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misiwrites · 3 years

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Beyblade Week Day 1

joining @beybladeweek2021 late but i’ll probably be doing these belatedly all may so, whatever! it is what it is.

i’ve never participated in a fandom challenge with writing before, but i was feeling adventurous this time and the seasonal themes were just perfect for the 4kingdoms AU-verse (which is this), i haven’t been writing much anything in so long that i’m mega rusty and thought i could use the bey week to do some warm-up oneshots. these aren’t going to be particularly interesting because i’m really bad at doing oneshots actually, but i like the idea myself and. that’s the only thing that really matters. right. (i’m not even sure if AUs are allowed for the beyblade week?? but the rules didn’t say anything about it so /shrug)

the day 1 oneshot is a little story from takao’s childhood about how he first met kyouju. this was inspired by my own childhood memories as the youngest sibling when i just wanted to hang out around my big sisters because i thought everything they were doing was Cool Big Sister Stuff.

~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~

Firsts / Childhood / Spring

”Takao! I’m trying to read this! Leave me alone already, will you?”

A groan of disappointment. Reluctantly, Takao backs away from his older brother by the desk, shooting him a frown of judgment and betrayal. Now, a quick change of tactics: he figures that, just maybe, Hitoshi allows him to stay in the room if he zips his lips to his best ability.

Wrong. Two silent minutes pass in the small study room until Hitoshi bellows at his brother again, swinging an arm in the door’s direction.

“I’m serious, you can’t keep doing this when I’m trying to do my homework!”

“I’ll just watch and keep quiet, I promise,” Takao insists, giving his brother his best puppy eyes.

“I can’t focus if you’re standing there! Now get out!”

Takao’s frown deepens; with heavy feet and a heavy heart, he trudges toward the sliding door. He doesn’t like this recent change in his brother, all this emphasis on what Hitoshi refers to as “important stuff”. Just because he’s now seventeen. Acting all high and mighty, pretending to be so adult and so important, too adult and too important to play with his younger sibling.

“It’s a very important time for your brother,” their grandfather responded to Takao’s fraternal laments once. “In one year, he will officially inherit the crown of the Seiryuu-ou. There’s much for him to do to grow into the role of the king before his coronation.”

Important this, important that. What about having fun, wasn’t fun important at all? And fencing – surely instructing Takao with the basics of fencing has to be important? Hitoshi’s fencing skills are second to only their grandfather’s, and Takao cannot imagine – doesn’t want to imagine – anyone else teaching him the art of the bamboo sword. And now Hitoshi is “too busy” to teach him, all of a sudden.

“But I’m boooored,” Takao whines from the doors, balancing his weight on his heels back and forth.

“How about you go study something too for once? You really should be reading a lot more than you do, you know. I don’t want my little brother to end up being a dumb prince who doesn’t know anything about the way the world works.”

Takao’s nose wrinkles in disapproval. The word “study” smells like old paper and dust and boredom.

“It’s the Sowmoon holiday now! And what the hell would I study?” he barks.

“Don’t cuss. Anything – whatever interests you. How about the history of the city?”

“Bahhhh.”

“The history of fencing, then. I don’t know – go to the library, take a look at the books or whatever, just leave me alone. I don’t have time for this.” Hitoshi lifts the yellowish document in front of his face and disappears behind it. A wall has risen between the two brothers.

* * * * * *

In the country of spring and year-round greenery, it’s difficult to stay sullen under the tranquil blue of the Eastern sky. Moments later Takao is skipping down the road that leads to the town of Tsuno below, his child’s heart already ignited with new-found hope and aspiration, his feelings of frustration shed by the sturdy wooden gates of the Cherrywood Castle and he's moving on, literally.

At first, the idea was dull at best; reading sounds like just about the flattest thing he could be doing on this beautiful Sowmoon day, a warm breeze blowing through his indigo hair as he carefully hops from one cobblestone to the other… but, in the end, it’s the wish to please his brother that has won him over. Now a plan is taking shape in his mind, the idea swelling like a balloon by each step he takes down the road, and soon his head is racing with the ambition of studying as many topics as he can think of; he’s dreaming up scenarios of impressing his brother with all his newly acquired knowledge, his brain buzzing and his proud heart thumping with all the imaginary praise from Hitoshi… and, just maybe, he’ll then agree to do something fun with his cool and smart little brother again.

So caught up in his daydreams, Takao hardly pays attention to all the familiar townspeople greeting him as he passes by their wooden dwellings and shops and stalls, and he prances past several flocks of tourists lingering on the streets of Tsuno, too busy taking pictures of the cherry blossom trees in their rare blue Sowmoon bloom to notice the royal prince walking right past them. Even if they did see him, not many would pay attention to him; people from outside the city would never imagine a member of the royal Seiryuu-ou family strolling around in a simple hakama without making a scene; but in the royal capital of the Country of East, this was a mundane everyday sight, and Takao was a regular guest of the pastry stalls on the main street of Tsuno. The townspeople loved to pamper this bold and friendly little prince, who hadn’t yet been spoiled by the privileges of the royalty.

Takao reaches the tall glass doors of the main library, only to face the reality of the numbers painted on the glass panel. Five minutes to closing time. So caught up in the rollercoaster of his imagination as he left the Cherrywood Castle, checking the opening hours of the library didn’t even pass his mind.

“Oh, hello, Your Highness,” he’s greeted by one of the kimono-clad library workers who spots him. (The surprise is evident; Takao is not a usual guest in the library.) “How wonderful to see you here. Are you looking for something?”

“Well, yeah, for something to read… but it looks like you’re about to close.”

But coincidence is on Takao’s side today, for the clerk tells him that the library is staying open for one extra hour every day this week.

“The reading hall has been reserved by Professor, a local researcher – but I’m positive he won’t be disturbed by Your Highness’s presence.”

“Really? Okay.” Relieved and triumphant, Takao enters the old-fashioned yet admittedly curiosity-inducing depths of the city library.

He quickly comes to the conclusion that he has underestimated the number of books in the world. Expecting there to be one of each subject of his admittedly limited academic imagination, he is instead hit by an entire universe of paper and ink and covers and words. The map of the library layout alone is full of complex characters that Takao hasn’t yet come across in his schooling.

Dammit.

In the end, Takao finds himself pacing back and forth a narrow aisle of local history books, looking for one with a cover that sparks interest. Perhaps he cannot read all the text, but at least he can look at the pictures.

That’s when he notices another person sharing the space with him, at the far end of the hall, where the shelves have been moved to hug the walls to make room for a reading area in the middle and the ceiling seems to climb up impossibly high under the arch of a dome roof. This person is another kid, hardly older than Takao, and he’s not paying the prince any attention in return; the boy is glued to the screen of a laptop computer that sits on a table in front of him along with several books, one of which has been spread open. Every now and then, his fingers dance across the keyboard at a speed that Takao didn’t even know a computer keyboard could be used with; then the boy crouches over to take a quick glance at the open book before turning back to the laptop again.

A curious sight. For a moment, Takao is tempted by the allure of calling out to this strange boy, to ask him why he’s still there after closing hours. He decides against it and swallows his curiosity. If there’s one thing that his older brother has recently taught him, it is to mind his own business and not bother other people hard at work.

* * * * * *

The next day Takao returns to the library, a pile of books in his lap that he leafed through all night last night. Hundreds of pages of buildings so old they probably stayed up in the pictures with willpower alone – so old that Takao half-expected them to crumble and disappear by the turn of a page, leaving empty picture frame squares behind.

He came to the conclusion that Tsuno’s history was perhaps not the subject to start from.

Takao returns the books, decides to try and find something about fencing, a subject he’s already in some way familiar with. (Between the important-looking books, he secretly slips in a story about Southern pirates; this one he’s not going to tell Hitoshi about.)

In the hall with the dome ceiling, the kid with the laptop is by the exact same table again. Only the array of books next to him is a little different… maybe. Takao is nearly seized by his curiosity again, but something about the air around this boy holds the lingering scent of “do not disturb”, so he bites his tongue once more.

* * * * * *

How could even books about fencing slap him in the face with all this wall of text?! The following day Takao once again turns up at the library, to return his previous findings that had only briefly managed to capture his interest with images of old fencing gear that were not only ancient but, as he ultimately decided, very ugly and stupid-looking.

What about archery, the other national sport of the East? Takao finds it boring and repetitive compared to fencing, but since books about fencing turned out to be boring, did it mean that books about the boring sport were, in turn, more interesting? It makes perfect sense, in Takao’s eight-year-old mind.

However, as he makes his way to the library at the cusp of closing hours again, he no longer pays much heed to the books. Instead, his feet take him to the reading hall under the dome right away.

Sure enough, the kid with the big round glasses and a laptop in front of him is there in his usual spot, all alone. And again the boy’s fingers are hammering at the keyboard faster than Takao can form a coherent thought about computers, the strange machinery that originates from the technically advanced Country of West for all he knows.

It’s been three days now, and Takao can no longer hold back his burning curiosity. Eyes on the strange boy, he takes small sideway steps between the bookshelves, inching his way closer and closer, until he reaches the open reading area under the arched skylights above.

“Hey,” Takao says as he enters the boy’s proximity by the table.

The boy doesn’t do as much as raise his eyes from the computer screen.

“Is there something I can do for you?” he asks, still typing away. The tone of his high-pitched voice is just slightly aggravated but his choice of words oozes formality, a strange speech pattern for someone his age. It throws Takao off a little.

“Umm, I’ve seen you here every day this week and was wondering what you’re doing, that’s all. You know the library was already closed, right?”

After saying this, the thought then passes Takao’s mind that perhaps this kid never leaves the library. Perhaps he’s not even aware that he’s in a closed library. What if Takao is talking to a ghost, haunting this remote corner of the library all day and night? Or, maybe, he’s nothing but a product of Takao’s imagination?

The boy’s voice is now so blunt in response that these phantasmagoric thoughts immediately vanish from Takao’s mind.

“Yes, of course I know. The library personnel was very kind to allow me this one working hour without other people disturbing me. So really, I should be asking – what are you doing here?” Now the stranger’s hands finally leave the keyboard and he lifts his eyes to Takao.

A moment of confused silence. Then the boy’s face begins to resemble the colour of a strawberry.

“Oh!” he squeaks and jumps up to his feet, only to bow his head toward the floor. “Oh, Your, uh, Your Highness! I am terribly sorry for being so rude! Oh, goodness me, how could I…!”

“Wow, calm down,” Takao interrupts, startled himself by the suddenness of the boy’s reaction. “And raise your head – I don’t like people bowing at me, it makes me feel weird. More importantly, what you said just now – are you saying you booked this extra hour from the library?”

Hesitantly, the boy straightens his back, which doesn’t increase his height significantly; now that they’re standing next to each other, Takao notices how small the person he’s talking to is, his head barely on level with Takao’s shoulders.

“Yes, Your Highness,” he says. “I wasn’t aware I was sharing it with the royal family, though. How thoughtless of me.”

“No, well, I kinda just walked in on my own, to be fair. So… you’re a researcher?”

“You could say so, I am indeed carrying out some research here. My name is Saien Manabu, but everyone calls me Professor.”

“Oh, wow. What exactly are you researching?”

“Right now I am writing a paper on the goddess cult of the Country of North. I know, it’s not exactly a topic that interests most children, but I find it so terribly fascinating…”

The mention of children – a nod to the fact that this boy, too, is a child just like him – makes Takao immediately feel more at ease. This person, albeit strange and overly formal and clearly too smart for his age, really is just a child after all. This notion alone is enough to make the kind-hearted and fairly simple-minded Takao like this boy more.

“Sure, that sounds cool,” he says with a grin. “Hey – you said you’re Saien, right? Like that ramen shop on the main street?”

“Yes, it is owned by my parents.”

“Well, it’d be real interesting to hear more about your research and all, but I’m kinda hungry, to be honest – the Saien noodles sound awesome just about now. How about we go there and then you tell me more?”

“Hmm. Well, I wasn’t making as much progress today as I wanted, in any case.” The boy, visibly at least a little relieved to get a break from staring at the screen, slams his laptop shut and tucks it under his arm. Then he flashes a friendly smile at Takao. “Very well, Your Highness. But my mother may pass out if I bring a member of the royal family to their shop all of a sudden, so please prepare for that.”

“Bah, just call me Takao, I’m not so into that formal stuff.”

“Alright, and you can call me Professor.”

* * * * * *

Once back in the Cherrywood Castle, Takao told both his brother and grandfather how much he’d learned about the Northern goddess Hiromi of time and space already; and from that day onward, Hitoshi never needed to refer to his younger brother as the dumb prince again, as Takao, who became a frequent visitor of the Saien family ramen shop both inside and outside business hours, never ran out of curious stories to share about all the things he learned from his new friend.

And while the royal Seiryuu-ou family wasn’t to stay together for much longer from the moment of this story, Takao and Professor remained best friends for many years to come.

#my writing #4kingdoms stuff #LetItRip2021

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radwolf76 · 4 years

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FLASHBack: Week 89 [First-Class FLASHBack] - Japanese Cartoon

Time for another First-Class FLASHBack, where we talk about the more prolific and influential Flash animators of the early web. This month, we're going to be looking at another offering from Homestar Runner. As mentioned previously, the Brothers Chaps drew on a wealth of 80s and 90s pop culture (and even a dash of the 70s, absorbed from pop-culture osmosis from their older siblings, as well as the influence of older decades from the fact that syndicated broadcast television reruns mined content all the way back to the Golden Age of Hollywood). One example where this 80s/90s pop culture overload really shines is in Strong Bad Email #57, Japanese Cartoon, posted on 6 January 2003. James F. asks Strong Bad what he would look like as a Japanese Cartoon, and what it'd be about. Strong Bad goes on to describe himself in a chibi big-eyes/small-mouth style (except when the mouth is open, when it goes ridiculously huge), reminiscent of a helmetless Mega Man. With blue hair. You gotta have blue hair. (WARNING: TV Tropes link.) The show itself consists of him in space flying around in cool poses, an allusion to how many animes of the 60s-80s would rely heavily on a library of stock sequences for fight and transformation scenes, to pad out a show's run time (and sometimes that stock footage would get abused even further by US editors who needed to make up for runtime lost to localization censorship). The English is clearly dubbed, with mouth movements not even close to matching. Strong Bad's anime counterpart, Stinkoman, has a voice that sounds like voice actor Cam Clarke, who while best known for being the voice of Leonardo on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, also voiced on several prominent 80s anime dubs, including the roles of Max Sterling and Lancer on Robotech, Dirk Daring on G-Force, and Kaneda in the original dub of Akira -- at one point Stinkoman even breaks out with a line, "You're just a kid!" that echoes Kaneda's dismissal of Tetsuo's interest in riding his bike at the beginning of the movie. (The name "Stinkoman" was a reference to a line from another Strong Bad Email, Island, which may have been a take on the old 90s Sierra-Online/Dynamix Screensaver, Johnny Castaway.)

Now, it's important to note that television was not the only vector for introducing anime stylings and sensibilities to Western audiences. The shift of video game console market dominance to Japan after the video game market crash of 1983 meant that many titles would originally be developed for the Japanese market first and then have to be localized for the US. One such title is Rad Racer for the Nintendo Entertainment System, originally Highway Star for the Famicom. The Brothers Chaps lifted one of the songs from the Rad Racer soundtrack for their hypothetical Stinko Man K 20X6 anime. The anime's name is only revealed in an easter egg accessible by clicking the words "japanese cartoon" during the end credits -- using X to obscure a year was a gimmick that the Mega Man titles were particularly known for (but also occurred in Metroid as well as the Mother/Earthbound series). Inception-like, there are easter eggs within easter eggs here; clicking "japanese cartoon" a second time would bring up a clip of Homestar Runner watching Stinko Man K 20X6. For the final layer of the easter egg, under Homestar's TV are a collection of VHS tapes, one of which is labled "NES Endings". Clicking that tape brings up a pop up window that shows the ending to Rad Racer. Subsequent clicks on the pop up cycle through the endings to a bunch of video games: Castlevania 2, Mega Man 2 (furthering the connection between Stinkoman and Mega Man), Super Mario Brothers 2 (The US version, which began life as the wholly unrelated title Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic), Hoops, Ghosts n' Goblins, Blaster Master (with a sketched on label and arrow calling out "Blue Hair"), The Legend of Zelda (whose credits provided the inspiration for some of the made-up names in the Stinkoman credits), Metroid (Samus is a girl?!?), Jackal, and Rygar. The world of 20X6 and Planet K would become recurring elements of the Homestar Runner site, and eventually the Brothers Chaps would even make a full Mega Man clone starring Stinkoman. Another subtle video game connection is the fact that the little mushroom clouds around Stinkoman's head when he laughs were inspired by Animal Crossing. Surprisingly, the indie video game I Wanna Be The Guy was NOT an intentional reference to this Flash, despite featuring a "Kid" who's motivation is "I Wanna Be The Guy"; the creator does acknowledge in his FAQ that he and his friend Eric who helped him name the game had probably seen this animation, but claims any influence it had was a subconscious one. (Fun Fact: I cosplayed as The Kid from I Want to Be The Guy at DragonCon one year, and almost got into hot water with con security over my gun prop.) That's all I really have for this week. Next week, we'll go from badly dubbed anime, that staple of after-school weekday cartoons, to something a little more Saturday Morning.

#radwolf76FLASHBack #FirstClassFLASHBack #Adobe Flash #Flash Animation #early 2000s #early web #Homestar Runner #Mike Chapman #Matt Chapman #The Brothers Chaps #Strong Bad #Strong Bad Emails #SBEmails #japanese cartoon #island #Stinkoman #Stinko Man K 20X6 #Rad Racer #You gotta have blue hair

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luigiblood · 4 years

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Nintendo Switch Online, 1 year in review...

Well, well, well... Nintendo Switch Online...

You’re cheap, but you’re too cheap in return sometimes. I want to talk about it and some of my frustrations about it (and not necessarily with Nintendo). To do this, I will talk about each feature seperately.

Online Play

The most obvious feature is Online Play. It went from being free to being paid, which is pretty much a problem but then the competitors do the same. Many Nintendo games do not have the most stable netplay, even though I do not have most of the problems that other people get.

I’m not going to do a P2P vs Dedicated, or rather I would like to say that people genuinely don’t understand basic netplay and are all going against P2P without knowing that some of the games that works fine are probably all running on P2P to begin with.

I’m not gonna go into the details, nor do I want to say I’m an expert, each have their own pros and cons, but I think the main issue is ultimately the netcode. Here’s hoping with GGPO being open source and free to use for professionals now, the future could be a lot brighter.

I would want Nintendo to take netcode a little more seriously and test it in homes with slower Internet. Testing it with Wi-Fi and Ethernet and everything.

Save Data Cloud

This feature technically works. You’d think it’s hard to fail, right?

Of course they did when some games just don’t provide the support for it because of fear that people may abuse it for cheating... Meh.

Nintendo uses the exemple of having a broken Switch to where this feature might come in handy. Too bad this also means completely lost saves for some of the most important games like Splatoon 2 or Animal Crossing, the latter being really annoying if you lose hundreds or even thousands of hours...

Smartphone App

This one is tough because potential was there. Truly a waste of time.

All of the main services could have just been a website that works on PC and Mobile. But I think the main issue is that people don’t really want to check stuff about their game all the time because there is simply not enough feedback.

There was actually better execution when SplatNet was a regular website accessible on every device, Super Mario Maker Bookmark website too, instead everything is stuck to an app, limiting uses.

Content should be seen from everywhere when it’s possible. Making it work behind a subscription fee was a terrible idea.

And then let’s not even talk about the voice chat. That is a truly depressing thing. Why making it stuck to mobile? I get that you don’t want the Switch to process that stuff for performance reasons but truly that stuff is supported on it too...

Special Offers

Let me list what extra stuff we got from Nintendo Switch Online:

Exclusive Splatoon 2 Gears

Tetris 99

Game Vouchers

The right to buy NES/SNES Controllers

Game Trials (for only one game)

I did not list another thing that will be its own seperate bullet point.

Tetris 99 was truly the best part of this. It’s actually a pretty darn good game. Game Vouchers could have been nice if you couldn’t get the brand new games for cheaper in physical form.

Game Trials was a thing they tested at one point, but then they just didn’t bother...

We, subscribers, don’t really get a lot of extras, do we?

My Nintendo (Bonus Rant)

Nothing has been more of a waste than My Nintendo. Gold Points finally started to be kind of useful since it became an equivalent to a cent for the Switch eShop, but that’s the only good point I could give to it.

Its execution is terrible, and unlike many people, I do not have a lot of good memories about Club Nintendo (the European one, that said), because most of the cool items we only could get the stars we needed much later and then then the item was gone. That’s literally most of my experience with Club Nintendo.

When I learned that with the North American Club Nintendo you could get virtual console games and other cool shit I was genuinely disappointed how the European one was. And I’m not mentioning how the Japanese Club Nintendo had some of the cooler things than the west ever got.

And then My Nintendo has none of the cool things from any regional Club Nintendo... what’s the plan, Nintendo? Why does this exist?

The day 3DS and Wii U will stop being supported, what will happen to the vouchers that you guys always put up? Will it become even more useless?

NES / SNES Nintendo Switch Online

Now the real meat because that’s the stuff I really would like to talk about.

You guys know how involved I am with retro Nintendo content and I can be very invested about this kind of stuff because I just love Nintendo’s games.

Unlike many people, I don’t mind the subscription aspect and the fact you don’t really own these games anymore compared to Virtual Console games. I think this has ultimately been the better thing to do. However I find many problems with the execution of it, especially in the long run.

Due to its subscription nature, I did expect it to have less games than Virtual Console. Rights have to be renegotiated, and the most I expected were Nintendo games. Turns out we got some third parties, some even high profile, pretty cool.

But there are pretty infuriating stuff, like the slow drip feed we get. I get that you want to keep interest going for these games over time but there’s a lot of problems with that entails, and that’s how most of us are frustrated that Nintendo is not using the Switch to its highest potential, and especially about having all of the Nintendo games possible in a small amount of time.

Its portable nature wants us that Nintendo puts all of the retro games as quickly as possible, we want to dedicate our time to the Switch instead of plugging the Wii and Wii U for VC games that aren’t there. We want N64, GB/C/A, GameCube, and more. We want to have Mario Party 2 netplay in an official capacity, and so on...

I noticed the potential of retro Switch Online offer when I found myself addicted to Balloon Fight. Actually a game I’ve never downloaded off ROM sites before, as I usually dismissed it as being too simple. However the game was just there and I gave it a shot. This is one of the reasons why its subscription nature didn’t mind me, it got me to spend time with some games I usually wouldn’t spend time with, especially for NES.

I want to put a list of things that I want Nintendo to do with their retro offering to bring interest, but also sustain it:

- Bigger Drips of games

This seems trivial, but keep in mind that games have to be tested before going live, we pretty much want at least 3 games per month for each console. But stuff takes time and we at least want more communication about this aspect. We just want more games.

- Localized games

This is a personal pet peeve and only works for people whose native language is not English. I do not expect of Nintendo to localize retro games, but at least to release localized ROMs of games when they exist.

I expected of them to release these:

Kirby’s Adventure, French and German versions (yes, they exist)

Super Metroid, European version (that’s a bit more controversial however...)

Zelda: A Link To The Past, French and German versions (French even has an official 60hz version)

Yoshi’s Island, European version.

I know what you could say, 50hz games suck, music is slower- Stop. My only answer is fuck you.

Also, SNES 50hz games cannot have slower music, aside from a few rare ones. If you remember games having slower music on PAL SNES you have a bad memory and mixed up with NES or Mega Drive or something.

I don’t see how, as a developer myself, a selection menu could not be implemented for selecting the language for a game. That way you let people play whatever they want, it’s less painful, everyone is happy.

I still wish for Nintendo to localize retro games however, or maybe even bring unreleased localizations of games if they approved it back then...

- Random Game of the Day / Moment

This seems like a dumb idea, but when I played Balloon Fight I noticed how Nintendo could bring attention to games that don’t necessarily get it.

When the library gets bigger, some games will be left on the side over others, a system to bring motivation to play those games, even as simple as a random game name at the top, is better than what piracy can even bring you.

Maybe you could even implement a button that selects a random game.

- Game Tweaks / Special Versions

AKA USE LUA SCRIPTS IN GAMES

Now we’re starting to get a bit on the expensive side of things.

Special Versions of games aren’t really good on NES, they’re just save states. Some are useful (Golf Course unlocks), some are amusing (Zelda), but most of them are just a save state at the end of the game.

I want them to go on the next stage of this, actually hack the games, or even scripts on top of them. You see, some emulators have scripting features that can alter the game, in ways that improves them (map on Metroid NES), or outright gameplay altering (Kirby Canvas Curse gameplay on Super Mario Bros. 3).

I gave real exemples of use, these could be used to make games easier, harder, balanced, weirder, just like another concept that Nintendo did... NES REMIX. (What a waste of a concept... This really got people into NES games.)

I wish for Nintendo to use their LUA script system already in place for the menus, for their emulator.

This could also aid in development of localization of games without altering the ROM and without space issues.

And this could aid in making SNES Mouse games to work on a touch screen and more, it’s genuinely easy to figure out I could do it myself in a day... ;)

- Shared Library of games between Japan & International

...Well all I want is that I don’t have to need to download the japanese app or the japanese to download the international app to play other games that are not present in the local library. I thought this would have been solved with Super Puyo Puyo 2 but guess not.

This could have the added bonus of japanese games on top of the american (and european?) ones.

- Game Events

Sort of an extra to game tweaks, bringing events for people to play a specific retro game and give them gold points or something. Events could have objectives, achievements, scoreboards, many things could be done here.

You could even bring in the Nintendo World Championship ROMs, other competition stuff, or even games like soundlink games from the Satellaview like BS Zelda, BS Super Mario All-Stars and so on. These games are made for competition!

This is the ultimate thing to bring people to play retro games, bring the unusual games that most people have possibly never even heard about!

- Others

Some of those bullet points don’t need a big explanation:

More Unreleased Retro Games (Japan only or even anywhere)

Localize Retro Games that were never localized (not just in english!)

Borders

Small Control Scheme Help (to compensate for lack of manuals)

5-player Netplay support for SNES (Super Puyo Puyo 2 supports 4 player)

Netplay with Global Rooms with passwords and not just stuck to friends. (This should be a thing for EVERY GAME. This could even be a Switch OS feature.)

Automatic Matchmaking for certain games?

I have also always said this: I’m interested to work with you, Nintendo, on this kind of stuff...

#nintendo #rant #switch #retro

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petite-ursus · 5 years

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All right! I was too sick to do a review of last year at the actual New Year. But. Here’s a quick overview. (Some of this stuff isn’t stuff I did, but I’m proud so I’m listing squad-wide victories.)

1.) I published “Of Dragon Warrens and Other Traps.” It was hard. But it was amazing. Stats are coming soon, but from what I could see before they were whisked off for finalization my opening month sales for Dragon Warrens doubled my opening month sales for Gryphons and that is just... Just... Banana jamas. Blowing my mind. Amazing. Fabulous.

2.) Presented in two schools on what it means to be a published author. One was a very posh school, and one was my old high school. Definitely ticks all of my validation buttons and I was invited back to my old high school, and put on the posh schools list of people to call.

3.) Was invited to a local library event with other local authors. It was so cool, and I had a great view of the river.

4.) Went to a Hayley Kiyoko concert???? I mean. Not book related. But AMAZING. Plus, I met a new friend in one of the strangest/coolest coincidences I’ve experienced in a while.

5.) Was invited to go to Clexacon with an amazing artist (that same new friend.) That’s happening this year, but the invite was last year. So. It counts.

6.) I was my best friend’s Maid of Honor because my best friend GOT MARRIED this year. ( ; - ; )

7.) Helped my best friend move, because MY BEST FRIEND BOUGHT A HOUSE this year. (PROUD.)

8.) I spent more time with family than I have in a while. Not as much as when we were like, kids, but I hope the trend continues.

9.) I expanded my garden? And was damn consistent with the bird feeders which means I have some lovely woodpeckers, attracted a pair of BLUEBIRDS once, and also am now host to a family of little red squirrels (v different from fox squirrels.)

10.) I was mega consistent at the gym, and I’m making peace with the fact that 21y/o pot smoking Shannon’s ultra svelte body (read: turbo metabolism) is never coming back for 26y/o Shannon. But. I’m getting incredible definition in my arms, and abs are starting to peak through again.

11.) I got through the winter months of 2018 without binge drinking, even when I was feeling really depressed and I got all of my responsibilities done. Even when it was hard, and I did my best not to be cruel to myself when I couldn’t keep every ball in the air when it came to socializing. (Sidebar: seasonal crap is really frustrating and it literally robs you of time with your loved ones and idk. I’m feeling especially frustrated by that this year. Just had to delete an extra paragraph of rant on the subject... another time.)

12.) Was given a few new responsibilities at the day job and was promoted and given a raise. Sometimes it’s hard to feel like those things are accomplishments, but I know they are. I’m crushing it.

13.) I read! Seems silly. I’ve got my audible, which is great but I feel like I go through phases of just... Getting “too busy” to actually read. Which just means I don’t make it a priority. I’ve got a whole stack of tbr and I’m almost halfway through it.

14.) Started meditating! I’ve still got my normal sleep-time routine with the lavender spray, balm, lotion, and lip balm... but I’ve stopped using my sleepy-time music and instead I’m meditating before bed. I’m not consistent-- yet. But I’ve found it incredibly helpful and I’ve head/read so many positive things that meditating does for the mind and body. So. When I have the spare funds I’m going to splurge for a subscription to Headspace, because that app is great.

15.) I’ve been more consistent with studying French! Je parle un petit français! Very little. Like. Please don’t speak to me in French out loud, but if you write to me about certain animals or food I could probably translate a good portion, ha. But I’m noticing real improvements in my comprehension. So. Bomb.

SO. For 2019?

1.) January to April I would like to write “Of Manticores and Other Traps.” I don’t usually give myself deadlines like this for writing the actual book, but I’m really wanting to focus more on pre-release marketing for this third book, and that requires it being entirely finished (like fully edited and DONE) at least three quarters of a year before the release in November 2020.

2.) Present in high school again. I’ve been invited back, so no problem there.

3.) Go to Vegas for Clexacon. I’m so... nervous? for this? But excited. It’s a good nervous.

4.) Stay consistent with gym. I’d like to keep it at three days a week (+Saturday jog) because that’s where I’m seeing the real changes in my body comp. I’ve got 8lb weights at home now, which is great, and even on days I don’t make it I want to keep up my at home workouts.

5.) Keep up with French. By the end of this year I’d like to be able to have a (very slow) real conversation in French. If I stay consistent with my studying there is no good reason this should not be a reality.

6.) Stay consistent with mediation. It helps with my night time anxiety, and it’s interesting.

7.) Get through the tbr pile of books. I feel like that’s a very attainable reading goal, and I’m not counting any books that get added onto it after I post this.

8.) Fill in the new part of the garden. (Small, easy to attain goal, ha.)

9.) Get dogs in a better place when it comes to walking manners and recall. Because I’ve been using the belt so much for runs they’re used to being allowed to pull much harder than I would allow normal. I also haven’t been mega consistent with recall and training. Not their fault, and I’m going to work on it.

10.) Post one bookstagram photo a month. This one... will be more difficult, but it’ll be good for exposure and a fun creative challenge. I have three prepared for this month. After that I’ll slow down.

11.) Get book correction updates to my formatter. (I found three in the final read through. So. Annoying. But. So glad I found them.)

12.) Enjoy more time with friends and family. Preferably sober and during the day time. It’s probably the winter making me feel this way. But. I just want to spend more time outside during the day. At the zoo. Doing cookouts at the park. Laying in the sun. That kind of thing. (yeah it’s definitely the winter making me feel like a lizard in need of sun bathing. ha.)

And I’m sure there are million little goals which I’m forgetting, but those are the main ones. Lets go 2019!!!

#personal #shannon lists yearly goals

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televinita · 3 years

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LUCID DREAMING BUT IT’S REAL

So there’s a Barnes and Noble, unfortunately not super close to me but not terribly far away either, that has a super cool used-books section. Husband and I swung by there yesterday after visiting the Staples next door to test out better computer chairs, and as soon as I entered that section I nearly had a heart attack at the sign in front.

So, the downside is that I’m pretty sure the sign means they’re phasing this section out. The upside is that the sign said...

EVERY USED BOOK WAS A DOLLAR.

ONE. DOLLAR.

Their used books are normally $4-6 for paperbacks and $7-9 for hardcovers, and I would have considered half off those prices to be a pretty sweet deal, but OH MY GOD.

The selection was still enormous, too. I haven’t had access to less-than-$4-books with even a quarter this big a selection for over a year (as few used book sales run during the winter, my last one was November ‘19). So...

I may have gotten extremely giddy and bought almost twenty.

I honest to god just lost my head; this was full on rock bottom LIBRARY SALE pricing. Cheaper than one of the county libraries I go to, in fact, even with the added sales tax that libraries don’t charge, AND most of these books were in perfect condition. Seriously. The majority are hardcovers published within the last 10 years, and their dust jackets look like they came straight off the new shelves. Which may be a problem since I bought some with the intent “just to read” (not available via local libraries) and then release them.

THAT’S NOT EVEN THE END OF MY THRIFTY TALES, THO. The B&N is in a mall, and when I got done with the books and husband was still grocery shopping, I found a Hallmark store in its final week of operation, so although it was nearly empty, everything left was 70% off (schwing! 2 years’ worth of birthday cards at $1-2 apiece. after several years of panicking when I realize someone’s B-day is in <48 hours and having to rush to Target, possessing none of the creativity required to make my own, I’ve finally learned to pounce whenever I see nice cards at garage sales or mega-clearance)

AND THEN I swung by Tuesday Morning and holy cow they still have *tons* of specialty Christmas candy & chocolate that is ALSO 70% off, so I’m basically Harry Potter buying out the trolley on his first Hogwarts Express trip at this point. This was most exciting because I deeply underestimated how much the extensive talk of wizard candy/sweets would get to me during this reread, and I can finally satiate that craving.

(T.M. also has a great selection of kitchen supplies at good prices, and of course the standard oh-god-let-me-hoard-more-like-the-paper-hoarding-dragon-I-am stationery and blank book beauties, but I was pretty worn out at this point and ready to go home. Gonna go back when I have more energy and figure out exactly what I’m looking for/need, though.)

But nothing compares to Barnes & Noble. I keep having to look at my books to convince myself that was not a dream, because I LITERALLY have dreams about going to sales and finding tons of things I want at extremely good prices and I still cannot fathom how this one came true.

Picture to come -- I would list the titles, but in my whirlwind state, I already can’t remember most of the specific titles I bought and I still have them carefully packed away in the bags/don’t want to disturb them until I’m ready for that photo op. They’re mostly YA with a few physically-pretty nonfiction books and an adult title or two. Plus a Folio Society 2017 planner because I know that Folio Society stuff is generally considered Cool; I will decide if I actually want it later).

#me? undoing an entire year's worth of book weeding in one day? it's more likely than you'd think!#honestly though I haven't been this excited about a mall find since i was in college and found an actual used bookstore in the mall #barnes and noble #and now we're gonna stay home and not go inside any other buildings or interact with anyone for at least a solid week

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ajhhand1101 · 4 years

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Wk 35

My 1st real time at a public library

Here is my experience getting my 1st real library card and what I borrowed from the library.

My experience

Me and my Mom were wanting to go to our local library for awhile now but because of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic it was closed. Then on Tuesday (I believe) it said it was open with 25% capacity so we went that day. I wanted a library card and my mom wanted a new one because her old one expired and she didnt know it did until she used it recently. All we had to do was put in info for the system and sign on the card and it's all mine. I went straight for the Manga and Comics/Graphic Novel section while my mom went for the audiobook/romance section. We were in there for about an hour just looking to see everything. Here is everything I got with brief descriptions of what they are and why I got them.

What I got from the Library

Jojo's Bizzare Adventure Part 1 Phantom Blood Vol. 3 (the final parts of Phantom Blood)- even though its the final parts I know what happened because of the Anime adaptation, it's still awesome to see where it started and it has awesome art from series creator Hirohiko Araki. It's a story about a descendant from the Joestar Family named Johnathan as his dad adopts a person named Dio, who turns out to be evil with the use of this powerful mask called the Stone Mask, turning Dio into a Vampire. It's an amazing series that I would reccomend.

Dragon Ball Z Vol. 1- This is my 1st time with anything Dragon Ball related besides the memes and watching some of the clips or playing some of the games at other people's houses. I just started reading today but it's a good book so far. Surprisingly I found it in the kids Graphic Novel section rather than the Young Adults Graphic Novel section. Its created by Akira Toriama who has also done art for the Dragon Quest series of Games and is good so far and I'm sure it'll get better as I know the story better.

Mega Man Gigamix Vol. 1- I never knew that Mega Man had a manga so I basically picked it up because I love Mega Man and it sounded cool. I havent got around to reading it yet although I will soon, but I can assume that it's about Mega Man battling Robot Masters in space from what I flipped through.

X-Men: God loves, Man Kills graphic novel- Written by Chris Claremont (the influential writer known for his 16 year run for the X-Men) this is an original story and is known as one of the most important X-Men stories by alot of people (even though I havent read it yet but i will get to it soon). I heard it influenced the plot of X2: X-Men United which is a really good X-Men movie so I'm excited.

Conclusion

There is my 1st real experience at a public library and what I got from there. I hope you enjoyed my 2nd to last blog and my last real blog about my usual topics. Have a great week and stay safe 👌👌👍(also here are the books I got and their covers, because they appear at the bottom idk)

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trulyowenfree · 4 years

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Why Norwood Fisher might think I'm the Devil!

Well, after that random roadside run-in with Johnny Knoxville (see my last blog entry), you can bet I was ready and gunning! With game stickers in hand, and the tie-straps of my backpack (it's an old olive-green canvas military one) halfway undone, so I could get into it quick. Even though it's not what I expected when I went to LA, or certainly not what I went there for, serendipitously meeting one mega-celebrity had me vow silently to myself...that the next one wasn't gonna get away so easily. After such a huge 'defeat' I decided very firmly, that if I ran into any more celebrities on that tour, like Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, or even Crispin Glover...then I was gonna make darn sure that I at least got a book into their hand. And hopefully even tell them something about my TV and Movie ideas. Though of course...I also really didn't think any of that kinda stuff was gonna happen again. Not to goofy old me anyway. But, if you are a True Fighter like I am, then every defeat you get handed is only an excuse to fight harder, and so that's exactly what I did. I hit those sweet old LA streets the very next day! Right back out there, trying to make my own Luck! And I even put that lucky Devil Pin on my hat (the one I found on the train down from Seattle) to see me safely through the city. This time I caught the train out to Santa Monica, and planted stickers all around the college. Then I hit the library and handed out some more fliers until the cops started looking my way, and you can say whatever you want about the folks in Los Angeles, but most of them are at least half-friendly. I mean, nobody threw the fliers back at me or anything, but no one really seemed like they cared a whole bunch either, and I even found a few of them cast down onto the ground around the corner, like brightly colored leaves that had just fallen off the Give-a-Damn Tree. So of course I picked them up, because nobody likes a litter bug...and they also have a link to my website, right there on the front. Next I rented another scooter and cruised down the beach-path through Venice, and on to Marina Del Rey, where boy-oh-boy do they got boats! My skull and crossbones stickers didn't look out of place at all either. Not there among all the sailboats and mega-yachts. Like any minute now a group of Real Pirates might shamble down the sidewalk and invite me out to lunch or something. Or maybe even rum, but I only drink coffee now.

I stopped off at the library there too, and people seemed very responsive when I told them about my books and handed them a flier. People who live on boats tend to be a literate lot, since cruising often has a bunch of down time to it, and books don't eat up your batteries. So a well stocked library is a fine addition to any good vessel, and especially books about pirates and treasure, or even just a few short sea tales, or traveling to another country. After Marina Del Rey I headed back to Venice, and my dear readers...I have to tell you...that place is kind of a Heartbreak now. It used to be one of the most magical parts of the Los Angeles metro area, or am I wrong? More than many other places in the City of Angels...Venice will make you feel like any second you might become famous. Like any given moment you and Roller Skate Guitar Guy might end up on the big screen, or that some big producer might spot you loitering by old Muscle Beach and ask you to be in their film. And the Boardwalk... But now...in late 2018...the whole neighborhood smells like some kinda' thrown-away-dirty-hippie-super-polluted-gutter-punk-Hemp-Fest; with two-block long piles of garbage, and super depressing homeless encampments in almost every alley. Even all along the main sidewalk at the beach, like nobody cares at all anymore, or like The Desolation has just gotten so far out of hand now, that there just is no way to ever catch up again. Like there really never was a way to take care of everyone, and we are all on our own now. Welcome to Hell. And don't get me wrong either, I'm not against Marijuana legalization or even Weed itself, but when it's all you can smell all day, and there are kids and families around, but so many crowds of heavily unwashed people (who are obviously the ones smoking it, right out in the open)...well...it just doesn't have the attraction it used to for me. Which is totally fine actually. I've been meaning to quit anyway, and the outside thought that it might lead me (back) to a life on the streets someday...is a clear and easy deterrent. Nobody wants to be a smelly old street bum. No matter how high or drunk you get all day. But I was just being dramatic above. Ganja by itself will probably never force a person out into a life of blatherskite level homelessness, but it's still a good idea to be careful. I bought myself a new hat from one of the vendor booths along the main drag. A distressed-looking ball cap with the big brown bear from the California flag riding an even bigger bright green surfboard. Then I went to find myself something decent to eat, away from all the smells and commotion. Which wasn't as hard as I am making it sound really, because Venice, California is still one of the hippest, coolest, and most interestingly flavorful places on the planet, so I ducked into one of the many colorfully decorated breezeways off the main boardwalk and found a cute little one-of-a-kind coffee shop to get a sandwich from. Two fried eggs on good wheat toast, with broccoli sprouts and feta cheese...and yes oh yes I poured a whole bunch of hot-sauce on there too. Then, what was shaping up to be a super-fine day turned into an even brighter one, because when I stepped back out into the courtyard a long thin and lovely Mocha-skinned lady was sitting at one of the tables underneath a brightly colored canvas umbrella, and she smiled really wide and toothily at me when I looked her way, so I walked right over and sat down next to her. I guess I must have looked like Mr. Confidence about the whole thing too, because she even cleared all her papers and books over to one side of the table, just so I could put my plate, cup, and backpack down. But, if you've ever read anything else I write, then you know darn well I was actually coaching myself through each and every played-out moment, like: “Oh man, you're doing good, Free...don't screw it up. Just keep your cool and do not let her know how fine she really is. Holy crap! Look at those...cheekbones. Ah ha ha ha!!” (Look, I'm really only asking your opinion here, but do you guys think it means a person is clinically crazy...if they laugh out loud at their own jokes---but only inside their own head...a lot? OK...maybe even all the time. Well? Huh? Does it? Wha'd'ya think? And...what about if it echoes?)

Her name was Nadia and she said she lived over in Inglewood, but liked to come out to the beach to visit her mother in her condo. She reminded me of a dancer as we talked, with quick graceful movements of her long lovely hands, and an evil-sweet toothy smile that could melt the paint right off a gas pump from fifty yards away. Nadia smelled like some kind of bright purple flower too, so I leaned in close as we spoke, just to breathe in as much of her as I could. And she didn't seem to mind at all. “So what brings you out here to LA? You come down to try some of this Cali bud? Shit'll knock you right out if you ain't careful...” “No honey, I'm visiting from Colorado, and we have all the Weed you could ever ask for. It's like going to Baskin Robbins or something; 33 flavors in every store. I'm actually out here on a book tour, to promote my new Treasure Hunt Game. I write coffee-table adventure books, and if you solve the puzzles inside...you could be the first to find my Hidden Pirate treasure.” I took out a copy of the first book, and I even had a couple copies of Three Short See Tails with me too, so I laid them out on the table for her to look through, while I bragged about myself some more. But don't be trying to judge me for it either. You would have pulled all the stops out for this girl too. I mean it y'all...she was fine! And the sizzling hot idea of me scoring even one of her Cappuccino kisses made it seem like the whole rather uphill tour might just pay off after all. Yes! “So you're a real shipwreck treasure hunter? Wow! Man, my horoscope even said I was gonna meet somebody interesting today, but I didn't know it was gonna be someone like you. This must be our lucky day.” The way Nadia looked at me right then, with just a bit of flush to her cheeks, and dilated auburn eyes, let me know she really meant what she said, so I took her beautiful brown hand and moved myself even closer, suddenly feeling a whole lot warmer in the cool December air. “I actually have to get going right now, Babe. I'm out here today doing a bunch street-level promo work for my website, and I want to cover as much ground as possible before dark. Sunset comes kinda early this time of year, though not nearly quite as bad as up in the mountains, but I want to try and hit the gym before dinner too. Do you think maybe we could meet up later? If you're not busy...” “I actually am busy tonight.” As she picked up my phone and started typing her number into it. “I have my kids this evening, but we could go out tomorrow night if you are still around. I'd love to show you all the local sights.” She gave me another one of those smolderingly fantastic LA Woman looks, and let it linger even longer just to punctuate her last sentence, so my dumb old heart fell right into it. Pounding so loudly now at the thought of what 'sights' she might have been exactly referring to, that I was totally sure sweet Nadia might even hear it. So I gathered up all my things as calmly as I could and excused myself quickly, before I fumbled and failed, but then made sure to steal a kiss from her velvety fragrant cheek as I walked away. Just in case it was all a dream. Out on the sand again, I ran into a regular looking middle-aged guy running an expensive looking metal detector back and forth across the golden cinnamon sand. We met over by the graffiti walls, near Old Muscle Beach. I stopped him to talk, and he was very friendly, especially when I told him about what I was out there doing, and that I was a detectorist too.

“Yeah, I actually live up there in Ventura, but we come down here on the weekends and do really well sometimes. One weekend me and my partners found six-thousand dollars worth of jewelry. Not too bad for only the cost of a tank of gas! But I sure would like to get down there to Florida some day though. I bet I could really clean up.” I asked him (I think his name was Jonah) if it was OK for me to put a picture of him on my blog, and he said it was no problem at all, so here you go sir, and Good Luck: Next I stopped by the book-store in Venice, to try and consign my work, but the buyer wasn't in so I made my way over to the Santa Monica Pier, sticking my skull-and-crossbones Treasure Hunt stickers everywhere I went in between. On the backs of signs, on light-posts, dumpsters, newspaper stands, and especially onto any pieces of graffiti I really liked. Though of course one has to wonder at the possible efficacy of a sticker-marketing campaign...in a place so very sticker-polluted as Venice. Like everybody who has access to a printer and a pack of label-paper tried to leave their mark at one time or another, but at least I'm not the only one. Santa Monica was totally crowded that day too, since it was a Saturday. Just imagine a half-crushed case of sardines thrown down into a trash compactor, then getting squashed by some gigantic falling boulder. I mean it. We could barely move! And then a box of canned peas and carrots showed up on the very next train. So it was packed! I put up with it long enough to fight my way out to the end of the pier. And I was lucky enough to spot a long silver sea-lion playing around in the foam while waiting around for a fish. The ocean was green and cool-looking, with long strands of red-blue Kelp undulating around the barnacle crusted pilings, and the sounds of carnival rides and screaming children hung in the air like diurnal sonic fireflies. If there even is such a thing.

And it sure is funny how the dank and briny smell of the sea goes so perfectly well with the savory floating scent of hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy. Sorta like mermaids and pirates holding hands. They're not even of the same World really at all, but still somehow just seem naturally made for one another. The sun was getting low in the sky by that time, so I walked into the shopping district on the bluff, to go get some weight-lifting in before dark. I'm not a beef-head or anything either, in case you were wondering, or a gym-nut, health-freak, or even all that into the whole thing really, but I started going to the gym last winter (in Colorado) to keep from falling asleep when the sun went down (at 4pm), and fell totally in love with what a half-hour-a-day on the weights does for my overall energy levels. Plus I have a few deep nagging joint-injuries, from being a construction worker most of my life, and whatever beneficial chemical it is that weight-lifting releases into my body...does absolute wonders for all that stuff too. So yes, I highly recommend it, and especially after you work at a physically demanding job all day. Because then you get the real benefit. Going to the gym, or running, biking, surfing, or even playing sports after you bust your hump outside all day...is like putting the icing...on a steak. Plus, higher-end public gyms generally have really nice showers and saunas in them too, so I walked out of there feeling like a Movie Star or something. Ready to take on the World...again!

The cool evening air felt amazing on my clean and freshly-worked body, while the wafting smells of food and cigars decorated the Santa Monica streets, and I was breathing it all in deeply. I stopped at a food vendor across the street in the park on the high bluff (forgot the name), then leaned on the cement balcony and watched the lights out on the pier as I devoured three more very heavenly tacos. I walked toward the train feeling very satisfied, and was just about to call up Nadia to make the whole day complete, when I looked to my left and noticed a couple walking leisurely beside me, which seemed out of place in the Saturday evening bustle. The man turned towards me a bit so I could see his face better, and I couldn't believe it! It was Norwood Fisher; the bass player and founding member of Fishbone!! “Excuse me sir, is your name Norwood?” “Yeah, that's me.” He replied with a wry little smile. His date was a cute and tiny surfer chick, with shiny blue eyes and a bob-style haircut. She seemed especially amused that her date was getting recognized, so they stopped right there in the middle of the sidewalk, just to talk to me. I immediately pulled up my shirt-sleeve, to show him my Fishbone fore-arm-tattoo, and told him “My name is Truly Owen Free, and I've been a Fishbone Soldier (it's what they call their fans) for a really long time now. We've actually met before. A couple times, and in different towns around the country...but I'm sure you meet a lot of people....” “Well alright! That's very cool man! What you up to this evening?” “Oh I'm just out walking the city and promoting these books I've been trying to write.” As I reached for my trusty backpack. “Would you mind if I gave you one? I think you'll like it.” I handed him a sticker too, then pulled out a copy of How I Became a Real Pirate, and he took that graciously too, but I have to go ahead and tell on myself again, when I say that I was making another mistake right there. And it was because of that stupid Starstruck thing again. Norwood Fisher is one of the most down-to-Earth Rock Stars you could ever want to meet, but for some stupid reason I was getting nervous while I talked to him. I guess part of it is I feel weird for treating someone special, but I was also interrupting his date. It was all inside me though. I was the only one having a problem. If I had been paying better attention I would have realized he was ready to have a real conversation, and was genuinely interested in what I had to say, but of course I assumed otherwise, and I really can't tell you why. But I did manage to spit out, “Yeah, I'm on a multi-city promo tour for my two new books. I'm riding the trains around the country and trying to generate some sales. Grass roots style! Street level.” “Well that's the way we do it!”, as he turned the book over a couple times, to check out the cover. The copy I gave him was the older out-of-print version too (see my Amazon account); with the black cover and only the skull and crossbones on the front, and the somewhat-sinister sub-title that only comes with the full-length novel. And I don't know if it was the very piratical cover that spooked him, or if he was picking up on my nervous vibe, but when Norwood looked up again...he gave me a cock-eyed taken-aback guard-dog look, like he wasn't too sure about me now. Like he had noticed something new about me, which he hadn't seen before, so maybe now he better put his guard up. And of course that just made me even more nervous, so I said “Thank you Norwood. Hope you enjoy it, and there's links to my site inside. You guys have a good night.”, then walked away quickly, before I made it worse. I walked backwards through the crowd, away from the train (?!), so I could cross the street and not seem like I was following them. But then when I started walking up the opposite side, I looked over...and they were walking parallel to me across the busy street. Norwood just happened to look my way at the same time too, and we even met eyes...so now it looked even more awkward! Like I was stalking them, and trying not to look like it! Celebrities are so weird. Of course I called my friend Terrence back in Tarpon City, just as soon as I was on the train. He's the only other person I know who is as big of a Fishbone fan as I am, so I just had to let him in on the story. “Are you serious? And you met him in LA?! Oh man, you are out there living life, my brother Truly! I wish I could be out there with you. And you say you even gave him one of your books? That is amazing. I bet he's gonna like it.” “Yeah Terrence, I can barely believe it just happened, and I was there. I totally screwed it up though. He was being really cool, and I think he even wanted to keep talking, but then I made him nervous or something. And I totally gave him the wrong book too. I gave him a copy of the pirate one, but should have totally given him Three Short See Tails. It even has Fishbone glyphs in it, from my tattoo, but I got all nervous again. I'm such a Starstruck little kook!” “Ahhh, don't be so hard on yourself buddy. At least you're out there trying, and it sounds like luck is on your side, if you ask me. Maybe you'll run into him again, or even somebody else. So you should just keep right on doing what you're doing. But hey listen I gotta run. I'm at work right now, and somebody might have a heart attack if I don't pay attention to these monitors, so let me get back to you later. Good to hear from you, bro. Keep on truckin'!”

But you know I still beat myself up, all the back to my vacation rental, which was really just a bunk in a tiny bedroom...with four other people in it. Not even a hostel really. Just some guys house he was paying off by running an Air-BnB mill. Pretty good trick really, and you would probably meet all kinds of people. Hmmm... I got back to the room about eight, and was feeling so low I decided to call it an early one. I put my bag in a locker and was just about to hang my hat up when I noticed the shiny red Devil Pin winking at me in the lamplight. “Oh! That's probably what freaked him out! Norwood saw the black sinister book cover, and the devil pin...and thought I was The Devil himself or something. Especially with my weird old name, and especially here in LA. 'Cuz I'm sure The Devil has a house around here somewhere. Probably a few...” Fishbone has some pretty strong ties to the Gospel community, and are known to be mostly good and spiritual people too, so maybe Norwood thought I was some kinda evil weirdo trying to get at him. Or at least that's the best I could figure. And that really sucked. What another major fail! Just trying to do something good, but I ended up freaking out someone I wanted to get closer to. Dammit! I vowed right then and there...to go to the very next Fishbone show and explain myself. But if you are an adventurer too, then maybe you should check out my armchair treasure hunt. Bet you can't crack the code. Copyright 2020 Truly Owen Free. All rights reserved. Read the full article

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yarrns · 7 years

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I NEVER thought I would be that person sneaking bags of yarn into the house yet here I am. I am not blaming my local yarn store but since I have been taking a class there, I find myself being pulled towards the siren song of the skeins of yarn hanging on the wall. They just look so lonely hanging on the wall and in their cubbies that I have to take them home!

I had promised myself that I would work through my stash but lately I have not been feeling myself. While I do not think that I am pushing myself too hard, my body has some other ideas so I have been spending time nursing achy body parts and hoping the finger cramps will pass. While I wait for the return to normalish, I have been adding way too many things to my Revelry queue, browsing books that I borrowed from the library and scrolling through Pinterest for ideas.

Here are five patterns that I am working on this October

The Azel Cowl from The Velvet Acorn A friend asked me to make her this sweater and I decided that yes I should! I got some Plymouth Encore Mega in black and bought the pattern and cast on.I am really digging Plymouth yarn! It knits up really nicely and does not pill up as I work it.

The Beth from Hip Knit Hats. Of course it’s a hat! I am going to put it out in the universe…a couple of friends and I are trying to get a table at a local craft show so I am banging out as many pieces as I can!I love this hat. It’s simple enough to work up quickly when I get my procraftination on but enough of a challenge to make it look like I am doing a thing. I am using Lion Brand Yarn’s Wool Ease and it’s working up soft and fluffy!

Boot Toppers So this is one of those things that have been in my stash forever! The Holiday Crafternoon Boot Topper by Amy of Mom Advice has been in my stash for a while. I want to make boot toppers but there is some block on my part for some reason. This kit has everything…the yarn, the needles, the darning needle, the instructions! A kit ready to go!

Socks! Several people I follow on Instagram are participating in Socktober, in which they are making socks all month-long. In the sock class that I am taking at Finely the Knitting Corner we are using size four needles and a worsted weight yarn to work up our socks. I am trying to patiently going through the lessons so that I can work up some socks. My friend Leigh Ann set me up with a Christmas stocking kit that I feel confident to be able to use now. I do feel quite ambitious…errbody may be getting socks for gifts!Check it…Kathy is a wonderful instructor! If you are ever wanting to learn to knit, she will set you straight!

Color way is called Mutant

Plymouth Encore Tweed

Socks for class

Arm knitting This is prep for a program that I want to do for work. I tried this before and was able to make a scarf in under an hour. I would LOVE to do this before the holidays, this way the people participating could have a gift to share if needed but I may wait until after the holidays, a cozy crafternoon type of thing.I borrowed some books from the Library to do some research. The Bee is trying to learn for school so it’s nice to do a thing together.I am excited about both Arm Knitting by Amanda Bassetti and The Chicks with Sticks Guide to Knitting: Learn to Knit with more than 30 Cool, Easy Patterns by Nancy Queen and Mary Ellen O’Connell. I am really hopeful that we can get this program going and make cozy things happen!

I am taking it a little easy this month. Between the return of programs at work, trying to get my body to stop acting a fool and Fall things at home I realized that I DO NOT Have to do all of the things. A few quality FINISHED projects means more than having WIPs all over the place (although I totes reserve the right to have WIPs because me!).

What are you crafty (and maybe not so crafty!) people working on this Fall? I’ll share my projects on Instagram (I’m on there as @sayitrahshay) and want to see yours!

Have fun crafting!

r’s note: Affiliate links are used in this post. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission but please know that all opinions are honest and mine.

Five Knitting Patterns I'm Digging This Fall I NEVER thought I would be that person sneaking bags of yarn into the house yet here I am.

#books #craft #yarnthings #yaRRns

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thewingedwolf · 7 years

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i wanna say it was @autisticminyard that tagged me for this...............or maybe i just stole it from herrrr..........................was it someone else???????? idk man this has been sitting in my drafts for forever whatever

gender and sexual orientation: bisexual lady

star sign: virgo

height: 5"0

hogwarts house: hufflepuff all the way

favourite colour: dark blue

favourite animal: PANDAS!!!! also orcas but they give me anxiety bc they're So Big

average hours of sleep: idfk like i fell asleep at like 3:30 the other day and woke up on my own, fully rested at 10:02 am. But then today I went to sleep at like 4 am and woke up, still super tired, at like 2:30 pm. So it really just depends on how many spoons I have when I first fall asleep.

favourite fictional character: favorite is less of a single character and more a tier for me so there’s a lot. biggest ones are scott mccall, bellamy blake, anakin skywalker, mulan, athena agathon, red riding hood, eowyn, neal cassidy, bran stark, tiana, jem carstairs, and john crichton. also really like naevia, crixus, sansa, santana lopez, martha jones, and glenn rhee.

number of blankets i sleep with: a minimum of two. I've got like five on my bed tho. I've got a thermal, a fuzzy blanket, a fleece, two sheets, and a baby blanket

favourite singer/band: man idek it’s like. i just choose songs here and tehre i don’t really follow artists specifically. i do have every my chemical romance album and gerard’s solo album. also have every song by yuna? i used to be really into bowling for soup and i still cry when i listen to when we die so there’s that.

dream trip: OK PICTURE THIS - I take a long-ish car ride. not so long that i get sick but long enough that when we finally stop it’s like AAAAAAAAAAH SWEET FREEDOM. when i say “we” i mean @shoeeatingshark and my teacher aunt and my mom but only if she’s on like a high dosage of valium or something to mellow her out. at the very least we don’t tell her where we are going so she can’t micromanage the trip. we stay in a cabin at the top of a mountain.

day one, we go hiking and it is pleasant and windy and we have salami and cheddar cheese sandwiches for lunch. we eat at a nice local restaraunt.

day two we spend vegging around our cabin, grilling and watching movies and taking in the sights.

day three we go to some local landmark that probably involves civil war era history and also going down into a cave. we hang out later in some open late water park.

day four we go to an amusement park that is conventionally located within half an hour of our cabin. the lines aren’t stressful bc my mom thinks ahead and gets me a wheelchair so we cut in line AND i’m not in pain. if anyone stares at the young adult in the wheelchair, then dani or my aunt says really loudly CAN I HELP YOU and they move on while i laugh at them.

day five we go the beach because somehow we are located near a beach AND a mountain. it is cloudy but still warm and the water is very nice and not gross like lake michigan so you don’t worry you’re gonna die of some disease if you accidentally swallow it.

day six me and my mom and aunt stay home to do some more lazy shit, maybe go to a local restaraunt while dani gets dropped off at a mountain trail for the day and left alone to look at bugs and fish and whatever it is one does on a mountain. we all shower and then see a live show, doesn’t have to be broadway standards, local theater is just as cool.

day seven we all go home but of course there is lots of stopping on the way and we take pictures and shit.

dream job:

I run a library. it is difficult but fulfilling. in my spare time i write a book that gets on the bestselling list for a few weeks. it doesn’t get mega popular but it gets a shitton of critical acclaim and i’ve got a good following if not a large one and i made enough money that i can afford to take a day off if my body hurts.

when was this blog created: five years ago, almost exactly, since i made it in june of 2012 (sure-ashellaintlost was made in....November i think of 2011)

current number of followers: like 500 ish i think

what made you decide to make a tumblr: i was obsessed with the social network (i know i know) and stalked the blog of someone who blogged about it. eventually i got tired of bookmarking all her posts and just made a tumblr so i could like the posts. but idk i just wanted a blog that focused on love bc i was 15 and sad and lonely so i made this side blog for...everything else. and it wound up being a little better bc then all my irl friends follow my other one and i complain about them here sometimes lmao

i TAG @alchemisticarus @graphicallyill @itcomesbetweenus @ribbon-couture @shoeeatingshark @monstersandheartache @reallivemannequin

#ask box shenanigans #accurate.#this has met my typing quota for the year lmao god my wrists are awful what is wrong with me i need to go back to the doctor once i get paid #rani makes text posts no one will read

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kennethmontiveros · 4 years

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[Watch] How Procurify Scored a Ton of SaaS Demos with ABM & Landing Pages

It’s the kind of mega-growth story anyone starting a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company dreams about.

You and a couple of friends have an idea for a product that fits a clear gap in the market. You pitch at a local startup event, which lands you in a growth accelerator, which also leads to your first seed funding. You spend that money hiring and building out the software. Before long, you’re closing your Series A, then your Series B. You’ve turned that original idea into a fast-growing SaaS platform serving hundreds of customers.

The co-founders of Vancouver-based Procurify—Aman Mann, Eugene Dong, and Kenneth Loi—made that dream a reality. As of 2019, the spend management company has raised over $30 million in funding, counts Mark Cuban and Ryan Holmes among its investors, and is one of the most exciting tech startups in the city.

But as with any SaaS investment, the influx of capital came with a catch. Procurify’s marketing team was under more pressure than ever to keep their growth going—even accelerate it. If they were going to hit their bold new revenue targets, they needed a way to kick customer acquisition into overdrive.

Meet Mark. Mark knows how to engage prospects and get ’em excited about SaaS. Be like Mark.

That’s where Mark Huvenaars and Jendi Logan come in. We had a chance to talk to Mark, the Demand Generation Manager at Procurify, during Unbounce’s 2019 Call to Action Conference. We also spoke with Jendi, Procurify’s Marketing Web Designer, over the phone.

Mark and Jendi told us how the marketing squad overhauled their strategy to become more purposeful in the way they pursued new customers. They did a bang-up job, too. Over several months, Procurify’s team:

Developed an innovative outbound marketing strategy that would help them connect directly with prospects in an engaging way.

Built 50 super-personalized landing pages with a 38% demo rate in a pilot account-based marketing (ABM) campaign.

Started pairing landing pages with video ads, which have a cost-per-conversion that’s just 1/4 what they were paying with search ads.

We were totally blown away by Procurify’s execution of account-based marketing campaigns using Unbounce—and by just how easy it’d be for other SaaS brands to try, too.

Here are some of the highlights from our chat with Mark (but read on for the deep-dive into Procurify’s story):

The Challenge: Increase Awareness & Schedule More Targeted Demos

At Procurify, we’re in full-on growth mode. We’ve expanded our teams. We’re looking at new systems, new tools, new ways to maximize our growth. Our goals have really been elevated.

That’s the dynamic environment Mark steps into when he joined Procurify early in 2019. The company had surpassed 100 employees and was close to securing its Series B funding. It was that exciting, precarious stage for a startup trying to scale up, and there was big pressure on the revenue unit to find another gear.

The Procurify crew playing it surprisingly cool. (They’re poppin’ champagne bottles in their hearts.)

Procurify’s software helps companies streamline purchase requests and approvals. It’s an ideal solution for small and medium businesses, Procurify’s target market. The trouble was that lots of the people who could benefit from the software didn’t know it existed. In fact, most didn’t even recognize they had a problem that needed solving.

At the time, we were really focused on inbound. Someone would conduct a Google search for purchasing software, they’d go into a landing page, and they’d book a demo.

That works when there’s a lot of search volume, but to scale up, we also needed to reach people who aren’t actively looking for purchasing software yet.

The biggest obstacle Procurify faced was awareness. The marketing team needed to develop an outbound marketing strategy that would get their product in front of the people who needed it most. They knew if they could demo the product, people typically started trials of the software at a high rate.

So, the Procurify crew decided to try something new: account-based marketing (ABM). An increasingly popular approach for selling SaaS products, an ABM campaign focuses just on companies matching your ideal customer profile. In practice, Procurify would reach out directly to prospects that were a great fit for the solution based on indicators like business size and industry.

We created an outbound team whose focus is building personalized campaigns and experiences that pull people through the funnel—helping them recognize their spend management problem and letting them know about Procurify as a solution.

Procurify had lots of ideas for ABM campaigns that could get the attention of decision-makers at target companies. After, they’d point these prospects to custom-made landing pages that described the benefits of the platform and encouraged them to schedule a demo. But this newly-formed outbound team didn’t have the technical skills to build pages on their own—and with just one designer, it was going to be a challenge to pull off.

The Solution: Account-Based Marketing (ABM) with Personalized Landing Pages

That’s when Procurify found Unbounce.

Jendi explained how the landing page platform has been key to enabling the company’s more nimble marketing strategy:

It’s my job to make sure we’re consistent in the way that we visualize Procurify’s brand story. But as the only designer on a growing team, I also don’t want to be a roadblock to execution.

With Unbounce, I can create branded templates so the team can actually do things themselves. They can modify it to match their campaign and have the confidence to go conquer the world themselves.

For Mark, the value of Procurify’s new library of landing page templates can’t be overstated.

It’s great when we’re running a campaign and we need something up tomorrow, or today, or even in an hour.

I know that I can hop into Unbounce, I can use one of Jendi’s templates, and it’ll be an experience for a prospect that’s far better than what I’d be able to build with any other tool.

Procurify collects leads through Unbounce-built signup pages for educational webinars. (Click to see the whole thing.)

Procurify’s marketing team can now get on-brand, campaign-specific landing pages up and running in no time. That’s given them the independence they need to execute on outbound marketing initiatives like ABM.

Here’s an example of a pilot ABM campaign the Procurify team set up that combined direct mail and Unbounce landing pages to connect with target accounts. First, the team identified 50 companies that fit Procurify’s ideal customer profile. Then they sent custom swag boxes outfitted with a video screen.

If you got one of these in the mail, you’d *at least* check out the landing page, right?

When people received these video boxes, they flipped it open, it would auto-play a video that’d say, “Hey, you at company.” It was highly personalized. And at the end of the video, it directed them to a dedicated Unbounce landing page.

Each page was tailored to address the prospect directly, including their name and company logo. At the bottom, it encouraged them to connect with a specific member of the Procurify sales team.

The upshot? A whopping 38% of prospects scheduled a Procurify demo from the ABM campaign landing pages:

This landing page is built to address *one person* at Procurify’s target prospect. Talk about personalization. (Click to see the whole thing.)

Beyond ABM landing pages like this, Mark, Jendi, and the team have been exploring other ways to get in front of prospects and tell the Procurify story, like with video ads on YouTube.

Video ads help us tell the Procurify story before people even know that they need a procurement solution. We can send them through to an educational landing page [from the CTA] and seed that intent.

Additionally, these ads really help us build our remarketing lists. So, not only do we capture someone’s attention from the onset—after they click through to one of our customized Unbounce landing pages, we can serve them up remarketing ads that speak to the video campaign itself.

An example of the sort of landing page Procurify might use in their video advertising. (Click to see the whole thing.)

The Results: 38% ABM Demo Rate & Way Lower CPC on Paid Traffic

Given the impressive results from their pilot campaign, Procurify is already planning new opportunities to put ABM into action. And because the marketing team can build personalized landing pages in a jiffy, they can now test and optimize their ideas a whole lot faster.

Here’s Mark’s big takeaway from that first ABM experience:

In addition to connecting with more than a third of target companies, we continue to see the viral impacts of people sharing these video boxes on social media. It was an exciting, unique way to kind of cut through the B2B clutter.

Here’s one of the responses Procurify got on Twitter. Clearly, they’ve made an impression.

The most insane cold reach in ever….! @Procurify pic.twitter.com/tN1x6tiI7R

— Justin Choi (@JustinCie) August 27, 2019

Procurify’s increased focus on video advertising (paired with landing pages) has also been paying dividends. Not only is it a more compelling way to tell the brand story than with search ads, but it’s also significantly reduced Procurify’s cost-per-conversion (CPC) on paid traffic.

The clicks are relatively inexpensive, so we get a lot of traffic to our landing pages. While the conversion rate is only around 0.02%, it’s significant when you consider the volume.

Mark estimates that the CPC for a YouTube ad campaign is roughly 1/4 of what it’d be with search advertising. That’s a meaningful difference.

Get Your SaaS Startup Noticed with Landing Pages

As marketers at a fast-growing SaaS startup, Mark, Jendi, and the others faced more pressure to bring in customers than ever before. So, they got creative. They totally revamped their acquisition strategy and started talking more directly to their target prospects. Based on early results that showed a 38% demo rate for their ABM campaign, it looks like a slam dunk.

Mark credits at least some of that success to adding Unbounce to Procurify’s toolkit:

If I were to recommend Unbounce to another SaaS company, I would say it can grow with your growth. It’s highly scalable. It saves time, and it integrates with the marketing tech stack that you likely currently use.

What have we learned? In marketing, independence is key. It would’ve been really tough for Mark and the Procurify team to pull this off if landing page development and design had been a bottleneck. But armed with a bevy of on-brand templates (thanks, Jendi!), the marketing team is free to launch campaigns as fast as they can dream ’em up.

Wanna give ABM a whirl at your SaaS company? First, figure out how you’re going to get your product in front of decision-makers at your target accounts. Then drag-and-drop together a super personalized landing page that’s sure to get you noticed.

[Watch] How Procurify Scored a Ton of SaaS Demos with ABM & Landing Pages published first on http://nickpontemktg.blogspot.com/

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jjonassevilla · 4 years