#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!!!!

[nenoname]

my brain automatically whenever fics/comics have ford call stan "lee"

[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.

[drawingducktalesducks]

You make great art!

Your opinions on Vi’s alternate designs?

I could stare at her all day. Perfection.

Design wise? Her final one is (chef's kiss) SUCH a good balance of showing and contrasting Violet’s personality.

And the alternates show why!

She’s a nerd. Shorthand for that is usually glasses, as seen in almost all her alternative designs. (Think Velma from Scooby Doo.) Not a bad trope.

But at the same time, does her character need a visual short hand for smartness?

Just the way Violet SPEAKS tells you she’s a nerd. She uses big words, and calls people by their full names. When we first meet her it’s in a LIBRARY and her and Webby instantly start switching between various ancient languages.

We don’t need glasses to know she smart and a nerd.

So unless the show is willing to commit to some moments or gags where Violet loses her glasses / takes them off specifically not to see something / cleans them regularly as a character tick (think Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Conservation of Character Design says get rid of them.

Which the show creators did.

(also her introduction scene includes Quackfaster, and I appreciate that, instead of them both wearing glasses- a thing that isn't actually about smartness literally it's just wanting to be able to see- the thing Violet shares with the Terrifying Librarian is... hair tie / hair band, including the color thereof.)

(It's a more personal choice. And it's message is "Practical")

Next is clothing style. Most of her alternates have a more fancy, ‘outfit’ kinda look to them. Like this is something she put together to get a specific Look. Nothing wrong with that. Nerds can be fashionable (Ellie Woods queen thereof).

But… there isn’t anything in Violet’s personality, story, or situation that connects to that idea.

Her things are Books, Learning, Forbidden Magics, Honorable Conduct in Contests and Duels, Adopting Stray Shadow Teens Off The Street As Her New Sister, Brining Pie To A Sleepover, Smacking Invading Moon People With A Spiked Mace, and Using Tibetan Breathing Techniques To Survive Eating Three Bowls Of Deadly Hot Spices In A Row.

The closest she gets to caring about her appearance is when her and Webby (and then her and Lena) put on gruesome costume make up and prosthetics for fun.

So a snazzy outfit, while cool, doesn’t really… jive with the vibe of Violet Sabrewing.

Nerd clothes, like a vest, isn’t needed the same reason glasses aren’t. Also the details would be a pain to draw over and over again. Even Webby’s clothes don’t have that much little bits in them.

High collars again look cool… but Lena’s already got that covered. Stand them next to each other, and where’s the contrast?

Violet wouldn’t “pop” next to Lena if they had that on top of Violet’s dark color scheme and Lena’s dark sweater.

Wearing the same thing (to show characters are connected to each other) works best when either the color or the style DOES contrast sharply

(Huey Louie Dewy and May June wearing basically the same thing as their siblings, but in very different colors)

(side note I’ll make a separate thing for someday: Lena and Webby with button down collar shirts worn under something, but with different style, effect, and colors)

The leggings are seen on two of Violets alternates and I think that got picked for Meta Simplicity and also In-Character Practicality.

They’re athletic, the kind of thing that isn’t at risk of snagging on stuff (befitting an eventual Senior Junior Woodchuck), and the dark color balances out with her hair. And they’re VERY easy to draw. Very good!

Sweater.

Sweater with turtle neck (unless it’s one of those very loose ones) usually gets used as shorthand for “Comfort over Appearance” (Velma again, contrasting Daphne)

And in this case it’s a contrast with Lena who LOOKS like she doesn’t care at first glance but actually has put maybe the most effort into her outfit (sweater stolen from favorite band, dyed her hair, wears bright colored converse in a world where most people go bare foot)

and Webby, who is wearing basically a uniform (picked by her Granny or by herself while daydreaming of experiencing Normal School Things???)

So to balance out Lena’s rebel teen punk look, and Webby’s prim and proper look, Violet has a comfort and practicality look.

BUT!

They kept the eyeshadow.

A VERY GOOD MOVE.

See, eyeshadow on someone who wears an ‘outfit’ (Lena, Daisy) says fashion minded and image conscious.

(this includes Beakly the former spy taking up the role of grandmother).

Eyeshadow on someone who wears a non-snazzy turtle neck and legging with her hair tied away from her face in a simple ponytail says something else completely-

It says, Violet likes eyeshadow, and that is the ONLY reason she wears it.

Either she doesn’t notice that it’s unusual to do this, or she doesn’t care.  

THAT is showing her personality.

If it’s that she doesn’t know it’s unusual, then that fits with her in the Woodchuck Challenge not knowing about smack talk until Lena teaches her, and in Friendship Hates Magic brining a pie to a sleepover, and in The Split Sword of Swanstantine wondering in the middle of a fight if she should change in to more occasion appropriate clothes instead of, you know, running.

Smart yes, savvy to social norms? Not so much.

If it’s that she doesn’t care, then that fits with her direct and blunt way of getting what she wants out of situations, never mind others' objections-

-Instantly running to Webby’s loft so she can see the picture of the demon lord and confirm the crookedness of his fang, repeatedly pressing for using the runes to try contacting the shadow realm despite Webby’s nervous boggle deflections, happily employing smack talk so she can learn it properly without stopping to ask what it’s effect on her competitor might be..

So the clothes of her final design all work really, REALLY well telling new parts of Violet’s personality, without just repeating what we’d instantly know from listening to her talk for half a minute.

Hair.

One of her alternates has loose floofy hair, which I imagine is what canon her would look like without the hair tie, and it rocks.

But the hair tie is kinda important.

Violet isn’t a book nerd who never leaves the library- She’s active, she gets in the thick of things, she’s happy to jump in a fight, and she’s a Junior Woodchuck. Practicality, again, makes more sense. Keeping her hair out of her face works with her character.

Her little flop of bangs is really fun to me too because… well…. It reminds me of Lena.  

Again, it’s different enough to pop while the two stand together, but it’s there. Lena has flopped bang thing. Violet has a curly bang thing. They are sisters. It’s cute!

Also helps her silhouette stand out more against Webby and Lena, who’s hair is pretty smooth and down in general. Gives her this sharp thing that moves around and makes her extra easy to pick out, even when you just see part of her head. Important for a main side-character.

If you're going to add detail, add it to the silhouette -> very big visual payoff.

Colors! COLORS!!!!

Already mentioned the pants balancing her hair nicely, dark on top, dark below, but then there’s her eyeshadow and sweater!

They ALSO tie her with Lena!!!!

Lena’s shirt, hidden under her sweater, is pale blue- the same color her friendship magic is later- it’s the color of Lena being happy and being connected to people.

And Violet’s eyeshadow, is also blue? And Lena’s eyeshadow is purple! Like Violet!

Eyeshadow! That thing both her and Lena wear, them the Sabrewing Sisters, but Webby doesn’t!

That’s so cool! That’s a way to show a connection between them AND their personal tastes, before they even become family! And once they ARE family it helps them visually LOOK like one!

Also, Violet’s green sweater?

Again we’ve got the color contrast compliment thing (huey red dewy blue louie green) this time with Team Magic: Webby pink, Lena blue, Violet green. It helps them feel… individual in scenes they’re all in frame together, while also making them look good next to each other.

The choice of all of team magic’s colors to be either more pastel or duller than the Primary Colors Trio also lets all six of them work together visually, like in Nightmare on Killmoter Hill.

But again, LENA.

Lena has two other bright colors tucked into her design, aside from her pale blue.  

The pink in her hair (visual cue to Webby) and her lime green shoes. Green. GREEN. It’s enough of an important color for it to ALSO be in her friendship bracelet.

And it’s the main color Violet, her adopted little sister, wears.

Oh my heart….

Finally, it’s looks like they tested out ideas of Violet being some kind of, parrot maybe, or wren, or such.

I love her being a humming bird for one very queer reason.

Female violet sabrewing humming birds are actually green, not purple.

And Violet.

Is purple.

Just like her dads.

(also name puns for the win yeeeeessss)

So on the whole, looking at the designs Violet could have had, I guess I’d say they’d make nice occasional outfits for her...

but if you’re going to make her an important supporting member of the cast and if you have to draw her over and over again, almost always with the same other two characters… and if those characters are Webby and Lena...

Then they picked exactly the right design to go with <3

[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

[drivingmebonkas]

Names! Name mashing for me!

The ship titles are cute and fun, hell they're outright useful for poly ships, but they can be hard to remember. I have memory problems so I have trouble remembering who's who and what's what sometimes. In larger fandoms I often feel a bit lost when only ship titles are mentioned. Sometimes I need an actual table for them. It's even worse when crossover ships are added.

I often need to look through a post to work out what everyone's going on about . With actual fanfics it's usually a simple enough task. Just need a quick scroll to work out what the ship is and then I'm good, easy peasy, especially in shorter stories like one shots. But for longer more complicated stories, meta debates, fandom discussions and the like it can get difficult.

It just doesn't work for me.

But I definitely get the appeal.

I really like some names. It's loads of fun playing with the dynamics, you can get some cute results and fun jokes. It also makes poly ships SO much easier to find, tag and talk about. So, SO much easier. Gets rid of the petty squabbling over what letters to use and who tops/bottoms/switches too. I can definitely see that last one helping out with the acearo community and ships.

I'm glad it's here and I hope it stays. It's just so hard to remember. I'll always be grateful to the lovely people who put together spreedsheets for us to looks at. It's been especially helpful for the dcxdp fandom.

My thanks to all of them. I tip my hat to you.

There are some ships names I really like!! FruitBat is a fun new one. For Vlad and Batman from the dcxdp fandom. And mtachablossom from sk8 is fun and adorable, I love the imagery of that one. I'd love it if the main trio from Welcome to Demon School Iruma-kun had one. If they do let me know 👀👀👀 They're my OT3!!! 🥰

Choose your fighter

Ship names that are a phrase relating to the ship in some way (Ex. ShadowPeach, MatchaBlossom, Boyf Riends)

Ship names that are just the character's names mashed together (Ex. NaruSasu, KilluGon, ZhongChi)

Whatever the Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh fandom got going on (Ex. RivalShipping, KingCrabShipping, SpiritShipping)

[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.

[speed-seo]

How to Set Up a WordPress Redirect for Better UX and SEO

Setting up redirects in WordPress is an essential task for any website owner. Whether you're changing your site structure, updating URLs, or switching domain names, redirects are required to avoid broken links and impacts to your search engine optimization. In this comprehensive guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about using redirects in WordPress: - What is a WordPress redirect? - What are the different types of redirects? - When should you use redirects for WordPress sites? - The benefits of redirects for UX and SEO. - Step-by-step instructions for setting up redirects in WordPress using plugins or manual .htaccess edits. - Tips for testing and troubleshooting your redirects. - Common redirect mistakes to avoid. We'll also include detailed examples, images, and videos to make the process easy to follow along. Our goal is to provide website owners, bloggers, agencies, and developers with a complete resource for implementing smart redirects that create the best possible experience for site visitors and search engines. Whether you're an SEO beginner or advanced user, you'll learn how to properly redirect URLs in WordPress to boost your site's user experience, organic traffic, and conversion rates. Let's get started! What is a WordPress redirect? A WordPress redirect is a function that routes visitors from one URL to a different URL on your WordPress site. When a user attempts to access a page using the original URL, WordPress will automatically redirect them to the new URL that has been specified. This is done seamlessly behind the scenes so that the visitor is redirected without seeing an error or broken page. Types of Redirects for WordPress Sites There are a few different types of redirects that can be implemented in WordPress: - 301 Redirect - The most common type of redirect is a 301 permanent redirect which tells search engines and visitors that a page has permanently moved to a new URL. 301s pass link equity and preserve search engine ranking. - 302 Redirect - A temporary redirect used when a page is temporarily moved or under maintenance. It's safer to say that 302s are less reliable for passing link equity than 301s. - 307 Redirect - Also a temporary redirect. 307s preserve the original request method on redirect while 302s change it to GET. - Meta Refresh Redirect - Uses a meta refresh tag to redirect visitors after a short time delay. Not recommended for SEO. - JavaScript Redirect - Uses JavaScript code to redirect users. Also not optimal for SEO. The majority of redirects you'll use in WordPress will likely be 301 permanent redirects when you change your site's structure or URLs. 301s are critical for maintaining search engine traffic and rankings. The key benefit of WordPress redirects is that they allow you to make changes to your site's content and URLs without breaking links or losing traffic and search visibility. Configuring proper redirects is crucial for any WordPress site owner. When to Use Redirects for Your WordPress Site Here are the most common cases where you'll need to set up a redirect in WordPress: - Changing permalinks - Moving pages - Switching domain names - Deleting pages - Updating site navigation - Fixing broken links Redirects should be used anytime a URL is changed or removed to prevent broken links, 404 errors, and negative impacts on user experience. Specifically, redirects should be implemented in the following cases to avoid potential issues: - When you change or update a post or page URL on your site, redirect the old URL to the new one. This prevents dead links if someone bookmarks or links to the old URL. - When you delete or remove a page from your site, redirect the URL to a relevant alternative page or your home page. Otherwise visitors may land on a 404 error if they try to access the deleted page. - If you change the overall permalink structure of your WordPress site, set up redirects from the old URLs to the new ones so existing external links continue to work. - When you migrate your site to a new domain name, redirects allow traffic from your old domain to be forwarded to the equivalent pages on the new domain. - If you restructure your site navigation or change the slug/path of pages, redirects ensure existing links aren't broken. Without proper redirects set up, any time a URL is changed or removed it could lead to broken links, dead ends, 404 errors, and a poor user experience. Redirects maintain continuity for site visitors and also preserve your search engine rankings when URLs need to be changed. The Benefits of Redirects for UX and SEO Setting up proper redirects offers two big benefits for your WordPress site: Enhanced User Experience Redirects ensure your visitors always land on a working page, even if a link they used is old or outdated. This prevents frustrating 404 "page not found" errors that result in dead ends for users. When visitors hit a 404, they are often left confused about where to go next. They may abandon your site altogether and head to a competitor instead. Redirects provide a seamless user experience by routing users to relevant content when URL changes occur. For example, if you remove a blog post, redirecting the old URL to your blog homepage keeps visitors from hitting a roadblock. Or if you change your domain name, redirects will forward traffic from the old domain to relevant pages on the new domain. Well-implemented redirects create a smooth user journey that avoids frustration when navigating your site. Visitors will appreciate being able to easily access the content they are looking for. Improved SEO Redirects also maintain your existing SEO equity when URLs change on your WordPress site. Without redirects, changing a URL would reset any authority that page had accrued. The search engine crawl will follow the 301 redirect from the old URL to the new URL, transferring that SEO juice. This prevents a dip in rankings and preserves search traffic. Redirects tell search engines like Google that a page has permanently moved, rather than been deleted. So all of the backlinks and authority are passed onto the new URL. For example, if you have a high-traffic blog post that ranks well, updating the URL via a 301 redirect will retain the post's search visibility. The search engines will index the new URL and pass on the existing rankings. Using proper redirects for any changed URLs is essential for maintaining search engine traffic and preventing a loss of rankings. How to Set Up Redirects in WordPress Now let's go through the step-by-step process for setting up redirects in WordPress. There are two main methods: - Using a Redirect Plugin (Easier) - Manually editing .htaccess file Method 1: Using a Redirect Plugin The easiest way to handle WordPress redirects is by using a dedicated redirect plugin. There are many great options to choose from, both free and paid. Some of the most popular redirect plugins include: - Redirection - Safe Redirect Manager - Simple 301 Redirects - All In One SEO In this example, we'll use the free Redirection plugin to set up a 301 redirect: Step 1. Install and activate the Redirection plugin in your WordPress admin.Step 2. In the admin menu, go to Tools > RedirectionStep 3. Click "Add New" to create a new redirect.Step 4. Enter the original URL in the "Source URL" field.Step 5. Enter the new URL in the "Target URL" field.Step 6. Click "Add Redirect" and the 301 redirect will be created! Here's a video tutorial showing the full process: https://youtu.be/SC63R5Y2qzs The benefit of using a dedicated redirect plugin is it makes managing, editing, and removing redirects much easier compared to editing .htaccess directly. Most include useful tools like redirect logs, 404 monitoring, bulk editing, and more. Method 2: Manually Editing .htaccess The more technical approach is to manually edit the .htaccess file on your WordPress site to create redirects. Here is the general process: Step 1. Login to your web server using an FTP client or admin dashboard.Step 2. Navigate to your WordPress site's root folder.Step 3. Open the .htaccess file in a text editor.Step 4. Add your redirect code at the end of the file, using this format: Redirect 301 /old-url /new-url Step 5. Save your changes and upload the updated .htaccess file.Step 6. Test the redirect by visiting your old URL. This method works well for simple site-wide redirects. However, managing a lot of individual URL redirects this way can quickly become complicated. Using a dedicated plugin is best for most users. Here is my favourite video tutorial for setting up WordPress redirects using the .htaccess file: https://youtu.be/gc1MhsJvuRg Testing and Troubleshooting WordPress Redirects It's important to test all of your redirects to make sure they are configured correctly. Here are some tips for testing and troubleshooting redirects in WordPress: - Test by visiting the old URL - you should be seamlessly redirected. - Check redirect plugins for broken redirects or 404 errors. - Review server logs to see redirect codes and errors. - Use a redirect checker tool for a detailed analysis. - If a redirect is broken, double check the old and new URL. - Make sure there are no spaces or typos in the redirect syntax. By thoroughly testing your WordPress redirects, you can identify and fix any issues so your site visitors always have a positive experience. Common Redirect Mistakes to Avoid There are some common mistakes that can lead to broken redirects in WordPress: - Typos in the old or new URL. - Accidentally creating duplicate redirects. - Using incorrect redirect code (e.g. 301 vs 302). - Not updating site links and sitemaps. - Redirecting to the wrong page or site. - Creating redirect loops. Being aware of these common errors can help you avoid any redirect problems from the start. You want your visitors to have the UX possible on your website! Implementing proper redirects is crucial for any WordPress website. Redirects create a seamless user experience and maintain your site's SEO when URLs change. This guide covers everything you need to know to add redirects in WordPress the right way. We looked at the different types of redirects, when to use them, the benefits they provide, and step-by-step setup instructions using plugins or manual .htaccess edits. Be sure to thoroughly test all of your WordPress redirects and avoid common mistakes. Well-configured redirects will keep your site running smoothly as you make changes and improvements over time. Does this expanded guide do a better job explaining WordPress redirects? Please let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions! Read the full article

[mobappdevelopmentcompany]

Web Development Checklists that provide Useful Guidance to Teams!

With the large number of Web Development technologies surfacing to build modern-day web apps, web app development is getting increasingly complex and challenging. With the internet brimming with abundant web applications, users abandon and switch to other web applications in no time, if the application fails to satisfy their expectations, thereby damaging the company’s brand reputation. So, for delivering a successful end product, the organization needs to carefully execute each of these developmental and promotional stages to minimize errors, conform to business objectives, and provide a rich user experience.

However, fulfilling all the aforesaid factors becomes quite complicated and time-consuming. Hence, chances of lapses are likely; specifically, if your team is inexperienced or in a hurry to complete a project within the set timeline. Therefore, the web development team should maintain a checklist of the essential tasks; to avoid any misses.

This blog provides web development checklists that your team needs to refer to; for building a successful web application or a website. The following checklists have been created by consolidating the inputs from software-sector veterans and will help a Web Application Development Company to ensure that important action items are not neglected or overlooked.

Before we dive deeper let’s have a look at why web development checklists are required.

Checks For Web Development

Every web development project must undergo the following validations to ensure the creation of a flawless website. Let’s have a look at the key checklists and understand their importance.

Design, UX, and SEO checks

Optimize your website for all kinds of devices – mobiles, tablets, laptops, and desktops.

Get rid of irrelevant images.

Check whether the UX design has been executed as per the set standards.

Make sure your website is free of broken links and validation errors. Broken links – the links which show an error or the “page not found” message on clicking – adversely affect the UX and also the website’s SEO score.

Remember to include meta tags – title, description, etc. – as they improve the website’s position and boost the chances of ranking in the search engines.

Readability checks

Cross-check the website content for any possible mistakes regarding spelling, grammar, etc. before the website’s live launch.

Make sure that your content is unique and free of plagiarism.

Adjust the font style to ensure that your web page is easy to read and scan; as this factor is a game-changer in terms of user retention.

Functionality and Performance checks

Check the appearance and loading speed of your images. In case they are slower in loading or appear blurred; have this problem fixed by optimizing the image size. Optimization of images improves performance as well as search engine rankings.

Check the loading time of your website. If the loading time turns out to be more than 4 sec, get the issue fixed, or else it will adversely affect your viewership.

Check your website’s rendering and performance on trending browsers such as Mozilla, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer, etc.

Your website’s caching should always be turned on as caching optimizes the speed of a webpage and also minimizes the server load by minimizing scripts like JavaScript and CSS that are time-consuming. A cache plugin named ‘W3 Total Cache’ can be easily installed if WordPress is being used to build the website.

Ensure that your web page involves effortless navigation and all the links are functional.

Security checks

SSL (Secured Socket Layer): Possessing an SSL (Secured Socket Layer) certificate is desirable if your website gathers sensitive user information such as personal details, and credit card/banking particulars.

An anti-malware Plugin: The usage of anti-malware plugins helps to combat malware threats and protect a website from viruses and malware attacks.

Handy Web Development Checklists and Their Offerings

Now have a look at the ready-made Web development checklists recommended for your team!

Checklists related to an app’s pre-launch and post-launch

The pre-launch checklist  parameters include optimizing SEO, testing for bugs, optimizing performance, reviewing content, integrating social media, integrating analytics, devising a data backup & recovery plan, deployment plan, etc. The post-launch parameters include continuous monitoring, collecting user feedback, rolling out security and content updates, reviewing analytics, app promotion, offering user support, etc.

The Essential Pre-launch Checklist for Your Website comprises functionality, design elements, cross-browser testing, content editing, and SEO.

Website Launch Checklist by Glasgow developer offers tools for checking actions after completion, greying out items that are not applicable, and resetting the checklist to make it ready for the next project. It includes content editing, links’ testing, navigation usability, CSS and HTML validity, GDPR compliance, Communication, infrastructure, styles and scripts’ minification, compatibility, analytics, accessibility, performance, etc.

The Essential Launch Checklist for Web Apps and Mobile Apps by Ben Cheng enables product managers to test the performance level, checking the legal compliances, security, compatibility, and broken links in applications.

Web Development Checklists on Front-end performance

These checklists guide you through carrying out front-end web app development tasks like making the design responsive, validating HTML and CSS, ensuring accessibility, optimizing performance, and cross-browser compatibility.

A front-end Deployment Checklist by Fred Rocha, guides on validating the markup; and checking the performance, the console for JavaScript, and many more.

The Front-end Checklist by David Dias is a digital interactive tool wherein one has to enter the project’s URL to get a full report on areas such as CSS, HTML, JavaScript, head, web fonts, images, SEO, performance, and accessibility. This check is an exhaustive one and categorizes items based on high, medium, or low-priority requirements.

Front-end Performance Checklist 2020 by Vitaly Friedman offers the following items How to get ready on planning and metrics and how to set realistic goals, define the environment and assets, build and deliver optimizations, monitoring, testing, etc.

Web Development Checklists related to the backend server and database security

The following checklists provide guidance on executing the web app development tasks related to the server side. Some examples are configuring the server, designing the database, creating the APIs, etc.

Back-end Best Practices provide stack-agonistic guidance on the best available practices involving different back-end architectures like security, data storage solutions, app monitoring, server environments, etc. It also offers a responsibility checklist for organizing the team tasks and a release checklist needed at the time of the launch of the app or website.

Database Testing Checklist offers items regarding stored procedures, database integrity, field validation, transactions, security, constraints, etc.

Web Development Checklists on Cross-browser testing

Cross-browser testing is essential to make sure that a web app or a website looks and works consistently across various types of OSs and browsers. The key testing parameters include website layout, image rendering, responsiveness, font rendering, website functionality, audio & video playback, compatibility with existing browsers, etc.

Cross-browser Testing Checklist Before Going Live includes testing on font rendering, element alignment, API connections, etc.

Cross-browser Testing Checklist offers all items needed for testing on various browsers and OS.

Final Verdict:

Web application development involves multiple phases like web designing, development, project management, extensive testing, deployment & maintenance post-deployment. Each stage needs to be executed skillfully to avoid mistakes and costly rework. Additionally, the project has to be delivered within the set timeline. Therefore, chances of lapses are likely; particularly if your team lacks experience or is in a hurry to meet deadlines.

Thus, comprehensive knowledge about these web development checklists is essential for architecting a flawless and universally acceptable web app or website for your business.

[johnklok]

An Ultimate Language Translator for Magento Stores

Have you been the victim of Google Translate’s funny translation?

There are some words in every language which are not just words but a feeling that Google Translate fails to understand.

To keep the essence of the feelings intact, Language Translator is a must.

Today we have one such extension especially engineered for Magento store owners, Magento 2 Language Translator.

Keep reading for more details.

Magento 2 Language Translator Extension – Overview

As the name suggests, this extension is a Language Translator for Magento 2 store owners. You might think, why not translate the page with Google Translate?

But we all have observed that depending on a tool for translation sometimes misses the local touch or meaning. There might be a better way to say things for customers to relate.

Our plugin uses Google Translation API to fetch the translation. But the translated content is editable. Admin can easily add, update, and delete the content. The editing approach is WYSIWYG (What you see is what you get), so your pages will look exactly as you see.

The translation is not only restricted to product pages. You can translate meta details, CMS page contents, review sections, and much more.

If you have static data in different modules in one or multiple store views to the native language of your target audience.

There is an automation process well. So, whenever you add a new product, you don’t have to manually translate the details. Just keep auto-translation on, and the tool will translate the details whenever a new product is added.

Or, if you want to translate in bulk, go for mass translation, and all the content will be translated. The app is not restricted to just one store. Translate all your stores and make them more customer-centric.

If you have any major changes that require more data to be added to the translated page or vice versa, our apps have import/export functionality as well.

In short, Magento 2 Language Translator can do the following:

Multi-language store translation

Instant translations with console command

Translate content using Google API

Edit Google API translated content using WYSIWYG Editor

Mass translate web pages, reviews, and meta details

Database search & translate functionality

Why is it different from other language translators available in the market?

Our Magento language switcher has three unique features that set it apart from others in the market:

1. Complete Backend Control

Our Magento 2 Language Translator extension integrates with your website’s backend. Translate the content to the language of your choice with the help of Google API. Once the content is translated, go through the content and check whether any part of the content requires manual translation. Sometimes, using words in certain ways helps customers connect with your brand.

2. Translation is not limited to web pages

Our Magento 2 Language Translator is not just to translate your web pages. You can do much more with it, like translating product pages, categories, review pages, meta details, blogs, and more. Any detail that goes on your website can be easily translated using our app.

3. No IP-Based Results

Auo switching languages can sometimes distort UX. There might be some changes in the translated content as well. So, our extension does not translate web pages based on visitors’ IPs. Thus, admins and end users have full control over the conversion.

Features of Magento 2 Language Translator

Here are the features that make our extension the best in the market:

Mass Translation

Translating all the content in one go is an easy way to open the door for global visitors. With Magento 2 Language Translation app, translate multiple store fields in a few minutes. To ensure all the newly added product content is also translated, switch on auto-translate mode. Admin has full rights to auto-translate multiple stores in one go. So, say goodbye to tedious and boring tasks.

Instant Translation

To simplify the translation of hundreds of pages, make small batches, add the commands and the input in the console. The translation will start instantly. The translation can be performed at any time content translation is required.

Translation Status

Get a detailed view of all the translations happening at the backend. You don’t have to go and check whether the translation is completed or not. Add the translation task to the queue and continue doing your other work. You will receive a notification once the task is completed.

Pricing and other advantages

Get a stable and secure Magento 2 Language Translator extension at $149 (one-time payment). You get free lifetime updates, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and 30 days of support.

We have a super saver pack that includes Magento 2 Language Translator extension and Magento 2 Geolocation Redirect at $159 only.

The Geolocation Redirect app is priced at $99, but when purchased along with the Language Translator extensions, you pay only $159 instead of $248.

For more information, contact our sales team sales@appjetty.com.

  All product and company names are trademarks™, registered® or copyright© trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.

The Article is originally published on: 

https://www.appjetty.com/blog/language-translator-magento2/

[soobadnoonecanstopher]

Touch it for Real, Part 3

Genre: Humor / Fluff / Eventual Smut

Warnings: OMG they were roommates / slice of life / slow burn / mutual pining / crude humor / cursing / virgin!baek / enemies to lovers / bug gets meta

Characters: Baekhyun X You/Female Reader

Description: You teach Baekhyun how to date. (Basically the Get You Alone M/V)

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4

Mia.

Mia, Mia, Mia. 

Oh she was lovely. You’d been chatting with her on Baekhyun’s phone for the better part of an hour and for a moment you forgot all about the man who now laid with his head on the other end of the sofa with his feet stretched over your lap and a phone held up to his face.

He was scrolling through something, giggling and typing. 

The phone you had down in your lap vibrated with another incoming message. 

Laughing emojis, a row of them. She was sharp. Wit and charm came through in her messages and you found yourself responding with an equally long string of laughing faces. The ones with tears leaking out their eyes. She felt so damn familiar and comfortable the moment you got past the awkward introductions and you really started talking to her; the jokes were easy and the topics were something you knew enough about to fake your way though thanks to Baekhyun’s many passions and his absolute inability to shut up about them. He’d held you hostage with so many video games and anime episodes, you knew exactly what she was talking about now. You felt like a complete pseudo pro. A well-read scammer. A faker but a weirdly genuine one. 

You went back to her profile and dragged each of her pictures across the screen with the tip of your finger, switching between them all. She was pretty. She was smart. She was interesting to talk to. She was perfect. Just perfect. A steady warmth had seeped into your chest as you looked at her. It was welcome and actually felt nice at first; if not a little bit unexpected. But the longer you looked at her smile, the more intrusive that warmth felt. After too long, it was sticky and almost too warm. You struggled to breathe deeply. You were breathing normally, there was absolute nothing off about your breathing, but each breath you took suddenly failed to satiate. Why were your lungs suddenly missing oxygen? They were misbehaving without any reason to. You closed out her pictures and returned to the chat window. 

She was asking about the latest episode of an anime. Something that was in its final season. Something you were sure Baekhyun would also be watching soon if he hadn’t seen it already. You could feel her excitement in her words. Something epic must have happened.

“Baek did you watch Attack on Colossatron last night — the latest episode?”

“Not yet—no spoilers, I’ll kill you.” His response was quick and you responded in a similar fashion in text to Mia; without the death threats. You weren’t quite that comfortable with her yet. 

Baekhyun shifted and moved a foot behind you, digging it under your butt into the gap of the couch cushion. You ignored the intrusion because you were talking to Mia. His soon to be brand new girlfriend by the looks of the conversation. You caught what you were certain was subtle flirting just below the contexts. Then outright flirting. She was sending you a picture from the dating profile you’d set up for Baekhyun. She had to have saved the picture to send it. It would now be saved on the camera roll of her phone where she would likely look at it again and again, admiring how good Baekhyun looked in it. 

She was commenting on how unexpectedly handsome you were and how most of the men who shared interests with her did not look like you. 

She was asking for a picture of you—err, of Baekhyun. She was having trouble believing such an attractive man like you was real and she actually used the word catfishing, careful to insist that she wasn't accusing you of anything; just that she was sure you looked just like some celebrity she saw on twitter and one couldn’t be too careful. 

But you were quick to cooperate and to agree with her need for assuredness. As a woman, yourself, you understood her suspicions instantly.  Yes, Baekhyun did look shockingly attractive in the profile pictures you posted of him. You could see how someone might doubt that he was real and he lived only 5 miles away and was now sweeping her off her feet with his engaging conversations and hilarious jokes. You’d be sure and make him thank you well for this later. 

The pictures of him were surprising, even to you, and you lived with the guy. You saw him every single day. Yet something about seeing him in these pictures, dressed in that black button up shirt and jeans and looking at the camera with a breathtaking natural smile; one he gave you so easily that night when you told him just how good he looked all dressed up. 

“Peanut, look at you! You look so fancy.” 

“Wow, I cant believe how handsome you are.” 

It only took a couple of sincere compliments for the man to unfold before you and the results on camera pulled you into an uncomfortable and unwelcome thoughtfulness when you looked at them alone later. Of course you knew he was handsome. You just hadn’t been prepared for how very attractive he would look on camera. 

You got all his best angles and the man had taken you off guard when you’d bravely asked him to give you a sexy look. 

It happened just at the end of your little makeshift photo-shoot. You were both a little tired, you could tell with the way he slowed down with his talking and his movements. You could always tell when Baekhyun was tired. Sometimes before even he knew it. 

The sun had gone down and you’d pulled him from your room into the living room where the lights from the city shone through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, creating a soft glow on his face. The moon was full outside. It was a chilly winter night and snowflakes drifted down to the street below. You were feeling perhaps a bit romantic. Perhaps you were a little bit grateful to be inside and warm and spending your time capturing the pretty face of your annoying best friend. 

You’d gotten a bit bold with the pictures and he’d been behaving so well, not even complaining when you asked him to lay down on the floor so you could capture the beautiful city-scape in the background of the shot. He’d gone still while you set up; moving furniture and turning on a lamp in the corner for more lighting on his features — you wondered briefly if maybe he had fallen asleep. 

You laid down beside him holding your camera up in the right spot to get something nice. His eyes had closed up and his breathing was even and slow and when you’d softly called his name with your camera acting as a barrier in between your faces, you’d expected it to act as more of a buffer than it did. 

“Baekhyun?”

When he heard you call him, his eyes opened and he turned his head toward the sound of your voice; the shift in his eyes was stark and breathtaking and he blinked them closed and then very slowly he opened his eyes again for you. 

“Hmm?” His lips stayed closed when he hummed a response.

What exactly were you going for here? The mood was set. The lighting and the scenery were in place. Hell, even the position of him was set —him laying beside you on the floor in the middle of the night like this when everyone knew it was much too late to be entertaining any of this nonsense. The longer you looked at him the more shades of pink you saw in his cheeks. The pinkness matched his lips and the lighting made every bit of warm flush on his face tell such a romantic story. He looked so very warm and inviting. 

You took a shot and you said it. If the picture came out well, that would be rewarding enough. 

But, you didn't actually expect a real sexy look. Not really. You’d expected something silly, or something goofy or something with an awkward smile. Maybe it was the nighttime, or the way he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and just let it hang open with the clear smoothness of his chest visible, but when he pulled his chin down and ran a hand through his styled hair, bringing it down just a little bit; giving it a messy and tousled look, you had to grip the camera tighter to keep from doing something dumb like accidentally dropping it. You could not understand the flash of nervousness you felt run through you. 

He lifted a single eyebrow. You had called him and it was clear from the inactivity in the camera that you weren’t taking any pictures of him. 

“Hmm?” He repeated the hum that came from the back of his throat. His eyebrow danced and it was the only movement on his face.

You inhaled a breath and you did it.

“You look incredibly sexy right now.” 

Despite the camera, despite the props you’d placed around him just so, his eyes seemed to seek out yours with purpose; one hand on the floor was within touching distance and the other hand rested over his forehead from when he’d ran it through his hair, the tips of his fingers landed over one of his eyes and it was so perfect. You felt goosebumps all over your skin.  

The moment his eyes locked into yours you gripped the camera as if your life depended on it. When his lips slowly parted with a gentle exhale and the tip of his tongue appeared between his parted lips and slowly touched against the corner of his bottom lip a surge of heat rose up the back of your throat. 

“I do?” He said with his eyes on yours as if he was looking directly at you; as if the camera did not even exist. 

You hit the button and you heard the shutter click. 

You allowed yourself a moment to look at the picture Mia had sent you. Only a moment though because she was talking again. She was instructing you to send a new picture right now, with your left hand holding your right earlobe. It was the kind of specific sort of picture that would prove that you really did exist. 

“Peanut,” you reached down and tapped his leg three times quickly, “Peanut, our new girlfriend wants a picture of you right now with your,” you held up your hands in front of your face, figuring out which was the left one, “left hand holding your right earlobe.” You held up your left hand for him to see and he pulled the phone down from his face to look at you. After a second his opposite hand was raised and he gripped his earlobe with his fingertips. 

“Is that your left hand?” You raised your left hand higher and lifted your eyebrows as you shook your head once. You felt a sense of urgency in getting this picture to Mia as fast as possible to calm her doubts. 

“It’s my left. My left is your right, stupid. Why do I have to do this?” 

You snapped the picture close enough that it would look like a selfie and sent the image to Mia. She was satisfied enough to send an emoji with heart eyes and you could feel victory at your fingertips. You could hardly believe this was working. 

“She thought you weren’t real.” You said in between messages and Baekhyun’s leg was shaking behind your back. He’d been sitting still for too long here and the nervous energy was building, you could feel it trying to escape from his limbs. He probably needed to go for a run or something or you were in for a long and noisy night of singing or dancing or whatever other shenanigans he thought you needed to suffer though. He hummed a non-response to your answer, clearly so distracted by what was happening on his screen that he couldn’t be bothered to give you any more of his attention right now. 

Baekhyun was not so quietly giggling under his breath and you looked up caught by that very particular sound of it. Something felt familiar in the sound of that giggle; more, the intentions behind it. The particular sneakiness of it maybe made you look up and it took you another second of listening to the way he stifled himself, tried to control the sounds of his laughter before a realization dawned and recognition struck you on the head. 

Baekhyun couldn’t have been giggling, laughing, texting, having a grand ol’ time on his phone because you had his phone in your hands. You had been talking to Mia for a whole damn hour, who in the hell was Baekhyun talking to and was that your phone he was using? 

“Baekhyun who are you talking to on my phone?”

His stomach bounced with stifled laugher below his shirt and he was typing again. His eyes secured on the screen of your phone and not at all looking at you. 

“Baek, who is that. What are you doing?” It wasn’t that you didn't trust him with your private conversations. He knew more about you than probably any other human being on the planet. It wasn't the problem with him knowing it. The problem was with that laughter. The problem was with what Byun Baekhyun might do with all of the things he knew about you and with whoever the hell had the misfortune of texting you at the exact moment when he had your phone.

“Ben,” Baekhyun said after a long pause and you searched through your recent memory for a person who had that name. You’d matched with some guys last week but you were certain there was no one with that name. 

“Ben? Who the hell is Ben? I don't know a Ben” You were leaning now and Baekhyun bent his legs up as soon as you moved, blocking your lean with his knobby knees. You leaned on the other side of them and he moved them to block again. 

The maneuver brought out the panic in you. He was blocking you from your own phone. He was up to something and he was now blocking you from reaching for your phone and you had just nearly murdered him in the kitchen over cheese, did he really want to do this again? 

“Give me my phone. Baek, who the shit is Ben?”

“I don't know. Some guy named Ben. Said he was some lady’s nephew or cousin or something. He knew your number and he knew your name, and wow he is—”

Oh god. Your co-worker Susie had done it. The son-of-a-bitch had actually given your phone number out this time even though you had successfully, you’d thought, dodged their high pressure tactics to set you up with some eligible bachelor who would probably be 10 years too old for you, balding, with bad teeth, or bad habits, or would be obsessed with his car or his muscles or some sports team and you’d have to make nice small talk with someone who’s interests, frankly, bored you to death until you could politely let the man down. 

And now, what was Baekhyun telling him? What kinds of horrific lies was this little gremlin giggling about over there. You tilted and reached for him again and he moved his knees again. 

“Bug, how- how do you spell hemorrhoids? Hem—hem—er—roids, no that’s not right. Let me look it up. It’s important that I represent you well. A strong, intelligent woman who can talk about her hemorrhoids.” 

You leaped then, over the stupid knees you flew and you landed hard — seated across his belly and the pained grunt he let out was satisfying to hear. He doubled up in pain while simultaneously shoving your phone underneath himself into the softness of the couch cushions and you watched it disappear somewhere below his butt where he assumed you would not dare to reach. 

“Baekhyun,” you said in as calm a voice as you could pry from your lips. Your teeth gritted together as you spoke and much of the sweetness was lost in the delivery.

Your hands were feeling the softness of the cushions that he laid on. You followed an arm that went down and disappeared behind his back and your fingers traveled to the end where you felt no phone at all, only his empty hand that you pulled up. You did the same on the other side, moving to the other hand and bringing it back empty too. On his face he wore a smug, self-satisfied smile. 

“Peanut,” your next attempt at a compromise pulled his name out in a sweeter tone and his lips turned up into a mischievous grin with teeth bared and all. To your own ears though, you really laid it on thick. This was your darling Peanut. You let your whine come through and you pulled your lips into a pouty frown.

“Bug,” he said, mimicking your overly saccharine tone with a tiny lift of an eyebrow on his face and a fake frown that didn’t touch the rabid joy in his eyes.

“Give me back my phone,” you said and your hands dug into his ribs hard as he reached for your wrists and quickly grabbed to hold you still with both of his free hands before you could do any actual damage to him. 

You struggled against his strong hands, reaching with out-stretched fingers despite his hold on you for a few more tickles before he tightened the grip and you could not connect any more attacks. 

“Give me back my phone,” he giggled back, again mocking your ineffective attempts to overpower him. You simply couldn’t do it. He was much stronger than you were.  

The childishness of this brat! You closed your eyes up tight as you forced yourself to take a deep calming breath. You could feel close to the edge again. Close to losing control. How many murder attempts did you need to commit today? Maybe you needed to enroll in anger management classes. You tried to count to ten again but gave up halfway through to threaten him again. 

“I’m going to get mad, give me my phone.” The friendly tone you had forced was gone and you could hear the actual anger in your voice now. Any reasonable person would concede. Any normal human adult would laugh it off playfully, say ‘okay, okay, I was only kidding’ and hand the thing over. A normal person would even apologize for taking it in the first place. 

Baekhyun was not a normal person.

“Ohhh, I’m going to get mad,” you heard him say in that same mocking voice and no amount of calming breaths could touch it. You could count to ten thousand and still want to destroy him. You squirmed all over and pulled at your wrists that he held in his grip and his hold tightened the more you moved until you could only lean, you could only fight back with one thing. The more you fought him, the tighter his muscles constricted and it became evident that you simply could not win this way. Your hands were useless to you. Only your head was free. You’d have to use it to your advantage, but how? 

You could headbutt him; break his nose. Break your head. Make both of you take a trip to the hospital during a global pandemic. Catch the dreaded disease. Lose your sense of taste and smell and potentially infect someone vulnerable that you loved. 

He was like a cat. Only interested in playing with something until it was dead and then losing interest after he couldn’t torture it anymore. You couldn't simply play dead. He had you trapped and you needed that phone back. 

You could bite him. Break the skin. Mean business for real. Make him bleed and make him cry. Make him pay for all of it. Give him a nasty scar on his hand, or on his neck or on his chest, maybe rip off his earlobe like Tyson did to Holyfield. Send him to the hospital during a global pandemic. Go to prison for assault charges. Get a nasty infection from a prison tattoo. Die.

Your struggle for a plan made you go physically still and you looked at his face; into his eyes and in those eyes sat all the usual bullshit and toddler behavior that you usually saw when he had latched on to something to tease you with, something he could play with and have fun with at your expense. Something he could exploit. 

You could use your mouth. 

You could use your lips.

You could use your tongue. 

What is this? Some sort of trashy rom-com? Would you really stoop so low, so early in the story? Kiss him to distract him, become a walking, talking, kissing cliché and an unoriginal failure of a human being? Get scolded and told to leave his home. Become homeless during a global pandemic. Without high speed internet access, lose your easy breezy data entry job. Get hungry and get cold. Possibly end up selling a kidney on the black market to make ends meet. Get a nasty infection from the shady surgery. Die. 

No. This wasn’t a cheesy romance story. This was your life. You’d have to live with the consequences of your choices and there was no way you would steal his first kiss just to get petty revenge.

This wasn’t enemies-to-lovers, this a violent revenge plot and you were pissed off god-dammit. How dare this idiot get you into such a compromising, such an undignified, such a frustratingly suggestive position and hold you captive like this. 

How dare he still be smiling through your entire inner monologue?

Didn't he know anything at all about women and the powers they possessed in their bodies? 

He flinched visibly when you dropped down; lowered your chest to his chest and you were face to face with the man. Your quick movement startled him and he loosened the grip around your wrists enough for you to rotate them before he tightened his hold again and watched you with wide eyes. That grin finally, finally fell from his mouth. His lips sat down-turned and pink. He’d gone positively pink with your quick movement. Your plan to move into him instead of struggling to get away clearly startled him. You felt the advantage at once. 

When you moved again it was only your eyeballs and it was to look pointedly at his lips before you pulled your eyes back up to look into his eyes. The slow movement made a bold statement, even to someone as clueless as he was. You were on top of him. He could most definitely feel the entirety of your weight on his body and your breasts were flush against his chest. And now, you had just looked down at his pink lips. 

Whatever steady and in-control breathing he had, stuttered and his body below yours went rigid with his eyes wide; obviously unsure of what you were about to do and much too on edge to take his eyes off of you. 

What became clear as you stared at his flushed face up close was that he had not thought this far ahead in his plan.

He probably didn't even have one to begin with. 

You moved closer to him and his hands released their hold on you again. You heard a gasp for air when his hand let go. You weren’t convinced he let go on purpose. There seemed to be a disconnected look inside his eyes right now. 

Instead of going straight for his earlobe and squeezing the shit out of it to teach him a lesson, you kept this going. You could not help it. You felt drunk on your own power and you didn't actually want to hurt him. You just wanted the damn phone so you could see what damage he had already done and begin cleaning up the messes. 

He swallowed and his lips opened to speak.

“W-What are you doing?” 

Nervous and trembling and uncertain; oh he was all of the above. Your free hand was moving now, traveling down the length of his arm to his flank when he moved again, this move felt much more frantic than the last. He grabbed your wrist more gently than before when you got close enough to touch him and he pulled your hand back. A feeble attempt it seemed, made by a man who had just come to his senses again after being in a daze. 

You leaned in. “Peanut,” you said directly into the space below his ear. You could smell him here. He smelled nice. Clean, and vaguely familiar. You remembered your shampoo that he still had and made a mental note to get it back from him. The scent of it on him was different than on you. The breath you took at his neck definitely smelled different. 

He was frozen stiff and when you pulled up to look at his face, his eyes were closed. He swallowed again and you reveled in the realization that you had not heard a single peep out of him since you began your counter-attack. Not a giggle, not a mocking laugh. Not a silly impression of what your voice sounded like to him. He was as quiet as a mouse. It paid to be pro-active. You felt free, as if you’d just been armed with some new very effective weapon that you had no idea would work so well. 

He had your hand again and was pulling — keeping you from reaching below his body to reach where you were certain your phone was stashed. Right here below his left butt cheek. Maybe even inside his back pocket. Either way it was there and you were centimeters away from it. 

So you went in again. This time it was a whisper. This time you went too far. You felt the softness of his neck brush against your bottom lip.

“Give it to me, while I am still being nice.” 

It was the exhale from your lips after you spoke that seemed to do it. The puff of air from your parted lips that drifted over his ear and warmed his neck, you felt him squirm below you and his hands moved releasing you all over and all at once. 

He was going now. He was leaving. You felt it happening below you. 

It was a tactic you’d used before when he tried to grab a hold of you and throw you onto your bed, or when he tried to wrestle something away from you in the kitchen. 

He went boneless. When you did it he would shout and laugh and lose his grip on you and you’d use the distraction to drop to the floor and roll out of his grip in one motion. It was much more difficult for him to do right now, being directly under you on the couch like this, but somehow he was vanishing fast. 

He moved so quickly it was like he melted from beneath you and he was pushing you off at the same time as he rolled, simply rolled from the sofa down onto the floor below in a single motion of retreat. 

You know that was where he went because you heard the rough thump of his body hitting the floor hard and you heard the grunt as he vocalized the pain of gravity having it’s final say. You were pushed with a force that made you roll onto your butt and below your legs you felt the rectangle of plastic and glass of your cell phone. 

He was moving fast. But he was also talking as he did it. 

“You are mean,” was what he said and he was halfway through the living room by the time you registered his complaint. 

Something about his fit irked you though. Was it such a big deal — so out of the question? Did he hate the idea of you kissing him, even if on accident that he had to overreact like this. 

“Oh settle down, It’s not like I was going to actually kiss you, Baekhyun.”

You’d expected to hear his bedroom door slam shut but he’d stopped with his hand on his door and turned his face in your direction. His expression was odd. 

Baekhyun was rarely upset with you, so you had very little experience with what he looked like when he was. He had been upset with others around you, but it wasn’t ever directed at you.

“I know you weren’t.” 

You could see it from where you sat and it made you stand up. Wait, was he really upset? At you? Because you pretended like you were going to steal his first kiss? Because you took something so precious to him and weaponized it against him? 

He was breathing hard and you took a step in his direction. 

“Baek, I was just—” 

“—trying to get your phone, I know.” His voice was cold and his words were short.

You suddenly felt like absolute shit. It moved fast and it overwhelmed you. You’d made a mistake and Baekhyun was upset at you. You’d acted carelessly and thoughtlessly and you’d hurt him. 

“We...we were playing around, I was just playing around, I didn’t mean it, Peanut. I’m sorry.” You could not help the thickness in your voice. You could not help how your voice cracked as you spoke up quickly, needing to get the apology out into the air before he could misunderstand any further. 

Before he could wake up and realize how low of a person you could be when you really set your mind to it. Before he could understand that maybe you didn't deserve so many chances to get your life together and get a better job, or be a better roommate, or make more money and pay more rent, or delete your facebook, or create better passwords. 

You realized you were crying when the wetness dripped down your chin and landed on your arm and as soon as you noticed you lifted both of your hands up to cover your face — before he saw, before he noticed or heard. You held your breath to keep from hiccupping or making any sort of sound at all and you closed your eyes and tried to stop the quiet gasps. 

You succeeded for the most part. 

It was the smell of him though. You did not notice that he moved, but you smelled him again, only this time it came with a warmth that enveloped you where you stood.  

“I’m not mad at you,” he whispered over your head and you inhaled through the snot that filled your nose, unable to get any air through. You gasped through your mouth instead and hiccupped through the breath. 

“You seemed mad at me,” you said into his shirt, the same shirt you’d cried into hours ago. This shirt would have so much of your messes on it by the end of the day. What in the world had gotten into you today? Maybe you were going to start your period soon. This was getting ridiculous. 

His hands rubbed slow and steady circles over your back and until the gasping stopped enough for you to lift your head and look into his face. 

“I’m not,” he said with more conviction the second time and you almost believed it. Had it not been for the strange way his eyes dropped yours so easily you would have. 

You didn't say that though. 

His lips parted once and his eyes grasped yours in that flimsy way again and his lips closed up again as he swallowed it away and didn’t say what he was about to say. 

You shook your head. He had to tell you. Whatever it was, you could work on it, do some self reflecting, or read some self help books. 

“What is it? Tell me.” Your insistence was desperate and his damn eyes refused to stick. It was making you crazy the more you noticed it. 

His mouth opened again and this time he inhaled deep enough to speak for hours and hours. 

“Peanut, what?” 

“Don't—” he began and you closed your mouth and looked into his face, dipping to catch them when his eyes dropped again and again. He noticed the dance you did and you saw the light dance inside his eyes. 

“Don't what? I’ll do it. Or I won’t do it. Whatever, just tell me.” If there was one thing you were good at, it was talking to this man. You could always pull it out. Whatever he had been sitting on, keeping from you, whatever he had deep down inside that was begging to be let out. You could talk to him. He could talk to you. It’s as part of the magic you shared with him. 

“Peanut,” you said again, refusing to let him close up again, refusing to let this go. He had to say his piece for the upset to move behind you both, so you could get past it. 

“Don't use your beauty as a weapon against me.” 

As soon as the words left so did his eyes, but that did not matter because you could not look into his face anymore after he said it either. 

Your…beauty?

Baekhyun didn’t look at you and see beauty. Impossible. You were a mess. Some days you showered. Some days you did your hair. These two events rarely happened on the same day. 

Outside you could pull off some-what put-together and even downright attractive when you wore the miracle bust enhancing bra you bought off some shady website he definitely told you not to enter any credit card info into, but inside you felt like a circus clown wearing a respectable young woman suit. Every day you worked to stuff the oversized shoes into your feet and struggled to zip them up. Every day you painted over your honking red nose with concealer in the hopes that it wouldn’t rain today and give you away. 

“It’s really shitty and really unfair to do to me.” He kept talking and you felt like maybe the ceiling had caved in on you. “I know who I am. I know my place and I know what league I am in.”

He said the word league with a whisper and you stared at his mouth as he spoke such nonsense words you hardly had any thoughts that made any sense inside of your own head. 

League? He was such an amazing person, but league? You’d heard some serious bullshit come out of his mouth in the past, but this? Seriously? 

He was a genius. He was beautiful inside and out and he was such a good person, a good person to you, a good person to his grandmother, a good person to his online friends. He was so good at whatever he wanted to do and he was really fucking sweet when he wasn’t being ridiculous. And even when he was being ridiculous it was so funny you usually didn't mind the ear deafening noise involved. He was a great dancer and an even better singer and he had so much to offer. 

He was shy. He was terribly embarrassed and debilitatingly nervous at the mere idea of talking to any other girl that wasn’t you and he took a whole lot of warming up to until he opened up to you even, but when he finally did, after tiptoeing around him for 4 months after you’d moved in and he finally grabbed a bowl of popcorn and sat beside you on the couch to watch lifetime movies with you, making fun of the writing and the acting the entire time until he was making fun of you for crying at the happy ending. 

He was reliable too. He refused to even entertain the idea of you moving out just because you could no longer afford the previously agreed upon rent after you lost your job. He searched for something to hold you over until you could get back on your feet and while the data entry thing was mind numbing, it was genuinely saving your life most days. You could at least pay your bills. You could at least force him to accept the much lower rent you started paying him again after you got your first paycheck. 

Oh god. League? 

You could feel it building again. The burning in your eyes peaked and you felt your face frowning down dramatically and the tears were flowing more freely than before. 

“You’re such an idiot.” You cried openly and his face changed at once into one of extreme concern. His hands waved over you uselessly, occasionally connecting to pat over your back in some attempt to stop this. 

“You are such a catch, you stupid idiot!” You were wailing very loudly. You could not help it. He was such an idiot. And he was such a catch. 

“Oh my god, are you yelling at me right now? After everything you’ve done to me today, now you are yelling at me and calling me names. Great. Just Great. Here, my face doesn’t hurt, why don't you punch me in the face too.” 

The sarcasm made you half laugh half choke in the middle of a particularly strong sob and you coughed with your mouth open to be able to breathe. Your nose was still useless. 

“Jesus,” he said to himself, “my mouth was open.” 

You were being steered. Your eyes were still closed and you were pushed now. You didn't really want to move but your stubborn legs saved you by taking a step instead of letting you fall flat on your face. You opened your eyes when you felt a fresh cold breeze against the wet surface of your cheeks and you saw in front of you the contents of the freezer. 

There were some frozen veggies. Some ice in a bin. Something meat-like in a freezer bag. And about six different boxes of various ice creams. Most of them chocolate. 

“Get one,” he said and his hand was pushing your elbow up and steering your hand toward the open box of chocolate popsicles. 

You grabbed with your open hand and he pulled your elbow back like you were a claw machine and he was working the lever. 

You grasped the popsicle between both of your hands with a small smile building against your will. 

“Eat it,” he said from behind your head and you were already ripping at the plastic wrapper. You didn’t even have a chance to throw away the wrapper when his hand was pushing at your elbow again. It bent upward and the chocolate plopped right into your open mouth. 

“Bite,” he said. 

You bit. He didn't have to tell you to chew and swallow. You knew how to do the rest. 

After the ice cream you were seated on the sofa next to him and he pulled out a portable game system to keep him entertained while he pressed play on the movie he’d put on the big tv on the wall. 

It was Bridget Jones's Diary. You had seen it enough times to know the entire movie by heart and still, still you laughed at every joke, swooned at every steamy look, and squealed like a piglet at every kiss scene. It literally did not get old. You could fall asleep and wake up watching this movie for the rest of your life and be as happy as ever. 

After he’d felt you’d been babied enough for him to trust you not to dissolve into a fit of disaster without him, he left you alone to finish your movie. He said something about a bug he was working on fixing and you could hear him working from behind his closed door in his room. 

He had been quiet as he worked. He usually was, save for the occasional song he sang along to, or work sounding phone call he took. 

The credits were rolling on your happy ending and you could feel the beginnings of the first few period cramps twinging inside of your abdomen. 

Everything made sense now, as it usually did whenever your period began. 

You’d just stood to head toward the kitchen for some pain medicine when Baekhyun’s bedroom door was abruptly pulled open.  

He bolted through the doorway and his phone was in his hands, his eyes were wide. Panic was written all over his face as he searched the room for you and finally made eye contact with you in the kitchen. 

You had a bottle of pain reliever in one hand and another popsicle in your other and you were trying to figure out the logistics of getting the bottle of medicine open without having to put the sticky melty treat down anywhere and things weren’t going so well. Things were getting drippy. 

Baekhyun arrived then and you beamed a wide and genuinely happy to see him smile. He would help you. He would open the pills. He would stuff you full of them to stop the pain. 

At this point you didn't even care how many. You’d take however many the Gods decided to shake free from their plastic prison. 

“Help,” he said, walking by the medicine you held out to him with his phone displayed in his hands. “Help me, she...our girlfriend, Maya, she—”

You gasped at his mispronunciation and you lifted your popsicle hand toward his face as you made the sounds with your mouth, “Mia. Like Mee-uh.”

“Mia, Maya, Moira, She is — she is talking to me.” His eyes were wide and they were crazed. 

“She’s saying things and she’s really fucking smart and clever and she’s saying things to me, Bug. She’s, oh god, -the fuck didn't you tell me she was cute. Fuck. You have to help me. She thinks I’m cute too. Oh God. What do I do? What’s next?”

He was breathless when he was done and both of your hands were still full. Your popsicle was beginning to drip down your wrist. You would have to clean it up before you got ants. You still had some medicine to take too. 

He was pacing. He thought she was cute too, it wasn’t just you who thought so. He said it himself. Although he reacted this way with nearly every girl you had seen him interact with. Hell, just last week he made you answer the door for the delivery chicken because the girl was cute and he wasn’t about to scribble his signature all over her hand by accident. 

“Baekhyun, I already laid the groundwork for you.” Maybe the day was finally catching up to you but you felt suddenly very tired and in no mood to play make-believe with him right now. 

“What does that mean?” His face betrayed his utter cluelessness and you sighed deeply, feeling much of the same melancholy mood return to you despite the chocolate and your favorite movie still fresh on your tongue. “What does that mean? I don't know what to do. You were going to help me.” 

He was right. You shouldn’t just abandon a friend in need like you’d abandoned the popsicle in the trash can just now. 

“You have a new episode of your show to watch. She also likes that show. Why don't you stream it together?” 

His eyes lit up and his smile was wide and beautiful. Then he was spinning on his heels without even so much as a glance back. He typed into his phone and had nearly reached the door of his bedroom without even acknowledging your help when at the last minute you caught the look he shot you. It was a bright smile. He was excited and his smile reached his eyes. 

“She said yes,” he said, “thanks, Bug.”

His door closed and you reached for the bottle of pills. Grabbing just two today, you downed them quickly and retreated to your room with a gloomy, lonely, little storm cloud floating stubbornly over your head. 

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4

Tag list: @j-pping @blahblahblah-boo @his-mochi-cheeks @amyeonzing@littleflowercrown13 @baekinmylife @insta1010 @nana-banana @f4ncyvelvet@bbhbeth  @totallynerdstuff​​  @byunbabybaek​​  @beg0neth0t420

[kuroken-lovechild]

How haikyuu characters would play genshin impact:

//featuring me nerding out about mbti types 😔

Karasuno

Hinata

As an ESFP he would probably choose his main based on who feels good to use

Quick movements, lots of jumping, strong = XIAO MAIN (probably finds the flashiness and edginess cool and enjoys the button mashing too)

would aggressively compete with kageyama on who can beat spiral abyss the fastest and with the shortest time

unfortunately they’re both not very good (initially because kenma helps him out after)

Would try to follows the plot but dialogue goes over his head

Does not understand stats other than attack at first

Wish impulse is real and never has any primos

would attempt to talk to every npc

Kageyama

META SLAVE

Has no idea what wishing/gacha is at first and builds his starters really well

Then he found out and currently mains Ganyu, Zhongli, Hutao for the big numbers

gloats about his first 5 star to hinata

Does not talk to NPCs at all and barely digs into the story

only there for spiral abyss and to make his characters stronger

Tsukishima

Didn’t wanna play until yamaguchi dragged him in to have someone to co op with

Appreciates the story and lore more than the gameplay aspect

Eula, razor (cv uchiyama kouki) main—easy to build, easy to use

Doesn’t care about wishing either

Got Eula by accident and now holds it over kageyama’s head

Has really good artifact RNG that it infuriates kagehina (gloats about it to fan the flame 😚)

Yamaguchi

he’s infp he chooses based on characters he likes 🥺

Diluc, albedo, ayaka main

(i can’t explain why I think he’d like those three, it just Makes Sense)

Co ops with tsukki and yachi, plays both dps and support

Spiral abyss makes him anxious but he pushes through anyway!!

Daichi

Starter team king 😩

Feels bad about switching his regular team out FJDFJDJJDDJ DAICHI

Probably a casual player though

Plays to coop with suga and tanaka but they carry him through domains

he’s trying his best

Suga

Mains based on whoever’s fun to play too!!

but enjoys more of a challenge

Childe main

Waiting for Scaramouche to drop hAha 🥲 and harbingers in general

Appreciates the plot and is very interested in lore!!

Diligently does spiral abyss

Doesn’t quite wish on impulse, but if theres a character he likes he’ll spend everything on their banner

Asahi

Does not play, got too scared (see: haikyuu ova)

Nishinoya

Rolls VERY much on impulse

Similar to hinata in that he also likes playing playstyles that feel good

Xiao and/or yoimiya main

(xiao because he’s short jk)

Probably raised Rosaria and planned to use her

Plot who???? we only care about world exploration and fighting in this house

Tanaka

wished for all the women, raised all the women, uses all the women

valid

Primarily mains Rosaria, ningguang and Lisa though

sorry beidou you remind him of his sister too much

waiting for signora like many of us are

Coops with noya and has INSANELY bad rng luck

Yachi

Also chooses based on characters’ personalities

gay, mains sucrose and jean

isfj child and probably feels bad about the underrated characters :(

uses amber, xinyan and qiqi too!

Raises all characters but hasn’t raised anyone to 90

Coops with yamaguchi and uses jean (as healer, support, damage dealer)

Talks to NPCs and sympathizes with their sad backstories

Gets too anxious to do spiral floors 9-12 too (mood)

Seijoh

Oikawa

Oh boy

this ENFJ 3w2 guy? you KNOW he’s gonna be the best

As long as it doesn’t clash with volleyball of course

Very VERY competitive in abyss

Has one character hed get attached to but doesn’t limit himself to using them only

Incredibly focused on team synergy, carefully crafts teams to bring out the best in each character

Tests best damage output too

But also he’d probably use meta characters and secretly raise the ones he actually likes?

Current fave: Yoimiya

Uses strong characters for coop but uses his faves for single player domains (or coop with iwaizumi)

Likes characters but surprisingly wouldnt be too invested in the plot

does not whale out of pride

Iwaizumi

Geo user

Uses characters he finds respectable in the storyline + hard hitters

Razor, klee, jean main but unaware of the family relationship

Sometimes uses beidou although her burst takes too long sometimes

Pretty casual player, only started because of Oikawa

Hanamaki

obviously he and matsukawa would make zhongli pillar dick jokes

Kaeya and beidou main (he thinks they’re cool)

Not that impatient to wait for bursts to charge or has a lot of energy recharge

whale

Matsukawa

……. Hutao main

funeral home

Would use qiqi and hutao together for the meme then grows to genuinely like qiqi

Saves up for a really long time then spends it all at once

Kindaichi

Doesn’t play much tbh

Offline for a week, comes back to do commissions for one day, leaves

Kunimi

Hed be pretty good

but lazy and forget to do dailies

then buy welkin moon instead

Focuses more on the story too rather than gameplay and points out loopholes

Mains whoever he has in his team with good synergy (like chongyun xingqiu xiangling)

Kyoutani

Rage quits 5 minutes in after hearing paimon’s voice 😔

Throws his phone at the wall

Yahaba

Simps for jean

Mains jean

Dedicated to dailies and spiral abyss

But doesn’t wish that much

Was the one who tried getting kyoutani into it and suffered the consequences

Nekoma

Kuroo

ENTP king raises a whole arsenal of characters for spiral abyss

I cant see him really getting attached to one in particular ?

makes zhongli pillar dick jokes every chance he can get

but also uses him for utility

Wants to try using a whole bunch of characters and wishes on every banner

But uses the meta ones with good team comps

sparks twitter debates with ….. interesting takes

“_____ is completely shit”

Kenma

OH BOY HES A GAMER GAMER

Whale whale whale whale

He’s tony to

Best synergy teams, understands the value of elemental mastery, REALLY values good supports, calculates possible damage numbers

Kazuha, zhongli, bennett, venti are a staple in his teams

Helps hinata and kuroo until kuroo teases too much by deliberately playing horribly

mildom and youtube streamer like murase ayumu

Appreciates story and lore very much too

Yaku

he’d LOVE the children

Probably would use characters that remind him of family members and friends

Klee, diona, qiqi, chongyun, xingqiu, razor, bennett

does spiral abyss but not obsessively

Lev

KENMA-SAN!!! LETS PLAY TOGETHER!!!

I’m sorry he would not know how the game works

Doesn’t do the ascension quests and gets stuck at AR 26 with 500k extra points

Thinks he’s amazing but it’s because he’s stuck at world level 1

I’m sorry lev ily but ……. its the truth

Tries pulling for everyone too and mains the first 5 star he got

(childe because he’s russian AKSHDKDHSKSHS /j)

Wants diluc and xiao because they look cool but gets Mona instead (doesnt understand how to use her)

Yamamoto

Also raises the women like tanaka but + kaeya

Lev complained to him about getting Mona while he’s wanted Mona for months

Not really a dedicated intense gamer EXCEPT for during those battle events

Fukurodani

Bokuto

WANTS THE STRONG AND COOL LOOKING 5 STARS

Eula, zhongli, diluc, xiao

but doesn’t know how to build either

doesn’t understand stats

would feel really bad for qiqi

Wouldn’t like signora for hurting venti :(

Wouldn’t like childe too :( until he plays the story quest and sees the ruin guard cutscene

then starts sobbing because of what a good brother he is

“AKAAAASSHI I wanna do that too!!!” then he dies

Tries to use childe but doesn’t understand the cool down management

Mispronounces and misspells tartaglia (タルタリア)

for more info on how bokuto plays genshin see Kimura ryohei’s YouTube channel ✨

Akaashi

the true childe main (just like me)

Uses characters based on utility

but mains whoever reminds him of bokuto FJDHFJFJDKSJ

Very good supports but unlike Kenma, he chooses and builds supports around his main

also uses very good supports so people won’t realize he’s using childe for the cv kimura ryohei (everyone knows anyway)

Literature nerd appreciates the plot, writing and deep lore too

Konoha

Tries pulling for everyone but has REALLY bad luck

Has really good characters but never the one he wants

loses all 50/50s and has a c4 qiqi

Ends up maining qiqi as dps

sorry konoha i didn’t mean to slander you

Shiratorizawa

Ushijima

does not know how to play or build

Uses whoever he has (aka starters)

Only plays because tendou downloaded and made an account for him

Doesn’t know how to ascend characters or farm

Forgets about talents (me)

Weirdly good RNG and doesn’t realize it 😩

“Let me look at your account wakatoshi-kun”

“Sure”

“You didn’t tell me you had 6 of jean’s Stella fortuna???”

“What’s that?”

Tendou

this man pulls for the seiyuus

Mains childe, hutao, mona for 5 stars

childe and hutao’s instinct based quickswap playstyle works so well for him!

jokes about cosplaying mona then actually does

Knows how to build, grinds, and manages ushijima’s account for him

Probably whales too

Shirabu

Meta meta meta meta

But f2p meta

Loves setting up reactions

More into the lore too and researches theories

Remembers actual names of boss drops

Semi: so how many of those buttplugs do you have again

Shirabu: 💢stop calling them buttplugs, they have actual names 💢

VERY diligent with battle pass, dailies, achievements and spiral abyss full stars

Until he //SPOILERS gets into med school and has no time for shit

Inarizaki

Atsumu

Would have a crush on a character I just know it

Invests heavily on his faves and is great at utilizing each of them

fussy . complains about a certain unit and how they can improve

or complains about how the game can improve to osamu

Osamu: yer just saying that cuz you couldn’t get a high score

Archons main (already saving for the tsaritsa)

Wouldn’t have a main dps but several hard hitting supports

Whale and falls victim to the weapon banner

Osamu

More casual player than Atsumu but still tries to get higher than him in events and spiral abyss

If atsumu’s a whale, osamu’s a dolphin

Great at dodging

Catalyst user!!

Mains ningguang, klee, yanfei + other catalyst supports

Also uses keqing

Kita

the man appreciates routine aka VERY diligent with dailies, battle pass, farming

“if you do things properly results will follow” or whatever quote he said ✨

Starter team but raises other characters for abyss

Reads dialogue and appreciates the plot

Barely gachas

Aran

will defend TO THE DEATH the underappreciated characters

Has empathy for noelle 🥺🥺

Noelle, Barbara, xinyan, bennett, children user 🥺

Talks to every NPC and loves the backstories and lore

also would feel really bad for qiqi

Suna

Uses the tall men and women and builds them all as dps (childe zhongli diluc kaeya beidou ningguang jean lisa rosaria eula)

He’d probably make a support character a dps tbh

Disregards team synergy for the shits but somehow manages to do domains and abyss

Itachiyama

Sakusa

c6 everyone

leaves