#the meta of it making it easy to get used to the name switch!!! it showing that he values that part that ties to him being a twin!!!!

[project-sekai-facts]

Fes gacha updates

Before I say anything else I'm just gonna say the vast majority of the fes updates are incredibly disappointing, especially if you're F2P. Like seriously if you're F2P don't expect to come out of this post entirely happy. I can be mean to clpl because I'm F2P and this is total bullshit. Anyway.

Starting from the fes gacha on this sunday, Colorful Festival will now be known as Bloom Festival! It also has a newly designed logo as seen in the picture above, complete with flowers in all the unit colors, including Virtual Singer, which pretty much confirms that all 26 characters will be getting 2nd fes cards. The good thing about this confirmation is that unless they fuck with the schedule again and put 3 characters on one banner a few times, this means the story will continue past 6th anniversary, something there'd previously been concerns about. There's only 9 fes banners before 6th anniversary (10 if you include 6th anniversary), but you need 13 banners to cover everyone. So that's really nice news!

More information that we were told on stream, as well as story and gacha lineup predictions can be found below the cut!

Unfortunately we have not yet been told what exactly the differences between colofes and bloomfes are in terms of story. Based on the whole journey to bloom/world bloom (internal name for WLEs) thing, I reckon it could be something like the characters' Fragment SEKAI expanding, like what happened with the Tree SEKAI in Let Your Song Resonate. It would also tie into the plot of WLEs, so it would make a lot of sense. Some other speculation I've seen since March is that they might have entirely new Fragment SEKAI, which I think is entirely plausible due to character development and changes in their personal conflicts, and another was that these could be like bandori's kirafes cards, which focus on relationships. While I think this would be interesting, and makes some sense since prsk does take influence from bandori in some ways due to sharing a parent company (craftegg), I feel like they would've mentioned that.

We do know a lot about the differences between bloomfes and colofes on a meta and gameplay level, and unfortunately this is the not f2p-friendly part.

The main gimmick of bloom festival that differentiates them from colofes is that bloomfes cards will have 2 skills! One skill will apply for the untrained card, and one for the trained card. You can switch them at any time, presumably by flipping the illustration when it's on your deck. There's a catch though. The catch is that to train bloomfes cards, you will need 3 Wish Drops (the items used to level up area items past lvl10) on top of all the regular 4* training materials. All players will be given 3 wish drops for free, but aside from that these are incredibly hard to earn for casual players due to being the most expensive item in the event shop at 50000 tokens per wish drop. Basically the game is forcing you to sacrifice other shop rewards, tier, or spend money. Not that colopale needs it when the game earns millions a month.

(translated graphic from @/pjsekai_eng on Twitter)

The skills are also not the most fairly balanced. That's an understatement actually. You have to be a massive whale to get the max skill on these cards, it is literally impossible for casual players.

The untrained card skills vary between virtual singers and human characters. For vsingers, at max level, they give a 90% score boost, but gain +30% boost for every different unit type on your team (though it only applies to two types max, giving you a total of 150% bonus). This is pretty easy to achieve, so that's good for scoring purposes!

For human characters, you get an 80% base score boost at max skill level. By selecting one other card in your team, you get an additional boost of half of that card's skill increase (eg: if the card selected has a score boost of 100%, the bloomfes score boost will get 50% added to its base 80%, for 130% total). I'm not sure if this card is selected manually or automatically. But nonetheless this is a pretty good skill too!

The issue lies with the trained skill. At max level, it gives a base score boost of 110%, which is pretty good, but the additional boost is scaled by your Character Rank, with +1% score boost per 2 ranks (eg: a player with a CR40 Miku will get a bonus 20% score boost) on top of the 110, for 130% boost total). The issue here is that the absolute max boost you can get require CR100, which is ridiculously hard to get without spending money, and is near impossible to do for multiple characters. In other words, this skill is for your oshi, and you have to be willing to spend a lot or grind a lot for said oshi. And also be lucky enough to even pull your oshi from the gacha. It's incredibly geared towards P2P players and is totally unfair for F2P players. There's also the issue of the fact you need 3 wish drops to even unlock this skill, another thing that is against F2P players.

Anyway, let's move on to something a bit more fun! Who is gonna be fes? Here's an overview of how it's looking right now:

There's three possible ways that the fes cards could be paired up: using the same pairs as colofes, using different but still same-unit pairs, or using mixed unit pairs.

I think the second or third option is more likely. If you wanted to do the first option, it would have to be Honami/Shiho, Haruka/Airi or An/Toya, but there's still chance that An could be on Kohane5, Haruka only very recently had a card (though this has not stopped other characters, and Shiho is quite likely to be on the event.

In terms of alternate same-unit pairs, I think Kanade/Ena and Airi/Shizuku are the most likely. Kanade and Ena are both reward cards on the current Mafuyu event, so it could be a sign that they'll be fes, plus Kanade hasn't had a 4* since February. However, both of them have a lot of 4*s right now, with Niigo having the most in the game overall. Alternatively there's Shizuku and Airi. Airi is the second-most due for a lim out of all the characters, with her last one being released at the end of October last year. Shizuku only very recently got a card, but again this has not been much of an issue in the past, with Minori, Tsukasa, and Emu all getting fes cards very soon after an event where they got 4*s (or an event where they got unit-gacha lims for Tsukasa and Emu).

However if you wanted to go for mixed unit pairings, the most likely options are probably Ichika/Kanade, Honami/Kanade, or Airi/Ena. However if the june event isn't 2-B lims, the Hinomori sisters and Saki/Airi are also options. Ichika hasn't had a 4* since white day, neither has Kanade, and Honami hasn't had one since Rise as One. However, we know they will be getting cards soon, and under the assumption that 2-B lims happen, it seems a bit unfair to give 3/4 of Leoneed lims just before WLE. I don't have an argument against Airi/Ena, it's definitely the most likely out of these options.

However, just for consistency I'm willing to bet that they'll stick with same-unit pairs. In that case, I think either Kanade/Ena or Airi/Shizuku is very likely. Maybe I'm leaning a bit more towards Airi, but only because she's more in need of a lim.

But just to throw one last thing out there: the next update will implement an increased, 25% event bonus for default virtual singers, a bonus that pretty much exclusively applies to fes cards since players are far less likely to use the default vsinger 1*s and 2* on their team. So there's a chance, albeit slim, that they could throw us under the bus with Len/KAITO fes. I still think Kanade/Ena or Airi/Shizuku is more likely.

Anyway, that's all for now. Some of these updates are a bit disappointing but I'm interested to see the cards and read their stories! I'll update this post if we learn any more information.

[tismchasm]

So Elnina and Lanino’s names are kinda perfect outside of fandom stuff, from a meta perspective.

No spoilers because I’m just talking about the spelling and stuff, disclaimer and everything else below the cut because the post was getting long.

Disclaimer: I am not culturally Hispanic or Latin, and as far as I know not ethnically either. So I shouldn’t be taken as an authority on any of this. My perspective on this is heavily biased, as English is my first language, and I’m not fully fluent in Spanish yet. I’m also not very familiar with all the differences in the dialects of Spanish. (I know bits and pieces because before I deleted it bc ai, the app I used only has Spain Spanish, but I learned and am still learning bits of Mexican Spanish by watching streamers) I don’t want to spread misinformation or talk over anyone who’s actually fluent in Spanish so feel free to correct me. Yes this is just my opinion but my opinion can be wrong.

I will now proceed to over analyze something that was probably completely unintentional and not that deep.

I think it’s pretty neat that as a result of Lanino and Elnina’s names having the pronouns switched (‘la’ would be feminine and ‘el’ masculine, so it would normally be ‘el niño’ (the boy) and ‘la niña’ (the girl)) and the lack of ñ in their names, there’s a good distinction in verbally and digitally discussing them and discussing the weather phenomenon.

Like for example if you say, out loud, “yeah I think Elnina is cool.” You don’t have to preface the sentence with “from deltarune” because the wording is different in a way where it kinda sounds like you’re making a mistake so if someone doesn’t get it they’ll feel comfortable in asking you about it, and you can clear it up fast. I didn’t really describe it that well but it’s like a preemptive disclaimer? Like iykyk but you can ask if you don’t.

And if you write that out online it’s easy for someone to look up what you mean because it’s just one word! So it combats some of the knee jerk reactions that can happen online (obviously it won’t stop all of them but y’know)

Another thing on the verbal disclaimers is; I don’t speak for everyone but my instinct was to read ‘Lanino’ as “lah nee-no” instead of “La neen-yo”. Since there’s no ñ. So less chance for out of context stuff! And also means it’s kinda (imo) up to your interpretation if you pronounce it with the ñ or not. (So nobody has to feel bad about mispronunciation! And both versions flow very well verbally)

Also it’ll probably still happen a bit, but it’s a lot less likely, I think, for search results about the weather phenomenon to show up with results about the characters, because of the pronoun switch and it being one word. And it’s easier for autocorrect and searching because you just type it in as one word!

That was worded a bit weird but basically if you look up “La niña” you’re less likely to see the character, and if you look up “Elnina” there’ll be the whole thing where the search engine tries to correct you and you say no, so more results about the character!

There’s a very low chance any of this was intentional on Toby’s end but I think it’s neat.

[hodgepodgequack]

Aitsf 3 thoughts (AND SPOILERS FOR aistf 1 and 2)

So according to the official website, AISTF 3: takes place after the cyclops killings are resolved…

And Amane shows up in the trailer, it’s safe to assume that AITSF 3 is between 1 and 2

So I have a couple of questions

First, which timeline are we following here? I know the obvious answer is post true ending, but resolved is such a vague term. After all, in the og game the case is technically resolved when you off so Sejima (but this after Iris dies). So who’s to say that this isn’t an alt timeline not presented in the og game where Iris survives?

And if I wanted to get really angsty the website says killings as in plural…what if this alt timeline is one where shoko, Renju and Mizuki do not make it (after all “Renju” was waiting for Mizuki to come out of hiding of the merry go round most likely to off her, what if he succeeded in this timeline) hence why Mizuki is not in the trailer (considering Iris is her friend too, and Mizuki seems to be beloved in the fanbase, it’s odd she’s not shown)

Secondly,

I already established that this takes place between 1 and 2. But the problem with that is continuity. Considering Iris is out in space and stuck playing a life or death game, there is no way in hell she would not bring that up at a later point.

But at the same time, if I remember correctly Iris barely appears in Aitsf 3. She does show up, but she’s not the main focus during the game. So maybe the opportunity never comes up. But that’s the boring answer. I want to have FUN with my tinfoil hat ideas dammit.

So here’s come options that spike chunsoft could do to tie the games together (assuming that they want to) first option is the easiest and the most likely one

1. During a wink psync on Iris (and I think it’s done by Mizuki in aitsf 2) she’s singing a song about cucumbers and most players would say oh it’s just Iris being silly, but could you imagine how funny it would be for her to have heard that song from someone during this adventure and years down the line it just gets stuck in her head. Hence an easy tie in.

2. Add dialog to aitsf 2 if the game detects you have played though aitsf 3 (and have tokiko mention something about the game being both the past (in the timeline present in the games) and future (the order in which we receive the games) it would really tie in the meta aspect. Granted I don’t know how easy this would be to do, but I know for a fact that in the famicom detective club series for the switch that if you have played at least one of the games, any fdc you play after that will ask if you want to use the same name you used in the first game.

3. The coffin that says psync me acts similar to Solaris (the flame of hope in Sonic 06 that if it Is blown out, it makes the entire game seem as if it never happened) and the game is never canon hence why it is never brought up. That the second kaname psyncs with it the game ends. And it resets everything.

But what if it becomes a gameplay mechanic?

I’m fairly certain we do psync with the coffin at the same point (in the trailer we see date starting a sommnium and there is not another person in the other chair. What if the coffin has a data chip or something smaller that can be psycned with hence why there is nothing in the chair) (its also just a likely that the scene shown that there is supposed to be a person there but they were removed to avoid spoilers…)

Like at the end of the route (assuming this game has multiple routes) something goes horribly wrong and up to that point you haven’t synced with the coffin for whatever reason. And date does it for the first time thinking it could be a Hail Mary this could fix everything (remember this is the same date who believe in one route of the first game that doing a sommnium with Iris Would allow him to jump into parallel worlds and keep Iris alive).

But instead he wakes up the day that everything went to shit and only he remembers it. (Again in the first game he seems to have some knowledge of alternate timelines but he never really uses it to its advantage and it’s presented more of as a nod to the player) and it starts a loop that makes him more and more unhinged and he starts losing sleep. Hence why the game is called;

No sleep for kaname date.

Also it’s really funny that we now have a full game based on the arg that lead up the second game. If you know you know.

Will we get an arg leading up the release of the game? I hope so…

[1ofthemcomics]

Smash Rivals Roster

So a lot of people have been enjoying Marvel Rivals unfortunately I can’t because all I have is a Switch. And that got me thinking what if Nintendo made a game like Rivals with their own wide array of characters. What would the roster look like? So I made one using exclusive Nintendo characters. I decided to make the starting roster 36 to make it even. Let’s go through them and explain starting with.

The Duelist or the DPS

Mario: An obvious pick. He be an easy to play all round fighter being able to get up close with big jumps to move around or fight at a mid range distance with fireballs.

Link: Another obvious pick with a large assortment of weapons that give him a lot of mix up options. This character would be a challenge to get good at. We can even give him a passive that gives him a high damage sword beam when he’s at full health. As for which version technically all of them because we have skins that can reference the other Links

Pickachu: Pokemon of course is another big name, he be a fast character able to stun enemies temporarily but with a trade off of having lower health.

Captain Falcon: while F-Zero isn’t a big name for Nintendo we needed an Iron fist type character that get all up in the enemies face and Captain Falcon is that guy and we would need the falcon punch as that move that would just insta destroy your opponent

Meta Knight: A popular character form the Kirby franchise be a hard character to learn and always in the sky and be able to dive attack opponents but always being in the air would make him an easy target.

Krystal: Starfox is another name that’s just not big for Nintendo but I still wanted to include at least one character from it. But one reason Marvel Rivals got so big was because of certain characters and Nintendo doesn't have a lot of those except for Krystal. She can use the standard star fox gear in addition to her own stuff giving her a much more range of abilities

Marth: The Smash games got backlash a lot for having too many Fire emblems characters so I wanted to limit that. So let’s just focus on the mascot of the franchise Marth and we can reference the other protagonists in skins

Inkling: Spaltoon is a big new face that we got to have and have an interesting playstyle being able to do more damage the more ink is on the opponent similar to smash or slow down enemies by placing ink on the map.

Bayoneta: Now I know technically this isn’t a Nintendo character but her games have always been Nintendo exclusive so if there’s one guest character we can get it’s her and like stated before we need those types of characters. And there’s no character more than Bayo.

Pit: We need a sniper character and honestly Pit is basically the only good option I could think of.

Shulk: Xenoblade has become well known enough. I feel like it earned a couple spots so let’s include Shluk who would be an interesting addition with the ability to change his stats mid fight. I sort of picture him as this game's Magick if that makes sense.

Pyra and Mythra: Xenobalde needed another character so decided to include these too we’re gonna do something similar to their smash version and Cloak and dagger form rivals where you can swap between the too. Pyra would be stronger but sower and have a burning affect to attacks that do a bit of damage over time while Mythra would be faster but weaker and be able to stun enemies with attacks.

The Vanguards or Tanks

Bowser: an obvious pick he be a basic vanguard able to get up close and personal

Donkey Kong: Another obvious pick and simple to learn he be like venom able to climb up walls and do big damage like the gorilla he is.

Ganondorf: Ganondorf would be the Magento of the game. He would have a lot of raw power but be difficult to master.

Samus: This may seem like an odd pick for vanguard and not duelist but I almost have a Bruce banner/Hulk idea for her where she can start in her zero samus form and then transform into her full suit after filling in a meter. Then she have a lot of armor blast, and missles and you know she move around in the morph ball.

Kirby: If you know Kirby you know this makes sense he be able to shallow enemies and just throw them off the map like Jeff and for his ultimate he shallow an opponent and copy thier entire kit.

King Dedede: Another big Nintendo villian I see him as our Groot being able to block enemies approach with gordos and pull them in with inhales and beat them with his hammer.

Wario: Wario would have an interesting vanguard being able to cover an area with stench that do president damage for whoever’s in for the period of time it last and being able to have the best vanguard movement with his bike.

Charizard: We needed a least one Pokémon in the vanguard and with how much the Pokémon company loves him Charizard was the easy pick. He be another flying character with a lot of fire power.

Wrestler: Rivals isn’t just about the easy picks or the big names as it puts a spotlight on lesser known series and characters and I wanted to do that by pulling form the rhythm heaven series and I thought the Wrestler form it would be the funniest to play around with.

Ridley: I almost didn’t put him in as I’m worried he play too much like Charizard but I wanted another Metroid rep and the only other option that thought could work for a vanguard would be Mother Brian the problem with that is again this game needs skins and Mother Brian Doesn't have that, but Ridley does. So let’s add him and make him faster but less powerful then Charizard and have him focus on being up close and personal with his targets

Midna: I wanted another Zelda character outside of the main trio and I believe Midna is the best of that. She could be the Dr.Strange of the game, able to make portals via the twilight realm, grab enemies with her hair and ride around via her wolf buddy.

Yoshi: I almost made him a duelist but the more I thought about it the more clear I realized he fit vanguard able to shield being in an egg and if we do team ups like rivals he can have others ride on him or scoop them in an egg and do a fastball special.

And finally the Strategist or Supports

Luigi: You might think this should just be another duelist like Mario but I want Luigi to be as different as possible let’s focused on his ghost hunting and have him pull from that

Pauline: That’s right no Peach, it’s not just about who’s on the roster buts who’s not. I originally had Rosalina for this spot but then later I remembered Pauline, Nintendo has been pushing her lately and she could be our Luna Snow using her songs and music to empower and heal allies

Bowser Jr: He would be the Rocket Raccoon in the game as he be able to fly around in his clown car, and have a lot unique tricks that make him hard to master.

Zelda: a simple choice with a lot of magic at her disposal making her a natural healer.

Ashley: I wanted a representative form the Warioware games and Ashley was the perfect pic her powers of magic can make her a wacky support.

Greninja: Greninja according to multiple polls is the most popular Pokémon of all time so I had to toss him in here. We could make him a duelist that works like Psylocke but I think we could focus on his water for healing ability to make him a sneaky support that could ninja run alongside walls

Robin: I wanted another Fire Emblem character and one from Awakening snice it’s the game that revived the franchises and Robin your avatar in the game is a stragagist and making him one in this game was way too tempting.

Isabelle: Needed an Animal Crossing rep and Isabelle was the perfect pic that could be our Mantis focus on boosting and damping the stats of others

Tom Nook: I wanted one more Animal Crossing pick and I have a fun idea for Tom Nook where he was a big health pool and he could give a big portion to an ally to heal and then after a set amount of time that amount of health would return to him from the player he healed I call it Loan Healing.

Andy: I wanted one more pick form a less recognized series to I went form Andy form Advanced Wars. He could be basically a turret fighter focusing on healing allies or giving them extra ammo while he summons mini tanks to fight for him.

Huisian Zorarak: I wanted a mythical Pokémon and my original thought was Mewtwo but then we would have too many Kanto Pokémon. But then I recalled a Pokémon from my favorite gen. Zorarak would be our Loki or Spy from Team fortress where he could disguise himself as an enemy team member and sneak around dealing damage or support allies in tough spots. I also want it to be the Huisian version as I prefer that design and we can have the original as a skin.

Magolor: For our last character I wanted one last villain someone with the potential power that could bring these characters together and that brought me to Magolor. Who has gotten back in the public eye thanks to having his own story in the recent remake.

And with that we have the roster. I know there’s a lot of characters I didn’t add or cut and I be happy to discuss them, Other roster ideas, or different ideas for how characters may play.

[gornackeaterofworlds]

Has Leo always known what April had been planning, or when did he find out?

Spoilers and meta analysis of my own work🤢 below

I'm on mobile, so image limit:/ but using this as the excuse to dissect my intentions behind the meeting scene. What is April's motive? Information. Information and honesty. She wants data, she wants to stop not knowing things. And when the people you're befriending need secrecy to survive, you're going to clash quite a bit at first.

Leo comes in, on time, behind Mikey and Raph. At this point, Raph wants to make quick work of a problem, especially a problem that had the goal of hurting Mikey. He doesn't know who she is, and he's hesitant to start a fight with Leo when he doesn't know their time constraint either. He breaks some space between his two brothers and takes a long quiet look at April. She's scared, she's backed as far into the wall as she can get, quivering hands full of a broken taser. He needs to get her to stay quiet about spotting them, especially to her father as the consequences the boys will face are less than savory. He hopes to intimidate as it'd be the easiest choice here.

He shifts up behind her and pushes her. He's using physical force as a display. He could've spoken to her standing, but he wanted to be rough with her. Make her assume he'll do worse. And the difference in height will hopefully create even more of a power shift. He makes sure they have the time for chatting, Leo is not looking to play around.

He gets in her space, uses a pet name to make things uncomfortably intimate, presses roughly into her face and jaw while she's disoriented from the push. He's using his ninpo to simulate something he thinks she'd find scary. Even as tense as she is, she can see the lower half of his face, and has a bit of leverage herself, knowing he can't kill her. She's unaware they're owned by her father, but Leo knows he can't kill her.

April's not having it. She pushes him out of her space, makes a critical unserious remark. She still doesn't know them, or what they're doing. She's unused to true danger at this point in her life. So Leo pushes back. He grips her hand, and the silly lick is 1. another display of teeth and 2. his continuous attempts to make her as uncomfortable as possible. He's banking on the typical human behavior on Neo Edo of avoiding confrontation and just agreeing to appease. When she snatches back, he playfully hurts her head. He can't leave scars, especially not on her face. He doesn't appreciate the jab at their profession, and switches to his normal finger to keep her head tilted back, while trying to indirectly tell her they do straight up kill people.

These threats are completely empty, unbeknownst to April. I think it's a bit obvious now that they're not treated the best by their researchers, and he is fully aware that if he harmed April, despite Dr. O'Neils lesser sadistic tendencies, it would be the death of him and his brothers. Or severe torture, at worst. Raph is waiting out the damage, Mikey is extremely anxious, and visibly fidgeting. Raph knows they can't kill or hurt April, Mikey does not. In a dumb display of bravado and bluff-calling, she makes one more attempt at trying to pick and pry. Leo is very frustrated. He knows she won't stop causing a fuss until she gets what she wants, so he gives her the tiniest crumb of info. He's also keeping track of the time and moving towards the wall where sensors will let them into the inner lab's rec room.

She knows how easy a false confession can be to obtain, and is wary. Leo opens up his sensor, and Mikey follows. He is unsure, and feels that just copying Leo would be safe for him. April now knows they work for her father, and her bravery is renewed. She wants an interrogation. She looks him up and down, asks about their outfits, very atypical for Neo Edo fashion. Leo's being a stubborn ass, and she rolls her eyes, crosses her arms like a bored teen. She won't get anything else out of him, especially now that they're leaving.

He makes another pick at her, one of his last attempts at trying to get her to say yes to being quiet, out of appeasal. Now that she knows they can't kill or hurt her, and Leo won't give up anything else, she is using it as leverage to attempt to pry more information in the future. Leo only grows more frustrated. She's making a desperate attempt at a mutual relationship, offering something she doesn't know they don't need. Half of Donnie's job is media control. But still, Raph and Mikey look to Leo. She's not giving up, she's not shutting up, and she wants to interact further. It's something they haven't encountered yet.

And where is Donnie's intro!! He's been listening. He appreciates a hunger for knowledge, but there's something a bit deeper here. As hinted in the turtle tots extra piece, he's treated the best out of his siblings. He's everything the researchers wanted, he's smarter, quieter. He would suffer least if it's found out that April spotted them. He has the least to lose, and so he thinks it'd be fun to help April. He doesn't need help on his work, or he doesn't think so, at least. But he's playing at Leo's desire to aid his brothers. Raph doesn't know jack shit about this side of their work, and he's curious why she wouldn't want nothing to do with them. Mikey is uncomfortable being referred to as a killer, and Raph is uncomfortable owing someone anything, due to the treatment he's received. You wouldn't know this yet really, but Donnie is a lot weaker. Not his muscles, he's about as strong as Mikey in that regard. But his bones. He wants to go sit tf back down and is urging them to wrap this all up.

Donnie is comfortable in his ability to keep her words contained if need be. As evidenced by the end, he's already in her tablet. If they don't want to talk to her, she won't have a way to reach them. This is less of a jab at her, though, and more of a reminder of this fact. Despite how bad their relationship is, she plays up her relation to the doctor to 100, and it makes Leo even more uncomfortable as a reminder of this entire mistake. He threatens her again, still empty, using yet another smoke configuration. Knowing that route will go nowhere, Donnie just gives her the information to reach them and a time, much to Leo's chagrin. And an extra: Mikey waves back at her after Donnie seems comfortable with her. He looks up to his older brothers for everything, after all.

[whentherewerebicycles]

I can’t stop thinking about that class I visited a couple days ago and about the basic classroom management issues that the prof leading the class seemed wholly unable to address. the class is a cohort program that has met together for three quarters and in the intro game they played it was clear that they have a moderately positive rapport with each other (they don’t seem super close but they got along and were willing to get into the game). but the second we went back to the tables it was like… the girls all sat together in the front of the room and were super focused/engaged in the activity, and then the boys (plus one girl) clustered in the back of the classroom, immediately got out their laptops even though I asked them to keep them shut, and started just talking through the entire presentation. like at one point I was standing right next to their desks, clearly listening in, and they just ignored me completely and kept loudly discussing a project they were working on for some other class during our class time lol. and the whole time the prof just sat in the back, clearly seeing this happen but seemingly totally unable or unwilling to intervene, which of course just signals to kids that they can do whatever because no one cares.

I’m not like mad about it or anything, more like I’m fascinated by it as a teaching challenge!! I think if this were my program, I would:

use a learning communities model where I put them in mixed-gender learning groups from the outset and keep those groups stable for 3-4 weeks before switching to new groups

build lots of small rapport-building exercises into group activities… like just little things where they’re actively naming and praising each other’s contributions, or exercises that teach them how to actively take responsibility for their fellow group members’ participation (inviting each other in, asking follow-up questions, deliberately connecting back new ideas to something someone brought up in the previous discussion, etc etc). like really commit the time to helping them build relationships with each other! and put the boys in situations where they feel less peer pressure to disengage to look cool and can instead participate fully because their participation is expected and recognized/valued by their group members.

no tech in the classroom period

more meta work where the groups are reflecting aloud on like, what makes class fun and engaging for me? what makes the time fly? what makes it seriously drag? and then developing like… not codes of conduct exactly but more like collective group norms for how they want to be and act

the prof kept downplaying the amount of work required for the homework and emphasizing how easy/low-stakes it was going to be to complete I was like ooh man that is BAD signaling. it presumably means that kids often don’t do the work and you’re trying to talk them into it by lowering standards or emphasizing how easy it is. but all kids hear is, this assignment is totally pointless, my prof doesn’t care about it, why on earth would I invest my limited time and energy in something that’s basically just busy work. you gotta have real, substantive assignments kids have to work reasonably hard to complete (and that they’ll find reasonably rewarding to complete bc the assignment is well-constructed and they can feel they’re doing something worthwhile!). and you have to be CONSISTENTLY clear and direct about why the assignment matters to their learning in the class and to you.

perhaps MOST importantly though… I don’t think this program involves 1:1 mentoring with the prof outside of the class. like they meet with the prof maybe once a quarter outside of class. it’s just not enough time to build relationships!!!! I’ve visited this class twice now and both times the prof sat apart from the students and didn’t really interact with them much. and I feel like her not intervening with the behavioral issues was probably because she’s tried/failed in the past or because she’s afraid she would fail and lose face in front of them and the guest instructor. I just feel like kids will generally (not always! but generally!) give you back the amount of respect and emotional investment you offer to them. and if you don’t really bother to spend the time getting to know them and their personalities you can’t really expect to have any influence over them in classroom management type situations. like when I sat down with the off-task group it was obvious within five minutes who was the popular charismatic kid who maybe felt like the activity was a little too easy for him, who was the kid who seemed to feel a little out of his depth and was acting out/goofing off to cover that up, who was the kid who kinda wanted to be on task but was trying to fit in by following his peers, who was the loner kid who had just attached to this group because he didn’t want to sit with the all-girl table, etc etc. and maybe my assessments were wrong but if I were their teacher I would use that initial info to guide relationship-building and to try to build trust with the kid! like maybe the kid who felt out of his depth needed some 1:1 time with an adult who affirmed his ideas and drew them out a little further so he could make more connections, and eventually as you built trust you could start working with him on some of the underlying feelings causing him to disengage in group settings, and then when you were facilitating in group settings you could make sure to name his good contributions or ask questions that set him up to look thoughtful/smart in front of his peers. or with the charismatic popular kid I feel like you can do SO much with those kids over time to get them to really feel like leaders in the class and to feel a sense of positive responsibility towards the kids who are having a harder time getting engaged. plus if a kid feels like the work is too easy you can really work with them to find ways to make it more challenging and rewarding, which in turn makes them feel like you respect their intelligence/abilities and really care about them getting something meaningful out of the class. instead of it becoming a popularity contest of teacher vs. visibly disengaged popular kid/ringleader you can work to make it more of a team thing, like we’re working together to make this experience a good one for everyone and I trust you to be a partner in that because you have influence over the group and others look to you as a model. idk but you just can’t do any of that work if you are afraid of the kids or are telegraphing to them that you don’t feel up to the challenge of dealing with them or if you just seem checked out!!!!! and this is not to blame the teacher I have no idea what’s going on in this situation or in her own life, but also just like I think often teachers become overwhelmed and think the class or some group of students have turned against them and can’t be brought back, or they feel like they have to ‘manage’ the class but aren’t confident they can do so and so withdraw from the task and try to ignore disruptive behavior, but like… it’s almost never a lost cause!!! but you have to do the relationship building work and you have to be there among the students talking and laughing with them and cajoling when necessary and pressing a little to get more out of them and communicating to them that you are invested instead of doing the isolated sage-on-the-stage thing or hiding out in the back of the room on your laptop. idk!!!

[silencingspellsongs]

haha ok and now for a theory on something no one asked for: blake

let's get silly with it

so i wanna talk about this:

(this is from the lore drop post on patreon from march btw)

Seers dont exist in the Imperium. Reading that one little line while i was actually just looking for that post so i could see the names of the cornerstone cities has now resulted in a full theory as to what this means about blake being in the imperium.

in the first imperium video blake is there in kody's splicer group. he's barely important at all but at one point he says "i'm not a dreamwalker—" but gets interrupted. we already know blake's not a dreamwalker because in the prime universe he's a seer just posing as a dreamwalker. originally i blew this line off because i was just like "yeah, he's probably referencing being a seer!" but according to the lore, seers dont exist in the imperium. no one else switches powers between the two universes so it seems a little odd to think erik just gave him different powers in the imperium? i mean maybe that's what happened, but what if there's a different answer behind it? what if blake's been lying in the prime universe, not only about being a dreamwalker, but about being a seer? 👀

now i know what you're thinking: "ok Argent, if he's not a dreamwalker, which yeah we know he's not a dreamwalker, and he's not a seer even though that's what we've been told he is, then what is he? hm? if he's not a seer then how does he know that his listener is gonna die? how does he know about elliott and sunshine coming to close knit? you're overlooking vital details!!" and to that i put my hands on your shoulders and i give you a gentle smile. i lean in close and i whisper into your ear:

"he's a time traveller."

you pull back from me, shock and confusion evident on your face as if i just spoke blasphemy. "Y-y-you can't just say something so completely wild, so unsubstantiated, so... so...." "crazy?" i offer, the tranquil smile still painted across my face. i giggle demurely. "maybe so. maybe i have let the allure of theorizing, the hypnotic spinning of the red strings, drive me to the brink of insanity. but i don't make this statement blindly," i hold out a hand to you, and the curiosity grips you as i continue, "will you allow me to show you? will you join me in Pandemonium, where we let assumptions and meta fuel our delusions?" you cautiously take my hand and we fall together. down, down, down into the rabbit hole.

now lets get into it. in the 2022 anniversary video, during the bonus round of lore trivia when erik asked questions based on things no one could actually know the answers to, he asks a question about his original plans for the 2021 valentines video and one of the possible answers is "introduction of a time traveller boyfriend" which means that a time traveller character IS possible in the redactedverse and also something erik has considered before. also important to point out: blake's first video was posted march 2021, so is it not within the realm of possibilities that blake was that time traveller boyfriend all along? or at least has the time traveller angle reworked into his character?

and if you think about it logistically, it seems like it would be really easy for a time traveller to pose as a seer (posing as a dreamwalker oof blake you are like inception over here). he doesn't have to be able to "see" the future if he's already lived it. now of course i cannot even begin to try and act like i know anything about what time travel would be like in the redactedverse, but i would think there would be some commonality between the two... both have to do with time, whether it's seeing it or being able to jump through it. maybe they share the ability to master other magic easily, which would make blake's dreamwalking skills still make sense.

now so far the only seers we really know are morgan and his listener (please morgan return soon and give us more seer lore 🙏🏻) and so we've gotten some lore from them, like how seers are faced with the vision of their own death. in blake's case he doesnt ever seem concerned at all about his own death, instead he is desperately ready to do anything he can to save his listener from their own impending death. now that could easily be explained away in a few ways like his obsession for them outweighing his own self preservation or the fact that most people wouldnt like casually bring up the fact they've seen their own death into conversations so maybe it just hasn't come up yet, but it felt important to mention so onto the corkboard it goes.

(i was gonna bring up avior and starlight with this too but hm is it just fan theory that blake was the closeknit dreamwalker that avior was feeding on that sent them to the shadow realm or has that been confirmed at any point?? i'm getting ready to relisten to sovereign state for the first time since my initial listen so maybe i'll remember more after that oops 🫣)

also just wanna say it sure seems weird that ol blakey boy doesn't react at ALL to the inversion happening. like morgan confirmed that all the seers basically saw the vision of the inversion happening like the second the rift opened but blake was just chilling in his bestie's apartment hanging out while a vision of a horrible influx of monsters coming down to kill everyone would've just popped into his head. i get that the guy doesn't care much for anything besides his listener and he already knows about shades and stuff but like..? no reaction, not even like a gasp of surprise that he covers up like "no don't worry, it's nothing..." it seems like it would make SOME sort of an impression. unless he's already experienced the inversion happening 🤔 and that's why it's not at all shocking to him to know it's happening that night, because he's there with them and he knows they're safe and maybe it's all playing right into what he wants anyways. (ok i know logically the reason the inversion isn't mentioned until the moment it IS mentioned is bc erik wanted that drama of us realizing that elliott couldn't get help from the department bc inversion just HAPPENED and also we didn't know blake was a seer yet anyways but like work with me here let me cook)

now lastly i just wanna talk about what blake being a time traveller would mean in regards to his listener. ya'll know of the butterfly effect right? any life is stranger gamers in the chat tonight? blake's whole purpose has become this gnawing need to stop his listener's coming death. he says he's seen it happen, no matter what he's done to try and stop it. the circumstances of it always change but it ALWAYS happens at the same time. even brachium seems surprised that a seer couldn't just see what caused it and avoid it, and blake says it must be because of something beyond this plane so he can't see it. which yeah is probably what the truth is bc it makes sense. buuuuuuut we're having fun over here in fantasy land and i'd rather throw into the ring the idea that their death is caused by blake meddling with the time stream. maybe they died and he, lost in his grief, jumped back to try and find a way to stop it only for it to happen again. and again. and again. or maybe they weren't destined to die originally. maybe blake wasn't able to reconnect with them, maybe they blew him off and he wanted a do over because he couldn't stand not having them in his life. so he jumped back and tried again to reconcile and this time it worked and he was so happy but then they died, in his arms. and the cycle began.

i want more than anything for blake to be fighting tooth and nail, ready to burn down the entire world just to be able to save his lover only to learn that it was his own fault that they are destined to die. because his inability to accept that they just weren't meant to be together forced him to break time and the result was that their life now would end, always.

i just think it would be neat 🙂

anyways hi. time traveller, pretty wild to throw out there i know. but the idea hit me and all the pieces slowly started to fit into place (or maybe i just started jamming all the pieces together until they were forced to fit lol). but for real this theory is just for fun and not to be taken too seriously because it is all built off of assumptions and the random fact that erik said there were no seers in imperium and yet blake was there. now if he decided to retcon any of that stuff as he is allowed to do bc this is his silly little world and he makes the rules, then my entire theory falls apart and i wasted my monday at work putting this together ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ oh well

[scrunkore]

Scrunkore Media "Thread" 2023: Part 7 (FINALE)

the scrunko core is dragged into 2024

77) Barbie (Movie, 2023)

What a wildly meta take on the most famous plastic doll in the world, this movie is a pink-tinted ride from start to finish with a lot of words to say about the patriarchy and consumerism, and it does it in such a strange way that I honestly have mad respect for. It's easy to see why it popped off so hard, it was fun and had very explicit political theming, as well as that banger Ken song. Very quirky movie that I enjoyed. [4.5★]

78) Sonic Dream Team (iOS, 2023)

Maybe I would have enjoyed this more had I played it on a device that ran it a bit better, but still, this was a pretty nice surprise drop from Sega's mobile game developers. You wouldn't expect an Apple Arcade exclusive Sonic title to have levels as fun as these with characters that play fairly well, but here it is, and I'm here for it. Short but sweet, a nice experience that doesn't offer much but what it does have is pretty good. I will say, some characters do sound kind of bad, though. Maybe they need better directing on the next one. Also I like Ariem, do more with her please. [3.5★]

79) Bocchi the Rock! (Anime, 2022)

Every social anxious gay girlie's favourite pink blob really is that pathetic, but honestly the show is pretty real about it once you look past the delightfully expressive nonsense going on with her animations. Genuinely like how joining a band doesn't magically improve Bocchi and she's still a nervous weirdo like a lot of us are or have been, but instead she just makes slow progress with a support network around her. And it does help the show's case that it's just a fun watch with some really good music, drawing inspiration from the likes of Asian Kung-Fu Generation (the main case are named after them lol). I was a year late to Bocchi, but now I totally get it. [4.5★]

80) Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (Switch DLC, 2023)

Pokémon DLC seems to be their "thing" now, and I can't complain because this stuff is genuinely pretty good, though not as exceptional as the main game. Fun new and returning creatures in brand new environments from different parts of the world, being a new part of whatever the Japan stand-in is called as well as the ocean around Unova (which they really have been pandering to), along with a genuinely pretty solid character arc for the new boy Kieran and a nice supporting cast. I don't think this DLC as a whole is anything mindblowing, but it adds some substantial new content to what is one of my favourite games in the series in spite of everything it has going against it. There's an epilogue to this coming too, but that already "leaked" because they left it in the game. Oh, Game Freak. [4★]

81) I'm in Love with the Villainess (Anime, 2023)

Himejoshi of the world rejoiced, for the series they have been gassing up for ages finally made it into anime form, and it was really quite good. What is initially just a silly romantic comedy about a girl who is just extremely gay for the villainess of the game world she was reborn into ends up having some pretty genuine moments with discussions of homophobia and sad backstories that hit. What I hope to be able to call the "first season" covered a nice amount of content and ended on just the right note to get you wanting more, and overall it's just very gay and very good. Helps that the light novels' author seems like a real one too, she's interacted with fans in every language she's able to and I'll have to read her original work. [4.5★]

82) Doctor Who 2023 Specials (TV, 2023)

Doctor Who is back, and they brought back an old showrunner and even an old Doctor for a bit to pretty entertaining results, along with introducing the next Doctor in a divisive but interesting way. I will say, some odd decisions were made there, but I don't really mind too much, as the special episodes released within the last couple months of the year were really fun adventures. Concluding a story that's over a decade old, introducing genuinely good trans rep, finally going back to a classic-era villain just to kick his ass, it's great to see. I think Wild Blue Yonder was the best of these, being perfectly weird as good Doctor Who often is, but they were all nice. Christmas special showed promise for 2024's upcoming series too, May can't come soon enough. [4★]

82.1) Doctor Who: The Daleks Colour Special (TV, 2023)

A curious addition to the 60th anniversary of the series was a cut-down edit of the Daleks' original serial from the 1960s remade in colour with unnecessary inclusions of music and some odd choices of what to trim from it. I'm not sure it was very good, but it was nice of them to bring back a frankly ancient story in a new way. An interesting experiment, perhaps.

82.2) Doctor Who: Liberation of the Daleks (Comic, 2023)

Apparently they want you to read this if you want to know what happened to the previous Sonic Screwdriver, which is kind of funny because that's not actually that big a deal within this rather silly story. It's a short and weird comic plot featuring a virtual multiverse of different quirky Daleks, yet another excuse to have them in something because they weren't in the main specials. I kinda liked it, though, it was fun enough.

83/84) Scott Pilgrim (Comic, 2004-2010)/Vs The World (Movie, 2010)

Took me long enough to get into this series, and yeah it is actually pretty good. Shitty people bumbling into improvement is something that does require reading comprehension to enjoy (lol) but this is a good story where you're obviously supposed to know Scott and indeed several of the other characters have and do make a lot of mistakes. The movie does make this worse as well, kinda skimming over most of the comics' storyline, but it's well-directed so it's good enough if you want to watch it. Really has fun with it, and the series is in fact quite funny especially with how pathetic the lead character is. I do recommend reading the comics, it's a series with a fun vibe but also they say the R-slur a few times because it was the 2000s so watch out for that. Luckily other media in the series avoids doing that, because by the 2010s most people figured you shouldn't say that. [4★/3.5★] 85) Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Anime, 2023)

I can't believe they actually made Rebuild of Scott Pilgrim and that's not really hyperbole, this new Netflix anime based on the series does a great job of both deconstructing and fleshing out the source material in some really nice ways. Characters previously treated largely as jokes in the movie especially (poor Roxie) get a lot more thought put into them and many of the cast end up happier. I don't want to spoil a lot, but this is some good stuff that comes at everything from a different angle without sacrificing too much of what made the original stuff stand out. Might be my favourite of these. [4.5★]

86) Neo Yokio (Anime, 2017)

This show is so fucking stupid, so naturally it's the last thing I watched in 2023. It's some vapid rich person hipster shit but I think it knows that, and a lot of the comedy comes from that, but I feel some of the funny stuff is unintended too. Frankly it's hard to tell what angle it's going for, and it does have one kinda transphobic Ranma 1/2 parody, so I'm not sure if I'd recommend it in good faith, but it was a good thing to just mindlessly watch and laugh at from time to time. I'll watch the Christmas special at some point. [NEO YOKIO★]

And thus, the media "thread" comes to an end. That sure was a year in my life where I consumed media, I can say that much. Maybe for 2024 I'll be better at keeping up with this thing, but no promises. Still, this was fun enough.

Last part

[bestwthemes]

10 Easy SEO Tips for WordPress Beginners (That Actually Work in 2025)

So, you’ve launched your WordPress site and you’re wondering… “How do I get more traffic from Google?”

The answer? Search Engine Optimization (SEO). But don’t worry you don’t need to be an expert to start seeing results.

Whether you’re a blogger, small business owner, or running an online store, these 10 beginner-friendly SEO tips will help boost your visibility on Google in 2025.

And yes, we'll also show you how using the right WordPress theme (like those from WPElemento) can make a huge difference.

1. Choose the Right SEO Keywords

Before you create content, know what your audience is searching for.

Tools to try:

Ubersuggest (free & beginner-friendly)

Google Keyword Planner

Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator

👉 Look for long-tail keywords like:

“best WordPress themes for small business”

“how to improve WordPress site speed”

“affordable SEO tools for beginners”

Pro Tip: Focus on keywords with low competition and high intent.

2. Install an SEO Plugin

This is a must for WordPress beginners.

The two best free plugins are:

Yoast SEO

Rank Math

These tools help you:

Optimize title tags and meta descriptions

Create XML sitemaps

Manage canonical URLs

Improve content readability

3. Use a Fast, SEO-Friendly WordPress Theme

Your theme affects your site’s speed, code structure, mobile usability all ranking factors.

🎯 Recommended: WPElemento WordPress Theme Bundle

This bundle includes dozens of responsive, fast-loading themes across niches like:

Business

eCommerce

Education

Photography

Non-profits

All WPElemento themes are:

Built with clean code

Elementor-compatible

Mobile-optimized

Designed for SEO success

4. Optimize Your Site Speed

Google loves fast websites. So do your visitors.

Quick ways to boost speed:

Use a caching plugin (like WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache)

Compress images with ShortPixel or TinyPNG

Choose a fast web host

Minimize external scripts

🛠️ Already using a bloated theme? Switch to one from the WPElemento bundle to improve load times.

5. Write Quality, Human-Friendly Content

Forget stuffing keywords. In 2025, Google prefers content that helps real people.

✍️ Writing Tips:

Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to structure content

Answer questions directly

Keep paragraphs short and readable

Add visuals: images, infographics, and videos

Use internal links to your other pages

6. Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

With over 60% of traffic coming from mobile, your site must be responsive.

How to check?

Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test

Preview your site on various screen sizes

💡 Good news: Every WPElemento theme is mobile-optimized out of the box.

7. Use SEO-Friendly URLs

Keep your URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich.

❌ Example of a bad URL: yourwebsite.com/page?id=37482

✅ Example of a good URL: yourwebsite.com/seo-tips-for-wordpress

To fix this:

Go to Settings → Permalinks in WordPress

Choose “Post name” as your default structure

8. Add Alt Text to All Images

Alt text helps Google understand your images. It’s also important for accessibility.

When uploading an image:

Add a short, keyword-rich description in the "Alt Text" field

Keep it relevant (don’t keyword stuff)

Example: Alt text: “Business website WordPress theme by WPElemento”

9. Submit Your Site to Google Search Console

If you want to appear in Google, let them know you exist!

Head over to Google Search Console, add your site, and:

Submit your sitemap (created by Yoast or RankMath)

Monitor which keywords bring traffic

Fix crawl errors

It’s free and gives you real data on how Google sees your site.

10. Keep Updating and Improving

SEO isn’t one-and-done. Keep your site fresh by:

Updating outdated posts

Fixing broken links

Adding new content regularly

Upgrading to better-performing themes (again, check WPElemento)

Final Thoughts

SEO may sound technical, but the basics are simple:

Choose good keywords

Write helpful content

Optimize your speed and design

Stay mobile-friendly

Use the right tools (and the right theme)

Start with the foundation: your WordPress theme. Explore the full range of fast, SEO-ready options in the WPElemento WordPress Theme Bundle and give your website a real edge in 2025.

[focal-media]

Easy Ways to Improve Your Site’s SEO

Introduction: Why SEO Still Matters

In today’s competitive digital space, search engine optimization (SEO) remains one of the most effective ways to attract organic traffic. Whether you run a blog, an eCommerce store, or a corporate website, improving your site’s SEO can directly impact visibility, leads, and conversions. The best part? Many SEO improvements are easier than you think.

1. Optimize Your Page Titles and Meta Descriptions

Search engines look at your page titles and meta descriptions to understand your content. They also influence whether users click on your links.

Quick Tips:

Use keywords naturally in the title (under 60 characters).

Write clear and compelling meta descriptions (under 160 characters).

Include your brand name where appropriate.

2. Improve Your Site Speed

Fast-loading websites offer a better user experience and rank higher in search results.

How to Boost Speed:

Compress images without losing quality.

Minimize CSS and JavaScript files.

Use a fast and reliable hosting provider.

3. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

With most users browsing on phones, Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites.

Action Steps:

Use responsive design.

Ensure clickable elements are spaced well.

Test mobile usability with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.

4. Use Internal Linking Wisely

Internal links guide visitors to other helpful pages on your site and help search engines understand your content structure.

Best Practices:

Link to relevant blog posts or product pages.

Use descriptive anchor text.

Avoid excessive linking on one page.

5. Create High-Quality, Relevant Content

Content is still king in the world of SEO. Providing value is the key to ranking well.

Content Strategy Tips:

Focus on solving user problems.

Target long-tail keywords.

Regularly update existing content to keep it fresh.

6. Optimize Your Images

Images contribute to your site’s performance and SEO if used correctly.

Image Optimization Tips:

Add descriptive alt text with keywords.

Use proper file formats (e.g., WebP or JPEG).

Include captions where helpful for context.

7. Secure Your Website with HTTPS

Google prefers secure websites. If your site isn’t using HTTPS, now’s the time to make the switch.

Why It Matters:

Builds trust with users.

Prevents data interception.

Improves SEO rankings.

8. Earn Quality Backlinks

Backlinks from authoritative websites show search engines that your content is trustworthy.

How to Get Them:

Guest post on relevant sites.

Create shareable infographics or guides.

Build relationships with industry bloggers or journalists.

Conclusion: SEO is a Continuous Journey

Improving your site’s SEO doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By making small, strategic changes, you can steadily climb the search rankings and attract more qualified traffic. Remember, the key is consistency and providing real value to your visitors.

Looking to supercharge your website’s SEO the smart way? Contact Focal Media for a customized SEO strategy built for growth.

[makemywebsite1]

Beginner's Guide to Responsive Web Design

Websites are the storefronts of the digital world. Everyone wants a sleek, stylish, and easy-to-use web design in Sydney. However, not everyone knows how to make one that works on all devices. That is where responsive web design comes in. It is not just a trend—it is the new normal. If your web design in Sydney is not responsive, you are already behind. But don’t worry, this guide will help you catch up.  

What is Responsive Web Design?

Responsive web design means a website adjusts to any screen size. You don’t need to zoom in. You don’t need to scroll side to side. Everything lines up. Everything flows. It feels natural.  

So, the goal is simple: Make your web design in Sydney readable and usable, no matter the device. No matter the screen resolution.  

Why Should You Care?

People use all kinds of gadgets today. Laptops, tablets, smartphones, smart TVs, and so on. Some websites look perfect on a laptop, but try the same site on your phone. It’s a mess. The text is tiny. Buttons are hard to click. Images get cut off. All this chaos makes your visitors leave in frustration.  

Google loves responsive websites and gives them better rankings. This leads to more visitors and better visibility. Thus, a responsive site is not a luxury but a necessity.  

The Key Ingredients of Responsive Design

1. Fluid Grids

A fluid grid uses percentages instead of fixed pixels. That way, elements grow or shrink depending on the screen size. For example, imagine a picture might be 50% wide. It stretches on a big screen, while on a small screen, it shrinks. The layout stays balanced. The structure remains intact.  

2. Flexible Images

Images are tricky. If not sized properly, they break layouts. So, responsive design always uses flexible images that are easy to scale and adjust. No overflow. No broken sections. Just smooth visuals. You can use CSS to control this. A common trick is to set the image width to 100%. That way, it always fills the space.  

3. Media Queries

This is the secret sauce. Media queries are CSS rules. They tell the browser how to style the page based on screen size.  

When the screen is 600 pixels wide or smaller, the background turns light blue. You can:

Change fonts

Rearrange sections

Hide or show content

In short, media queries give you control and make your design smart.  

Mobile-First Design: Start Small

Design for the smallest screen first. That is mobile-first design. It makes you focus. It helps you prioritise. You start with what really matters. To put it in order:

Build a layout for phones. 

Then scale it up for tablets. 

Then expand it for desktops. 

This approach saves time while reducing clutter. It also ensures a clean and clear user experience.  

Tools to Help You Get Started

Bootstrap

This is a popular framework with pre-made grid systems. It includes responsive components, from buttons to forms to navigation bars. You can build fast. You can customise easily.  

CSS Flexbox

Flexbox helps you align items in rows or columns. It adapts quickly and is ideal for one-dimensional layouts. Want a row of cards that wraps on small screens? Flexbox does that.  

CSS Grid

Grid is perfect for complex layouts. You can place items wherever you want—rows, columns, or overlapping elements. It gives you full control.  

Chrome DevTools

Test your design right in your browser. 

Open Chrome. 

Press F12. 

You’ll see the Developer Tools. 

Switch to mobile view. 

Resize the window. 

See how your site responds. 

Adjust and fix issues on the spot.  

Tips for Better Responsive Web Design in Sydney

Keep Navigation Simple

Big menus do not work well on phones. Use icons or collapsible menus, and keep it clean. More importantly, keep it user-friendly.  

Avoid Fixed Widths

Fixed widths can break your layout. Stick to percentages. Embrace fluidity.  

Use Viewport Meta Tag

Add this to your HTML:

```html

<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">

```

This tells the browser how to scale the page. Without it, your design might look weird on mobile.  

Test on Real Devices

Simulators help, but nothing beats the real thing. Open your site on different phones. Try it on tablets. Check how it looks. Check how it feels.  

Optimise Loading Time

Mobile users want speed. Compress your images. Minify your CSS and JavaScript. Use lazy loading. Keep things light.  

Real World Example

Let’s take a basic layout. A homepage with a header, a main section, a sidebar, and a footer.  

On desktop:  

– The header stretches across the top.  

– The main section sits on the left.  

– The sidebar is on the right.  

– The footer is at the bottom.  

On mobile:  

– The header still sits on top.  

– The sidebar moves below the main section.  

– Everything stacks vertically.  

Same content. Different layout. That’s the beauty of responsive design.  

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even the best designers mess up. Let’s make sure you don’t.

– Don’t forget the viewport meta tag.  

– Don’t use large fixed images.  

– Don’t hide important content on mobile.  

– Don’t ignore load speed.  

– Don’t test only on one screen size.  

Each screen is a new experience. Each visitor deserves a smooth journey.  

Final Thoughts: The Future is Flexible

The internet will keep changing. New devices will appear and new screen sizes will emerge. So, your fully responsive website must be ready. It keeps your site future-proof. To get started with your responsive web design in Sydney - https://www.makemywebsite.com.au/web-design/sydney/ , connect with Make My Website. 

Web design is not just about looking pretty. It’s about function. It’s about flow. It’s about flexibility. Responsive design gives your website a fighting chance.  

[raccoongamejournal]

Pokémon X Chapter 11: Fossils! Oh, and Team Flare is here too.

Oh hey look, I'm back.

Right after exiting the Pokémon Center, a friendly NPC just...gives me the TM for Rock Smash. Since that seems like it'll be handy later, I teach it to Po. Another NPC trades me a Dive Ball in exchange for a normal Pokéball.

I then explore the Fossil Lab, joined by Calem. The people at the lab don't know much about Mega Evolution, but they do encourage us to look at fossils more, and suggest that someone in Glittering Cave might know more. Glittering Cave is down Route 9, so I guess that's the next stop after I explore Ambrette Town a bit more.

I go into the Ambrette Hotel to look around, and get given the TM for Nature Power. I just keep getting given things here, huh.

Next is the Ambrette Aquarium.

Ooh, more puns!

I also get given the Old Rod in front of a giant magikarp statue.

According to an NPC, Route 8 keeps going from the aquarium, but I think the plot is telling me to visit Route 9 first, so I exit the aquarium for now.

However, there's a new development:

Another NPC gives me a Rocky Helmet, while the one behind the counter gives me some meta advice:

Turns out that finding a rhyhorn is easy.

My first Route 9 encounter is a sandile who I name "Fredd jr" after a krookodile from my Pokémon Black team. After a quick trip back to the Pokémon Center to heal up and buy some more pokéballs, I keep going.

This looks like a job for Rock Smash...except the rhyhorn handles it so I guess not.

Right before the rocks, however, I catch a hippopotas who I name "Sable" after the French word for "sand".

Exploring the route further, I find a trainer.

Sky Battles aren't something I'm familiar with, but Batman has no trouble defeating Orion's ledian. Continuing down Route 9, the rhyhorn I'm riding keeps wanting to walk backwards for whatever reason, which I find amusing. However, it doesn't take long before I'm at the entrance to Glittering Cave.

It's pretty in here, and the devs are having fun with the 3d graphics.

In the cave, I make my way through a maze of paths before encountering a machop, who I catch and name "Microphone". Continuing onwards, I then find and catch an onix who I name "Grape Juice". Further into the cave, I catch a solrock who I name "Dimanche", followed by a luntatone who I name "Lundi". Browser then levels up to 30 and learns Light Screen. Proceeding through the tunnels, I find a wild rhyhorn, who I name "Lancelot", Po reaches level 27 and learns Vital Throw, and I find the TM for Shadow Claw.

Emerging into the next area, I find more plot. I was wondering when this region's villains would start to show up.

Apparently those villains are Team Flare.

Wow, they're just...saying the quiet part out loud.

The Team Flare Grunt leads with a level 18 houndoor. It uses Howl, but then Po takes it out with one Vital Throw. The next pokémon is a zubat, so I switch to Volta. One Electro Ball later, and I've won the battle.

I continue along, and find...more Team Flare. I'm curious what they're up to, but they remain vague (if honest) about their intentions.

This Team Flare Grunt leads with a level 18 gulpin, so I switch to Glamdring, who is immune to the gulpin's Sludge. Glamdring uses Shadow Sneak on the next turn, while the gulpin uses Amnesia. One more Shadow Sneak is then enough to knock the gulpin out, and I keep Glamdring in against the Team Flare Grunt's electrike. Glamdring gets paralyzed by Thunder Wave but manages to still do significant damage with Cut, so I try again on the next turn. After getting hit with Leer, Glamdring lands another hit and wins the battle.

I then use a Paralyze Heal on Glamdring before continuing. I find a dwebble in a cracked boulder and name it "Donut", and a bit futher down the tunnel I find two Team Flare Grunts. Double Battle time! Calem catches up to me at this point, so it's a 2v2.

The Team Flare Grunts send out a scraggy and a croagunk, and Calem sends out an espurr while I lead with Po. I decide the the scraggy is probably my priority, and hit it with Circle Throw while the espurr uses Light Screen before being hit with two Feint Attacks and fainting. Circle throw does take out the scraggy, though, and Calem sends out his frogadier. I decide to use Circle Throw again, while Calem goes for a Water Pulse...that does nothing because the croagunk has Dry Skin. The frogadier gets hit with another Feint Attack, but Circle Throw does some damage to the croakgunk. I then go for a Vital Throw on the next turn, while the frogadier goes for a Quick Attack and the croagunk goes for another Feint Attack on the frogadier. The combined attacks are enough to take the croagunk out, and Volta levels up and learns Thunderbolt.

Based on the Team Flare Grunts' comments, they're after Fossil Pokémon for money or something. I continue past them and eventually find a scientist at the end of the tunnel. He gives Calem and I each a fossil...which means that I have to pick between the Jaw Fossil (for tyrunt) and the Sail Fossil (for amaura). They're both good choices, but I end up picking tyrunt because I'm a dragon-type fan, even though I do like aurorus quite a bit.

Calem then reveals that the next gym is in Cyllage City, which my map indicates is the next stop after I revive that Fossil back in Ambrette Town.

On the way back, on Route 9, I catch a helioptile and name it "Mustard".

Back at the Fossil Lab, I get the Jaw Fossil turned into a tyrunt, who I name "egg salad". It's 12:30am for me at this point, ok.

Speaking of which, I think I'll get some sleep before tackling the rest of Route 8 and the second gym badge.

The current team.

Stay safe, everyone, and thanks for reading. See you next time.

[bestseocompanymadurai06]

Is Your Business Website Stuck on Page 10? Here’s How to Boost Your Google Ranking!

So, you’ve launched your business website, and you’re eager to start seeing it show up in Google search results. But… there it is, stuck on page 10, far away from the first page where the real traffic is. Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Many businesses struggle with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and find themselves buried in search rankings. Luckily, there are some strategies that can help push your website up and increase your visibility.

Here’s how you can boost your Google ranking and get your site out of the SEO basement.

1. Focus on Quality Content

Google loves fresh, relevant, and engaging content. When you focus on creating valuable content that solves your audience’s problems, you’ll not only improve your rankings, but you’ll also build trust with your visitors. Blog posts, articles, FAQs, and videos that answer common questions are a great way to show Google you’re an authority in your niche.

2. Optimize for Keywords

This one is a no-brainer. If you want Google to find you, you need to optimize your website with the right keywords. Don’t just stuff your content with random words; focus on keywords that actually relate to your business. Think about what your target audience is searching for and incorporate those keywords naturally into your text, titles, and meta descriptions.

For example, if you’re looking for an SEO partner, you might search for a Best SEO Company in Madurai. Make sure your site contains keywords that reflect what people in your area are searching for.

3. Improve Your Site Speed

A slow website frustrates users, and Google isn’t fond of it either. Slow-loading sites get penalized and ranked lower in search results. To speed up your website, you can optimize images, reduce unnecessary plugins, and even consider switching to a faster web host. A fast website enhances user experience and boosts your chances of ranking higher.

4. Mobile Optimization is a Must

With the majority of internet searches happening on mobile devices, Google now prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its rankings. If your website isn’t mobile-optimized, your rankings may take a hit. Make sure your site is responsive and easy to navigate on phones and tablets.

5. Use Internal and External Links

Linking internally to other pages on your site helps Google understand the structure of your website. Including external links to reputable sources enhances the credibility of your site. Google values both types of links when determining page rankings. Don’t forget to get some backlinks from other trustworthy websites — this can really give your site a boost.

6. Leverage Local SEO

If you’re targeting customers in a specific location, you need to optimize your website for local SEO. This includes claiming your Google My Business listing, using location-based keywords, and getting listed in local directories. If you’re looking for a Best SEO Company in Madurai, make sure your website reflects this with local terms and relevant content for your area.

7. Be Consistent with Social Media

While social media signals don’t directly impact your Google rankings, being active on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter can increase traffic to your website, which Google loves. Furthermore, social media provides an excellent opportunity to engage with your audience and increase brand recognition.

8. Get Professional Help

If all this sounds a little overwhelming, or you’re simply not seeing results from your efforts, it might be time to call in the pros. Teaming up with a professional SEO company can greatly enhance your outcomes. A Best SEO Company in Madurai can help identify areas of improvement, develop a tailored strategy, and monitor your progress to make sure your website climbs the ranks.

Rajagiri Information Systems is a trusted name when it comes to driving results through expert SEO strategies, helping businesses improve their online visibility and boost their search engine rankings.

Conclusion

Achieving a top spot on Google takes time and effort, but with the right strategies in place, your website can start climbing the ranks. Whether it’s creating valuable content, optimizing for local SEO, or partnering with an experienced SEO company like Rajagiri Information Systems, there’s always room to improve. Keep at it, and you’ll see your website move up from page 10 to page 1 before you know it.

[tomkail]

Authoring and testing haptics

This post is a 101 class on designing vibrations for apps and games, with a special focus on developing in Unity for playback on iOS.

I've recently had some time to spend exploring haptics in Unity for an iOS app we've been working on. I've previously designed haptics for PS4 and Switch and wanted to write a sort of Haptics 101 to help others get started. The technology is incredibly effective for improving game feel, but is often ignored by developers.

What are haptics?

The technology shared by your iPhone (Taptic Engine), Switch Joycons (HD Rumble) and PS5 controllers (Dual Sense) is just a rebranded Linear Resonant Actuator (LRA). These things are ubiquitous now; they're in every modern console, VR device, phone and smart watch; and are even being put in cars and kitchen appliances.

LRAs are tiny, cheap, and allow for far more precise and controllable vibrations than in earlier hardware, and when done properly can make basic interactions feel incredibly satisfying - especially interactions that don't use a button (pressing a clicky button has a similar feel).

A LRA can be thought of as a sort of speaker, as it plays a waveform of a given length that has magnitude and frequency. The ranges of these vary from device to device (for example, the iOS Taptic Engine has a frequency range of 80-230hz). This allows for haptics that have a feeling to them. A haptic could be "snappy" (short, high magnitude, high frequency), "heavy" (a bit longer, slightly less magnitude, low frequency"), or "muted" (mid-length, medium magnitude and low frequency).

Examples

On the iPhone, you should check out the demo for Nice Vibrations.

On Switch, get a copy of 1-2 Switch, which is a glorified tech demo.

On PS5, Astro's Playroom comes with the console.

On Meta, play Asgard's Wrath 2. Many of their effects are testable with their freeware editor software described below.

State of haptics

You will note that console launch title games remain the best examples of haptics! Despite them making a massive difference to feel and being relatively easy to implement, most games and apps today make little to no use of haptics. Here's my two cents on why:

You can't "see" haptics, and thus they don't build hype like shiny graphics do. Reviewers tend not to mention them beyond exceptional cases.

Audio is similar, but is still communicable in video marketing, is expected by players, and is a fully mature field with no shortage of experts. Any decent size studio has an audio department, and yet even in this case audio tends only to get added towards the end of development once the game systems and visuals are established.

None of this is yet true of haptics. I've never heard of a dedicated haptics department, or even a "haptics expert" (although it's probably one a few CVs somewhere). It's simply left to one or two designers or developers to chuck something together at the end of a project. I imagine it's hard to convince producers even to do this, given that the end of development tends to be when the implementation team is busy simply getting the product functional.

This is why despite Nintendo, Sony, Apple and Meta having each put significant resources into haptics, they've struggled to convince other developers to really invest the time.

Haptics are notoriously difficult to test. A musician can immediately hear their work, but haptics requires special hardware that leads to painfully slow iteration.

This final point offers a glimmer of hope - in recent years software has been released allowing for rapid creation and near immediate testing.

Types of haptic

When designing, there are two types of haptic to be aware of. These have different names on different platforms; I'll give them all.

Transient/Emphasis haptics are very short pulses that feel like clicks. If you simply want to make tapping around your app feel nice, or want to juice your game's gun trigger button, just play one of these. iOS comes with a few presets that Nice Vibrations have copied.

Continuous haptics allow you to turn on vibration and keep it going while modifying the intensity/frequency. By controlling these you can (for example, as I did on 80 Days), model the "feel" of a sphere being continuously rolled as the player drags it around. On some platforms this is implemented like real-time audio, by updating a buffer of samples to be played in the next frame, and thus can be quite fiddly.

Designing and testing haptics

Each platform has it's own native format and API for designing and playing haptics. Console ones are NDA'd, so that's about all I can say about those, except that in all cases they're rather difficult to test because they only play on device - you can't test native haptics in the Unity editor.

Nice Vibrations

For this reason the first tool I'd recommend is Nice Vibrations. This tool allows you to design haptics once and play everywhere.

Nice Vibrations comes with some basic default haptic effects, and some ability to control a single continuous haptic effect (note that there's a bug on iOS meaning you can't change sharpness dynamically, although you can change intensity).

Haptics have to be felt to be understood! Stop reading this and check our their free iOS demo on the app store. Come back when you're done.

Wasn't that nice?

If you simply want to make your app feel nice when you press buttons, call HapticPatterns.PlayPreset(HapticPatterns.PresetType.Selection); If you're not making a game with complex haptics, this will make your app feel significantly nicer to interact with and you can stop reading this article here.

More Mountains, the original developer of Nice Vibrations, deprecated their original vibration code in favour of an implementation by Lofelt. Lofelt were then bought by Meta.

Haptics Studio

Meta then released Lofelt's editor, Haptics Studio, for free for use with the Quest (although they swapped the tool that made them easy to test on mobile for one that made them easy to test on Quest).

Haptics Studio is excellent, as it allows you to easily edit on desktop and immediately test haptics via Quest controllers, without requiring you to wear the headset once the app is launched on the device. You can then export to .haptic or as of 2024, .ahap (I asked for them to add this functionality, and I'm deeply grateful to their team for doing this).

They have lots of wonderful demo haptics from Meta's own games, which are almost entirely made by converting sound effects to haptics. Both play at once when you test.

If you simply want your game's actions and events to feel nice, then you probably just want to use this software and convert your sound effects to haptics and play them together. This is all you need to have a game that feels better than almost anything on the market aside from 1st party titles.

Note that Quest 2 controllers can only play at one frequency and thus lack "sharpness" (something that isn't mentioned in the software).

If you're serious about adding haptics to your game, I'd suggest buying a Quest 3 and building haptics here.

Hapticlabs Studio

If you don't have a Quest but do have a Mac and iOS device then you can use the similarly-named-but-entirely-different Hapticlabs Studio. Hapticlabs make their own actuators for developers of hardware, but also have best-in-class software that allows you to author on Mac and immediately test on iOS. It shows when you try to play frequencies not supported by iOS.

This software is beautiful and functional and I'd recommend it for when you need to design a single simple but perfect effect (think the effect that plays when you pay on iOS), although currently requires an invite to use. I've found the devs happy to share invites if you ask.

Captain AHAP

A less good way to build and test haptics is the web-based Captain AHAP. It requires iOS but not a Macbook. You use their app to run haptics designed on web. It's not a very good editor, but it's functional and a decent way to see what iOS is capable of.

A few general tips

If you are making an app, add built in effects to all buttons and call it a day. If you are making a game, do the same but also add them for player actions, and consider adding them for reactive effects like footsteps only if you have spare time and a special interest.

Broadly, haptic design is VERY similar to audio design. If I were to set up a large game studio, I would pass my haptics design tasks to a member of the audio team.

When mixing audio, good advice is to separate frequencies taken by the various instruments so they can all be distinguished apart, giving a cleaner sound. This is especially necessary with haptics, as our ears are far more sensitive than our touch receptors. Fortunately for designers, haptics thus work best when they are simple and clear. You rarely want more than one effect playing simultaneously, and if you do they should occupy distinct frequency spaces.

Haptics can get tiring and should be used in moderation. The exceptions to this are almost always games designed explicitly to show off haptics. That is unlikely to be your game, and nobody is handing out awards for experimental haptics design. In most cases you should aim to build something that players don't notice at all, but miss as soon as it's turned off.

You almost never need continuous haptics. They are always tempting but especially time consuming to implement and can easily feel annoying.

[naramoonenterprises]

Local SEO Strategies: Tips for Boosting Local Search Rankings

Local SEO is crucial for businesses that want to attract customers from specific geographic areas. By optimizing your online presence for local searches, you can increase visibility, drive more traffic, and ultimately boost sales. Here are some effective strategies to improve your local search rankings:

1. Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool that helps businesses manage their online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. Optimizing your GMB listing is one of the most important steps in local SEO.

Tips for Optimizing GMB:

Complete Your Profile: Fill out all the information in your GMB profile, including business name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and services.

Add High-Quality Photos: Upload professional photos of your business, products, and services. High-quality images can attract more customers.

Use Accurate Categories: Select the most relevant categories for your business to help Google understand what you offer.

Encourage Reviews: Ask satisfied customers to leave positive reviews. Respond to reviews to show that you value customer feedback.

2. Consistent NAP Information

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. Consistency in your NAP information across all online platforms is essential for local SEO.

Tips for Ensuring Consistency:

Check Your Listings: Make sure your NAP information is consistent across your website, GMB, social media profiles, and online directories.

Use a Single Format: Stick to one format for your NAP information to avoid confusion. For example, if you use “St.” for street, don’t switch to “Street” elsewhere.

Update Information: Regularly update your NAP information to reflect any changes in your business details.

3. Create Local Content

Creating content that is relevant to your local audience can improve your local search rankings and establish your business as a local authority.

Tips for Local Content Creation:

Local News and Events: Write blog posts about local news, events, or community activities related to your business.

Local Guides: Create guides for local attractions, shopping areas, or dining spots that can attract both locals and tourists.

Customer Stories: Share stories or testimonials from local customers to build trust and credibility.

4. Optimize for Mobile

With the majority of local searches happening on mobile devices, optimizing your website for mobile is crucial for local SEO.

Tips for Mobile Optimization:

Responsive Design: Ensure your website has a responsive design that works well on all devices.

Fast Loading Times: Optimize images and use a content delivery network (CDN) to improve your site’s loading speed.

Easy Navigation: Simplify your website’s navigation to make it user-friendly on mobile devices.

5. Use Local Keywords

Incorporating local keywords into your website content helps search engines understand your geographic focus and improve your local rankings.

Tips for Using Local Keywords:

Local Terms: Use city or neighborhood names in your website content, meta descriptions, and titles.

Long-Tail Keywords: Focus on long-tail keywords that include local terms, such as “best Italian restaurant in [City].”

Geo-Targeted Pages: Create dedicated pages for each location you serve, optimizing them with local keywords.

6. Build Local Citations

Citations are online mentions of your business name, address, and phone number. Building local citations can improve your local SEO and increase your visibility in local searches.

Tips for Building Local Citations:

Local Directories: List your business in reputable local directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and local Chamber of Commerce websites.

Industry-Specific Directories: Find industry-specific directories that are relevant to your business and add your listings.

Consistent NAP Information: Ensure your NAP information is consistent across all citations.

7. Get Backlinks from Local Websites

Backlinks from local websites can boost your local search rankings by showing search engines that your business is trusted and relevant in the local area.

Tips for Getting Local Backlinks:

Local Partnerships: Partner with local businesses, organizations, or influencers and get backlinks from their websites.

Local Sponsorships: Sponsor local events, charities, or sports teams and ask for a backlink on their websites.

Guest Blogging: Write guest posts for local blogs or news websites to earn backlinks and increase your visibility.

8. Engage with Your Community on Social Media

Social media engagement can improve your local SEO by increasing your online visibility and helping you connect with your local audience.

Tips for Social Media Engagement:

Local Hashtags: Use local hashtags to reach a wider local audience and increase your posts’ visibility.

Community Involvement: Share content about your involvement in local events, charities, or community activities.

Respond to Comments: Engage with your followers by responding to comments and messages promptly.

9. Use Schema Markup

Schema markup is a type of microdata that helps search engines understand your website content and improve your local search rankings.

Tips for Using Schema Markup:

Local Business Schema: Implement local business schema on your website to provide search engines with detailed information about your business.

Event Schema: Use event schema to mark up local events you are hosting or participating in.

Review Schema: Implement review schema to highlight customer reviews and ratings on your website.

10. Monitor and Analyze Your Performance

Regularly monitoring and analyzing your local SEO performance can help you identify areas for improvement and refine your strategies.

Tips for Monitoring Performance:

Google Analytics: Use Google Analytics to track your website traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.

Google Search Console: Monitor your search performance, index coverage, and search queries with Google Search Console.

Local SEO Tools: Use tools like Moz Local, BrightLocal, or Whitespark to track your local search rankings and manage your citations.

Conclusion

Boosting your local search rankings requires a comprehensive approach that includes optimizing your Google My Business listing, ensuring consistent NAP information, creating local content, optimizing for mobile, using local keywords, building local citations, getting local backlinks, engaging on social media, using schema markup, and monitoring your performance. By implementing these strategies, you can improve your local SEO, attract more customers, and grow your business in your target geographic area.

Also read: Link Building in 2024: Modern Strategies for Effective Link Building

[ladala99]

Pokemon Regionals Vancouver BC - My Experience

After having a good time at the Portland Regionals in 2023, I decided to make it a yearly thing - choose a Regionals to go to and see what there is to do!

I fully intended this year to have a video game team all ready to go with side games, however, I started a full playthrough of Violet for the DLC and did not finish Blueberry Academy's story, let alone with enough time to build and test a team. Let alone trade for Pokemon like Giraffe Raikou because I got Violet. So I did not have a real team. Which was fine because I only had a spectator pass.

My Video Game skill level: Battle Tower 50-streaks earned in Gens 3, 4, 6, and 7 for the Ribbons. No competitive experience against real people.

My Trading Card Game skill level: I know the rules but mostly played Theme on TCG Online. Not caught up on the meta at all.

My GO skill level: I don't play GO League. Level 39 in general with random Pokemon I like raised up with little regard for what's good.

My friend does not play TCG or VG, is higher level than me in GO.

Day 0 (Friday)

The venue opened for merch sales and, surprisingly, side events. I arrived in the afternoon and got side event tickets and picked up the GO sheets, since those are very much aimed at a casual audience. It was like a mini GO fest. My friend and I went out around the city to scope the area out for food places and do as many of the GO tasks as we could outside the venue. I also took note that they were testing some formats, which was free to participate in. I made note of when it was happening on Saturday.

That was really all we did first day of arrival.

Day 1 (Saturday)

We arrived early to get in on the testing. I expressed interest in the Video Game format and received a Fighting TCG energy card that told me to come back in an hour.

With that, my friend and I went around the venue doing the Pokemon GO scavenger hunt tasks that required taking photos of various banners in the venue, as well as top off the Raids, trading, and making friends tasks. Most of the making friends tasks were easy to do after raiding due to the built-in friending-after-Raid feature. I got a little concerned I would have to redo some of the tasks since one of the GO players we spoke to said they were instructed to take screenshots of all their tasks as they did them, while we were only told that they'd go through our in-game journal to check. But some of the tasks didn't show up in the journal. It seemed like it was going to be a big mess.

Hour up, I headed back to the format testing area. Sadly, I was the only sign-up for that hour, so I exchanged my energy card for the next hour's, a Psychic Energy.

My friend and I wrapped up our GO tasks after this and headed to the GO prize booth. Luckily for us, the people there just believed us that we had done our tasks and let us turn in our tickets for prizes without checking that we did them right. I got a Mew plush and my friend got a Latios plush!

Hour up, I headed back to the format testing area. Sadly, I was still the only sign-up for the hour, and I exchanged my energy card for the next hour's: a Darkness Energy.

So more GO playing around the venue it was! But my feet were tired so we headed over to where various console systems were set up. N64s, Gamecubes, and Switches all had various games running. There was an empty spot playing Colosseum where evidently someone got stuck not knowing where to go next. The game was at the beginning, post getting Rui (named AAAAAAA here), but before finding any Shadow Pokemon. I played, getting Makuhita and Croconaw before deciding I should give up the spot to someone else.

Hour up, I headed back to the format testing area. This time there were a couple of additional players! Seemed to be brother/sister around highschooler age. But honestly age doesn't matter much when I'm on the lower end of the skill level here.

VG Test Format

The format was interesting: each player gets a pack of cards to open. Each keeps the code card and puts that in their Draft. From there, they draft one card from their pack and pass it around. Each Pokemon is a Pokemon you can use on your video game team. Each Trainer, Code or Energy card is an item you can attach (any item). Pokemon can only be raised one stage above what's on the card: an actual example was that I got a Nacli card and could only use either Nacli or Naclstack - I could not use Garganacl.

Once all players get their 12 cards, they have 45 minutes to build their teams through whatever means they have. This includes HOME, trading, already having it, whatever, though the set chosen only had Pokemon available in mainland Paldea in it so you could build a team just fine with just a completed game, minus if you got the wrong Starter. I purposely did not choose any of the Starters for my team because the game I was playing was not completed.

Only one of my team was something I already had (and was an in-game team member so its EVs and IVs were whatever) so 2/3 of the time was spent catching the team and 1/3 training it. And by "training" I mean throwing vitamins at them and adjusting their movesets.

Then we did the battle phase. The judge had three cards and the two players who drew Fighting Energy fought, best of 1. I was one of them. First round I won, second round I lost.

I quite enjoyed this format. It does depend a lot on how much your game is already set up and is pretty unbalanced, but the luck of the draw really helps.

For testing and sending quick feedback (age range, skill level, did you like it?, would you recommend it?) I was given a pack of cards alongside being allowed to keep the cards I already had!

My friend and I got lunch after that, and right after lunch was the Primal Groudon Raid Event in GO, so we did all those raids. When there is such a density of high-level players in one area, they go by very quick. I got enough Primal Energy to Primal Revert Groudon! Didn't get any Shinies, though.

Impressed by the VG testing (and drawn by the fact that the TCG only needed 2 players), my friend and I did the TCG format testing next.

TCG Test Format

This format was also a draft format, but not random. They had 80 unique Pokemon and item cards stacked up, and both players take turns drawing 5 from the top, choosing one and swapping, and choosing 2 and giving the others to the other player, repeat until both players have 40 cards. From there, they use their cards and Energy cards available from the side to build a 40-card deck, swapping out anything you don't want to use for Energy.

The cards were all lower power than you'd normally build decks around - no Pokemon ex or Pokemon V. Which is just my format since I liked playing Theme!

I won 2-0 but there was a big skill gap so it's not surprising. We really should have exchanged decks for round 2 just to even the playing field a little, since I think I both built my deck better and played better.

After this, I went over to more seriously check out what the side events were and bought three side event tickets. I was most interested in Ogre Oustin' and Pokemon Pinball, but for today I decided to only do a VGC Judge Battle. If you wanted Prize tickets, this seemed like it was the way to go - the judges wanted you to have fun and this first judge went way easy on me, always attacking my higher-defense Pokemon with weaker attacks so I could win.

With a full and fun day behind us, we headed back to the hotel.

Day 2 (Sunday)

We only had two nights at the hotel and had the trip back home scheduled, so I was a little in a rush this morning. We had to be going at noon.

I immediately headed over to the side event booth to sign up for Ogre Oustin'. 1 hour of standing around later, I swapped to a Judge Battle. This guy was very nice and friendly, and wasn't really all that skilled in Video Game battles. I enjoyed battling with him, and like the day before, I won. My friend and I both wanted Prize Dice as a souvenir, so I gave her this one.

On the mention that it went faster the day before, I used my other token on Pokemon Pinball. 2 hours later, it still didn't go and I had to switch to a Judge Battle again. But even that didn't go in time as a bunch of drop-outs from the competition were in the queue, so I just asked a judge if I could get a TCG pack (the consolation prize for not winning) and take myself out of rotation and he let me. He was going to give me a prize die but I wanted a pack since I had my souvenir and wasn't going to turn them in.

Conclusion

Overall I had fun, but I do think the side events could be handled better. I really would have liked to express interest in several of the more casual side games and go with whatever one ran first, but it seemed that the only ones that were running were those that already came in with a full group, or Judge Battles.

The GO booth was fine, though it was strange that there were four task group tickets and the prizes (which were completely separate from the other game prize booth) went up to 12 for some of the plush and I think there was a Pokemon GO Plus+ there for even more than that.

But for the rest, it was a lot of standing in one spot. Last year, they gave you one of those blinking light devices and you could head around the venue as you pleased. It was frustrating that I was for one thing on a time limit, and for another just. . . no one else was signing up and I couldn't be in more than one event queue at a time.

Judge Battles are a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it is very nice to have a type of competition that WILL run, because it's customer vs. staff and the staff WILL get to you. On the other hand, it is drawing away from the PVP formats, especially because PVP you have a 1/4 chance to get the prize die (if you're all of equal skill, which won't always be the case) and in a Judge Battle you are more than 50% likely to get the prize die. Maybe close to 100%.

Last year, you got a prize die for participating and another for winning. This year, you get a prize die for winning and a TCG pack if you don't win. It's a lot more pressure to win if you want plush.

Last year I bought 5 side event tokens and got two plush and a TCG pack. I also got to play the games I wanted to at least once. This year, I bought 7 side event tokens and got one plush, one TCG pack, and two prize dice, and only got to play one of the three formats I wanted to. I did end up with four TCG packs overall, but three of those were from the format testing event, which was free.

I wish they had some computerized queue for the side events rather than it all being on paper. It'd be really nice to go: hey, I'm interested in X, Y, and Z and I'll play whatever happens first. Maybe even sign up for absolutely everything! While I'm playing, I'm off the lists so others aren't waiting for me, and then I can spend another token to get back on the other lists.

Or even if, instead of Judge Battles being its own thing, have the judges fill the slots in the other formats. That way they'd actually run even if there isn't much interest.

All that being said, I plan to come back next year at whichever Regional is closest and this time actually get three nights, planning on leaving Monday, so I'm not in a rush the last day. I may even compete - I don't know! Or I might do what I intended to do this year: get a decent team and play VGC battles in the side events area.