a conversion, including signing up for an email list, so this isn’t just about purchases.)

BUSINESS & CONSUMER STUDIES, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

Are you marketing to Generation Z, or think you should be? Here are 52 facts (with the citations); some highlights: Gen Z has more members than millennials do, and “As of 2020, Gen Z makes up more than 40% of U.S. consumers.” and finally “When shopping online or in stores, 65% of Gen Z prefers to see as few items as possible out of stock” (that last one explains a feedback I received, I think LOL Kind of hard on Etsy when you might have a listing with multiple choices & you only have the one left.)

A study of Cyber Week email open & click rates shows that it might be better not to mention the holidays or discounts. 

This article warns consumers of the tricks ecommerce sites use to nudge people to buy more, including some clear examples of deception. “A study by Princeton University and the University of Chicago singled out online clothing seller Fashion Nova, which tells customers that items in their cart “are in high demand.” The problem? The message appears for any item that’s added to the cart. Fashion Nova’s cart also tells shoppers that their items are being “reserved” for 10 minutes. But nothing happens to the items after the 10 minutes are up.”

MISCELLANEOUS 

YouTube wants Clearview AI’s face recognition program to stop scraping its videos for content, and to delete anything it has already collected. (Twitter did the same last month.)

[briangroth27]

Avengers Endgame Review

I absolutely loved Avengers Endgame! I was a little skeptical at first—there are still solo stories I want to see with some of the characters we're saying goodbye too and I'd prefer those to Avengers movies, honestly—but everyone behind this film really pulled it off. The pre-release hype did get to me eventually though and by the time the movie opened, I was absolutely pumped. I left the theater nearly completely satisfied and I definitely felt the weight of a decade of stories coming to an end with this film. Had this been the end of the MCU, it would’ve been a great one.

Full Spoilers...

I thought they did an excellent job of wrapping up the cliffhangers left by Infinity War as well as providing closure and a worthy conclusion to this era of the MCU. Trading the bombastic fights of Infinity War for really solid character work and interactions here (and swapping focus on Thanos (Josh Brolin) out for focus on the heroes themselves) was perfect. Done the other way around, I feel like this would've been exhausting. Instead, while it did feel full, it was always engaging and entertaining and didn’t feel like it was three hours long. The pacing worked really well to keep things moving briskly even with an insane amount of characters to service. The direction and action were solid, and the writing felt totally in-character for an enormous cast, which was a feat unto itself.

My favorite Avenger is Captain America (Chris Evans) and I was extremely satisfied with how his story ended. I do wish we’d gotten a Captain America 4 where Steve faces the rising Nazism among everyday American citizens we’re seeing in the real world: the last test for his resolve would be to see whether he still wanted to represent ideals that the American people now only use as excuses for their hate. Can he carry on if he’s seemingly the only one who believes we can be better? I feel like that could be Chris Evans’ Logan. However, I was surprisingly content with this end to his story, especially once I realized he’d get to end up with Peggy (Hayley Atwell) after all (though I thought he was going to drop into the 70s instead of his original time). In hindsight I wish they hadn’t had Steve and Sharon Carter kiss, but I’m more than willing to deal with that awkwardness and sacrifice that bit of comics canon for Steve getting a happy ending with his best gal. I’m satisfied with either interpretation of Cap’s story: knowing that things have to turn out a certain way, I can see him not saying anything about the future and always having been Peggy’s cryptic, never-named husband (his comment to Nat (Scarlett Johansson) at the beginning of the movie also signals that he’s ready to stop fighting), or, that he immediately decided to shape a better century by saving Bucky early and then proceeded to kick Hydra out of SHIELD & continue saving the world alongside Peggy and Bucky. I can buy either resolution to his character arc and I really liked that they didn’t kill him in the end. If they want to use him more, they can, but if this is the end for Evans then he got a happy one and that’s perfect. I’m hoping he’ll show up as a mentor to Sam (Anthony Mackie), now that he’s the new Captain America (also the result I was hoping for: the mantle of Cap as Steve wore it is about fighting for more than making up for your past mistakes. Sam embodies that much better than Bucky (Sebastian Stan) would (and his fight scenes will be a whole lot more unique given he can fly)). Steve standing up against Thanos’ entire army by himself was perfect, finally getting to say “Avengers Assemble!” was great, and getting to wield Mjolnir was an outrageously fun sequence! I can see both sides of the “Cap was/wasn’t truly worthy in Ultron” argument, but again, I’m cool with either explanation: either Steve was on the cusp of worthiness but hiding Bucky’s complicity in the murder of Tony’s (Robert Downey Jr.) parents held him back, or he realized he could always lift it and is such a decent guy that he didn’t want to upstage Thor (Chris Hemsworth). I also liked the quieter moments with Steve, like finally patching things up with Tony, trying to get Natasha back into the world (just like she had done for him back in Winter Soldier)—I’ve always loved their friendship—and running a support group for everyday citizens in the wake of the Snap to help them move forward, even if he couldn’t (that was also a nice way for him to pick up what Sam was doing for veterans). It was fun to let Steve have moments of levity about himself too, like the “America’s ass” joke and his reaction to hearing “I can do this all day.”

There's only one major plot point I was disappointed in: Black Widow's death to get the Soul Stone. I'm glad that they had her fight for it (clarifying that it was her choice, given the circumstances, rather than a fridging) and going out to save the universe does put a significant cap on her (so far underwritten) quest to clear her Red Ledger. However, I've always felt there was more story to cover with her (the details of that Ledger for one thing, as well as her attempts to overcome her past crimes and her mental conditioning) and she's my second-favorite of the original six Avengers, so it hurt a lot to lose her. I was sitting there thinking “now we’ve had to lose both Nat and Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to this dumb Stone?” That was a less-than-great look. It was also a bummer to have a cool moment where all the female heroes protected Spidey (Tom Holland)...except Natasha. At least her death wasn’t used to give the guys license to get violent. I liked that they gave the Avengers’ reaction to her death significant time to breathe, even if she didn’t get the grand funeral Tony did. She might be the one who was closest to all of them (except Thor) and she deserved that moment of silence from her friends (Banner’s distraught “I tried to bring her back” to Steve was another great beat). I’m very excited for Widow’s (finally!) upcoming solo film, and I wonder if it will focus on the Natasha from the alternate universe Steve created (if that is what he did), rather than the one who just died. The MCU doesn’t tend to do prequels unless they’re introducing new characters, so a random Black Widow film, while welcome, seems like an odd choice if it’s an origin story like the rumors say. Maybe it’s the origin of that timeline’s Natasha, who can continue on in new adventures should Johansson want to (and why wouldn’t the MCU, given she’s the only actor of the original six who can successfully open a non-Avengers movie)? Maybe Steve and Peggy (given Peggy’s dealings with the Black Widow program on her own show) rescued their timeline’s Romanoff from the KGB before her Red Ledger started filling up. If we could see Nat struggling between her programming and the better life Steve and Peggy could show her before she’s done the horrible things she’s hinted at, that could be a very cool arc. Regardless, Steve’s the one I thought I would leave this movie wanting more from the most, but it was Natasha that I feel like the filmmakers left a lot of cards off the table for.

I loved Tony’s moments with Nebula (Karen Gillan) at the start of the film and hated that he still blamed Steve for not letting him build his “suit of armor” around the planet. His Five Years Later family (Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexandra Rabe) was really sweet and I really enjoyed his interactions with and protectiveness of them, bringing me back around on liking his character to an extent I haven’t felt since the first Avengers movie. I totally understood why he wouldn’t want to change the past and erase all of that (and I was very relieved to hear that, as I didn’t want the Snap undone). Moments like meeting his father (John Slattery) just before his younger self was born were more great character bits, especially after the tumultuous relationship the two of them had. I would’ve liked a little more balance between the Pym science, Banner’s intelligence, and Stark’s input rather than Stark essentially inventing the working time machine on his own, but oh well. While I didn’t want to see Tony Stark Saves the Universe, this win over Thanos felt like enough of a team effort that it didn’t bother me, and his last line to Thanos—“I am Iron Man”—was perfect. I could easily see him coming back in future films as an AI, but I’d rather not. I feel like they’ve explored everything there is to with his character (though admittedly I’m not well-versed in Iron Man lore) and it feels like the MCU has moved on from him; even moved beyond his level of technology. It felt right that this era of the MCU would bookend Stark’s life as well, and the writers and directors made me feel for him and feel his loss, which is impressive given I haven’t liked him in the vast majority of his appearances.

Thor's depression worked really well for me and while I didn’t recognize it when I saw the film, after hearing the complaints about fat-shaming from the other characters I understand the offense some viewers felt. It wasn’t the fact that he got fat that was the problem, it was the other characters mocking him for it, and I wish more consideration had been given to that situation rather than going for easy jokes. Otherwise, Thor dealing with the guilt of not killing Thanos—leading to the death of half the universe—was really well done. The fact that he couldn’t change anything even when the team tracked down Thanos, only to realize that the Snap couldn’t be undone, was a huge moment for him and Hemsworth played his depression and resulting sedentary lifestyle very well. I loved most of his conversation with Frigga (Rene Russo) (minus the “eat better” jokes) and the tearful moment where he realized he was still worthy of Mjolnir was perfect. I also appreciated that (as others have pointed out) he didn't magically get his fit body back when he reclaimed all his power and status (according to Wikipedia, this was Hemsworth’s idea and it’s a brilliant one). I feel like that would’ve been another insulting development (an “only attractive people can be useful heroes” sensibility) that they thankfully avoided. Sending him off with the (As)Guardians of the Galaxy is a brilliant move (particularly given the turn in his solo franchise to a Guardians aesthetic) and I loved the argument between him and Quill about who would be leader. I really hope he’s in Guardians 3!

Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk finally embracing Banner’s intelligence (and Bruce embracing the Hulk in return) was a great move and I’m so glad they finally found somewhere new to take his character, rather than the constant push and pull of Hulk and Banner hating each other. I would’ve preferred Banner accepting that the Hulk was part of his psyche and he has serious anger issues rather than him being some separate “other guy,” but this works too. It was a nice of pace to see people excited to meet Hulk, rather than everyone being afraid of him. I also liked Bruce and Tony reuniting as Science Bros to figure out how to use the Pym Particles to create a time travel heist. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) is my least-favorite of the six original Avengers, and this didn’t do much to change my opinion. The Avengers have never been shy about killing their enemies, so Hawkeye going Ronin to kill criminals didn’t feel like such a huge a fall (though it is a troubling example of man-pain in the wake of the deaths of his wife (Linda Cardellini) and kids (Ava Russo, Cade Woodward, Ben Sakamoto), whose losses do feel like fridging. However, I do like the parallel of Nat going to retrieve him from his vendetta, just like he made the call not to kill her when they first met and she was the violent criminal. His moment with Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) at the end was also a nice addition to their friendship.

Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang made for an excellent addition to the Avengers (and a great way to introduce the time travel capability), bringing levity to the proceedings with his off-kilter and genuinely sweet personality. Pushing time through him was a great sequence and I will always be happy for as much of this Ant-Man as we can get; these movies have made him a favorite of mine! I liked that they also let him get some drama out of the reunion with his now-five-years-older-daughter Cassie (Emma Fuhrmann) and I can’t wait to see more of how that relationship develops in the next Ant-Man and the Wasp film. I would have liked for Rocket (Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn) and Rhodey (Don Cheadle) to get meatier roles here, but I understand that there’s only so much screentime.

Nebula’s development into an Avenger was a great arc, especially as things got complicated with her past self, and I think she’s my favorite Guardian after this. After all the torment and literal torture Thanos has put her through, it was awesome to see her stand up to her past self and help defeat him. I do think she totally knew what she was doing by sending Natasha and Clint to Vormir, and that’s a character moment I wish they had let play out onscreen. I’m glad that it was past-Nebula who played the role of villain here, rather than Nebula getting the gauntlet from her father and becoming the story’s real villain, like what happened in The Infinity Gauntlet. I’m excited to see her search for Gamora and help continue turning her life around in the next Guardians!

I wish they had explained what was going on with Thanos “in” the Soul Stone at the end of Infinity War (I was really hoping it was punishment for not making a real trade of love to get the Stone, since what he felt for Gamora was not love and should not have been cosmically confirmed as such), but ultimately I didn’t need any more of him than we got here. It was cool that his younger self knew he would die to see his quest for the Stones fulfilled, and so was set in his determination to meet that destiny because it also meant he’d win. Thanos brought a very impressive battle and unforgettable scale to our heroes’ lives, but ultimately I feel like he could’ve been entirely dealt with in just this and Infinity War. Outside of the familial ties introduced in the Guardians movies, there was nothing relevant about Thanos that we couldn’t have learned from just these two Avengers films if he’d shown up for the first time at the beginning of Infinity War (his being behind the attack on New York could’ve been a reveal to all of us, not just Tony and Bruce). The Stones arc went on too long and Thanos never felt really menacing until these last two appearances, making me bored with the whole plot at least halfway through if not sooner (Guardians itself calls the Stones meaningless MacGuffins). I hope the MCU doesn’t try to build decade-long (or even 5-year) stories out of its other villains to try and match this, because they don’t need to. Galactus, for example, doesn’t need build-up; just let him appear in all of his planet-eating glory as a new problem for the Avengers to team up and stop.

I really liked the movie’s fresh take on time travel: you can go back and change the past, but not in your own timeline (since the future you came from is now your past), and any changes you do make will result in a new timeline. That’s a cool way to preserve the events of the MCU while letting them go back and muck around with their history at the same time. I left the theater thinking that it’s possible to play this all as one timeline that didn’t branch at all if Kevin Feige and the rest of the MCU’s architects decide to. As I said, I can see Steve finally retiring to have a life of his own, saying nothing and knowing that things will turn out OK (though I really want to see him meet Red Skull (Ross Marquand) when he returned the Soul Stone!). The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) could have helped him restore the Tesseract and Aether to their former states using the Time Stone (as someone else pointed out online). Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) escape from Avengers Tower with the Tesseract and eventual recapture could be the entire basis of his upcoming Disney+ series, given we never knew SHIELD was even involved with his arrest at the end of the first Avengers. His brief escape could’ve always happened. Present-Nebula might not have killed Past-Nebula at all, given she’s an alien cyborg and her internal organs might work or even just be arranged differently than we’d expect. My initial read of the end of the battle was that Tony had sent Thanos’ army back in time and erased their memories via his Snap (since he didn’t want to change history), not that he killed them. I suppose Past-Gamora’s existence in the present after the battle is the only loose end that can’t be taken both ways. If they do want to create a whole lot of alternate timelines, that works too…especially since I feel like the next big event is going to be Secret Wars (the more recent one, not the original).

Regardless of the potential new Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, I hope they use the Snap to its fullest potential going forward. Not only would it be a global disaster to lose half the population, but bringing them all back would throw things into disarray all over again. Nations would have fallen, new regimes emerged (Latveria, anyone?), superheroes going to extremes to keep the peace, and super-villains turning over new leaves when they realized how petty their crimes were. The possibilities for interesting stories are endless! It should affect everything going forward, from Far From Home to the remaining TV shows and beyond. They’ve created a world where the events of the films can have a huge, undeniable impact on everything else, and they should honor that shared universe. The only thing the Snap shouldn’t result in is the creation of mutants, because that would remove their “we’re supposed to be here” argument and the connection to the real-world people they’re supposed to represent along with it.

There are too many awesome moments and character beats to list here, so here are a few off the top of my head that I loved. Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) getting to be the queen of New Asgard.  Wasp (Evangeline Lilly) finally getting to team up with the Avengers. Wanda and Carol (Brie Larson) completely destroying Thanos at just about every turn. A much better use of Captain America saying “Hail Hydra” than in the comics. Time travel allowing them to not only revisit some of their greatest hits, but to bring back many of the actors who appeared later, forming a more tightly-knit world. Tony and Peter’s farewell. Black Widow becoming the leader of the Avengers. Hulk holding up the Avengers facility like the mountain in the original Secret Wars. James D’Arcy as Jarvis, finally getting to break the TV/movie barrier as the first TV-original MCU character to appear in the movies (go watch Agent Carter; it’s fantastic!).  Stan Lee’s last cameo happening in this film, which just feels right. Cap/Iron Man/Thor vs. Thanos. Everyone vs. Thanos. 

This was definitely a worthy conclusion to this era of the MCU. I’m really glad that they resisted the urge to tease what’s next by omitting any post-credit scenes or tags on the end of the film. The only thing at the end of the credits—the sound of Tony making the Iron Man suit from his first film—was the perfect touch. Let things rest for now. The massive credit sequence with all of the stars getting their own card was great, and I liked the page they took out of Star Trek VI's book (having the original six Avengers sign their names onscreen) too. That was classy. 

There are a few lingering questions about just what timelines might have been created (or not), but nothing that hurt the experience of the movie for me. There are more stories I wish we could be seeing with Cap and Widow, but that would likely always be the case no matter when they retired. Regardless, the filmmakers had a lot to wrap up and to do so to the extent that they did is truly impressive. The actors were all at the top of their game with a lot of really good material to work with, making this an excellent and supremely emotionally satisfying movie! I can’t wait to watch it again when I get it on home video!

I'd give it an A(vengers)!

[creatinganexperience-blog1]

EP Website & Social Media Analysis

Event planner: My Bellissima

Overview: My Bellissima is an event styling, design, & coordination company run by best friends Laura and Kara. The company has been operating for 14 years and has a niche in weddings and social events.

Website: www.mybellissima.com

The website is broken down into seven tabs (pages): home, team, weddings, social, news, trends, and contact. 

The home page and team page share a short overview of the business and background on the two women that own and operate it. 

The weddings page has several sub-pages within in, each dedicated to a specific couple and their wedding. Within each couple’s sub-page, the various aspects of their wedding are detailed (including photos) such as venue, photography, florals, catering, tent, and rentals. It is an advantage to have different venues and catering companies listed, so that if a client wants to have My Bellissima plan their wedding, they can look through the sub-pages of past weddings and possibly choose different florists or photographers based on what they see on the website. This also shows that My Bellissima is willing to promote the people that they work with to put on a wedding, so perhaps in the future they will return the favor or be willing to work together on another event. 

The social page has two sub-pages which each detail examples of past social events My Bellissima has put on. 

The news page discusses different on-the-rise news/trends in event planning. Currently, the page discusses the pros and cons of using Pinterest to determine your event style, theme, look, etc. 

The trends page focuses on trends specific to the wedding industry/wedding themes, such as Tropical Paradise, Rustic Elegance, and Farm Flair, and provides pictures of weddings that fit each of those categories.

 Finally, the contact page lets you send a message directly to Laura and Kara through their website, email them or be put on their email list, and connect with them on their social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Services and specialties: Services include all aspects of planning an event and their specialty is in the wedding industry.

High-resolution photos: The website provides a lot of high-quality photos of each event posted on the website, including photos on every page/tab. There were no video clips provided on the website.

Testimonials: There were no testimonials provided on the website.

Consistent page design and color scheme: Page design and color scheme of the website were consistent across all pages and very aesthetically pleasing.

Blog about current events: There was no blog provided specifically about their current events or business, however, the website did provide several examples from actual events they have executed and provided a small statement on their home page updating viewers about what they have been up to.

Contact info: Their contact info (via email address) was provided as well as links to all of their social media accounts. No phone number was provided.

Overall, My Bellissima’s website was very appealing and user friendly. Since most event planners do not have a brick and morter business, their website acts as their store front. My Bellissima’s website is definitely a good entrance to their business. It provided lots of examples from real events they have planned, as well as working links to their social platforms. Another positive aspect of the website is that it provided various vendors used for each of the wedding examples, which is very helpful for potential clients, branding purposes, and vendor relationships. The statements provided on the website had a friendly, informal, authentic vibe that made you feel like you were speaking directly to them through the website. The one negative aspect is that there is no section that provides any sort of testimonials from past clients. Based on the pictures provided of the past weddings, it seems as though the clients are enjoying themselves; however, it would help the EPs promote their business and brand themselves more if actual written testimonials were provided.

Instagram: @mybellissima

Be consistent with presence: The @mybellissima Instagram page posts at least once every few days. Most posts happen within 2-3 days of each other.

Engage with customers & customer service: Their Instagram page engages with customers/clients by posting pictures and/or captions that encourage people to comment on the posts (an example of this is provided below). They also tag the Instagram accounts of different vendors (caters, photographers, dress-designers, etc.) in their posts, which helps promote their vendors and creates a better vendor relationship. The owners also post various Instagram stories that include the polling feature, so their followers can vote in the polls. These stories are saved on their profile to their story highlights section labeled “Fill Us In” so that all followers or accounts visiting their page can cast their vote. This helps My Bellissima gain automatic feedback/opinions from potential clients and also creates a two-way dialogue with them.

Drive traffic to website: They drive traffic to their website by providing a link to their website in their Instagram bio.

Brand (yourself) awareness: They brand themselves by matching their design, color scheme, logo, and overall aesthetics with that of their website. They also use several hashtags including their own hashtag, #mybellissima.

Match social media platform with audience: They have four total social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest). Although they are not just matching one platform with their target market/client demographics, in this case, I believe that they are still matching their various platforms with their audience. Many people today (that are “average wedding age” – 20s and 30s) are on various social media platforms and enjoy contacting with business on all platforms. By branding their business across all platforms, they are appealing to the wants of their audience.

Social media during events: The owners do use their Instagram during their events by posting videos and pictures on their Instagram story. These videos and pictures taken during different events are then saved to their story highlights section labeled “Real Weddings.”

Ephemeral content: Some of their content on Instagram (such as stories) can be considered ephemeral content because they are only available for viewing for 24 hours. However, some of their stories are saved to the highlights section of their account, so the ephemeral part is lost.

Overall, My Bellissima’s Instagram platform is branded very nicely to fit with the theme of their website. A variety of pictures and stories are posted frequently and a clear connection/dialogue is established between them and their followers. My only suggestion would be to post some videos (not just on their story) along with the pictures.

I have also chosen to complete a short analysis of a second event planner. I chose to do this because I know it was recommended to the class to try and use the same EP for this online asset analysis and the Q&A. I reached out to the owners of My Bellissima via email, however, I have yet to hear back from them. In the case that they do not respond to my interview inquiry, I will do my Q&A with the owner of the event planning business I will analyze below.

Event planner: Love Your Day

Overview: Love Your Day is day-of event planning and coordination business (with a niche in weddings; specifically located in NJ & PA) run by 6 times bridesmaid and engineer, Kylie.

Website: www.loveyourdaykas.com

The website is broken down into six tabs (pages): home, meet Kylie, services, testimonials, blog, and contact me.

Services and specialties: Services include day-of aspects of planning a wedding. The services page details the exact services, which are broken down on a timeline: 1-3 months before wedding, 1 week before, and on-the-day.

High-resolution photos: The website provides some photos, all high-quality, usually at the heading/top of each new page.

Testimonials: There was one testimonial provided on the website.

Consistent page design and color scheme: Page design and color scheme of the website were consistent across all pages and aesthetically pleasing.

Blog about current events: There was a blog page, however, nothing popped up when clicked on. It seems that the link to this blog page might just be broken.

Contact info: Their contact info (via email address) was provided as well as a way to send Kylie a message through the website. No phone number was provided.

Overall, the website was pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate. Kylie’s own voice shined through and her services were clearly outlined. The two negative aspects were that the link to the blog page did not work and there were not a lot of photos (such as a photo gallery of past weddings).

Instagram: @loveyourday_kas

I was able to find an Instagram that seemingly corresponded to the Love Your Day website (the owner of the Instagram page has the same name as the owner of the website/business); however, this Instagram as no followers, following, or posts yet, and it was not linked on the website. No social media accounts were linked on the website and I discovered this page through my own searching. I would definitely recommend that Love Your Day create at least one social media platform and link it to their website in order to better brand the business and attract potential clients.

- Gabrielle Orszulak, 4/8/19

[skabunny]

2019 - A Beginning - Redux

If you saw my message this afternoon that a new blog is posted, technical difficulties happened and basically that piece evaporated into thin air. Here is a hastily written replacement that basically says the same thing. If you didn’t know that the piece evaporated, please continue as usual.

Greetings 2019 -

Humans make a big deal about all kinds of silly things related to the passing of time. As a new calendar year approaches we get reflective and decide to start our lives over. On Sunday we talked about my 2018. It was full of adventure, both happy and sad, and as the world turned another year older and that number changed I found it was time to reflect and really check in with myself on what I wanted to focus on for 2019.

Now I’ve said before that I don’t believe in affirmations and that extends to new years resolutions. We can’t change ourselves if we believe we have to change to love who we are. It’s a cycle that is inherently toxic. When I decided I wanted to work on myself for real I started looking at ways to reflect and engage instead of just criticize and I learned that I’m pretty epic. There are a lot of things I really and truly love about myself and some things that I really and truly need to work on. To that end I start in January with the Mike Dooley program for Loving Your Life in 30 Days. I’ve found it helps me reflect and work on my goals appropriately and with love. That doesn’t mean I go in wholesale for everything he teaches, but I value the 30 days of reflection, meditation, and the opportunity to really sink my teeth into what I want to work on and what I really love about who I am.

Before I get into the 12 goals I’m going to start my year off with a couple things you should know. I believe my goals are flexible. They will continue to grow and adjust as I do. I may not find that I’m phsyically able to do all the things I want to or I may find that I exceed my own expectations and blow a goal out of the water. So we’ll check in on these goals throughout the year to see how I’m doing and to see what changes/ needs to change. Below are 12 of my goals for 2019.

Read more - This year I’d really like to read 27 books. I haven’t been reading as much over the last few years as I’d like and I really feel like it’s time to tackle that and make it a real part of my life. I love stories and I miss having the world at my finger tips. More than anything though I’d really like to learn about the world that I’m not a part of. I have a lot of ideas about what that looks like, but I’m not going to keep guessing. It’s time to learn instead of wonder.

Watch more movies - I love storytelling. I love the different mediums that can take and I really love movies. Lately I watch more shows than movies so my goal for the year is 162 Movies. It’s not totally unreasonable and I think I watched 200 last year, but I think it’s worth a shot.

Slow down - I really need to take more time for myself, a chance to meditate, recharge, journal, just reflect or learn new things. I don’t do this enough and I think it’s really time to tackle some of those emotional things that come with being 34 and getting ready to make another time based shift in life.

Journal - I really got into this in 2018. I tried bullet journaling and really liked it. I think it’s a great opportunity to grow and reflect and while sure I’ll have those for the rest of forever it’s also a chance to really work things out and I need to do more of that.

Find a new job - This one is hard. I had the opportunity to start something new and I really like it. It’s science in the most fun ways, but I really need to grow up and start working on building an income that will let me get out of debt, support myself, travel, write, those kinds of things. It’s hard to sit here and say I want to leave where I am cause I don’t, but I think it’s important to grow and I should take those risks and grow. It’s time.

Say no and thank you - This one is on my list every year and it really is something that I take for granted when I feel totally capable of doing it. Saying no is important for more than just the peace of mind. Healthy boundaries are a necessity for sanity and I can’t always do everything, I really need to say no or I can’t or I need help, would you be able to do that please and then hold true to whatever it was that I said. On the flip side I need to make sure I’m saying thank you when I’m grateful and sometimes when I’m not. There are a lot of people who really genuinely make my life incredible and without them I’d always be a puddle of depression and sadness and would forget that there is good in the world. And while it’s not their job to make me feel great I’m so very pleased every day that they’re apart of my life and should celebrate that.

Work out - This is a hard one to put on the list, but please notice it doesn’t say lose weight. I’d really like to get my body strong, the weight would just be a bonus. As you’ve read, I have FAI. It makes things very complicated and I’m facing a very real possibility of a hip replacement before I’m 40. I’d like to work out and get strong arms and a strong core to help keep me up and if I happen to lose weight awesome, but really I’d like my body to be strong and able to do things in case my hips don’t support me. I’ll be really reasonable about this, but it’s something that I really do need to work on.

Cooking - The other part to this whole WTF body issue is the food that I eat and that means cooking my own food as much as I can. I need to learn what my body can eat, what makes me feel good and what I should be cutting completely - like tomatoes. I also just super love it and would really love to do more of it. It’s awesome to see what food can become once you stop looking at the rules and start thinking with your stomach.

WRITE! - This should be such a simple thing to do, but it’s so simple sometimes I forget to do it. Included here in writing would be things like journaling, writing my lists down, blogging, working on the short stories I have outlined, and editing. I’d love to get the opportunity to make other peoples stories better.

Meet new people - For a long time my depression and anxiety have gotten in the way of meeting new people and really getting to know the world around me. I keep getting sucked into a narrative that is more or less my brain lying to me about the impact I have on the world and the opportunity that could be provided by meeting people. I’ve assumed as I’ve become sucked into more groups on Facebook, or I interact more with the same 10 people, that I’m doing the best things for myself, but really it’s time to meet new people and have new conversations, but also to take the time to listen instead of speak. There are a lot of perspectives in the world and I need to listen to more than my own.

Clean up/ Clean out - I’ve been living in between places for a long time and now that I have a home base in my bedroom it’s time I clean out all the other stuff and really cut down to the things that are going to make me happy and give me the best start for the future. This isn’t limited to things, which will be a long and exhausting process even though it’s all gotta go, but also my digital footprint and all the junk that comes with having a digital world. It’s time to go through all the paper, all the digital files, all of the stuff I have and get down to the things that make my world the best place for me.

Be Present - I use my phone a security blanket. It’s the thing I feel safest with in the whole world. It has pictures of people I love, access to the internet, and a helpful assortment of weirdos that I love and can reach out to at any time. But really my phone is too close to me and I’m too attached. It is time to find new ways to help ease my anxiety so I can be present and start doing all kinds of new and different things, that don’t include picking up my phone every 4 minutes.

There’s a lot going on in those 12 goals. Not only is it a lot to work on, but it’s a lot of work to do. I’ll check in from time to time to let you know how it’s going and what I’ve learned.

And I’d love to hear about your goals and what you’d like to accomplish this year. Leave me a note in the comments.

Happy new calendar year Adventurers!

HhG

Thank you for coming to visit and for continuing to support skaBunny Makes. This is a project I work on because I love it. If you love it and want to support, please contact me at skabunny.creative@gmail.com. You should also reach out if you have a guest post you’d like me to publish or if there are topics you would like me to cover. You can find a list of projects I’m working on in the Other Projects folder and you can listen to me chatter, mostly at myself 3 days a week on Twitch - Mondays, Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:30 pm and Saturdays from 7 pm to 11:30 pm.

New blog posts will be posted on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Some of it will be new content, new series, new images, but we’re still gonna talk about real life here. That’s not going to change. We will still cover loads of things that aren’t easy, mental health, life choices, living with your body, new families, life, changes in the world and all kinds of other things. Life is an adventure, this one is mine.

[guylty]

Following the lead of my fellow bloggers, 2017 can’t be put to bed without a quick look back. This was my fifth year of blogging on WordPress after initially starting out on tumblr. Eventually running out of media storage space on my free account, this year I made the leap to a premium (paid) account and moved my blog from free hosting to a URL of its own. Guylty.net has been going since June – and feels more like a proper commitment now than a non-binding free URL… For you, nothing should have changed, though. In terms of views, guylty.net has more or less continued as always. After a dip last year, visitor numbers are up again (15k), and the blog received almost 80k views in total over the last 12 months. I’ll spare you a month-by-month analysis, but just to say that I am really pleased that the top ten most-viewed posts this year do not contain a single round-up.

The most-viewed posts

That sounds ungrateful – the round-ups bring a lot of traffic to my blog, and I am happy that they provide a regular source of entertainment for my readers. But even though they mean a good bit of work for me, I somehow value my ‘proprietary’ posts more, i.e. the posts in which I am creating my own content, where I am expressing opinions or writing reviews. Blogging is not a competition for me, and I am not interested in collecting likes and followers. But to see the fruits of my *own* labour appreciated, always provides the biggest gratification. So, for the record, the top three most-viewed posts reflect that – although interestingly the most-viewed post was firmly OT: In June I wrote my Observations on the SD with #DavidTennant. Maybe it helped that I hashtagged Tennant, but 1095 views were the top number this year. Sadly not about the actual focus of this blog, Richard Armitage.

However, the runner-up in this category, reflects the theme of my blog – and my desire to have interesting discussions about our favourite topic. In part 11 of my RA Challenge, I asked for Something I wish hadn’t happened. My answer had the potential to open a whole crate of cans of worms, but the large number of views (808) combined with the large number of comments (128), tells me that these are topics that fans want to read about and engage with – after all, there is always a fascination when it comes to pondering what RA *really* thinks about and wants from his fans…

This blog is not really a news blog – I only very rarely break the news of a new interview or trailer or project that RA is involved in. The fanbases on Twitter and tumblr are much faster than me, and in blogworld we thankfully have Servetus and Perry to rely on for up-to-date news. But when it just so happens that I am quick in reporting news, it brings a lot of views. This year at #3 – a post on B-Roll from B-Station.

  The personal favourites

I love any kind of writing. It’s my job and my hobby alike. But when it comes to my favourite posts, it’s always those that involve creative expression. For instance when I am spoofing a tabloid article. 

Or when I am shrining. Much to my surprise, I made 14 shrines this year. I have a vague recollection that one of my new year’s resolutions for 2017 was “1 shrine per week”… sheeeeesh…

#144 Spylicious

#142 Francis Dolarback

#141 Deleecious

#139 Gentleman wear plaid

#138 Scarred Raymond

#137 Trevor Belmont Unleashed

#136 Awesome Lips

#135 Annual Easter Roundup

#144½ PRAG

#140 Sunflower

Or when I write an *ooof*. Only one such this year. Sad. *ooof*: Daniel Just Got More Dangerous

Or when I get to add up final figures of our auction drives: Wrapping up #CelebRAtionWithPurpose. This year’s charity auctions on the occasion of Richard’s birthday generated a final donation of £ 1,450 ($ 1,950). Donating the money via JustiGiving to Young Minds, we made it onto the JustGiving fundraising leaderboard. And I suspect that we also “pinged” onto Richard’s phone, if we are to believe his Christmas message. In fact, I think he may have referred to us when he wrote “you have raised a lot of money, personal donations, groups who have organized auctions and donated the proceedings [sic]”. His appreciation is just the bonus – what makes me happiest is that a) this is a community effort and b) we are doing good by doing what we like best – fangirling together.

And in RL…

2017 was a good year with many stand-out moments. I loved the holidays in Crete and the short weekend in Hamburg. London continued to fascinate me on several business trips and a weekend break with my son. I spent a wonderful day on the beach for a photo shoot with a rock musician, watched many amazing plays in the Westend, saw my son graduate from school and start in a prestigious college, received thoughtful and precious presents from friends, got big into sewing, enjoyed a new level of financial stability, bonded with my daughter over our shared interest in feminist issues, became more confident in my job, spent two tension-free weeks with my mum, was thrilled to be allowed to accompany my daughter and son to a Kasabian concert, decorated the most beautiful Christmas tree ever, and have felt predominantly happy and secure in my life. The bad stuff… was just small fry.

So, as we come to the year’s end, I once again like to focus on the positive, despite a world that has seemed to veer dangerously close to political and societal instability. There is much I am grateful for. This blog – and the interaction with my fellow-fans – is included in that. I am grateful for the comments and attention I receive from you, for your generous support of my fundraising efforts, for the personal messages and gifts I have received from you, the friendships that have developed over our shared weakness for an actor, the creative inspiration sparked by Richard’s work and our discussion of it, the daily distraction that the blog provides. My wish for 2018 is that it may continue.

The customary end-of-year message for Richard

Dear Richard,

with another year drawing to a close I’d like to thank you once again for sharing your work with us, and congratulate you on your successes. A great year for fans (and you?), with your work present on the big and small screens, as well as on our ears, in the abstract shape of your audiobooks. I was able to see all of the work you released this year – admittedly sometimes through dark channels – and as ever, your performances were excellent. I loved your intense Norman knight scowling in the beautiful landscape of my adopted country (Ireland), I was confused by “dreamy” Dr White, enjoyed DIY dad Tom Cahalan, and worried for Daniel Miller in his deep cover operation. Wish he had spoken more German (my native language), though! 😉 Your work always stands out, and your choice of projects is a challenge that I have come to appreciate. Something new every time.

Wishing you that you continue to find such diverse roles to hone your outstanding talent – and wishing for your fans (and myself) that we may be able to see you on stage again, soon. Have a wonderful New Year’s eve surrounded by your family and/or friends, and a successful new year!

Lots of love,

Guylty ❤️

Bye-bye 2017 – Year in Review Following the lead of my fellow bloggers, 2017 can't be put to bed without a quick look back.

[dipulb3]

TCL 6-Series Roku TV review: Better than ever

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/tcl-6-series-roku-tv-review-better-than-ever-9/

TCL 6-Series Roku TV review: Better than ever

The new TCL 6-Series Roku TV has big shoes to fill. For two years running it’s been my favorite TV for everyday buyers, with excellent image quality, class-leading smarts and an affordable price. The 2020 version adds a new backlight system powered by mini-LED, improved gaming features and a 75-inch size, yet keeps the cost affordable. The result is the best picture quality for the money I’ve tested this year.

Like

Excellent overall image quality

Superior brightness for the price

Great game mode performance

Roku smart TV is simple, capable

Don’t Like

Some issues with low-light dimming

No HBO Max or Apple AirPlay

Those mini-LEDs maximize brightness, leading to better images in bright rooms and with HDR. Local dimming, meanwhile, manages to keep black levels dark and overall contrast superb — although it’s not perfect. And gamers will appreciate the new THX Certified game mode, which serves up fast response time with minimal lag and excellent image quality.

Now playing: Watch this: TCL 6-Series Roku TV review: Brighter and better than…

4:43

Compared to the 2019 6-Series, which is still an excellent TV if you can find one in stock, the 2020 version is better in pretty much every way and worth an extra $100 or so at the 65-inch size. The new 6-Series isn’t as good as the 2019 TCL 8-Series, however, which has an even brighter image and better local dimming. Normally there’s a big price gap between the two but when the 8-Series is on sale — as it often seems to be — video quality snobs who don’t want to spring for OLED should probably choose the 8 instead.

I’ll update this review when I have the chance to test out more 2020 TVs — coming soon — but going into the holiday season the TCL 6-Series is already tough to beat, especially once the traditional November price drops kick in.

Red Roku, metallic frame, impressive picture mark TCL 6-Series

See all photos

Gray metal body, adjustable feet

TCL’s midrange TVs have a much more polished look than their budget sets and the new 6-Series is no exception. The slim frame around the image and thicker bottom edge are dark gray textured metal, with subtle TCL and Roku logos. Not-so-subtle is the big accent light below the central logo — it turns off when you turn on the TV, thankfully, but I wish there was a way to disable it entirely. (Update: You can! Go to Settings > System > Power and turn off the Standby LED. Thanks to commenter chazzsubscribe.)

New for 2019 is a dual-position stand leg arrangement on the 65- and 75-inch sizes that lets you place the legs either out toward the edge of the panel, as seen in the images here, or more toward the center. Both also include a cable cozy in the legs that let you kinda hide HDMI, power and other connectors.

David Katzmaier/CNET

Hello, Roku (now with Peacock); goodbye, HBO Max

I’m a fan of Roku TV, for reasons I’ve documented extensively in previous reviews. Here’s the short list why:

Frequent updates and feature improvements

Simple menus with full customization, including input naming

Inputs on the same home page as TV apps

More apps (and 4K HDR apps) than any other smart TV system

Cross-platform search covers many services and allows price comparisons

Like other Roku devices, the TCL 6-Series is currently missing an app for HBO Max. HBO subscribers can still watch HBO shows using the standard HBO app, but won’t get access to Max-specific shows such as Friends or Love Life. The TV does now have a Peacock app, however.

In an issue first brought to my attention by a reader, the 635’s Amazon app doesn’t yet deliver HDR. TCL says Roku is aware of the issue and working on a fix with Amazon. I’ll update this section when that happens.

Another thing currently missing from the Roku platform — and available on competing smart TVs from Vizio, Samsung and LG — is support for Apple’s AirPlay system. The Apple TV app, which includes access to Apple TV Plus, is on-board.

David Katzmaier/CNET

The 6-Series includes the simple Roku remote with built-in voice control. Roku’s voice function isn’t nearly as robust as Amazon Alexa, found on Fire Edition TVs, for example, but it worked fine for searches, app launching, switching inputs and tuning to an antenna channel. If the TV is off, a voice command such as “Launch Netflix” will turn it on and launch the app.

Mini-LED leads a big list of features

Mini-LEDs are, as you might have guessed, smaller than standard LEDs, allowing them to be grouped into more local dimming zones. Full-array local dimming is the best way to improve picture quality on LCD TVs. It allows the backlight — the part behind the LCD screen that provides illumination — to dim and illuminate different areas simultaneously. Smaller areas, or more dimming zones, mean more precise illumination, which ultimately increases contrast, the most important ingredient in a good picture.

Key TV features

Display technology LED LCD (Mini-LED) LED backlight Full array with local dimming Number of zones 55-inch: 128, 65-inch: 160, 75-inch: 240 Resolution 4K HDR compatible HDR10 and Dolby Vision Smart TV Roku TV Remote Voice

TCL is still the only TV maker to use mini-LED technology, first in the 8-Series and now in the 6-Series, but specs on the 6-Series aren’t nearly as impressive. The cheaper 6 has around 1,000 LEDs and 240 zones on the 75-inch size, while the more expensive 8 has 10,000 mini-LEDs and 1,000 zones. That’s likely the biggest reason the 6-Series didn’t perform as well as the 8-Series in my tests.

Read more: Mini-LED is here: How smaller lights could lead to big TV improvements

The 2020 Vizio P-Series is probably the new 6-Series’ closest competitor and it actually has more local dimming zones than the TCL — 200 on the 65-inch size. The Hisense H9G matches the TCL with 160 zones on the 65-inch size, while other TV makers like Sony and Samsung don’t specify number of zones. 

Another improvement over the 2019 6-Series is a true 120Hz refresh rate on all sizes in the series, which leads to better motion performance. Like most TVs in its class today the 6-Series uses quantum dots that help improve color compared to non-QD-equipped TVs. And of course it supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range formats. These days basically the only manufacturer that doesn’t is Samsung.

David Katzmaier/CNET

Inputs are ample:

4x HDMI inputs

1x analog (composite) video input

1x USB port (2.0)

Ethernet (wired internet)

1x headphone jack

1x optical digital audio output

1x RF (antenna) input

The 2020 6-Series supports Auto Game Mode that engages the new THX Certified game mode automatically when connected to a compatible device. New for this year it also has variable refresh rate and the ability to accept frame rates up to 120Hz. The latter are both important capabilities of the upcoming PS5 and Xbox consoles, but hardcore gamers should note that the 6-Series lacks the ability to do 4K resolution 120Hz with HDR, instead maxing out at 1440p resolution. The Vizio P-Series and Sony X900H, meanwhile, can handle 4K/120 with HDR. I’m not sure how big a difference it will make but I plan to test the new TVs with those consoles when they come out.

Picture quality comparisons

Click the image above to see CNET’s picture settings.

David Katzmaier/CNET

While the TCL 6-Series put out an excellent image, I can’t say yet how it competes against the 2020 Vizio and Hisense sets mentioned above, since I haven’t reviewed them yet. Against the TVs I have reviewed, however, its overall picture is better than any other set that earned an 8 in this category — yet not quite worthy of the 9 I gave the brighter and more expensive 8-Series and Vizio PX from last year, let alone OLED models like the CX that earned a 10. The new 6-Series nails the basics and looks great for gaming, but some issues with dimming in select scenes held it back a little.

Dim lighting: With standard Blu-ray and other SDR content calibrated for a dark room, the TVs looked very similar, and any differences would be tough to distinguish outside of a side-by-side comparison. Overall the Sony showed slightly lighter black levels than the TCLs, for a slightly less impactful and contrasty image, and between the three TCLs the 8-Series looked best by a nose.

Watching 1917 on Blu-ray, for example, after the soldier awakens in chapter 13 (1:06:38), the 635’s letterbox bars and shadows looked truer and more inky than the Sony’s, while I could discern more of the folds of his uniform and walls in the background than on the 625. Meanwhile the 635 and the 8-Series were closest of all, with the only real difference being slightly better shadow detail on the 8-Series.

During the extremely dark assault on Hogwarts from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 635 again looked best aside from the 8-Series. Compared to the 625 from 2019 its black levels were very slightly worse but shadow detail was significantly better, and all three TCLs maintained black levels better than the Sony. 

In content prone to blooming, for example when I brought up the playback controls during a black screen, the TCLs all did a better job controlling the stray illumination than the Sony, which lit up larger portions of the image. The 635 did show blooming more with brighter content, however, including HDR (see below).

Bright lighting: The TCL 6-Series is the brightest TV I’ve ever measured at this price. Brighter TVs like the 8-Series and the Vizio PX cost a lot more — as do numerous dimmer examples like the Sony X900H. 

Light output in nits

TV Brightest (SDR) Accurate color (SDR) Brightest (HDR) Accurate color (HDR) Vizio PX65-G1 1,990 1,120 2,908 2,106 TCL 65Q825 1,653 904 1,818 982 TCL 65R635 1,114 792 1,292 1,102 Sony XBR-65X900H 841 673 989 795 TCL 65R625 653 578 881 813 Vizio M658-G1 633 400 608 531 LG OLED65CX 377 290 690 634

The TCL’s brightest settings, “TV Brightness: brighter” and “Picture mode: Vivid,” (or “Bright HDR” for HDR content) are terribly inaccurate. An accurate bright-room picture is laudably easy to achieve, however. Just switch the mode to “Movie” or “Dark HDR” mode, which reduces light output but delivers a much better image. 

Under bright lighting the 2020 6-Series’ TCL’s screen performed a bit better than last year’s model, as well as the Sony, at mitigating reflections and preserving black levels and contrast. Overall its bright-room image is just as impressive for the price as its home theater picture.

Color accuracy: According to my measurements the TCL 635’s color was excellent before calibration in Movie mode and even better afterward. Watching 1917, for the most part I’d call its color excellent as well, as indicated by the numbers. It did appear slightly less saturated than the other three at times, for example, in the faces of the soldiers or the reddish glow of the firelight. In general the difference was minimal, however, and in other scenes it was much less visible.

Video processing: The 6-Series is a 120Hz native TV with plenty of options for handling motion. The most obvious is Action Smoothing which has four settings. In Off the TV delivers correct 1080p/24 film cadence but in the other settings, Low and higher, it causes the TV to have the buttery smoothness of the soap opera effect.

Those other settings, “Action Clarity” and “LED Motion Clarity,” affect motion resolution and interact with one another. The good news is that achieving maximum motion resolution doesn’t require SOE. When I toggled LED Motion Clarity on, engaging black frame insertion, and cranked Action Clarity to High, I measured a healthy 1,080 lines of resolution — very good, albeit not as good as the Sony or some other 120Hz TVs I’ve tested. Turning LED Motion Clarity off reduces resolution out at 600 lines. I preferred to leave AC on High and turn LED Motion Clarity off because the latter dims the image slightly and introduced some flicker. Viewers very averse to blur might want to leave it on, however.

Compared to last year the 2020 6-Series added a couple milliseconds of gaming input lag, clocking in at around 18/19ms for both 1080p and 4K HDR in game mode. Twitch gamers might notice, but nobody else will. That said, the chances of noticing lag go way up for anybody who doesn’t use game mode in 4K HDR: I measured 134ms (!) in 4K with game mode turned off.

“Game mode” is actually another confusing setting on the 2020 6-Series. You can apply it to any picture mode (such as Movie) or choose the actual “Gaming”https://www.cnet.com/”Gaming HDR” picture mode, which invokes THX’s special sauce. In both cases input lag was basically the same.

Uniformity: With test patterns the 2020 6-Series was solid without too much brightness variation across the screen: slightly better along the edges than the 2019 6-Series and better in the middle than the Sony. One blemish on my review sample was a pair of very slightly darker spots in the middle right. They were quite subtle: I only noticed them on test patterns and demanding material like hockey. From off-angle the 65R635 preserved more black level fidelity than the 625 and the Sony, while off-angle color was similar to the other TCLs and worse than the Sony.

HDR and 4K video: As usual with bright, contrasty HDR material I saw more differences than with SDR. To get a baseline I started with the video montage from the Spears and Munsil 4K HDR benchmark disc, and the 635’s advantages stood out over the Sony and the 2019 6-Series. In the cityscape scenes like the Ferris wheel at night (4:49), the 635’s highlights looked brighter than the other TCL, while the black levels of the sky and shadows were significantly darker than the Sony. Meanwhile the 8-series looked best of all, with blacks as dark as the 635 and brighter highlights.

In difficult scenes with objects against black backgrounds all three TCLs showed similar inky black levels but the highlights were quite visibly different. The 635 was consistently brighter than either the Sony or the 625 (the pen at 4:12 was a good example) and dimmer than the 8-Series. In mostly white scenes, like the mountains and the horses grazing in the snowfield, the 2020 635 again measured the brightest aside from the 8-Series.

As with SDR the 635’s color did appear slightly less impactful and saturated at times, particularly orange like the sunsets or the wings of a monarch butterfly at 3:51. And just like with SDR the difference was subtle and the kind of thing I wouldn’t notice outside of a side-by-side comparison. And in other scenes, like the red, green and yellow of the tulip field, the 635 looked just as vibrant and punchy as the other three. 

Moving on to the 1917 4K Blu-ray disc it was mostly the same story, but in a couple of mixed bright and dark scenes that really test local dimming, the 635 stumbled. When the soldiers meet the general in the bunker (5:20), the 635 showed more blooming and stray illumination in the soldiers silhouettes, the shadows and letterbox bars than the others. I tried reducing the brightness setting from Brighter (which I recommend for HDR on this TV in general) to Normal (which put it at roughly the same overall light output as the 2019 TCL) and or Darker (the dimmest option and much dimmer than either one). If I had to choose between the Sony’s lighter black levels and the 635’s blooming, I’d still take the 635, but both of the other TCLs handled this scene better.

And as usual the effect varied quite a bit. In the next dark bunker scene, around 25:45, the 635’s blooming was much less noticeable, perhaps because of the way the flashlights and camera moved through the rooms. On the other hand in the Chapter 13 awakening scene the TCL 635 was basically unwatchable: its dimming kicked in aggressively to crush almost all the shadow detail in the scene, the uniform and background were invisible and blooming rampant. Changing the picture mode to Bright HDR reclaimed most of the detail but made other aspects of the image look worse, especially in brighter scenes. The 625 looked a bit better (but not great) during this scene, the 8-Series looked significantly better, while the Sony looked the best despite its lighter black levels, showing minimal local dimming effects.

HDR color during 1917 showed the Sony as the palest and least saturated of the three in this pale and unsaturated movie, and to my eye the 635 and 8-Series looked the most balanced. HDR color accuracy measurements gave the Sony the advantage over the 635.

4K HDR gaming: For this test I played The Last of Us Part 2 on a PS4 Pro in the TVs’ various Game modes: Gaming HDR (aka THX-certified Game Mode) for the 635, Dark HDR/Brighter/”Game mode” toggle on for the other two TCLs and Game mode on the Sony. In my comparison THX Game mode did an excellent job of balancing image quality and low input lag.

In those settings the 635 had the best contrast, brightest highlights and most punch of the bunch — the other three looked more washed-out. When you’re crawling around a dark building hunting zombies, however, shadow detail is more important than black level and contrast, because it allows you to peer into dark recesses to spot enemies. By that measure the Sony was better than the 635, delivering every ounce of detail in the darkest shadows while the 635 was a bit more shrouded, albeit still better than the other two. If I wanted maximum zombie-spot potential on I’d set the game’s Contrast slider a bit lower.

Moving out into the day-lit Seattle streets the 635 again looked best overall thanks to superior contrast, which as usual helped colors pop. Of course you can reclaim the native contrast of the other TCLs by turning off the Game mode toggle but the trade-off is extreme input lag  — which was intolerable as I played the game. 

Geek Box

Test Result Score Black luminance (0%) 0.005 Good Peak white luminance (SDR) 1114 Good Avg. gamma (10-100%) 2.2 Good Avg. grayscale error (10-100%) 0.44 Good Dark gray error (30%) 0.40 Good Bright gray error (80%) 0.54 Good Avg. color checker error 1.60 Good Avg. saturation sweeps error 1.56 Good Avg. color error 1.39 Good Red error 1.36 Good Green error 2.16 Good Blue error 1.61 Good Cyan error 1.29 Good Magenta error 1.17 Good Yellow error 0.72 Good 1080p/24 Cadence (IAL) Pass Good Motion resolution (max) 1080 Good Motion resolution (dejudder off) 600 Average Input lag (Game mode) 19ms Average HDR10 Black luminance (0%) 0.011 Good Peak white luminance (10% win) 1292 Good Gamut % UHDA/P3 (CIE 1976) 96.51 Good ColorMatch HDR error 10.91 Poor Avg. color checker error 4.96 Average Input lag (Game mode, 4K HDR) 18.27ms Average

TCL 65R635 CNET review calibration results by David Katzmaier on Scribd

First published Sept. 11.

[mangeshranedigitalmarketing]

5 Instagram Effective Strategies to scale up your Business by Mangesh Rane

Why are we talking about Instagram? Why not other Social Media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn ?

 ✓ 300 Million Stories are used on Instagram every day

 ✓ Every month about 800 million people use Instagram

 ✓ 80% of people follow Business on Instagram

 Instagram is the only platform which has a good engagement rate as compared to other platforms. It has provided great exposure to influencers and Business as compared to other platforms.

 Before we dive into 5 Effective Strategies to leverage instagram let me introduce myself.

 I am Mangesh Rane, Digital Marketing Strategist scaling up Business digitally through my experience and skills in online marketing.

 5 Effective Strategies to Leverage Instagram for Business Growth

 1.    Instagram Account

      Instagram Structure

 When creating an Instagram account for the Business make sure you have a Business profile and not a personal account profile.

Instagram Business account provides good insights on stats of your post engagement, profile visits which are not featured in the personal account. Instagram claims to reduce the reach of Business accounts when you update the post as it prefers personal accounts reach.

By having a Business account you can promote your posts from Facebook Business Manager which have detailed targeting options. This is the main advantage of having Business Account.

How to create and link a Business account to Facebook Page? On my website Mangesh Rane you will find 101 Guide for Instagram Marketing which will give you a clear indepth procedure. I have explained Instagram in depth with all relevant examples.

After a Business profile the next step is to update Bio which talks about your Business which must have a call to action. For example if your Business is about Tour Packages you can update a Bio such as

"We offer phenomenal #Tour packages! Trip to any domestic and international destinations. Follow us to know more 🙂 "

Call to action with a crisp bio appeal others to follow your Instagram account who have interest in traveling.

Use Instagram Creator Studio

Through Creator Studio you get access to details of your post engagement on Business Profile which are not provided in a personal account. You must try the Creator Studio tool provided by Facebook for both FB and Instagram to gauge your posts performances.

The advantage of the Creator Studio is

 ✓ Age group, Gender details

✓ Day and Hour insights

✓ Cities and Country insights

These details can feed great insights while running a paid promotion on Instagram. By doing so you may have better sales or leads for your business.

Define your Niche

What's your product/service about you need to create content relevant to it. Share tricks, tips that could ease the pain points of your prospects. Instagram is about engagement,you can keep it entertaining, inspiring value adding post content. Use 20 - 80% rule i.e. after every 10 value addition posts you update have 2 promotional posts on your Business Profile.

Avoid posts which have broad general topics. Keep a consistency in your posts with Brand elements such a logo, color code for Brand recall. In short by doing this you create an impression that lasts longer to recognise your Brand. Differentiate your Brand from others by a tagline that reflects your Brand key.

For example you have an Architect firm. On Instagram you can share designs of projects. Background story of a successful work undertaken. You can update a people's choice post on which design looks good where people can comment with reason.

You can share posts of the world's best Architecture monumentals with facts people don't know. Inshort create Instagram content which is interactive & engaging.

Have a consistency of such posts which will result in creating a Brand image. People will recognise what's the account about and which Business you are in.

Few Business categories that receives good response on Instagram from people are

✓ Health/Fitness

✓ Pets

✓ Modelling

✓ Fashion

✓ Photography

✓ Travel

✓ Cooking

Four Instagram Account Checklist

✓ Original High Resolution Logo of your Business

✓ Crisp Bio describing Business details with Call to Action ( For example Follow Us,  Contact Us)

✓ Use Emojis, hashtags wherever relevant in Bio and posts

✓ Consistent posts of your Business details

Instagram provides only one option to update the website link in Bio. Update your Business website link in the Bio. This will drive people to your website looking for more details regarding your products/ services.

Create your Brand hashtags. Use these hashtags in your Marketing collaterals, bio which will create awareness. As you update content on Social Media associated with hashtags people find it easy to discover your post details through your Branded hashtags.

Brand hashtags enhance your brand search on Social Media directly through your Business name.

All above mentioned points are also applicable for influencers, Trainers, Personal Brands, Freelancers.

2 Content Marketing Strategy

The power of content marketing has made influencers from zero to Hero. It's an art to hold a person's attention through words written in a form of post captions, Ad creatives, emails , website content, blogs.

The power of quality content can lead to sales.

Anyform of content to receive engagement or traction require 3 important factors

✓ Strike Conversion through addressing pain

✓ Provide solution to the pain points

✓ Put Call to Action for people to engage

Here is an example of Ad copy I created for Coaching Institute -

Are you looking for the best Online Classes from 8th to 10th?

Due to the current lockdown situation Vikas Academy presents all students free online coaching sessions.

✓ Free Olympiad Classes

✓ Free NTSE Classes

✓ Free Meditation Mind relaxing sessions

✓ Online Live Practical sessions

✓ Free Student Counseling

✓ Activity Based Teaching

✓ Post lockdown transport facility

At Vikas Academy we have a panel of expert faculty from engineering background with 5+ years of experience in teaching. Team of 5+ trainers shaping 400+ student's life from 2015.

We have limited seats of 10 students batches. Contact Us Today!

If you look carefully it has all the 3 elements which provides exact details in a better way. The AD Creative received a good response when I promoted it on Facebook.

( If you want such digital marketing tips for your Business you may access it on Mangesh Rane website)

On Instagram you can update content in 3 general formats as of 2020 on your profile as posts

✓ Images

✓ Videos

✓ Carousel

Trending types of the format are 60 sec vidoes and Carousel posts. I use a lot of Carousel posts as Instagram allows about 10 images of sequences which can be displayed swiping left one after the other.

Tools for Content Creations

I use the following tools for content creation and edits on mobile.

Canva - For making Social     Media posts

Quora - For content     curation and research

Kinemaster - For editing 2     min Videos

PicArts - For editing     images and adding creative effects

There are a lot of tools as per your requirement on google. Above listed tools can be easily used on Android mobile.

3. Scale Up Instagram Account

✓ Follow accounts that have good followers base which aligns with your business 

For example you are a pet lover having Business to supply products related to pet shelter, pet foods. Follow an Instagram account of a person with high volume of follower base and also interested in pet products. In short there should be a commonality between you both.

✓ Connect Engage Retain Formula

You can engage on the other's Instagram post through comment with adding a tip that others might use to ease their work. Creating a long lasting relationship by connecting first, second engaging through adding value in any form as per your knowledge than flourish that relationship to build a like mighted community. This will retain and increase your followers in the long run. Aim creating a community of same Interest and keep watering the roots of this likewise formed people through joy, emotions ,help and solutions through your posts, comments, likes, chat messages. It's a win-win situation for all.

✓ Contest | Competition | Giveaways | Quiz | Games

Once you have a base of followers with good response on your posts, stories on instagram you can arrange a Contest like tag us and post a selfie with your pet and win a gift voucher worth 2k INR. I have given an example assuming you have a pet product or pet care niche.

What will happen when people tag your Instagram account to win a contest? Your account will reach larger people and others might know about it while they participate in it. Thus there is a possibility you may gain followers and engagement in this process.

You can keep a Competition that will allow people to participate in a way they send their cooked dish to you while you post all the participants cooked dish images on Instagram from your Business account, reward the highest comment and like received post as a winner. Assuming your niche is food blogging or cooking.  

✓ Hashtag campaigns for awareness

Most of the brands create an awareness around a conference, event or video using Hashtags in their posts, content. They connect with influencers to get reach.

These influencers on Instagram have a base of trusted fan base. Brands associate with them to create awareness of their marketing campaigns.

4. Hashtags Importance

Hashtags groups content in one bucket. For example #mondaymotivation groups all the content updated on motivation of all Instagram posts who include mentioned hashtag.

Why use Hashtag? .

Use Hashtag so people can discover your content going beyond a set of followers your account has on Instagram. In short if you don't use Hashtag you limit the content visibility to people following your Instagram account.

Use Hashtag to discover content updated by others. You may get an idea of the viral content.

You can use upto 30 hashtags as per Instagram set limit. It's a good strategy to use your brand name hashtag, content specific hashtag. Use relevant hashtags to the content for best practices and avoid likeforlike type of hashtags which may be for bot recognition. Using bot related hashtags may put your  account in risk as per Instagram policy.

Here's a trick to use Hashtag, take 10 Hashtags which are used million times, take 10 Hashtags which are in range of 500k to 1 million. Remaining 10 Hashtags can have low search volume including your Branded hashtags.