#they can be as simple and janky as this one and still work to extend your growing season

[jensownzoo]

Thought I'd throw up some pics of the cold frame I slapped together on my south-facing front porch.

It's mostly made from windows I scavenged this year. There's a bank of them snugged up against the front railing, there are ones on each side held in place with cinder blocks, and the one in back is resting on what I'm using for thermal mass.

It's a row of those Tidy Cats litter tubs filled 3/4 up with water and stuffed into black plastic contractor bags. The plastic bags not only help with the absorption of solar heat, but also fill in the spaces between the tubs. They're only filled 3/4 full because they're inevitably going to freeze at some point--some will crack at the bottom seam but most will make it. I do have plans to go out this weekend on a Styrofoam panel scavenging mission--you know, after people blow all their money on new tvs and stuff on black friday and throw the packaging away. Then I'll insulate the back of the thermal shelf to direct the heat all inward.

The top is just a shower door plus a small window. I can shift/lift them for harvesting and watering.

I've got two regular sized Earthboxes and two smaller in there. The smaller ones are on the ledge and the larger are on the concrete. I've got several lettuces, several spinaches, Swiss chard, and some teeny kale seedlings going. The kale is teeny because the @#@^=$_!! midnight wildlife tore apart the initial transplants when I first planted them in the boxes back in September and I had to restart from seed.

It took me a solid month to work up the energy to put this all together, but only an hour or two to construct. Thankfully, autumn seems to be on a one month delay this year except for one or two short dips below freezing. Looking forward to at least a weekly salad for as long as we don't have another "arctic blast" like we did last year.

[jovial-thunder]

Lancer Tactics devlog

I'm gonna try out posting my ~monthly devlog roundup here as well. These suckers are glorified changelogs with anecdotes and gifs galore. Let me know if this is something you like seeing show up on your dash?

Map Editor

Got units able to be placed/deleted/moved in the mission editor

Can paint/remove command zones in the editor

Can paint minecraft-like terrain blocks in the editor

Can paint/rotate multi-tile props in the editor

Can edit unit character sheets and portrait via the editor

3D maps

Did a bunch of art tests with 3D mech models, provided by GeneralChaos, which we ended up deciding not to go with to keep things simple.

To avoid the can of worms that is animation, we'd have to lean into a static "tabletop minatures" aesthetic which we decided is not a style we want to be stuck with. By sticking with 2D sprites, we avoid falling into a sort of uncanny valley; it's easier to get away with not animating a 2D sprite than it is for a 3D model.

 We also experimented with 3D terrain. We decided to make a rule that the visual style for a piece of terrain should match its mechanical effect: obstructing terrain that you can't move through, such as rocks or buildings, will be in 3D, while non-obstructing terrain like trees will stick with 2D sprites.

Hooking up the 3D camera to follow events like movement and attacks did a LOT for making it starting to feel like it's cohering into an Actual Game™

Implemented cover! And an attack preview! Cover works by aiming a ray from the target to the originator (technically to and from each voxel of each, respectively, to handle size 2s shooting above size 1 cover) and tracking all the terrain blocks it hits (how we'll handle non-terrain hard cover TBD). I think I have it working according to Perijove's cover rules manual, but I'm sure there'll be edge cases to work out. This is a case where things are significantly simplified by working in squares instead of hexes; hexes have a lot more possible weird angles you have to deal with.

Re-added what I'm stubbornly calling Combat Popcorn; little bits of text that pop out when you use abilities and attacks.

UI & game screens

Added ability for the engine to show UI that's anchored to the game world via a little word bubble line but also stay on screen as the camera moves around.

Got word bubbles working; you can now write dialogue in the mission editor, hit playtest, and see it work in a mission! (it does actually translate correctly now; this gif is just from a bug I thought was funny)

Got ability effects mostly behaving appropriately again, including muzzle flashes. The easiest way to handle them ended up being NOT billboarding them so they always face the camera (like all other 2D sprites in the game); instead, I put them on a plane parallel with the ground and just spin them around the unit to point at wherever their target is.

Did some work ironing out our tooltip system. The standard in CRPGs these days is this kind of nested labyrinth of tooltops that you see in Baldur's Gate 3:

I Did Not Want to try and figure out how to wrangle that much UI, so we're instead opting to cap the nested tooltips at the second layer. You can lock a general tooltip for e.g. an action and then mouseover various items within that tooltip to get glossary definitions...

...and then instead of having those glossary tips be lockable/mouse-overable themselves, I collect all related terms to that glossary definition and let you tab through them.

Added skin overlay functionality to the portrait maker, enabling textures like scars, tattoos, stubble, and vitiligo to be applied to just the skin and not extend off into space.

Midway through writing this update, Carpenter sent me this gif of the randomization button working! There's a still a bunch of skintones/assets missing and a few are a bit janky, but it was exciting to start seeing the range of these lil freaks (affectionate) that this editor can create.

Mourning cloak license!

This is the one I'm probably most excited about: I did a bit of a content dive and implemented a basic character sheet + all Mourning Cloak traits and equipment. They don't have fancy graphics yet, but the weapons and systems can be added via the character sheet and used in-game.

It took a little under a day, including adding soon-to-be common mechanisms like bonus damage. This is great news in that it means the engine we've been building for so long in the abstract seems to do a great job in handling comprehensive actual game content, and that it looks like we've set ourselves up for success when it comes time to buckle down on churning that out.

I'm sure other licenses will come with unique difficulties (I fear the day it comes time to do the Mule Harness // Goblin CP) but I'm feeling good about it!

Vertical slice?

Taking a step back, the pressing question on my mind has been "when will we have a playable early access build?"

I was originally hoping for Feb/March, but what we've internally been referring to as the "3D cataclysm" has pushed everything back by at least three months, so the target for the first alpha build is now in May. So, ah, thanks for your patience! Seeing things come together, I've become more and more convinced that moving to 3D was the right call.

[artificialqueens]

Pretty in Pearls, Chapter 2 (Jankie) - Plastiquedoll

read on ao3 💄| previous chapters 

A/N: hi!  here’s a little update introducing part of the ensemble and the dynamics of this story! I don’t know how to write text messages in this format so this is the most you’ll get from me ✌️ so I hope you enjoy it & thanks for reading it <3

-2-

Jackie’s little tips and advice had made Jan’s life so much easier in so many ways she didn’t even hesitate when she stood up in front of the vending machine and pressed the Snicker’s number. After submitting her papers on time –she gained the favor of the head secretary by complimenting her necklace-, she arrived at class five minutes earlier and got to pick her seat, she met a few of her classmates -including a girl that matched her energy called Rock but they couldn’t get to talk much after the professor started the lesson- it was like things were starting to fall into place for her.

Except for one thing…

She heard laughter around the corner and she recognized it right away. When she peeked into it, she found Nathan talking to the same girl he was flirting with during lunch –the girl he had been talking about, for sure- she was even prettier up close with her short skirt and mascara on.

Her heart shrunk but this wasn’t the first time something like that happened. She wondered sometimes how many times a heart could be broken by the same person; people sometimes said that wounds and scars helped to create thicker skin -and maybe- that was the case for her. Even though, it always hurt like the first time.

They walked away together and Jan was left alone, unnoticed. She cleaned her teary eyes with the back of her palm and put a big smile on her face before getting into the copy room.

Jackie was finishing some big pile of copies for a boy and a girl was waiting in line with some papers in her hand. Maybe Jan would bother her, she seemed to have a lot of work to do. She was about to turn around when the brunette spotted her.

“Jan, hey.” Jackie’s face lit up the moment she saw the other girl.

“Hi!” She moved closer to the counter. “I just wanted to drop by to give you this.” Jan slid the candy bar over the surface.

“Oh, you shouldn’t have… I was joking.”

“It’s the least I can do, you’ve done a lot for me today and I really appreciate that.”

Jackie’s heart swelled.

“You can stay if you want to hang out, I’ll be done in a couple of minutes.” She handed the pile of copies to the boy and accepted the bill he gave her. She gestured to the other girl to move forward.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to bug you.”

“You would keep me company and trust me, sometimes it’s needed.” She looked at the girl in front of her. “Simple, double?”

She shyly replied double and in less than three minutes, Jackie had her copies done.

“Have a nice day.” She then turned to Jan. “See, now it’s empty again and in other circumstances, I’d be on my phone so you’re the one making me a favor.”

“Okay.” Jan sounded relieved.

“You can come behind the counter it’s not like I have a vault full of cash or something, college students are broke.”

Jan seemed to be thrilled she could cross that limit, at least Jackie had chairs on that side of the room. The younger took a seat and since the chairs were tall she could let her feet hanging and swing them back and forward. In the meantime, Jackie unwrapped the chocolate bar and took a bite before browsing through one of her textbooks. Jan pulled out her map and some guides to access the virtual classroom as well, she needed to set it up from her phone.

Jackie peeped over. “Are you in the dorms?”

“Ah, yes! I moved in two days ago during the weekend. I’m still kind of lost there but…” She was about to say something else when someone walked into the copy room.

“Hey there, ladies…”

Jan was astonished because that woman was stunning with her braided hair, crop top, and tight jeans. She walked confidently toward the counter and pulled Jackie for a quick hug.

“Long time no see, Miss Cox. How was your break?”

“Hi Jaida, visiting the family, you know. By the way, you look so good.”

“I feel good.” She smiled at Jan. “And who do we have here? Hello, I’m Jaida.” She extended her hand.

Taking Heidi’s previous reaction into consideration, Jan shook it gentler. “Hi, I’m Jan. I don’t work here I’m just new.” She clarified.

“Oh, I see… freshman. There’s nothing to be afraid of we were all there before.” She smiled and held Jan’s hand for a moment giving her reassurance.

“Thank you.” Jan could cry any minute now and it would be the third time in the day.

“Now, some of us are having dinner at that new Thai place outside campus, are you in?” She looked at Jackie and then at Jan. “You can come too, of course.”

“Sure, I’ll be done in an hour and a half. Can I meet you there?” She turned to Jan.

“I really want to but I need to go to my dorm and settle down for a minute. I haven’t finished adjusting and I don’t even know my roommate yet.”

“Oh, you have one of the doubles.”

The younger nodded. “I’m at C dorms.”

“Wait, that’s where Nicky, Jaida’s girlfriend is, isn’t it?”

The other girl nodded. “I can text her if you want, she can show you around the installations.” She pulled out her phone. “Wait, I’ll call her, she hasn’t heard my lovely voice all day long…”

Jan chuckled.

Jaida pressed one number on speed dial.

“Babe…” She put the phone in her ear. “what do you mean who is it? Who do you think it is?” Her tone was playful. “Yeah, I’ll see you there after I’m done here. Did you have a nice day?… Oh, that’s great. Good for you. Listen, Jackie has a new friend here and she’s a freshman who happens to be in the same dorm you are, do you think you could help this little lost lamb?”

The younger pouted and Jackie just giggled.

“That’s perfect, I’ll tell her. You’re the best, babe. Love you.” She made some kiss noises and then hung up.

Jackie looked like she wanted to mock her but one glance from Jaida kept her from doing it.

“Nicky says she’s there right now, her dorm is C-10, next to the hallway. If you get lost look for a platinum blonde girl, gorgeous as hell, thick French accent…”

“Jaida is into foreign experiences.” Jackie explained and Jan had to hold her laughter.

“Listen you, Canadian bitch…” She threatened. “I’m trying to be nice here, don’t ruin it.”

“Jaida is in the same dorms as me, G dorms.” The brunette told her.

“You guys have singles?” She asked in disbelief, both girls nodded. “I wish I had a single.”

“Freshmen never get singles; part of the adaptation process or something like that. But don’t worry, having a roommate during your first year is a fruitful experience.” Jaida pointed out.

“Most of my classmates already met their roommates but there was a last-minute reassignment so I don’t know if I’ll meet mine today or tomorrow, next week…” Jan pouted again.

“On the bright side, you can experience having a single for another day.” Jackie patted her back.

“I have to go but I’ll see you later and I hope I see you around.” Jaida said at both girls after checking the time on her phone. “It was nice to meet you, Jan. Miss Cox…”

“Thank you so much.”

“See you in a bit.”

And with that, they were left alone again.

“I should go too.” Jan packed her things. “Jackie, I can’t stop telling you how much thankful I am… you’re awesome and I’ve known you for like a day but I already consider you my friend… Back in high school, I didn’t have many girlfriends so it is a big deal for me and now I’m oversharing I should probably shut up.”

Jackie chuckled. “It’s okay… I consider you a friend too.”

“Oh! I almost forgot, I don’t have your phone number…” She handed her phone with her hands like an offer. “Would it be okay if I text you and stuff?”

Jackie couldn’t handle this girl.

“Yeah, absolutely.” She typed her number and saved it as Jackie C. “C is for Cox or copy room, your pick.”

“That’s right, what’s with the girls calling you Miss Cox?”

“It’s an inside joke, they always make fun of me for being uptight… it was that or the alternative being «Anal girl».”

Jan almost choked and coughed a couple of times to hide it.

“You know, for being neat and organized.” Jackie was grinning.

“Right.” She covered her mouth. “I’m sorry.”

“I guess it’d have that reaction.” She laughed.

Jan was as red as a tomato.

“I better leave before I embarrass myself more…” She laughed nervously.

“See you later, Jan.”

“You most certainly will.” She said before leaving the copy room.

Jackie took a deep breath; she was screwed.

Jan returned to the building where her room was and dropped by Jaida’s girlfriend’s room before going back to her own. She knocked on the door on dorm C-10 as she remembered Jaida had said.

Not even two minutes later, a girl with wavy blonde hair and icy blue eyes opened the door. Nicky, as Jan assumed, was as stunning as her girlfriend. She was wearing a sleeveless turtleneck white crop top, skinny blue jeans with earrings that spelled «CHA» and «NEL», and stilettos. Jan had never seen someone with a makeup as impeccable as hers and for a moment she forgot she was supposed to say something.

Nicky raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, right! Hello neighbor, I’m Jan… Jaida spoke to you on the phone…”

“Jan.” She snapped her fingers. “Jackie’s friend.”

Her accent was very charming.

“I guess… yeah, that’s me.” She smiled, still kind of nervous.

“I was waiting for you, give me just a second, I need to finish my makeup.”

Wasn’t her makeup already perfect?

“You can come in if you please, you can sit on the bed meanwhile.”

“O-Okay, sure…”

Nicky’s room was nice -all dormitories had the same basic white melamine furniture consisting of a bed, a small desk and a set of drawers and doubles had two of each- but she had decorated the walls with framed magazine covers and polaroids of places in France; the bed was covered with a cream blanket that looked and felt expensive, the desk had a cute picture of Jaida and Nicky smiling at each other, there were makeup products scattered around and a laptop in a corner. She had a full-length mirror with which she kept retouching details of her highlighter.

However, Jan was more invested on the other side of the room which had bright colorful blankets and plushies on the bed, a blanket with a mandala painted hanging on the wall, a smiley face rug, a lava lamp on the desk, and the article she found more intriguing: a One Direction poster.

Nicky didn’t hear any noise so when she turned around and saw Jan staring at the colorful side of the room she explained to her. “My roommate.”

“I see…”

“Actually, she’s a freshman too, you should meet her later.”

“That would be fun.” Jan moved her feet unconsciously.

“So, how did you meet Jackie?” Nicky asked adding some gloss for the final touch.

“I literally met her today at the copy room. She helped me with a form and she’s been nothing but nice to me since then.”

Nicky hummed. “Ah…”

“Uhm… how long have you and Jaida been dating?” She asked trying to continue the small talk.

Nicky beamed at the mention of her girlfriend. “Our first anniversary is in a month.”

“Aw, congratulations. I met Jaida for like ten minutes but she spoke very dearly about you.”

“She may as well…” Nicky looked at Jan through the mirror reflection. “What about you? Are you dating someone?”

Jan blushed. “No… not right now… I’m single.” She said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find someone sooner than you think.”

Jan didn’t want to say that she already had someone in mind but the circumstances weren’t ideal for that…

“Alright, I’m ready. Shall we?” Nicky opened the door and Jan jumped out of the bed.

On their way through the hallways, Jan learned that Nicky was a fashion design sophomore, that she had moved from France five years ago with her family, and that she was very much in love with her girlfriend.

Nicky was also an excellent guide. She explained to Jan everything she needed to know about the dorms way better than the instructor in the morning. She showed her the laundry room –always bring the exact number of coins because that bitch swallows all the money and never gives change-, the communal lounge –we come here sometimes to binge-watch movies or TV shows, last year we spent thirteen hours watching Love Island- and finally the shared bathroom which Jan already knew but it was part of the tour –I don’t care what they say, always wear flip flops in the showers, trust me.

It was almost the time they had set for the dinner and Nicky was supposed to pick up Jaida and Jackie from their dorm.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” She asked when they were in front of Nicky’s room. Jan had already told her she wasn’t going but the blonde still inquired in case she had changed her mind.

Jan nodded. “I haven’t been in my room in all day and… as much as I’d love to go with you guys, I just need a moment to let everything sink and absorb this like a sponge.”

Nicky smiled at her. “Alright, but next time, you must come with us.”

Jan was happy, people would invite you once out of courtesy but twice was a sign they had a really good impression of her and it was mostly thanks to Jackie.

“Absolutely. I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world.”

“Great. I’ll see you around, ma voisine.”

“I don’t know what you’ve just said but it sounded fancy so I’ll take it. Wait, let me see if I remember how to say it… Au revoir.”

“Ah, very good. Bye, Jan.”

“Bye… have fun!”

The first thing she noticed was that the door of her room was open. That could mean either she was getting robbed, evicted, or…

She peeped over the door frame, there were some boxes stacked in the middle but the opposite half of the room that didn’t belong to her was now personalized.

The bed on the left side had pink blankets, pillows, heart-shaped fur cushions, and a matching white fur rug next to it; the white desk was full of textbooks, makeup, and perfumes meanwhile the drawers seemed to be full with clothes now. A black and white picture of Barbra Streisand was hung above the bed, a Marilyn Monroe poster on one of the walls, and a star-shaped mirror with lightbulbs now enlightened the place.

Jan felt for a moment that she had been teleported to a different dimension –Barbie dollhouse, perhaps- because in comparison to her pretty standard side with striped white and blue sheets, organizers, and barely decorated walls, the other behalf looked like a Broadway dressing room. She regretted not buying those yellow Christmas lights she had told her mom were too much.

“Can I help you?” Someone made her turn around.

It was a girl with pastel pink hair, pretty green eyes and long lashes, lip gloss, a pink Juicy Couture tracksuit, slippers, and a box on her hands.

“I live here…” Jan attempted to say, still stunned by the presence of the other girl.

“Oh! So you’re Janice.”

“Yeah, I’m Jan, in the flesh…”

“I’m Rose, I’m your roommate… actually, I go by Rosé because I like to annoy people when they have to write the checkmark… and it also sounds elegant as fuck.”

“Nice.” She smiled. “Did you just get in?”

“Kind of, I guess the people from administration told you the rooms were being reassigned and everything with the dropouts and final counts. I was originally in the B dorms and then that changed but… I’m here now.”

“Oh my God, it must have been a burden to move from there to here…”

“Nah, it’s fine. My former roommate was a bitch so I’m glad I don’t have to share with her anymore. It’s a win for me.”

“I hope so… I’m not a bitch, I suppose…”

“You seem nice, we’ll get along.” She winked. “I’m sorry for the mess, by the way, I thought I was going to be done by now but I still have all these boxes sitting around.”

“Oh please, don’t. I’m sure it’s been stressful to move from there to here in a day.”

“You see, you’re already better than my last roommate.”

Jan smiled. “Let me help you with those.”

“Ah, please, don’t worry about it, there are just a few empty boxes I should take out.”

“I insist.” Jan didn’t wait for a response, she started picking boxes and putting them inside bigger boxes.

“Wait, let me change my shoes then.”

Once they were done collecting the boxes, Jan walked with Rosé downstairs, outside the building where the dumpsters and recycling bins were. On their way there, they started talking about where they were from, their families…

“…and then we moved from Houston again and now I’m here.”

“That’s so cool. So you’re the oldest of the three?”

“Shh, don’t say it aloud. But yes, I’m a big sister.”

“Aw, it sounds like you’re so close with your siblings… I only have one older brother but we don’t get along since we were kids. We barely interact during the holidays and birthdays.”

“That’s sad. I can’t imagine not having a good relationship with my siblings.”

“Yeah, we were like really competitive when we were younger and I was resentful because he always had it easier than me. I had to work twice harder to achieve the same things, you know?”

“Well, now you’re here on your own and you don’t need to compete with him to prove anything to anyone. You can be yourself.”

“Yeah, it’s a relief, I’m not going to lie.” She dropped the last box inside the recycling bin. “That’s it. We’re done here.”

“Hey, I have an idea. There’s a place nearby that sells the best pizza you’ll ever taste around campus. What do you say if we get one and go back to the lounge upstairs to know each other better since we’re stuck together?”

“Sounds perfect, yeah.”

Maybe her day had started a little off but it had been going uphill since the moment she met Jackie. Speaking of which, she should’ve texted her or something to thank her again.

“Wait, I’m just going to text a friend if you don’t mind and then we can get on our way.”

“Go ahead.”

She unlocked her phone and typed a quick message for Jackie C.

To Jackie C.: Hi Jackie, this is Jan! I just wanted to thank you again for being so kind to me since the very first moment we’ve met. I really appreciate it and I hope we can continue being friends this year! Anyway, I just met my roommate and we’re getting pizza for dinner, yay! :D

After pressing send, she followed Rosé’s lead.

They talked some more on their way to the pizza place, Rosé was a theatre major –clearly- and a sophomore like Nicky, she also sang –Jan would discover later on that Rosé liked to sing everything and even made some songs that sounded like jingles- and danced; she promised Jan she would show her some steps someday. Then they changed the subject to Jan’s day and she told the pink-haired girl everything about the chaotic mess that had been her morning, her schedules, professors, classmates…

It was very easy to talk with Rosé, they clicked right away and maybe it was because she was an older sister to her siblings but she made Jan feel like she had gained a sister on her roommate –even when it was soon to say it.

They ordered a pizza with extra cheese, walked back to the dorms with the smoky box and sat on one of the sofas of the lounge rooms –there just a couple more girls watching TV or doing homework so they had the place for themselves basically-, finally, Jan decided to open up and talk about her impossible crush on her best friend. Rosé listened carefully to each word.

“God, I wish we had some wine here… but tomorrow’s school day or whatever. Please, continue.”

“That’s it…? I haven’t done anything and I don’t think it’s worth the risk.”

“What?!” There was cheese on the corner of her mouth but she wiped it quickly. “Are you joking? What’s stopping you from chasing the guy of your dreams?”

“The fact that he doesn’t see me at all… he’s always with some other girl who’s prettier than me.”

“Baby, what are you saying right now? You’re gorgeous.” Rosé held her hands firmly. “Jan, I’m not saying this because you’re my roommate but you’re a lovely person and if he doesn’t want to be with you it’s his lost… one hundred percent.”

“Thank you.” Jan sobbed. “Are all the girls here this nice?”

“My former roommate certainly doesn’t fall in the category.” They chuckled.

“It’s only… I’m never around girls this much and you and Jackie and…”

“Jackie? Who’s Jackie?”

“Oh, Jackie is a friend… she said it’s okay if I call her a friend. In any case, she’s the girl that works in the copy room and she helped me right away with my papers and had lunch with me when I was upset about Nathan… she’s really great.”

“Wait, I might know her from the copy room. I don’t mean to contradict you but she always gave me «don’t come too close or I’ll kill you» vibes, but maybe it’s just me.”

“No… it can’t be, maybe you’re mistaking her for someone else.”

Jackie ignored everyone’s inquisitive stares and pretended to read the menu.

Jaida, Nicky, and Heidi were waiting for her to say something meanwhile Widow had no clue what was going on.

After the waiter took their order, the menu-shield she had was gone and her friends were still eager to know what was on her mind.

“What?” She finally broke the silence.

“So this girl Jan… she’s a real sweetheart.” Nicky casually commented while drumming with her long acrylic nails on the table.

“She is… She’s also very straight so don’t even try it.”

They all protested and grumbled.

“Wait, who’s Jan?” Widow finally dared to ask.

“To my knowledge,” Heidi began. “She’s a freshman from New Jersey that plays baseball.”

“And Jackie looks at her as if she had hung the stairs in the sky.” Jaida pointed out, exposing the brunette.

“Oop-” Heidi eloquently added.

“That’s not true.” She objected. “Don’t believe a word from what they say, Widow. The girl was lost and I helped her out, that’s it. She also happens to be friendly so we had lunch together.”

“Didn’t you gain a reputation for being this severe resting-bitch-face girl from the copy room?”

“Yeah, because otherwise, freshmen stick to you like ants to honey. Look at Heidi, I was nice to her once last year and now she’s here permanently.”

“Hey!” The girl complained.

“But you let her be behind the counter,” Jaida called out. “you don’t let anyone do that.”

“You don’t even let us do that.” Nicky continued.

“You can walk across the counter?” A very confused Heidi asked. “Is that allowed?”

Widow who didn’t say anything observed how everything went down while sipping her drink, amused.

“Listen, all of you, Jan is straight, repeat it and memorize it. She’s in love with some baseball player named Nathan she met when she was ten and she probably has already picked a wedding dress and the name for their children so I don’t see the point of this… suggestive… conversation.”

They remained silent, just at that moment their food arrived.

Jackie was starving but before she could taste the first bite, her phone vibrated inside her purse.

It was from an unknown number but it was the text message she had been waiting for.

From Unknown Number: Hi Jackie, this is Jan! I just wanted to thank you again for being so kind to me since the very first moment we’ve met. I really appreciate it and I hope we can continue being friends this year! Anyway, I just met my roommate and we’re getting pizza for dinner, yay! :D

Oh, thank goodness her roommate was nice.

As soon as she read her name, a smile grew on her face and didn’t go unnoticed.

“Is that her?” Widow asked Heidi who was sitting next to Jackie.

Heidi tried to snoop over her phone and carefully nodded in affirmation.

Jackie glared at them.

“She’s just saying thank you.”

“I’m not concerned about the content of the message, it’s the reaction you had to it.” Jaida looked at her friend in the eye. “Jackie, you’re one of my closest friends, I just don’t want you to get hurt for liking a straight girl.”

“You don’t need to worry about it; I’m not going to catch feelings for her.”

Her friend squinted. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

“How did you save her name?”

“Excuse me?”

“On your phone. Is it Jan or is it Jan plus some cutesy emoji?”

“What’s that have to do with anything?”

“It has everything to do.”

The brunette rolled her eyes “I just saved it as Jan. Like I have you all listed. Happy? Can we eat? I’m hungry.”

“Okay…” Jaida cut the slack. “I’ll take it.”

“You had me saved as «Heidi freshman» for over a year.”

“And now you’re «Heidi sophomore».”

To Jan 🐻: I’m glad I was helpful today and it’s so great to hear your roommate is actually nice. Know you can text me whenever you want or come to hang out with me to the copy room :)

[self-loving-vampire]

Fallout: A Post-Nuclear Role-Playing Game (1997)

The Fallout series is currently kind of a big deal, but to date I think the very first game has the strongest atmosphere out of all of them. From the start, this game did many things right and expanded the way choice and consequence figured into the RPG genre.

I recommend playing it with the Fallout Fixt mod.

Summary

Fallout is, unlike the more modern games in the series, an isometric RPG with turn-based combat and a much heavier inspiration from tabletop roleplaying games.

Rather than using a fantasy setting as is the standard for this type of game, Fallout takes place in a post-apocalyptic world with a retrofuturistic aesthetic and a more mature atmosphere. This automatically made it stand out from the crowd, and then the game’s approach to quest design and character-building solidified its place as a classic.

Freedom

In terms of player freedom, there are few games that manage to even reach the same level as this one.

When designing Fallout, the developers tried to include at least three potential solutions to many of the problems the player may encounter, using the game’s robust character creation system to allow all kinds of characters to have options for how to proceed.

For example, an early quest involves rescuing a girl from a raider gang. Your options include fighting your way in and out of the place, using stealth to sneak to where she is and pick (or blow up) the lock, use your speech skill to intimidate the raider into releasing the her, purchasing her freedom, defeating the raider leader in a one-on-one unarmed fight, or even impersonating the leader’s father for her release.

To be clear, not all quests have quite this many options, but there’s still usually a few, including some that may not be obvious when playing certain kinds of characters.

This famously extends to the end of the game, where it is possible to overcome the final challenge without engaging in combat.

On top of quests having multiple solutions, the world itself is completely open, gated only partially by the fact that certain areas are populated by more powerful monsters (and even then, it is possible to avoid them).

While there’s never enough options and I can think of a couple of places where I wish I could have had different ones (such as during the very last conversation in the game), the game is generally doing a lot of things right on this front, especially for its time.

Many of the game’s factions and settlements also have various different endings depending on the player’s actions.

Character Creation/Customization

This is another aspect of the game that won over many RPG fans. The character creation uses the SPECIAL system, invented for this series following licensing issues with GURPS. 

It is a versatile system with three main components: Your SPECIAL stats (Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck), your skills (three of which can be tagged at the start of the game, gaining a bonus and increasing faster), and your traits.

Traits in particular were optional features that would grant your character both a bonus and a penalty. For example, the Fast Shot trait makes some of your attacks faster (consuming less action points) but at the cost of being unable to make targeted shots.

And it does not stop there. Fallout had “Perks” that could be gained every 3 levels, which could grant a variety of rewards, some of them very significant. For example, the Better Criticals perk makes your critical hits more devastating, sometimes even enabling them to become instant-kill attacks regardless of the target’s remaining HP. From what I understand, this perk system may have been the genesis of D&D’s feat system too.

However, the real strength of this character system lies in how the game implements it. Both your stats and your skills will affect what dialogue options you have available and what actions you can successfully take in the game world.

This might sound like it should be the default for any RPG, but you might be surprised to know how many games, even otherwise very good ones, don’t seem to even try to implement something like this. 

Many other games, even today, don’t let you specialize your character in any way outside of combat. All characters have access to all options and your stats don’t affect anything but combat.

It’s not all positive, however. There are some balance issues to be found.

In particular, Intelligence and Agility are overpowered, as is the Gifted trait. There are also many skills, traits, and perks that are of marginal usefulness at best. Skills like Throwing, Traps, or Gambling (for example) just don’t come up very often or provide meaningful advantages over other skills even accounting for the fact that a pretty low gambling skill is enough to gain essentially infinite money.

Story/Setting

This is really the part that draws people to the series in the first place. There’s just not that many post-apocalyptic RPGs out there (Wasteland and UnderRail come to mind).

The story is relatively simple. Nuclear war has largely destroyed civilization, your ancestors survived by hiding in an underground shelter called a Vault, but the water processing chip broke and now you have 150 days to find a replacement before your entire community dies of dehydration.

The search of this replacement has you leave the vault for the first time in your life and explore the wastes, and the many diverse communities that have begun to grow and rebuild in it.

Many mutated creatures inhabit post-nuclear California, and you soon discover an even greater threat in the horizon. However, this is not an RPG about dungeons and monsters. Most of your time will be spent in various settlements, dealing with other humans.

Immersion

Pretty good overall, though still not on the level as some of my other favorites like Ultima 7 or Gothic 2. The game has day/night cycles and a few simple NPC schedules that help add some life to it, but for the most part what carries this aspect is the game’s solid worldbuilding and the relative reactivity of its setting.

One areas that detracts from the game’s immersion somewhat is the limited animations. For example, NPCs don’t actually “sleep” in their beds, they only stand next to them at night.

Some NPCs don’t seem to have schedules at all either, remaining roughly in the same state and location throughout the day.

However on the net I’d say this is still a rather immersive game, especially if you can apply a bit of your imagination to make up for the lack of animations and background details (some more text descriptions of certain locations could have helped here probably).

One place I particularly liked the first time I played was Junktown, as a couple of quests and events there felt very spontaneous to my then-young mind.

Gameplay

As previously explained, there are a variety of non-combat options throughout the game. In particular I really like how the dialogue works, especially when you compare it to the approach taken in Fallout 3, Fallout 4, and even New Vegas.

In the first two Fallout games, you do not get a [Speech] tag pointing to the optimal dialogue options. You have to think for yourself about what the most persuasive thing to say is, and what your skill does is make the option show up at all. If your skill is not high enough then the option will be not only unavailable but hidden.

I prefer this to the game outright telling you that one of your skills is tied to a dialogue option, as in practice it ends up being the same as marking that option as the correct one most of the time.

And then there’s the combat. A lot of people don’t seem to like it, but I actually think it works fine as long as you set the speed to max as the animations are a bit slow by default.

Besides the speed issue (which is easily fixed), the main complaint about the combat is that it is overly simple. This is not entirely wrong, as even though there is a wide variety of weapons to play with there is not actually that much variety in combat actions: Move, attack, targeted attack, open inventory (for healing), and sometimes burst mode make up over 95% of what you will be doing from start to finish.

There are still some tactics involved in positioning yourself and taking cover from enemy fire, as well as making good use of targeted shots to cripple the enemy. However, the fact that you have no manual control over your party members limits this front. Party members in general are both unintelligent and quickly left behind in the base game, as they don’t improve or equip better armor. The mechanics for equipping them are also rather janky.

However, combat does have its positives too. The idea of targeted shots is great, as are the accompanying critical descriptions. The animations and sound effects also make combat extremely satisfying, every hit that lands seems to carry a real weight to it.

There is also some nice variety to the death animations. Where more recent games in the series largely just have people’s body parts explode or instantly transform them into piles of ashes/goo, Fallout 1 and 2 feel like they have much more in this department.

Aesthetics

While the non-combat animations are not too good, there is a lot to like about the general art style of the game, from the architecture to the incredible talking heads various NPCs have.

The atmosphere of the game is also amazing, not only due to the way it looks but also because of the dark and ominous soundtrack (give me this over 50s music any day) that helps make the world feel appropriately desolate and perilous.

Even just the game’s intro shocked a generation and clearly marked Fallout as something dark and different.

However, this game’s atmosphere goes beyond sight and sound. The gameplay helps to heighten it. Combat is very lethal even if not always difficult, and the lack of clear initial directions beyond “Try Vault 15″ also helps the players feel appropriately lost until they find a lead.

The talking heads in particular have aged extremely well. I would say they even look better than a lot of modern RPG graphics.

Accessibility

The same lack of direction I just praised might be off-putting for some, and while the game is mechanically very simple there is no tutorial. This alone can make some modern players fail to understand some of the core mechanics.

The quest log is also rather non-descriptive, so it can be easy to lose track of some details unless one takes some additional notes outside the game.

However, the game’s manual is not only complete and written for people new to RPGs, it’s also quite fun to read. A lot of people these days just don’t seem to think of the manual as something they should look at, but it helps to keep in mind that older games typically require it.

Don’t let the size of it discourage you either. You don’t need to read the whole thing at once and a lot of it is fluff or things you might already know from other games (like how to load or save your game). Just look at the index and see what might be good to know from the start.

Conclusion

It should be no surprise when I say that this is a game entirely worth playing, whether you are an existing fan of the series or not. Like many of the other games that I have reviewed and will review in the future, this one has great historical significance on its own on top of having many positives even when compared to the more modern games in the series, especially in terms of aesthetics.

Furthermore, the game is pretty short. It can easily be completed in about 20 hours or less for a first playthrough, and yet it offers so much more than that due to the many options and replayability it provides.

There is really no other game quite like this. Not even the few other post-apocalyptic RPGs that exist, not even other games in the same series (including Fallout 2). I would call this one of my favorites.

[babystrollerreview]

Costzon Lightweight Umbrella Travel Baby Stroller Review

·         Cost : Around $56 - Available on MrStroller.COM

·         Pros of CostZone Umbrella: Iron casing, Lockable back wheels, ASTM F833 Safety Standards

·         Cons of CostZone Umbrella:  Shade

·         Synopsis: This light-weighted kid buggy is flawless to convey your little child and free your hands

·         Our Rating: 5/5

Purchasing things for a youthful tyke can more often than not be a test, paying little heed to whether you're buying sustenance, toys, or whatever else for them. The great part about those past two items are that they're not costly enough to give you a lot of inconvenience on the off chance that you wind up purchasing an inappropriate one, not at all like Child Kid Buggies.

The issue with infant carriages is that they will, in general, be more costly than other infant items, so on the off chance that your kid doesn't wind up loving it, at that point you might be out two or three hundred dollars. There's a great deal to think about when picking the most Ideal Child Kid Buggy, extending from value point to toughness, however, we're here to help.

The Costzon child Stroller is a compact model that is intended to be anything but difficult to move, and we're going to survey it in this guide. Travel carriages are planned with the goal that they can be collapsed up into an increasingly reduced shape, and this model from Costzon is one of the top alternatives. That is the reason we'll be checking on it today.

In our total manual for this item, you'll discover data about valuing, specs, results, and what others need to state about this child kid buggy. We're likewise going to investigate two of the highlights that you ought to consistently scan for in a top-quality travel kid buggy and that is what we're going to cover first.

Costzon Lightweight Umbrella Travel Baby Stroller Features

Likewise, with some other item, one of the main activities before you even begin shopping is setting a spending limit. When you have a strong spending plan, you'll be less inclined to overspend on your new kid buggy. Selecting the Correct Kid Buggy is somewhat more muddled than picking the most costly one, as there are a lot of expensive models that do not merit the cash.

Nonetheless, you'll likewise need to make sure that your picked item isn't excessively shoddy, as spending models are known for being less tough than mid-range and top of the line carriages. The cost can influence different parts of your kid buggy, including its size, the quantity of highlights that it accompanies, stockpiling, and the sky is the limit from there.

Climate Resistance

Another pivotal quality to scan for in another CostZon Infant Baby Stroller is a reasonable level of climate the opposition, and that is made conceivable by the umbrella and the material it's made out of. You'll need to search for a kid buggy that is made out of water-safe fabric, as that will keep it from spilling because of sudden downpour.

The umbrella will likewise need to give enough inclusion, and that is one of the principal drawbacks of compact models, as their umbrellas, are generally too little to even think about protecting from anything other than a minor downpour. Remember that youthful youngsters are substantially more helpless to rain and temperatures than we are, so climate obstruction can be a basic component.

About The Costzon Umbrella Travel Baby Stroller

Specifications of Costzon Umbrella Travel Baby Stroller

·         The utilization of a rock-solid steel casing improves solidness

·         Creases up with a couple of steps

·         The overhead shelter is discretionary

·         Furnished with a five-point saddle

·         The stopping brake can be enacted by foot

·         Work bushel for capacity under the seat

·         Comes in three distinct hues

On the off chance that you need a moderate travel baby buggy, at that point you'll presumably like this one from Costzon because of its incredible form quality and the differing highlights that it comes included with. For the individuals who like customizing their child kid buggy, you can even discover this item accessible in three unique hues: dark, dim blue, and red.

When purchasing a reasonable child kid buggy, the primary thing that you're going to need to ensure is that it's well-made, and that is not a worry with this item. The Costzon Infant Baby Stroller highlights a full steel outline that makes it progressively impervious to harm, which additionally improves its normal administration life.

This model is likewise shockingly simple to overlap up and convey, and the directions control you through the procedure plainly and compactly. Regardless of whether you've never utilized a compact baby buggy, this one will be anything but difficult to become accustomed to. There is even a removable covering that can give cover from the downpour.

In the event that you're worried about wellbeing, at that point, you'll likely value the consideration of a five-point outfit on the seat, as that will keep your young one as secure as would be prudent. There is even a stopping brake that can be enacted by foot with the goal that you don't need to a hangover.

The base stockpiling bin gives you enough space to keep your youngsters' things with you in a hurry, and it's made of work so it doesn't add to the kid buggy's size and weight. The wheels additionally, move unmistakably more easily than on different items in a similar value run, so you won't need to stress over janky moving.

Costzon Lightweight Umbrella Travel Baby Stroller Colors

What Others Say

Presently we'll investigate what purchasers have needed to state about this Child Stroller in their audits and tributes so you can comprehend what's in store from it when you make your buy.

As we expected, the majority of the audits for this model commended the brilliant value point contrasted with other travel carriages. Some additionally noticed this is probably the least expensive model that still has a leaning back component. Another commentator said that it was agreeable for them notwithstanding their little stature.

The shelter on this model was the objective of the vast majority of the analysis, with a considerable lot of the analysts referencing that it doesn't shield all around ok from sun and downpour. The capacity territory under the baby buggy was likewise censured for being too little to even consider carrying a sensible number of additional things.

Purchasing Advice

As we've referenced a few times in this guide, this is one of the more moderate travel kid buggies around, and it includes a sticker price of around 48 dollars. You can normally locate this model discounted on the web or in stores.

Last Thoughts about Costzon Umbrella Travel Baby Stroller

Much obliged to you for perusing our audit of outstanding amongst other spending child baby buggies available, and we trust that we've had the option to enable you to settle on the correct decision. Tell us what you thought of our audit down in the remarks.

[sfdfmoviereviews]

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

The Event Cinema on Broadway (the one in Newmarket with the intersections, not the one in New York with the theatres) is a great place to watch some trash. I think it’s the faux deco decor, which attempts to marry the interior with the old building’s facade on a budget that wouldn’t get you a nice kitchen renovation. The suspense of disbelief it engenders- “sure it’s all chipboard and veneer. but it’s all in good fun!”- sets the mood for any janky movie you might be in the mood for. And so I made my way to Broadway to watch a Transformers movie. It didn’t help.

I like to start these reviews with a brief synopsis of the thing I have seen, but in this case I won’t. because the plot of this movie doesn’t matter. They have to get the thing to save the Earth and there’s some Arthurian stuff and like a tentacle robot lady and Anthony Hopkins is an old guy in a castle and so forth. It is both completely insensible and completely comprehensible at the same time.

As installment five in this bafflingly long-lived franchise, Transformers: The Last Knight again exploits the skewed expectations of the audience. I should find it remarkable that the ostensibly simple concept of robots that turn into things and fight each other has morphed into an absurdly complex mythos about the secret history of Earth, but from the moment Merlin (Stanley Tucci) declares that he wishes he was ‘sozzled’ the film constantly reinforces it’s notion that we are not here for grounding or verisimilitude. We are here for the grand promises of franchise cinema, the promises of epic scope and heroism and moments and comedy. All else- including any notion that such things need justification- are left at the door.

And so this is what Transformers is about really, a belligerent call to have a good time and to avoid overthinking it. Should you wish to infer some substance from the proceedings, the myriad of script writers attached to this thing have seen fit to adorn it with a theme. Legends are important dontcha know, and out hero Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) is paired with Oxford professor Vivian Wembley (Laura Haddock), who’s field of study is apparently father-induced jadeism towards the Arthurian Legends. Our heroes are induced to go on some Da Vinci Code quest thing by Sir Edmund Burton* (Sir Anthony Hopkins), the last surviving whatever of the ancient order of Whitwiccans. Along the way they learn that heroic legends are important because you, Mark Wahlberg, can be a hero if you believe in them, and it even helps if you haven’t gotten laid in a while so don’t worry about that. And don’t worry, ‘JPL scientist’ (Tony Hale) also learns that science is crummy. Also, repeat after me: Army- good, intelligence service with three-letter acronym- bad.

In the midst of all this, I guess there are some transformers. Megatron (Frank Welker) and Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) are absorbed in some struggle for/against Quintessa (Gemma Tran), the creator of Cybertron or something. Whatever this subplot and/or major conflict of the movie was about, it pretty much existed to justify calling this a Transformers movie.

I genuinely don’t know what Bay et al’s intentions are here. They may be earnest (and egotistical) enough to think the audience is actually following and invested in this great mythology, which for all it’s variances still refers back to the earliest films in an attempt to tie it all together. They may be smart enough to know we don’t actually care, but want to be assured that they do, and so they pepper the movie with references to things we might remember without aiming for a level of nuance that might create the impression that something has been missed.

As for the mechanics of it, the cinematography and editing and music, it is a mess. Sequences are both rushed and tedious, as we flick from one story element to another with no regard given to how it all might tie together. We follow Izabella (Isabela Moner), a kid hero with a robot sidekick who teams up with Marky Mark and his Funky Bunch, but then she spends a good chunk of the movie in abscentia before reappearing at the climax. We get an extended sequence of Decepticon introduction which might be relevant later, except then most of them are immediately beheaded and the rest just kind of fly around with Megatron probably. Whoever edited this thing doesn’t entirely understand how mid-credits sequences work, because the teaser for the next installment comes while the first chunk of credits are still rolling.

Somehow, there is an element of fun here. The banter between Wahlberg and Haddock is funny, when it isn’t excruciating or stilted. Sir Anthony Hopkins is off the chain, revelling in dialogue at great odds with the conventions of the old English landowner he plays, flipping off cops from his Lamborghini driven by his sass-talking steampunk ninja-butler Cogman (Jim Carter). I would not be surprised if others deride this element, but if it were in an MCU movie we would all be clamoring for a standalone film and quoting it incessantly.

You might have been interested in how the film would handle Izabella, given this trailer:

I was expecting to enjoy this greatly, as ‘kid inventor with robot friend and strong moral compass’ is catnip to me. I was also expecting to say that the character represented the success of market driven equality; Izabella not as a groundbreaking character but a demonstration of how the call for greater representation in film had reached even Bay’s ears. In practice she is none of this, as she is introduced and then largely ignored. In a broader sense the film’s approach to representation is incredibly uneven. Gil Birmingham calls out Yeager for calling him ‘chief’, but there are still so many stereotypebots. Haddock’s Vivian gets a much greater amount of agency than I think we have seen from a female character is this franchise, but plunging necklines and clinging outfits abound.

The transformers films would very much like to sell you things. Please buy GM vehicles and Caterpillar construction equipment and get it all from Xin.com.

Performances are irrelevant. Josh Duhamel is back, though.

I don’t know if the above adequately represents Transformers: The Last Knight, because it is so paradoxical. An unintelligible and tonally dissonant morass of franchise conventions, it nonetheless convey it’s intent to entertain with absolute clarity. Is it any good? Well no, not really. But as an exercise in the limits of big budget storytelling it offers astounding insight. But don’t see it.

Tim

*No, the one you’re thinking of was Sir Edmund BARton.

[janajdrennan-blog]

11 Charming Front Door Curb Appeal Ideas That Say 'Welcome Home'

Front door curb appeal is a home's chance to flirt with buyers before they fall head over heels.

During those first lingering moments in the entry area, guests will take their sweet time surveying the scene around them while their agent works to open the lockbox.

Sticky cobwebs, rusted hardware, and peeling paint might as well be garlic breath on the first date. A spotless front step, fresh coat of cherry-red sheen on the door and vibrant flower displays dressing up the porch will have buyers smiling from ear to ear. What delightful surprises are in store for them next?

“Help potential buyers have a connection to your home from the 'first hello,'” advises Sandy Kantor, JD, a real estate agent ranking in the top 1% in Tucson, AZ who also holds the SRES and CRS real estate designations.

So let's get to it-these projects (backed by agents who know the key to buyers' hearts) will get your front door area saying all the right things before anyone even sets foot inside.

1. You Sure Clean Up Well!

To achieve masterful front door curb appeal, your front steps, porch, siding and, yes, the door itself must be free of dirt, grime and debris.

You can get this area sparkling in just 5 steps.

Use a poly-fiber push broom to sweep away leaves and dust from your steps and porch area.

Using a step stool if needed, wash down the siding immediately surrounding your door with a soft-bristle scrub brush and a bucket of cleaning solution appropriate for the material you're cleaning.

For vinyl: Mix a 70/30 water to vinegar solution in a bucket and use it to clean larger areas with the scrub brush. You can also mix a ½ cup baking soda to ¼ cup water solution in a smaller container and use a toothbrush to get at nooks and crannies.

For stone: Mix a bucket of warm water with vinegar or dish soap to create a mild detergent and clean with your scrub brush.

For brick: Remove loose dirt and debris with your garden hose and a spray nozzle. For any mildew or mold problem areas, mix a cup of bleach with a gallon of water and apply with a natural or synthetic bristle brush, but first soak the area to protect the brick.

Remove the screens from your storm door frames and gently remove debris with a handheld vacuum. Using a mixture of all-purpose cleaner and water and a microfiber cloth, wipe them down carefully. Then rinse them with your garden hose on low pressure. If your screen is damaged you can use a simple screen repair kit to fix small tears.

Wipe down your front door using a diluted water and soap mixture. Get windows looking spot-free and shiny with Windex and either paper towels or rags that won't leave lint behind. For any tough-to-reach spots, use an extendable squeegee.

Take a wet rag and clean out all the crevices chock-full of spider webs and built-up debris-check the doorbell, mailbox, house numbers and light fixtures for dust and grime.

“It all adds up,” says Kantor of cleaning your home's exterior. “Buyers will think you have not paid attention and maintained this home. They will assume from the get-go that it's poorly maintained and they may even decline to walk in. Don't make buyers wonder what else is wrong from a poorly maintained entrance.”

2. Get Your Door Looking and Feeling Like New

The entry door is romantically referred to as “The Portal to the Soul of Your House.”

In other words, you don't want to greet buyers with a janky door on its last legs.

According to HomeAdvisor, the most common problems you may face with your front door are:

Sticking and swelling, so opening the door is a challenge

Sagging, meaning the door swing is off

Drafty frame

On average it will cost you $220 to repair a broken door. If you're on the fence about trying to fix your current door or just getting a new one, consider whether your door frame is still in decent condition (that will lower your repair costs).

If you're dealing with small nicks in your door, you can fix minor gouges by sanding the area down, filling it with wood filler, and painting or staining over it.

Finally, don't ignore a lock that's sticking when you try to open or close it. Now's the time to call on your handy spouse to get it fixed, or hire a pro. You want buyers' grand entrance to be a smooth one.

3. Dress Things Up With a Bold Coat of Paint

A brightly colored front door turns heads, period.

But beyond the “wow” factor, some loan types (FHA) will require that you repair peeling paint prior to approving the home purchase. Take care of it now, when fresh paint will also benefit the presentation of your home, instead of waiting until after the home inspection.

There is a science behind mixing and matching colors that can guide you when selecting a shade for your front door. Pick a color scheme that's either monochromatic, analogous, contrasting or complementary using the color wheel. You'll also want to choose something in harmony with your exterior, landscaping, and neighborhood feel.

The color of your front door can also draw out buyer emotions-do you want to evoke confidence, warmth, peace or creativity?

To get the wheels turning, peruse these bold statement shades for inspiration:

Benjamin Moore Moroccan Red

Sherwin Williams Loch Blue

Sherwin Williams Lemon Twist

Valspar Sassy Green

“Paint is the cheapest way to bring a home up,” says Kantor. “Using a bright color on the front door is a big step, and depends on the home. Spanish hacienda styles with an orange door; sunset colors fit well in the desert. A home in the city may work well with bright red. What's important is that your front door looks clean and attractive.”

Paint runs about $25-$40 per gallon, with endless options. Home to over 16 million design photos, Houzz also has plenty of inspiration for bright front doors to help you find the perfect color to make your home stand out from the crowd.

4. Greet Buyers Warmly With a Fresh 'Welcome' Mat

Showing your home will likely require more foot traffic that normal-which makes this the perfect time for a clean, functional doormat.

While something like “Beware of Dog” may make buyers think twice, a great neutral mat will show buyers a clean start to your home.

Here are a few options:

This top-rated Cobham doormat is available in a variety of neutral colors and different sizes to adapt to your space, ranging from $20-$50 depending on size.

Pottery Barn's Kendra Trellis Coir welcome mat is both pretty and modern and would go with any color scheme.

Literally say “hello” with the Sulema Hello Doormat for $30.99.

5. You've Got Mail!

If you have a mailbox or slot on your porch, make sure it's in good repair both functionally and cosmetically. This is a small and simple thing to update; just be mindful of the style of your home and hardware finishes on the porch when selecting a mailbox.

A new mailbox can also be an opportunity to add a small pop of color. Modern homes mesh well with options like this sleek SereneLife wall mount mailbox, while more traditional homes might enjoy the style of this Chicago Industrial Style mailbox. Most styles have options available in the $30-$50 range.

6. Upgrade to Attractive House Numbers

House numbers are one of the first things buyers will notice-especially if they have to squint to make sure they're at the right place!

Having new home numbers will prevent someone from arriving lost and frustrated, and can also make a statement.

According to Better Homes and Gardens, a trusted real estate brand since 1922, your house numbers can be “an extension of the architectural style of your home.”

These unique and customizable house numbers start around $20 per number, and you can choose from six typefaces, five sizes and four different finishes-brushed aluminum, flat black, dark bronze and white.

Image via Emily May

7. Match Up Your Hardware: Swap Out Knockers and Door Knobs

Your freshly painted front door could also benefit from new hardware, such as a knocker and doorknob in the same finish as your house numbers or light fixtures.

For a quick swap and a fresh new look, door hardware sets like these modern satin nickel and traditional aged bronze Schlage options are around $100.

Plus, this thorough guide from Schlage, a long-established lock and hardware manufacturer that's been around since 1920, will walk you through picking a handleset finish based on your brand-new front door color!

8. Wall Sconces Set the Scene With Inviting Lighting

Wall sconces, which look like the light fixtures you see atop lamp posts, are a popular way to brighten up your front door curb appeal.

They're incredibly versatile and come in an array of shapes, sizes and finishes, as you can see with Houzz's display of the most popular traditional outdoor lights of 2018.

Look for products with great reviews and that economically meet your style needs. For a modern home, this Cosette Outdoor Wall Sconce in a textured black finish would be very complementary; the fixture also has excellent reviews, and is under $50.

Installing new light fixtures on your own is a tricky and dangerous job, so your best bet is to hire an electrician. The cost of installation will vary depending on your existing fixtures and wiring.

9. Place Brightly Colored Flowers in Decorative Planters

Nothing adds that dramatic pop of color to your outdoor entry area quite like a beautiful flower display.

Hydrangeas, impatiens, and petunias are all great potted plant selections that offer a full-bodied bloom.

Feel like the options are endless? Use color theory to narrow down your varieties to set the mood you're going for. You should also talk to the garden center of your local hardware store to make sure you're getting plants that will thrive with your sun and water conditions, and won't become a snack to any critters in your area.

Don't leave your flowers in the plastic containers they come in. Display them proudly in decorative planters, like this Rustic Oak Barrel Planter that gives farmhouse feel for $20, or this Cabana Resin Planter that imbues a modern look at a similar price.

10. Create a Front Door Vignette to Tell a Story

If you have a larger front porch, take advantage of the space with a swing, bench, or seating area. Outdoor furniture selections such as these Wood Praiano chairs help buyers envision sitting outside with their cup of coffee in the morning.

Don't have a ton of square footage to work with? Consider a small bistro set like this light-green Quebec 3 Piece from Wayfair. Place a small planter on top of the table or stage the scene with a bowl of lemons and two (unbreakable) cups reminiscent of a day well spent sipping lemonade on the porch.

If you already have porch furniture to work with, then make sure it's in good condition and grab some fresh coordinating outdoor pillows with bright and fun options as inexpensive as $5.

11. Ding Dong! Don't Forget the Doorbell

At the very least, make sure the doorbell is in good working order (and free of dirt and cobwebs)!

The cost of getting a doorbell fixed ranges from $228 to $354, but you don't want a buyer to test it and disgruntledly realize it's something they'd have to get fixed upon moving in. Talk about a buzz kill.

If you want to show buyers that you've kept your home up to date and embraced technology, then consider a smart doorbell.

A smart door bell's cameras work with your smartphone, showing you who's there and adding a layer of protection to the home with minimal financial investment. An added perk is the ability to see who is showing up to tour your home and when, even if you aren't there.

Simple models run around $60, such as the Zmodo Greet wireless doorbell, while higher end models with more features include the Ring Video Doorbell Pro for $250.

Front Door Curb Appeal For a Dazzling First Impression

Kantor reminds sellers what the true goal of front door curb appeal is:

“Worn out screens, old hardware, a lock that sticks-they're all important things to take care of. I've had buyers say 'I don't even want to see this house' when approaching the front door. You want them to fall in love the first time they see it.”

With a little elbow grease and smart purchases, you can make sure that when buyers take that first step inside, they are already swooning over a home that's a total catch.

[samuelthorpfutureworks-blog]

XB2178 - Specialism

Goals for specialism

My aim within the industry is to become a narrative designer, a role that combines both gameplay and storytelling, as such I felt a fitting specialist project would be to create my own dialogue system as well as a story, characters and dialogue to go with it, which I felt worked well towards my aim, I was also planning on doing all the modelling for the assignment as well.

For the first part of my specialism I focused on just getting the framework for the dialogue system working, a challenge in itself given the sparse resources on the subject of dialogue based systems, the few that are out there are limited and outdated and inevitably lead to more problems down the road anyway.

However by the end of the first semester I had a solid, if not a little janky, working base to build upon going into my second part of the project, where my goal was to improve upon the system as well as write a story and dialogue with about seven characters to talk to.

Of course not everything goes to plan, in fact it rarely goes to plan, as such there were numerous changes throughout the project for a number of reasons, some good and some bad.

Modelling

One of the first major aspects of my plan that I changed was myself doing all of the modeling for environmental assets and for all of the characters as well, I instead opted to use premade assets and to do none of the modelling myself, I changed this for a number of reasons but the most prominent would have to be that it was for the most part irrelevant to what I want to specialise in, nameley narrative and gameplay. I felt this would have distracted from the more important areas of my project and at the same time they didn’t really push me towards my own goals. This combined with me being somewhat burnt out when it comes to modeling for sci-fi environments ultimately led to me deciding against doing the modeling for the level. This would also free me up to work harder on both the dialogue system and actual dialogue for the characters, as well as giving me additional time to bug fix and refine the game rather than rushing out a project that does everything in a medicor fashion.

In the end I feel this was definitely the right call for the project as to try and do all the modelling would have only led to lesser results on all fronts

All environment art assets were acquired from the unreal marketplace, all character models and animations were acquired from Mixamo

Amount of characters

So when planning out the story and characters for my game I had planned on their being more characters than ended up being, I envisioned about eight characters in the game that the player could speak to and gain information from, as the story is a murder investigation I was going to have four suspects and four information givers, however I found that too many characters would be too confusing to keep track of and two of the information givers were rather meaningless to the story. Also wary of the games length becoming a tad overlong I decided the best course of action would be to merge some of the characters together, this kept the story a little simpler and a little more concise while also making the four main suspects seem more intertwined a little bit.

The end result is five characters in total, one information giver/ tutorial and then the four suspects whom I merged most of the information giver dialogue into.

Objective Marker

One thing that I decided to add as oppose to remove was objective markers that point the player towards the characters they can talk to as I felt it would be too easy for player to miss speaking to a character by walking past them and just not noticing them, the objective markers ensure they notice all the characters.

They objective marker works similarly to the game Dishonored, were when facing the marker it appears more prominent but when facing away from the marker it scrolls around the edge of the screen, it also tells the player the distance between them and the character they wish to speak to.

It was actually rather simple to create in the end as the instructions for how to make it were easily findable online.  

Journal

A feature I was originally planning on having a journal list or evidence list of sorts that would provide the player a way to see the info they’ve already gathered, I managed to implement this in a basic form but I ultimately removed this for a few reasons. It would make the investigation too easy and I wanted to strike a middle ground in terms of difficulty and I wouldn’t have enough time to properly balance it, the second reason I removed it was because I wanted players to pay attention to the dialogue and not just skip through only to read the journal list at the end, I felt this was the best way to encourage players paying attention. And finally the last reason I had it removed was because of me having lowered the number of npcs in the game which made the story and characters easier to remember, had I kept the original eight characters that I had planned then I would have probably kept this feature too but with the lowered amount it works fine without.

Dialogue System

So obviously a major part of my project is the dialogue system so I felt it extremely important to get this right especially.  

I already had the framework from the first part of my project but their was still a lot to improve on, one of the first things I aimed to improve was the possible length of a conversation sentence, in the original dialogue system for the first part of specialism it was restricted to one sentence replies from the npcs which didn’t create for very fluid dialogue and made it extremely hard for me to get an adequate amount of information across, so I saw this as the first thing to improve, I blueprinted a system that let npc’s have continued sentences which allowed me convey more information to the player and extend conversations naturally where they would occur which gave me a lot more freedom when it come to writing the dialogue.

For much of the rest of the project, the improvements I made to the dialogue system were to make it easier to use on my end, making it faster and more efficient for me implement my own dialogue and sorting the blueprints into reusable functions that allowed me to streamline the process, while it still wasn’t great or even that practical to work with, it was still a lot better than before the second semester.

Finally I improved the UI of the dialogue system, where it had previously been using a weapon wheel for its dialogue wheel, I changed it to better suit the six option limit I intended for the dialogue. I also added an overlay so that the text stood out against the background and option boxes with lines drawn to the wheel to make it clear which option the player is picking.

The Dialogue

The dialogue was surprisingly difficult to write for, while I was no expert when it came to writing in general, I’d had a little experience, but writing branching dialogue for a dialogue system proved quite the challenge.

Once I had planned out the story and characters I moved onto the dialogue, in order to differentiate between the characters, i planned each characters dialogue a little differently to each other, both in the structure of the dialogue branches and the dialogue itself, after all the dialogue was planned and written I tested it out in game to see which kind dialogue structure worked and which didn’t, finding some dialogue to be too easy to fail too quickly I went back and rewrote certain characters dialogue with one of the dialogue structures that worked better to ensure that players didn’t feel cheated or dissatisfied with how easy it is to fail.

A number of challenges arose when writing the dialogue however, specifically in writing enough options that were of equal quality to each other, it wasn’t easy writing dialogue for options that i knew no one would see. but because of the possibility that someone might just by chance happen to click that option I needed to make it the same quality as the rest.

Further challenges arise in trying to write dialogue for a game feature, were dialogue needs to be a certain length because too much could cause it to go off screen or clip into another option and each npc reply is another set of blueprint nodes that I have to make and implement, its also an interactive story driven game so replies need to be long enough that players feel they got a worthy amount of story from picking an option but not too much otherwise it would become boring.

There is also the issue of having to write dialogue that makes sense regardless of what players picked previously, which makes it really hard to reference back to previous things stated during dialogue because it's possible that this specific player didn't pick that option in the past and so it wouldn't make sense to them now.

What went well

The dialogue system, mostly, while it is still very janky even after I’ve polished it some I feel it ultimately succeeds at what I was hoping to set out for.

From people who have tested the game i've heard they liked the dialogue specifically, though I’m overly critical of my own work it is nice to hear such positive feedback all the same, it is however still an area that I wish to improve on going forward in future though.

I’m glad I managed to get the character models and animations in as even though they don't specifically relate to narrative design they do help players identify and reaffirm the characters personalities for the player.

What Didn't

Also the dialogue system, while I am overall pleased with the result it doesnt change the fact that this was the most difficult thing to make and refine of the whole project, hampered by its initial limitations as the tutorial that I used as a starting point for it clearly did not intend for it to be used for something like this and that it's incredibly impractical for such a full scale project.

Another thing that didn’t turn out like I hoped was the level itself, while I created a much larger level with a wider array of assets, I was unfortunately unable to get it it package  or build due to an unknown lighting build error for which I couldn't find a fix.

[flauntpage]

Five Thoughts On Chris Christie, On Sports Radio At The End Of The World

1. On Monday morning, hours before New Jersey Governor Chris Christie began his first semi-formal audition for a job as a host at New York sports radio station WFAN, I found everyone on the internet talking about the end of the world. The two were not connected, strictly speaking. The more proximate cause was a big and doomy magazine story about the effects of climate change that pointed, ominously and insistently, in the direction of a jarringly imminent apocalypse. Mondays!

The scope of the story was frankly biblical, all dead oceans boiling with poison and surging through cities, great bands of the earth becoming hot enough to poach humans to death in hours, wars and displacement and dispossession, ancient viruses awakening in freshly thawed permafrost. There was nothing really metaphysical or righteous at work; this is biblical strictly in the sense that the future described is both broadly punitive and big. Causally, it is one long tragicomic flap of the butterfly effect—a thousand cattle emit gales of methane farts in Kansas while awaiting their date with the inside of a soggy Taco Bell shell, and then thousands of miles away a mammoth iceberg calves off the arctic ice shelf.

There is something decadent about considering horror on this scale, and not merely because of our instincts to ironize or elide anything that big. All that dark contemplation is overwhelming, and not unreasonably. But the work of living with this sort of dread, as we face it here on earth, is less about apprehending the end of everything than the challenge of the next moment, and the moment after that. It is a scary and stressful thing to imagine that the world is ending, but it would be far worse to act as if it were. Everything ends, but that in no way means you shouldn't set an alarm for tomorrow morning. There is always the next step, into something imminent and invisible, and it is non-negotiable.

Anyway, Chris Christie is still the Governor of New Jersey. The election to replace him is still four months away. If WFAN offers him the job that he auditioned for on Monday and Tuesday, in the time slot long occupied by New York's peevish sports radio emperor Mike Francesa, Christie would start right around the time that his successor as Governor is sworn in.

2. Monmouth University released a poll on Monday that put Christie's approval rating in New Jersey at 15 percent; 80 percent of those polled did not approve of the work he's done as governor, and 55 percent believe that the state is worse off than it was before he was first elected eight years ago.

For much of his second term, Christie was doing something other than governing, first playing defense on the scandal surrounding the vindictive and gratuitous closure of multiple lanes to the George Washington Bridge to punish a political rival and then, astoundingly, running for the Republican Presidential nomination, and finally in glum servitude to the man who beat him out to become the eventual nominee. Christie's value proposition, to Republican voters and donors, was that he would be cruel in all the ways they valued and petty in all the appropriate directions. He made his political fortune shouting down public school teachers and pushing around anyone light enough to move, and only lost when he ran into a bigger bully.

But when Christie lost—on the nomination he sought, on a role in President Trump's administration, and probably on any kind of future in electoral politics—he did not resign from the job he had only kind of done for the previous few years. He stuck around the office, nominally if not always literally, and periodically vetoed bills that passed through a legislature that no longer feared or respected him.

On July 4 weekend, the Newark Star-Ledger ran photos of Christie and his family lounging on a sunny state beach that was otherwise empty of visitors. It had been closed by a government shutdown that Christie had done little to prevent. The Monmouth University poll found that 86 percent of those surveyed had seen the photos. "Two-thirds of the public expressed a negative sentiment," the poll reported. "With "disgusted" (7 percent) being the most commonly used word. Anger (7 percent) and disbelief (6 percent) were also frequently mentioned themes. Nearly 1-in-5 residents described their reaction in terms of the governor's character, using words such as "selfish" (5 percent), "hypocrite" (4 percent), and "arrogant" (3 percent). Another 6 percent of those polled simply used some form of profanity."

Early in the show on Monday, Christie's co-host Evan Roberts—the WFAN host Joe Beningo referred to the pairing as "Evan and The Governor," Roberts went with "The Governor and Evan"—brought up the beach photos. "When you were on the beach, was it true you were wearing a Mets shirt?" Roberts asked. "Because it looked like it."

"I was," Christie confirmed, before revealing that he was also wearing Mets shorts, and a 2006 Mets NLCS hat. Roberts, who is also a Mets fan, was theatrically agog about the hat. He asked Christie how he could wear such a thing. "I'm a Mets fan," Christie answered. "I love pain. I love disappointment."

When you love pain, and disappointment. Photo by

3. As he de-emphasized the Governing The State Of New Jersey part of his life, Christie began appearing on WFAN more. He has subbed in for Boomer Esiason on the station's "Boomer And Carton" morning show numerous times, and developed a sort of rude chemistry with co-host Craig Carton over that time. He's appeared on Francesa's show as a guest, where the two generally traded compliments and told stories about what a wonderful man former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach is. Honestly, Christie is not bad—not great, but decidedly not bad—during these appearances. The better part of sports talk radio can be summed up by Jim Rome's rule of "have a take and don't suck," and Christie has at least half of that comfortably down.

Because he is world-historically self-assured and polished at public speaking, Christie does not come across as an amateur on the radio. Because he built his political identity through variously heated confrontations with weaker parties, generally from behind a dais and phalanxes of security, Christie is innately very comfortable with the stage-y disagreeability that is the fuel of bog-standard sports talk radio. He knows a decent amount about sports, too, or at least about the teams he cares about, and on Monday and Tuesday Christie didn't have a difficult time getting his huff and puff on as required.

In partnering him with Roberts, a former WFAN intern who has become an effective high-energy counterpoint to longer-tenured co-hosts, the plan was clearly to lock in a simple giving-shit/getting-shit dynamic between the two. Christie is a little too self-important for that, and much more naturally inclined to give than get, but he did his best. "You're stretching," Christie said on Monday after Roberts pumped it up as best he could on getting upset about the MLB All-Star Game determining home field advantage in the World Series. "You're better than that, Evan."

"I'm honestly not better than that," Roberts said.

4. It had been years since I'd last listened to sports talk radio for an extended period of time, and was not surprised to find myself out of shape when it came to listening to four-and-a-half hours of windy playfighting between a disgraced governor and a puppyish 34-year-old.

WFAN is as janky as it has ever been, with the same neutered guitar squalls and featureless male vocals singing corny jingles and redundant updates and endless reeling skeins of canned ads ("Rocket Mortgage by Quicken Loans proudly supports Mike Francesa"; "Guys Don't Talk About Antiperspirant") and host-read ads (Infiniti of Massapequa, Marvin Windows And Doors) and an ad Francesa recorded for a "longtime friend"'s credit union on Long Island that was somehow both.

There is, after you get out of the habit of listening by a sufficient distance, something both claustrophobic and immersive about it. In one sense, you are trapped in a studio with people who insist on being disagreeable about things they only sort of care about; the only voices from outside that purgatory arrive over the phone, and they are just as strange or stranger. "I don't care what everyone says," says a caller named Brian in Manhattan. "You're hilarious. When you said to that guy, 'if you want to sit on a beach, become the governor.' We were at a barbecue when we read that and we couldn't stop laughing." Roberts disconnects him and points out that Brian had called in the previous week and expressed his wish that Jacob deGrom would get bombed in his start that night, and then suffer a rotator cuff injury.

And yet, because the discursive circuit is so furiously closed, there is a sense in which the show's boundaries come into congruence with those of the broader world. Again, this is not exactly pleasant, and listening to Chris Christie and Evan Roberts from the height of an afternoon into the fat part of happy hour was not ever really fun—Christie is too prickly and pompous, Roberts not quite capable of carrying him—and more exhausting than anything else. But it worked in the sense that, when those weird WFAN promo voices sang the words, "Well you can't have New York without sports/and you can't have sports without the FAN" I barely noticed how uncanny it was. I was pretty much trapped in the moment, and I was honestly pretty anxious to escape from the moment, but I was in it.

5. People never really stop talking about the end. The vision of it changes to reflect the anxieties and specific harbingers of a given moment, but the undertow never really stops running. This last year and change especially has been shot through with intimations of collision and collapse, and the last few months have been defined by the horrific and darkly hilarious passive performance of it. We are not nearly through it, but it seems safe to say that to read about things like decline or collapse—and read about them, and read about them, and read about them—is no real preparation for living through them. There is no real getting used to it yet.

Empires decline and collapse, we know this, but this is the sort of thing most commonly viewed from the safety of a few hundred years. The idea of the end of everything is compelling in a highly abstracted way, as a story people tell and as a generational fear, mostly because of how definitive it is. In a moment defined by how parlous and shifting and ungovernable and multiply un-definitive it is, the clarity of an ending is...well, it's horrifying. But it's at least something that can be agreed upon.

But it's also a fantasy. We won't know that we've reached the end until we've passed it by, and we don't know if that moment has come and gone already. Our likeliest future, which is honestly no easier to imagine than a more fantastical end, is something about equally as absurd as the present. Things will change, because of what we have done and what we have yet to do, and they will get better or they will get worse, but day by day they will be similar, and generally exactly what we make of them. Moment by moment, our lives are made of the decisions we make, and we live with and in the sum of all that. Every day we make it all over again, as the home we want for ourselves or the prison we can't quite quit.

Chris Christie is finished, but he also has another few decades or so left in the sentence he is serving inside his sour self. It's hard to know, now, how many of those years he will spend in sports radio, but it is tough to think of a job that would suit him better. When one of Christie's many angry constituents finally got to confront him on the air on Monday—it was Mike From Montclair, a frequent Francesa caller, and he told the producer he wanted to talk about Aaron Judge—you could see in the brief and blustering confrontation and the lull that followed the absurd future that Christie has earned. His will to power doesn't matter, now. His pettiness and cruelty and vanity are, without any accompanying authority, now merely pitiful and small. Christie has the power to hang up on Mike From Montclair, but there are others waiting on the line. If he gets this job, that will be what he gets: the next call, and the one after that, and the one after that, through into the evening and then again tomorrow, and then for however many more days after that as he can stand. You can't say he hasn't earned it.

Five Thoughts On Chris Christie, On Sports Radio At The End Of The World published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

[webitpress-blog]

BlackBerry Priv audit: Android settles the OS, however the equipment can't contend $700 for an awful console, poor camera, risky form quality, and old programming? No thanks."

BlackBerry is still around?"

That is the most widely recognized response I get when I indicate individuals the "Priv," BlackBerry's first Android telephone. It's difficult to trust the first iPhone turned out over eight years back, yet just now would we say BlackBerry has something that may contend in the cutting edge cell phone time.

BlackBerry limped along for a considerable length of time with the old-school BlackBerry OS, and the organization didn't turn out with a patched up cell phone stage until the 2013 arrival of BlackBerry 10. By then BlackBerry had officially lost the biological community war, however, and another stage from a solitary producer had no way of picking up a solid footing in the application advertise. Procedure Analytics as of late positioned BB10 fifth in overall piece of the overall industry behind Android, iOS, Windows, and even Samsung's Tizen—ouch. It's no big surprise individuals are shocked to hear that BlackBerry still exists.

With the Priv, the organization at long last joins the versatile working framework duopoly by bouncing into bed with the main major application biological community accessible to outsiders: Android. The Priv runs an old adaptation of Android: 5.1.1 Lollipop, the first of numerous mistake the Priv will toss our direction. Being a BlackBerry, the Priv obviously has an equipment console, however the console isn't any great. It's so level and minor that it's horrendous to sort on; we incredibly favored the stuffed in programming console. Still, the greatest dissatisfaction is the value: an astounding $700. It's not an unfathomable total for a cell phone, however assemble quality issues and a not insignificant rundown of bargains simply aren't worth $700.

BlackBerry's absence of significant worth bodes well with regards to the organization. Similarly as it attempted to contend with the cell phone application upheaval of the previous eight years, it's presently attempting to rival the superb, minimal effort Android gadgets out there. The Priv is valued like an Android leader from quite a while back, and it most likely could have contended in the time of janky, plastic leads like the Galaxy S4 or 5. Today, however, $700 for this level of value simply doesn't cut it. Indeed, even with a "cutting edge" OS, BlackBerry still feels like it's a couple of years behind the opposition.

Outline and Build Quality

The Priv won't not run Marshmallow, but rather it beyond any doubt feels like it's made out of one. Our essential grievance is the rubbery plastic back. BlackBerry isn't utilizing a strong, hard plastic here; it's more similar to a skin that was extended over a supporting internal shell. It's squishy and misshapes when you press on it, which you can find in the above picture. This wouldn't be a colossal arrangement for a deal gadget, however it's unsatisfactory for a $700 telephone. The elastic skin is at any rate exceptionally grippy, with a carbon fiber-like weave example in it. It looks sufficiently pleasant.

The show bends down on the left and right side like a Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Like that telephone, the bend is a somewhat pointless trick, and it appears to be strange on a business telephone like the Priv. The show is a plastic AMOLED show, helping us a great deal to remember what we've seen from the LG G Flex. For a few hues, the show puts out an uneven shading and winds up looking filthy or grainy. It's not as awful as the G Flex, but rather it's as yet observable.

While the show curve isn't as extraordinary as the S6 Edge, it does even now twist the side of applications. BlackBerry doesn't attempt to make utilization of the bended show much—there's a menu of application alternate routes you can haul out from the side of the show, and the bend indicates charging data while the screen is "off."

The catches are plastic with a glossy false chrome complete, and the genuine astonishment is that there are four catches: Power, volume up, volume down, and a catch BlackBerry calls "quiet." Pressing the quiet switch when the telephone is effectively making clamor will quiet the gadget, however that is the main situation when the catch will accomplish something. A "preemptive" quiet with the quiet catch isn't conceivable. Judgment skills would manage that squeezing the quiet catch anytime would set the telephone volume to noiseless, yet as a general rule, the quiet catch won't do anything unless commotion is really leaving the telephone. Squeeze it at whatever other point and the volume slider will show up on the screen, yet nothing will really happen. It's irrational to the point that it appears to be broken.

A speaker flame broil keeps running along the whole base "jaw" on the telephone, however it's generally stylish. A solitary front-confronting speaker is on the left side, directly beneath the on-screen back catch. We have no grumblings about the speaker—it's very noisy. Along the base of the telephone there's an earphone jack and a MicroUSB 2.0 port, and on the top is a SIM and—an undeniably uncommon thing on Android telephones—a MicroSD slot.The slide-out console feels like the Priv's whole purpose behind existing, however it simply isn't any great. BlackBerry's equipment keys may have had a major advantage over 3.5-inch gadgets, yet today the keys are tiny contrasted with the product console on any 5-inch telephone. The modest keys make it simple to press the wrong catch, and writing turns into a confined, awkward ordeal.

To fit the keys under the screen, BlackBerry made them totally level. You won't locate the decent raised edges here like on an exemplary BlackBerry console. Two edges of each key will be inclined to get a comparable look however not a similar vibe. The keys are illuminated and have a decent snap activity, however.

The keys sit at the base of a dish framed by the tall, front-confronting speaker flame broil and the base edge of the sliding screen. The keys are sufficiently far from the speaker that it doesn't bring about an issue, however it's anything but difficult to have your fingers collide with the base edge of the show when utilizing the top line of the console. This is just a four-push console, recall, so access to the top QWERTY line is basic.

We didn't care for BlackBerry's sliding instrument, either. We'd need the sliding component on a $700 telephone to skim and be as smooth as spread, however the Priv has a scratchy, grating filled slider. You can hear plastic rub against plastic when you open or close the gadget. Once more, there isn't space for these sorts of bargains on such a costly telephone. Springs do bolt the gadget open or shut, in any event.

Whenever open, the Priv turns out to be about the stature of a seven-inch tablet. Just the screen of the Priv slides up to uncover the console, leaving a large portion of the weight stationary and in your grasp, however it can at present be beat overwhelming, contingent upon your hold.

The keys are really touch-empowered, as well, permitting you to do swipe signals over the console. While not writing, the swiping on the console for the most part acts simply like swiping on the screen. On the home screen, swiping left or appropriate over the console will change screens, and in the program, swiping will look up, down, left, or right. While writing, swiping ideal to-left will erase the whole past word. Our most loved usefulness kicks in when you tap on the content information box to raise the draggable content cursor—swiping the console will move the cursor through the content, much the same as squeezing left or appropriate on a console. Hold the move key and you can even highlight content! This is significantly more exact than dragging with a finger, which more often than not conceals the content.

Strangely, if the console is open and the telephone nods off, pushing on the console won't wake it up. This bodes well on a BlackBerry with uncovered keys, yet not on the Priv, where any "pocket presses" will be ensured by the shut telephone.

Autocorrect still deals with the equipment console, and the standard line of three proposed words appears on the base of the screen. The issue is, the extremely base of the screen is as yet held for the on-screen route catches, so from base to top, there's the equipment console, route keys, and console recommendations. Having three catches, each of which will whisk you away to some other assignment, wedged in the middle of your console and writing proposals is... not as much as perfect.

The autocorrect bar really considers a product console, which makes the ordinary Android back catch change from directing left toward indicating down, as though there were a full console open. So with the console open, the main push on the back catch will just close the modest autocorrect bar, which appears to be somewhat senseless. You need to press back a moment time in the event that you really need to backpedal.

Keep in mind, this is an equipment console, so the changing status of the "move" and "alt" keys can't be spoken to by the console catches. The old-school approach to demonstrate this was to put a triangle on top of the writing cursor for alt and a triangle on the base for move. For reasons unknown BlackBerry just actualized half of this—move puts a little triangle on the cursor like you would expect, yet alt does not. The main sign you've squeezed the alt key is as far as possible up at the highest point of the screen in the status bar. Remember the Priv is around seven inches tall when it's open, so the status bar is likely out of your field of vision while writing.

There's additionally a "sym" key, which will open an all out screen console of images. Alongside the equipment console, route bar, and auto-rectify bar, this works out to nine lines of catches.

BlackBerry has additionally incorporated a custom programming console that works somewhat like the BB10 console and blends the auto-remedy proposals around in the vertical edges in the keys. So subsequent to writing "key," a recommendation for "console" will show up over the "b" catch. Swiping up on the "b" key will choose the recommendation, put "console" in the content field, and it's on to the following word. With the recommendations hopping all around the console as we write (and being somewhat secured by our fingers), it was difficult to ever distinguish and swipe on an amendment speedier than simply completing the word.

[artificialqueens]

Ms. California - Chapter One (Crygi/Jankie) - Mik

AN: Hey guys! This is my first attempt at writing fanfiction (or fiction in general). I absolutely love the idea of these two together, so hopefully you all enjoy it! If you guys like it, I’m definitely hoping to write at least six more chapters.

Summary: Crystal moves to Los Angeles from Missouri and meets GiGi Goode, captain of the varsity cheer squad. Queue the 1990s lesbian high school AU that absolutely nobody asked for.

The first time Crystal sees GiGi is on her first day of senior year at Fairfax High School. She’s just moved from a small town in Missouri to Los Angeles with her family and starting over is daunting. 

The second she enters the campus, she feels intimidated - it’s at least three times the size of her high school back home. She knows nobody; she is completely and utterly alone amongst her peers, who seem to be mostly chatting amongst themselves in groups. It’s Crystal’s senior year and she knows she should be looking forward to all of the so-called “high school experiences” that are surely to come this year, but all she can think of is how much she wishes it were all over. 

Crystal looks down at the somewhat crumpled piece of paper in her hands, examining her schedule. It’s going to be a pretty simple year, she decides, after realizing she only has five classes, one of which is advanced drawing and painting. Crystal is an art kid through and through. She looks the part - always wearing quirky combinations of bright colors and unconventional, wacky patterns - acts the part, and has the talent to match her aesthetic. 

Crystal begins looking for her first period classroom - art, thankfully. An easy way to start the day, she thinks to herself. Although she can see her class is supposedly held in room A12, she can’t find the building for the life of her on the huge campus. She’s sure that she looks impossibly lost and frazzled, and she starts to panic as she notices that the hands on her watch are slowly ticking closer to eight.

Apparently, someone else notices her alarmed expression too. “Are you lost?” a voice calls out from behind Crystal. 

“Um… yeah, I think I am,” Crystal replies, turning around. When she sees the person the voice belongs to, her nerves override her brain. The girl has shoulder length blonde hair and the most strikingly blue eyes she’s seen. She’s dressed like someone out of the magazines Crystal used to read; a short red dress clings to her long legs and Crystal can’t help but notice the pair of blush pink heels she’s chosen to accessorize the outfit with. Crystal thinks that she belongs on a runway or a movie set or at a photoshoot, not on a high school campus. She’s tall, she’s thin, she has full, pillowy lips, and a cute button nose; a girl that looked like that wouldn’t have made a point of reaching out to a stranger at her old high school. 

“What classroom are you looking for?” the girl asks, approaching Crystal. 

“A12,” Crystal chirps, sure she’s sounding as nervous as she looks. 

“Oh, you’re an art kid. Well, it’s right up that flight of stars,” the blonde motions to her right. “Are you new?” “Is it that obvious?” Crystal jokes, trying to hide how flustered she is. “Just a bit,” the other girl cracks a smile. “I’m GiGi.”

“Crystal.” “Well, maybe I’ll see you around, Crystal.”

GiGi walks off, leaving a stunned Crystal in her wake. As soon as she can calm her thoughts, she walks towards the flight of stairs.

She makes it to her first period class with five minutes to spare, and upon realizing she’s the first student to enter the spacious classroom, she makes her way to the front. Crystal elects to sit front and center, deciding that if nothing else, it will make her noticeable to other students and hopefully help her make some friends.

Students start trickling in one by one and filling out the classroom. Most choose to sit as far back as they can, probably to avoid being called on or so they can text without being noticed. Crystal silently prays for someone to sit next to her so she doesn’t look like the loner new kid. 

Her wish is granted when a girl with long, black hair wearing a pair of glasses with thick frames elects to sit next to her. 

Crystal, being somewhat extroverted - and desperate to make friends at her new school - introduces herself. 

“Hey, I’m Crystal!”

“Jackie,” the girl smiles. “Nice to meet you,” she says, extending a hand. 

Crystal suppresses a smirk at the formality of the gesture; it’s endearing. 

“Nice to meet you, too! How long have you been taking art?” Crystal asks,

Their conversation is interrupted by their teacher - who introduces herself as Ms. Velour - beginning the class. Crystal and Jackie both listen attentively to the bald woman with bold make-up as she reviews the course syllabus. 

Ms. Velour suddenly stops her lecturing and Crystal hears the door to the classroom open and close in succession. She twists around, partially out of curiosity to see who’s coming in so late, and partially because every other student is too. 

It’s GiGi. 

She makes a beeline for the only open desk in the back right corner. 

“Ms. Goode, thank you for joining us,” Ms. Velour says in a somewhat annoyed tone. 

GiGi doesn’t answer, and when Crystal tries making eye contact, GiGi ignores her. 

First period flies by, and even though Crystal would have loved to catch up to GiGi after class, GiGi seems to have sped out of the classroom. Crystal finds out she and Jackie both have second period - AP English - together anyways, so the two make their way to the classroom across campus. 

“So, that GiGi girl…” Crystal asks her potential new friend in a somewhat questioning tone. 

“GiGi? Well, there’s a lot I could say but I guess I’ll just stick with the super simplified version of it. She’s a junior and the head of the varsity cheer squad, she’s the resident “cool girl”, if you know what I mean. I’ve had art with her every year, and she likes to pretend she’s above it all.”

“Above it all?” Crystal questions - that definitely wasn’t the feeling she got from GiGi earlier. 

“Oh yeah, definitely. I mean, she probably thinks of all of the art kids as weird losers. But she’s one of us - she just won’t acknowledge it or you you, unless she’s hurling insults at you with her posse of cheer girls.” 

Crystal refrains from commenting about her interaction with GiGi before the class. “Well, that sounds like something out of a bad 1980s high school movie,” Crystal laughs. 

“It kind of is - welcome to LA, Crystal,” Jackie jokes as the two walk into their second class. 

~

Crystal’s first day goes well, overall. She and Jackie are on the route to becoming fast friends, and the dark haired girl even offers to give her a ride home after class, which Crystal appreciates.

The next morning, Jackie picks Crystal up and introduces her to her friend, Jan. The two seem a bit touchy; there are many fleeting glances and subtle touches between them.

The trio arrive to school ten minutes early, after picking up coffee. Jan is bright and bubbly and kind and Crystal immediately adores her; much like herself and Jackie, they hit it off instantaneously. 

Jan hugs Jackie goodbye, and plants a kiss on her cheek, eliciting Jackie to turn a shade of light pink. 

Crystal doesn’t question it. 

“Jan’s really cool,” Crystal says to Jackie as they make their way to first period together. 

“Yeah, isn’t she?” Jackie grins. “We’ve known each other since middle school.”

“Those kinds of friendships are always the best, I had a few friends like that back home in Missouri,” Crystal recalls. 

“Oh, well… I wouldn’t say we’re friends,” Jackie stutters. 

“You seemed pretty close,” Crystal says, perplexed. 

“Uh, yeah, we are,” Jackie says expectantly. 

The pair are silent for thirty seconds as Crystal tries to understand what Jackie is insinuating. 

“Okay, I don’t get it,” Crystal admits. 

“We’re like, girlfriends,” Jackie half-whispers. “But you can’t say anything. Please do not say anything.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I should’ve picked up on that,” Crystal sighs internally at her own obliviousness. “And I won’t - your secret’s safe with me.”

“Thank you. I mean, it’s just a bit weird because Jan is on the cheer squad and if anyone finds out, she’ll basically become a pariah - both for being bisexual and for dating someone like me.”

“It’s Los Angeles and it’s 1994 - do people still really care about that here? And what do you mean, ‘someone like you’” Crystal asks, somewhat shocked. If there was one thing she was expecting to be different in Los Angeles, it was the sociocultural climate.

“Most of the kids at this school come from money - rich, white families. Republican families,” Jackie exhales. “Which also means they’re not too fond of me - an out-and-proud Persian lesbian.”

“That’s stupid,” Crystal states. 

“We can agree on that,” Jackie sighs. 

The pair sit down together, in the front of the classroom again, and talk about their art - what they like painting, their favorite painting music, their current works in progress.

Class starts and to Crystal’s dismay, she doesn’t see GiGi - until she hears the door quickly open and close fifteen minutes later.

GiGi arrives late again. This time there are no seats left in the back, and she’s forced to make her way to the front of the room. Crystal barely notices that someone is sitting beside her until the scent of Chanel perfume floods Crystal’s senses. 

Crystal is greeted with the same bright blue eyes she was previously entranced by. 

Disregarding a suspicious look from Jackie, Crystal smiles at GiGi.

“Hey! Thanks again for helping me get here the other day.”

GiGi, unlike the day before, gives her a tight-lipped smile. “No problem.”

“Your make-up looks really nice today!” Crystal continues on, admiring GiGi’s dark lips, sparkling magenta eyeshadow, and long eyelashes..

“Thanks.”

Crystal notices a difference in the GiGi she met and this GiGi - she knew it didn’t mean much because she’d barely interacted with the girl, but she feels strangely compelled to get to know her. There was something about her that was intoxicating. 

Before Crystal could continue talking, the teacher shoots her a look, effectively silencing her. 

~

Crystal is on her own after class; Jackie is meeting Jan to do god knows what. She decides to use Jackie’s lack of presence as an excuse to talk to GiGi again. 

Class ends and Crystal trails behind GiGi, who once again darts out of the door. 

“Hey, wait, GiGi!” Crystal yells, partially expecting the tall girl to continue walking quickly down the hill. 

She doesn’t. She spins around, and crosses her arms. “Yes?” “I need help finding my English classroom. Jackie showed me where it was yesterday, and I forgot.”

GiGi rolls her eyes; Crystal figures her feigned ignorance is fairly easy to see through. 

“You do? Again?” GiGi says in a monotone voice. 

“Okay, I’ll admit that was pretty lame,” Crystal tries to lighten the mood. “I don’t know, you seem really cool, and I guess I was wondering if you’d want to grab lunch today? I’m new, I don’t really have friends here yet.”

GiGi’s expression turns from annoyed to something resembling concern. Her eyes dart around before motioning for Crystal to follow her back up the hill, towards the secluded side of the art building. 

“I don’t know what Jackie told you about me, but I can’t be like that. Especially not with you.” 

Crystal arches an eyebrow. “I don’t get it.”

“Come on. Jan tells Jackie everything, don’t play dumb, please. Class starts in…” GiGi checks her pearl-colored watch, “five minutes and I don’t have time to spell it out for you, new girl.”

“I’m not,” Crystal shrugs. 

GiGi lets out a muffled groan. “Sure you’re not. Okay, well, why don’t you just ask Jackie about me, then?”

Crystal doesn’t want to admit that she already has. 

“Um… okay. So that’s a no for lunch then, I’m guessing?” Crystal asks. 

GiGi’s facial expression indicates that she, under her rock-hard exterior, genuinely does feel bad. She opens her mouth and pauses, as if she’s trying to figure out the right thing to say. 

“Not lunch… and not at school. What are you doing on Friday night?”

“Um, nothing probably. New kid syndrome,” Crystal jokes, trying to break the tension. 

“Ask Jackie for my number. If she doesn’t have it, Jan does.” 

GiGi is gone as soon as she finishes her sentence, and Crystal is confused. GiGi seems to have some connection to Jackie - Jackie hadn’t mentioned that in the slightest. Second, she seems to think that Crystal has some hidden motive, one completely unbeknownst to her. Crystal can’t even begin to fathom what’s going on in the blonde’s head. She just wants friends and GiGi seems nice - and she’s stunning. But that’s aside from the point. Crystal snaps out of her thoughts, realizing she needs to make it to AP English in less than three minutes.  

She lets it go, and sets off to her next class, intending to tell Jackie everything. GiGi perplexes her.

~

“She wants to what?!” Jackie exclaims once class is over. “She wants to hang out, outside of school, with you?!”

“Yeah, I mean, I think so. It seemed like she wanted to spend time with me,” Crystal says. “She also kind of made a comment about you and Jan - she knows you’re close with her. Does she know about you two?”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like I’m all for outing people, but I guess if she’s going to be so bold - GiGi and I had a thing during her freshman year - my sophomore year. She’s the only one who knows about Jan - they keep each other’s secret.”

“Wow,” Crystal mused. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“It’s all very dramatic,” Jackie sighs. “I don’t like GiGi very much - not anymore at least. She’s changed a lot. I mean, she won’t be seen with me because I’m out, even though I’m dating her best friend, and she was clearly ignoring you in front of everyone because you’re gay,” Jackie rambles.

“Oh, I’m not - I mean, I’m supportive of all of that but I’m like, I’m not gay,” Crystal says, turning bright red. 

“Oh,” Jackie looks confused. “But you’re going on Friday?”

“Yeah?” Crystal says inquisitively. 

“I mean, I don’t want to speak for GiGi, but if you asked her to get lunch, she probably thought you were trying to flirt. And I think suggesting Friday was her way of showing she is interested,” Jackie explains. 

Crystal realizes she’s a little bit oblivious; she’s embarrassed. Growing up in a small town in Missouri rendered her unable to read the situation; it’s not like gay people ever tried to secretly date there. She didn’t even know if gay people lived in Missouri.  

“Well, shit,” Crystal inhales deeply. 

“Are you gonna go?”

“Yeah, I mean… Maybe we can be friends, or something,” Crystal hopes aloud. “Oh, and on that note, I need GiGi’s number - she told me to ask you for it.”