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umichenginabroad · 6 months ago

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Week 6 and 7: Actually Studying while Abroad

Well we have made it to the end of my study abroad in Iceland. Final exams are finished. Projects are turned in and presented. Overall all of the academic things are taken care of and completed. It kind of feels nice to be done with the academics and to have actually completed the studying part of being abroad.

The primary reason why I haven’t talked about this in any of the other posts is that it’s the least interesting part of being in a study abroad program. Why would I talk about sitting in a classroom for hours a day when I could be talking about me exploring the amazing nature and environment that is in Iceland. I honestly feel that while I have had some really interesting conversations with the professors while abroad and it’s been an amazing experience being able to study abroad at a different university, I still think it’s been the least important part of being abroad for me personally (although the credits are nice). Just a warning there’s going to be a lot less pictures here then usual.

Class 1: Environmental Science Study

When the program was advertised to us originally we were told that we would be having 2 classes from 9 am to 4 am with an hour lunch break in between. But, it turns out that if no one shows up for class at 9 am and everyone kind of unanimously (including the professor) agrees that class should start at 10 then class starts at 10. This class was our first class of the day and was from 10 am to 12 pm Monday through Thursday.

The course consisted of a few main topics that were discussed which is what makes it kind of hard to discuss so I’m going to be providing a brief overview of each of the core topics that we discussed. In addition to the varying topics that were discussed, we also had 3 separate professors for this class which each focused on different topics during their week of lecture. So we were able to get a surface level understanding of a few different topics, but not an in-depth understanding of any of them.

The first week was spent on discussing Icelandic history. We started with the formation of the nation and volcanic movement (which becomes important later). Then we progressed through all the different sagas and time periods of Icelandic history. From the early settlement all the way to modern history of Iceland and their independence.

Next was our first bit of technical environmental studying in which the previously mentioned formation of Iceland becomes relevant. We started to discuss geothermal power and the methods by which it is harnessed and utilized. But to do this you need to have a fundamental understanding of thermodynamics so we were also getting a lot of thermodynamics lectures and knowledge during this time. So although the thermodynamics aspects weren’t that interesting, the actual geothermal things were quite interesting. The way that Iceland utilizes every single aspect of the heat that they harness from the ground and transfer it around the country to power a magnitude of different industries is amazing.

Now more than just geothermal energy our next two topics discussed (i’m going to lump these together) are hydro and wind power. These are both very similar and that’s why I’m going to put them together. Basically these both utilize a moving fluid to turn a turbine to generate mechanical energy which gets converted into electrical energy. However what is different is the fluid they use (water vs air). Iceland has a lot of hydro power but not quite as much wind power generation.

The last form of power generation that we focused on was nuclear power and just in general power generation and politics throughout europe. The reason being is that when a nation has excess power they can sell it to other nations for profit. Iceland being a nation that has a lot of power that they don’t need is able to do this. We primarily discussed here though how Nuclear is currently one of the best sources of energy generation, especially considering how clean it is. We then also made fun of German politics in their extreme hatred of nuclear energy and their reliance on natural gas (and how that has backfired on them recently).

The last week however of this course was the worst week out of all of them. We were given full freedom to create a project about whatever we wanted in regards to general climate improvement. My main complaint about this project is that the guidelines were extremely vague. We worked on these projects in teams and there were 3 main groups. The first focused on nuclear power and the conversion of coal into nuclear power. The second group focused on different power generations and ways to improve Michigan. Our group however, was the black sheep. We did trains. We did an entire project detailing and focusing on creating a high-speed rail between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The project consisted of two parts, a presentation and a “short” report. The presentation was a 20 minute presentation followed by a Q and A. I don’t think a single group went under 20 minutes and one group was like 40 minutes so not having enough content was not an issue to say the least. The “short” report was a 10 page report where you more formally report your findings and discuss them. For our group, I think the issue arrived at the fact that we technically didn’t create our plan and instead focused on logistically explaining and expanding on an existing plan by California. In addition, our project used the least of the things that we learned in class relative to the other groups. But, we had 4 full days in class where they could have told us that we should do a different topic instead. We ended up getting some kinda harsh feedback about our project and that at least is my theory as to why it happened.

Overall though, this class was really interesting. Disregarding the final, the rest of the class was actually quite enjoyable and the professors were amazing. Every class we would take a short coffee break in the middle (more on that later) and we would just talk to the professors and stuff. In fact one of the professors used to be at UofM which is just amazing. The content, while difficult to understand given the technicality of the material, when explained in terms of its practical application was really interesting.

Class 2: Introductory Data Structures (EECS 280)

Now the class that you all actually care about. The reason I say that is because if you are wanting to take this study abroad for yourself then there are two possible reasons. You either a) want to visit Iceland and this is a good excuse to or b) you need EECS 280 and this will get you that credit. For me, I fall into both categories so I get double value out of this program.

For this class I’m going to be focusing less on the content, mostly because if you want that you can just look at the EECS 280 syllabus which is publicly available, and instead focus on the way the course is taught. I think that is a much better and more meaningful way to go about it and I’m just wanting to say the content is pretty basic data structures. We focused on things like pointers and utilizing heap memory and abstract data classes.

The course was taught by two different professors who swapped each week. Both professors were extremely knowledgeable in CS and have their own CS based projects that they are developing. But, I will say that I think most people found that one of the professor's teaching styles worked a little better than the other one. Their teaching style is where the professors differentiated themselves the most.

Professor 1 primarily focused on utilizing code lectures. Basically he would walk us through actually what is happening in the code while programming it. That way we would be able to understand what each different aspect of the code is achieving (and its purpose) while learning how to program it in C++.

Professor 2 utilized concept based lectures. Rather than going straight into coding he would first try and explain the things from a pseudocode perspective to help you understand the logic. Then he would go into the coding and provide some very basic starting code and things for you to further develop and work off of.

Both professors then gave lab time for you to work in class on your code and for them to be present to help you with it if you need it. So essentially the way a normal day in class would go is that we would get back from our lunch break at 1 pm and then have about an hour lecture or go straight into lab time and then code until 4 pm or until you finished. The professors were extremely helpful when it would come to any coding questions and especially were helpful with debugging tiny issues. So there was plenty of help available and resources that we could utilize. In addition if you did need additional help, we had access to old video lectures to further aid you.

Moving on is how the class was actually set up and what we were doing for our grade. The course was divided up into 6 lab assignments, 4 assignments, and 2 exams. Each of the exams were worth 20%, the assignments 10%, and the labs 4% (Lab 6 was not counted for a grade for some reason).

The exams were a 3 hour exam with both a paper and digital portion. For the paper portion we were given both multiple choice and short answer questions about code. Then we had to hand write out some code. So far that is pretty standard for an EECS exam. But, we also had a fairly large digital code section where we wrote actual code. We were given a large amount of starter code, had full access to our previous labs, and we were allowed to utilize existing form posts (not allowed to post any new questions) to try and solve the problem at hand. These questions were generally more difficult and specific implementations of things that we had done in class and forced you to rethink how to solve the problem when compared to what we had done in labs or the assignments.

I really liked this method of examination and wished that it was what the EECS department did for their coding exams. It allows for much more difficult questions to be asked without punishing the student for not memorizing syntax or other niche little things. In the real world most programmers don’t know every little thing. In fact, our professors did look things up on websites such as Stack Exchange when they forgot how certain things in C++ worked. The reason being is, that is how the industry works at the moment. You programm what you know, but when you need a specific implementation and you don’t know, then you ask someone who has probably done it faster and better than you have. It is important to understand why their method works, but you don’t need to know every little bit of C++ and its syntax to succeed in programming.

The personal assignments and labs were fairly similar and were basically just coding projects. We were given a series of different things to implement and create the functionality for and then given time to do so. The content isn’t anything too crazy, but it was interesting at some points. For instance, our first lab was probably the one that took the most time and effort, but it was the most fun I had and is not something that EECS 280 normally does. We coded Space Invaders in the terminal. The reason being is that coding something like that teaches you a lot of very important things and helps refresh a lot of basic C++ knowledge that you need for the rest of the course. There are also a lot of different ways to handle creating the game and a series of extensions that you can add onto the game for bonus points. I think that is an amazing way to open the course up. It gets the students interested in the course by allowing them to create something enjoyable and something where they can see their progress and where they have a rough idea of what the end product should look like. I do think it makes for a fantastic project and really made me interested in the rest of the course.

In the end the C++ course was quite fun. It had its moments of difficulty, but overall was not that bad. It was a significantly smoother experience than what I’ve heard people at UofM complain about their EECS 280 experience. I was able to learn most of the same content, in a different framework, in a shorter time span, and still be in a position where the university accepts this as an equivalent. I am slightly worried that I am doing EECS 281 (Data Structures) next semester but I am going to go to a lot of office hours and all of my lab hours so I should be fine.

Class 3: Lunch and COFFEE Break

Okay this isn’t technically a class but I still feel it’s important to talk about. Every day of class (Monday through Thursday) we would have an hour-long lunch break from 12-1pm. For the first few weeks this was pretty chill because if you were hungry or didn’t bring lunch you could just go and get lunch from the university. The Reykjavik University lunch service is pretty small but it did taste good and is reasonably priced. However in the last few weeks because I think normal classes at RU were over, the lunch service stopped. So, you had to bring lunch for those weeks and so I often just resorted to a solid salami sandwich with cucumber slices and a side of grapes. While not the most luxurious lunch it was filling and tasted pretty good.

Now onward to the COFFEE break part of this. In Iceland (and most of Europe) they take coffee and similar beverages very seriously. In Reykjavik University, in every single wing of the building you can find a machine for a variety of different coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. These machines are free of charge to use and are professional grade machines. You just take a cup (or use your own) and select what you want and are good to go. There’s sugar and stuff there for you too if you want it. So all of that resources that you would need are there and all the different hot beverages are available.

Thus, every single class I would start with a cup of hot cocoa. Then half way through class 1 I would go and get another cup of hot cocoa during our coffee break. Then during lunch I would take the time and make myself a nice cup of tea with my lunch. Then I would get a cup of hot cocoa or 2 during programming. If I was staying late at the university (for personal or academic reasons) I would be drinking hot coco constantly. I think my record for a single day might be 8-10 cups of hot cocoa, it might be more but that is my conservative estimate as to how much I drank.

Picture of coco in class

These breaks were honestly essential. They provided a time to just let the data that you receive process and to take yourself out of the monotony of the classroom. I honestly wish this was something that we had at UofM. I would love to be able to just have hot coco with me in class and for long classes to have a coffee break. Sadly that is not the reality that we currently live in. Although, some classes at UofM do take short breaks midway through lecture to help let the data settle in (EECS 203 and CSP Math 116 for example).

Yea but that is all there is to it. I just summarized the entire studying part of studying abroad in one post. Now keep in mind that I had the studying part required very little out of class effort. I was able to do all of the other things that I have talked about previously, and am taking a summer course at Washtenaw Community College all while doing this course. So if you are worried about the time commitment of studying while abroad ruining the abroad experience don’t be. You will have plenty of time and opportunities to explore and enjoy yourself while abroad, studying is just the excuse to get you there.

Class 4: THE FUN PART

Now this is my favorite class. I feel that this fits best in a sort of elementary school recess type of description, or in other words free time. I am currently writing this blog post while I’m on my plane ride back home to Michigan and so there’s a lot of things going through my mind. But, there are still so many things that I haven’t talked about (and one final reflection post after this one) and so I’m going to “quickly” summarize some of these so as to not make this post as long as the last one.

SNORKELING WOO:

We snorkeled.

That’s it.

Ok just kidding there’s more to this than just that. A few of us went snorkeling at Silfra, the gap between the tectonic plates. This is a crack in the earth filled with glacial water which is so clean and clear. When you look at the water you can just see all the way down because there’s no minerals that are making the water foggy.

After the really long drive all the way over to Silfra we then had the fun process of taking off our shoes and getting into first a warm suit and then our dry suit. The dry suit is essential because we are going to be snorkeling and you want to stay dry. The warm suit is important because the water is about 38 degrees Fahrenheit and so it’s really cold water (nearly freezing). The process of getting into a dry suit is a bit of a long one but essentially it’s just like putting on really big and tight pants.

Picture of us just before going into the water

Because of the way that the people and grouping worked out I was paired off with a different group. I actually ended up being paired with a family of 5 as the only one not of their family although they were really nice and made me feel totally welcome. The father was actually really helpful and was constantly making sure that I was okay and that was really reassuring.

Picture of me in the water totally not struggling

Once we got in the water I immediately ran into some issues. I have never snorkeled before and so I was struggling to use the snorkel and so our guide had to go and get me a different one which worked significantly better. One thing to note is the way that these dry suits work. Every part of us other than our face and our hands stay dry. Your face for obvious reasons is that you need it to be open so you can breathe and see, but the hands are a bit more complicated. Essentially the hands are open to let water into them, but the water gets trapped in and so as long as you don’t move your hands around the water will heat up and it’s not bad. However, this means that you have to swim soly with your legs and can’t use your hands unless you want to freeze them. To say the least, that was a struggle. My hands were freezing by the end of the trip.

This is a picture of some of the beautiful geography present at Silfra

As we swam through Silfra we were subject to all the amazing geography and its beauty. This is in the location between two tectonic plates and it often expands (very slowly). But, because the water present is glacial water it is extremely pure and fresh water. Thus you can see all the way down. Therefore even though we were just sitting on top of the water floating we could still see everything all the way down. It is truly indescribable how beautiful it all is, but the best word I could use to describe is vibrant. There are so many different colors and things present and they all have such vibrant colors and look to them.

After the snorkeling we were given hot cocoa and biscuits. I ate like 7 biscuits because I was hungry and needed them and they were good. I have no regrets.

Picture of me in my dry suit and Fenrir laughing at me

Lava, Waterfalls, and Puffins:

As our last API (the program) trip this had to be amazing and oh boy did it far surpass my expectations. This was the trip that we were told about before coming and that they told us was amazing and it was so much better than I could have dreamt about. This was our waterfall and nature trip.

The trip started as always with a 2 hour long bus ride but that was well worth it once we arrived at our location on the southern coast. Our first stop was at a lava museum. This is a massive building where they have exhibits showcasing different types of volcanoes, how they form, and the history of volcanoes in Iceland. They have diagrams showing past eruptions in Iceland and how bad they were as well as how long they lasted. This place was really cool in that it also had lots of sculptures and fixtures that are magma related and it was really cool to get to see them all. We then watched a short video about eruptions and it was cool to get to see the pretty videos of lava flowing (I just wish I could have been the one in those videos that is that close to the lava).

Now that the good boi has returned to Iceland he has come along and is marveling at the lava sculpture.

After that was to the moment that we were all waiting for: the waterfalls. After our short lunch break pit stop (more later) we arrived at the waterfalls, and oh my they were beautiful. There are two main waterfalls and I’m going to talk about them both in detail because they both deserve that much respect.

The first waterfall we arrived at the base of and it was for good reason. Obviously like any waterfall it starts from a high place and goes down, but we were at the bottom. More than that, there is a crevasse that allows you to get up close and personal with the waterfall. So, after some careful maneuvering between rocks and taking liberal use of my waterproof shoes we were able to make it to the foot of the waterfall. Let me just say that the feeling of all the water dripping on you is amazing. Once at the base, there is a large rock that you can climb on to get a better vantage point, which also makes for a really good picture location. I’ll just let the pictures do the talking

Picture of our entire group of students at the waterfall.

JO JO, GOLDEN WIND. MY POWER HAS REACHED NEW HEIGHTS, FEAR ME

A close up of my power

After that magnificent picture and fantastic waterfall we made our way to the other waterfall. This waterfall is similar in that you get right up close to the waterfall. But, with this waterfall you actually go underneath the waterfall for a bit, thus it’s really important to time your run very carefully to not get wet and to not trip. This one was just amazing in that you get to go behind the waterfall and through it. It was also much larger than the other one and you can get much closer to it on the ground in that the foot has a small little sand bay you can get to from atop the ledge behind it. This waterfall was also fantastic but in it’s own way.

The Jojo pose is too powerful, my hair cannot contain its pure strength.

After that fun at the waterfall we ended up making an unexpected stop at the black sand beaches. These are really cool in that they have black sand. That’s about all. Oh and they have waves that can suddenly come very far up on the beach called snatcher waves that are deadly and dangerous. But yeah, pretty standard stuff going on.

Snatcher Wave

After that was the moment that everyone has wanted since we landed in Iceland, PUFFIN TIME. This was also an unexpected stop but a very happy stop. Christopher, OUR AMAZING GUIDE, realized that there was a chance that we could see puffins if we stopped at a specific spot on our way back. After this short drive to our destination we saw them, PUFFINS!!! THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!! I love puffins, they are just little dudes chilling and wanting to live their best lives. They don’t have to worry about taxes or other business they just get to sleep and chill and I love it. They also look so cute and fluffy.

Picture of two puffins just chilling (courtesy of another student(don’t wanna dox them))

Then it was just another drive back to our apartments and sleeping time.

A Lagoon that is Blue:

Now this title might seem complicated but what it refers to is the Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon is a man-made lagoon that was created originally just as a result of dumping used geothermal waste water back on top of the reservoir as eventually it will go back into the ground and be reusable. Some people realized that they could turn this into a tourist attraction due to the high amount of silica in the water, which is beneficial for your skin. So they turned into a resort called the Blue Lagoon. This was where I decided to go for a day and spent way too much money to get into it, but it was so worth it.

After missing my bus pickup from our apartment, I had to run to take the city bus to the bus hub and then run to my bus. Once I safely made it to the bus I had a 45 minute bus ride to the lagoon where I just relaxed and read some stuff. Once arriving at the lagoon was where the fun started.

I decided to pay an extra $20 (more or less) to get premium access to the lagoon. What this came with was a bathrobe that I could use, 3 mud masks, and 2 free drinks included with my purchase. The bathrobe comes in handy because, just like any pool in Iceland, you have to take a naked shower before getting into the water. After that being as awkward as always. I was into the water.

The water was so murky and gray, all from the minerals in the water. The water was also a really nice 38 degrees celsius (100.4 fahrenheit). I just started off by chilling in the lagoon and then I decided to go do the mud masks. The first mud mask is a volcanic ash mask which was really thick. I rubbed it all over my face and let is sit for 5 minutes before washing it off thoroughly. Then I did the second mask which was an algae mud mask and was really nice. This one you had to let sit on your face for a good 15 minutes. So for this one I started exploring around the lagoon and found out where the drink bar was so I could get my free drink later. After that I washed this mask off as well and then decided to go get my first drink before getting the next mask. I got a blue slushie and it was amazing. Very easily an 8.5/10 and a solid choice that I recommend. Then I did the last mask which for me was a moisturizer, but they do have an anti-aging cream for if you are older. After all that I decided to take a little break from the water (it is hot) and I got my second slush and ate my lunch I brought with me.

Me relaxing with my second slush outside of the lagoon

Once I got back into the water I just spent the next hour exploring and relaxing in it. I found some really nice nooks that I could just lay back in the water and they were pretty quiet. I had a really good time and was just able to recuperate a lot of my mental strength (I went here after having finished finals). It was a good way to celebrate being done and it was also just a nice way to unwind before heading back home and all the complications that would entail. I honestly do recommend coming to the lagoon if you have the ability to (or at least one of the lagoons), it was really nice. I did however have to wash my hair like 3 times afterwards to get all the minerals and gunk out of my hair and put so much conditioner just to get my hair back in a liveable state again but it was so worth it.

Me and Fenrir after leaving the lagoon and getting ready to head back home

There were some more things that happened before I left and went back home, but nothing quite this important and this post is already long enough.

ALEX’S FINAL FOOD CORNER

This will be the finale of Alex’s Food Corner. I am going to include a summary of some of the top hits in my reflection blog post but these were some of my last meals in Iceland and I went all out in terms of going out to eat so these are some good meals.

Sandholt Grilled Cheese and Tea

Ok so I do have to preface with saying I am minorly lactose intolerant and I haven’t really eaten grilled cheese too many times before. But honestly, this was a really good grilled cheese. It was really cheese and the fresh sourdough bread was really good. The cheese was stringy and there was a lot of cheese. I can pretty safely give this a solid 8/10. It does lose some points for there just being a bit too much cheese. The tea I’m going to rate separately because I ended up getting the tea multiple times because it was that good (I went to Sandholt for breakfast a few times). The tea is some English Breakfast but it is really good. I have to give the tea a solid 8.5/10. It is a well balanced blend and you get a good amount of it for the price you pay.

Just Winging It Chicken and Fries

This was some chicken and fries from a restaurant. I got Louisiana butter and Garlic chicken topped with Parmesan cheese. These were honestly really good and were some of the best chicken I’d had in Iceland.The fries were nothing to scoff at either, they were also really good. Honestly a very solid meal and it went really well with ketchup too. I have to give it a 9/10, I ate the entire thing there.

Final Dinner Steak

For our final dinner we were given an API paid for dinner. We went to a fancy restaurant and had a bunch of little plates given to us. These plates were then shared with the person across from you. I’m going to go a bit out of order in the way the plates arrived, just because I want to focus on the stuff I like first. This steak was delicious and the potatoes with it were fantastic. Easily 8.5/10.

Final Dinner Fish

This was a fish ( I think cod) served with our final dinner. I don’t like fish and I tried some and nearly gagged and almost threw it up. However I just don’t like fish. Others said it tasted really good. So I have to give it a 1.5/10 however others liked it so overall probably closer it a 6.5/10 just considering others opinions.

Final Dinner Risotto

I’ve never had Risotto before and honestly this was really good. I actually ate my half and really enjoyed it. Risotto is really good and honestly I can see myself trying to make it again. A very solid 7.5/10.

Final Dinner Braised Salmon

This was salmon that was “cooked” by being left in some stuff that cooks it. But, it is pretty much raw salmon. I was able to make it through more of this, mostly because of the bread. I still didn’t like it and the popular opinion of this one wasn’t as great. So my rating would be a 2/10, but the overall with go up to a 5.5/10.

The Group at our Final Dinner

Sandholt Bacon Sandwich

Ok technically they serve this as a BLT with avocado sauce. But, I don’t really care of avocado or tomatoes so I just got it as a BL sandwich. The fresh bread with the bacon and crispy lettuce go so hard and the tea just helps all the flavors blend really well. I had to give this a 9/10. It was some of the best food I had in Iceland and for breakfast it really did help to get my day started. In fact, this was the meal that I got for breakfast on my last day in Iceland.

Ban Thai Chicken Noodles

Next to our apartment is a REALLY good Thai restaurant called Ban Thai. I would be doing everyone in our group an injustice if I didn’t talk about this restaurant because it was amazing. The servers were kind and the food was fantastic. More than that they also have a massive menu of over 150 different items. This was some butter noodles and chicken (with a spice level of 2) and it was really good. I have to give it an 8.5/10.

Fenrir’s Kid’s meal

This was our lunch stop on the day of the waterfalls. Fenrir decided to get a kids meal, because it was cheaper, and it was really good. The chicken was really crispy and fresh and the fries were also really good. The only complaint he gave was that they forgot the kid’s toy they said was included. Thus for that I have to knock it down to only an 7.5/10.

Sahara Combo Tray

Ok this is kind of cheating. This was my first meal once I landed off the plane back home in DTW. We went to a middle eastern restaurant and got a combo tray. It was really good and after that long flight and not having had any good food for all that time (plus at the airport) this was a nice meal. A very solid 8.5/10. However, I do have to dock it a bit for not being in Iceland so we will say 7/10.

P.S. I know that this post is really late. I ended up getting really sick once I got home and was pretty much bedridden for a week. I will be releasing my post in reflection of Iceland as a whole later, but I hope that this is enough for now. Thank you for being understanding.

Alex Shamoun

Robotics

Engineering in Reykjavik

#umichenginabroad #ipeIceland #Iceland #ipesummer24 #AlexShamoun

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first-impressions-gaming · 1 year ago

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Gaming Recap (January 1-12)

Xbox Developer Direct returns on January 18

After being heavily rumored, Microsoft has now announced a new Xbox Developer Direct that will take place on January 18 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm GMT.

According to Microsoft, the showcase will give us an "inside look at a selection of highly anticipated games coming to Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Xbox Game Pass." Games on the billing are Indiana Jones, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, and Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2.

MSI unveils new handheld PC device, the Claw

During the CES 2024 show, MSI revealed the Claw, its new PC handheld device.

As reported by The Verge, the PC manufacturer intends to release three units ranging from $699 to $799. A base model will ship with 512GB of memory storage.

Intel's new Meteor Lake Core Ultra processor will power the handheld console.

The firm said it would also feature a seven-inch LCD display screen and a 53Wh battery, offering two hours of playtime for AAA titles.

January’s Game Pass titles for console, PC and Cloud have been announced

Xbox Game Pass titles January 2023

Close to the Sun (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 3

Hell Let Loose (Cloud, Xbox Series, and PC) – January 4

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (Cloud, PC, and Xbox Series X|S) – January 9

Super Mega Baseball 4 (Cloud, Console, and PC) EA Play – January 11

We Happy Few (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 11

Resident Evil 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 16

Those Who Remain (Cloud, Console, and PC) – January 16

Fortnite playtime on consoles last month topped Call of Duty, EA Sports FC, GTA 5 and Roblox combined

Console users reportedly spent over 1.6 billion hours playing Fortnite in December 2023.

The total is greater than the combined amount of time console owners spent playing Call of Duty HQ (Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone), EA Sports FC 24, Grand Theft Auto V/Online and Roblox last month, according to research firm Ampere Analysis.

Steam pages will now disclose which games use AI-generated content

Valve has published new guidelines for developers looking to release games on the platform, including new rules regarding the use of AI-generated content, specifically targeting copyright-infringing material.

“We are updating the Content Survey that developers fill out when submitting to Steam. The survey now includes a new AI disclosure section, where you’ll need to describe how you are using AI in the development and execution of your game,” reads a post on Steam.

As part of these guidelines, Valve says it will separate AI use into two “broad categories.”

PlayStation Plus Game Catalog gets Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands and more this month

Sony is highlighting Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands as a stand-out this month. It’s a spin-off from Gearbox’s renowned Borderlands series. This time around, the looter-shooter leans into the tabletop inspirations set forth by past content like Borderlands 2‘s Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep.

ByteDance confirms it is in talks to sell games business

TikTok owner ByteDance has confirmed it is currently in discussions to sell its video games operations.

The confirmation comes via South China Morning Post, which reported the company is in talks with a range of potential buyers, including the world's biggest games firm Tencent, although no agreement has been reached yet.

Reports that ByteDance was planning to sell its gaming arm Nuverse have been circulating since November, shortly after it was reported the company was planning to sell Mobile Legends: Bang Bang developer Moonton Technology.

#gaming #games #game news #xbox #playstation #nintendo

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legendofzoodles · 3 years ago

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LU/LOZ Zoodles Masterlist

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/mageinabarrel

Era of Hylia Lore dumps

Era of Hylia Lore 1 Era of Hylia Lore 2 Era of Hylia Lore 3

Character Analysis/Rant

Hero of the Sky part 1

Hero of the Sky part 2

Hero of Time

Hero of Twilight

Hero of the Wild part 1

Hero of the Wild part 2

Hero of the Wild part 3

Hero of Warriors

Revali, Ace Aviator and Archer

BotW/TotK Link’s character design

Ravio, Hero of Lorule

Zoodles Story outlines

From Shadows: Hero of Twilight origin story

From Shadows: Chapter 1 || Quietude

LU/LOZ Theories

Skyloft’s Knight Academy

Demise’s curse

The Fierce Deity

Time’s Partial Possession

Zelda deserved to become a wyrm in totk

LU Headcanons

Age Headcanons

Height Headcanons and more

Deepest fear 1

Deepest fear 2

Cute headcanons

More cute headcanons

Parkour team

Honorary Gorons

How each member of the chain laughs

How the chain solves dungeon puzzles

The Chain in an Escape Room

Shad’s LU design theory

Ravio dipping in and out of the chain

Fishing

Warriors and Linkle as Wind’s descendants

Duels

The Chain as procrastinators

Flora is Feral

Is Malon Real?

The Chain’s time management skills

The final fight summed up without context

The Chain’s morning routines

Warriors needs to loosen up

AU Ideas

Midsommar AU, Hyrule centric idea

LU/LOZ Short Stories

In vain (Skyward Sword)

Recovered Regrets (LU)

Recovered Regrets story notes

The Piper of Krysa Hamlet (LU)

Warriors and Twilight oneshot

Smoke Signal (LU Wild x reader)

Smoke Signal Part 2

Smoke Signal Part 3

Smoke Signal part 4

Smoke Signal part 5

Separated by Shadows (LU, Ravio and Twi bonding)

A Scarlet Fruit (Warriors x reader)

Ancient Masonry (Sky and Wild)

100th post (Wind and Twilight)

The Sushi Saga (Wind and Wild feat.Twi)

Blunt Crown (Wild and Flora)

Waterlogged (Wild centric)

Castaways...! (Wind centric songfic)

Adrift in the Marmalade Orchard (TotK Zelink)

LOZ Lore Ideas

BoTW: Akkala Citadel

BoTW: Surnames in Hyrule

LU Character Design Analysis

9th place

8th place

7th place

6th place

5th place

4th place

3rd place

2nd place

1st place

#legend of zelda #linked universe #lu headcanons #linked universe headcanons #loz fanfic #legend of zelda fanfiction #lu #linkeduniverse #linked universe fanfic #lu fanfiction

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headinthestaticsky · 3 years ago

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I posted 135 times in 2021

100 posts created (74%)

35 posts reblogged (26%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 0.3 posts.

I added 641 tags in 2021

#twilight saga - 67 posts

#twilight - 66 posts

#jasper hale x oc - 65 posts

#jasper hale x reader - 65 posts

#jasper hale - 65 posts

#esme cullen - 65 posts

#carlisle cullen - 65 posts

#edward cullen - 64 posts

#alice cullen - 63 posts

#rosalie hale - 56 posts

Longest Tag: 25 characters

#rebecca chambers x reader

My Top Posts in 2021

All My Masterlists for Jasper Hale X My OC Fleur Swan.

The Dusk Calls for Me: Beginning of the Series.

Sanctuary With the Enthralling Moon: Story Two

Frozen Within the Night Wind: Story Three

The Phenomenon of the Immortal Sun: Story Four

The Fire of the Innocent Sun: FINAL STORY!

66 notes • Posted 2021-08-13 23:33:59 GMT

Can someone tell my brain to stop? It won't listen to me.

68 notes • Posted 2021-09-19 21:02:37 GMT

The Dusk Comes for me: Jasper Hale x My OC, Fleur Swan. Chapter 1

Summary: Twins Fleur and Bella always had a strained relationship with the girls deciding to live separately from each other. Fleur going with her father in cool, misty Forks, Washington. While Bella went with her mother to the sizzling heat of Arizona. Renee never tried to hide her favoritism between the two girls. Because of this, it has caused its strain to worsen. Fleur's final straw with her relationship with her sister was when Bella stopped visiting her father in 2002. It's now 2004 and Bella has decided to move back to Forks throwing her and the family she's surrounded herself in for a loop.

Authors Notes: None of the characters in Twilight belong to me. All rights go to Stephenie Meyer.

Jasper's backstory will be slightly altered

My OC will have the looks of Singer Banks.

PHOTO/PHOTOS DO NOT BELONG TO ME

Warnings throughout the story: Cussing, violence, Bella-Bashing, sensual scenes.

"Yesterday made me a fool today." Hawaiian Mazes by Banks.

"Fleur, do you want to come with me to pick up your sister?" I heard my father ask.

I was facing away from him, sitting on my bay window. The cool, crisp air hitting my face.

"No dad, I'm fine. You go on ahead and get her." I replied.

"Look, I know you two have never had the best relationship but, you got to give her a chance. She's still your sister at the end of the day."

I sighed

"I know I do dad but, I need to do it on my own time. This grudge isn't just about her and I. The way she treated you is just as wrong as the way she treated me." I explained.

"Hey, I won't pressure you into doing anything you don't want to. But, maybe with you being there though it might make the 1-hour drive back less awkward." Dad added.

"Okay, I'll go. Being in a silent 1-hour car ride just sounds awful."

"Thanks, Fleur, I really appreciate it."

"Let me get dressed real quick and then we can go."

"Okay, I'll go warm up the car."

My father soon turned around exiting my room/attic. I sighed again not looking forward to seeing my sister. But, the sooner we get her, the sooner and I can get the initial dread of seeing her again over with. I threw on a tight olive green sweater and black jeans with black ankle boots. I grabbed my iPod just in case she started in on anything. I didn't want to snap at her, not on the first week she comes to town. Well, I at least didn't want to snap at her in front of dad. I walked toward the door before turning my head to look at my room. It was tempting to stay in here it's warm glow of lights and cush pillows were calling me.

See the full post

80 notes • Posted 2021-07-30 03:32:10 GMT

Masterlist: The Dusk Calls for me

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Chapter 8:

Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

Chapter 11:

Chapter 12:

Chapter 13:

Chapter 14:

FINAL CHAPTER: Up now!

91 notes • Posted 2021-07-31 20:57:45 GMT

When the Vampire Hunter Fell for Golden Eyes

Author's Note: Thank you to whoever this lovely Anonymous person is for making this request! I love the idea so I hope I do it justice!

To whoever this is if you would like me to do a part 2 please let me know.

I wrote this with a female reader so if you would like me to write one for gender-neutral and or a boy let me know! I kinda switched the storyline up a bit. :)

‘I've been feeling foolish, you should try it

She came and substituted the peace and quiet for

Acrobatic blood, flow concertina

Cheating heartbeat, rapid-fire.”

She’s Thunderstorms by, Arctic Monkeys

Takes place in 2004

If someone had told my brother and I that we would’ve ended up here, in Forks, Washington, I would’ve thought you were high. If you told me the reason why we’re here I would’ve thought you were completely insane. Yet, here we were my brother, a vampire, and me… the one who hunts the very being he is. He got bit out of nowhere after we had cleared out a horde of them. I couldn’t do anything for him, he merely withered in pain on the ground as I looked down at him. It took him 3 days to wake up, his blood-red eyes shot open and fixed themselves upon me. He stumbled toward me and gripped my shoulders.

“Listen to me Y/N! You have to promise me something.” His voice sounded hoarse and crackled as he hadn’t had a drink of water in days.

“What is it, B/N?” I had never felt so nervous talking to my own brother before. He was something unpredictable now, something I hunted down and killed… I didn’t want to have to do it to him too.

“We both know that vampires can drink animal blood… So promise me this. If I EVER drink an ounce of human blood, kill me.”

“B/N I couldn’t…”

“Promise me!”

“Fine…”

2 months had passed since that incident and we were now residing in Forks… we found a small cottage in the woods and had been hiding out there. It was perfect really, B/N’s food was accessible for us and it seems as though we were camouflaged to the rest of the world. Today felt strange, it was as though something was going to come our way. Yet, we couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was… Was it trouble or an enemy? I couldn’t stand the atmosphere in our small home, B/N’s black eyes bored holes through my body, his fist was clenched and white. He was hungry, and I didn’t know how much longer he would hold out for. I sighed and stood up slamming my book on the table. I marched over to him and shot daggers at him.

“B/N, woods, food, now!” I demanded, not relenting in my glare.

“Y/N we can’t… we both have the same feeling… something out there is waiting for us!”

“B/N… you look like you’re going to cover me in A1 sauce and throw me on the grill… we’re going!”

My brother rolled his pitch-black eyes and sighed.

“Y/N…”

“NOW!”

B/N finally got up and stomped toward the door, mumbling along the way.

“You think me becoming a vampire would finally put me in charge of things but nooo… she’s still as bossy as ever.”

I laughed before calling out to him.

“You bet your ass I am!” I grabbed my jacket and weapon, just in case, I would run into any trouble. When I ran outside B/N stood there waiting for me, his arms were crossed over his chest.

“Well, c’mon string bean grab on already… unless you think you can run as fast as me.”

“Shut it.” I grabbed onto his neck and he began to run… he was eager to finally get something to eat.

See the full post

95 notes • Posted 2021-10-30 23:57:06 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

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nerdyprocrastinator · 2 years ago

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Shows I’m Procrastinating Watching because I Know They Will Absolutely Wreck Me

2 September 2022

Since the last post was decently serious and actually educational, I have decided to focus this post on the nerdy side of my name. These are shows that I have been procrastinating finishing either because of the discourse surrounding them or because I found out some spoilers that I truly am not ready for. While there are a lot of shows that I could talk about for this topic, I will mainly focus on the show that has basically had me in a chokehold ever since I found out about the show's ships. But, we’ll get to that part when we get there.

3. Fairy Tale

Just starting this anime is a commitment in and of itself with the show being over 500 episodes long. I have started watching the show, but I am completely terrified to try finishing it. I managed to find myself on a side of the internet that talks a lot about some plot points that happen later on in the series. While I have not seen a lot of the show or really understand the references, I know that as soon as I actually watch up to those plot points, I will be absolutely torn apart by it. I hav fallen in love with a lot of the character through what I have heard about the show and I am just not ready for the emotional toll I know that these plot points will cause me. Instead of watching the entire show, I have chosen to watch basically any other anime that I can get my hands on through Crunchyroll and other sites/apps.

2. Fate: A Winx Saga (and Winx Club Season 8)

As someone who grew up with Winx Club, and then binge-watched it in middle school, I absolutely cannot handle how much the shows changed from the original 4 seasons that went with the actual creator’s story idea. I fell in love with the characters throughout the first 4 seasons, but once the show figured out the 3D/CGI animation for half the season, the show felt like it was just going downhill.

With the completely different art style of season 8 on Nickelodeon and its new setup for girls who are probably, like, 8, I just can’t really get into that new season. The show seems to lack the maturity that it once was gaining and actually achieved in the 4th season. This may just be a little bit of prejudice against the new look, but I just can’t handle it.

It is kind of a different story when it comes to Fate: A Winx Saga. With Fate, the creators of this version of the Winx replaced and even completely erased, some of the main characters of the original Winx show. They made a show that actually grew with its audience and forced it to go immediately into the kind of show that Riverdale is (I’m not saying there is anything wrong with Riverdale, just that Riverdale is completely different from the more daily-life fantasy adventure show that Winx was). A lot of discourse that was going on around the show when it originally aired was that it was just a normal teen drama that was using the popularity and notoriety of the Winx name to gain views. Some of my friends who have watched the show have said that it is good when you stop thinking about it as something that is connected to Winx and start thinking of it as its own separate entity. I can’t do that because I will constantly be analyzing the show and comparing it to the original show that I know and love. I just feel that they should have just created the new show without having the need to trick fans of Winx into watching a show that is majorly different from the show these fans are actually fans of.

1. RWBY

This is the show that made me actually want to write this post. When I first heard about this show, it was still on Netflix. I started watching the first few episodes, but I only got a few minutes into the first episode before I decided that it wasn’t for me back then.

Well, years have passed and I found a compilation video on YouTube that introduced me to a very popular relationship on the show. As I watched the compilation multiple times, I fell in love with one of the characters and decided to try watching it to see if it was something that I could actually watch and stick with. Well, as the show continued, I got closer and closer to a really big scene in the 3rd season from the compilation and I just couldn’t handle the idea of watching the characters I loved continually get hurt and be in pain.

I stopped watching for a little bit so that I could regain the courage to finish the show. During this little break, I saw another compilation that has cemented in my heart that I literally would not be able to finish the show without absolutely sobbing my eyes dry. The compilation was about the relationship in the 8th season (yes, I know it’s weird to watch a compilation of an extremely later season of a show I didn't watch much of the first time and still planned to go back to). The scene I saw was a major character death where the “love interest” (it was kind of like a will they/won’t they love triangle type of situation) of my absolute favorite character. I already loved this character and she had been through a lot from the parts I had actually watched in the show itself and in the compilations, so seeing a character she grew extremely close to die would be too much for me to have watch her go through. Especially since I was actually also a fan of the “love interest.”

This show is on my “wait-as-long-as-possible to finish” list because I will only finish watching this show if I find a compilation that shows that the dead character actually comes back to life and the two can continue to live their lives together and happily in love.

Honorable mention to Young Justice for a very similar reason to RWBY. I am just not ready to watch the love interests of my absolute favorite characters die and then watch as my favorite characters struggle to live their lives without the ones that I believe are their absolute soulmates.

Reach out through the comments to talk more about shows that you are absolutely procrastinating watching for whatever reasons. I’d love to hear from you guys.

#procrastinating #i procrastinate a lot #nerd #rwby #fairy tail #fate the winx saga #winx club #tv shows #tv seires

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thetrap · 4 years ago

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why i think deancas just might go canon

i’ve been wanting to write this for a bit, but i haven’t really had the time until now. basically this is just a super unorganized collection of thoughts i have on why i think that dean and castiel actually have a fairly decent shot of becoming canon (and by decent shot i mean like.....a solid 5% chance. and that’s being generous). this is based off of the show itself (obviously), quotes from andrew dabb, and other things.

1. andrew dabb is deancas positive

i made a post a while back that never made it out of the drafts, but it was basically a summation of all the good deancas shit dabb has given us as a writer. here are the bullet points:

- the hug/"i'm not leaving here without you!" moment in purgatory (8x02)

- "don't lose it over one man"

- "he's in love.....with humanity"

- cas/colette parallel ("dean. stop.") in 10x22

- just the fight scene from the prisoner in general like......wow

- sam/jess and dean/cas parallel in 12x23

- "we've lost everything......and now, you're gonna bring him back" + dean's just generally overwhelming grief in 13x01

- "and how is it that you lost dean? i thought the two of you were joined at the.....you know, everything"

and these are just the big moments.

also notable is the fact that an activist sent dabb (and some of the other producers of spn i think) a book about dean and cas and why the fans want it/why it would be a good thing for the show. a few years later, meghan fitzmartin (who wrote the most recent episode!) was hired as dabb’s assistant, went into his office and posted a tweet a with pictures of the book, saying something along the lines of “doing some reading for work!”

the fact that dabb actually kept a fanmade deancas book for years.....the fact that he’s consistently written episodes with really strong subtext for years.....the fact that the dean and castiel romantic tension has only picked up since he took over as showrunner (mixtape, lily sunder, cas’s death, dean’s grief arc, the entirety of season fifteen, etc.)......idk i just think it’s really interesting that there has been such a marked shift since he was put in charge.

2. the mixtape

i know this was a few seasons ago, but it’s still relevant because like. a mixtape is not platonic. this scene was not platonic. full-stop.

and it’s not even the act by itself; it’s also the dialogue!! “it was a gift. you keep those.” this is more than likely a direct callback to aragorn and arwen in lord of the rings (that’s the first thing i thought of, at least).

the fact that dabb let this slide, like......he knows what this looks like. berens and glynn, who wrote this episode, know what it looks like. they knew precisely how this would be perceived, and then wrote and aired the scene anyways.

and that’s not even getting into the camerawork. like what?? was this shot???

yeah so. definitely not platonic.

3. the trap

honestly i thought about just posting this part of this overlong essay thing, because to me, this is the episode where i went okay, so this might actually happen.

there are SO many things in this episode that made me go insane the first time i watched it (”i left, but you didn’t stop me”) but the thing that stuck out to me the most was dean’s reaction to castiel saying, “you don’t have to say it. i heard your prayer,” when dean tries to tell him something.

like?????? he does not look relieved!! nor does he look particularly happy!!

hell, if you go back and watch the video you can literally see him swallow his words down like....jensen ackles is the master of micro expressions and that shit is Not Accidental. this moment 100% gives the vibe that there is something that is not being said. the camera following dean as he gives cas a lingering look is really interesting too.

3. dabb’s comments about dean and cas in season 15

this part is actually sort of related to the point above, since a lot of dabb’s comments are in reference to “the trap.” here are some interesting ones that i want to point out:

But the Leviathan won’t be the focal point of the purgatory story. Rather, it’s about what Dean and Castiel are going through. “They’re not going to resolve the emotional stuff, but it allows them to redefine their friendship a little bit in light of what’s happened especially earlier this season,” Dabb says. (x)

the key thing here is that dabb said that, in 15x09, dean and cas are “not going to resolve the emotional stuff.”

now. i don’t know about you, but dean falling to his knees, praying to cas and weeping feels a lot like emotional resolution to me. like, sure, things will probably be awkward between them for a while, but surely this is the peak moment of their emotional vulnerability with each other, right? surely this is the moment where they’ve resolved the issue between them? like how the fuck does it get more intensely emotional than this??

yet dabb seems to be implying that it will, which leaves us with the million dollar question: what is left about dean and cas’ relationship to resolve?

keep in mind that as of 15x16, there hasn’t been much forward movement on that front; that is, we’ve had some cute moments between them, but in terms of serious conversation about their relationship, there’s been basically nothing. so we can assume that this development, whatever it is, will occur in 15x18, since dean and cas will be separated for most of 15x17, as cas will be off with sam.

aka the episode where cas will likely get yanked away by the empty. aka the episode with the teary (!!!) conversation we saw in the promo between dean and cas.

also notable from the above quote is dabb saying that dean and cas are redefining their friendship. like....redefining how? to what?? that wording is just really interesting to me.

another quote from dabb re “the trap”:

(x)

it forces them to “start that process.” indicating yet again that the prayer scene between dean and cas is not the moment where whatever is between them is resolved. yet, from where we are right now, dean and cas seem mostly fine. which means that whatever they have yet to work out doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with their fight.

lastly:

a really significant chunk of what happens to dean in 15x09 is him confronting his issues with cas. don’t get me wrong - there are other important things that happen in the episode - but the fact that an episode where so much time/emotional energy is given to dean and cas’ dynamic is considered a turning point for dean is very notable and, to me, speaks to the importance of their relationship for the rest of the season.

4. dean/cas and sam/eileen being set up as units

i’m of the opinion that sam and dean will (by choice) go their separate ways at the end of the show. i think this for a variety of reasons that i wrote about here, and to add onto this, i think that dean/cas and sam/eileen are, in a way, being set up as two units.

this theory comes from two points:

1. the fact that eileen got brought back at all

this isn’t to say that eileen isn’t an interesting character all on her own/outside of her romance with sam, but the fact that they brought her back and then proceeded to set her up in this romance feels really significant to me. what’s especially interesting is how, even after she leaves in 15x09, we get a continuation of their romance in 15x14. i don’t necessarily think that she’s sam’s endgame in the sense that the final episode will show sam going to her or whatever, but i do think that part of the reason she was brought back was so that sam would have someone who he loves/someone he could potentially build a life with after he and dean defeat chuck.

2. the way the two couples were portrayed in “the trap”

like....just watch the future scenes in the bunker. there’s very much a sense that these are two couples living together. and “ever since the mark made cas go crazy, ever since i had to bury him in a ma’lak box.” note the use of i, not we. and then dean/cas and sam/eileen are directly paralleled when dean tells sam he needs to give it up after eileen’s death, comparing it to how dean has given it up after having to bury cas in the ma’lak box.

5. dean does not do Well without cas

this is probably an understatement. there have been a couple of notable instances in this season where the viewer is given a glimpse of what happens to dean when cas dies/is in danger of death/is separated from dean (in case the whole ass widower arc in s13 wasn’t enough).

two of these are from “the trap”:

1. dean freaking out/crying/praying when he’s separated from cas in purgatory

2. dean giving up on life/hunting after burying cas in the ma’lak box in the future world

3. dean’s reaction to cas temporarily going to the empty in 15x13

the one i want to spend the most time on is number two, in large part because sam was witness to it and i think that this might get brought up in 15x17.

part of my spec for that episode is that cas will tell sam about his deal/sam will find out somehow, and in reaction sam might tell cas about how dean reacted to his death in s13 - a conversation that was notably absent from the show when cas finally returned in 13x05. i also think that he might mention no. 2 above, basically telling cas that if he dies, dean is done. that he won’t be able to handle it/move past it. the show has been telling us this over and over for a while now, and it’s only been emphasized more in season 15. i think that 15x17 is the episode where this will finally be verbally expressed.

to me, all of this emphasis on dean giving up when cas is gone isn’t for nothing. in my opinion, it’s being done very purposefully to set up an endgame where dean and cas are together in some sense of the word. and a lot of what i’ve said above is what makes me think it’ll be a Romantic together.

5. bobo berens’ three part deancas saga

so we all know that berens is pretty much spn’s foremost deancas warrior, and what i want to point out here is how this season has been utilizing him as a writer.

this season, berens has three solo episodes (he wrote “galaxy brain” with meredith glynn):

1. the rupture

2. the trap

3. despair (formerly known as “the truth”)

so far, these first two episodes have had major deancas moments. you could even label them as:

1. the rupture (the breakup)

2. the trap (the reconciliation)

3. depair (???)

keep in mind also that berens wrote 14x18, where the dean and cas sort of had a preliminary breakup. he’s been in charge of this arc for a while, and the fact that so much of his writing this season has been deancas focused.......i don’t know, i just think it’s significant in part because, while berens has always been deancas positive, he also writes plenty of episodes that aren’t focused on dean and cas. but now, in the final season, the dean and cas emotional arc has been handed to him, and it’s been the primary focus on his writing.

(sidenote: berens was promoted to executive producer for this final season)

to me, this is all leading to a big moment between dean and cas in 15x18 - and the fact that it was at one point called “the truth,” only to be switched back to despair - makes me think that there will be some sort of confession involved. my money is on cas being the one to say it (especially since this would line up with the leak), especially given the glimpse we saw of (what might be) this moment in the promo. which leads me to...

6. cas does not cry

i saved this for last because the promo where we see teary-eyed cas is actually what pulled me back into this shitshow.

cas does not cry. like. ever. he got a little teary in 15x15, when jack told him of his plan to sacrifice himself, but we have never - never - seen him shed actual tears. and in the promo, particularly that shot where cas says “you have fought for this whole world,” it 100% looks like cas is about to cry cry.

cas has seen his son die. he has seen dean die. he died himself, over and over and over. and we have never seen him cry.

yet for some reason, in this moment of vulnerability with dean, he’s crying. i find it highly unlikely that cas would cry because of his impending death, for a number of reasons (for one, he wouldn’t want to upset dean more than he has to). so, assuming he’s not crying because of his own death, then what is making cas so emotional that he is genuinely crying for the first time in the twelve seasons he has been on the show?

my guys.....i can only think of one thing.

#THIS IS SO FUCKING LONG OH MY GOD #i'm so sorry for this i just have SO many thoughts about this and had to get them all down #disclaimer: i still think it's highly unlikely we'll get confirmed romantic deancas #but i do think there's a chance #and this is why #deancas #destiel #s15 spoilers #spec

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pair-annoyed · 4 years ago

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Anime I Watched This Fall

My first semester of college is officially over and the December holidays are upon us! I hoped to make one of these posts sooner, but I have been incredibly busy with schoolwork. Now that things have slowed down, let’s take sometime to reflect on things I’ve watched.

These anime are listed in chronological order and encompass everything I’ve watched from 9/1/2020 - 12/15/2020

Like always, they will be rated on a 1-10 scale; 1 meaning complete garbage, 10 meaning masterpiece. I will offer my thoughts on what I did/didn’t like about each show!

1. The God of High School - 6/10

Despite the stellar animation from MAPPA and my high expectations, I was really disappointed by how this series was treated. Most of the story’s crucial elements were handled poorly. I finished this series feeling more confused about the plot than when I first began. The power system is really cool, but poorly explained. More time should have been spent on exposition and world building for this series, instead the fights were given the most screen time.

2. Doukyuusei - 7/10

I really liked the style of Doukyuusei. Granted, this was another movie I chose to watch primarily because of the hype surrounding it. The dynamic between Kusakabe and Sajou is an interesting one, and I also enjoy how the movies different acts were separated by the seasons. However, there's nothing that really sets Doukyuusei apart from other romance movies, its a little generic. Still, I enjoyed it nonetheless.

3. Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu 2nd Season - 8/10

My opinions on Re:Zero’s second season are biased. This was, by far, the sequel I was most hyped for during the summer/fall anime season. I was so happy to see the story’s continuation and I’m looking forward to the season’s second part coming sometime in January. Re:Zero is one of my all time favorite series because of the way it handles it characters and power dynamics. I also really enjoy the show’s psychological aspects. If you haven’t already, give Re:Zero a try!

4. Saint☆Oniisan (Movie + OVA) - 8/10

This was a wonderful comedy. I wasn’t sure how the subject of Jesus and Buddha living together would be tackled, but it was handled wonderfully. I was laughing for pretty much the entire movie. I love the art style and little references to both Buddhism and Christianity, plus the incorporation of Japanese culture. Saint Oniisan is a bright comedy, with two eccentric main characters. If you like a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and need a good laugh, I can’t recommend this more.

5. Clannad: After Story - 10/10

Never, while watching anime, did I cry as much as I did while watching Clannad: After Story. I didn’t realize how much I related to Okazaki until I saw him grow up in After Story. I was left sobbing, especially after episode 18. I still, to this day, cannot listen to the Dango song without tearing up. The original Clannad is nothing special, but the continuation of its story its something heartfelt, emotional, and down-to-earth. I love Kyoto Animation with all my heart, and Clannad made me appreciate everything the studio has done just a little bit more. Thank you Clannad, for reminding me about the kind of person I strive to be.

6. Nakitai Watashi wa Neko wo Kaburu - 5.5/10

The art in A Whisker Away was beautiful. The story itself, however, is nothing too enjoyable. I found it difficult to like our protagonist or her love interest. Nothing about this movie is inherently memorable. The emotional climax came far too early which made the second half of the film seem long and drawn out. All in all, the movie has a wonderful concept, I just believe it could have been so much more emotional than it was. When I watch a move, I like to empathize with the characters. It’s difficult to do when the characters aren’t given the proper exposition to be empathized with.

7. Shikioriori - 6/10

This is less of a movie and more of a collection of short stories. Flavors of Youth is something you shouldn’t watch on an empty stomach, all of the food looks incredible. The same cannot beside for the rest of this feature. The stories themselves seems heavily clichéd. Much like A Whisker Away, the initial premise is intriguing, but the execution results in something that comes across as trying too hard and carries no emotional weight with the viewer. If you plan on watching, pay more attention to the artwork and animation than the actual plot. You won’t be missing anything.

8. Vinland Saga - 7/10

Vinland Saga helped me get out of the rut that Clannad: After Story. Not only does this show have a great story, its action packed with lots of interesting fights. I especially enjoyed all the Nordic history embedded within the show. Its really unlike any of the other historical anime I’ve watched. I will say, it’s gory. But, compared to all the other things I watched this time around, I finished this series the quickest. Its good, its graphic, its fast paced!

9. Mononoke Hime - 7/10

It’s ironic considering how much anime I’ve watched that I have yet to watch all of the most classic Studio Ghibli films. Princess Mononoke is grittier than most other Ghibli films I’ve seen, but it’s message is positive and its characters are wonderful. I can’t really speak ill towards classics like these. I guess maybe my one complaint is that this movie could’ve been a faster pace. Other than that... I really enjoyed everything Princess Mononoke offered! I understand why it’s so popular.

10. Howl no Ugoku Shiro - 8.5/10

Can you believe it took me this long to finally watch Howl’s Moving Castle? Me neither!! This movie is so endearingly beautiful. I loved every second of it, from the characters to the soundtrack. So many iconic things come from just this one movie. I would like to take this time to thank my best friend for reminding me that Studio Ghibli films are wonderful! Thank you for watching this with me, I loved it! All in all, I regret not watching this sooner!

11. Toradora! - 6.5/10

Toradora took me a while to finish, just because I lost interest about halfway through. But, I powered through it, and ended up really enjoying the show! I’m not the biggest fan of the ending, but that’s just a personal preference. Somehow, this show also made me cry? I’m not entirely sure why because Toradora! is probably the thing farthest from sad. Apart from the show’s dull slice of life moments, it was super cute! A much needed light-hearted romance.

12. New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - 5/10

Full disclosure, this is the only thing related to Initial D that I’ve ever watched. My band and I watched this expecting to hear some of that iconic Initial D music, itself all we got was a mildly confusing story about different types of cars. It was cliché and frankly a little boring. Although, I am still considering watching the original Initial D just so I can hear the music in the way it was original intended. I’ve got no other opinions on this movie. It’s best not to watch these movies without the context from the rest of the franchise.

13. Uchuu Patrol Luluco - 7.5/10

I didn’t really understand why people enjoy studio Trigger so much until I watched Space Patrol Luluco. I loved all the fun references to other studio Trigger works. I loved the humor, and I loved all the bright colors. The animation was extremely high energy, and the art style fits the show’s premise. Each episode was only 12 minutes long so it was a super quick binge. If you’re looking for something quick, light-hearted and comical, this is the perfect show to watch.

14. Orange - 7/10

I owe a big thanks to a tumblr mutual for recommending this show to me! This holds the honor of making me cry by episode 3! I honestly did not expect the subject matter of this show to be as dark as it was. Usually when I see the genre ‘shoujo’ I do not associate it with a love story like that of Orange. The heavy subject matter made it a little too close to home for me, but I still really enjoyed this series. It reminds me off all the good times I had with my friends in high school, and of all the regrets I carry with myself to this day.

15. 3-gatsu no Lion - 7.5/10

March Comes in Like a Lion is another show that was a bit of a slow burn for me. Each episode left me feeling emotionally drained, so I had to take a lot of breaks while I was working on watching this series. Shaft, the studio behind this anime, holds a special place in my heart because I loved their work on the Monogatari Series. March Comes in Like a Lion is a little different. It’s driving force it is characters, and it was cathartic to watch our main character transform through the entire duration of the first season. I know the show’s second season is much better, so I’ll be starting that soon!

16. Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei - 8/10

I loved how artsy and smart The Tatami Galaxy is, but honestly I couldn’t watch too much at once cause it would hurt my head. I also couldn’t watch this show while I was tired because the speaking rate is much faster than typical anime. The Tatami Galaxy is so unique for its medium. I loved the different time loops and the crazy animation. The characters were fascinating. The dialogue, although very fast, it also fantastic. There’s an element of humor to this unique story telling, and I enjoyed ever minute of it!

Currently Watching:

Hunter x Hunter - 6.5/10 (As of Episode 30)

I pride myself in having watched a lot of shounen anime, but I was reluctant to start Hunter x Hunter for years because I thought I would find it boring. I was oh so very wrong. Considering great shows like Naruto and Fairy Tail that fall under the same category, I expected Hunter x Hunter to be subpar in comparison. It gets a low score for two reasons. One, the power system was introduced a little too late and now I’m wondering if all the fights post episode 30 will involved nen in some way, shape, or form. Two, its still on hiatus.

Two Cursed Additions For This List

Please to do not let these be representative of my anime taste.

1. Yarichin☆B*tch-bu - 4/10

I am a CLOWN for not knowing this was 18+. The only reason I watched this was to see why everyone was talking about the pink-haired boy with the glasses and tongue piecing. I know why now, and I regret it. This was a massive mistake on my part. But hey, at the least the art and ending song kinda slap?

2. Euphoria (Dropped After 1 Episode) - 2/10

If you know what I’m talking about when I say Euphoria, I am so sorry. And no, I am not talking about the HBO series. Seriously, don’t google this. Don’t watch this. Don’t interact with anything related to this. You’re probably wondering, “Then why did you watch it?” I did not watch this willingly. You see, I have a very bad habit of starting anime and then taking months to finish them. I made an ultimatum with a friend, lost, and then was forced to watch this a punishment. Not a fun experience. I’m very glad there are no GIFs of this on tumblr...

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gayregis · 4 years ago

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1/2 ngl i think many western witcher book fans make the series out to be way more progressive than it actually is. part of it is mistranslation ofc, like for example with the 'man was not made for monogamy' bit where the use of singular man is rlly misleading and it should be "a man" or "men aren't" bc originally it's just dandelion being a sexist cheating dick and not some openminded progressive the way ive seen this interpreted sometimes, But

2/2 there's a lot of plainly bad takes out there that i feel are partially an issue of just worldviews and circumstances. like obv its not some Enormous difference and im not saying that "hurr durr westerners Bad and Stupid" or whatever but in regard to stuff like lgbt issues or coding or feminism ive seen so many bonkers horrible takes that like. with my experience as a closeted polish trans homo are truly fucking concerning in how naive they are

(fucking 3/2 bc i can't count) but like. just from the top of my head the godawful girlboss femdom #feminism shit ppl pull with yennefer bc they cant admit shes not all that well written and that shes borderline abusive at times, people trying to make sapkowski out to be pro-lgbt which is fucking baffling with the blatant homophobic storylines/writing, the "GERALT IS CODED X" shit when hes a blatant cishet whiteman power/oppression fantasy rolled up in one like. idk im really tired and its a lot

(4/2 ok i SWEAR im done im sorry) like. i think what im trying to say is that i feel like theres a lot of like. kinda rose-colored-glasses type of naivety and a lack of understanding of how the general reality of life for women, lgbt people etc. is way different in poland and further east than it is in the states or britain or even fucking germany, so people just take very blatant bigotry and uncritically try to twist it to fit their western uwu pseudofeminism and whatnot

no, LITERALLY THIS. i think [mostly western] progressives on tumblr especially want and long to see progressive messages or representation where there simply are not any, or where the messages that are there are largely milquetoast centrist and not actually saying anything radical. (this post i made is more specific to an aspect topic but it voices some of my opinions on it)

i think it’s of course fine to have separate interpretations of the characters / rewritten characters in your mind that you appreciate, but in order to do that you need to engage with the source material and acknowledge the reality of what is written on the page (for instance, what you said about yennefer being a #girlboss when in canon she struggles with characterization at times and especially in the short stories comes off poorly, almost abusive, and her and geralt’s relationship is definitely not some kind of #goals).

i think that there are some redeeming features and it’s not all bad, everything is very grey - for instance, sapkowski wrote yennefer poorly when it came to her first introduction to ciri, but then her training of ciri that immediately follows it is much better. and geralt is a power fantasy in his heterosexuality and protagonist-isms, but spends the saga in turmoil over trying to protect ciri because he’s a good father. everything kind of blends together and does not just mean ONE thing only, because it’s understandable by many people. for instance, geralt being mopey and upset that he’s abnormal can be related to by MANY different types of people.

i think the issue is when people state that characters are definitely “coded” one way or another (not like, actual canon relationships, like saying ciri is gay because she had relations with mistle... that’s a can of sapkowski-worms for another day... i’m saying, for example, arguing that dandelion is intended to be coded as gay because he wears colorful clothes or something like this). i don’t think it’s very valuable at all to look at the content and say “sapkowski intended THIS,” because i don’t find much value in what mr. centrist sells-the-rights-to-netflix had to say. i find value in what you have to say, personally, and what it means to you.

sorry to speak about my minor again for like 0.2 seconds (it’s relevant) but it reminds me a lot of posts on here about ancient greece or rome that are like “ancient greeks and romans were GAY, we have ALWAYS BEEN HERE!!” like you really want to claim kinship with the violent imperialists who practice pedastry...? or posts claiming that X female figure, such as sappho, was a feminist. we call it an anachronistic interpretation: it’s a completely different time period, context, culture, and intention than what we understand in a modern sense. you can’t project your modern and western culture onto ancient greece and rome, because they are ancient societies.

similarly, i don’t think that you can take american feminism from 2020 and apply it to a fantasy series written by a polish man in the 1990s. you may reinterpret the characters how you so choose, of course you will have favorite characters and appreciate specific ones for specific things... but you cannot say that sapkowski’s intentions were specifically this or that as you understand them yourself in your own life, and you cannot do this with very many authors unless you are the author yourself.

specifically for the witcher because as you said, there is a cultural misunderstanding: “[a] type of naivety and a lack of understanding of how the general reality of life for women, lgbt people etc. is way different in poland and further east than it is in the states or britain or even fucking germany.”

i think in the english-speaking progressive social media circles currently for a few years there has been this very big hyperfocus on good representation for people of color, for women, for lgbt people, and in this quest for representation many are willing to overlook blatant bigotry in hopes of claiming another character ‘for the gays’ or whatever. for example dandelion hating on yennefer in a little sacrifice because she is old - i’m pretty sure sapkowski didn’t write this because he intended it to be like dandelion is gay and jealous of her! you can headcanon that if you like, but don’t claim that’s what it is and nothing else, because you need to acknowledge the misogyny present there.

i think it’s dangerous because you end up parading the original content around like it’s fantasic and progressive when it’s really not. i encourage people to have lgbt headcanons if they choose, but you really shouldn’t be saying it was sapkowski’s 100% intention to make this character X or Y because you really must take the writing into context with the author’s biases, life, culture, setting...

#ask #anon #the witcher #sorry for bolding statements but since this is a long post i wanted to bold what i thought were the most important points

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lenskij · 4 years ago

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The StoryGraph's Translation Challenge 2021 - a reflection

Today I just finished this 10 prompt reading challenge! I had so much fun doing it, especially since I’ve for years wanted to expand my reading beyond the same old and familiar I’ve been reading until now, but I didn’t come around to actually do it until I came across The StoryGraph's Translation Challenge 2021.

The rules are: pick a book for each prompt that has been translated from a language that isn’t English. For myself, I added another rule - it can’t be translated from any language I speak, either. I also wanted to find an individual book for each prompt - if there was a book that would fit in two prompts, I counted it for only one of them and chose another for the other.

I wanted to share my little translation journey with everyone here, hence this post. The prompts, what book I chose for each, and my thoughts on them are below the cut!

Also: I’m always on the lookout for non-English books! Bonus points if they’re from outside of Europe ^w^ Hit me up with your recommendations!

1. A translated fantasy or sci-fi novel

Stanisław Lem: Солярис (Solaris) Translated from Polish to Russian by Д. Брускин

This book has been living on my sister’s bookshelf for years, and while I was visiting her I read it. It didn’t impress me in any way, it felt like any regular old sci-fi, although a bit creepy (and just a lil dash of sexism).

2. A book written by a Black woman in translation

Marie NDiaye: La Cheffe (La Cheffe) Translated from French to Swedish by Maria Björkman

This is a lovely novel, even if it focused on French food - and the detailed descriptions reminded me that French food is overrated. I loved the character la Cheffe, it was highly enjoyable to read about her relationship to people and her profession, and the narrator had sweet heart eyes that shined through the text.

3. A translated book originally published before 1950

Choderlos de Laclos: Farliga förbindelser (Les Liaisons dangereuses) Translated from French to Swedish by Arvid Enckell.

This prompt was the easiest to fulfill, and I had several choices for it. I've spoken about this book elsewhere on this here blog - it's morbidly fascinating to read about terrible, terrible people.

4. A translated non-fiction book

Romaric Godin: Klasskriget i Frankrike (La guerre sociale en France) Translated from French to Swedish by Johan Wollin

For this prompt, I went to a local bookstore and asked the seller for help. She had to dig around for a while before she found something that wasn't originally written in English - like she pointed out, most academics choose to write in English, even if they're not native speakers.

I picked this one because I've seen snapshots of the yellow wests in the news, but I know barely any of the context. Although the book is short, it's a pretty detailed overview of recent French economic history, with an emphasis on explaining why and how French neo-liberalism ended up looking like it is today (and why French neo-liberalism is different from the neo-liberalism in the rest od Europe). This tickled my inner economics nerd.

5. A translated novel 500 pages or longer

Isabel Allende: Andarnas hus (La Casa de los Espíritus) Translated from Spanish to Swedish by Lena Anér Melin

Another book that has been sitting on my sister's shelf! I absolutely loved it - a family saga, in a time of social change. Look, my favourite part about any book is when the characters feel like humans, even if they're not relatable, I can still understand them.

6. A book translated from Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish or Icelandic

Vigdis Hjorth: Arv och miljö (Arv og miljø) Translated from Norwegian to Swedish by Ninni Holmqvist

In my case, it meant a book translated from either Danish, Norwegian or Icelandic (I do have to pepper in the fact that I'm a polyglot, after all). It's my sister who recommended it to me, and she was right when she said this was good! I loved the three separate timelines, the prose, and the family drama.

7. A translated book by a South American author

María Sonia Cristoff: Håll mig utanför (Inclúyanme afuera) Mariana Enríquez: Det vi förlorade i elden (Las cosas que perdimos en el fuego)Translated from Spanish to Swedish by Hanna Axén

What? Two books?? Yes, when I searched the library catalogue it spit out these two - because they have the same translator - and since they both seemed interesting I checked both of them out.

Unfortunately, these are the two books of this challenge that I liked the least. The first one didn't have a premise that worked with me - the main character chose to listen more than she spoke for a year as an experiment, and as an introvert, to whom this is how I've always lived my life, it was hard for me to understand what the big deal was.

The second was just my personal taste - these short stories had bloody ghosts, and ended abruptly without quite resolving the story - that creepiness just doesn't vibe with me.

8. A translated book by a Chinese author

Eileen Chang: Ett halvt liv av kärlek (Banshengyuan) Translated from Chinese to Swedish by Anna Gustafsson Chen

After quite a slow start I suddenly was drawn into this book. It's such a lovely read on when life doesn't always work out the way you want, and you still do your best to be happy. It felt very real, without being a 'happily ever after', or it's opposite of endless tears - that sweet middle ground spot.

9. A book translated from Arabic

Rajaa Alsanea: Flickorna från Riyadh (Banāt al-Riyāḍ) Translated from Arabic to Swedish by Tetz Rooke

I found this when messing around with the "similar books"-algorithm on Storygraph (I've just finished Unmarriageable, and liked it a so much I wanted to find something similar). When this one popped out I noticed the Arabic author name, and checked it out from the library. I've actually never read any book set in the Middle East, and I loved seeing a glimpse of life there (naturally, this isn't a comprehensive illustration - the main characters were all from well-off families). The most interesting thing was how the characters adjusted their behaviour as they travelled between Europe and Saudi Arabia - the social rules are different depending on where you are (and if you meet a fellow Saudi in London, your day is ruined - because suddenly you have to behave in accordance to Saudi rules).

10. A book translated from a language spoken in India

Vivek Shanbhag: Ghachar ghochar (Ghāchar ghōchar) Translated from Kannada to English by Srinath Perur; translated to Swedish by Peter Samuelsson

At first I was cranky about that this is a translation of a translation - but in the acknowledgements I read that it was the author's request that the book is to be translated from English. I assume it's because the English translator already has made the inevitable tradeoffs between language and form, which the author approved, and so the Swedish translator wouldn't have to make the decisions all over again.

This was a short book, just over a hundred pages. It barely had any plot, but it didn't need any - the description of the family members' relationship to each other was juicy enough.

In conclusion

This challenge was a great opportunity for me to also try genres I never would have tried otherwise - I was limited to what my library had, and especially for the smaller languages, it's a limited choice. I've been talking about this translation challenge to everyone I know because I've had so much fun! And the best part is - it's only ten prompts. That means I wouldn't need to scram to finish it in time, even while also reading the regular same old books I do still want to read. While I'm waiting for the 2022 challenge, I'll be doing another round for these prompts - I've already checked out a short story collection originally written in Tamil, and a nonfiction about Syrian resistance originally written in Arabic :)

#liz talks #books #i had so much fun guys!#do give me translation recs :D #look the only thing that brings me joy nowadays are books and talking about books #but i also feel inspired to write an evil onegin essay so maybe im slowly turning back into my old self #for better or worse lol #thank you to everyone who actually read the entire post i do really appreciate it

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beybladefanboy · 4 years ago

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Top 5 Favourite Beyblade Characters

Random and unasked for but I figured I would talk about my favourite characters in the Beyblade Metal Saga.

#5 A tie between Chris and Hikaru

Chris

I’m putting these two in the same spot because I wanted both of them to be on this list and a “top 6” doesn’t have as good of a ring to it as a “top 5.” Anyways, the first time I watched Metal Fury, I didn’t care much about Chris. Now however, I find his arc of being stuck in a job that brings him no joy to be incredibly relatable. His lack of passion for Beyblade makes complete sense: the fun of the sport was completely sucked out when it became an obligation for him and he wasn’t allowed to fight for himself. He was completely obligated to his employer and had little choice in the matter. That would suck away anyone’s passion, trust me, I know. So seeing the light return to his eyes as he rediscovered his passion for Beyblading was incredibly satisfying.

Hikaru

A lot of the appeal of Hikaru is admittedly that she is a female blader, and yeah, it is great having a strong female character. (We need more of those) What’s great about Hikaru however is that she isn’t just a token girl character or a mary sue: she is treated the same as any other blader and is allowed to fail and feel emotions without being degraded. I like that we even see a bit of her backstory where we learn that she is driven to be the best blader because of her likely deceased mother’s words. It’s a shame that she quit Beyblade due to her trauma but I also think it’s understandable and that it was interesting to explore that trauma. The moment that broke my heart rewatching Metal Masters was when Hikaru sees Dark Tsubasa and is paralyzed by terror, clearly remembering what Ryuga did to her. Beyblade’s most powerful scenes to me are the ones that delve into a character’s mind and allows me to see their thoughts and feelings. It allows me to understand and be more attached to the character and we got a lot of that from Hikaru and Chris.

#4 Yuki

Yuki is kind of underrated in my opinion but then again, so is the entirety of Metal Fury. Yuki was a really fresh character for the series. Nearly every character is extremely reckless: acting first, thinking later so it was really refreshing to see a character who overthinks everything to the point of anxiety. I just relate more to a character that doubts himself and has to fight to overcome not just the great evil but his own self-doubt and fear as well. Also, I love that scene where he fights Ryuga. He probably knows he doesn’t stand a chance against a guy like him but he doesn’t care because he’s fighting for his friends. I can relate to that. When I’m just doing something for myself, I tend to doubt and question myself but when I’m standing up for my friends, I show no mercy. So yeah, Yuki is a really relatable character, as well as a pure cinnamon roll that needs more love.

#3 Kyoya

If you asked who my favourite Beyblade character was two and half years ago, I would’ve answered “Kyoya” without any hesitation. While I do still really like him, I think his character was kind of fumbled in Metal Fury. I’ll talk about that separately though because I want this to be a positive post. Still, Kyoya is a great character. I like how he develops from a villain to that one liner asshole friend of Gingka’s. While I do like him unironically, Kyoya is honestly just funny to me. He is so ridiculously arrogant about his own skills but he actually is as good as he says he is. He’s also a tsundere. He’s absolutely a tsundere. He’s always helping his friends with whatever bullshit they’re doing: helping them infiltrate the Dark Nebula, going to look for Gingka when he disappears, helping them infiltrate Hades city, going with them to look for the Legendary Bladers, and on two separate occasions, staying behind to fight someone so the others can go forward. Even his determination to beat Gingka feels more like friendly competition than actual malice. And yet he insists he doesn’t care about them with lines like, “It’s not like I came to save you or anything.” It’s honestly kind of majestic. He’s also a complete badass. He always gets back up after a loss and fights to the bitter end and, sometimes to the detriment of himself but never his Beyblade. When Leone was on the verge of breaking to pieces in The Fearsome Libra, he forfeited the match to stop that from happening, risking humiliation and accepting defeat to do the right thing. That is genuinely admirable. It takes courage to fight but even more courage to admit defeat. Also, his fight against Ryuga in Metal Fusion is insane. Kyoya nearly falls so many times but keeps himself on his feet and rises up again. It takes being stabbed in the heart by the dark power for Kyoya to be defeated. Out of everyone, Kyoya came the closest to defeating Ryuga through sheer will and determination alone. What a badass.

#2 Tsubasa

Similar to Yuki, Tsubasa is also a pretty unique character for this series. While he is passionate about fighting like all the others, Tsubasa is much more thoughtful and cool-headed, which is appealing especially among a cast of hot-headed crazy characters. When Tsubasa is first introduced, he’s kind of a mystery. We don’t know his true intentions or alignment until we learn that he was working for the WVBA, about 15 episodes after his initial introduction. This unpredictability made him interesting to watch in Metal Fusion as I didn’t know what he was going to do next. Then in Metal Masters, he becomes even more interesting. While it was emotionally intense to watch, I think the “Dark Tsubasa” arc is one of this series’ greatest achievements. It revealed a completely new layer of personality to Tsubasa and gave him so much development.

While he was being somewhat controlled by the dark power, it is made clear through the dialogue that that side of him was always there and the dark power just enhanced and unmasked it. He did often hide his true emotions and intentions in Metal Fusion after all. The scenes where Tsubasa interacts with his dark self are very interesting and relatable to me because I often try to hide my negative emotions and avoid situations where they might come out until those feelings fester into madness, which is essentially what Tsubasa did. However, the resolution to this arc is what makes it so special to me. Tsubasa doesn’t drive out the darkness or continue to repress it: he accepts the darkness as part of who he is because everyone has darkness in them and the way to control it is to become one with it. And in the end, he becomes a stronger blader and person as a result of this arc. This is legitimately inspiring and helpful to me. It’s important to remember that we are not defined by our worst thoughts/feelings, we are defined by how we handle them and accepting ourselves, flaws and all, is important. So really that arc alone makes Tsubasa one of my favourite characters but he also has an appealing personality as well. It’s a shame he was kind of underused in Metal Fury but I love what we got from him.

#1 Ryuga

Yeah, okay, this was obvious. Take one look at my feed or even my profile picture and you could probably guess that I love Ryuga. Two and a half years ago, I hated him with a passion but after rewatching the show again, I realized I only really hated him because of what he did to Hikaru, Tsubasa, and Kyoya which yes was horrible and I don’t condone it in any way but he was under the influence of the dark power at that point and he never does anything quite that awful again. Anyways, onto the positives. Ryuga in Metal Fusion is the best villain the show ever had. He poses a significant threat and was the first person to legitimately defeat Gingka. He’s also a terrifying sadist that cackles at others’ pain. If Ryuga had stayed like that, I would probably still like him as a character but I certainly wouldn’t have developed a crush. Damn, that would’ve been nice. But alas, even in Metal Fusion, Ryuga is somewhat sympathetic when you remember that he is just a kid and was both used by Doji and not even in full control of himself because of the dark power. He is seen trying to resist its control in the final battle after all. It’s interesting to see a character who is literally corrupted by the power he sought out and actually does learn from his mistake. In Metal Masters, he realized that humans’ greed and hatred was what caused the dark power to be so harmful and decided to draw the power from its original source, before it was tainted by humans, and became super powerful. Even if you hate Ryuga, you have to admit that is awesome. And once he stopped being a sadistic villain, he became much more unpredictable as sometimes he would even help the main heroes in Metal Masters, albeit for selfish reasons. Ryuga sort of feels like a combination of traits I liked most in Tsubasa and Kyoya. He has the unpredictability and loner attitude of Tsubasa and the confidence and determination of Kyoya. Also, I don’t think I need to say that Ryuga is a badass. That’s not even an opinion: it’s something that we all know to be a fact. I mean, this is the guy who launched his Beyblade at a floating city, wrecking it enough to send it crashing into the water and causing a reactor meltdown that nearly destroyed the earth. That last part was unintentional and in all fairness, he did help stop the end of the world, but still, he is both powerful and reckless enough to do something like that. He was kind of frustrating in Metal Fury but I did like his friendship with Kenta and while his blind pursuit of power was annoying, I gotta admire the ambition. And… yeah, I cried at his death. I cried harder at that than anything else in this show at any other point I watched it, including when I was a kid even though I knew it was coming. Even though his motivations for fighting Nemesis were far from righteous, he still died trying to defeat the great evil and his final act was giving Kenta the star fragment to give the heroes the chance they needed to win. Ryuga died a hero, plain and simple. I wish he had lived so we could see him develop even more after that moment but either way, Ryuga is a great character. He’s the best villain in season one and I love his fiery personality and aesthetic in the following seasons.

#beyblade metal saga #chris #yuki mizusawa #hikaru hasama #kyoya tategami #tsubasa otori #ryuga #ryuga kishatu #yuki #hikaru #kyoya #tsubasa #metal fury is underrated #I have my problems with it #but it's just as good as the first two seasons in my opinion

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thegeekerynj · 4 years ago

Text

All Death Metal Review (And nothing from Sweden!)

Death Metal: Trinity Crisis One Shot

Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Francis Manapul

‘And who are YOU supposed to be? I’ve faced enough Dark Knights that no Batman scares me anymore!

Ha! Then it’s a good thing I’m not a Batman! I’m his MOTHER!’

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Sweet Christmas! That took me by surprise!

Harley kissing Jonah Hex, that was really sweet, and gods awful creepy, and kinda gross, after the exchange, and some thought…

This is it, Gentle Readers… the Beginning of the End of the Beginning of… Oh, crap, now I’m lost… This is where the story starts rockin’!

The Gang’s all together, and the Black Lantern Bat has determined what they need to do.

The plan? Split up, naturally. That AL-ways works…

When we left them in DM #3, the Lanterns are protecting the Home Base, and taking out the Crisis Energy Antennae on the Earths left in the known Universes, The Flashes are off and running through the Speed Force, trying to find Metron, and stay ahead of the Bathattan who Laughs, while the Trinity (Superman / Antilife, Black Lantern Batman and Warden Wonder Woman) along with Swamp Thing, Harley, Hex and Jarro, head for Castle Bat, to gain access to the Crisis Earths, where the Crisis Energy is being harvested for Perpetua.

**WHEW!**

Getting into the Castle involves getting past an army of Dark Knights… and we have a bunch of real winners here!

Bat Monday - Salomon Grundy in Bat ears, I could have busted a gut laughing, until I thought about what kind of weapon a zombie with Batman’s training could be, and shivered…

Kull, the daughter of Batman and Wonder Woman, corrupted by the Dark Universe…

Ark, the living embodiment of Arkham, with all of the knowledge and abilities of ALL her worst inmates…

Chiroptor, the amalgam of Batman and Chemo (Great Elder Gods!!)…

And the Pearl, Martha Wayne, in the equivalent of HellBat Armor, complete with her iconic pearl necklace.

This is a real mindscrew for Batman, and the panels depict it, most intently.

One nice thing about Scott Snyder… he is consistent about tying up loose ends. Once we are in Castle Bat, we find out what happened to Barbatos, the Big Bad from Dark Nights: Metal. Not that we were actually wondering, since we got Perpetual, and the Batman Who Laughs, but, like I said, it ties up the package nicely.

Then, we are introduced to the character I have been most happily waiting for… the Robin King, and his Utility Belt of Death!

Gentle Readers, this is the story we have been waiting for, the chapter which tells us what the Heroes Plan of Action is, and where the story has been going, for over 40 years. You see, the opening page of this book tells us where this story began… with Marv Wolfman and George Perez, and Crisis on Infinite Earths!

Not to spoil too much, but Crisis, Infinite Crisis, and Final Crisis, ]well… they have all played a part in getting us to this story. It seems, the “Crisis Energy’ has fed Perpetua while she was trapped within the Source Wall, and, now, she wants it all, so she can recreate the Universes in her image.

Great job, if you can get it…

I can’t say enough good things about this story and artwork, as Snyder and Manapul have put together a really tight, hard hitting bottle / lead story, bringing us to the next step in the saga…

Jeebus on a popsicle stick, I hope no one lets me down… that will hurt!

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Death Metal: Multiverse’s End #1

Writer: James Tynion IV Artist: Juan Gedeon

‘Mr. Rabbit?

Yes, Young Lady?

Thank you for saving me.

What a kind thing to say! It was so scary out there, and you stayed so brave. I don’t think I could have done it without your courage.

You’re really, really soft.

I use a special carrot shampoo.

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Once upon a time, about a million, bazillion years ago in cranky fat man years, somewhere around 1982, Roy Thomas and Scott Shaw! brought Earth-C into the DC Multiverse, the earth of anthropomorphic animals… yes, they brought Super-Hero Cartoon Animals to the Super Hero Universe.

Our introduction to this Earth was Rodney Rabbit, a comics writing and drawing hare, who created the Just’a Lotta Animals comic by day, and was Captain Carrot, a Superman-esque rabbit, who got his powers from super charged carrots, when danger struck.

But, I digress… because I got really excited!

So, we have teams on the 6 Earths, each Earth holding a tuning fork, focusing the psychic pain energy of the population to Perpetual, powering her attempts to recreate the Multiverse in her image. The Earths in play, Earth - 3 (Crime Syndicate), Earth - X (Nazi Earth), Earth - 29 (Bizarroworld), Earth - 43 (Blood League World) and Earth - 50 (Justice Lords Earth) are all worlds of pain and suffering.

Their energy is the right flavor for destroying, and creating.

The heroes, organized and led by the Green Lanterns of Sector 2814 (Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Jessica Cruz, Simon Baz), are working to take down the Antennae before the energy can be fed to Perpetual to power her Cosmic Undoing.

So, teamed with the Lanterns, we have Hawkgirl, Kid Flash (Earth-22), President Superman (Earth-23), Wonder Woman (Earth-6) and Captain Carrot, all hellbent on stopping the respective Antennae.

The problem… Each Earth’s inhabitants have been laced into the antennae, to directly feed the psychic energy to it..since the energy is effectively terror, well, what better way to induce some? Of course, this isn’t the only problem to be contended with…

Leave it to James Tynion IV to come up with a way to make a villain creepier than the Batman Who Laughs… How, you ask? Well, take the true polar opposite of Batman, and make him realize HE IS what Giggles says he is, and you have an interesting new ballgame.

You see, while the Batman who Laughs is the Ultimate CORRUPTED Batman, Owlman is the Anthesis of Batman, the purest EVIL to the Batman’s GOOD. And he plans to make sure that he continues to be the True Opposite…

Gedeon’s artwork is rough, but considering the story being told, and the pain portrayed by the characters, it fits, perfectly. Some times, I see Joe Staton and Nic Cuti in these pages, a little cartoony, but that’s not a complaint… The story concentrates a bunch on Guy Gardner and Cap, so, it seems to fit (and the art is reminiscent of the ‘A Guy and his G’Nort’ storyline from 1991).

All in all, a very good story, and a fantastic use of a truly underused treasure.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶

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Speed Metal #1

Writer: Joshua Williamson Pencils: Eddy Barrow Inks: Eber Ferreira

‘Hey, Flash Family, Is it true a Flash has to die in every Crisis?!’

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And the levels of snark from the Darkest Knight have reached Epic Levels!

The first three pages of this issue give us a rehash of everything having to do with Wally West, since the beginning of the Rebirth Era, from Barry pulling Wally out of the Speed Force, to Barry and Batman finding the Comedian’s Smiley Face button embedded in the Batcave wall, to the events of Heroes in Crisis and Flash Forward.

The action picks up as Barry, Wally, Wallace and Jay leave the Batman’s Vault, in search of Metron’s Chair, with the Darkest Knight hot on their trails.

In the Speed Force.

With the Darkest Knight’s presence corrupting the Speed Force, Barry and Wally bickering the entire time, I’m reminded of why I hated the post Crisis Flash… Wally wasn’t mature enough to wear the mantle of Barry’s fame.

Sure, he had the speed, he was even faster than Barry, but he was still the same jealous little kid inside, the one who needed to be patted on the head, the one who couldn’t get on with the Titans, even though he was probably the most powerful of them.

He was just an immature kid, and here, Williamson dragged that all into the foreground once again.

All so Wally West, the King of the Redemption Arc, could have another Redemption Arc…

Sorry, that did me in.

The rest of the story is pretty good… the art is wonderful, the Jay / Barry / Wallace interplay is really kinda neat, and all the Black Flashes… well, I’m a sucker for Death icons, so a mass of Death Speedsters, well that’s fun with a CAPITAL F!

But, did we need another Wally gets to whine story?

Sorry, this wasn’t the finest arc of the Death Metal Saga.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶

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Death Metal #4 ‘Shot In The Dark’

Writer: Scott ‘Scream King’ Snyder Artist: Greg ‘The Muscle’ Capullo Inks: Jonathan ‘Bloodied’ Glapion

“So, ever wonder why you never see A Harley Who Laughs’?’

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And, that Gentle Readers, is the crux of one of those puzzles about this series… Why don’t we ever see more twisted versions of the Villains who infest Earth Prime?

The Robin King (this is the character who rates SECOND on my memorable Characters list, especially with his own One-Shot—— Who’s First?? Time, Gentle Ones in time…) puts the explanation out there, and it is very simple.

And worth the read… But, I digress.

So, Issue 4 picks up with Sergeant Rock describing what has been happening on Earth - Prime, and we finally get to see who has been carrying him around… AMBUSH BUG! Yes, the character that made the Fourth Wall more transparent than an open Anderson window has been carrying Rock around as his own personal narrator…

Which, if you know the Bug, is a joke unto itself.

So, here we go, the ride is picking up steam, and we are now following 6, count’em SIX, separate story lines. A guy could get whiplash, or Bullwhip or some other third rate character… But, I digress.

We have the Trinity storyline, the SpeedMetal storyline, Multiverse’s End, and the Lantern Storyline from the last issue, the Justice League / Legion of Doom story… am I forgetting anything?

Oh, and of course, the Robin King.

Where to start with this… I guess the simplest place to start is the artwork.

Greg Capullo’s pencils are absolutely wonderful. For anybody who it's to watch the process of drawing I want to watch so he's got a really wonderful touch I recommend Greg Capullo’s Instagram site. As he's drawing pages for these books, he posts the pencils as he finishes pieces of the process . Normally, he has six or seven photo panels showing exactly what he's been doing. In man cases, this involves crowd scenes, with extensive detail. His work is beautiful, it’s easy to see why he is such a sought after talent.

Jonathan Glapion’s inks on Capullo’s pencils are comparable to Austin on Byrne, and Janson over Miller, Janson over Colan… Enhancing, and not hiding the intricate detail rendered in the pencils, adding that last flash of lightning to bring it all together. The balance struck between them is almost organic, a constant growth between the two, bringing them to levels bordering on the true Classic Art teams of the last 50 years.

I do not make these comparisons lightly

Now, to the story. Scott Snyder is powering a roller coaster with a rocket sled. The coordination between the different aspects of these stories is both intricate and daring. With all the different aspects of this story spinning like plates on sticks, Snyder juggles the plot lines, and what is left to him by the myriad of writers as Emmet Kelly did in the heyday of Ringling Brothers.

His deft touch, and subtle influences are balanced by lace covered sledgehammer blows, leaving the reader reeling, and wanting so very much more.

Scott Snyder, much like Tom Taylor, has pulled out all the stops, cut the brake lines, kicked out the jams, insert favorite euphemism for creating a high speed, non-stop mad ride to Hell!

And, much to my wallet’s chagrin, I am very happy about it.

Now, as it crosses to other books, and other writers pick up the reins, I am sure Snyder will still be the whip hand driving the story, not allowing some of these writers to go too far astray (unless it’s Tom King… then, well Woo Hoooo!)

I can’t say enough good things about this story, or the team creating it. I’m beginning t feel a little biased, but, what the heck.

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

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Death Metal: Robin King #1 ‘The Robin Who Would Be King’

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi Artist: Riley Rossmo

‘Aw! Come on, this is the fun part!

Get up and let’s FIGHT!’

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Games, within games, within games…

So, the Batman who Laughs wasn’t infallible.

And the Robin King is going to be the bigger threat to the Darkest Knight than any combination of the Trinity, Flashes or their cohorts.

At least, that’s my takeaway from this issue.

We continue the story of the Robin King, as started in the Tales of the Dark Universe one shot. Bruce has grown up, and grown into his sociopathy, and genius. He has used the family fortune to get all the training necessary, and to accumulate all the tools, to begin his reign as the true Evil Overlord of Gotham.

Utilizing his accumulated weapons, he has taken out Commissioner Gordon, Firestorm, Animal Man, Adam Strange Blue Beetle (Ted Kord), and the Red Tornado, all in truly spectacular and extraordinarily grisly fashion.

While the Black Hole Implosion for Firestorm was a particularly well thought out death, I think, so far, the ‘Mortal Coil’ Death, for the Red Tornado was the most imaginative… making his powers totally uncontrollable, while moving him closer to his ultimate dream, to be a real person, before his form totally destroys itself from the stresses of his own speed.

Marvelous! Fantastic! Gross!

Enter the Batman who Laughs, with the proposition to make the Robin King special, one of his own…

But, he’s a Robin, so, off to the Groblin Pit he goes!

Hence, his mistake, and possibly another chink in the boiler plate of his plans… since Bruce Wayne is NO Robin!

Peter Tomasi’s scripting for this issue is simply remarkable. The creep factor he brings to this iteration of Bruce Wayne is almost eviscerating. Reading this was painful to my eyes and psyche, feeling the levels of insanity drip off the page, and scratch across my mind like a little bird’s unnaturally sharp talons.

He really hit all the horror factors.

Then, there was the artwork for this story. Riley Rossmo’s artwork set the mood for this story. His shattered pencil / inks style, which can be distracting, was integral to telling this story. It allowed the Reader to view this story as if it were playing out in Bruce’s mind, its all the fracturing being how he is viewing the world.

For me, this story has been the highlight of the series… thus far. I am anticipating this, which is near the midpoint of things, is setting up the Wednesday Night Episode…so, -

Tune In, Gentle Readers!

Same Bat-Time

Same Bat Channel!

The Best Is Yet To Come!

Did I neglect there is a B-story, with Signal, Spoiler, Orphan and Red Robin taking on Quietus, the amalgam of Batman Ras’ al Ghul and Duke Thimas, from another Dark Universe, written by Tony Patrick and drawn by Daniel Sampere?

This story brings in a plot line for ‘What’s happening for the Other Bat-Family Elements’, as they try to find their way through Castle Bat’s myriad streets…

I am guessing we will start to see more of these stories.

I am completely fine with this, rather than having to recap things later…

Out of 5🌶 🌶🌶🌶🌶.5

#dark nights: death metal #DC comics #Batman Who Laughs #Scott Snyder #Greg Capullo

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