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scoutception · 5 years

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Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon review: a debatable niche

Fire Emblem, also known as “that series that only got localized because of Super Smash Bros. Melee”, is a series I enjoy greatly, despite becoming one of Nintendo’s most controversial franchises in recent years. For all its rough patches and longstanding flaws, I’m always eager to start another run when it comes to most of what I’ve played, something that ties into this specific review more than I’d even like to admit. This is Shadow Dragon for the DS, the remake of the very first Fire Emblem on the NES.

Story:

The story of Shadow Dragon takes place on the continent of Archanea, inhabited by humans and a species known as Manaketes, dragons who have sealed their power within magical objects known as dragonstones and have assumed the forms of humans to avoid succumbing to the insanity that their power would cause, which most of their race had fallen to. Abused and persecuted by humanity, many of these Manaketes would form the Dolhr empire, led by Medeus, the only member of the Earth Dragons who chose to become a Manakete, and the titular Shadow Dragon, though only in nickname. Conquering all of Archanea and subjecting humanity to their wrath, a rebellion eventually led to the death of Medeus at the hands of Anri of Altea, wielding the blade Falchion, forged from the fang of Naga, queen of the Divine Dragons. Half a century later, however, Medeus is revived by a sorcerer named Gharnef, soon reestablishing his empire, and gaining the aid of the kingdoms of Grust and Macedon. The king of Altea and inheritor of Falchion, Cornelius, is slain after Altea’s neighbor kingdom, Gra, joins Dolhr and launches a surprise attack on Altea. While they successfully take the kingdom and steal Falchion, prince Marth escapes with a small contingent of knights to the island kingdom of Talys. After 2 years in hiding, preparing for the day he shall join in the fight against Dolhr, Marth reemerges when pirates raid the kingdom, and afterwards, joined only by his small band of knights and a few allies from Talys, including its princess, Caeda, Marth journeys to the last kingdom able to oppose Medeus, Aurelis, led by prince Hardin, determined to reclaim Altea and Falchion and avenge his father.

That’s about as far as Shadow Dragon’s story goes, unfortunately. While it’s not lacking in dialogue, it plays its premise very straight. There’s very few, if any, twists along the way, with the journey mostly just being the reclamation of Archanea’s conquered lands, though there are a few detours when Gharnef gets involved. At the least, however, it’s still fairly entertaining to go through, mostly thanks to the localization giving the script a very old fashioned Elizabethan flair. While some dislike it, it adds a lot of charm to what would otherwise be a very unmemorable story, in my opinion.

As for the characters, unfortunately, they suffer quite a bit more. The large majority of the playable cast, though admittedly at a downright massive 59 characters, are simply brushed aside, with most only having their recruitment scenes to display any characterization, with about 10 of them not even having that much, leaving them to only serve as units to command. That’s not to say that aren’t some gems to be found, though. Marth especially makes a good impression with the amount of focus he’s given as the main character, being a likeable mix of almost overly idealistic and trusting given his situation, yet still reasonable enough to know when he must steel himself, along with some subtle character development along the way. Even beyond Marth, though, there are quite a few memorable characters to be found, such as Caeda, Marth’s love interest, who, while genuinely very kind and good intentioned, is also very clever and manipulative, and has some of the best scenes in the game, such as convincing an extremely stubborn enemy general to join their cause by flipping his entire idea of what serving his country truly entails, and recruiting a completely random knight she had never even met before through, among other things, thinly veiled flirtation. Other notable characters include Minerva, the princess of Macedon who, despite knowing it would bring her into conflict with her brother, king Michalis, chooses her ideals over her family and rebels to join Marth, Linde, the wielder of the legendary Aura tome out to avenge her father’s death at the hands of Gharnef, Tiki, a Divine Dragon who is the daughter of Naga herself, Merric, a friend of Marth’s who uses the powerful Excalibur tome, and the trio of sister pegasus knights, Palla, Catria, and Est, who are the most frequently appearing playable characters in the franchise. Unfortunately, these only make up a small portion of an otherwise very unmemorable cast.

Gameplay:

Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon, and, well, all the other games in the series, is a turn based strategy role playing game, taking control of Marth and his army of assorted misfits on tile based maps. Turns are separated into player phase and enemy phase, during which the respective side gets to choose all the actions their units will take, without any factors like, say, turn order. The player is limited to bringing 12-16 of their units per chapter past the initial few chapters, while enemy numbers often exceed that, though the vast majority of the regular enemies you fight, even for cannon fodder, are rather underpowered in this game. Every unit can carry up to 5 items, which can be anything from weapons they use to attack, to consumables to restore their HP. However, all items, including weapons, have limited uses, and while gold is pretty plentiful, many items are not easy to find copies of, or are unique, period, which can add a fair bit of stress. To engage in combat, a unit must be placed on a tile directly next to an enemy if they’re a melee unit, or 1 space away, if they’re an archer, while mages are able to attack directly in front of one space away from enemies. In combat, each unit takes at least one rounds attacking each other, assuming both units are within each other’s ranges. There’s also a weapons triangle which affects accuracy and damage; swords beat axes, lances beat swords, axes beat lances. There are 8 stats that are used in combat: HP, which determines how much health a unit has, strength, which determines the power of physical attacks, magic, which determines the strength of magic attacks, skill, which determines the accuracy of attacks, speed, which, if high enough compared to an enemy, allows a unit to take two rounds attacking instead of just one, luck, which influences many things, but primarily the possibility evading attacks and of critical hits, which do triple the damage of normal attacks, defense, which lowers damage from physical attacks, and resistance, which lowers damage from magic attacks. There is one other stat, movement, which determines how far a unit can move on the map. All of these stats except for movement can be raised by leveling up by gaining 100 experience points, which are gotten mostly from defeating enemies, but can be gotten in smaller amounts from simply attacking an enemy or healing another unit. Most units can initially level up to 20, but at level 10, they gain the ability to promote into stronger classes using master seals, giving them fixed stat increases, additional movement, and the ability to level up even more. A select few classes, such as thieves, Manaketes, and Marth’s personal class, the lord, cannot promote, but to compensate, their levels cap at 30 instead of 20.

The objective in every chapter is to seize the castle/throne being guarded by the chapter boss using Marth, defeating the enemies along the way. While some units are given to the player automatically, many others must be recruited from the enemy side by talking to them with specific units, generally Marth or Caeda, or by visiting villages with Marth, which can also give items, but are at risk at being destroyed by bandits or thieves. It’s an interesting system that very much helps the feeling that this is a ragtag little army only held together by Marth. Unfortunately, Marth’s importance comes at a cost: if he is defeated at any point during the game, it’s an automatic game over. While he is a very capable unit, this can encourage only sending him out in special situations, while letting the normal units handle most of everything, but this isn’t the perfect solution either. Not only is Marth likely to end up underleveled if he doesn’t fight enough, but if a regular unit has their HP reach 0, they die, permanently, taking all the experience and items they were carrying. While an interesting idea, it doesn’t work out very well. The amount of experience points available to your units is finite, outside of the extremely risky arena, which allows your units to fight somewhat absurd enemies for gold, at the risk of dying if they lose, as if they were against any normal enemy. Since the viability gap between units is quite sizeable, something I shall go into more detail on in a moment, losing a unit you’ve trained a good amount is an extreme inconvenience, especially if they were holding rare items. Additionally, though it’s downplayed in this game for reasons I’ve said earlier, every unit is their own character, in some form. They have names, their own designs, and individual endings in the epilogue, and that alone is enough to encourage caring about them, if in varying amounts. With all these factors combined, many players, including myself, choose to just reset the game if a unit dies and start the chapter over. While that in of itself isn’t really a valid complaint, considering the developers weren’t intending that, considering some of the cheap tricks that get pulled, like enemy reinforcements showing up where your units started in a chapter, it can get grating, especially with how long some of the maps can go on.

The unit and class balance, unfortunately, is not very good. There is a very prominent viability gap when it comes to the individual units. There are three main points that usually determine a unit’s viability: their base stats, the stats they automatically come with upon recruitment, growth rates, hidden percentages that determine the likelihood of each stat being raised on a level up, and availability, how early in the game they are recruited. A character can have fantastic growth rates and a low starting level, but come so late in the game and with such awful bases that it’s not worth bothering with. Conversely, someone can come in fairly early in the game, prepromoted and with good base stats, but have such low growth rates that the chance of them actually improving at all is near zero. This holds true for every Fire Emblem game, to varying extents, but it’s especially notable here because almost invariably, the first couple of units you get of each class, or in some cases, just the first, are the best to use by far. Past chapter 12, and this is a 25 chapter game, the amount of units you get that are actually worth using over the units you got earlier could be counted on one hand, and even before that it’s giving you several units that are near pointless if you put even a bit of effort into the people of the same class you got a few chapters before. I think, though, that this was intentional on the part of the developers. The intention seems to have been for players to not get attached to their units at all, and simply accept any death they take, thus most units only function as replacements for what they thought would be inevitable losses. However, this is partially what caused the vastly underdeveloped cast, and thankfully future games would drop this mentality. Even past how underpowered the replacements are, many early units are just plain too powerful. Caeda in particular is an absolute monster thanks to her personal weapon, the wing spear, which grants damage bonuses against knights and cavaliers, which many of the enemy units are comprised of, but other special mentions go to Hardin, a very early and powerful cavalier who is flat out better than Jagen, the early game crutch character, despite not even being promoted, Barst, an early fighter who joins with two other fighters, but is strong enough and has good enough growth rates to render them pointless, and Julian, a thief who has very strong growth rates, to the point of easily becoming very hard hitting and tanky, despite the questionable class choice.

Some of the earlier intended replacements, however, can at least work out, since growth rates in Shadow Dragon are overall pretty awful. It’s entirely possible for several of your units to just refuse to gain important stats, and eventually cross a threshold where they’re beyond catching up, and the earlier replacements do have growth rates built that they should be able to level up their important points decently, but many of the post chapter 11 units have awful growths and bases, and even then, the class distribution throughout is awful. Of the “normal” classes that promote, there’s 12 in all: cavaliers, mounted knights that tend to be very nicely balanced overall, archers, who have to attack from a distance, but are useful for chipping and get damage bonuses against flying enemies, knights, who specialize in attack and especially defense in exchange for speed and moment, making them useful for baiting enemies out, pegasus knights, who lack attack but make up for it with speed, skill, and resistance, plus they can move over terrain freely, mercenaries, who are also very solidly balanced sword fighters, rangers, who are much like archers, but typically with higher attack, myrmidons, who, like pegasus knights, sacrifice attack for speed, though they focus more on evasion, fighters, axe users with low defense and skill, but much HP and attack, pirates, who sacrifice skill even harder in exchange for walking over water tiles freely, mages, who are very squishy physically but very much make up for it with attack, dark mages, who are more defensive based, and clerics, who cannot attack until promotion, but are able to heal units with staves. Some of the non typical classes are thieves, who are, in theory, supposed to stay away from combat, and instead go after the various treasure chests found in various maps, ballisticians, who have extremely low move and stats in exchange for having absolutely massive range, and manaketes, who have horrid stats normally, but use dragonstones to attack, which confer large stat bonuses, though they are very limited.

Just to begin with, the classes are rather unbalanced. Pegasus knights and cavaliers have way too much movement, being able to cross large portions of the map in one turn, while mages can destroy 90% of the units encountered due to resistance being extremely low on most enemies, and most playable units, for that matter. Several of them have 0 res, and 0% growth in it, to the point Marth has one of the highest growths, at 1%. Additionally, as I said, the distribution of the classes is extremely unbalanced, to the point there are 10 cavaliers, most of which you get very quickly, while there’s only 4 fighters and one singular pirate to be found, which is pretty bad considering those are the only axe users in the game other than promoted mercenaries, and the only dark mage is already promoted when, or if, you get him. However, the game does introduce the reclass system, where you can change any character in a normal class to a different one, depending on which of two class pools they’re in. It’s a good idea, in theory, however, the growth rates also change depending on class, so you could accidentally put them into a class they can barely grow in.

Many of these flaws are carried over from the original NES version, but the remake changes surprisingly little overall, and sticking true to the original wasn’t the best of moves. It did add several classes that didn’t exist in the original, along with items, dialogue, and the like, but the lack of significant additions, like support conversations to develop the characters, or alternative chapter goals, like defense chapters, make Shadow Dragon feel downright barren compared to almost any other game in the series. This does, however, debatably give Shadow Dragon a niche: it’s very easy to pick up and play. There’s not many complexities you need to worry about. You could even see it as a good introduction to the series. However, that’s not really a view I hold. More than anything, it’s just a bland experience, albeit a bland experience I’ve gone through several times, mostly just because of how easy it is to go through. On the subject of additions to the remake, however, there is one rather notable addition: gaiden chapters, which are short, easy bonus chapters that come after certain chapters if you fulfill certain requirements, and contain helpful items and new units. All good in theory, but unfortunately, all but one of them share the same requirement, and it’s an absolute doozy: have 15 or less units alive by the end of the preceding chapters. Not only is that the most counter intuitive requirement possible, but the sheer amount of characters you have to get killed, many of them useful, make them nowhere near worth bothering with, especially as many of the new units are not worth using, both in characterization and gameplay, with two exceptions: Athena, the first available, who is a very good myrmidon, and moreover is downright hilarious, and possibly the most notable character in the game just for sheer absurdity, with an extremely thick accent, a bad grasp on idioms and phrases, and the audacity to call Marth “a stupid manchild” right to his face, and Nagi, whose gaiden chapter can only be accessed by losing both Tiki and Falchion, the main methods for defeating Medeus. Not only is she a good unit by herself, she’s also quite interesting, despite her very limited, as she’s heavily hinted to be the reincarnation of Naga herself. Overall, though, the gaiden chapters are a very poorly thought out addition.

Graphics:

Shadow Dragon is not a great looking game, unfortunately, largely due to the artstyle used, being a rather weird combination of anime styled, yet realistic. It does lend to some rather good looking illustrations throughout the game, and some of the character designs do fit it, especially Gharnef, who looks downright horrific.

Unfortunately, overall the artstyle just does not work, and many character portraits are rather off putting, not helped by some being poorly drawn to begin with.

The map and battle graphics are also odd. They seem to be in prerendered style, and while they do animated decently, and while I honestly don’t mind them, they still aren’t very appealing.

Music:

The music, unfortunately, is not a high point either. It’s not that the soundtrack is outright bad; there’s many decent tracks throughout, but few of them are actually memorable. The map themes are generally the most enjoyable, though, and thankfully they swap out as you get farther in the game, and Shadow Dragon has what may be my favorite version of the Fire Emblem theme.

Conclusion:

Overall, I honestly cannot solidly say if this is recommended or not recommended. There are certainly much more enjoyable games in the series, such as New Mystery of the Emblem, Awakening, Blazing Sword, Sacred Stones, and Path of Radiance, but even with me thinking it’s bland, it’s not a bad time. The dialogue is fun to go through, there’s plenty of room for experimentation, it’s very easy to pick up and play, there’s 5 different harder difficulties if you want more of a challenge, and it can be quite a bit of fun if you’re in the right mood. However, you’re not missing much if you choose not to go through it. With that, I’ve said more than enough about this game. Till next time.

-Scout

#fire emblem #game review #long post #fire emblem shadow dragon

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heartfulofsighs · 5 years

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Baggage Claim Pt. 3

Description: Seunghoon back from a business trip only has a mind for growing his company. You are in the middle of running from the by the book life that was drowning you. When a minor inconvenience sets you in his path will you be the reason he eases up? And could he be what you need to get serious again?

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

I guess I spoke too soon about deadlines lol I wrote a double length part this time since I missed two weeks. This story is really giving me a lesson on pacing and I’ m glad I decided to use my bias to do it. Thanks to everyone for feedback and even taking the time to look at these. And @negrowhat thanks to you always. About 4k words

He ate his cold cereal and looked at his refrigerator like he had for the last two weeks. He had grown use to your picture hanging there. Bright smile greeting him every morning before he went off to his office. He was sure it wasn't a good idea. He was sure he should take it down and either throw it away or some how get it back to you. But how could he do either? He had gone back and forth in his mind about calling you. You would find him creepy...he was sure you would want nothing to do with him. Because what would he say? "Hey, sorry but my idiot friend opened your bag and your card fell out. I have this picture of you..." He couldn't think of a way to phrase it. He supposed he could call and be blunt. He crunched away wishing he had never found the picture in the first place. Wishing that Mino had never touched the zipper.

Every morning he had the same mental battle but he had yet to take it down. He walked by it as he left his apartment. There was always work to keep you off his mind. His firm was doing good. He only needed Seungyoon to sign everything so he could get started on his campaign. He already had ideas for it. Something nostalgic, something that would make the niche company big. At the office he went straight to his door. Everything was as he left it, clean and organized. He sat down, ready to work when Mino casually strolled in. “Morning busy bee.” He said as a greeting. Seunghoon barely acknowledged him with a nod. “Sit down,” Hoon instructed as he got his computer started, “did you hear anything from Seungyoon?” He asked. Mino sighed, “I heard he went to another agency for a meeting.” Hoon stopped moving. He looked up, “which one?” He asked. “Yg.” Mino stated. They shared a look and Mino couldn’t fight his smile, “I’m sure they’ll make us look better.” He reasoned. Yg was a big company. But lately they were woefully unorganized, clients had been leaving the company left and right. Complaining about a lack of creativity and missed deadlines. It was going down but still posed a threat to them if only because of its size. “The only thing they can promise him is connection. They do have a lot of those.” Hoon said. “True.” Mino granted. He leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling, “There’s a sort of industry get together tonight.” He started. Hoon turned back to his computer. A get together meant a party. Mino always tried to frame it as a business opportunity. ‘Networking’ was his favorite word. “We should go.” He said. “Why?” Hoon asked, “You just want an excuse to drink.” He said. “Don’t make me sound like an alcoholic...this is a legitimate networking opportunity. It’s being hosted by a big media firm.” He said, “it would make sense for us to go. Schmooze a little see what other potential clients we can meet.” It wasn’t a bad idea. He just didn’t like parties. It was tiring to have to make conversation, to act interested in things that he wasn’t usually interested in. Mino was much better at them. His personality was fluid. He could adapt himself to people in a way that Hoon envied. Mino made it seem genuine, he imagined that if he tried to act like him it would come off as fake. He wished the idea of an industry party wasn’t so annoying to him. “Think about it.” Mino said as he stood, “also I emailed you some art for Seungyoon. I had an idea last night after I talked to you.” He shared. This made Hoon feel better to a certain extent. He leaned back in his office chair and stared at the ceiling. “What time is the…get together?” He asked. “7 I think, it’s two blocks over, on a rooftop.” Mino said. “Fine I’ll go, but I don’t want to spend all night there.” He spoke while he spun lazily in his chair, “and please don’t leave me to make small talk.” He warned. “Ok, ok. I promise.” Mino played annoyed but he was smiling, “I promise to do all the talking. You just be the face.” He urged. Hoon left it at that. If he didn’t give into his friend every once in a while Mino tended to get unbearable. He went back to his computer and started checking emails.

The last two weeks had transformed you. Your mood was sky high, the crushing feeling had almost completely left your chest. You had been all around the city. Visited local parks, gone to a few museums. When Cherry didn’t have jobs to do she accompanied you. Playing photographer with no complaints. Your phone was filled with shots of you and her exploring. She took you to her favorite places, and gushed about her family. She never mentioned much about friends but it didn’t much matter to you. You learned her father owned the building she lived in and that he had put her in charge of running the Airbnb. The garage doors below you two were actually two whole other apartments that were usually rented for the summer. She promised that once summer rolled around that you two would take a trip to a beach town. It was everything you wanted it to be. Except today your new friend was sick. You sat on the edge of her bed as she sniffled and coughed. “I hate so much to ask you,” she paused to sneeze. You waited as she dabbed at her nose. “This staffing place makes us find our own replacements. And ordinarily it wouldn’t matter to me I always get called for jobs...but I’ve been dying for a call back from this company cause they pay so well and you get to keep all your tips.” She explained. “Tips?” You echoed. “What exactly do you do?” You had never asked her before. She always left the apartment in regular clothes. But your mind was running wild, a stripper? “Oh, I never told you?” She asked between coughs. You shook your head. “I get called to staff events. I’ll serve drinks or bartend at private parties, or networking events. It’s fun.” She sniffed, “I get to meet a lot of people, and the pay is pretty good.” You let out a sigh of relief. Serving drinks at private parties for good pay didn’t sound like a bad deal mainly because it seemed like something you could do. But you still hesitated. “I don’t have a work visa though.” You pointed out. She waved that worry away, “these companies never check stuff like that. They just call a name and look for a body to say ‘here’ then they cut the check and mail it the next day.” “Don’t you have...friends you could call?” You asked quietly. She closed her eyes as a particularly hard set of coughs racked her body. She shook her head. “I decided on a new start for myself too…” She finally got out. “I’m not the same person I use to be.” The last sentence seemed to be the end of that topic. You swallowed and nodded. “I’ll go for you.” “Oh my god! Thank you so much!” She erupted. She was so loud a whole new set of coughs and sneezes stopped her celebrating. You patted her back until it passed and then she was hugging you. Germs be damned you thought darkly. “I really really appreciate this so much.” She said. “It’s not a problem...it’ll be fun.” You said. “Exactly!” She agreed, “you’ll meet cool people and get good tips.” She pointed out. It took a slight effort to pry her off. But once you were clear you got up to make her tea. She needed to rest and you needed to make sure that you wrapped your mind around what you had just agreed to.

“So when you pour the beer, make sure you say the tagline, ‘magic in every bottle!’” The man speaking seemed to want to be anywhere but standing in front of you and two others. A tall girl who you were certain was going to get all the tips. She was model gorgeous and paid very close attention to everything the man was saying. The other person joining you at the booth was a man who you were sure was sailing by on looks alone. He would suck up the tips that the girl standing next you didn’t get. Leaving you with...at least an opportunity for people watching. “Stand behind the booth. You don’t have to walk around. It’s free booze they’ll be flocking to you guys...you each get a tip jar, and you each get to keep any tips in your jar.” He looked down at his clipboard and cleared his throat. “Any questions?” He asked, glancing up quickly. You all three shook you heads. He smiled for the first time and sighed. “Alrighty then, see you again at 9:30pm.” He said. He turned on his heel and walked away with incredible speed. You looked at the booth you were suppose to be manning. The backdrop of the it was mostly blue, with a smiling blue genie coming out of a larger than life beer bottle. You sighed to yourself, “well I don’t mind being off to the side.” You said pointing to the left jar that had ‘tips’ written across the front. There were three jars and the model pranced her way to the middle. “I’ll take center stage.” She said with a little laugh. You squinted at her name tag, Rita. The man rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. He ran his hand through his perfect hair and strolled to stand behind the jar on the right. You went to your place figuring time would pass soon enough and you would be back with Cherry.

He truthfully had forgotten about the ‘networking gathering’. His mind was wrapped up in a project. He wrote and rewrote copy, then sat with Mino and discussed the best places to put the adds. It was for a smaller account, a company coming out with fresh organic juices. He had originally marked the deadline much later but there was an organic food festival coming up and he wanted to get ads out beforehand. Mino drew up art, that they scanned and emailed to the company for approval. The copy went next, then emails back and forth about placement. Before he had known it the sun had set and his eyes were burning from looking at his computer screen. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his eyes while he sighed. “So you ready to go?” When he opened his eyes Mino was standing in his doorway, a mischievous smile on his face. “Did you get an email back from the juice place?” He asked in response. “No,” Mino waved his hand back and forth in the air dismissively, “we’ve done all we can for them today...clear that from your mind.” He pushed. Hoon shook his head, “Mino.” “I’m talking about the rooftop thing...you ready to leave for that?” He asked more forcefully. “Let’s wait just a bit, I don’t want to miss their response.” Hoon said. He also didn’t have the mental energy to make any sort of small talk. He didn’t want to go at all. “You get the emails on your phone.” He whined. “Listen, I hate to say this but I can’t sit in this office any more today. We’ve been trapped all day. Let’s please go out.” Mino looked like he was ready to dig in for a fight. Every so often he got like this, demanding that they did something other than work. Hoon rubbed at his face. “Stop stalling, let’s go.” He demanded. Hoon dragged himself up with a groan. “You are the only person I know, who needs to be forced to have fun.” He added as Hoon walked passed him. He followed nagging all the way, “you would be blind if it wasn’t for me dragging you away from that computer screen.” “Ok, ok,” Hoon acknowledged him with a pained face. “I’m up, we’re going...stop nagging.”

They walked to the building with the rooftop terrace in relative silence. He had his hands in his pockets and a frown on his face. His phone hadn’t buzzed and he was beginning to worry. They needed an approval so they could start buying ad space… “Fix your face.” Mino warned in the elevator. He glared at him then stuck out his tongue. Mino rolled his eyes, “listen, no one, is gonna wanna do business with a sour pus. Fix your face.” He said. Hoon rolled his shoulders then his neck. By the time the doors dinged, he had fixed a mostly pleasant look on his face. The deck made use of the small palm trees planted around the edge by hanging white twinkling lights. There was a fountain in the center white and invoking luxury. All around were different booths manned by bright smiling people. All trying their best to bring attention to their products. Besides them small groups of people formed little circles talking amongst themselves. There were waiters milling around with trays of hor’ devours and the dj was playing atmospheric music. Nothing loud enough to drown out conversation. Mino rubbed his hands together as they walked out of the elevator. “Doesn’t this look nice?” He asked. “I guess I’m not staying all night..an hour tops.” Hoon said. Mino stopped walking, “two hours.” He bartered. “Fine.” Hoon grumbled. He followed behind his friend, dragging his feet as he went. Mino led them from group to group. Introducing them and making small talk. He wanted to be home. Instead he was trying to hand out business cards and not appear grumpy. He saw his opportunity for a break when Mino mentioned getting a beer. “I’ll grab it!” He said quickly. His friend eyed him but didn’t argue. He strolled off, avoiding waiters and waitresses. Trying his best not to catch anyone’s eye. His long legs carried him to the blue booth with the smiling Genie coming out of a beer bottle. There was a small line of people in front of it. This would take up plenty of time. He smiled to himself, weirdly thankful for the gimmicky genie. He took step after step forward his mind naturally thinking of better taglines then, “taste the magic in every bottle.” He wasn’t paying as much attention as he should have been. He stepped to the front of the line and looked up. “Good evening, can I see your ID please?” He gazed at you, his mouth stuck open in shock. You on the other hand didn’t seem bothered. In fact you leaned forward a small smile on your face. “Well well well, if it isn’t the suitcase snatcher.” You said, then you laughed and held your hand out. It took him a moment to realize you were still waiting on his ID. He pulled out his wallet and then yanked it free, gaining some of his composure back. “I didn’t snatch your suitcase...we switched.” He asserted. You nodded while you scanned the card for his birthday. Once that was done you gave it back. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you. It was almost like you were glowing. Your smile was close to the one he had been looking at on his fridge, not quite as bright but still beautiful. He opened his mouth to mention the picture, then thought better of it. There wasn’t a way to bring it up without him sounding weird. Maybe later, he could always come back to the booth. “How many do you want?” You asked. He watched you push some of your hair off of your face, “one beer or?” You waited politely as he took a little bit too long to answer. “Two.” He finally said. He didn’t like beer, in fact he had an annoying allergy to most alcohol. But he asked for two anyway. You nodded and pulled the bottles from under the counter, “I’m guessing you’re here for business?” You asked. He nodded. You popped the tops with a bottle opener. “Two genie beers...I’m supposed to say ‘magic in every bottle’ but it’s a little lame.” You said with a laugh. “A little.” He agreed. He noticed the tip jar. There were two other people at the booth. Their jars looked healthy, nearly full. Yours could be better. He reached into his wallet again and dropped money into your jar. “You don’t have to,” you said with a slight frown, “it isn’t a big deal.” He reached forward and grabbed his beers, “fair is fair.” He said. He didn’t want to walk back to Mino. He wanted to talk to you at the genie booth. “Have fun networking.” You said. “I’ll try.” But he knew it would be a futile effort.

He hovered near the booth. His eyes straying to you. When Mino was finished with his beer, Hoon was quick to suggest he go and get another one. “Go to the shortest line...and make sure you give her a good tip.” He added. Mino snorted, “a tip? For beer?” He rolled his eyes and pushed him gently towards the booth, “tip her for the smile then,” he added. “That other girl’s smile is more my type. It’s nicer.” “It is not!” Hoon snapped. He was insulted on your behalf. He pushed Mino harder, “go to the shorter line and tip that girl. The other girl has enough.” He pointed out. “What are you the tip police?” He asked in confusion. Hoon rolled his eyes, annoyed that Mino was giving him such push back. “Just do me this favor ok? Get a beer from her, and make sure you tip.” He said. Mino finally strolled off. He watched the whole time as Mino walked up to the booth and leaned forward to talk to you. You took his ID and made small talk. You nodded along to whatever Mino was chatting about while you pulled the beers from under the counter. He waited anxious until he pulled money from his wallet and put it in the tip jar. Mission accomplished. Now all he had to do was take his beer and walk back. But in true Mino fashion he lingered. You leaned on the counter talking to him and your smile was more subtle. Mino said something that had you looking up and finding Hoon in the crowd. Then just as quickly you were looking back down at his friend. He was suddenly envious, Mino was probably smooth talking you, something he could do extremely well. He tapped his foot, waiting for Mino to come back. The two of you chatted for a bit longer before he took his beers and made to leave. He strolled up a pleasant look on his face. “So that’s the girl who you switched suitcases with.” He stated. Hoon balked, he opened then closed his mouth. Mino looked incredibly satisfied. He sipped his beer and then cleared his throat. “She asked me how I knew you…” He said slowly. Hoon tapped his foot harder. His nervous energy was out of control. He had no comment. His mind couldn’t form one. He had come up to the party completely wrapped up in thoughts of work. Placing ads, worrying about email responses, all the things that were chiefly important had been mentally pushed aside. “I told her we were friends and business partners, wanna know what she said next?” Mino was very much enjoying himself. He sipped more beer and waited. “What did she say?” Hoon asked. He shoved his hands into his pocket and tried not to glance in your direction. “She said that you two switched bags, and she wondered if you were always that serious.” He said. He exhaled, serious wasn’t too bad. He expected you to say pushy or something along those lines. But serious wasn’t exactly negative. He rubbed his chin. “I think she likes you.” Mino said, “you should go over there and talk to her.” “She’s working,” he countered. He pulled his arm out of his pocket and looked at the time, “it’s been two hours,” he stated. Mino rolled his eyes. “Are you serious?” He asked. He knew the answer. Hoon was completely serious. “You stay here and mingle, but I’m going back to the office for a bit.” He said. For once Mino didn’t argue. He looked at the blue booth and caught your eye again. You smiled, there was no one in your line. No one to distract you from him. He swallowed but fought the urge to walk over to you. He had work to do.

When the party finally ended you were tired. Your tips were nowhere near Rita’s or Samuel’s but you had much more than you thought you would. Now all you had to do was take the bus back. Cherry had warned you away from the train. “At least the bus stops are on streets with moving traffic, not underground or elevated. It’ll be safer.” She said. So you walked to the stop that your phone indicated. You had your earbuds in and hummed along to the song playing. The stop was empty but well lit. You sat on the bench and sighed. You didn’t want to think about him but Seunghoon popped back into your mind. You had watched him after he left your booth with the beers. He seemed almost a little nervous. He fidgeted and immediately gave his bottle away. Instead of disappearing into the little crowds of people trying their best to sell themselves he stayed in eyeshot. He glanced your way every now and again. Then his friend had come over. His tall friend with the rich golden tan skin and a perfect smile. You could tell he was more relaxed. “My friend tells me I have to tip you well…” He had said. You couldn’t resist asking how the two of you knew each other. Business partners, and friends. You leaned forward on the counter, eyes flicking to Seunghoon while you spoke, “you know he and I accidentally switched suitcases not too long ago.” You had shared. Mino’s eyes widened and then his face had turned knowing. “I see.” was all he said slowly. “Can I ask you something?” You began, finally handing him the beer. “Go for it.” “Is he always that serious?” Because you were genuinely curious. He was serious at the coffee shop, and even though he had been a bit surprised to see you at the party. He had kept the mostly serious feel to his eyes. Maybe it was the party in general and not you? You bit your bottom lip and continued to wait. The bus felt like it was never coming. The longer you waited, the colder it got until you were holding your arms against your body. You looked down the street and didn’t see any signs of it. There were cars on the street, but not many. You shivered and seriously considered the taxis that passed every so often. You decided to give the bus just a bit longer, then you would get up and wave one down. You leaned forward studying the oncoming traffic that was slowing at the light. No bus again. You leaned back and sighed. “Hey!” The voice had you ripping your earbud out. The car stopped in front of the light had it’s window rolled down. Seunghoon was staring out at you. “Do you need a ride?” He asked. You had all of moment to decide what to do. The light was going to change. A smart woman would shake her head and wave him on. But there was something that was making you defy that smart side. Something that had you power walking to the car and setting your hand on the handle. “Yeah, I do.” You said. He popped the locks and you plopped in moving a little to fast to be graceful. Once you were all settled in with your belt buckled you sighed, “it was starting to get so cold.” “I could stop if you want?” He began. You looked at him and he was smiling to himself, “I could get you some hot coco?”

#winner #yg winner #seunghoon #lee seunghoon #deputy lee #fanfic #sfw fanfic #baggage claim #Baggage Claim Series #thanks for bearing with me #hope you all enjoy

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randomactuallywrites-57 · 6 years

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Lakehaven Lattes

Title: Lakehaven Lattes Author: randomwriter57 Rating: G Word Count: 1,829 Pairings: rosali Summary: What Rose does not expect, walking down the quiet side-street towards the few shops in the area, is to find Lakehaven Lattes.

Notes: This fic wasn't originally written for this fandom, let alone this pair, but I modified it for Rose and Alisha because it fits them way better. I wrote it a while ago, but I still like it (surprisingly). Hopefully you guys will enjoy it too!

Also on: AO3

Part of the reason why Rose dislikes using public WiFi networks is because of her browser history.

Not that it’s inappropriate, usually. It’s more that she has a tendency to slam her thoughts into Google in all-caps, and sometimes her brain comes up with the strangest things. Take, for instance, a relatively recent search for ‘coffee shops in Ladylake’, which quickly deteriorated into ‘why is it so hard to find a niche coffee shop in Ladylake’, and then further into ‘why does the editor want me to write about niche coffee shops in Ladylake anyway’.

Rose gave up the internet search relatively quickly.

(At least coffee shops aren’t suspicious. Certainly not so much as using public WiFi to research for an article about the strangest murder weapons ever used had been.

Granted, that one had been her idea.)

Despite her harboured grudge against public WiFi, that doesn’t stop her from avoiding cafes which don’t have WiFi at all. Call it what you will, but Rose prefers having the option of being connected over losing options of work to do because of a lack of resources.

Perhaps that’s why she’s avoided this cafe for so long. Not only did it used to look like a 1950s cult horror film set; it also had all the features of one. Including a lack of WiFi.

To be fair, it’s also a ways away from Rose’s apartment, and there isn’t much point in travelling halfway across Ladylake to visit such a travesty as The Old Bean Cafe.

(Even the name puts her off. Who wants to drink coffee made of old beans?)

One day, however, Rose finds herself in that far-off area of Ladylake, where The Old Bean Cafe and not much else is situated.

(Except, apparently, her editor’s house. Somehow, the image of Zaveid living in such an aged area is fitting. Then again, that’s not something she should point out, with him being her boss. Or maybe she will, next time. Just for fun.)

The cacophony of traffic sounds and her grumbling stomach cry a banshee’s song. It’s barely past five in the evening, the sun only just beginning its descent to the west, and she can’t bring herself to sit in traffic for an hour before she even gets a chance to think about eating. And, unfortunately, her only option seems to be The Old Bean Cafe.

Hey, she tries to tell herself, maybe it will surprise you.

Then she recalls the image of the cafe.

Or maybe it’ll be out of business. Either sounds good.

What Rose does not expect, walking down the quiet side-street towards the few shops in the area, is to find Lakehaven Lattes.

Where The Old Bean used to sag, there now stands an entirely different cafe. Its visage is a mix of the modern hipster aesthetic and vintage cafe-chic, a sloping canopy hanging over the door, bearing the cafe’s name. Along the front hang pots of dangling green plants, and the poles holding up the canopy are wrapped with ivy. The windows reveal chunky mahogany tables with cushioned chairs, most which which appear to be vacant. There’s no menu or opening times advertised, so Rose assumes the place is open and heads inside.

As soon as she opens the door, she can tell she’s in a cafe of a completely different kind. The air feels fresh with the scent of the plants dotted around the room, and though the rich smell of coffee pervades that freshness, it’s not overpowering. In fact, it gives the place a warm atmosphere, despite its emptiness. Maybe the fairy lights strung across the ceiling help with that. Or maybe it’s the choice in decor, the red carpet, or the beige walls, decorated with art in what looks like a theme of ‘fancy coffee’. Or perhaps the soft music playing over speakers might be what truly makes the cafe feel so vibrant.

In any case, she is surprised to see that she is the only person in the cafe. There are no patrons, and even the coffee bar is not currently manned, possibly due to the lack of customers. Even if this area is quiet, she would have expected one or two people to be here, especially at this time of the day.

She moves towards the counter, raking the chalk menus with her eyes, taking in her options. Despite this being a small cafe, there seems to be a good choice in drinks, and even a nice range of food. Perhaps the range is a good thing; it takes her a while to decide what to order, and by the time she does, a member of staff finally notices her presence, as the door behind the counter opens.

“Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there! I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”

Rose looks down and meets the eyes of the barista, and suddenly she’s very glad that she came here.

The barista has sand blond hair caught in a wavy ponytail, with a couple of ringlets framing her face alongside her fringe. For a uniform, she wears a white polo shirt under a baby pink apron, embroidered with the symbol of a latte mug with a heart-shaped handle. She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear, shrinking under Rose’s scrutiny.

“Don’t worry about it,” Rose says, smiling. “Are you still serving food?”

“Yes, we serve food until seven,” the barista replies. “What would you like?”

Rose places her order, and the barista tells her to take a seat wherever she’d like.

And sure, there’s a lot of choice. She could claim a whole sofa as her own, if she wanted. Or she could sit in one of the chairs by the window, let people know that yes, this cafe is open and does have customers. But in the end, she grabs a seat at the end of the bar.

(No, it’s totally not because she wants to talk to the cute barista.)

The barista busies herself with making Rose’s latte, her focus so entirely on the machines and foam and preparation that she doesn’t seem to notice the small smile which graces her lips. Rose notices, though, and her heart feels ready to burst at the sight.

(Oh, who is she kidding. She loves this barista, and they’ve barely spoken for a minute.)

It only takes a few minutes for her drink to be ready. The barista startles when she sees Rose’s choice of seat, and a pink flush graces her cheeks for a moment before she composes herself, setting the latte in front of her gently.

“So your cups don’t actually have heart-shaped handles, then?” Rose says, pointing to the regular round handle with a grin.

For a moment, the barista frowns in confusion, before looking down at the emblem on her apron. “Oh, no, my manager couldn’t find any. I apologise if you’re disappointed.”

Rose laughs. “It’s fine.”

The barista smiles and heads back through the door into the back area, probably to prepare the food Rose ordered. Not that she ordered much - only a curry dish she’s sure comes in a tub, pre-made. Even if she’s hungry, she didn’t want to inconvenience this poor worker, who probably thought she’d get off with a quiet day of business.

Luckily, her hunch is right, and the barista returns in only five minutes with her food. Rose thanks her, and the barista moves to the other side of the counter to wash some dishes. As much as Rose wants to speak to the barista more, her hunger takes priority right now. Without hesitation, she takes a bite of the curry.

Oh my god, she thinks.

It’s a taste explosion. She’s had curry before, and rice, sure, but never combined in such a delicious dish. Part of her wonders why she’s never eaten this before, and the other half racks her memory for the name of this dish so she can make it her only meal for the rest of her life.

The barista glances over, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “Is everything alright with your food?”

“It’s amazing! What is it?”

“It’s mabo curry. I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” She turns back to the sink, leaving Rose to finish her meal in peace.

For once, Rose doesn’t take long to finish her meal, or the latte accompanying it. It’s only once she puts her fork down that she feels a tinge of regret for eating so fast. Now she doesn’t have an excuse to stay to talk to the barista.

But she can come up with one.

The barista takes her bowl and mug, leaving them by the sink as she rings up her food. Rose absentmindedly pays for her food, still raking through her mind for an excuse.

Until she suddenly finds one.

“Can I get your number?” she blurts.

The barista blinks at her, eyes wide in shock. “S-sorry?”

Shit, she thinks.

“Er, what I meant to say was that I’m a journalist,” Rose explains. “I’m working on an article about niche coffee shops in Ladylake, and I honestly didn’t know this place existed until today. I thought it was still The Old Bean.”

“The Old Bean closed down two years ago,” the barista says. “Sorry for interrupting you. Go on?”

“I wondered if you would mind me interviewing you about this place,” Rose says. “I didn’t mean to ask for your number without any explanation, sorry.”

“Oh.” The barista blinks, green eyes shining with confusion. “Wouldn’t you prefer to speak to a manager?”

“It’s better to get the opinions of someone with less bias,” Rose says. In her mind, she adds, Besides, it gives me an excuse to speak to you again.

“Well, if you’re sure,” the barista says. She pulls her phone out of the pocket of her apron and pulls up the contacts page before passing it to Rose. “I’ll put mine in your phone, and I’ll text you with my free days.”

“Thanks!” Rose grins, passing her own phone over after navigating to the ‘new contact’ page. She moves her focus to Alisha’s phone, making sure to add emojis to the end of her name before deleting them, remembering that doing so would be unprofessional, and that the barista is supposed to be a source, not a love interest.

(Not that she would mind her being both.)

A minute later, they both have their own phones back in their hands, and Rose smiles at the name on her screen.

“Thank you, Alisha,” she says, standing from her seat. “See you again soon.”

“And the same to you,” Alisha says, glancing down at her own phone before continuing. “Goodbye, Rose.”

When Rose leaves the cafe, the sky is streaked with gold. She can’t keep the grin off her face as she walks down the street with the thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to go out of her way more often.

#tales of zestiria #tales of zestiria fanfiction #roseali #rosali #toz #hey look a plot filled rosali fic that i wrote wow #guess what fandom i originally wrote this for and you get a prize #not really i have nothing to offer you oops #i have an exam tomorrow so i'll stop procrastinating now

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bolbiistroganovsky · 7 years

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I just emailed all the FCC commissioners, my representative, and both Michigan senators about net neutrality. Here’s what I said:

Dear Mr./Ms. So and So,

To be frank, repealing net neutrality is immeasurably miserly, immoral, corrupt, profiteering...would you like me to go on? The idea that corporations should be able to put a price on information—the Internet is, at its core, just information—is Orwellian at best. Repealing net neutrality is not “deregulating the Internet” or whatever it is you use to justify it. Repealing net neutrality is yet another thinly veiled attempt to appease corporations for money.

The USA is supposed to be a country of the people, by the people, for the people. What I mean is that the US government should serve the interests of the people first and foremost. Repealing net neutrality goes against everything America stands for. It prioritizes the interests of big telecom corporations and gives a big eff you to the people. Corporations should not hold any rights over the people; if you disagree with that statement then you’re not pro-American, you’re pro-money.

I’ve seen people justify the proposed net neutrality repeal by saying that it’s the same way TV has always worked: you pay more to get access to more networks. But the Internet is not TV. TV hasn’t integrated itself into the way we function as productive members of society in the same way the Internet has. In this day and age, having access to the internet is critical. I live in Detroit but my family is wealthy. The one place where an inner city kid who went to a crumbling Detroit public school and I are on a level playing field is the Internet. Repealing net neutrality will change that because my family can afford to pay extra for access to all sites but that inner city kid’s family probably can’t. See, repealing net neutrality is really just an inconvenience for people like me and you—rich people, that is. But for people who are below or barely above the poverty line, hell, even for an average middle class family, repealing net neutrality will affect their entire place in society, perhaps even their livelihoods. How is a struggling artist who previously relied on selling their art online on, say, Etsy going to afford the extra price they must now pay for access to the site they relied on to pay the bills? How should a middle class woman with multiple kids to feed who’s company requires her to use a collaboration website like Google Drive or GoToMeeting to be expected to pay extra fines just to keep her job? What about all the kids who rely on online encyclopedias for school or just to learn who now can only afford access to a handful of sites? Too bad for them if they can’t afford it? Is that really going to be our attitude towards public access to information? Repealing net neutrality is just another way America is widening the gap between the rich and the poor.

If you’re actually reading this, which you probably aren’t, and you’re still not convinced, let me ask you a question. Before the Internet, how did the general public access information? Libraries and books. Imagine this. You pay the taxes that fund public libraries and as such you’re able to go to that library whenever you want to read any book you want. So you go to the library and you pick out two books: a best selling novel from a big publishing company and a self published niche book that you found in the back of the library. You take your books to the front to check them out and the librarian tells you that in order to check out the niche book you must pay extra because the self published author couldn’t pay the premium to have their book be included in the general access books. Wouldn’t you be mad? You’re supposed to have already paid taxes in exchange for access to library books, so why should you have to pay extra for some of the books? Well that’s exactly what’s happening with the internet and the repeal of net neutrality. If I already pay AT&T for Internet and I already pay the website I want to see for access then why should I have to pay extra for access to that specific website? I’m paying for the internet and for the website so what other charge could I logically incur? Repealing net neutrality is just a way for companies to make more money on baseless fees.

Well, one might say that repealing net neutrality just means that we’ll pay a premium price for a premium product. Except the Internet is not a product for companies to regulate and control. In fact, the internet as we think of it—a bunch of websites that we can flip through like TV channels—doesn’t actually exist. The internet is actually just a massive network of servers across the globe all transmitting information in the form of ones and zeroes through an imaginary language and electronic impulses. Clearly, the Internet is greater than the sum of its parts and that’s what makes it so amazing. The internet isn’t a unified body or product, it’s people connected across the globe, and the idea that corporations can control our access to that network is fundamentally wrong. Telecom companies shouldn’t be able to charge extra for a “premium product” because the internet is not a product to be sold or owned. We pay telecom companies for the ability to access the internet because that is a service. But allowing them to charge us for a “premium product” is unjustly awarding them ownership over the Internet as a whole.

If you read this, which you probably didn’t, I hope you think long and hard about the implications and effects of repealing net neutrality. These are just some of the glaring reasons why net neutrality should remain intact. Remember, this decision shouldn’t be about money or power or even politics. This decision should be about doing what’s right and what’s best for the people. And that is keeping net neutrality intact. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Sasha Last Names

#net neutrality

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kyliealejandra · 7 years

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Mobile App Monetization Models [White Paper]

Virtually all mobile apps are developed with revenue in mind. For most companies, the app will serve as an income stream, but there are many, many ways to achieve this objective. In fact, there are over half a dozen mobile app monetization models, with new ones arising periodically. But, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and choosing the wrong mobile app monetization model can cause you to lose users and money.

This begs the question, what are the various mobile app monetization models? And how do you find the one best suited to your unique needs and goals?

Examining the Different Mobile App Monetization Strategies

The right mobile app monetization model will vary depending on factors such as:

The nature of your app

Your users’ mindset

The demographics of your users

The perceived value of your app

Your app’s platform

How users interact with your app

The various app monetization strategies differ in terms of what the user is paying for and the point in the app interaction when they make a purchase. Not every app involves a purchase, of course, which means monetization may take a different form, such as advertising or partnerships/sponsorships.

One-Time Fee to Install the App

This is where mobile app monetization gains its roots, as developers opted to charge a one-time fee to install their app. It’s a revenue model that remains effective in many niches—but not all.

There appears to be a direct correlation between device type and whether your users are willing to pay for an app (and if so, how much). A 2016 study found that iOS users are 2.5 times more likely to pay for an app. The only exception was with utility apps, which Android users purchase more frequently. The study attributed this finding to iOS’ more robust platform, where tools such as launchers, memory boosters and multi-tasking utilities just aren’t necessary.

That same study found that, on average, the typical iOS user spent $1.08 per month on apps, whereas for Android, the average was $.43 per user each month.

The user’s willingness to pay for an app is directly connected to their perception of the app’s long-term value. In other words, if a user feels they would only use the app a few times, then they’re unlikely to buy it. Conversely, if a user believes they’ll use the app regularly, then they’re far more likely to pull the trigger.

There’s also the matter of simple economics. Are competitors offering a similar app for free? If so, users are less likely to pay for an app. On the other hand, if your app is a true one-of-a-kind, users will be more willing to purchase it. The same is true of apps with competitors that also charge for a download.

Generally, this monetization model is most suitable for apps that offer inherent value, such as a game or a utility. Shopping/customer loyalty apps, social networks and applications with in-app purchases are not well-suited to this model.

In fact, if you charge for the app, there is an expectation that the user interface (UI) will be ad-free. Therefore, if your app lends itself to paid advertisements, then it may be more lucrative to use an ad-based monetization model. Many developers make the most of both models by offering a free ad-supported version and a paid ad-free version.

Free Download With In-App Purchases

An increasing number of developers are offering free app downloads while charging for in-app purchases. There are many apps that work well with this monetization strategy, including:

eCommerce apps

Apps that involve a paid membership or subscription (such as a dating app)

Service apps, like rideshare applications

In addition to considering the type of app, you’ll want to give some thought to your user base when evaluating the viability of this monetization strategy. For instance, a significant iOS vs. Android differential exists for in-app purchases. A 2016 study, which evaluated 100 million users across over 1,000 apps, found that the average in-app purchase was $12.77 for iOS users and $6.19 for Android users. Hybrid apps, of course, allow you to get the best of both worlds.

Monetizing With App Subscriptions

A sub-type of in-app purchase, subscriptions and memberships are a wonderful option for applications that provide information or a service. The beauty of this monetization strategy is its recurring nature, which, over time, results in higher revenues. In general, users are more likely to make a monthly micropayment and less likely to make a single large lump sum payment.

Subscriptions or memberships can work for many types of applications, including dating apps, exclusive social networks, music and movie streaming apps, games, tools and utilities, and professional services such as virtual psychotherapy apps.

When leveraging this monetization model, you also have the flexibility to offer several different membership/subscription levels, which will determine which features or opportunities are available to the user. In addition, you can offer a free membership or free trial period, which serves as an opportunity to prove the app’s value and engage the user, ultimately converting them into a paying member or subscriber.

The Freemium to Premium Mobile App Monetization Model

This mobile app monetization strategy is one of the oldest, and it’s suitable for many types of apps, including utilities, tools and games. With this approach, you’ll need to develop two versions of your application: a “lite” version that has omitted the best features and a full-featured one with all the bells and whistles.

With this approach, the user can install the lite version for free. In order to gain access to all the features, the user must purchase the premium version. You may even offer a free trial of the premium version to prove the app’s value. Although this free trial strategy could backfire if a large portion of users only need to use the app on one or two occasions; this is where knowing your user base and understanding why and how they’re using your app is essential.

Keep in mind that this model can be tricky, as you must find the right balance—the free, lite app version must be useful, but it cannot include the most sought-after features. Those premium features must be available only via the paid version of the app.

Free Apps With Ads, Partners or Sponsors

Ad-supported mobile apps are still common and sometimes, they can be quite lucrative. It really boils down to whether the advertisements complement your app and interest your users. If your users simply aren’t interested in the ads or they draw users away from your UI (or worse, attract them to a competitor), then you’re unlikely to see good results.

Ads are a bit inconvenient both from a design perspective and from a branding perspective, as you risk people associating your brand with the companies advertised on your site. While some companies manage their own advertising program, others use a third-party mobile ad service provider. The latter is easier, but it affords the developer with less control over what’s advertised on the UI.

Also, ads can disrupt the user experience (UX), although some developers do this intentionally. They use the individual’s annoyance to their advantage by offering a free ad-supported version and a paid ad-free premium version.

For mobile apps that are not well-suited to traditional advertising, a partnership or sponsorship may be more fitting. A sponsor or partner’s logo and offerings can be prominently featured and overtly promoted in the app. This gives the developer greater control, and these partnerships can pay off, particularly when two brands nicely complement each other.

Taking a Cut of the Profits

If your mobile app involves private sales (think eBay) or a service (such as micro-jobs, grocery delivery or rideshare), then it may be easiest to monetize by taking a portion of the profits for all goods and services sold through the app.

Some developers may offer an alternative too, such as a membership or subscription that entitles the user to X rides per month or 10 sales transactions per week.

The possibilities are limitless when it comes to app monetization. The key is to understand your users and the manner in which they’re interacting with your app. Only then can you determine which monetization strategy is right for your unique needs and goals.

At SevenTablets, we develop a range of app interfaces, from social networks to enterprise apps, predictive analytics engines, sales tracking interfaces, MLM apps and more. We invite you to view our portfolio to learn about our past creations. Our team can leverage the latest cutting-edge technology, from augmented reality and virtual reality to artificial intelligence, to craft something truly innovative,

SevenTablets is based in Dallas, although we have regional offices in Houston and Austin. But we’re not limited to the Texas Triangle; our development team works with clients across the nation. Contact us today to discuss your mobile app development project.

The post Mobile App Monetization Models [White Paper] appeared first on SevenTablets.

from SevenTablets http://seventablets.com/blog/mobile-app-monetization-models/ from Seven Tablets,Inc https://seventabletsinc.tumblr.com/post/166330393403

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seventabletsinc · 7 years

Text

Mobile App Monetization Models [White Paper]

This begs the question, what are the various mobile app monetization models? And how do you find the one best suited to your unique needs and goals?

Examining the Different Mobile App Monetization Strategies

The right mobile app monetization model will vary depending on factors such as:

The nature of your app

Your users’ mindset

The demographics of your users

The perceived value of your app

Your app’s platform

How users interact with your app

One-Time Fee to Install the App

This is where mobile app monetization gains its roots, as developers opted to charge a one-time fee to install their app. It’s a revenue model that remains effective in many niches—but not all.

That same study found that, on average, the typical iOS user spent $1.08 per month on apps, whereas for Android, the average was $.43 per user each month.

Free Download With In-App Purchases

An increasing number of developers are offering free app downloads while charging for in-app purchases. There are many apps that work well with this monetization strategy, including:

eCommerce apps

Apps that involve a paid membership or subscription (such as a dating app)

Service apps, like rideshare applications

Monetizing With App Subscriptions

The Freemium to Premium Mobile App Monetization Model

Free Apps With Ads, Partners or Sponsors

Taking a Cut of the Profits

Some developers may offer an alternative too, such as a membership or subscription that entitles the user to X rides per month or 10 sales transactions per week.

The post Mobile App Monetization Models [White Paper] appeared first on SevenTablets.

from SevenTablets http://seventablets.com/blog/mobile-app-monetization-models/

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kellykperez · 8 years

Text

Chrome Extensions: A vehicle for Amazon and Pinterest to compete with Google?

Search advertising has swelled to become an industry worth over $35 billion annually, yet it is still heavily driven by text-based searches and dominated by Google.

However as Google’s index goes mobile-first, consumers get to grips with voice search, and technology advances to avail of image identification in our predominantly visual culture, new opportunities are opening up for the competition.

One such opportunity lies in the use of Google’s own Chrome web browser, which allows companies (including Google’s rivals) to develop and disseminate extensions to grow their digital footprint.

This may not necessitate or even facilitate a seismic shift in the industry, if Google continues to provide a search product that responds best to a user’s query.

Undoubtedly, Google remains the go-to location when consumers know what they want; but what if other providers could get in on the act earlier, by nudging consumers towards products they hadn’t thought of or never knew existed? What if consumers start to move away from text queries, and image or voice search become the norm?

These are the questions Amazon and Pinterest are pondering as they look to break Google’s hegemonic hold on the market. This has seen both companies launch paid search products, but something significant has to give if consumers are to switch from the well-worn habit of reaching out to Google first.

Intriguingly, recent moves suggest Amazon and Pinterest are prepared to use Google’s own Chrome platform to loosen the search giant’s iron grip on ad revenues, with what are at times aggressive tactics.

Although some commonalities exist across both challengers, there is much to distinguish them too. We’ll begin with Amazon’s Chrome extension before moving on to Pinterest’s recently-upgraded offering.

Amazon Assistant for Chrome

Amazon’s Assistant tracks users as they browse other sites and locates opportunities to alert them of better deals on the same product over at Amazon.com.

This feature looks something like this in action:

No doubt, this is an overbearing approach designed to have the maximum disruptive impact on a consumer’s experience, diverting their path to purchase towards the comfort of Amazon’s one-click purchases and free deliveries. And all at a lower price, too.

There are reports of some websites blocking the extension and, in the pettiest of cases, ensuring that low quality images of products are used when a consumer adds them to their Amazon wish list, in the hope of dissuading them from finishing the purchase there.

However, the damage may well be done by that stage. Digital consumers vote with their fingers, and people tend to follow where the best deals are.

Where this gets particularly fascinating for those of us in the search industry is when we apply this Chrome extension to Google search results pages.

With the extension downloaded (I am based in the US), a clearly commercial query like [laptops] returns the following results:

Indeed, those are Amazon results at the very top of the page.

This very assertive approach sees Amazon encroach directly on Google’s owned space, in fact relegating them to a lower position.

Even a much less commercial query returns this option to purchase from Amazon:

It is noteworthy that while no advertisers are bidding on the term [john berger and our faces my heart brief as photos] via Google, Amazon’s search engine has a match for the query and, therefore, it shows an ad above the Google results.

I have seen this occur for about a month now (on other, less obscure queries) and, even if Google moves to shut this down in future, it is a clear and overt statement of intent from Amazon.

A look at the terms and conditions for the Amazon Assistant reveals how this is happening.

The list of information gathered by Amazon is extensive (to the extent of being troubling) and includes the following statement:

“We will collect and store information such as the name and price of the product, the webpage on which the item is sold, your Amazon account, your search query, and other information.”

Nested in there is the operative phrase “your search query”. By capturing a search query, Amazon can cross-reference its own inventory to see whether there is a match and dynamically serve the available options.

The aim, evidently, is to create an ‘all roads lead to Amazon’ approach within e-commerce, and the only way to do that right now is to take market share directly from Google and other retailers.

Strategically, this makes a lot of sense. Each of the main players would love to have a self-enclosed ecosystem that houses billions of users and all of their accompanying data.

Only Facebook can lay even tenuous claim to such a lofty ambition, so for the likes of Pinterest and Amazon there is no other option than to reach beyond their own platforms and observe, ready for the opportune moment to communicate with consumers.

Amazon, therefore, has adopted the assumption that consumers will swallow any level of intrusion into their data and their online experience if they ultimately end up with a better deal on products.

Pinterest has a rather different market position, user base, and approach to search. So how do these take shape within their revamped Chrome extension?

Pinterest save button

We have written about the advances in visual search taking place on Pinterest recently, but use of that technology is of course dependent on people visiting their site initially to conduct a search.

What the browser extension can now become is a vehicle to carry that technology to a much wider arena, to any site Pinterest users (or ‘Pinners’) visit.

In their blog post announcing the launch, Pinterest stated that the latest iteration of their Chrome extension will allow consumers to conduct a visual search using any image or webpage they visit.

The screenshot below is an example of this in action, with a user selecting the sunglasses within the image and Pinterest suggesting a variety of similar products to browse:

This provides access to Pinterest’s vast database of images and its industry-leading image recognition software, without even having to visit the Pinterest site. All of this occurs while the user stays on the original web page, only moving them to Pinterest if they click on one of the suggested images.

Another striking aspect of the blog post comes in this statement:

“Now anything you see on Pinterest, or capture with the camera in your Pinterest app, can kick off a search for great ideas—all without typing a single character.”

The business strategy here is not to tackle Google head on à la Amazon, but rather to engage users before they even know what they want to type. As such, the aim is to offer a different experience altogether, driven uniquely by images.

When we think of search, we think of Google, paid ads, and ten blue links. But by stepping into an area that pre-dates those steps in a consumer’s mind, Pinterest may find a niche that Google has not yet managed to tap into just yet.

The language used in the announcement is notable too, if we compare Amazon and Pinterest; in place of ‘products’, read ‘ideas’, for example. This is a subtle but telling distinction, with Pinterest looking to claim the more aspirational ground within the e-commerce search market.

Pinterest’s new visual search functionality will extend to other browser extensions “soon” and will allow brands to opt out, but Pinterest is of course hoping that the mutual benefits will outweigh the inconveniences for retailers. As is the case with Amazon, the force of consumer demand will ultimately drive (or halt) the extension’s adoption and acceptance.

What should marketers make of this?

Competition breeds innovation and search has been close to a monopoly for too long, in that sense. Google evolves and new products are rolled out constantly, but these are often tantamount to slightly bigger versions of the PPC ads we had yesterday, or an increasingly inconspicuous ‘Ad’ label.

Competition also increases scarcity, of course, and scarcity drives up prices. We have seen this with Google CPC prices and more recently on Facebook, so the diversification of options for advertisers could help to stem that tide.

Pinterest’s global head of partnerships, Jon Kaplan, has even been quoted recently saying, “You might see a pretty steep discount”, when comparing their inventory prices to Facebook or Google.

The possibility of another major player in this arena, be it Amazon, Pinterest, or both, should therefore be welcomed by consumers and advertisers alike. By everyone except Google and Facebook, in fact.

from IM Tips And Tricks https://searchenginewatch.com/2017/03/13/chrome-extensions-a-vehicle-for-amazon-and-pinterest-to-compete-with-google/

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sheilalmartinia · 8 years