#(yes they get slight redesigns to differ from the original enough)

[anonymouscheeses]

How did Jax and Ragatha get together before Pomni came?????

I think this is in relation to my funnybunnydoll ask blog right? Well guess what! Here's a page that's going to be in full once I come back from my hiatus on fbd :>>

YES IF YOU CAME FROM MY ASK BLOG HERE'S A SNEAK PEAK! FOOD FOR YOU WAITING FELLAS

[funnylittlefella]

My problem with the fashion in miraculous.

Part 1 Marinette.

This is going to be a long rant on why I don’t like the fashion in miraculous, which seems very negative but it’s probably just me over analyzing everything.

In 2015 Miraculous: tales of ladybug and chat noir was released, at the time there were already other rivaling cartoons (such as Star vs the forces of evil, Steven Universe and Gravity falls being the most popular ones) What made Miraculous stand out from other cartoons that were aimed for kids/preteens was the 3D animation, this made the show quite popular, especially since Disney's new 3D animated films such as Frozen, Tangled and Big Hero Six was quite popular especially on tumblr (because of the re-colours and redesigns of Rapunzel/Elsa and whoever else into a hipster or some other god awful fashion trend from 2010-2016)

Miraculous is STILL airing today meaning that when I was in grade 6 I was watching it, now I'm in my last year of highschool and we are finally seeing development in the show (sorry) however we have not seen any character changes in clothing which I know we don't see much but I feel as if Marinette wears the same 4 outfits and I WOULD LOVE to see a storyline where Marinette is maturing and decides to change her hairstyle and her clothing choices.

Lets analyse Marinette's everyday outfit.

Marinette wears a white singlet top(tank top?) with a black outline/trim, on the singlet top we see a flower design that appears to be a cherry blossom or lotus. Over the top of the shirt she wears a dark grey blazer jacket with a white inside with pink polka dots, she sports this same material but inverted so it is pink with white dots on her purse. For the bottoms she wears hot pink jeans which appear to have the same polka dot pattern on the cuffs as the jacket she wears, the jeans also have some weird ripped/line structure too them which has been added with a white stitching. She wears baby pink ballet flats with a slight heel and black lining and a bow.

I don’t really like this outfit, it’s very boring and I think that Marinette being an aspiring fashion designer would wear something bold that shows off her skills and her own personal style. I also believe that Marinette would be on trend, while being ladybug could potentially leave her with not enough time to come up with new designs, I think it would be a good concept for Marinette to be wearing a new design once in a while. (Even though I know it will be the same polka dot,baby pink, flower fabric that marinette seems to have 10000 yards of.)

For example, in Gravity Falls Mable would wear a different sweater each episode (don’t quote me on that I could be wrong)

Mabel wore the same structure of outfit each episode yes, but it was new each time. And while I wouldn’t consider this the height of fashion, it suits Mabels personality and shows that she is different from the other characters who wear the same outfit every episode.

SPOILERS FOR GRAVITY FALLS

Mabels constant changing of sweaters shows the chaos of her character, you never know what to expect with her, which is why she played a vital role in Bills plan, she was unpredictable and let her ego and own happiness succumb to her chaotic actions.

This would be an easy concept to implement into miraculous and would fit with the context, perhaps Marinette would make a new piece of clothing to wear each episode, it could start off with smaller accessories that slowly develop into larger pieces. If Marinette is sad, it could reflect in the item she chooses to make.

However that isn’t the main problem of the outfits, my problem is that I hate them, I’m not judging you if you like them in any way,shape or form, but personally I cannot see a normal teenager wearing these outfits, there is only few characters whose outfits actually make sense.

For example, Marinettes outfit feels more mature, as if she is working in an office, this does not fit her character at all, and while the colours are bright, the structure and presentation of the pieces gives off the boring dull feeling of working in an office and makes her look much older.

Now here is what I would’ve liked Marinette to wear each season. (considering the dates of releases)

Season 1 2015

In season one we are introduced to Marinette, considering Marinettes age 13. Bare with me, I understand these years are arguably the worst for fashion.

The reason why I picked this outfit is because it reminds me of Marinette, Taking inspiration from 2015 trends, we see Marinette following basic trends such as off the shoulder and denim materials, however, I believe she would add her own style by adding the polka dot pattern to the inside of the jacket (like her original blazer) and the skirt. This look is generally what I would consider to be basic Marinette, she could wear this throughout each season since it is a outfit that could fit into any time frame (2000s-2020) with a few alterations.

Season 2 2016.

2016 was also not a good year for fashion but oh well I digress. This season we get to meet new characters, including new miraculous wielders and love interest. This is also when we get a Marinette birthday episode shower her growth symbolically or whatever.

I decided to add ‘edge’ to this outfit, since we do see Marinette get hurt in a few episodes and struggle with having to choose the right people to wield a miraculous. on the left, I chose a bomber jacket since they were incredibly popular at the time, and dark heels to show Marinettes change, however underneath she wears bright pink jeans and a white turtleneck, this is to show that she is still soft and caring.

Season 3 2019.

this is where it gets much better since the trends and fashion were actually really good this year. We see a lot of important points in this season, we get backstory about characters, learn more about the Miraculous lore, AND we see Marinette be very mature and put Adrien and Kagamis happiness over her own.

This is how I think Marinette would dress and yes they are 4 very different styles, but I think that she would want to show variety not only in her work as a designer, but also as a person, Marinette wants to grow.

Anyways that’s all for now, yes this post is very much all over the place and I start point and leave them without conclusion, but it was fun for me.

EDIT: in my research I decided to change my idea lol, Marinette doesn’t wear the item she makes because it’s too expensive to have a character wear a new outfit each episode, but instead we just see her making a new item.

[jungle321jungle]

How I Long For Things To Be Restored

When Logan begins going to the old house on the end of Wendon Way, he doesn’t expect to meet the little boy who also frequents there. Nor does he expect to learn the forgotten secrets of the home. 

Taglist: @hells-missing-a-goat @angels-and-dreams @ollyollyoxinfree @gattonero17 @chumo-cookie @dreaming-always @anxiety-ismy-name @mrbubbajones @janustheliar @hogwarts-my-love

Ao3 - Masterlist

~~~~

How I Long For Things To Be Restored

The old house on the end of Wendon Way had stood for what felt like eons. Not one in the sleepy town could recall when it had been lived in last- or someone had ever lived there at all. But regardless of the details, it had become an urban legend among all ages. For children it was a place to avoid due to rumors, teenagers were responsible for spreading the rumors to keep kids away from their spot, and some adults didn’t agree with the idea of trespassing and understandably worried about what could be going on, and finally were the adults who had been those teenagers and fueled such worries among their peers. 

There were unofficial customs and rules to the house on the end of Wendon Way, so when Logan had seen the young boy sitting on the back stairs to the home, he had been more than surprised. Kids shied away from the large looming home, they didn’t sit on the deck stairs attempting to pet birds. 

“You shouldn’t try to touch them,” Logan commented as he approached. “They could have a disease even if they don’t bite or something.”

The boy’s eyes didn’t meet his, in fact he didn't seem like he was listening at all. It wasn’t until he had moved closer causing the birds to fly away that the boy’s dark eyes met his. “Hello, would you mind moving slightly so I can walk by?”

The boy gave him a confused expression as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his patchwork jacket, but after a pause he stood up and moved out the way. 

“It’s going to rain soon,” Logan informed the boy as he walked past him outside into the backyard. “You should head home.”

“Then why are you here?” The boy replied. 

“I need to do something.”

“Like what?”

Logan didn’t reply as he made his way down the stairs ensuring he skipped the one he knew was deemed sketchy by the neighborhood. He walked into the backyard silently wondering not for the first time who maintained the grass back here, before he turned to look at the home. 

“What are you doing?” The boy asked him. Logan hadn’t heard him approach but he had come closer, but he still kept to a relatively safe distance. 

“I need to take some pictures,” Logan answered, turning and walking further away. 

“Why?”

“For a project.”

Logan walked a bit further and then he turned and nodded satisfied with his choice. When he did, he pulled out his phone to snap a few pictures. Satisfied he began to move to other spots in the backyard and take pictures in each spot. 

“That’s a lot of pictures,” the boy commented. 

Logan gave a slight nod, “I want to ensure I have enough. 

“But what are you gonna do with pictures?” 

“You ask a lot of questions don’t you?”

The boy’s head lowered as he looked at his feet and shuffled them, but he didn’t reply. 

“It’s not a bad quality,” Logan assured him as he felt a raindrop hit his skin. “But you also should not talk to strangers as much as you are.”

The boy looked up and gave Logan a look of thought before he spoke, “What's your name then?”

Logan raised an eyebrow amused, “My name is Logan. And yours?”

The little boy gave him a smile, “I’m not going to talk to strangers.”

~~~~

When Logan returned about a week later, the boy was also back. 

He had been sitting on the deck stairs once more, kicking his legs lazily as he stared up at the sky. Upon seeing him Logan had two thoughts. Firstly, he wondered why the kid had returned, and secondly he wondered why the boy’s clothes hadn’t changed. Previously Logan had tried not to focus on the boy’s clothing given he didn’t want to judge, but seeing him here twice in the same outfit was a bit strange. 

The clothes were too big for him, most likely hand me downs. And they appeared worn, his pants had a few holes in them in places other than the knee, as did his shirt, it seemed all patches had been placed on his jacket rather than other clothes. 

“Hi Logan,” the kid said, moving from his spot to let Logan by. “Are you taking more pictures?”

Logan shook his head as he descended the stairs. “Not quite. What are you doing here again?”

The question went unanswered, but Logan wouldn’t force him. Instead he found a seat in the grass and pulled out his sketchbook from his bag. He turned to the page he had started on at home to give it a frown, it was... decent. But then against he hadn’t been looking at the home itself so hopefully he could get a better sense of it now. 

“You never told me what you’re doing,” The boy stated. 

Logan gave a slight sigh as he reached in his bag for his pencils. “I'm updating the house. What it would look like if it wasn't the way it is now.”

“Why?”

“Last semester in school I had to do the same for a building on campus, but the whole time I was thinking about what this place would look like restored. And I have time this summer so I thought I would try. Last time I was here I took pictures of the front and the back. I’m going to work on those. And then next will come the sides, and then I’ll move indoors.”

“Are you going to do each room?”

“I suppose. So now you know why I’m coming here. Why are you?”

The boy gave him a shrug, “Why not?”

Logan silently wondered why he even bothered asking. 

~~~~

“You’ve been coming more often,” the boy noted. “You used to just come once a week but these past few times it’s been more.”

Logan didn’t respond until he had finished setting himself up in the old kitchen. “I’ve been more eager to work on this. And I don’t have a job anymore, so I have more time.”

“Were you fired?”

“No. What are you going to do this afternoon? Are you going to watch me or do something else?”

“I can do both,” the child replied, drawing a slight smile from Logan. 

“I suppose you can.” With nothing more to be said Logan began to play soft music on his phone and began to get to work on redesigning the kitchen. The boy didn’t bother him as usual, and as always he sat far enough away but he’d watch intently. Logan didn’t realize how intently he had been watching until at least an hour had passed and the boy spoke again. 

“What happened to your arm?”

Logan paused in his sketching and looked up to the dark eyes of the boy in confusion. 

“There’s a big bruise.”

As understanding set in, Logan pulled rolled his sleeves down, he must have pushed them up due to the heat without realizing it, but the kid was awaiting an answer he didn’t want to give. “Does it matter?”

“It looks like it hurts.”

“It does.”

“What happened?” 

Logan gave a light sigh, “That’s not a polite question to ask.”

“Was it a fight? Hmm no, you don’t look like you’d win fights.”

“Also not a polite thing to say.”

The boy gave a slight pout but he didn’t question further. 

~~~~

“Can I see the finished drawings? You never showed me.”

Logan looked up in surprise. He hadn’t seen the boy when entering the house, and he had just assumed that for once the boy was home. But it seemed he just hadn’t arrived yet. “In  a moment,” Logan told him. “I’m putting the finishing touches on the kitchen, you can see it after.”

“Which room will you do next?”

“I want to do the living room, but that one may take some work given its size, so maybe the dining room next. That one should be simple.”

“Are you gonna do the bathrooms too?”

“I think so. It would be wrong to redo everything else but them... Alright. Kitchen is done, would you like to see?”

The boy nodded eagerly, but his steps were so slow and cautious as he approached Logan. Logan laid out his sketchbook going to his first drawing and waited until the boy was close enough. He still stayed out of arm's reach, but he was close enough to see as Logan went through the pages. Each one had pictures of the original house taped to it, and then came Logan’s designs done in different colored pencils and pens with a million notes in his neat scrawl beside the many details. 

“How do you know how to do that?”

“I’m studying architecture,” Logan explained. “And last semester I took a class which focused both on restoration and redesign.”

“The walls are plain. And there’s no kitchen things,” the boy commented. 

“There is not,” Logan agreed. “Stoves, paint, cabinets, and all of that can be bought and changed, this can't be.”

“Yes it can. You’re doing it right now.”

Logan couldn’t exactly argue with that. “You think I need to put it in then?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m afraid interior design isn’t where my skills lie... oh I have an idea. Why don’t you pick them out?”

“Me?”

“You’re always here while I draw and you take an interest. Next time I’ll bring some magazines and scissors and you can cut out the ones you like. How about that?”

The boy’s dark eyes scanned Logan’s face as if attempting to look for any hints of deceit, but finally he nodded. “Okay.”

~~~~

“Logan look at this one!”

Logan looked up from his drawing to see that the boy was holding up a magazine and pointing to its dining room set. 

“It would be perfect!” He decided. 

Logan gave a slight chuckle, “I haven’t even finished the dining room yet.”

“Well make the walls match this.”

“I’ll consider it. I thought you were picking out the kitchen though?”

“But I saw and I liked this one. I’m almost done with the kitchen. Promise!”

Logan resisted the urge to smile as he continued in his task. He hadn’t expected the boy to get so excited over clipping things out of magazines, but it was oddly nice to see him so happy. 

“Done!” 

Logan set his sketchbook aside and he moved to see the boy had spread out some clippings. “So I see. You want to do the next part now?”

“What’s the next part?”

Logan didn’t reply at first, rather he reached into his backpack and drew out the plastic sheets he had brought. They were nothing special, simply what his designs would slide into, but even so the boy watched him eagerly. Logan slid in his kitchen design to it and pulled out some clear tape. “Now you can tape them wherever you want on to it. Just be sure to do it on the plastic.”

“So the drawing isn’t messed up?”

“Exactly. And then when you’re done with that...” Logan pulled a thin pointed sharpie from his bag. “Then you sign your name so everyone knows it’s yours.”

“Got it!”

With the boy set up again Logan continued his work on the dining room but it wasn’t too long before a “Tada!” rang out. The boy was holding it proudly and the moment he had Logan’s attention he began to point out different things and why he had picked them, it was adorable in its own way, but what stuck out of the Logan most was when the boy pointed out his handwriting on the bottom. 

“And I finished it like you said. By signing my name, I even did it in cursive!”

“You’re trying to upstage me I see,” Logan learned a bit closer to decipher the messy letters. “Virgil. That’s a nice name.”

The boy nodded in agreement, “It’s nice to officially meet you Logan! Now can I put plants in the backyard?”

“Of course.”

~~~~

“Is it time to start upstairs?”

“I think so,” Logan nodded, picking up his things. “Any suggestions on which room to start with?”

“The office.”

“Then that’s where I’ll start. And you’ll pick out the living room for me in the meantime?”

“Uhuh.”

With that decided, Logan took to the stairs listening to the sound of them creak with each step. He’d be lying if he said it wasn’t unnerving. Like most others he had no reason to go upstairs in the old house, for one most people kept the main level and the party trashed area it had become. But according to the myths of his town, there were many stories on why one shouldn’t go up the stairs of the old house on the end of Wendon Way. Some claimed it’s where monsters lived, and others were convinced all who went up there were cursed. Logan personally didn’t believe in such fantasy, but he found himself more on edge than usual. As he reached the top stair and looked down the empty hall he took a deep breath, to calm and remind himself the differences between fact and fiction. 

“It’s the first door on the left,” Virgil chirped from behind him. 

Logan nodded and followed the instructions and opened the door to what had once been an office. Unlike downstairs, the old furniture remained. The room was small with tall bookshelves covering two of the walls. Directly in front of him sat an old dust covered desk and a chair, but Logan couldn’t bring himself to go over to sit at it. Rather he snapped a few pictures to use when he went home and sat in the middle of the floor to draw.  

“You’re not gonna sit in the chair?” 

Logan shook his head, “This spot is fine.”

Virgil didn’t reply, and rather he sat in the doorway and spread out the magazines he had been carrying and began to work. It was strange in a way, Virgil’s ability to stay on task for so long. Logan had always thought kids had short attention spans and yet he and Virgil could sit and work for hours. And even when Virgil had finished picking out what he liked he would find other ways to quietly occupy himself in the meantime. 

“What are you gonna do when you finish?” Virgil asked suddenly.

“I’ll do another room.”

“No like, when you finish the house.”

“I’m not sure. But I’ve got some time before then, I just wonder if I can finish before I go back to school.”

“Do you go to school far away?”

“It’s a few hours away.”

“That’s far away.”

“Then I suppose so.”

Virgil didn’t reply but rather he began to pull at the strings from one of the holes in those same pants he always wore. Logan didn’t push, the boy would speak when he was ready. 

~~~~

“Hi Logan.”

The sudden voice caused Logan to jolt in surprise. His pulse shot up as he looked up from what he had been doing to see Virgil standing in the office doorway. He took a deep breath, “You startled me.”

Virgil gave a shrug as he moved to the stack of magazines Logan had left to the side, “Did you bring new ones?”

Logan took another deep breath, “I did. You need to make more sound when you walk.”

Virgil ignored him, but something about his own words stuck with Logan. Since first meeting Virgil he had known that the boy walked quietly. And it certainly wasn’t the first time Virgil had accidentally snuck up on him, but with the loud creaks the stairs gave even under the slightest amount of weight, he would assume that Virgil would have made a sound coming up the stairs. Had he been that engrossed in his designs that he hadn’t even heard? Or maybe Virgil had been in a different room on this level already. It wasn’t as if Logan had any idea what Virgil did in the house when he wasn’t there after all. What did he do? And why did he come at all?

They were questions Logan had been wondering since first laying eyes on the boy, and yet it seemed as more time passed he was getting more curious rather than less. 

“Logan? Which do you think is a better couch?”

Logan refocused on the present and Virgil pointing out two brown couches in a magazine. “They look the same.”

Virgil responded with a frown, “No they’re not, you’re not helpful.”

“Sorry to disappoint.”

“I’ll do the sofa last,” Virgil decided, flipping to another page. 

“You could be quite the interior designer when you grow up.”

Virgil shook his head, “That’s not what I wanna do.”

“Oh? Then what do you want to do?”

Virgil didn't reply at first and when he did it was quiet enough that Logan nearly missed it. “Leave.”

“What do you mean by-”

“Logan?” A voice called from another room. Logan’s eyebrows knit in confusion as he stood. “Logan?” The voice called again. 

With that Logan exited the office and headed to the stairs to find his younger brother’s face looking up at him. Patton gave him a relieved smile. “There you are kiddo! This place gives me the creeps.”

“What are you doing here?” Logan replied descending the creaking stairs. 

“Dad wants you so mom called, but you didn’t answer and since I knew you were here I came.”

“My phone was off,” Logan lied. 

“What if something was wrong and we needed to call you?” Patton chided. “And if you got in trouble it would take too long for it to turn on to call for help.”

“Is he that mad?”

“I don’t think so.”

So he was. Logan gave a slight sigh, “Let me grab my stuff.”

He hurried up the stairs silently wondering how to apologize to Virgil, but when he returned to the office the boy was already gone. 

~~~~

“Who was that last time?” Virgil asked as Logan entered the house.

“My brother,” Logan answered. “I finished the office at home. Why don’t we move to the master bedroom?”

“Is he older or younger?” Virgil asked later when they had been sitting in silence. 

“He’s two years younger than me.”

“He sounded like he was treating you like the younger brother.”

“He does that.”

“Are you two close?”

No. “It’s complicated...”

“I have an older brother,” Virgil offered after a pause. “I haven’t seen him in a long time though.”

“Oh, is he old enough to move away?”

“Kinda.”

“Why don’t you like your brother?”

Logan stopped in his sketch and set his pencil to the side. “I didn’t say I don’t like him. I said it’s complicated.”

“Do you like him then?”

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t you get along?”

“We get along,” Logan amended. “Patton gets along with everyone. I said we weren’t close... What about your brother? Do you two get along when you see him?”

“No.”

~~~~

“The final room of the house,” Logan stated, pushing open the door. He glanced down to the boy beside him and Virgil gave a slight nod with an almost solemn expression. 

It was a bedroom.

There were two beds in it. On the left by the door was a twin sized bed, but on the right was a smaller bed meant for a child. Between the two was a large dresser on which sat a broken mirror. Like the others on this floor the furniture was covered underneath a layer of dust, but one thing which was different about this room was the presence of flowers. 

They were dead and shriveled, some even decomposing, but that would mean someone had been in here not too long ago to put them in here. But why and when? Hadn’t this house been abandoned for ages? It didn’t make sense, but even so the flowers laid on the child’s bed beside a teddy bear. Their presence didn’t seem to bother Virgil any, as the boy walked past him into the room to go sit on the bed and pick up the old toy. 

Logan took a deep breath trying not to focus on answers he didn’t have. He only had a week left at home, and one room to go. That should be his focus. 

He had just gotten himself situated on the floor when his phone rang bearing Patton’s name. 

“Hello?”

“Hey Lo!” Came Patton’s cheery tone. “Are you not coming home? We’re about to go see Grandma.”

“I told you this morning I’m not coming.”

“But she’s our Grandma,” Patton complained. “I know she wants to see you!”

“No she wants-” Logan forced himself to take a deep breath. “I’ll see you when you guys get back tomorrow.”

“Okay love you L!”

“You too.” When he hung up Logan found Virgil’s quizzical gaze on him. “My brother,” he explained. “He was asking if I was going with them to see our grandmother.”

“You’re not?” Virgil asked, setting the bear back in its place. 

“I’m not. I don’t really like going over there.”

“Why not?”

Logan grabbed his pencil and set to work instead of entertaining this conversation, but Virgil was still watching him. “Because,” he said finally. 

“Because why?”

Logan bit his tongue to keep from replying something he’d later regret. Virgil was a curious kid. He had known that for months now. “Just because.”

“You don’t like them do you?”

“They don’t like me!” Logan shouted in return. “Okay? My family doesn’t like me. So why should I go spend time with them?”

Virgil’s response came without any hesitation, “Because you have them.”

Logan’s sudden anger and frustration vanished at the words and he took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on the paper in his lap rather than into those dark eyes. “When we were kids we were at my grandparents’. And they have a pool... Patton wasn’t a good swimmer, I was. So I was supposed to watch him. But... but I didn’t. And Patton almost drowned. He died in that ambulance too, the EMTs actually brought him back...” he trailed off and shut his eyes trying to stop from falling deeper into his memories. “I nearly got my brother killed.”

“And you still blame yourself?” Virgil guessed. “Your family still does too?”

Logan opened his eyes to stare at the kid in confusion, wondering how someone Virgil’s age could even comprehend what he was saying, but it was all he could do to wipe away the few tears threatening to fall. “Patton is the only one who doesn’t blame me.”

“At least it was an accident,” Virgil said quietly. 

“What do you-”

”You always ask why I come here. It’s not that I come here, it's that I never left.” Virgil said slowly, getting up and coming closer. It wasn’t until he was directly in front of Logan that he spoke again. “Not since the day I died.”

Anything Logan could have said was cut off as Virgil poked his forehead- no Virgil had tried but Logan felt nothing but cool air. 

“That’s- That’s- That’s not...”

Virgil gave him a slight smile as he took another step forward only to walk through Logan. 

“I died a long time ago,” Virgil told him, walking around him and going to sit on that small bed. “I’m not good enough at time to say how long.”

Logan couldn’t get words to leave his mouth. He wanted to say something- anything but any half formed thoughts died on his tongue. 

“Take a deep breath.”

Logan did as he was told and even so it took him three tries just to choke out the word “how.”

“My brother,” Virgil answered, picking up a few dried petals and letting them fall from his fingers. “He pushed me down the stairs. He told everyone I fell.”

“Why?”

Virgil gave a slight shrug, “Without me Mommy wouldn't have to stay with Daddy. So when I died they left. But she used to come back to leave me flowers. And since she died he does it now. He comes on my birthday and... and on the day he killed me.”

“Virgil, I-”

“You should get close with your brother at least,” Virgil interrupted. “I don’t know about the rest of your family. But your brother seems nice.” 

“He is,” Logan replied quietly. 

The boy- the ghos- Virgil gave a satisfied nod. “You know, you’re the only one who’s ever seen me. I don’t know why, do you?”

Logan shook his head quickly, “N-no.”

Virgil gave a shrug as if it didn’t matter as he moved back over to Logan and picked up a magazine. “I’m gonna pick out the bathroom.”

Logan didn’t know how to reply, so he didn’t. He grabbed his sketchbook and instead began to draw. 

~~~~~

“Virgil?” Logan called cautiously upon entering the room. But Virgil didn’t reply or come out from wherever it was he went. He didn’t come out at all when Logan was drawing, or when he left. Nor did he come out the day after that. Or the day after that. 

Logan entered the room and looked around hopeful, but just as before he was completely alone. He gave a soft sigh as he set the flowers he had brought on the bed. “I head back to school tomorrow,” he told the nothingness. “I...I don’t know what to say to you. I don’t even know if you can hear me but, I’m making an effort with Patton already. My parents don’t seem happy about it but I am... so um. I guess I’ll go. I’ll come back though. I need to finish designing this room after all. So... I’ll talk to you then.”

The old house on the end of Wendon Way had stood for what felt like eons. Not one in the sleepy town could recall when it had been lived in last- or someone had ever lived there at all. But regardless of the details, it had become an urban legend among all ages. For children it was a place to avoid due to rumors, teenagers were responsible for spreading the rumors to keep kids away from their spot, and some adults didn’t agree with the idea of trespassing and understandably worried about what could be going on, and finally were the adults who had been those teenagers and fueled such worries among their peers. And for others it was a place to be far from the other worries of life. And yet there were unofficial rules to the house on the end of Wendon Way, one of which was not to go to the second floor due to the ghost which lived there.

But as he had learned, it wasn’t exactly a rumor. 

“This is you isn't it?” He demanded entering the second bedroom. 

The only occupant of the room looked up with a neutral expression. But not getting a response he gave a huff and began to read off the old news article he had found from his phone. “‘Local college student killed in violent car crash after supposedly leaving the Wendon House’. That’s you right?”

Logan’s attention fell back to the ever present sketchbook in his lap, “You're always so loud, Roman. I like peace when I draw.”

“But I’m right aren't I? You died like fifteen years ago outside this place? Am I right?”

“You are.”

“I knew it!” Roman cheered. “So, what are you drawing today?” When Logan didn’t reply Roman moved closer before he frowned seeing the face drawn in the book. “You always draw that same kid. Why?”

“Because I don’t want to forget his face.”

Romag gave an interested hum as he moved to sit across from Logan, “What’s his name?”

“His name was Virgil. And he was here before me.”

“And then what happened?”

“I got close to him.”

“And then?”

Logan stopped drawing for a moment and he looked up, those deep and sunken in eyes meeting Roman’s, “I took his place.”

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

THE SEEIN’ DEAD MOD IS A BAND-AID FIX

gearbox locked zane’s lazy fix behind a paywall

tl;dr: for the love of god, the seein’ dead class mod should be what the seein’ red capstone is and vice versa. also. MORE SYNERGY. also i redesigned all of Zane’s trees and augments for more synergy you’re welcome.

is 1am and i don’t want tomorrow and im angry and thinking about borderlands so this seems like the perfect time to immerse myself in remaking Zane’s skill trees (for the 5th time). mainly because some of zane’s skills are still irking me and i’ve written extensive essays for the bl3 subreddit about the seein’ dead class mod and just playing around with zane’s skills in general, but i don’t think i’ve ever posted here before about it. so here we are. i notice i usually save lore/theories/characterizations for this blog and meta/balancing/gear talk for reddit. not sure why that’s a split for me. 

now i’ve remade zane’s skills a number of times, but honestly this was all before the seein’ dead mod was released. then, instead of fixing his skill trees, i wrote a lot of essays about why that mod was a terrible bad decision on gearbox’s part (you can read one of the shorter arguments in a comment from 5 months ago here). I’m just gonna remake the skill trees now with all his current abilities in mind.this post really should be titled: ALL THE PROBLEMS WITH THEIR BALANCING DECISIONS

so imma just talk for a bit about why i love/hate the seein’ dead class mod. 

Obviously it’s a god tier mod, and you see almost no zane builds without it, and no top tier, can solo m10 true takedown builds without it (unless ur like, the 1% of masochistic players, in which case i salute you). and while that obviously means its a good mod, it also shows the problems with all his other class mods and his skill trees in general.

They all kinda suck. and that wouldn’t be a problem, bc, hey, the seein’ dead mod is ez to get, just pop on over to the casino and kill a few baddies and they’ll  drop like candy. Which is really awesome!

slight problem.

the dlc is locked behind a PAYWALL

now this is a problem because if zane was a top tier character BEFORE the dlc, and everything was hunky dory and people weren’t on their knees begging for gearbox to fix Zane, then him getting a new badass class mod wouldn’t be such a big deal. but the problem was this was gearbox’s solution to giving Zane a buff.

they literally locked a buff for a character behind a pay wall.

I recommend Zane is every single person I try to convince to play bl3, but i always have to add this like, commercial-esque asterisk. you know, terms and conditions or, side effects or whatever. *you probably want to get the seein’ dead mod if you’re looking at end-game play because unless you wanna struggle that’s his only viable play style.

what if they don’t want to buy the dlc?! for real...

There’s also the point that this class mod makes his (arguably) BEST capstone obsolete. so we have distributed denial which literally no one uses because its broken, double barrel which is always traded for seein’ red or more points in other skills, and seein’ red, WHICH WAS MADE USELESS BY THIS CLASS MOD

gsfdhjikdhgdaskjfhgaskdfjh

okay and it wouldn’t even be so bad

IF THEY DIDN’T CHANGE HIS ENTIRE SKILL SET BEFORE RELEASE

like they lowered ALL his kill skills, then they turned Seein’ Red into his capstone instead of Death Follows Close, meaning they nerfed Death Follows Close so it could fit as just a game changer. my poor boy was g u t t e d.

so, imagine this, everyone is reaching the end-game content of bl3. it’s a month or 2 weeks or whatever after the game dropped and people are finally hitting level 50. and moze/fl4k/amara are all killin’ it, and the zane players have to work their ASSES off to do like... 50% of that damage output (now, they did also eventually nerf the crap outta moze and fl4k but the point stands). 

so instead of gearbox going: “oh... shit that pre-release nerf was an awful idea, revert the changes guys” they decided to keep him gutted and then they released what was, in my opinion, a kick in the nuts with the maliwan takedown (aka the antifreeze mod, alongside the spiritual driver) ahahahahahaha. what good times it was. (I say this sarcastically.) 

man i remember people were soooo livid with that class mod release. well, both of them. zane mains were pissed off (for good reason). “yes, let’s make the people who are begging for a straight damage increase jump through MORE hoops (LITERALLY) for a pitiful amount of damage. oh, also, let’s give their 28 skill point build to the strongest character in the game for free and also make it 10x better”. because it was 10x better than violent momentum (driver didn’t have a damage cap) until they fixed both the spiritual driver and the violent momentum skill. it was the worst of times.

i will note here they did, around this time, let zane have stackable kill skills, but it was only 2 stacks and also it was still *incredibly* difficult to achieve stacks because zane just. struggled to kill anything. I still remember when i grinded the shit outta an antifreeze class mod and it took me over 20 minutes to kill Wotan my first time solo on m4. Not the fight UP to wotan. literally. just killing wotan.

then the seein’ dead mod dropped and i had. a fuckin. 15 minute decrease to my time on killing wotan (5 minutes!!!!). now i am not perfect, and i 100% believe i could’ve lowered the time even more. but that... that shows a VERY CLEAR problem.

they never actually fixed zane, they gave him a class mod that’s stupid OP just to make sure he could hang on next to the other Vault Hunters. it’s just a bandaid fix. you remove the class mod, and he’s back to pre-jackpot power levels (which will NOT hold up at m10, let me tell you). 

all his pre-jackpot problems are still here, and that’s why people are not using any other class mod of his. I bet we could have some really fun builds with the conductor mod! but nobody will ever use it because it’s just... not even close to the seein’ dead mod.

So what does the seein’ dead mod do that makes Zane so good?

IT BRINGS HIM BACK TO PRE-RELEASE VALUES

this mod, plus Death Follows Close, brings Zane back to pre-release zane. and i don’t understand how gearbox isn’t putting two and two together and going “Oh.”

it also is a BETTER VERSION of Seein’ Red!!! something players could have had at, like, level 15, but instead had to wait until they hit a capstone! the capstone is completely obsolete at this point. There is nothing seein’ red can give you that seein’ dead doesn’t do but better. Getting that capstone is a w a s t e of skill points.

AND they locked this fix behind a pay wall!!! i cannot say that enough. you don’t wanna get the handsome jackpot dlc?? guess u don’t wanna play zane at endgame then. too bad, so sad.

have i stated that enough? because it still blows my fuckin mind. THEY LOCKED A CHARACTER FIX BEHIND A PAYWALL

djhdgakjhakjdah. imagine playing without any prior knowledge and being like, aw man i love this zane character. can’t wait to get to max mayhem end game like all my favorite youtubers and friends!! then finding out you gotta drop 15 bucks or whatever it is just to actually be able to play at max mayhem level. that is not a skill difference, that is A BALANCING PROBLEM MY DUDES. like. my favorite zer0 build was still viable without the story DLCs. obviously grog > rubi, pimp > lyuda, rapier > law but, it was still fuckin viable.

guh. gufhgufhsdgkfjsdh. it bothers me.

ok so there’s a lot i just went over: my main issue? is that by making Seein’ Red a capstone, they did nothing to make it an actual legit capstone. They definitely nerfed Death Followed Close to make it a gamechanger, but they never gave Seein’ Red a buff to move it from a gamechanger to a capstone. It was the same exact skill. Seein’ Dead is what Seein’ Red SHOULD be and that’s what angers the crap outta me. they locked this obvious fix behind a pay wall (AND a gear slot!!!!!) n ur probably thinking ‘but cruddy this WAS really nice of them to try and fix zane... they could’ve just let him be suuc’ and like, yeah, they could’ve, and it is good they’re TRYING, but also, they’re leaving the people who DON’T buy the DLC high and dry.

keep in mind i DO own the dlc. have the season pass and everything. IM STILL MAD!!!

Zane should be strong no matter what class mod the players want to use. Same with Amara, same with Moze, same with Fl4k. FFS, it is not that hard. CHANGE THEIR SKILLS!!!!!

so im gonna be taking the time to go over all of zane’s skills and shit just to put him more on par with the others (WITHOUT THE SEEIN’ DEAD MOD)

imagine the seein’ dead mod doesn’t exist for this. we’re gonna make a balanced character since apparently THAT’S TOO HARD FOR A TRIPLE-A BALANCING TEAM

first things first, the tree with the most fuckin problems: 

Under Cover

oh god this tree is a fucking train wreck what the hell were they thinking. good god. my eyes. they’re burning.

not actually, but it still kinda sucks.

Action Skill: Barrier is fine. I would not add the ‘picking it up decreases benefits’ when Zane’s whole schtick is running around fast. You get the full bonus no matter what form it’s in. also, you can hold down the action skill activation button to deploy the barrier directly on yourself.

Tier 1: Hearty Stock is a trap. never get this. so dumb. no synergy with his other skills. Adrenaline is okay, but not really great during end game. Ready For Action is similarly okay. Just a very MEH start to this tree. 

Adrenaline: Zane gains increased Action Skill Cooldown Rate. 10% per level, up to 50%. this shouldn’t be tied to his shields being full because if your barrier is down (cooling DOWN)... your shield is taking damage. c’mon now. THINK GEARBOX T H I N K

Hearty Stock: (maxed) Zane and his clone gain 5% magazine regeneration while an action skill is active. This skill stacks. In it’s original state, this skill is such a trap skill. for real.

Ready For Action: i mean, it’s fine. We’ll keep it. +30% shield recharge rate and -29% (why????) recharge delay

Tier 2: ech. Stiff Upper Lip is not that good. Brain freeze is what u really want. Rise to the Occasion is also okay.

Brain Freeze: keep the same.

Stiff Upper Lip: when Zane is damaged with a hit that would break his shield, he gains (max) +20% bonus gun damage on his next shot through the barrier.

Rise to the Occasion: Zane and his clone gain health regeneration. +5% max health/s. Not determined by shield availability.

Tier 3: `screams in confident competence` oh lawd. this skill is good. the accuracy thing is kinda laughable. i tell you, i always thought that zane was originally meant to be the sniper with the Under Cover tree but they decided to swap Zane and Fl4k’s skills. which is why Zane has soooo many accuracy buffs.

Confident Competence: fine the way it is. I would also add, since this IS a game changer, that the Barrier’s damage amp is now 40%.

Tier 4: ew. tier 4. Really Expensive Jacket is literally the only skill you might want to get and EVEN THEN. ugh. Best Served Cold is so pointless. and so is Futility Belt. YOU TAKE MORE DAMAGE WITH IT

Really Expensive Jacket: Elemental Status Effects have reduced duration (-50%). Additionally, Zane is not slowed by Cryo anymore.

Best Served Cold: Remove the cooldown. Buff up the damage at least 200%. Make it an AOE Brain Freeze. That is, the cryo novas stack and if overkill damage is high enough, enemies hit with the novas freeze. Kinda like a discount Frozen Heart.

Futility Belt: HA. Ahahahahaha. Ha. Zane gains resistance to non-elemental and cryo damage (+15%). Futhermore, after killing an enemy, Zane’s barrier gains additional cryo damage (+20%) for 8s.

Tier 5: is oki. My only real complaint is with Nerves of Steel. Like. Seriously.

Refreshment: god tier skill actually. Keep the same.

Best Served Cold: also keep the same. The only change I will make is this: resetting your action skills’ cooldowns counts as action skill start and end.

Nerves of Steel: The longer Zane’s barrier is active, the more stacks of Nerves of Steel he gains (a maximum of 15). For each stack, Zane gains 2% shock damage, 2% cryo efficiency, and 1% damage to frozen enemies. (why shock damage? cryo doesn’t do well against shields.)

Tier 6: *cries in the worst capstone in the entire series* WHO DID THIS. WHY. WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU???

Distributed Denial: no. just. no. scrap this whole damn thing. IT DOESN’T EVEN WORK!!!! either fix it COMPLETELY or do something else. My recommendation? Whenever Zane throws down his barrier, his shield instantly begins recharging. If Zane’s shield is already full or recharging, enemies with no shields (or freeze immunity) that touch Zane’s Barrier for the next 10s are instantly frozen.

Augments: why the hell do i gotta place my barrier down when my entire fuckin’ character is about RUNNING. ALSO JUST AS A BLANKET STATEMENT: ALL THESE AUGMENTS WORK 100% EVEN IF HIS BARRIER IS PICKED UP. SO DUMB. a fully pointless restriction.

that last sentence immediately fixes Charged Relay and Nanites or Some Shite.

Redistribution: If his shields are full, Zane can sacrifice 50% of his shields to have his next shot deal 100% bonus cryo damage by holding F.

All-Rounder: Fine as is. Only thing I would add: whenever Zane melees an enemy, his shields are drained by 50% and his sliding augment is added to the melee attack.

Deterrence Field: Fine as is. But! I would add: whenever Zane sprints into an enemy, his shields are drained by 50% and slam augment is activated.

THAT WAY we can have both slam/sliding relics actually DO SOMETHING. because my god they’re so useless rn.

alright, moving on.

Hitman

Tier 1: is okay. nobody ever takes cold bore. ever.

Violent Speed: fine as is, but we’re taking it back to pre-release values. Max: 30%. can stack 2x.

Cold Bore: Zane gains (max) 20% bonus cryo damage to all shots fired while moving.

Violent Momentum: fine as is, but taking it back to pre-release values. 30% gun damage at default walk speed. Additionally, Zane can now shoot while sprinting.

Tier 2: my boy zoomer needs more fun.

Cool Hand: fine as it is. I would buff his base reload speed up to 20% and kill skill reload to 20% as well. 17 and 13 are such weird numbers.

Drone Delivery: fine as it is. Additionally, Zoomer’s base shots now take on the element of Zane’s grenade mod.

Salvation: fine as it is. I won’t mess with this bc life steal is messy business (coughs in grog)

Tier 3: hhhynf.fdsg. 

Death Follows Close: Kill Skill Bonus: +30%. Kill Skill Time: +7s. Additionally, enemies targeted by Zoomer take 5% more damage from Zane.

Tier 4: these two skills are actually p dope by themselves. it can stay as it is. I would MAYBE increase the violent violence max buff up to 20% but that’s just me.

Tier 5: ahahahaha. this skill. just remember, we’re pretending Seein’ Dead doesn’t exist, so imagine how this skill looks next to calm cool n collected. so pointless.

Good Misfortune: Killing an enemy with a critical hit adds (max) 10% efficiency to Zane’s kill skills for 8s. This does not stack.

Tier 6: WE’RE GONNA MAKE YOU RELEVANT AGAIN BOO HANG IN THERE

Seein’ Red: Zane has a (4%) chance to activate his kill skills upon dealing gun damage to an enemy. Additionally, enemies targeted by Zoomer now take 15% more damage from Zane.

so why didn’t we make good misfortune the infinite action skill build?? BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT CCnC IS SUPPOSED TO DO!!! why have 2 skills that do the exact same thing AT THE EXACT SAME TIER except ONE IS OBJECTIVELY WORSE!!!!!

what happens to the Seein’ Dead class mod if we’re giving its perk to this capstone? I’m so glad you asked. “Zane activates his kill skills when activating his action skills. Additionally, the kill skills activated this way have 15% more efficiency”. look how much better balanced that is!!!! that’s a class mod!!!!!!!!

Augments: these aren’t THAT bad, but they could be a lot better.

Winter’s Drone: Zoomer gains 20% bonus cryo damage to all shots.

Bad Dose: pump these numbers up. Fire Rate: +7% per affected enemy. Movement Speed: +10% per enemy. everything else is fine.

Boomsday: just make this more beefy. fr. It’d be a good choice if it were stronger.

Static Field: also fine. I would again give it better damage output, but that’s just me.

Almighty Ordnance: remove the build up honestly. Like i get the vibe and it’s really cool, but in combat it just DOESN’T WORK. maybe if Zoomer is targeting an enemy, he will unleash the missiles if they are above 50% health after 30s or something. I honestly think these should have a debuffing factor instead of a damage factor (you know, to not get in the way of boomsday). maybe something around 15%? the 1x per action skill activation thing would be easily subverted with CCnC with the changes we suggested, so it could work. 

Doubled Agent

ahhh, Blane. Blue Zane. Love ya, buddy. One change: he prioritizes pinged targets. That way you can kinda get him to fight specific people. Also, lower the teleportation timer. pls.

Tier 1: actually p good. could be better, but its not bad.

Synchronicity: Zane gains 20% bonus damage per active action skill. While Zane has an action skill active, he gains a stack of Synchronicity. Max Stacks: 10. For each stack of Synchronicity, Zane gains 5% Action Skill Cooldown Rate and 2% Action Skill Damage.

Praemunitus: Zane and his digiclone gain (max) 30% magazine size.

Borrowed Time: For each action skill active, Zane gains 30% action skill duration. The longer Zane’s action skills are active, he and Blane gain a higher Fire Rate and faster Reload Speed, up to 20%. (the idea is you choose between this or synchronicity bc... either permanent action skills build or fast paced action skills build)

Tier 2: Donnybrook is fun. Fractal Frags is fun. Duct tape mod is a GODDAMN DISAPPOINTMENT

Donnybrook: fine as it is. I might buff the max numbers up to 20% gun damage and 3% health regen. But that’s really it.

Fractal Frags: Blane will periodically toss a grenade from Zane’s stockpile at his targeted enemy (cooldown: 20s). Kill Skill: Blane has a 45% chance to throw a free grenade.

Duct Tape Mod: this skill... why... No cooldown. NONE. Zane has a 1% chance to also fire a grenade from his gun. Kill Skill: This is increased to 15% for 8s (stays at 1% for the whole time, but the kill skill will increase by 3% for each tier)

Tier 3: Actually Quick Breather is one of my favorite skills. this can stay.

Quick Breather: Same as is. Additionally, Zane and his clone gain 25% Gun Damage after swapping places for a short time (8s).  I really wanna promote swapping places. It’s really underutilized. they’ve ADDED stuff to this skill already!!! even tho it didn’t work until the next patch. BUT THEY SHOW ITS POSSIBLE TO ADD TO SKILLS!!!

Tier 4: actually a really good tier. a few minor changes. 

Pocket Full of Grenades: Kill Skill: Zane gains (max) 15% grenade regeneration for 8s. If Zane’s grenades are full, any excess grenades are shot from his gun with 25% bonus damage.

Old-U: If Zane falls into FFYL while his digiclone is active, he can press the action skill activation key to destroy his clone and gain a second wind. When he does this, he takes the place of his clone. His clone will also drop a grenade when it is destroyed.

Supersonic Man: Zane gains increased movement speed for each active action skill: (max) 15% each. Additionally, teleportation is considered to be Zane’s maximum speed for its duration and 5s after. 

Tier 5: oh god oh fuck oh god.

Like a Ghost: Oh god why. Zane and his digiclone gain a (max) 15% chance to ignore all damage while teleporting and for 7s after.

Boom. Enhance: actually a pretty swell skill. I would probably add Health Regen +3% per grenade tho. Blane needs help a lot.

Trick of the Light: bring back the shock damage. Zane deals 40% bonus shock damage for 7s after swapping places with his clone.

Tier 6: oh ngl I actually love this capstone lol

Double Barrel: Zane’s digiclone gains a copy of Zane’s current gun when it is deployed (and all the anointments work and he actually fires it like a reasonable person). Zane’s clone now deals damage equal to Zane’s base weapon damage. Upon swapping places, both Zane and his digiclone deal 50% bonus damage for 7s.

Augments: 

Binary System: is okay. Kinda uhhh underwhelming tho. Buff up the damage and also maybe reduce teleportation time.

Schadenfreude: I like this one a lot. Zane’s shield is restored by 100% of the damage his digiclone takes and vice versa.

Dopplebanger: lower the waiting time. I get that u don’t wanna override the teleportation, but it’s really annoying. Buff damage and don’t make it dependent on action skill duration. If this explosion kills an enemy, the clone is reactivated with 50% action skill duration.

Which One’s Real?: I’ve never actually felt this work. Maybe for like 2 seconds? Make it work more like Zer0′s hologram or Timmy’s Jack clones or smth. Maybe give an activation cue? im v lost with this one. Enemies targeting Zane take 30% more damage from the digiclone.

Digital Distribution: 75% of the health damage Zane takes is distributed to his clone instead. The digiclone gains 5% Health Regeneration/s and sends out 3 [level specific damage] shock spikes to enemies that attack it. 

literally all Zane needs is SYNERGY. if they can change a few skills, pump up a few numbers, and ffs fix the seein’ red/dead capstone/mod, they’d be in FUCKIN BUSINESS

but no instead

THEY LOCKED THE BUFF BEHIND A PAYWALL.

WHYYYYYY

[voidingintotheshout]

For those looking for any silver lining they can during this election, may be a distraction from the vote count; I would like to share the story of how Mississippi got rid of the confederate symbol on their flag and replaced it with the above flag, which I think is one of the more beautiful state flags. Don’t get me wrong, they’re always going to be a red state but I feel like the story below is an image of what advocacy and political action can do. Keep up the faith, we’re gonna make sure every vote is counted it’ll just take persistence and patience.

From: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Mississippi

A proposal floated by several members of the Legislature was to create a new Mississippi flag. This flag, with a yet-to-be-determined design that did not include any Confederate images, would be used alongside the current flag. This plan was soundly rejected by Governor Tate Reeves who compared it to the separate but equal doctrine, stating that if implemented it wouldn't "satisfy either side of this debate".[67]

Response Edit

On June 18, 2020, the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, Greg Sankey, announced the SEC would consider banning championship events in Mississippi until the flag is changed. The SEC is the athletic conference for the two largest universities in Mississippi, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.[68] The announcement by the conference was followed by support of changing the flag from Chancellor Glenn Boyce of The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) and President Mark E. Keenum of Mississippi State University.[69][70] The athletic directors of the universities, Keith Carter (Ole Miss) and John Cohen (Mississippi State), also supported changing the flag, along with various coaches from the universities.[71][72][73][74] On June 19, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) banned all post-season play from occurring in Mississippi until the flag is changed. The NCAA had previously banned predetermined events such as football bowl games and men's basketball tournament games in 2001 from occurring in the state. The new rule also bans merit-based championship sites, such as baseball regionals, softball regionals, women's basketball tournament games and tennis tournament games. Ole Miss hosted both baseball and softball regionals in 2019. Mississippi State hosted a baseball regional, men's tennis tournament games and women's basketball tournament games in 2019.[75]

Also on June 19, the leaders of the eight public universities in Mississippi (Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley State University, University of Mississippi and University of Southern Mississippi) issued a joint statement calling for a new state flag.[76] On June 22, Conference USA banned all postseason play in Mississippi until the removal of the Confederate emblem from the state flag.[77] Conference USA is home to the state's third largest university, Southern Miss, and has hosted its annual baseball tournament in Mississippi for eight of the past nine years. On June 23, presidents of the fifteen community colleges in Mississippi issued a joint statement showing their support for a new flag.[78]

The Mississippi Baptist Convention condemned the current state flag on June 23, 2020. In a statement, Baptist leaders said: "The racial overtones of the flag's appearance make this discussion a moral issue. Since the principal teachings of Scripture are opposed to racism, a stand against such is a matter of biblical morality."[79]

Walmart announced that it would cease displaying the state flag at its 85 Mississippi store locations on June 23, 2020.[80] The retailer normally displays the applicable state flag alongside the U.S. national flag at its locations in the U.S.[81]

Legislative action Edit

On June 27, 2020, the Mississippi Legislature passed a resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 79, that suspended rules in the legislative chambers in order to debate and vote on a bill to remove and replace the state flag. The motion was passed with the House approving by a vote of 85–34 and the Senate approving by a vote of 36–14.[82][83][84][85]

On June 28, 2020, the Legislature passed a bill, House Bill 1796, that would relinquish the state flag, remove the state flag from public buildings within 15 days of the bill's effective date, and constitute a nine-member commission to design a new flag that would be put to voters in a referendum to be held in November 2020.[86][13] The bill required that the Confederate battle flag not be included on the proposed design, and the motto "In God We Trust" be included,[87] as Georgia did when it removed the Confederate emblem from its state flag in 2003. In the House, the bill was passed by 91 in favor and 23 against.[65] In the Senate, the bill was passed with 37 in favor and 14 against.[88]

Earlier that weekend, Governor Tate Reeves had stated that he would sign any flag bill passed that weekend by the Legislature into law.[89] Subsequently, after the Legislature passed the bill, a spokesperson for the governor stated: "The governor does not want to rush this moment in history for our state. Once ... he's had the opportunity to review it, Gov. Reeves will sign the bill in the coming days."[65] Reeves then signed the flag bill into law on June 30, 2020. As the legislation repealed the sections of the Mississippi State Code which made provisions for a state flag, namely Section 3-3-16, Mississippi ceased once again to have an official state flag at this point.[15][90]

Flag commission and referendum Edit

Under the terms of House Bill 1796 (approved by Governor on June 30, 2020), a body known as the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag would be constituted to suggest a design for a new state flag no later than September 14, 2020. The act stipulated that any design proposed by the commission must include the words "In God We Trust" and must not contain the Confederate battle flag. The commission consists of nine members, three of which were appointed by the Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives, three members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, and three by the Governor. Former state Supreme Court Justice Reuben V. Anderson was elected as the commission's chairman at its first meeting on July 22.

The proposed design will then be subject to a referendum to be held concurrently with the general election on November 3, 2020. Should the referendum result in a "yes" vote for the proposed design, then the design will be officially adopted as the new state flag of Mississippi during the next regular legislative session. Should the referendum result in a "no" vote for the proposed design, the commission will reconvene and propose different designs. The legislation states that further referenda can then be held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of a year in which the commission makes a new recommendation until a "yes" vote is achieved. Mississippi will remain without an official state flag until a new one is adopted through this process.[92]

Controversy in new flag requirements Edit

The act stipulated that the new flag must include the words "In God We Trust." The Satanic Temple has threatened to sue Mississippi if the controversial phrase[93] is included on the flag.[94][95] Americans United for Separation of Church and State declared the state's actions as trading "a white nationalist symbol for a Christian nationalist one."[96] Both The American Humanist Association and Americans United for Separation of Church and State have published their own editorials decrying the use of the phrase on a new flag.[97][98]

Call for public submissions Edit

The commission invited public submissions for ideas for a new state flag in mid-July 2020. In accordance with the rules imposed by House Bill 1796, designs would only be accepted if they contained the words "In God We Trust" and not include the Confederate battle flag. The commission also added that suggestions would need to be unique and adhere to principles of the North American Vexillological Association: that the design should use only two or three basic colors, be simple enough for a child to draw, and have meaningful symbolism. Entries were to be submitted by email or by post and be received by the commission by August 13, 2020 to be considered.[99] The deadline was moved to August 1st to allow time for the commission to complete the selection process.

More than 2000 submissions (other estimates put this figure at 2800 images but a few images were erroneously repeated) meeting the legislative criteria were received and displayed on a public gallery website.[101] Each of the 9 commission members picked 25 flags, narrowing the list down to 147.[102] While a modified Hospitality flag did not proceed beyond the first round, a similar-looking "Mosquito flag" briefly did,[103] apparently due to a commissioner's typographical error.[104] At an August 14 meeting, the commission announced that they had selected nine finalists. These finalists, depicting various elements including a representation of the Mississippi River, magnolias, and stars composed of diamonds significant to the Choctaw nation, had either red, white, and blue or green and white color schemes. The commission announced that they would narrow these designs down to five finalists at its next meeting on August 18.[105][106] Five finalists were published on August 18,[107] and this was reduced to two flags on August 25.[108][109]

The final two flags were the "Great River Flag"[110] designed by Micah Whitson and the "The New Magnolia" designed by Rocky Vaughan, Sue Anna Joe, and Kara Giles.[111]

On September 2, the commission voted 8–1 to put the New Magnolia flag on the November ballot. Slight modifications were made to the original design, including making the text bolder and the red and gold bars thicker. The flag will officially be referred to as the "In God We Trust Flag".[17] Rocky Vaughan is credited with designing the flag's overall layout, with design support provided by Kara Giles, Dominique Pugh, and Sue Anna Joe (who created the magnolia illustration featured in the center). Micah Whitson was also given credit for the appearance of the first nations star.[112] [113] The flag was officially adopted by a vote of the people on November 3, 2020.

Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Mississippi

[kiraraneko]

CATS as reviewed by a furry

Apparently this is a movie review blog now lmao (listen I just have some Opinions™ I feel like writing down lately) You’ve already heard from a hundred sources about the terrible CGI and bad quality of the film overall, so I’m going to focus more on the characters themselves and how they’ve been translated from stage to film. As someone whose been a fan of CATS since childhood AND is active in the furry community, I hope this will be different from the other reviews. (YES THERE ARE SPOILERS)

Let’s just start this off by saying - everyone who keeps comparing this film to “furry porn” clearly is not familiar with furry porn, because the alleged “hornyness” of the actor portrayals is pretty in-line with the stage play. The only reason this movie comes off as so much more sexual is because the bad fur CGI doesn’t keep your brain from knowing these people are all basically nude. The stage play costumes feature fur tufts and limb wraps that work to somewhat hide the human silhouettes, whereas (even with some characters in coats and accessories) everyone’s fur in the movie is so skin-tight they end up being unmistakably human, so every sway and hip-thrust comes off as slightly disturbing in an uncanny way instead of feline and graceful.

Victoria the White Cat Now here’s where I’ll admit to my blatant bias - Victoria has always been my favorite cat (other than Rum Tum). Here’s a bit of trivia for you: Ever wonder why my fursona is a white cat? (Jumpcut to me as an 8 year old wearing a scarf around my waist, pretending to be Victoria). Her role in the play is small but she’s elegant, beautiful, and an incredibly talented dancer, and I always idolized her for that. So, you can imagine I was pretty delighted to find that she plays the role of “main character” in the film. Now in the play, the cats explain to the audience about who and what they are, with Munkustrap (the grey tabby) serving as a kind of narrator/translator and leader. Since you can’t exactly address a stage audience in a movie, Victoria fills that role of the “questioning onlooker”, which I feel fits her character very well considering she’s both a younger/newer cat to the Jellicle scene and she was the first to accept Grizabella, which connects her nicely to the entire story (both in the play and the movie). What I was markedly less jazzed about was the addition of her own song in the movie. I think it was a nice attempt to expand her role, but as an extension to Memories, I found Beautiful Ghosts to be frankly kind of boring and unnecessary. She’s essentially saying to Grizabella “I was just abandoned and I don’t have anything, at least you have good memories to look back on” which to me, came off as belittling to Grizabella with a dash of “poor me” for Victoria. However, the reprise version with Old Deuteronomy I actually ended up liking much more. It is less condescending when two old cats are singing to one another, versus a kitten who has their whole life ahead of them lecturing Grizabella about a past she knows nothing about. One last thing I’ll note about Victoria is her slight re-design in the movie - she’s been given some light striping patterning as opposed to being a pure white cat. This doesn’t bother me at all as I assume when it comes to lighting and rendering, pure white fur would have been too distracting on screen. Jennyanydots / The Gumbie Cat I’ll just come right out and say that this segment was probably the worst translation from the play in the entire movie, and it happens early in the film, so you’re already questioning what the hell the rest of the movie is going to be like. In the play, she’s a slow-paced and motherly type cat that only becomes energetic at night, when she sheds her fur to reveal a vibrant coat and goes to work teaching vermin of the house good manners and skills like crocheting (as opposed to hunting them, like other cats would do). In the movie, she’s flitting about the kitchen like a hyperactive rabbit, rampantly consumes some of the insects she’s painstakingly coached, and whines about wishing to leave her household. If this butchering of her character weren’t enough, they actually included the fur-shedding bit in an incredibly disturbing skin-unzipping sequence where she steps out of her cat skin to reveal a sparkly dress underneath. Characters in the CATS play occasionally do wear some clothing accessories, but this movie does not know the meaning of subtlety, and various characters are wearing fullbody clothes which even further breaks any illusion of these characters being cats. It just constantly wants to remind you that these are human people in unitards jumping around on a greenscreen. Rum Tum Tugger Undoubtedly a fan favorite, Rum Tum is the rockstar cat who swoons all the kittens and makes a general ruckus, with stylistic influences of Mick Jagger and Elvis. To say the least, I thought his part in the movie was fine, but certainly doesn’t quite have the punch to it that the stage play does. The movie has him breaking into a 50′s style diner while milk is liberally poured for all the younger cats. Both his character and that of the Gumbie cat’s are diminished further as she makes fun of his singing and dance moves - which may have been a funny addition, if it weren’t for her alleging his show-offiishness to a recent neutering. This joke just went a little too far in my opinion, and really detracted from the rest of Rum Tum’s performance. Bustopher Jones A very charming and gentlemanly cat, Bustopher’s sequence started well and then just got really weird. His song prominently describes his love of fine dining, his cheerful demeanor, and his well-groomed fur. The last of which was directly contradicted in the movie, as he rolled around in actual garbage making an utter mess of himself. He’s shown gorging himself through the entire segment with increasing fervor, until it’s just a bit too much to bear witness to. At one point, he’s meant to trapeze into a trash can, but the cat who jumps on the other end of the catapult is markedly smaller, and nothing happens. This is actually quite a funny moment, until once again, the joke goes a little too far and Bustopher comments being “sensitive about his weight”. This is just.. a bizarre comment considering he’s sung an entire song about being charmingly large and we’ve just watched him unabashedly stuff his face for five solid minutes. Applying human weight-shaming to the ideals of a cat is just completely unnecessary, awkward, and contradictory to his character. It changes him from an indulgent but experienced chap into something to be pitied. Asparagus / Gus the Theatre Cat Possibly my favorite segment of the movie, this is the only part I actually teared up at. As a child, I always thought Gus was a very boring character with a boring part, but watching as an adult I can understand and appreciate him much better. Sir Ian McKellen did an absolutely phenomenal job of channeling the frail, endearing, proud character of Gus (despite the wonky camera work of the scene). This might be the only part of the movie that matched, or perhaps even exceeded the stage play version, and I don’t think it’s any surprise that it also happens to be the most subdued sequence, relying almost entirely on character acting and line delivery, instead of fancy effects cluttering up the screen (as this musical should be). The end of his storytelling features some “lightning strikes” for emphasis, created by what I imagine would be a simple shadow stencil, and it added some genuine atmosphere to the idea of Gus as a performer with simple stage effects. It was a nice subtle touch, and I only wish the rest of the movie could have been more like that. I found his line condemning “modern productions” to be more poignant than ever before, and it makes you wonder if this movie suddenly became painfully self-aware.  Also I just want to throw this in: Before Gus’s song, there’s an unintentionally hilarious shot of Mr. Mistoffelees walking up on him drinking milk from a dish, except Gus is mostly in shadow with his cat features obscured and is standing fully upright, so he just appears to be a hobo man lapping at a dish, like someone legit just walked up on Ian McKellen being a complete fucking weirdo.  Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer This segment was another one that just didn’t come across quite right. These two are mischievous partners in crime, causing mayhem and stealing treasures. The '98 film version characterizes them as playful and upbeat, delighting in trouble-making, but they don’t seem to be quite experienced or clever enough to get away 100% of the time. The 2019 version came off as almost.. sinister to me. They coerce Victoria into stealing, frame her, and then leave her to what could nearly be her death, all while sort of talking through their lines with a cold inflection. This is supposed to take after the original “languid” London version, but they don’t play off each other very well and you don’t get a sense of the fun, amusing partnership they’re supposed to have. It’s mostly just watching them destroy several rooms of a house and then leaving Victoria to her fate like utter assholes. I don’t really have anything more to say on these two, it was just kind of bland and forgetful and leaves you disliking them instead of enjoying watching them have a fun romp. Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat I would give Skimbleshanks the award for “most baffling redesign”. As mentioned earlier, this movie takes cats-wearing-clothing to an uncanny level, and this is certainly the uncanny-est. While the play version has him in a cute waistcoat and arm warmers with elbow patches to give a “train conductor” vibe, the movie has him in full bright red overalls, with other reviews calling him “gay nightclub Mario”, lmao! As much as I wanted to enjoy this number, the sight of him was just too weird to look past.  The tap dancing during his skit was a fitting addition to his character - he is quite bouncy and light on his feet, so I thought it suited him very well and really liked that part. His song picks up after that, with all the cats dancing on the rail and there’s more weird camera work, at one point zooming out so ridiculously far it’s actually jarring. The rest of his song was okay, a CGI greenscreen that can do anything you want unfortunately just isn’t as creative and inspiring as watching actors build a train engine representation out of junkyard scraps on an actual stage.  Magical Mr. Mistoffelees The movie really took some liberties with this character, and I’m still on the fence about whether it was a good choice or not. In the play, Mistoffelees is a magician cat, performing tricks through his segment (including the most complex dance routine of any character) while other cats usually sing about his feats (in the ‘98 film, it’s Rum Tum). They went for the younger, unsure version of Mistoffelees in this new movie, and doubled up on it by turning him into something of a comedic-relief character. He doesn’t quite have a handle on his magic, and he trips up on his words and his feet several times through the movie. This would have been fine if his musical number hadn’t been such a let down. This is supposed to be his grand moment, but his “magic” ends up being underwhelming and the chorus repeats for SO long you’re practically begging for it to end. Where “Oh! Well, I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mr Mistoffelees?” was once a cheerful and upbeat line, it will certainly become a droning echo in your mind after watching this movie. The added plot of his implied attraction to Victoria I also found kind of weird, though I’ll admit that might just be my personal tastes. I always liked Mistoffelees being a more aloof kind of cat.  Grizabella / The Glamour Cat Alright buckle in, I’ve got some strong opinions about this one. Grizabella is undeniably the star of CATS - she’s an incredibly emotional character, visually intriguing, and her performance in the musical is nothing short of heartbreaking. She was referred to as “the Glamour Cat” in her prime, but it has turned into an almost mocking title as the other cats reject and shun her. We never really know why, but it can be implied she may have been cold and elitist to the other cats who once adored her, or had some other tragic and sudden fall from grace. Despite Jennifer Hudson putting in a damn good effort to play the role of this character, the movie itself let her down. The CATS play and the Jellicle ball which it centers around, while being a musical, is foremost a ball in which cats perform for the honor of being chosen. The dancing is just as important as the singing, and Grizabella’s character is heavily communicated by her posture. She’s hunched, stiff and limping, reaching out for others to accept her, and at one point even attempts to mimic some of the other cat’s dance moves before slinking away in shame. The 2019 movie paradoxically chooses to use extremely tight face-shots for just about every character routine. It is frustrating and claustrophobic to watch a movie where cats who are supposed to be expressing their character through movement are shown from only the shoulders up, just standing there singing into a camera - and this frustration is paramount at the Grizabella sequences.  Jennifer Hudson, singing her absolute heart out with tears pouring down her face, is still emotionally lacking because of the terrible cinematography refusing to show her doing any actual acting. I was so distracted by the mucus running down her face that I couldn’t even connect with her. I thought the costuming of Grizabella was very well done, but you barely got to see any of it. Overall a very disappointing performance, because Hudson was doing all the right things, and it could have been great if the movie had met her even halfway. Macavity the Mystery Cat Played by the incredible Idris Elba, Macavity underwent some heavy changes and expansion in this new movie. He’s the main antagonist of the play, and most of his antics like committing serious crimes and alluding the police are sung about as rumors but doesn’t himself sing, and actually doesn’t have any speaking lines in the play, adding to his mysterious character. When he eventually appears, he battles with Munkustrap and steals Deuteronomy (who is brought back by Mistoffelees). Macavity is usually depicted with vibrant clashing colors, wild hair, and uses quick threatening movements, while the Idris Elba version rein-visioned him as extremely sleek, black-furred, and sly and cunning, often emerging from the shadows to tempt other cats with their vices. He is given numerous speaking lines, and his villainy is expanded on as he kidnaps the other cats in an attempt to be the chosen Jellicle. I actually quite like this interpretation of the character, and it makes him a little more relatable instead of the vicious enigma he is in the play.  Something of note is just how literally the new movie took the rumors of Macavity’s powers. His abilities, which were muted and used sparingly in the play, were used constantly and without hesitation in this movie. He spends most of his time teleporting other characters and creating illusions, but then uses trickery to try and win the Jellicle ball, and fails to demonstrate his power of levitation when it really matters. So whether he does or doesn’t have real powers seems to be.. situational to say the least. Another thing I want to point out is just how uncomfortably sudden Macavity’s reveal is. He spends most of the movie in the shadows hidden under an oversized coat and hat, and then suddenly appears at the Jellicle ball without any disguise on whatsoever. Idris Elba is a damn fine looking dude, and you can clearly see his very human-shaped abs beneath his sleek Macavity fur, which is so close to his actual skintone that I’ve seen him described as “extra naked” and it’s pretty accurate. You just really aren’t prepared for this moment when it happens. Growltiger This guy is a rough and rowdy pirate-esque character with a dramatic love life. His segment was cut from the ‘98 film, so seeing the play in person is just about the only way to experience it. Because of this, it’s probable that many people may not even be aware of this character, so I was pretty excited to hear that he would be featured in the 2019 movie. Growltiger is quite overdue for his time in the mainstream spotlight. Turns out, unfortunately, Growltiger's Last Stand is not what you get. His appearance in the movie is more or less a cameo with a short introduction, and the rest of the time he’s serving as Macavity‘s henchman in the background. This is based on the 2015 revival of him as a dock worker, but I feel it was a weak representation of his character, and really wish he’d been shown in a better light. The movie cuts out pretty much every fight scene, and Growltiger‘s would have been dramatic and fun to watch, especially after Gus’s reminiscing. Instead, he was kind of lazily thrown into a river by Gus, who previously bragged about playing the role of Growltiger on stage, which is kind of an interesting juxtaposition if you don’t think about it too hard. Old Deuteronomy A surprising change was the decision to make Deuteronomy female, played by Judi Dench. I love old grandpa Deuteronomy, but this didn’t really bother me. Deuteronomy is a wise, beloved leader of the Jellicles and there’s not really anything integral about the character that says they couldn’t be female. Deuteronomy carries himself with dignity, but isn’t afraid to dance along with the songs of the other more lively cats, and Judi Dench certainly has an air of authority and respect about her. The character’s songs are reflective and thought-provoking, but once again, the 2019 movie fails to make any of these sequences actually entertaining. The absolute worst part of the entire movie comes at the very end, when Deuteronomy makes horrific, unblinking eye contact with the camera, and slowly talks her way through the Ad-Dressing of Cats. This is absolutely bewildering considering how the movie deliberately sets up Victoria as a main character in place of the audience, only to completely chuck that out the window of a moving car just to break the 4th wall in the most uncomfortable way possible and directly address the audience anyway. What is even the point? I can’t imagine there’s a single person that would watch that and be okay with it. The Ad-Dressing of Cats is supposed to be a cute, fun little recap of everything the cats supposedly taught you, but this movie made it feel like a lecturing stare-down. Other notes The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles was cut entirely from the movie, which is fine because it isn’t integral to the story or anything, considering it was also cut from the stage play when I saw it live. I kind of shudder to think of how The Great Rumpus Cat would have been interpreted in this movie, so I think we were all probably spared some indignities.  While this movie was watchable and certainly an interesting take on the play, it creatively added very little and only succeeded in making me desperately want to go watch the ‘98 musical. I thought at least this movie would be a fun soundtrack to view, but many of the songs just didn’t have the punchiness, joy, charm, or energy that I’m used to. There were parts of it that I liked enough to say this isn’t the worst movie I’ve ever seen, but that’s not exactly a glowing review. From the perspective of a theatre fan and a furry: If I want to see CATS, I’m most certainly going to choose the filmed musical over this new movie any day.  I’m infinitely more charmed by the graceful 80′s style dancers of the play than I am by the uncanny valley, painfully human cat-people of the new movie (and honestly I haven’t seen a single piece of fanart for it, so that really tells you all you need to know).

[mikegranich87]

Nintendo Switch OLED review: Beautiful, but not a must-have

Though they don’t come out with the annual frequency of an iPhone, video game consoles can always be counted on to have a few mid-cycle refreshes (think: the PlayStation 4 Pro or Xbox One X). This week it’s Nintendo giving the OG Switch a makeover, adding an OLED screen and a few other exterior tweaks. But it’s basically the same system on the inside, so don’t call it the Switch Pro. It’s officially dubbed the Nintendo Switch OLED, because calling it the “slightly nicer Switch” doesn’t really move units from the shelves. If you’ve already invested in a Switch or Switch Lite you won’t need the upgrade, but if you’re still Switch-less this is the model to buy.

It’s $50 more than the original, which is not being pulled from shelves just yet. For $350, the new Switch has a full 7-inch OLED screen, a step up from the older model’s 6.2-inch display. The larger screen size is appreciated, though after six hours of playing it in handheld mode I didn’t notice the difference as much.

Kris Naudus / Engadget

What did catch my attention when I switched back to the original were the chunky bezels around the 6.2-inch display. I’ve never liked them and found them to be one of the least attractive things about the system. Now they make me recoil in disgust when I compare them to the OLED model’s slim lines, which have been whittled to a third of the size. The matte plastic frame around the screen has also shrunk and changed to a glossy plastic, making it even less obtrusive.

As for the display itself: yes, it is noticeably brighter. There’s enough of a difference that in my initial hands-on I was dismayed when I returned to my personal Switch at home hours later. When placed side by side, the difference is undeniable. The colors pop just a bit more, the blacks are deeper and the whites are… more white, with the original having a slight lavender tint in contrast to the purer white of the OLED screen.

Kris Naudus / Engadget

While not every game will benefit from better colors, Nintendo is also releasing Metroid Dread the same day. Like all titles in the series, the game traffics in a lot of dark spaces, with the bright pop of Samus’ red and yellow (or blue) armor contrasting nicely alongside backgrounds of brown and gray. It’s a good showcase for the OLED’s improved color fidelity and just a nice-looking game in general, which distracts from the fact that the new Switch doesn’t bring any actual improvements under the hood.

The CPU and GPU go unaltered, which ensures that all future Switch titles remain compatible with existing Switch and Switch Lite systems. This is pretty much in keeping with the Game Boy Advance and 3DS lines of products, which saw some radical redesigns like the Game Boy micro and 2DS over their lifespans. Sure, there were handhelds like the DSi and New 3DS that came with improved internal specs, but those never saw widespread adoption. The Switch OLED is a lot more like the Game Boy Advance SP: significant improvements to the display and form factor, but the same old library of games.

Alongside that new display are a bunch of minor tweaks that don’t seem like much when considered individually, but as a whole really improve the experience. The most notable is the new stand on the back. The one on the original Switch is small and roughly a finger’s width, with only two positions: open and closed. The one on my original launch unit no longer locks in the “closed” position and has a tendency to flop out when I’m playing in handheld mode. It also detaches completely if you look at it funny.

The Switch OLED’s stand is an entirely different beast. Instead of a skinny little strip, it’s now a Microsoft Surface-style panel that stretches across the back of the entire unit, with real hinges that can be left in a number of positions so you can now put your unit at whatever angle you prefer. I wouldn’t try to pull this thing off; the hinges are actually molded into the plastic, so if you do break it, it’ll have to go off to the Nintendo repair shop to get fixed up.

Kris Naudus / Engadget

To accommodate the new stand a bunch of stuff has been moved around on the back of the Switch unit. The logo is now printed on the stand itself, so it’s been moved to the lower half of the rear. The manufacturing info, like the parts number and voltage, is now printed in black on the black plastic, underneath the stand. So it’s doubly hidden — a subtle but welcome improvement. The rear speakers have been moved to the bottom edge of the unit, where they also serve as a way to pull the stand out. It’s actually very thoughtful, while providing clear game audio and minimizing system noise. And, while the microSD hasn’t been completely relocated, it’s now placed parallel to the bottom edge. I assume this small change is to keep users from accidentally pulling out the card when they’re trying to adjust the stand. The one thing that hasn’t been relocated is the USB-C port on the bottom, so you still can’t recharge it in tabletop mode.

Kris Naudus / Engadget

There are fewer changes to the device’s top edge, with the most notable being a button redesign resulting in longer, thinner power and volume switches. The new buttons aren’t easier to hit, but they do look sleeker and feel better under my fingers thanks to the textured plastic of the Switch OLED. The system is actually just nicer to hold now, like when it kept the sweat from pooling under my clammy hands during a particularly stressful boss fight in Metroid Dread.

Kris Naudus / Engadget

Because the Switch OLED has to be compatible with all existing accessories, that means the unit is the same height and width as the original model. The Joy-Cons haven’t gotten a redesign, but hopefully the infamous “Joy-Con drift” has been eradicated by now. The new black and white color scheme is very nice, a step up from my all-gray launch unit in terms of style. If you like a more playful color palette, the Switch OLED can also be bought with red and blue Joy-Cons, or you can swap any other Joy-Cons you want. But the white ones don’t show scratches as easily as the other shades, so they’ll look spiffy for longer.

The one change in the system’s dimensions is the weight, thanks to the OLED screen. When handling the original and new Switch side by side, the difference is undeniable. But it’s not a big enough divide to make the Switch OLED less portable in any way. Subjectively, it might actually seem a bit lighter, possibly because the weight is well-distributed. The one thing about the build that feels like a step down is that the OLED model has a tiny bit of flex in the middle of the rear panel that’s not present in the original. However, it doesn’t make much of a difference to the build quality unless you’re planning to take a hammer to the back of the unit.

Kris Naudus / Engadget

Because the system keeps the same internals, that means the battery has gone unchanged as well. It’s the same as the refreshed 2019 battery, which offers between four and nine hours of battery life compared to the launch unit’s cap of six hours. However, the new OLED should be more power-efficient than the LCD, and in use it appears to be. I got almost seven hours of Metroid Dread before I got the “low battery” warning at 15 percent, and that’s a game that makes frequent use of vibration. Compare that to the four or five hours I tend to get out of my OG Switch, even when playing something fairly tame like Animal Crossing or Untitled Goose Game.

If you already have an existing Switch, you can drop the OLED model into your current dock and it will work just fine. But the system does come with its own, redesigned dock that you might want to set up. It looks a lot nicer thanks to its rounded corners and glossy black plastic on the inside (which admittedly will probably scratch up over time). The back panel isn’t great, as it feels flimsy and can come off completely (so you may lose it). But all of these are outweighed by the important addition of an ethernet port.

Prior to this, the Switch has always been intended as a wireless system, and it hasn’t been stellar. Early models had a tendency to “forget” how to connect to your WiFi, forcing you to restart the system. And even now, downloading from the Nintendo eShop can be pokey; even with the OLED model I had to leave my system sitting for an hour or two while it downloaded games wirelessly. But now you can just plug in a cable for a faster, more reliable connection. If you have one in your living room, that is. Many people don’t, which makes this a feature for the more technical-minded fans. It’s the one new feature of the Switch OLED that I would consider “pro” level, and if you have a place to plug in it’s certainly worth the $50 premium.

Kris Naudus / Engadget

Overall, the Switch OLED is a nice system coming out at an odd time, as it’s been over four years since the release of the original Switch. Based on Nintendo’s past release history, that would indicate a new console some time around 2023. So it’s a big ask of people to buy a $350 system if something better is just around the corner. (Nintendo has categorically denied that it has plans for a new Switch as recently as last week, but that doesn’t preclude that one will come out eventually.)

There’s also the specter of the Steam Deck in December, just two short months from now (assuming no delays). It's far more powerful than the Switch, and is also much larger, but promises access to almost the entire Steam library, which happens to overlap with the current Nintendo eShop quite a bit. The biggest selling point for the Switch OLED is access to storied franchises like Mario and Zelda, as well as the incredible bargain that is Switch Online. But you don’t need an OLED screen or wired ethernet to enjoy old NES, SNES, N64 and Genesis titles.

Kris Naudus / Engadget

If you’re not going to be able to plug it into ethernet, or don’t need better speeds because you play offline all the time, the choice to upgrade to a Switch OLED is tricky. If you always play on the TV, there’s absolutely no point in buying this one, as there’s no difference in the dock’s output quality. It’s going to look the same as it always has, as this is most definitely not the rumored upgrade to 4K. But even if you’re a handheld player it’s not a must-have, unless you’ve given up on your original Switch because you just really, really hate LCD displays, or absolutely need more than five hours of battery life.

from Mike Granich https://www.engadget.com/nintendo-switch-oled-review-130025998.html?src=rss

[ntrending]

These are the top 10 new motorcycles we’re dying to ride in 2019

New Post has been published on https://nexcraft.co/these-are-the-top-10-new-motorcycles-were-dying-to-ride-in-2019/

These are the top 10 new motorcycles we’re dying to ride in 2019

This article was originally published on Cycle World.

Once all the new models have been unwrapped at EICMA and Intermot, it’s time to start looking forward to another year of testing, riding, and comparing. Right now, they’re all good motorcycles fresh off their press release blasts. But as the year unfolds, we’ll see which ones don’t live up to the hype, and which ones shine beyond their spec sheets. Of course, 10 models don’t cover everything for 2019, so drop your favorite in the comments. For now, let’s look at what we believe are the most compelling bikes for 2019.

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For 2019, KTM is bringing the 690 SMC R back to the United States, wheelie fiends rejoice. It comes packing much of the componentry we enjoy in the Husqvarna 701 Supermoto. The engine is the same double-balancer 692cc liquid-cooled single found in the 701 Supermoto and Enduro, and we’d bet our lunch money that output is identical as well at a claimed 75 hp and 53 pound-feet of torque.

With the new motor, there’s also the inclusion of the up/down Quickshifter +, Sport and Street ride modes, cornering-sensitive motorcycle traction control (MTC), and cornering ABS with Supermoto mode. However, it’s not just a twin to the 701, the 690 SMC R is packing an all-new WP Apex suspension

Small changes aside, it’s always awesome to have more factory supermoto options, and welcome a return for a bike that helped define the segment. What would you like to see from a review of this bike?

2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire

Not much is known about the Harley-Davidson LiveWire. The Motor Company previewed a (“production-ready” LiveWire at Milan’s EICMA Show, and confirmed again it will be released in 2019 as a 2020 model. It is also the same model ridden at the 115th Anniversary Celebration last August.

Power, range, weight, and price are all still mysteries, but we did learn the LiveWire will be packing some serious componentry. It appears to be Level 2 charging capable, has the latest Showa suspension, 300mm Brembo brakes, cornering ABS system, traction control, and a TFT dash. All signs point to a premium, and tempting, electric option—and one of, if not the best-looking electric motorcycle to date.

This is on the list as not only an exciting electric motorcycle to ride, but an exciting motorcycle, period. What are you looking for from the Harley-Davidson LiveWire?

We really could have put the entire Kawasaki H2 lineup in this listing. For 2019, Kawasaki threw a treasure chest of tech at its hypersport offerings and expanded the lineup with more models than ever, but it’s the H2 SX SE+ that has us most intrigued.

It’s the sport-tourer out of the lineup, but Kawasaki added more componentry for curves, not just straight-line slaying. The Ninja H2 SX SE+ now has Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension (KECS), a 43mm inverted Showa cartridge fork, and a Showa Balance Free Rear Cushion Lite (BFRC-lite) rear shock. Along with integration with their Rideology app, riding modes, and self-healing paint.

In Kawasaki’s opinion, this new model offers, “an unrivaled level of performance and comfort, with agile handling akin to its superbike counterparts.” We say, we can’t wait to find out.

Last year, Husqvarna nearly made the list with its neo-retro café, the 701 Vitpilen. However, Husky is now firmly on the board with its flat-track-inspired Svartpilen 701.

The two have most of the same components, but the ride will be quite different. The chromium-molybdenum steel trellis frame is identical. The engine is the same double-balancer 692cc liquid-cooled single found throughout the lineup, and still outputs a claimed 75 hp and 53 pound-feet of torque. The WP suspension is the same, as are the Brembo brakes. But the addition of bars and more rugged look make this a more attractive option, at least initially.

With a revised tailsection, headlight mask, Pirelli MT 60 RS tires, and a more upright riding position, the Svartpilen looks like a proper street brawler, and one rowdy commuter that won’t be uncomfortable in the process. Does this bike have you excited as much as we are?

2019 Ducati Panigale V4 R

It’s shaping up to be an incredible year if you’re in the market for the ultimate in superbike performance, and the Ducati Panigale V4 R may be the most premier of the lot. For one, this is Ducati’s homologation special to go toe to toe in World SBK and bring a championship back to Italy. So it’s got a pretty big mission ahead of it.

To accomplish this, it features a 998cc version of the 90 degree V-4 that generates a staggering 221 hp at 15,250 rpm, and 234 hp with the optional Akrapovic racing exhaust system. It’s equipped with non-electronic Öhlins suspension and Brembo Stylema brakes, along with the full suite of Ducati electronics. And, of course, MotoGP-derived winglets on the fairings.

The price tag is just shy of $40,000 dollars, but this is the razor edge of superbike performance, and a truly staggering package available from a dealership floor. Can’t wait to ride this one.

The other superbike at EICMA should not be ignored however. The BMW S1000RR is a confirmed ground-up redesign for 2019, and is looking to take both the attention, and podiums away from its Italian and Japanese rivals.

Power is touted as 205 hp from an all-new, ShiftCam-equipped 999cc inline-four (up 6 hp from the previous iteration) and 84 pound-feet of torque—with BMW promising peerless throttle response and tons of midrange punch. The whole motorcycle is slimmer, lighter, and features semi-active suspension in a package that is sure to be more exploitable than ever before.

The BMW S1000RR moved the goalposts for the superbike class upon its debut, and the impact of this bike has us excited for a full test, and we’re sure it has its rivals worried. Will it have enough power to satiate the spec-racers among us?

2019 KTM 790 Adventure and Adventure R

KTM took the oxygen out of the room with the announcement of the KTM 790 Adventure and Adventure R. These middleweight ADV entries will have a crowded field to navigate, but unlike the other bikes on this list, we’ve already gotten a peek at what’s in store—and like it.

They come ready to rumble with the LC8c powerplant out of the 790 Duke, premier WP suspension components (fully adjustable on the R), and a bevy of tech. Lean-sensitive traction control, four adjustable riding modes of Street, Off-road, Rain, and Rally, Motorcycle Slip Regulation (MSR)—all standard.

It’s a competitive segment, and KTM looks to be continuing its assault on the off-road space with a total package of the 790 Adventure and Adventure R. However, we’ll have to await a full test to see if they live up to the hype.

We’ve already briefly ridden the FTR 1200, but all eyes are on the FTR 1200 and FTR 1200 S for a comprehensive road test. With flat-track-derived looks and heavily revised Scout motor belting out a claimed 120 hp, Indian Motorcycle is looking to capture hearts and sales from Harley-Davidson with its new street tracker.

During our initial ride, we remarked that the FTR 1200 is dripping in its own model-specific parts and components to create a machine wholly different from the Indian Motorcycle lineup. At EICMA, Indian debuted an extensive lineup of accessories, and curated them into four unique packages for the FTR, showing the flexibility and individuality of the platform. And, yes, it showed that you will be able to get high pipes for the FTR.

It’s a performance, American standard motorcycle, with seemingly few corners cut to get there. We’re excited to ride not only the standard models, but also take the accessory packages for a spin. What will the FTR 1200 and 1200 S have to do to live up to the hype in your opinion?

This is the sleeper hit of EICMA. The CB650R replaces the competent but dowdy-looking CB650F. With the transition, the CB650R transforms into a neo-retro stunner, with sharp lines, upgraded components, refined quality, and a clear relationship between its larger CB1000R and smaller CB300R siblings.

Underneath its looks are a revised 650cc inline-four powerplant with 5 percent more power, an inverted 41mm Showa Separate Function Fork (SFF), a lighter and stronger frame, and a keen eye taken toward engineering evocative engine sounds.

In a field that has largely abandoned the four-cylinder engine, Honda now finds itself with a unique engine option in a field of twins. The components are upgraded, and there’s a fair amount of electronics as well. This may be a surprising hit among riders and fans.

Why would a three-wheeler make it on this list? Well, for one, it’s classified as a motorcycle. Secondly, with our initial ride on the Niken we found it offered a riding experience unlike any other, and can still do wheelies to boot. With the Niken GT, we’re intrigued to see how slight changes to make it more touring ready can enhance the motorcycle.

The Niken GT takes the stated aim of the Niken and adds content to make it more touring friendly. Namely, the Niken GT adds a wider and taller touring windscreen, heated grips, specifically designed comfort seat, and quick-release 25-liter ABS side cases. For added convenience, the rear of the carrier base features integrated passenger grips.

Yamaha added largely tweaks and features to its existing lineup for EICMA 2018, but the Niken GT is an interesting take for the expanding sport-touring class.

BONUS: Top Disappointment

Yamaha made more news for what’s not happening in 2019 than what is happening. Instead of giving us the middleweight contender of our dreams this year, Yamaha announced the 700 Ténéré would be making its debut in, wait for it, 2020—as a 2021 model.

Release date aside, the production version underwhelmed on the spec sheet, with an LCD dash and not much mention of any electronic gadgetry. However, the wheelie-happy and torque-laden MT-07-derived motor is still there, and the looks are seemingly ripped right off Yamaha’s rally racers, which is a good thing.

However, the disappointment was palpable, and left adventure fans scratching their heads as Yamaha’s competitors clinked glasses of champagne in celebration. What’s it going to take for the 700 Ténéré to not underwhelm on its debut, and is the lack of technology potentially a good thing for the ADV space?

Written By Cycle World Staff

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We turned a business idea to $100k product (see me launching it above). Here are our learnings covered in this case study: — how we picked the right business idea; — why starting with one developer is counterproductive; — how important is it to talk to your target audience and ignore the rest; — successful bot criteria; — bonus: a product launch checklist;. . .In April 2018, Standuply broke $100k in annual run rate. We reached 500 customers and $19k in revenue working from Siberia and without funding. That’s challenging ⛄Before we got to that state we experimented for nine months in 2016; changed the concept three times and at some point, we were almost ready to give up.Eventually, we found the right track. A beta product we built led us to hundreds of customers and $75k in sales so far.This post is about the first year in the works, which was full of uncertainty, mistakes, and learnings. What a CRAZY year it was! How we picked the business ideaArtem Borodin, Standuply co-founder, is a Project Management veteran who also teaches Project Management classes. Artem saw how Agile teams have evolved and felt their pains with managing processes.It was 2016 which brought up the chatbot hype. I was EXCITED about the new opportunities and shared my business ideas with Artem.Together, we envisioned a Scrum Master bot that could be helpful for Agile teams. As a platform we chose Slack – it was the right choice that made us thrive.We hired an engineer and with the team of three started our long journey. New platform brought new challenges for our engineer. Thus, our team was moving slower than expected.Unsurprisingly, it took us a couple of months to build the first MVP. This is how SprinterBot (a bot that helps running Agile sprints faster) met the world.Lesson learned Have at least two developers to keep going faster. One person can get stuck coding something new.If you don’t have a business idea yet, here’s my dedicated post how to come up with the internet business opportunity: Techniques to Find Your Billion Dollar Idea.Did we follow that advice? Yes, to some extent. These techniques really helped us:Talk to Professionals As I mentioned above, Artem is a project management professional who witnessed many challenges in Agile teams. Later we proved that by talking to other managers.Talk to people who work in the area of your interest or where you see the highest potential. Without any doubt, most of them face lots of challenges in their professional life and know the details that make sense.Ask questions, listen carefully and write down their answers. Here are questions you may use.— What tasks are you responsible for doing in your business day to day? (Listen for response) — Which of those tasks take the most time and which do you like the least? — Tell me about how you go about doing (insert task from the response above). Stop and listen for 60 seconds. — If you could wave a magic wand and do anything related to (insert task from the response above), what would it be?After a dozen of discussions, you may spot some repeating answers. It could be what you are looking for. Ideally, 25–30 talks of this kind are needed to gather enough data to start seeing repetitive patterns.What Drives You?I always wanted to work on something meaningful for the likeminded people. That’s why our business idea of a bot for Agile teams INSPIRES me from the day one.Time flies when we enjoy something. These are the moments that can bring in new opportunities. To find out an inspiration, you can follow this simple plan.List activities which you truly enjoy doing. Select three or five the best ones.Talk to yourself in detail: what do you really like in each of those activities.Find one or two most painful problems about these activities.Describe in details how to solve these problems if you had all the resources.Tell your friends and peers about the solution and get their feedback.Describe in detail the minimal viable solution. How would it look like?Determine what you need to build the prototype and proceed to actual work.Decide what should be your next second step and schedule it for tomorrow morning (if necessary, wake up earlier).Looking for Complaints Every time someone complains, write it down. It could be about customer service or how expensive bath towels are. Listen for phrases such as ‘I hate’, ‘I wish’, ‘thats so annoying’. These are queues for potential startup ideas.Search on Twitter can also be very insightful. And we did that a lot.Twitter is often used to post complaints addressed to companies or share thoughts aloud. Here are some more phrases that can take you closer to insights.“I wish I had” “is the worst product” “that’s so frustrating” “does anyone know how”You can also read feedback sections on different websites with users ideas and comments. From time to time, you can find something interesting.. . . Brought to you by Standuply, the Slack bot that manages standup meetings. Need a Scrum Master in Slack? Hire Standuply for that. How we got our early adoptersAfter publishing an upcoming page (see below) on Betalist.com, 300 people subscribed to our waiting list. Not bad.We planned to ship within a week but eventually shipped Sprinterbot in 4 weeks. It often happens this way, right? 😜Invitation emails were sent, and we’ve been waiting for our first users. But, we got fewer signups than expected. Not good.Most of the subscribers left interest due to silence from our side. Still, 50 teams signed up. Half of them tested the bot, and a dozen of teams started using it.Lesson learned Keep in regular touch with your subscribers before delivering the beta. Warm up their interest.Then we decided to look for new users and feedback on Slack communities. We had over 150 talks< in two months. But it didn’t help ¯_(ツ)_/¯We defined criteria of a person from our target audience: IT manager of a software development team on Slack. Then Artem and I approached those people via DM with a short and personal message like “Hey Jane, could you do me a favor?”1/3 would talk to us, and those talks may have lasted up to 30 minutes. People are open and helpful if you ask gently. Here’s a useful article about networking on Slack communities.Most people were skeptic about our concept and our bot, but we did get few signups and some pieces of advice.Moreover, we found that both our unknown bot and other popular Slack bots got the same reaction — skepticism, and disapproval.It turns out we were talking to people who were slightly different from our real target audience.Later we found users and then customers who had no skepticism, but a strong need for our product. They were IT managers from remote software development teams and were using Slack bots.A slight difference made a huge change. Incredible!Lesson learned Know who's eaxactly your target audience. Talk to them and ignore the rest.Pivot, pivot!To decide what to do next, we summarized all our customer development talks. Yes, including those from people outside our target audience. Oops.Some people didn’t like the concept of a Scrum Master bot. Half of them didn’t follow Scrum. However, many liked that a bot can ask questions and gather answers, e.g., for standup meetings.To embrace that, we decided to provide a user ability to change questions allowing a broader set of use-cases.We redesigned our webpage and changed the product’s name (not a good move). It became ReportChef (like a chef that serves reports based on various recipes).It was launched on Betalist and social networks. This time we put up a referral system with perks based on Tim Ferris post, but it didn’t work out. Nobody wanted to invite their friends before trying a product.However, it wasn’t the only pitfall on our way.After we made our positioning wider, it became unclear to visitors what we were doing. Ouch.At that time about 50 teams were using ReportChef, and it didn’t feel like a strong demand. We were STUCK.Inspiration found I went to Bits & Pretzels conference to talk to people, find inspiration, and drink beer at Octoberfest 🍻But ReportChef didn’t catch any attention when I was talking about it. I felt FRUSTRATED and started to think whether I should quit…With those thoughts in mind, I went to a men’s room. Locked the door, I noticed a written text right in front of my eyes — “Never ever give up”.THANKS, man! It was an inspiration I needed in a place I barely though could be in any sense inspirational 😀I decided to do my best and get our product going WHATEVER it might take me in the next six months. A bit later things started to shake up. Getting to the saunaWe certainly needed a detached view. But there are only a few startup teams around in Siberia, and no-one was in SaaS business. If you’re drilling oil, it’s the place to go.So, we decided to apply for Startup Sauna acceleration program in Helsinki. It doesn’t take equity and provides a wide network of experts — just what we needed.Our team was lucky to be among 15 teams chosen for the Fall ’16 program. Yeah!The program was very useful, intensive and fun. What a GREAT time it was! I will share our experience in a dedicated post about Startup Sauna later on.During the program, we came up with Standuply brand and concept. Then we launched it at Startup Sauna demo day and on Product Hunt at the same time.In a couple of days, we received over 200 teams on board. A week later we published the bot in Slack App Directory. There Standuply began its steady growth.Later we decided to automate other Agile processes — retrospective meetings, burn-down charts, etc.So, the story started with building a Scrum Master bot, pivoted and came back to the original concept. Was that a 3rd pivot? 🙂In the next posts, I will share insights about our growth and how we built a successful product based on our initial business idea.Speaking of growth, check out our latest relevant post:Successful bot criteriaWe have a criteria list of a successful bot in our internal wiki. It’s our point of view, so don’t consider it as rock-solid truth.I’d like to share it hoping it will be useful to you.1. Replacing a process altogether. A bot has to replace a process altogether to achieve full adoption across the whole team.If a user has to keep the old workflow occasionally, it will hurt bot’s adoption. Also, it will raise the question “why should we pay for the bot if we’re still doing things the old way?”That’s why it’s practical to start with a tiny process and then expand the functionality.2. Added value A bot should bring added value to a process compared to the old way of doing things. Sounds trivial, but we saw many examples of making a bot for the sake of a chatbot.3. Solving the pain In the best scenario, a bot not only brings added value but solves the real pain. For example, it notifies when an app crashes right where all the team communicates.This way it quickly becomes the part of the workflow.4. The ease of use It should be easier to use a bot then solving a task in an old way. Typing too much isn’t cool.Compare ordering UBER in a couple of clicks via the app with typing your full address to a chatbot.5. Clear value proposition People are choosing and using bots because of their value. Thus, the value proposition should be clear and solid.It could be applied to any product, though.6. Scalability Bot’s features should be scalable within the same value proposition. In the perfect example, several joint processes can be automated via a bot.It can be applied to features or client sizes. I.e., starting with SMBs and then going to Enterprise.Original post

[itsworn]

Pit Stop: Big-block vs. Small-Block Chevy Mounts and Brackets on a 1974 A-Body

A typical 1973-and-later Chevy V8 engine mounting system: The sandwich-style rubber/metal mount (A) bolts to the frame and the all-metal, U-shaped, mounting bracket (B) bolts to the block. Depending on year, make, engine option, and model, the height and offset of the mount and bracket can vary. Mismatching these parts sometimes causes fitment issues. (Photo: Brett Turnage)

QUESTION

I’ve got a 1974 GMC Sprint project car. It was originally a 350 small-block Chevy with a TH350 trans, but I sold the engine and trans and installed a 454 [big-block] and TH400 trans in it. Unfortunately, I let the engine mounts go with the 350 when I sold it, not realizing I could use them for the 454. This began a months-long effort to locate the proper engine mounts, a search that proved unsuccessful. I made slight modifications to a pair of 1974 Camaro mounts and used them. Along the way, I also replaced the frame side of the mounts.

Several months later, I realized the engine was sitting lower on the passenger side than on the driver side by approximately ¾ inch, which works out to about 1½ inches at center-line. I cannot find a logical reason for this. One person suggested the frame mounts were side specific, with one being taller than the other, but I have not found any evidence to support this. Can you help me out with this?

Msgt. Mike Yates, USAF (Ret.)

Via email

ANSWER

Mike, if you’re really, really lucky, the engine just became twisted during its initial drop-in. Norm Rollings points out there may be enough slop in the mounting system and holes to correct the problem. Try loosening the mount-to-bracket 7⁄16-inch through-bolts on each side, then carefully jack up the low (in this case, passenger) side to level the engine. Don’t position the jack directly under the oil pan sump. Instead, place a wood block against the passenger-side oil pan rail or (if you have access) against an exhaust manifold. Alternatively, use an adjustable engine lift cradle on your cherry-picker’s hook. If this works, you’re home free.

But don’t hold your breath. It’s plain you have a mismatched mount and bracket combo. Likely the engine won’t self-level because there’s some sort of interference or misalignment. Now, we’re getting into the deep end. First, let’s clarify our parts-identification terminology. In GM parlance, an engine “mount” is the rubber/metal part of the engine-mounting system; the “bracket” is the corresponding all-metal, mating component. Starting in 1973, the completely redesigned intermediate chassis—including the Chevelle, the El Camino/GMC Sprint, and the very similar Monte Carlo—began bolting the all-metal bracket to the engine block, and the metal-wrapped rubber engine mount (sometimes referred to as the “clamshell”) to the frame. In this scheme, at least as serviced in the parts book, both the mounts and brackets are identical for both the passenger side and driver side. This is different than earlier practice where the bracket (sometimes referred to as the “tower” or “frame stand”) bolted to the frame, the engine mount bolted to the block, and the driver- and passenger-side parts were sometimes not identical. If I understand you correctly, the original brackets flew south with the 350 when you sold it, but at some point you also changed the engine mounts.

This is a shot of a typical late GM engine mounting system as seen on the driver side of a 1977 small-block Camaro. A reaction to engine-mount failures during the 1960s, it’s a very robust system. Even if the rubber in the mount fails, it can’t fly apart. Dealers tell me they rarely need to replace engine mounts anymore. (Photo: Norm Brandes)

Now that we’re speaking a common language, let’s take a look at the mount and bracket interface. It’s a common misnomer that conventional big- and small-block Chevy engine-mounting systems are completely interchangeable. Yes, the cylinder-block engine-mounting bolt patterns are identical and are located the same relative distance forward from the rear bellhousing face. (The big-block Chevy blocks are longer from the mount pattern centerline forward.) However, in production, Chevy used various bracket and mount combinations to vary the engine’s position in the chassis as needed for oil-pan and air-cleaner clearance, rearend pinion yoke offset, power brake booster or steering-column clearance, or even different levels of performance (i.e., the original mounts may be spec’d beefier for higher-powered engine options). Much of the time, these intricacies aren’t significant in a retrofit application, but sometimes you get bit.

With the help of my old buddy, Bob Mehlhoff, an account executive here at TEN who restores old Chevys and Mopars, we’ve confirmed that as used in original production, the correct mounting brackets were installed only on 1973–1975 454-equipped Chevelles (and sisters)—no other chassis, no other engine options. The small-block Chevelle brackets were different. The Camaro brackets were different. The original engine mounts were also unique to the 454 Chevelle (and sisters) of this period, although the same mounts were later used in other applications, including a boatload of different pickups, vans, and commercial vehicles (but with different mounting brackets). Aftermarket replacement mounts for this application may have even broader coverage. The engine mounts have been discontinued by GM, but replacements are widely available from parts houses and restoration specialists (such as Original Parts Group, which stocks exact factory-style 454 mounts under its PN CH25520, two needed). Unfortunately, the 454-specific brackets are long gone from GM (original GM service PN 357717, two needed), and nobody is reproducing them. You’ll have to scour classic-car wrecking yards, eBay, or Hemmings Motor News. Good luck with that.

Actual comparison of replacement small- and big-block engine mounts for this application reveal different mount-to-frame hole bolt spacing (see photos for differences and approximate dimensions), which shows that GM engineers slightly repositioned the big-block engine in the chassis for use with the correct, corresponding big-block engine brackets (unfortunately, the rare big-block brackets weren’t available to photograph).

Anchor third-gen GM A-body mounts: small-block (PN 2292, left) and big-block (PN 2395, right). As seen on these Anchor replacement mounts, each has different “active” (fully open) ⅜-inch frame-mounting bolt holes (A), and inactive holes (B) that are blocked off with either hollow or solid rivets. Also note the different up or down joggles on some of the holes.

Small-block (left) and big-block (right) frame mounting bolt-hole spacing varies. It’s plain the mounts use a different set of frame holes that in turn require the correct corresponding engine bracket to properly align the motor in the chassis.

On the big-block mount (right), the mount-to-bracket attaching bolt centerline is about ⅛-inch higher relative to the base compared to the small-block mount (left). Note how the rubber underneath the bolt hole is slightly thicker, yet the overall uncompressed clamshell height is the same.

One other possibility is at the trans end of the installation. TH350/TH400 transmissions have different overall lengths, different mounts and mounting locations, and different transmission yokes. On a full-frame car like the Chevelle and its relatives, the differences are accommodated by sliding the existing trans support (crossmember) backward and forward as needed to line up with the tranny’s mounting pad so the engine rear bellhousing face ends up in the same location. Assuming you replaced a short-tailshaft TH350 with a short-tailshaft TH400, the TH400’s mount is located about 6⅜ inches farther rearward than the TH350, while the TH400’s overall length is about ⅝-inch longer than the TH350. In some cases, the TH400’s longer overall length can be accommodated when you change the yoke, but usually the driveshaft must be shortened as well. These differences could be greater if longer-extension housing versions were utilized. Significantly, if you based the engine/trans installation off the original trans support location for the TH350, the engine is incorrectly located. There are generally multiple engine mount hole locations in the frame to accommodate different engine options (including other GM divisions’ engines), so it’s easy to get confused when swapping in non-original motors.

But let’s say the engine and trans are in the correct fore-and-aft location, and you can’t find a set of 454 Chevelle engine brackets. The small-block brackets are more common; they might work with the correct corresponding small-block mounts if the mounts are installed in the proper small-block frame mounting-holes, but no guarantees (check hood, oil pan, exhaust, power brake booster, and steering column clearances). What’s left? Try shimming the mounts and brackets to level the engine. You may have to try spacers on either or both sides of the motor on either or both of the brackets and mounts. The trans mount may also need spacers. It’s a matter of patient trial and error, somewhat akin to playing with shims when trying to set up a ring-and-pinion. Precision AN washers work well for initial mock-up when leveling the engine. Once you have everything set to your satisfaction, fabricate your own spacer plate(s) or bracket(s) based on the derived thickness of the washer stack. Here’s hoping the correct engine position isn’t lower in the chassis—spacers won’t help in that case!

Contacts

Anchor Industries Cleveland, OH 440.473.1414 Anchor-Online.com

eBay Inc. eBay.com/motors.com

Hemmings Motor News Bennington, VT 800.227.4373 or 802.442.3101 Hemmings.com

Original Parts Group Inc. (OPG) Seal Beach, CA 800.243.8355 or 562.594.1000 OPGi.com

Rollings Automotive Inc. Mira Loma, CA 951.361.3001 Plus.Google.com/+RollingsAutomotiveIncMiraLoma

The post Pit Stop: Big-block vs. Small-Block Chevy Mounts and Brackets on a 1974 A-Body appeared first on Hot Rod Network.

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2018 Honda HR-V Redesign, Specs, Release Date

New Post has been published on http://autocartrend.com/2018-honda-hr-v-redesign-specs-release-date/

2018 Honda HR-V Redesign, Specs, Release Date

2018 Honda HR-V Redesign, Specs, Release Date – Honda is redesigning almost entire lineup. In the next number of years, they are likely to modify virtually every one automobile. Among those vehicles timetabled for the upgrade is HR-V. The 1st age group of this subcompact crossover SUV was introduced in 1998 and came being a 3-doorway crossover. Creation was halted eight several years after, but only for a while of energy. In 2014 another technology was launched, but this time like a 5-doorway SUV. Honda is not preparing to give up with this version shortly because they already have plans to the 2018 Honda HR-V.

UPDATE: The HRV continues to be introduced available on the market back 2014. Nonetheless, while it might appear new, the vehicle was initially revealed back in 2013 as being the Vezel. Because of that, it can be acquiring ancient at this time, plus it would seem a revised could be on its way. Most gossips suggest the 2018 Honda HRV change will provide the vehicle a thorough the middle-of-life facelift although it is not a long time after that the new version might be introduced. This update is predicted to give a number of plastic changes the two in and out in addition to a new list of motors. Along with it, the auto may become far more competing while maintaining the low-price position this has been effective at giving approximately this time.

Despite the fact that we would desire to see a new car, it is probably the 2018 upgrades is going to retain the vehicle’s running items and system. This may not be everything that terrible since the HRV is among the better automobiles to operate a vehicle in its class. Nevertheless, it still is affected with a harsher ride than necessary, and it also doesn’t provide you with the comments it will. However, the audio insulation is fantastic, and yes it feels more expensive than most of its competition.

Alterations

2018 Honda HR-V Release Date

The next era was released two years back; we have to let you down. There won’t be anything groundbreaking this time. However, should you be reasonable, you will understand it is tough to anticipate a major revamp. The 2nd age group remains to be fresh and, aside from minimal beverages, Honda will not substantially change the previous edition of HR-V. Tech changes are usually welcomed and internal changes in general. About the external aspect, it is indeed probable that front side fascia is going to be slightly altered, even though the back end portion will remain the same.

2018 Honda HR-V Powertrain

The powertrain is the least complicated element of talking about. 2018 Honda HR-V will require following the previous version and will have the same collection. This just means there will be two distinct motors inside the offer you, but consumers will not have a probability to select. The truth is a single engine will likely be accessible to the American marketplace as well as the other one will The European countries. Honda does this kind of factor frequently it is therefore not much of a shock there are several energy units for a variety of trading markets.

A 1.8-liter inline some will probably be provided to the US buyers. This engine creates 150 hp and 140 lb-feet of torque. It remained exactly like just last year, without having a particular modification. The transmission system is nevertheless non-obligatory. New HR-V is joined with both CVT and the half a dozen speed guidebook gearbox.

Western version is expectedly less highly effective. A 1.5-liter inline four produces 120 hp and 115 lb-ft of torque. The only readily available transmission is the handbook. Besides these statistics, gasoline economic systems of such two units need to remain unaffected. The two of these motors come with the optional push program. Every single buyer may have a decision between the top wheel generating, and all of the tire making.

UPDATE: The continuing version has a 1.8 liter normally aspirated several inline engines high for 141 horsepower and 127 lb-feet of torque. Even though this is enough, it cannot match a few of its competition. The upcoming 2018 update is anticipated to feature among Honda’s new turbocharged engines. Their 1.5-liter turbo several is known to constitute to 190 horsepower which may effortlessly permit the HRV to be one of the more quickly vehicles in the class. The 6-speed handbook is likely planning to keep as the CVT could receive a modest fine-tune as a means to contribute a little more power over the items changes.

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Is a Hybrid a Practical Option?

Several rumors advised that the potential 2018 Honda HR-V will be supplied within a hybrid type. Although less likely at this stage, it is shut sibling, the Vezel is accessible by using a hybrid powertrain which blends a 1.5 liter by the natural means aspirated engine with the electric powertrain. Offering over 40 MPG generally, this engine would have been an excellent supplement for that US market.

Exterior

2018 Honda HR-V Redesign

2018 Honda HR-V is originating in about three clip amounts: LX, EX, and EX-L. Every trim has a wide array of colors, such as crystal black color Pearl, Milano Red, dark green pearl, alabaster gold metal, and many others. Despite the fact that exterior’s shade color palette is huge, the cabin is arriving in only several shades. That is anything Honda can also work on in the future. Level, pan, and thickness are exactly like well before and also a 17-in. wheelbase. Possibly front side fascia will almost certainly experience some slight changes, but back component should not get any beverages.

Revise: Most gossips advise at this point the 2018 Honda HRV update will come with a good number of exterior changes. A whole new fender is probably in the works and also a new front side grille. These enable the vehicle to get much closer in design for the CRV. The final finish may additionally get new inserts for the tail lighting fixtures and maybe a greater roof structure spoiler. The tires may also be improved to offer the car a far more robust design. Inside the cabin, the HRV is anticipated to get a far better infotainment program along with slightly much better components. The traveling situation and person area will not change a lot. However, most appear to consider the car will get much better construction that may primarily come about.

Interior

2018 Honda HR-V Interior

However, the interior does not be found in vivid shades. There are only types of gray and black colored. Five individuals can fit inside of the cabin and then there is enough area for all of those. Interior changes regarding design are certainly not predicted. Car seats are extremely secure, and they are covered with leather material. Nevertheless, modern technology may be updated.

2018 Honda HR-V Release Date and Price

2018 Honda HR-V Price

The predicted rate in the 2018 Honda HR-V will not be changed. It will keep on a single level because of the existing model. What this suggests is that it is going to be easy to get this design for $20,000 if you are living in the US, and even less costly should you be from European countries. One method or another, new HR-V is fairly reasonably priced, even for those who are on a tight budget. The sole get will not strike the market quickly. The very best predictions tell us it needs to be released sometime in 2018.

Conclusion

We are very certain the cabin of the future HR-V will remain virtually just like precisely what is on the market today. Why? Nicely, let us just say that Honda monitored to obtain the ideal combination of energy and design which makes the HR-V a great location to be. Even the bottom product features air-con along with an exclusive dashboard design exactly where the majority of the control keys are feeling delicate.

This works great in reality along with the big air vents do supply lots of comfort and ease in the course of hot time. The 2018 edition in the automobile might receive a slightly much better infotainment process, but that should be it. The same tale must happen on the outside at the same time. The existing car practices Honda’s modern design language quite tightly, and they also shouldn’t alter lots of things about it. We assume most changes towards the entrance to make the future variation a bit more much like its bigger brother, the CR-V.

Like we stated earlier, our company is certain that the new HR-V is not transferred to a new program because it would cost too much. Instead, the car will probably be better as far as possible to become better. Added to that, new engines could be put into the range, and it also may seem in different ways. We have been rather certain Honda determined not to broadcast the 2018 product as it is early on. We have been confident that they can confirm the car close to release to continue to be a secret whenever possible.

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Rob Vargas: How to Design a Magazine Cover without Subject Cooperation

These days the national magazine cover can feel a little tired in the creativity department. So many glossies look like they’re picking their cover subjects from the same celebrity merry-go-round, leading to predictable images of beautiful people smiling at the camera or displaying a knowing smirk that seems to say, “Yes, I’m hot and I know it.”

Cover shoots are well-orchestrated events, involving armies of editors, photographers, publicists, incredible lighting, probably some airbrushing, and lots of money to pull the whole thing off. The image itself is always the capstone of a celebratory feature story. Words like “style icon” or “most powerful” or “Nick Nolte, the sexiest man alive” could well appear.

But Bloomberg Businessweek has been playing a different game, one where the cover subject is as likely to be criticized as they are to be lauded. And a critical article means that the cover subject is unlikely to want to cooperate with the editors on a cover photo shoot, leaving creative director Rob Vargas and his team with a blank page and the need to do something completely radical – come up with an original design idea. Unorthodox ideas aren’t just accepted, says Vargas, they’re necessary.

That ethos lends itself to some pretty gnarly images like, say, a shirtless Warren Buffett wrestling a bare-chested Elon Musk for a story on their battle over the future of solar energy. Or a mock Abercrombie & Fitch ad where the male model in tight, unbuttoned jeans is an old dude with sagging pecs and a portly physique, upon which is stamped the words “The Aging of Abercrombie & Fitch.”

Here Vargas discusses what goes into making the magazine’s provocative covers, how he determines when to treat a design with sensitivity or be sensational, and why he left the New York Times to join Bloomberg Businessweek.

How does a Bloomberg Businessweek cover come together?

The cover idea comes first. A lot of times it’s the photo editor and myself bouncing around ideas. Usually we don’t start with the headline. We start with something visual and build a headline on top of that. One of the things I really liked about this magazine – and this is not a shot at other magazines, but a lot of magazines take subject matter and depict people they want to celebrate, very laudatory stories. There isn’t a lot of room for humor in those cases.

With us, our stories can be critical of businesses and explore flaws within larger companies. We expose lesser-known bad behavior by financial firms. Many times we’re not getting cooperation from our cover subject. Like we did a story on a financial firm that was financing a dictator in Africa. There’s no cooperative photography for that. As a designer, I love when you have a 3,000-word story and literally nothing else. That forces us to think creatively because you’re staring at a blank sheet of paper.

  Bloomberg Businesseek covers from June 2015 and January 2016.

Your magazine is published weekly, so you’ve got to be creative on a pretty tight schedule. What advice do you have for becoming a strong idea generator?

Like most things, you get better with practice. That not only has to do with gaining a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t, it also has a lot to do with confidence. When I first started in magazines and was tasked with coming up with a concept, it was pretty excruciating. I would think about a concept for hours and hours, and, as I was doing so, I would think about how I would never come up with a solution good enough to please my bosses. It was a very negative way of thinking, and the only thing it did was get in the way of a flow of ideas.

After a couple of hundred times of doing that, I acknowledged the fact that I was always going to come up with terrible ideas, and that’s completely fine. Sometimes you need to get those out of the way before you find the right one. Other times, you embrace the terrible one, and try to execute it in a way that elevates it. Other times, you just have to let go of your pride and ask others for help. What I love about publications is that I’ve found them to be very collaborative. People support each other as opposed to competing. This is especially true with Businessweek. It’s a multi-talented group, and so many of the best cover ideas had absolutely nothing to do with me.  Sometimes I just say “help” and then someone shows me something fantastic. From that point on it becomes my job to work with the art director or photo editor to see it through.

Bloomberg Businessweek is in a unique place, in that it covers people in the business realm who might also use the Bloomberg terminals, the company’s primary revenue generator. How do you balance potentially offending a terminal user in a cover story, with the need to be true to the piece? 

Luckily, we don’t get interference from Bloomberg corporate management when we’re writing critical stories. My feeling is that the cover stories are supporting financial firms in a roundabout way because they’re giving them useful information. From my experience, the company has never tried to protect a subject.

Do you ever feel like a cover went too far?

One of the things that people weren’t so happy within the company was this one cover that we did where a dog was urinating on the actual Bloomberg logo, on our actual logo. The story was about how, at the time, a big talking point for the presidential candidates was about Wall Street fat cats, so it was pretty much how everyone is beating up on business. That was our idea. It didn’t necessarily go over well here for obvious reasons. To me, that was a good example of how we exist in a space that we can also really criticize, even if it’s ourselves.

Tell us about a time you had a sensitive cover subject and how you handled it?

The one that comes to mind is one about Takata airbags that were exploding and killing people. The cover had a red background with the quote “If we go forward with this, somebody will be killed,” in small black type. It was a quote from one of the people that was trying to bring this situation to light to the managers well before the first accident. That, to me, is an example of the cover not shouting at you or not showing an upsetting car crash. We’re not doing anything sensational because it’s something very serious, but it’s also clear what we’re trying to do.

There really is no way to properly caption an image like this. The 2015 magazine cover says it all.

Before you came to Bloomberg, you worked for the New York Times Magazine. What led you leave the New York Times?

I got cold-called by the former Bloomberg Businessweek creative director, asking me if I wanted to join this team to redesign the magazine, because that’s when Bloomberg had just bought Businessweek. The Times is obviously one of the best publications in existence, and it will be one of the best in existence whether or not I’m there. That is very clear. But Businessweek was this big lump of clay, no offense to the previous design team, but it was basically a full opportunity to make it whatever we wanted to make it. It’s not like where I was told, “We have this new thing that we can play with, but let’s make it look like Forbes.” It was, “Let’s make it look like nothing else.”

What advice would you have for somebody who is at a similar crossroads, choosing between a well-established brand that might have less creative freedom but more prominence and a less prominent brand that they can build or reimagine? 

You have to assess every risk for what it is. Moving to Bloomberg Businessweek felt like a pretty good risk because I already knew that I had shared a vision with the people that were hiring me. We were like-minded thinkers and that made the risk a lot easier to swallow. It’s not just jumping into a black hole and not knowing where you’re going to end up. You need to assess if what you’re making has the potential to grow, and whether you’ll be working with people that you share values with. If those things are in place, then it’s absolutely worth the risk [to choose the less-prominent brand you can build or rebrand.]

Do you ever fear that you’ll run out of cover ideas?

I used to be more afraid of that. After the redesign, we got tons of praise for the redesign and then it died out. Then we had this slight existential crisis. It was like, All right, now we’re known for this thing. Can we keep doing it? It was all psychological in terms of questioning ourselves and our own ability to take the tools we had and create these infinite reconfigurations.

How did you regain your confidence?

We just kept pushing forward. One of the positive aspects of being at a weekly magazine is that you don’t have the luxury of being inside your head for too long. The clock is always ticking, and there’s an endless stream of problems to solve. People are depending on you. At certain points you can’t help but take a step back and start obsessing about the meaning of it all. But eventually you have to snap back. You have to remind yourself that your here because you want to be here, because you love it for all it’s ups and downs, and then you just get back to work.