#this is my first art post in like 4 months enjoy this low quality content

[lowestechelonabomination]

woman moment

[lycorogue]

Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 4 – Images)

We've made it to the home stretch! This post should be a lot more fun, though, because you get to literally see Willow! I shared some images here and there throughout this mini-series about Willow, but the vast majority of my images of her will be below. 

Before I continue, how about another quick recap of my Meet My OCs series thus far?

I started up this multi-post series almost exactly a month ago. I had wanted to do something like this for MONTHS, and I'm finally getting my lazy butt in gear. This way, you guys get a chance to learn about these vocal people that have been hanging out in my head for years.

In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the concept, as well as explained the real-world influences that helped me create my two story worlds of Gyateara and Glitches.

Part 2 of the series talked about the inspiration that birthed each of my four main Gyateara characters.

Part 3a did the same, but for my four main teenage Glitches characters.

Part 3b then talked about the Glitches main supportive cast of six adult characters; each one originating as a canonical X-Men character.

Today is Part 4 Day; the official start of the individualized characters' bio posts. I couldn't think of anyone better to start off the next part of the series than my most present character: Willow Driver.

In Meet Willow: Part 1, I shared Willow's background, gave an overview of her personally, and talked about her powers.

Meet Willow: Part 2 focused on her main relationships.

The epic post that made up Meet Willow: Part 3 told her plot line/story arc main events within the play-by-post game X-Future that Willow originated in. The end of the post also discussed which of those main plot events will find their way to my original story Glitches.

Next up, I’ll have a few writing samples to showcase Willow, and I’ll conclude today’s massive series of posts with two customized wrestler entrances I created on Hubby’s WWE13 game. So.. just two more to look out for! 0_0

All caught up? Great! So let's get to the fun of Willow's Multi-media presence. Starting with some more fun art of her.

I know I already shared this in Meet Willow: Part 1, but I love this image of Willow so much I'm going to show it off whenever possible.

Prior to commissioning @edendaphne to draw me the gorgeous above photo, I had some other hand-drawn artwork of Willow. For two different birthdays, @chibisunnie included the X-Future core group for personalized cards she drew me.

Check out the full-quality image on her DeviantArt

Hubby and I routinely pointed out the almost perfect parallels between the “Girl Meets World” characters Lucas, Maya, and Riley and our X-Future characters Chayse, Willow, and Lia, respectively. So Chibi went ahead and drew Chayse, Willow, and Lia as Lucas, Maya, and Riley all hanging out in Riley's bay window.

Check out the full-quality image on her DeviantArt

Last birthday, I wanted Chibi to have my X-Future characters interacting with her Team Giraffe Guy characters. Willow is dancing with her OC Todd, Trish is giving her OC Zahir a mini-heart attack, and Lia is chilling with her OC Bob the Pumpkin Cat from her other original story The Pumpkin Prince.

I still absolutely love how energetic Willow looks in both of these images, and I think Chibi really captured who she is. <3

Prior to the commissioned piece by Eden, or the two works of fanart as birthday cards drawn for me by Chibi, I used doll makers to help me visualize Willow.

My first incarnation of Willow was thanks to a hodge-podge of items designed by ChaZie for her Dollz over on Dollz Mania. (anyone else remember these being huge in the early 2000s?) You see, ChaZie designed easily a hundred different Dollz creators/designers, each of them with their own themes: Halloween, fantasy, fairies, Scene, Kardashians, Lady Gaga, Valentine's Day, etc. Back in 2012, I had spent WEEKS saving nearly every element of nearly every doll designer ChaZie created. I gathered them all into one MASSIVE Photoshop file with nearly all of ChaZie's doll bases, hair, clothing, accessories, pets, etc. That way I wasn't restricted by the designer theme groupings ChaZie created; I could take hair from Lady Gaga, put it with a Halloween costume, and throw on some fairy wings. Using this method of Frankensteining ChaZie's designs, I created a large portion of the early X-Future cast. One of the firsts was, obviously, Willow, shown here in her first X-Men uniform design.

Sorry for the quality. My computer crashed about 3yrs ago, and I lost that ChaZie dollz design master file, so all of the ChaZie design dolls I showcase will be downloads of my posting the images online.

Anyway, once Sebastian was introduced into the X-Future canon, I decided to re-design Willow to see how she might look in the future. So, here is Mama Willow with newborn baby Sebastian, as well as Adult Willow in a much more traditional X-Men uniform as she took on the mantle of one of the Great Protectors.

Finally, a picture of Willow in street clothes while with her brother Shawn. I had already posted this in Meet Willow: Part 2, when I talked about their relationship. However, why not re-share it, right?

A couple of years into playing X-Future, I was introduced to the Chibi Maker doll generator by gen8. (can also be found here) I couldn't resist coming up with Chibi-fied images for the main X-Future characters. Naturally, I went with Willow's classic Cheshire Cat illusion for her chibi verseion.

After losing my ChaZie master file, I tried to rebuild it, but at that point Dollz Mania had shut down. I'm slowly beginning to find ChaZie's doll makers popping up on other websites, but I needed other alternatives for character designs and re-designs. That was when I was introduced to the X-Girl doll maker by Candy. I've had a lot of fun designing characters in this game, and decided to re-designs Willow to give her a more mature look now that she's not 15 anymore.

Hubby and I also tried to re-create, and then re-design, Willow's X-uniform.

I really like how the uniform re-design turned out.

I was fairly content on my representation of Willow with the wide variety of above images. Then, late last year, I started playing the fashion designer mobile game Love, Nikki.

I was just enjoying the game for what it was; not even thinking about X-Future/Glitches. But then I started finding more and more blue and white clothes that made me think “Willow would like that.” Soon that was my mission. I found a few white/silver hair options that I tried out, and aimed for a make-up set that would give me aquamarine eyes. Since hitting my main Willow make-up and hair goals, I've had loads of fun designing and re-designing Willow in the game.

The blue and white striped socks and those blue eyes were what first made me want to find a way to build Willow. I also tried out just about any silver/white hair and blue eyes combo.

After getting the aquamarine eyes I loved, the next trick was trying out the hair styles. There are soooo many platinum-white, white, gray, or silver hair styles in this game! This isn't even all of them; just the ones that seemed Willow-esque. First up was an an attempt to keep Willow's short hair:

Picture #3 was the only one that really worked, and I ran with that hair for a little bit. I just liked the pseudo-punk look of those sharp edges.

A lot more of these could possibly work, although they aren't the Willow I had in my head. Even so, I could picture Willow with hair styles #2, #3, and #4.

I really can't picture Willow growing her hair out so long. It would bother her to have so much of it. However, out of the above pictures, #2 would be close, if it were the right color. Beyond that, I think #4 feels the most like Willow, with #1 being close behind.

Sadly, the ones that are the closest to Willow's hair style are all the wrong color. #1 is almost exactly Willow's hair style, just parted the wrong way; her longer side is over the right eye. Although it's a bit too short, and clearly the wrong color, #2 is at least parted on the correct side, and it does have some blue tips; probably the second closest to her canonical look. I could picture Willow in all of those hair styles, though.

This hair style isn't all that bad, and it is pale, but it's still platinum-blonde instead of Willow’s silver.

After a LOT of working and re-working, I decided this hair style works best. It's short, but not terribly masculine, choppy, or overly fancy. It's also the right shade of silver, and the low-lights in the hair almost look like they're blue. Once I had it figured out, the next trick was the outfit. I had her in this one for quite some time. Then I was playing Love, Nikki during the winter. I also got some coats that would work really well for her. I went formal and fantastical with the cape, and then more canonical and “real world” with the down vest. For both images I also included some extras that made it look like she was creating illusions.

I then had to switch her up for spring:

And again for summer, so this is what she's currently wearing in my game:

We'll see what other kinds of visuals I can make of Willow over the next few months/years.

------------------------------

Alright, well now that you have a good mental image of what Willow looks like, how about we find out how she talks and acts?

Next up: Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 5 – Stories)

[blahblahemblem]

heroes barracks tour: cavalry + updates

exactly what it says on the tin

Note: I started writing this post last year and some things have changed since then. I’ve decided to keep the stuff I originally wrote and cross it out rather than replace it outright. Additionally, aside from the write-up on my cavalry units this post contains a small update to my armour and flier intros as it’s been long enough that I’ve acquired a few more units and changed some plans I had for the old ones.

Armour update

Build improvements

Not much in this category. I gave both BK and Arden Swap (although only BK had the SP available to learn it), and Henry learned Draw Back (which ended up being surprisingly useful in combo with Armour March).

New units

I made the first armour post before summoning on Winter’s Envoy. Here’s what I got from it:

+def –atk

Got her from the last orb on the first summoning circle.

Despite her awkward IVs, awful outfit, and my general distaste for Tharja as a character, she quickly became one of my favourite units (see also: summer Corrin). I enjoyed using her in the Arena so much that I bothered to invest into improving my score, which is how I got into tier 20 for the first time. I’ve tried using her again last week and failed because the maps weren’t as favourable (she survives and counterkills brave Lyn on defensive tiles, but last week’s rotation included the stupid fucking boat map where she got wrecked all the time because there’s nowhere to run).

Her default set is just so damn good. It’s very gratifying to have another unit with Close Counter that isn’t poor defenseless Takumi (who doesn’t even run it anymore), and Vengeful Fighter is, of course, mindblowing. Hone Armour is for Henry’s bladetome. She also has Hone Atk 3 that I gave her in a desperate rage trying to put together an arena team last week, which I regret a bit since it’s unlikely to see use again but it’s not a big deal in the long run.

Usage: I had an absolute blast running her in the last Tempest Trials in tandem with Henry and (spoilers). The boost to her defences and the Close Defence 3 seal turned her into an all-purpose tank with very few things that scared her. I might try to incorporate her into future arena teams again, and she’s of course quite the green counter option for AA.

Future improvements: I’ve seen people replace her special with a 4-charge one, since it works perfectly with Vengeful Fighter and also deals more explosive damage. I hesitated on doing that while her Tempest was running as the boost to her stats combined with the support bonuses from (spoilers) meant she wasn’t always getting doubled, but for general usage it would make sense. I’m holding out a bit since I’d rather focus on units who don’t have already functional builds first. Another thing is refining the Candelabra (haven’t decided whether to go for even more Def or round out her Res yet). I don’t see myself replacing her weapon for now except maybe with Raudrowl, but I don’t have even one Katarina yet.

neutral

Second summoning circle yielded me this strapping gentleman.

Unlike with Tharja I don’t have a very long ode to his abilities, he’s a good unit but his kit just isn’t Close Counter + QR on steroids. That said, he’s an excellent all-around blue counter with good mixed bulk, so I’m glad to have him. (Plus his voicelines are hilarious. “Party?”)

I don’t really know what else to do with him while I’m this low on quality A skills, so I just left his default kit untouched and added Fortify Armour (mostly for Henry, but Tharja obviously made good use of it too) and Ignis (Bonfire would be better with its lower cooldown, but I didn’t have available fodder and didn’t want to spend feathers on this).

Usage: See above about countering blues. He also provides Fortify buffs to those who need it in AA. Otherwise he’s stuck in the same rut as other armours: they’re great and all, but the movement makes it awkward to use them, and the colour overlap makes gluing him to Henry for Armour March a bit inconvenient.

Future improvements: IDK. Giving him a Slaying Axe could be something, but I like to leave seasonal units with their default weapons if I can help it, I think it adds to the charm. That leaves refining Sack o’ Gifts, although same as with the Candelabra I don’t know whether to go with +def or +res, and replacing Ignis with Bonfire.

Change of plans

Gwendolyn is dead. Thank god I’m free. I used her to give Tharja Hone Armour as I didn’t have an unmerged 4* copy and didn’t want to waste feathers. Rip in pepperoni, I won’t miss you. (I’ve summoned another fucking one since then but I’m not even going to bother merging her again, I just hate her art so much.)

Flier update

Build improvements

I got enough SP on Shanna for Firesweep L+ and on Tana for Swap and Hit & Run, and inherited Desperation 3 on Caeda. Otherwise nothing new.

New units

Happy New Year to me!!

+res –hp

Finally an Azura with IVs that don’t suck. In general I’m beyond happy that I have her; I love Azura, I love dancers in Heroes, her art is great, she has Hone Fliers, she’s a goddamn flying singer when I adore flying units, what is there not to love?

Very simple kit, I don’t want to waste Fury on dancers hence Spd+3 as a budget solution for improving her most important stat (TA is an option, of course, but I think with access to flier buffs Airzura needs it less than other dancers). Kind of wish I waited a bit for The Most Important Unit I’ve Ever Summoned (who will be shown in the next update) before launching to refine the Hagoita... but I really needed the Divine Dew and besides, it’s not like it doesn’t help.

Usage: She’s a dancer...

Future improvements: She has WoM3 inherited, hopefully she will get a lot of kills in today’s TT with the buffed stats (as it’s torture to grind SP for dancers otherwise).

+hp –spd

Bummer IVs, but as I wasn’t expecting to have her at all (she came in the same circle as the Most Important Unit; as the pity rate was at 4,50% I just decided to summon the rest after getting him and there she was) it’s fine. Camilla also has boosted BST to make up for bad IVs lol. In general it’s great that I have her as she fills exactly the niche I was looking to fill, a tanky sword flier.

Keeping her default kit and adding Hit & Run. With flier buffs I think her bane doesn’t hinder her so much that I need to give her something else.

Usage: I just got her four days ago... She’s about to see a lot of action in the new TT though, and afterwards I will probably arrange a secondary flier team with both Camillas and Airzura on it, fourth member being debated (Shanna? or I might replace Cordy with Cherche on the first team and put Cordy here?)

Future improvements: I’m going to refine the Kadomatsu (for +spd) instead of replacing her weapon, I think. Slaying Edge is an option, but as I said before I try to keep seasonal weapons whenever possible. I’ve also seen this video on the effectiveness of a build utilising the Deflect Melee seal and Vantage; it worked excellently there because the test subject with Michalis with WoDaoclere-charged Ignis so it might not be as good elsewhere, but there’s always the option of giving Cammy Wo Dao? We’ll see.

Change of plans

1. Since I got NY!Camilla, I don’t need to build a Palla anymore. I will hold onto the 4* neutral version, maybe even merge her into a +spd 4* if I get one, and use her for HM grinding just because I really like Palla, but I’m not investing into her.

2. I made up my mind about spring Camilla. I summoned a Nino and now that I have Hone Airzura it makes even further sense to just go for my favourite build of all time, blade nuke.

Back to cavalry, finally

My main cavalry team isn’t particularly well-put together or impressive, and in general as it turns out I don’t have a whole lot of horses available, but I did go through a period where my horse team carried me through a bunch of difficult content and they’re still my closing act in Arena Assault as I can usually expect them to be able to handle anything.

5* builds

(I don’t have ANY sword cavaliers. This isn’t true anymore, but I still wish I had Xander as well. I didn’t get him because back then I didn’t expect that I’d change my mains and I didn’t want to try dealing with a GHB when I didn’t even have a single level 40 unit on this account yet. I have everything ready for Xander’s rerun that will probably not ever happen now, I have fucking Distant Defence fodder ready, WHERE IS HE INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS IT’S BEEN EIGHT MONTHS)

neutral

No, he’s not my freebie from CYL, I got him off Gunnthra’s legendary banner. Very happy about it because that’s a (relatively) fast offensive sword cavalier, something I didn’t have before. Also he’s adorable and I love his art and wah he says “Roy’s our boy” when you go into battle

I think his default build is fine, maybe he’s a bit on the slower side for Desperation but with emblem buffs, who cares?

Usage: Clearly I haven’t even got around to completing his default skillset... I’ve been busy with fliers and armours :( I’ll put more effort in later

Improvements: Needs an assist. He has Fortify Cavalry inherited but not learned, and also needs to learn his default skills.

+atk –res

Also from Gunnthra’s banner, a defensive sword cavalier to complement the offensive one. Sigurd is really awesome all around so I have no complaints. It’s so convenient that the newer units they release tend to have good builds from the start so I don’t have to scramble around trying to find anything worthwhile to put on them among the piles of trash in my barracks

Usage: Unlike Roy he got to get his default set filled out at least...

Improvements:

I should probably give him Hone Cavalry.

+res –def

My one and only red cavalier, yay!

So Leo’s been sort of shafted by Heroes in terms of default builds (aside from the fact that motherfucker comes with QR3, one of the absolute best skills in the game). Brynhildr is now overshadowed by the goddamn Gravity+ staff, Elise has better offensive stats despite being a healer, etc etc BUT.

I’ve said it before and I will never get tired of saying it: I love monotype bladetome nukes. Who made me love them so much? Cecilia Leo. He was the first unit for whom I bit the bullet and promoted another unit to 5* just to sacrifice them, and what a dazzling fucking introduction to the world of weapon SI that was

Darting Blow seems silly at first glance, dude has 22 whopping spd, but with it, Hone, Goad, and a support he gets up to 40 and can double quite a lot in PvE, and various armours in Arena Assault. Leo in particular is thriving now with all the OP green armours melting when he breathes in their general direction. QR is for when he needs to soak some magic hits, something he did quite well even before Raudrblade.

Usage: Maxed 3k HM, of course! For the rest, see above. Definitely in my top 10 favourite units. I’m very very happy I chose to summon on Male Mages over Female Mages during the third gauntlet (because lol I got all of those female mages as pitybreakers later anyway...)

Improvements: He has everything he needs for now. I could maybe give him Glimmer over Iceberg just for the reduced cooldown, but eh.

At least I made the account switch in time to get him. If I missed both of the DC cavs I’d have died of an ulcer by September

Camus is good. He’s capable of doing both enemy and player phase fairly well (unlike Xander who would be a purely enemy phase unit). Sort of like a blue horse Ryoma. I think he desperately needs merges though.

Usage: Maxed 3k HM. He doesn’t really do a whole lot of work these days even when I get out the team for Arena Assault, but that’s because I’m usually dealing with, like, armours and Ayras and I don’t want a special to trigger so I ORKO them with the ranged cav trio instead. Camus faithfully provides Goad Cavalry and an S support to Leo, and Swaps units around, and he CAN do combat if necessary, so that’s all I can ask for.

Improvements:

Going to +1 him. EVENTUALLY IS will feel maybe a tiny bit of shame and they’ll fucking give him a rerun, that would be two more copies since he didn’t have an Infernal difficulty the first time.

I haven’t been paying attention to him a whole lot before fairly recently, but I was always sitting on some plans for him just because he’s a TT unit and I sort of want to have some kind of functional build going for all of them as I only have copies of them on my main (unlike GHB units who are a lot easier to get).

Now he lucked out. I did three circles on Winter’s Envoy. The first two got me Tharja and Chrom, and the third one somehow contained THREE off-banner 5*s: Catria, Hawkeye, and Cain. They were all used as SI as they all had shitty IVs. Clive got Catria’s lance. Now he can enjoy 2 charge Bonfires.

Usage: I used him a bit in the TT he came from, haven’t done a whole lot since then. I’m hoping to put together a bunch of second-string horse teams (horse mages are a bit more available than flier mages, I’ll get a fucking Reinhardt EVENTUALLY) and he’ll make it on one of those. Plus there’s always walling reds and blues in AA.

Improvements: After I refine the weapon of the Most Important Unit, I’ll evolve his Killer Lance to Slaying Lance. Then he’ll be put on the waiting list for refinements. I’m also not that sure what to do with his B slot. Lancebreaker 1 came from the same Arthur as Swap. IDK if I should just give him LB3, or wait until I have more Subakis (but there’s a very long queue for that). I’m also debating if I should give him Fortress Def.

+atk –res

Another pitybreaker from Ylissean Summer. I don’t mind much since that same summoning circle gave me a very special unit (you will see them in the next post) that I wouldn’t have opened if I hadn’t seen that Peri’d reset my rate.

Peri gets a lot of flak, but she’s not at all a bad unit, she just has a lot of competition in her niche, as Roderick and now Oscar both have similar offensive statlines to hers. Peri is lucky in that I find her amusing and don’t give a shit about either Roderick or Oscar.

Usage: For now I occasionally get her out when I need to deal with an annoying DC Vantage red in AA. Winter Tharja’s also a pain in the ass that she can help deal with handily.

Improvements: Clearly I’m going for a Firesweep build, but I haven’t inherited the + version to her yet. She needs to learn LaD2 (I didn’t bother taking a new screenshot, but she has LaD1 learned now, everything else is the same) and inherit an assist. I’m also on the lookout for a +spd copy to merge her into because I think +spd would be a lot better.

(It’s only now that I’m adding new units to this post that I realised I didn’t have any axe cavaliers originally...)

+def –atk

Bit of an odd one. When the Christmas TT banner dropped, I had a lot of orbs since I was saving for the next legendary and spent considerably less on Winter’s Envoy than I expected. I decided I can afford to pull all reds (for Lucina) and greens on that banner. There were, in fact, only two greens and no reds, and the green was this Frederick. I’ve been considering building one for a while, so it was welcome, even though his IVs are questionable.

He picked up the Hawkeye from Winter’s Envoy. DB3 is just nice to have, and it’s going to sit around for when (if) I give Fred a Brave Axe.

Usage: See Clive.

Improvements: I’m looking for a +atk or +def copy that isn’t –def or –atk respectively, so I can merge. He needs an assist, probably a different B skill, refinement on the axe, and to learn Bonfire.

neutral

My freebie from CYL. I don’t regret picking her, but I am kind of reluctant to use her a lot outside of Horse Emblem because frankly Arena has made me resent her. I’m so fucking tired of seeing this face. When will she fall off her horse. I have no love left for her and I’m gleefully killing the copies of her I have on alts for Swift Sparrow left and right and it gives me a rush every time. It’s kind of sad since I was initially very excited to get her but that’s what countless deathless runs ruined do to a person. I just had to unglue a Brave Bow Lyn from a QP Moonbow Reinhardt earlier today*. Ugh.

* when I originally started writing this post

Usage: She’s on my main cav team and is quite helpful, and has around 2600 HM. Those are the nice things I can say about her.

Improvements: I am not giving her anything else ever as an act of protest

4* merge projects

+spd –hp, +3

I originally intended to make him a +10 thinking I’d never get a brave Roy. Well, I have a brave boy now, but I still want to build his dad, if only because they’re a bit different. I also quite like Eliwood; he’s not the most interesting lord character in the world, but I have a soft spot for him. His Heroes art is atrocious but what can you do.

Short term goals are continuing to merge him (right now I have two more 3* copies waiting), giving him an assist, Fury 3, and probably Swordbreaker.

Long term goal is eventually, once he hits +7 or so, merging in a 5* copy to acquire the Durandal, then evolving it to Blazing Durandal.

+2

The only blue mage cavalier I have :(

Short term goals are merging in the last 3* copy I have, giving her Blarblade & Moonbow from an Odin, Darting Blow 3, some kind of B skill (undecided on that one), an assist, and probably a horse buff.

Long term goal is merging in a 5* copy (that one is a very long way off) to acquire Keen Blarwolf+ (and Death Blow 3) for some anti-horse options in AA.

+spd –forgot, +1

I really like Titania’s art and clearly I’m lacking in the green cav department. I just don’t know what to do with her build really. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it (aka when she’s got a bunch more merges)

+spd –res, +4

The fourth member of my “main” cavalry team. An excellent testament to the power of bladetomes when combined with emblem buffs, as on my old main I in fact used a 3* -atk copy in this role to great effect.

I have a 3* copy hanging around, but I’m conflicted on whether to use her for the extra merge or to give somebody else Escape Route 3.

I’m also on the lookout for a +spd –hp copy instead, as –res bothers me a bit.

I don’t think I’ll change anything else in her build, besides maybe giving her G Tomebreaker at some point. Gronnblade works perfectly fine without upgrading it to its + version, and my obsessiveness about these things doesn’t quite trigger when it’s a 4* unit in question.

+spd -def, +2

+atk –hp, +2

Healers who require standard healer improvements, not much to say here. They might both see some kind of 5* sacrifices at some point so I can get my hands on those sweet sweet Wrathful refinements on their staves (and better healing staves too), but that’s miles and miles out there.

Not pictured

Berkut. Same as all other GHB units that I don’t want to build.

[skyrocketdog]

My 2017 GOTY List

As the year finally comes to an end once again, I figured I would write this list because I actually played some games this year and had some pretty strong opinions about what games that I feel should be my personal GOTY.

Honorable Mentions:

Destiny 2 - With how the post game support has gone, and despite me actually enjoying it quite a bunch as I progressed through the story; afterwards when questioning “What to do now” I was simply just answered with “Well, there’s like one or two things left” or really grind heavy things that I personally wasn’t particularly a fan of. So, while that original story run was actually fun, I felt like it could have used more, and maybe next year it will be improved upon and I can put this as a game I enjoyed more. But, as it is in it’s current state, I didn’t feel this made my top 5 for the year.

Marvel VS Capcom: Infinite - I love this game. Anyone who knows me knows that I still enjoyed this game a ton, despite any negative feelings I have towards it or even how it was viewed by the general public, I still love this game. But, it’s flaws become more and more visible to me the longer I play it, but even those are not enough to take it off the honorable mentions to me.

Tekken 7 - I actually like this game less than MVC:I, but I cannot deny that I still had fun (When it did work online, due to my slow internet) with this game. I didn’t get to everything in the game, but just based on my experience with friends & online I can safely say this is a fantastic fighting game and that I will probably play more in 2018 than I did this year, but due to my limited time frame with it I don’t feel confident enough putting it on my top 5 list yet.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Despite being a older game re-released with some added content, it still managed to be just as fun and make my own list once again. Plus with the amount of enjoyment I got playing with friends, just like the original, it still felt worth a mention to me.

#5 Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG)

This game has been nothing but fun to me. And that’s all I want in a video game sometimes, nonstop fun with friends. Being able to play in squads or duos with my close friends for hours as we keep trying to take down every other player is just good fun, and explaining the thrill of actually winning in this game is really difficult unless you’ve played it, but that definitely helps the experience overall. Plus I have put about roughly 300 hours into it now, it just keeps bringing me back at least twice a week, and I consider that one of the best things about a game, constant replayablility and a desire to keep playing. 

Sure, it does have some flaws (Most of which I think I had were fixed in the 1.0 release), but really when looking at a game, I don’t expect it to be 100% perfect in every single way. It’s going to have some flaws and I have to take them with the positives(And to me, there’s a lot of positives), and that’s why this game is in my Top 5. If it continues to get support, I think it will still be on the list of my favorite games.

#4 Zelda Breath of the Wild

A bit lower than I originally thought it was going to be on my list, but I still loved this game a lot. This is also not counting any of the DLC content, which I have yet to play and I’m very excited for, but this is just the base game as it is. The locations, being able to explore pretty much anything I saw, all the fun shrines and moments I had just made this game the second Zelda game to me. I still consider Wind Waker to be my personal favorite in the series due to the story and art style, but this is definitely my #2 pick in the series.

One of the things I actually really enjoyed the most was the fact that it was so different from the other games in game play styles. Some have viewed this as a flaw, but honestly, to me it only made it better and more of a game I could personally enjoy. Plus it does still have that Zelda feel, it’s just missing it in some small key areas that could be improved upon in the next game in the franchise in this style easily.

Also, the music, while being limited in some areas, is completely fantastic and every song used in the game got stuck in my head, and just made me wish there was even more all throughout the world. Here’s to hoping that the next game in this style improves on the music and any minor flaws I’ve had with this game.

#3 Super Mario Odyssey

This is now my favorite mainline Mario game, and Nintendo have once again outdone themselves. Every world in this game was just non-stop joy for me, and Cappy as a sidekick, I enjoyed way more than I was expecting to when I first saw him in trailers. 

Everything in this game was just perfect Nintendo quality too, the small story with Peach & Bowser, every single boss fight was perfectly fun and exciting at the same time, and also every song being memorable (Jump Up, Super Star. Enough said really.) and having that Nintendo charm at the same time. 

Another reason this is so high on my list too, is due to the Koopa Freerunning, I can’t really deny that. That has been one of my favorite things in this game, because it introduced me to the thrill of speed running, which is something I’ve never attempted really, but after the 500th restart in the same Koopa race, I just wanted more and more to just take down a few seconds. (I actually ended up being in the top 100 in the post game kingdom of the game too! Very proud of that.)

On an ending note, every Mario game needs this camera feature from now on. It has been one of the best things about this game, and it seems i’m not the only one to agree based on seeing all these fantastic pictures all over the internet.

#2 Persona 5

Me Slime...

Persona 5 is probably the best in the series when it comes to game play and design and art style. (I’m just going to say Persona 5 has the best UI/Hud in any game and end my discussion here about the art style otherwise I won’t shut up about it.) But, it has one flaw, and I felt like it’s very, very important in a game that was about 100 hours long. The story.

The story is honestly my only flaw with this game, and without getting too far into spoiler discussion, I felt like it needed more story in areas. Which isn’t the worst thing, but it does make me question “Why didn’t they do this instead?” in certain areas. Despite that however, the story was enjoyable and well, without getting too far into any discussion about it, the first boss/palace/dungeon was probably one of the best ones in the series to me, due to how well written I felt it was. The other ones...not as much to say the least, besides a couple that stand out to me.

Some areas in the story also felt like it needed to happen, just because it was a game and it was getting close to being too long without a dungeon, and not because it fit into the story it was trying to tell at all. Which is fine and I can accept that really, but it overall makes the story feel more forced instead of naturally happening in areas, to me at least.

The music is another really important part of this game to me, as I feel like it’s better than the other games in the series. With it’s heavy Shin Megami Tensei influence showing this time around(Some songs sound like they can be in SMT:Nocturne honestly, and to me that’s fantastic) it really made the soundtrack as a whole stick out to me. Plus, Rivers in the Desert. Really all I have to say when it comes to the soundtrack.

The last 10 or so hours of this game was quite possibly one of the best moments I've had in gaming recently, and I really do believe that the whole game was fun overall but, what is Persona 5 doing as my #2 you may ask, despite me already saying it’s GOTY for months(If you’ve known me), well...

#1 Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony

Uh oh, a last second addition.

I got this game as a gift the day after Christmas, and attempted to beat it before the year was over, just so I could see where it fit on this list. What ended up happening was probably this ended up being one of my favorite games of all time, and overall better than Persona 5 was to me. 

It’s a tiny bit difficult for me to talk about why I liked this so much due to spoilers(I might have to make a side post talking about everything I loved at some point), but here’s a small attempt:

Masafumi Takada OST. Seriously, this soundtrack has ended up being one of my all time favorites in video games due to just how completely fantastic it is all around. There’s so many songs I just cannot get out of my head, and even when playing they were already stuck in my mind. (The Split Opinion song has been my favorite so far, just as an example.)

The Cast of Characters. I was going into this game after the demo of V3, expecting to like about...50% of the cast at the absolute best. Near chapter 2 of the game, I didn’t want any of them to be taken away, and I ended up liking every single character. With the other two games in the series, it has been about me liking only a select few in the cast, but those few being well done characters to me. I was kinda taken back by how much I loved each one of these characters, and that I felt each one was written perfectly into the story.

Game play Improvements. The new mini games introduced in the trials, such as Split Opinion, and Psyche Taxi were just really fun to say the least. The other mini games that were featured in older games were also improved heavily in this game, and I feel like they were at their absolute best for once, instead of feeling like a drag to weigh the experience down. (Hangman’s Gambit from DGR1, Eugh)

Story. I can’t really say much here, but overall the chapters in this game were at their absolute best, and probably some of my favorites in the whole entire series and genre this game is in. Every chapter was just an absolute blast, and there was no low point in the story for me.

That’s about it really. This has been such a fantastic game, and I really do think this may be the top of the series, and the next Danganronpa game would be in a hard situation to top this one. I really enjoyed this game a lot and despite the despair, I consider it to be my personal GOTY.

[thesimplyluxuriouslife]

266: 10 Activities to Savor Pre-Holidays in November

Here in the states, we may officially wait for the holiday energy to be set free, but by the time November arrives, it can easily begin to feel as though the holidays have begun. Whether that is due in part to marketers and shops shifting from Halloween on October 31st to red and green everything on November 1st, or an earnest desire for the holidays to begin by the public, I cannot quite be sure, but what I do know is that I love the three weeks leading up to Thanksgiving of which I am calling the "pre-holiday" season.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the holiday time between Thanksgiving and New Year's, but during the first third of November (Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday in November which this year is quite late in the month), I just linger with absolute contentment.

Today I would like to share with you 10 activities or ideas for savoring the pre-season period as the year that is begins to wind down to celebration and festive gathering.

1.Set the mood in your home without pulling out the decorations

From placing simmering spices on the stovetop to fill the house with luscious, warm and citrus as well as spice-filled flavors (check out my simple recipe here) or simply switching the wreath on the front door to an autumn theme (if you have not done so already), protect, yet acknowledge this time of year that is truly meant to be savored after a summer and early fall of harvest as we gear up for the bustle of the holiday season.

2. Put the yard and exterior of the home to bed for the winter

Depending upon where you live and when the temperatures begin to drop, take this time to be outside and winterize the home, tend to the plants that need to be mulched and trim the perennials, as well as plant the new bulbs that will emerge in the spring. Tending to the exterior of your home will enable you to sleep soundly at night during the snowstorms and frigid temperatures knowing all is taken care of so that you can simply enjoy the winter wonderland that appears out the front door.

~Trusted British gardener Monty Don shares a worth-keeping monthly list of what to tend to in the garden during the month of November.

3. Assess your fitness routine and improve now to feel your best during the holidays

When we are conscious of the benefit of a good and regular fitness routine as well as a well-balanced eating regimen, we are more likely to do well during the holidays. Establish or cement what is working well and plan now to figure out how you will maintain your ability to stay active and eat well even if you are traveling or removed from your regular environment.

4. Make a favorite fall dessert or main dish for you and the household just because it's fall.

From Apple Tart Tatin (check out my recipe and video tutorial below) to butternut squash and apples roasted to perfection for a lovely side dish with pork chops. (The image at the top of the post is a favorite fall dessert inspired by Julia Child - look for my adaptation to be shared in season 3 of the cooking show!)

~Quick recipe for roasted butternut squash and apples: Combine cubes of butternut squash and apples on a parchment lined sheet pan, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, toss the squash and apples with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, roast for 25 minutes, remove from the oven and enjoy!

5. Make sure you have something to look forward to just after the holidays wrap up - something simple, low-key and maybe just for yourself.

6. Have fun with fall foliage - arrangements, playing in the leaves, taking photos of unique compositions that catch your eye

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4qMNBZgx64/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

7. Take advantage of weekend sales as businesses clear out inventory for the holiday season.

Currently many business are having sales during our long weekend here in the states, but that is just a start to what is to come. Whether you are beginning to shop for gifts for the holidays or have a list of items you love but are waiting for a sale, be sure to take advantage if the price is right and the item is exactly what you want. As I shared yesterday, I am looking for a fresh holiday wreath for my front door, and was pleased with Williams-Sonoma' 20% off sale.

As well, examine your fall, winter and holiday wardrobe: Do you have what you need? Are there any gaps? The fall collections are about to go on drastic reduction and scooping up your preferred and needed items at great prices will make you and your budget quite happy, not to mention ensure you look your best and feel comfortable going about your day.

8. Forage for the arts and literature and culture you love

On Wednesday of this week I will share a list of books, podcasts, television shows and art exhibits to enjoy during the winter season, but what I love most about these three weeks leading up to the holidays is that I cozy inside my house far more than I would during warmer weather and pull out a book (or two, or three) and let the time pass by. The same happens when I discover a great show or when I toodling about the house or walking the boys while listening to a podcast in which I learn something but lifts my spirits or ensures my day will be better after listening to it by either teaching me something or deepending my understanding on something that matters.

Perhaps why I enjoyed my visit to Portland last weekend so much and stopping (and lingering) at Powell's Independent Book Store was because books and late fall and winter, along with the shorter days means more time to get lost in a book. Of course reading is savoring year-round, but there is all the more reason to further our knowledge and let ideas percolate giving them time to germinate so that they can bloom fully when spring arrives and summer follows.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4ZHszngxkf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

9. Get cosy often and lose track of time

At the foundation of these three weeks is time without apology for self-care. Self-care needs to happen year-round and on a regular basis most certainly, but since we know what awaits in the near future, no matter how much we greatly look forward to it, we can enjoy it all the more with a fully rested self.

As 2019 began, the first Petit Plaisir of the year was the book Cosy: The British Art of Comfort by Laura Weir. Released in early November 2018, her timing was not on accident. The cosy/cozy season truly feels as though it begins with November's arrival.

"Cosiness, for me, is radio 4, slow-cooking, everyday Sunday supplement, long breakfasts, long movies, long phone calls, big jumpers, tangled limbs in a bed or sofa. I enjoy those things even more now that I know indulging them doesn't mean I'm missing out on the big party of life happening somewhere outside and that life can be just as wild and precious in the quiet as it is in the noise."

—Laura Weir from her book Cosy: The British Art of Comfort

10. Find time to be with yourself, not just introverts researchs finds

~image via The New York Times~

In a recent New York Times article, research was shared that "valuing solitude doesn’t really hurt your social life, in fact, it might add to it". Why?

With the new and different, wanted and unwanted people you will see and spend time with during the holiday season, there will undoubtedly be swells of emotion, good and perhaps not so good. Knowing how to regulate our emotions will help us navigate what has the potential to be a truly joyous time of year well and most beneficially not only for our own mental health but those around us. And it is with giving ourselves time to be alone that we learn to regulate our emotions.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is something we have talked about often here on the blog, podcast and in TSLL's 2nd book, and continued research finds that mastering this skill has life enhancing qualities. By giving ourselves time to learn how to monitor our emotions which when we are alone with ourselves and our thoughts expectedly will provide plenty of practice until we learn how to calm the tide and just be present, we give ourselves an awesome gift. Perhaps the best give to give during the holiday season, non? ;)

So cosy up in your favorite spot, turn on a lovely playlist that will wash over you and just do something that you love. At this very moment I am snuggled up with Oscar by my side in my oversized, very well-used chaise armchair, the jazz fills the house and I am watching the many birds dance around the birdfeeder determining who will have the opportunity to snack for a moment. The emotions are certainly swimming about, especially after the week my family has had with the loss of someone truly special to all of us, but because of much practice spending time with myself, I savor such moments and am thankful to have them.

May these three weeks, this "pre-holiday" season prior to the holiday festivities be joy-filled and provide many moments of contentment.

SIMILAR POSTS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

~Sights & Scents of the Start to the Holiday Season (and a sale not to miss!)

16 Ways to Simplify & Make the Holiday Season Pleasurable, episode #184

34 Simply Luxurious Things I Love About the Holidays

Petit Plaisir

~The Morning Show

~based on Brian Stelter's 2013 book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV

~Habitually Chic's post: Outfits Inspired by Jennifer Aniston's Wardrobe on The Morning Show

https://youtu.be/eA7D4_qU9jo

~The Simple Sophisticate, episode #266

~Subscribe to The Simple Sophisticate: iTunes | Stitcher | iHeartRadio | YouTube | Spotify

~For TSLL reader information:  Some of the links shared on the blog are affiliate links, earning TSLL a small commission at no cost to you. Please know, I recommend only products I genuinely like. Thank you so much.

Tune in to the latest episode of The Simple Sophisticate podcast

[cutiecrates]

Review: Doki Doki Crate 16 March 2017

I am in LOVE with this cover art. Next to the Halloween and September cover and artists, this is another of my favorites. The artist is Princess Misery, who has her own Tumblr blog you can check out: but be warned- her art is cute but fairly dark and may disturb some light-hearted viewers/readers!

I admit this is coming a bit later than I would have liked. However, this is with good reason. All I have left to do for this month is the Tokyo Treat Box (and Candysan whenever I get it; fingers crossed ♡), and as I mentioned in a previous post I have also been working on making space cause Cutie Towers has really expanded into a full apartment complex!

For the approaching spring season (along with celebrating Hinamatsuri/Girls Day this month), this months Suteki Crate hit the theme right on its mark! You may also notice Punipuni and Pyonpyon on the next page, all ready for Hinamatsuri as well. 

Before I begin I would like to take a moment to explain Hinamatsuri/Girls Day.

Hinamatsuri is a holiday celebrated in Japan at the first sign of spring, when everything is cute, flowery, and best of all- PINK!!! In home, Hinamatsuri dolls are placed to bring good luck for the households daughter/daughters, and once it ends the dolls must be put away or else it could bring bad luck. In this time everyone enjoys adorable, pretty pink food and dress in pretty kimono for flower viewing ✿

For this crate I decided to start with the two ‘plush‘ items I got:

I was delighted to see I obtained Punipuni. Dressed as an empress doll she rests on a leaf to resemble spring mochi. She is fairly stiff compared to normal stuffed dolls and although I really wanted to love her, I found it a little difficult. To name a few issues...

1. Her head piece is held by too much glue and isn’t as detailed as I would hope accurately possible.

2. The cotton tail has a huge clump of glue on it and on the fur where it was.

3. The clothy texture of the leaf doesn’t go with the hard stuffed bunny at all. It feels like a random piece of cloth someone sewn to the bottom.

Now please keep in mind, I’m not trying to be mean or rude. I do like Puni, but I’m wondering if her quality borders on that of the first Julie so many subscribers hated, or if it was just mine. Unfortunately I have to rate her a 2.5 out of 5. She’s cute but I feel like there is a quality issue about her.

Next to Puni is the adorable Sasurai No Tabineco Fuwa Mocchi Plush, an adorable fluffy and fat kitty-cat that almost put Tsum-Tsum to shame (almost!), there was 4 possible to get:

I adore cats- especially black cats. But I would have been happy with any of them. Like well cooked mochi (or a warm marshmallow~), this kitty is squishy and stretchy. I love to smoosh and pull it, and squish it’s tummy ♡ I’m obsessed with this kitty. Not only is it really cute, but it’s a perfect stress relief toy. 5 out of 5!

I have a feeling this little guy is going to receive quite the workout from me.

Now for my two little items (not counting Hoppechan) in this box. I’ve noticed the Neko Atsume craze seems to be dying down; but the merchandise is still extremely popular. I see it all the time, and I get items related to it in the Crates fairly often (my favorite kitty is Odd). This month we get a Neko Atsume charm.

I have to admit, out of all the charms I get this is probably not one I’d choose for my phone (mainly because I’m addicted to my vampire hello kitty charm ♡). I will admit the detailing is really nice, fairly simple but clean and accurate (if you don’t know Neko Atsume, this is accurate for the cat I got. It’s not dirty.) I’ll give it a 3 out of 5. I like it, but...

The item clipped to it is the Pote Usa Loppy Clip, perfect for any opened snacks or little bags but not suggested for hair (unless attached to another accessory maybe), or finger play! It’s practical and adorable, which already earns an A+ from me.

Besides, who doesn’t love Usa Loppy? U(•ㅅ•)U 4 out of 5.

I was pretty happy to see this adorable cup in the box. The Disney Cup resembles a non-glass porcelain with beautiful water color art depicting Ariel, Jasmine, Cinderella, Bell, Snow White, or Mickey and Minnie. The character is detailed up close on the front, with an artistic coloring design and name detail on the back:

I have to admit, I would have loved to get the Mickey/Minnie one to see what it looked like. I’ve yet to find anyone who got it. I also wish they included Aurora/Sleeping Beauty- who was always my favorite Disney Princesses, or maybe even Marie. She’s really popular and would have been perfect for this series.

Despite those opinions, I LOVE this cup! I’m not sure what it’s made out of it, but it is durable. It fell off of my desk and didn’t chip or anything, showing how durable it is before I even used it. This is something I appreciate, considering I own pets (including a few mischievous kitties). It’s pretty and come on, who doesn’t love disney? 5 out of 5!

Lastly, we receive our monthly Hoppe-chan (Known as “Hishimochi Hoppe-chan” for this month). As usual, the deco bits and cake itself are made from plastic, while Hoppe-chan and the cream are soft and rubbery. As much as I love normal size/big Hoppe-chan, I adore little food ones too! I don’t really have anything special or unique to remark upon this one. I love it like always ♡  5 out of 5.

With Hoppe-chan I put the final item in the box, a slim pen case. This is a perfect little item for school, work, or just a purse to keep your pens or pencils in order. For this crate it was possible to get one based on Sumikko Gurashi or Rilakkuma. They’re also double-sided (but I couldn’t manage a pic due to limit).

For this particular case, I’m not sure if they were racing or if this is some sort of popularity ranking. Either way I was happy because my two favorite both ranked 1st. Look how cute and shy they are~♡ Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll use this, but I really like it! 4 out of 5.

♡ Cutie Ranking ♡

Quality  - 4 out of 5. Besides the confusing Puni plush, everything was fine.

Content - 3 out of 5. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked everything, but it only sorta/half-fit the theme. I also didn’t like that some items were kind of on the cheap and small side (like the usa loppy clip).

Practicality - Besides the 2 stuffed animals everything is practical. I’ll probably only use 2 or 3 of the items though...   4 out of 5

Total Rank: 11 out of 15 Cuties. I loved most of the items and found myself unable to rank anything super low, but at the same time, I think the few previous boxes were better. I certainly did not hate it though.

♡ Cutie Scale ♡

1. Sasurai no tabineco plush - I had to give it first place. It has a large tummy you can squish and poke and cuddle-wuddle~

2. Pen Case - I love Sumikko Gurashi and everyone looks so cute!

3. Hoppe-chan - tiny Hoppe-chan is always precious, She was simply sweet ♡

4. Pote Usa Loppy Clip - She is kawaii precious, but I wish we got the entire body, or maybe that it was bigger?

5. PuniPuni - Like Mango from the last box, I found it hard to be all that attached... She is cute, but there was some little issues.

6. Disney Cup - With it’s water coloring method, it borders on extravagantly beautiful! But not cute.

7. Neko Atsume Charm - I’m sorry but I just didn’t find it very cute.

Okay Cuties, be sure to get your appetites ready! Next is the Tokyo Treat crate, also celebrating Hinamatsuri with Sakura and Green Tea flavors. Until next time, Stay Cute! 

[doesitreallywork]

Looking for a quality review that tells you all you want to know about The Lost Ways 2? Look no further! Read our detailed review inside this post!

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The Lost Ways 2 Review – Does It Really Work?

Are you fretted on your security as for your life is worried? Are you searching for the very best overview that will assist develop your abilities as well as strategies of survival? After that stress say goodbye to, this testimonial is the most effective area you may have occur to watch today.

The program handy this actual minute is of this unbelievable lifesaving program that declares to have the whole tricks that you might not have actually located in various other evaluations worrying this.

The major objective of the writer while developing this program is to prepare the viewers regarding making it through in the most awful circumstances, such as scarcity, battles, hurricane, and so on unravel all this with my today’s evaluation.

They will certainly obtain really valuable info concerning strategies to plant seeds, grow and also collect them. Furthermore, you will certainly have the ability to find out about the technique to save them precisely.

What is The Lost Ways 2?

From the title of this item the lost ways 2 is the 2nd version of this unbelievable overview that was developed by Claude Davis essentially to revive the old means of survival. All the information discussed in it are useful as well as accepted medically.

The primary objective of this The Lost Ways 2 program is to disclose all the old methods as well as keys utilized by our predecessors to take care of rough problems such as conditions, battles, dry spell, as well as various other deadly problems.

In this program the writer clarifies just how to expand as well as keep these foods for a long period of time in pit openings. Besides this, you will certainly discover a great deal various other useful info discussed in this overview on subjects such as funds, wellness, as well as life situation to name a few.

Generally the overview covers majorly on the incredibly nutrient foods that can aid you endure throughout times of food scarcities. These foods have a longer life expectancy which allowed our forefathers to keep them also when they really did not have accessibility to fridges and also various other associated modern technologies.

Regarding the Writer, Claude Davis

Claude Davis is the aching writer of this publication. He is a really seasoned survival professionals that has actually additionally created various other intriguing posts for survival like the shed methods 1. He has actually been a survival professional for greater than three decades.

He is likewise the male behind a prominent survival web site, the AskAPrepper.com. Davis occurs to be extremely worried regarding the means the contemporary generation has actually detached itself from the means of the predecessors. This facet is shown by the writer throughout the write-up.

The survival program by Claude Davis occurs to be among one of the most thorough survival overviews in the marketplace today. If you are eagerly anticipating ending up being self-dependent with easy and also low-cost pointers and also strategies, this is one program that you must purchase.

If you are not pleased with the web content in right here, which I very uncertainty, you can still return it and also obtain all your acquisition cash back.

What Bonuses Does the Program has For You?

Bonus # 1: just how to make use of plants for medical objectives

Bonus # 2: exactly how to prepare below ground residences

Bonus # 3: The means to make catches from natural environments as well as additionally quest wild animals.

Bonus # 4: just how to prepare food thing from the aspects which remain in nature that can representing years.

What Do You Discover Inside This publication?

Claude Davis that is the writer of this program talks about numerous subjects that he assumes that contemporary individuals as well as am discussing everyone need to recognize. Several of these subjects are?

Exactly how to accumulate as well as keep water for your household without investing any kind of loan.

Understanding the art of plasters using the active ingredients that our forefathers when made use of.

Tips on exactly how to capture a selection of pets and also advice on exactly how to establish sure-fire pet catches.

The strategy humans can absorb the occasion that they lacked bullets. This area of the program additionally discusses what a specific team of individuals, that questioned the West, did to stay clear of lacking bullets.

Exactly how to make healthy food making use of active ingredients that were very first recommended by the Indigenous American precursors.

An in-depth overview on just how the American citizens constructed below ground residences.

Exactly how well does the Item Needs to help You?

Inside this file you will certainly find just how the leaders from bush West pursued deer and also exactly how they tanned hides without chemicals and also without investing a dollar. You’ll likewise learn just how to butcher a deer as well as what components are best for sure conservation approaches.

Lost Means 2– 2nd version reveal you just how to make use of the triggered charcoal to construct on your own a basic as well as trustworthy water filter that can clean up 800 gallons of water.

When all the water is polluted, as well as all you can locate are sloppy creeks and also swimming pools with conditions running widespread you’ll maintain your enjoyed ones consuming alcohol crystal-clear healthy and balanced water. Turned on charcoal tablets are really valuable in dealing with intense food as well as chemical poisoning as well.

Conclusion

In mind you might be intending to typically go off-grid or simply wish to obtain planned for any type of situation. There is complete guarantee without question that this program, the lost ways 2 is actually an excellent write-up to have.

Bear in mind the far better side of this program.in instance you are not pleased with the outcome of this overview you can declare back your refund with no more notification. That reveals its clarity and also rip-off complimentary.

Consequently, The Lost Ways 2 program is among the very best survival overviews, which you can purchase a cost effective cost. If you are just one of those take on individuals that wish to be self-dependent and also safeguard your family members, after that you need to acquire this program currently.

Pros

– Explains regarding prep work of ideal dietary foods that last for long-term as well as do not obtain worst.

– Defines concerning developing catch to capture pets with sure-fire approaches.

– Production for risk-free and also finest below ground residences.

– Making the art in plasters that were utilized mainly by our forefathers.

– The info given in this program is even more of useful kind with correct rational techniques defined.

– Offered in kind of electronic as well as published variation, with thorough phases and also video clip tutorials consisted of, makes it understandable and also carry out the actions.

– The Lost Ways 2 detailed discussed actions assist in complying with and also taking on the techniques and also methods to maintain and also prepare food, water, sanctuaries as well as various other devices.

– Gives a 60 day cash back assure in situations where one is not pleased with the item.

Cons

– It is a one type of item that is not readily available in shops. You will certainly require a computer system with a well functioning net attach to buy as well as download and install the item.

– The program requires a total commitment. The methods consisted of in the program can not be understood over night as you need to devote numerous months to in fact utilize them.

Summary

The lost ways 2 is a 300- web page publication that shares great deals of info on survival and also concentrates on an old extremely food. The major emphasis of this program is to disclose all the old methods as well as keys made use of by our predecessors to handle extreme problems as an example illness.

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The post The Lost Ways 2 Review – Does It Really Work? appeared first on Does It Really Work?.

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[waltergrossman59-blog]

The Very Best Mobile Games Of 2016.

Netflix was the leading earning app of 2017 that wasn't a mobile game, inning accordance with Sensing unit Tower's new year-end report on the most successful apps and publishers across Apple's App Shop and Google Play. Your graphics are powered by the Adreno 540, just like the other Android phones on our list, so you understand your games are in great hands. Even with https://mobileg4mer.com/animation-throwdown-cheats-and-overview/ , it's not the most intricate of games toy blast unlimited lives - however it's hypnotic and satisfying fare, particularly on a mobile phone with a premium display screen. After 3 relatively quiet seasons with the Carolina Panthers, spent mostly as a rotational gamer, Boston played in all 16 video games and began 15 of them for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2015. Potion Surge is a board game ported to mobile, and in my opinion it's the much better for it. The parlor game has a lot of pieces, which can be extremely picky, and the digital variation Animation Throwdown cheats has - wait on it - an offline single-player mode. Battle Royal Strike seem like simply another player in the list of video games like PUBG Mobile but its just that. The various Pixel Dungeon titles are roguelike dungeon crawl games with primitive graphics (however great gameplay), that penalize failure harshly, however were so simple to pick up and play once again after every character death that I stopped fretting and discovered how to love rebooting animation throwdown cheats. We're amusing 30+ million people all over the world every month through a growing brochure of 350+ unique casual HTML5 video games optimized for smart devices, tablets and desktop - across all web and mobile platforms. Seek assistance (or take an appearance at our list of the finest iOS games )if you do not enjoy freebie iPhone gaming after dealing with these gems with your thumbs. For mobile, Groupon partners with businesses to provide low rates to a minimal Toy Blast free number of individuals for a limited time. Zach Gage and Luca Redwood both make great mobile games. FIFA may be the best game for gaming consoles and PCs, but PES definitely leads the race when it pertains to mobile games. It's been ten years since Android was first revealed and in that time we have actually seen numerous countless video games struck the Google Play Shop, but certainly not all of them are high quality, and with numerous Toy Blast Free offered it can be challenging to make sure you're putting your cash in the ideal location. Readily available for PCs and Android devices, Heroes of SoulCraft is a free-to-play MOBA video game established by MobileBits. A variety of online casinos allow video games to be bet complimentary in play loan mode. 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For Android users, the procedure of downloading PUBG Exhilarating Battlefield is far easier, whilst there's also a method to download the western version Toy Blast Free of the video game, PUBG Mobile, if you're beyond Canada, too. Mobile players shouldn't hesitate of diving straight in either, however, as this variation of Runescape will be enhanced with mobile devices in mind. Among the factors for the popularity of complimentary online mobile games is the exceptionally simple accessibility and - wait on it - their movement. In this post, we have prepared the list of finest adventure video games for Android for you. Real Racing 3 is EA's acclaimed franchise that sets a brand-new Animation Throwdown cheats standard for mobile racing video games. The art work comes from Greg Wohlwend who formerly worked on Absurd Fishing, another great mobile game with some unbelievable art to back it up; he 'd later go onto work on TumbleSeed, an indie-action game for the PC, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Change. Some of the best console-quality games on mobile are ... well, games that in fact appeared on consoles. Among the most graphically impressive video games offered on Android, this FPS from Madfinger Games boasts numerous missions with a wide Toy Blast unlimited lives array of weapons. If there's one no-brainer on this list, it's Monument Valley 2. The only mobile game to receive full marks in 2017, this is a wonderfully moving puzzler that will carefully twist your brain in knots while simultaneously making your heart sing.

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The Sunday Series Vol. 6

The weeks seem to come and go so quickly, especially around the holidays, but we’re all about savoring our Sundays. This week we have a wide variety of topics- from jewelry brands to a new favorite menswear line, a great soup recipe and tips on how to make a big move easier. We hope you enjoy today’s post and feel free to let us know about something you discovered/found interesting/learned this week in the comments below!

  Julia– I’ve been under the weather (with sinus/ear infections and bronchitis) over the past week and I know I’m not alone in the misery of being sick. I got so many messages from readers saying they were in the same sad boat and we all sort of commiserated together. It’s not a fun time to get sick and there are definitely a mix of things going around knocking a lot of people down. Aside from the help of some prescription meds (which have made me feel 100x better), the one thing that has got me through the week is soup! It’s really the only thing that felt good on my throat/I had an appetite for. And Thomas just so happens to have the best tomato soup recipe (not his own though)…it’s really, really, really good! We’ve been making it for years and it’s still the first thing I ask for when I’m not feeling well. He made a big bowl this week that I kept re-heating and I thought it would be the perfect thing to share since so many others seem to being getting sick, too. Thomas’s favorite cookbook of all time is America’s Test Kitchen and that’s where the recipe for the Creamless Creamy Tomato Soup is from. I love it because like its name states, it’s sans cream, but still tastes like it has cream in it! The secret? You cook bread into it! It helps give that slightly thicker texture rather than a watery canned tomato soup. It’s finally starting to get really cold, so cooking up a fresh pot of homemade soup on a Sunday afternoon sounds like the best plan!

  Thomas– Without a doubt, Julia’s love for fashion has rubbed off on me. Though I don’t have nearly the wardrobe she has, I’ve steadily built out my closet over time. Adding higher quality staples that I can keep for years instead of buying budget-friendly styles that I’d most likely dispose of at the end of the season. Though you still have to pull my ear to get me to spend money on myself, I find that I am increasingly spending more money per item on fashion. That has little to do with changes in circumstance but simply because I can get more quality for my buck, even on things that are over $500. This transition has accelerated because unfortunately, some of the brands I used to wear no longer work for me, most notably J. Crew, which made up about 50% of my closet. Sadly their quality (and other brands caught in between fast fashion and contemporary) has receded significantly year over year, to a point where I won’t even try on things anymore.

  Mr. Porter has become by far my favorite place to shop for clothing. Ignoring price for a moment, their product mix of an optimal blend of closet staples and statement pieces, outfit styling, supporting content and imagery can’t be beaten for men’s fashion in my opinion. But since price is a factor in every buying decision, Mr. Porter’s luxury price point has always given me this feeling that any purchase I made there was a special treat that I could afford only a couple times per year. I’d still browse expensive items, but then I’d change to Sort By – Price Low, finally ending up buying none other than, you guessed it, a J. Crew Shirt. My guess is I wasn’t the only shopper that did this. Mr. Porter’s luxury selection and impeccable curation on higher priced items create a halo effect on lower-priced items, generating a perception that the lower priced items are of higher quality. Luxury Brands use this strategy all of the time to mess with our value perception calculations, which always take place in our head when shopping. Their big money makers aren’t their apparel but their higher usage items like Shoes, Bags, Accessories, Makeup, and Fragrances.

  So when I saw that Mr. Porter launched their own collection called, Mr. P, I was excited to check it out. My excitement continued to build when I saw the price and the mix of product I could see myself wearing day in and day out. I ordered a button down shirt to see if it lived up to the picture, and when I received my shirt in the mail I was ecstatic. It seems they took all of their learnings from selling the best men’s clothing, the customer data and shopping behavior on their site and combined that to create a fantastic collection of closet staples. All while doing it at an unmatched value level. The shirt I got, a white oxford button down, is a shirt I’d live in, fantastic fabric, perfectly cut, I’ve actually slept in it twice, and it’s $160. Comparable shirts would very easily be over $250 (or $450 if you’re Thom Browne) on Mr. Porter. With that, I can’t wait to see what else they roll out with coming seasons of Mr. P. Below are the top items on my wish list, hint Julia, in case there’s a man in your life that might appreciate something from my new favorite clothing brand.

Laura– December 7th marked five months since I packed up my tiny bedroom in my 4-person apartment in Boston and headed South to Charleston! Since I moved here I’ve been asked a lot by new faces or friends from home “How are you liking Charleston? Do you feel settled? How did you make the leap by yourself? I admire your courage!” I’ve loved meeting new people in this charming city and it isn’t until I’m asked these questions that I stop to reflect on this life change. It was just go, go, go from the second I said yes to this unique opportunity and when I have my mind set on something I don’t let anything get in my way. However, in the following months after the move it slowly sunk in that I’m living far from the familiar and I started to feel homesick. This is also my first time living alone (it feels glorious though) so I don’t have a roommate to hang out with and distract me from my homesickness. This feeling would come and go, but then one day I grew tired of it and needed to conquer it. Why am I sharing this? Because I know there may be some people out there who hesitate to make a big life change exactly like this. One thing I dislike is fear being the only reason someone is missing out on an amazing opportunity that will ultimately fulfill him/her. So I want to share three beginner tips that make taking leaps like this completely doable:

Learn to love being alone: Do as many activities/exploring/dining/sightseeing alone. Don’t get me wrong, I’m actually an extrovert, but there is honestly nothing better than having a slow morning/day to yourself. Last weekend I grabbed a latte and scone from my favorite coffee shop and savored every bite while seated on an outdoor bench. I can’t tell you the last time I ever did that. And over the last few months when the weather was beautiful I frequented my nearby beach for solo strolls up and down the shoreline. It’s so serene and my favorite spot to relax and just be.

Decorate your space for you: There were a lot of home decor pieces I brought from Boston with me, but not enough to complete my apartment. I kept thinking “Oh, I’ll just wait to buy something for that corner/wall/area when I actually own a home”, but then everytime I walked into those aforementioned areas it would bug me that it was incomplete. So last month I finally pulled the trigger and bought an accent chair, framed large photos for my walls, added hints of greenery, and even bought my very first Christmas tree. Now I love walking into my home everyday.

Find local tastemakers through Instagram: Take what you like and find local creators who showcase/share that passion. Instagram is all about community and chances are that once you find the one person you admire you’ll be able to find others who share similarities too! Look through the comments section on their posts or the person’s “Following” list to then see who’s in their network that you can also follow. It sounds creepy but it’s not because this platform is about discovery and these other artists want to be discovered, so follow along. Bottom line is, once you find this local group chances are they will advertise events or pop-up shops in their feed/Instastory that you can attend to meet other like minded people! And it’s always nice to support small businesses too. :)

Those are just a few of my tips for settling in. I hope you find them helpful! I’d love to know, have you found yourself hesitant to take the leap because of these things? Or if you have taken the leap, what are some tips you did to settle into your new home?

  Margaret– I’ve attended a couple of holiday pop up shops recently, and I find I’m always the most drawn to jewelry lines at these shows. I’m not one to wear a ton of jewelry, but I usually pair a ring and set of earrings with my outfits daily. When it comes to dressing up for events, I love to wear either a creative statement necklace or earrings. I thought I would share my favorite lines, ranging from local Charleston artists to those based elsewhere, to help you find the perfect jewelry gift. Delicate, gold rings one can layer are beautiful, but hard to find. Both Jane Pope Jewelry and Christina Jervey Jewelry have wonderful collections of thin-band jewels. Jane Pope’s recent collaboration with Sally King Benedict boasts unique pieces through a collaboration of fine art and metal work. For vintage pieces, I turn to Croghan’s Jewel Box. This is also one of my favorite shops to bring friends and family to when they visit during the holidays. For creative/ statement pieces, a few of my favorites are Theodosia Jewelry, Lizzie Fortunato , Abby Kent Flythe Fine Art, and Lika Behar. Lizzie Fortunato earrings are on my wish list this year. I love her creative designs that surpass trends. Abby Kent Flythe is my aunt, and she has one of the most incredible collections of vintage and contemporary turquoise jewelry in the country. I wear one of her turquoise rings daily, and each one of her pieces has a unique personality.

The post The Sunday Series Vol. 6 appeared first on Gal Meets Glam.

First found here: The Sunday Series Vol. 6

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Drive Website Traffic - M2 Digital Media Group

Website Traffic – Is this your #1 challenge…?

Hence, today’s topic: 25 Ways to Drive More Traffic To Your Website

At M2, this is BY FAR the #1 request we get from business owners and marketing directors every day.

There are countless ways you can increase traffic to your website, and in today’s post, we’re going to look at 25 of them, including several ways to boost site traffic for FREE.

That said, let’s dive right in…

1. Advertise

This one is so obvious, we’re going to look at it first. Paid search, social media advertising and display advertising are all excellent ways of attracting visitors, building your brand and getting your site in front of people. Adjust your paid strategies to suit your goals – do you just want more traffic, or are you looking to increase conversions, too? Each paid channel has its pros and cons, so think carefully about your objectives before you reach for your credit card.

If you’re hoping that more traffic to your site will also result in more sales, you’ll need to target high commercial intent keywords as part of your paid search strategies. Yes, competition for these search terms can be fierce (and expensive), but the payoffs can be worth it.

2. Get ‘N Social – (as my friend Randy might say)

It’s not enough to produce great content and hope that people find it – you have to be proactive.

One of the best ways to increase traffic to your website is to use social media channels to promote your content. Twitter is ideal for short, snappy (and tempting) links, whereas Google+ promotion can help your site show up in personalized search results and seems especially effective in B2B niches. If you’re a B2C product company, you might find great traction with image-heavy social sites like Pinterest and Instagram.

3. Mix It Up

There is no magic formula for content marketing success, despite what some would have you believe. For this reason, vary the length and format of your content to make it as appealing as possible to different kinds of readers. Intersperse shorter, news-based blog posts with long-form content as well as video, infographics and data-driven pieces for maximum impact.

4. Write Irresistible Headlines

Headlines are one of the most important parts of your content. Without a compelling headline, even the most comprehensive blog post will go unread. Master the art of headline writing. For example, the writers at BuzzFeed and Upworthy often write upward of twenty different headlines before finally settling on the one that will drive the most traffic, so think carefully about your headline before you hit “publish.”

5. Pay Attention to On-Page SEO

Think SEO is dead? Think again. Optimizing your content for search engines is still a valuable and worthwhile practice. Are you making the most of image alt text? Are you creating internal links to new content? What about meta descriptions? Optimizing for on-page SEO doesn’t have to take ages, and it could help boost your organic traffic.

6. Target Long-Tail Keywords

Got your high commercial intent keyword bases covered? Then it’s time to target long-tail keywords, too. Long-tail keywords account for a majority of web searches, meaning that if you’re not targeting them as part of your paid search or SEO efforts, you’re missing out.

7. Start Guest Blogging

Before you say it – no, true guest blogging isn’t dead, despite what you may have heard. Securing a guest post on a reputable site can increase blog traffic to your website and help build your brand into the bargain. Be warned, though – standards for guest blogging have changed radically during the past eighteen months, and spammy tactics could result in stiff penalties. Proceed with caution.

8. Invite Others to Guest Blog on Your Site

Guest blogging is a two-way street. In addition to posting content to other blogs, invite people in your niche to blog on your own site. They’re likely to share and link to their guest article, which could bring new readers to your site. Just be sure that you only post high-quality, original content without spammy links, because Google is cracking way down on low-quality guest blogging.

9. Go After Referral Traffic

Rather than trying to persuade other sites to link back to you (a tedious and time-intensive process), create content that just begs to be linked to by industry leader and industry influencers.

10. Post Content to LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become much more than a means of finding another job. The world’s largest professional social network is now a valuable publishing platform in its own right, which means you should be posting content to LinkedIn on a regular basis. Doing so can boost traffic to your site, as well as increase your profile within your industry – especially if you have a moderate-to-large following.

11. Implement Schema Microdata

Implementing schema (or another microdata format) won’t necessarily increase traffic to your website on its own, but it will make it easier for search engine bots to find and index your pages. Another benefit of using schema for SEO is that it can result in better rich site snippets, which can improve click-through rates.

12. Link Internally

The strength of your link profile isn’t solely determined by how many sites link back to you – it can also be affected by your internal linking structure. When creating and publishing content, be sure to keep an eye out for opportunities for internal links. This not only helps with SEO, but also results in a better, more useful experience for the user – the cornerstone of increasing traffic to your website.

13. Interview Industry Thought Leaders

Think interviews are only for the “big leaguers”? You’d be amazed how many people will be willing to talk to you if you just ask them. Send out emails requesting an interview to thought leaders in your industry, and publish the interviews on your blog. Not only will the name recognition boost your credibility and increase traffic to your website, the interviewee will probably share the content too, further expanding its reach.

14. Don’t Neglect Email Marketing

So many businesses are focused on attracting new customers through content marketing that they forget about more traditional methods. Email marketing can be a powerful tool, and even a moderately successful email blast can result in a significant uptick in traffic. Just be careful not to bombard people with relentless emails about every single update in your business. Also, don’t overlook the power of word-of-mouth marketing, especially from people who are already enjoying your products or services. A friendly email reminder about a new service or product can help you boost your traffic, too.

15. Make Sure Your Site is Responsive

The days when internet browsing was done exclusively on desktop PCs are long gone. Today, more people than ever before are using mobile devices to access the web, and if you force your visitors to pinch and scroll their way around your site, you’re basically telling them to go elsewhere. Ensure that your website is accessible and comfortably viewable across a range of devices, including smaller smartphones.

16. Make Sure Your Site is Fast

Ever found yourself waiting thirty seconds for a webpage to load? Me neither. If your site takes forever to load, your bounce rate will be sky high. Make sure that your pages are as technically optimized as possible, including image file sizes, page structure and the functionality of third-party plugins. The faster your site loads, the better.

17. Foster a Sense of Community

People want to speak their minds and weigh in on subjects they feel passionately about, so building a community into your site is a great way to start a conversation and increase traffic to your website. Implement a robust commenting system through third-party solutions such as Facebook comments or Disqus, or create a dedicated forum where visitors can ask questions. Don’t forget to manage your community to ensure that minimum standards of decorum are met, however.

18. Make Yourself Heard in Comment Sections

You probably visit at least a few sites that are relevant to your business on a regular basis, so why not join the conversation? Commenting doesn’t necessarily provide an immediate boost to referral traffic right away, but making a name for yourself by providing insightful, thought-provoking comments on industry blogs and sites is a great way to get your name out there – which can subsequently result in driving more traffic to your own site. Just remember that, as with guest posting, quality and relevance are key – you should be engaging with other people in your niche, not dropping spam links on unrelated websites.

19. Examine Your Analytics Data

Google Analytics is an invaluable source of data on just about every conceivable aspect of your site, from your most popular pages to visitor demographics. Keep a close eye on your Analytics data, and use this information to inform your promotional and content strategies. Pay attention to what posts and pages are proving the most popular. Inspect visitor data to see how, where and when your site traffic is coming from.

20. Get Active on Social Media

It’s not enough to just share content through social channels – you need to actively participate in the community, too. Got a Twitter account? Then join in group discussions with relevant hashtags. Is your audience leaving comments on your Facebook posts? Answer questions and engage with your readers. Nothing turns people off quicker than using social media as a broadcast channel – use social media as it was intended and actually interact with your fans.

21. Submit Your Content to Aggregator Sites

Firstly, a disclaimer – don’t spam Reddit and other similar sites hoping to “hit the jackpot” of referral traffic, because it’s not going to happen. Members of communities like Reddit are extraordinarily savvy to spam disguised as legitimate links, but every now and again, it doesn’t hurt to submit links that these audiences will find genuinely useful. Choose a relevant subreddit, submit your content, then watch the traffic pour in.

22. Incorporate Video into Your Content Strategy

Text-based content is all well and good, but video can be a valuable asset in both attracting new visitors and making your site more engaging. Data shows that information retention is significantly higher for visual material than it is for text, meaning that video marketing is an excellent way to grab – and hold – your audience’s attention, and boost traffic to your website at the same time.

23. Research the Competition

If you haven’t used software like BuzzSumo to check out what your competitors are up to, you’re at a huge disadvantage. These services aggregate the social performance of specific sites and content to provide you with an at-a-glance view of what topics are resonating with readers and, most importantly, making the rounds on social media. Find out what people are reading (and talking about), and emulate that kind of content to bring traffic to your website.

24. Host Webinars

People love to learn, and webinars are an excellent way to impart your wisdom to your eagerly waiting audience. Combined with an effective social promotion campaign, webinars are a great way to increase traffic to your website. Send out an email a week or so ahead of time, as well as a “last chance to register” reminder the day before the webinar. Make sure to archive the presentation for later viewing, and promote your webinars widely through social media. If you’re wondering how to do a webinar, feel free to reach out… We would be happy to help.

25. Attend Conferences

Whatever industry you’re in, chances are there are at least one or two major conventions and conferences that are relevant to your business. Attending these events is a good idea – speaking at them is even better. Even a halfway decent speaking engagement is an excellent way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry and gain significant exposure for your site.

CONCLUSION:

If you are still not clear how to utilize this information, what’s holding you back?

If you have questions, JUST ASK!! We would be happy to help…

Contact us today to receive your FREE Digital Footprint Analysis Report – 800-234-1522 or support@m2dmg.com