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major-wren · 8 months

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I love the "ARK siblings" concept and I love cute lighthearted fanart of them being siblings but I feel like a lot of people forget that they literally canonically share a soul and that her death is, in my opinion, I think supposed to represent a part of one's self dying and that they're supposed to be, symbolically, a lot more than siblings.

I always saw Shadow's story as a symbolic way to express the way your inner child and innocence is sacrificed in order to survive complex childhood trauma. Maria's color scheme and the way she's written is, I think, clear to all of us how she's meant to represent innocence and youth. I mean, she doesn't really function very well as a stand-alone character or realistic depiction of a child, shes always been more of an.. idea.

I'm not sure if it was purposeful, but the moon's "Maria" are craters that formed from the moon repeatedly taking the hits of asteroids at it's points of gravity. These points of gravity attract asteroids and draws then away from the Earth. The craters are mostly on the side of the moon we see, so the dark side of the moon, or "shadowed" side is better protected because of that. I feel like this is an extension of Shadow and Maria's symbolism. She took the bullet for him, protecting him, the same way Maria takes the comets, and the same way your brain will sacrifice your inner child (or freeze/rush your mental development) in order to survive intense childhood abuse. I know it all sounds extreme lmao but at the end of the day characters and storytelling are used to explore and express hard emotions and I don't think this randomly tragic character sprung out of nowhere for the Sonic games, which, before that point, always had very lighthearted positive characters (except for the echidna extinction in the game right before Shadow's). Having a character that was easy to approach, yet could represent scarier concepts as a child-friendly stand-in, felt like a very important tool to me growing up. I just hope that that writing can be appreciated in his character, with an understanding of how messy production can be and how a character can get pulled between many different people and ideas. I do think this symbolism was intentional to some degree, especially when it gets to the blatant soul-sharing and how characters insist that Shadow can't be a weapon because Maria's soul (his inner child and true morals despite the damage done to him) makes him "good hearted."

There's other things that uphold this symbolism of Maria dying as representing his inner child being killed, like the rushed/suspended mental development in the face of trauma being illustrated by the fact that Shadow was forced into a dormant cyro slumber right after Maria's death, symbolizing the way he had to basically skip childhood or hit pause on development until he could escape the people controlling him. Much like how victims will have to pause everything and go on autopilot with only a goal of survival until they can escape their situation; only after they feel safe can they begin growing as a person and find their identity. In the Japanese language, there are different types of pronouns people can refer to themselves with instead of just "I" or "myself." In the Japanese dub of SA2, Shadow's creator said in an interview that he had been very insistent on Shadow using the pronouns reserved for young boys, despite Shadow's menacing villain role in the game, because he felt it was important to show Shadow's purity and his lack of experience in life so far. That "live and learn" theme.

And then in his self titled game, Shadow is searching for a way to reconnect with his past and to find the truth about this Maria person he keeps seeing in flashbacks, but in the end he throws away her picture and accepts himself as he is now, forever changed and stained by his past, but more than just a product of his situation. He is "all of him," including the negative impact he never asked for, and including the parts of himself he lost, but also the parts of himself he chose to become. Your environment and childhood shapes you even if you didn't want it to, but that doesnt mean you cant have control in your identity and recover your inherent nature once you've escaped the negative influence (nature vs nurture theme). He will never be the person he used to be, or could have been, (represented by Maria as a pure and untouched youth), but he still has a say in what that grows into.

I just feel like a lot of Shadow's identity issues and inner conflict stem from this whole soul sharing situation with Maria and that his character ends up inevitably being misunderstood if you water them down to just siblings. Especially considering that it was never answered if Shadow actually even ever met Maria or if they're just memories planted by Gerald or caused by the shared soul. In Sonic Battle, it's also said in Gerald's diary that not only do Maria and Shadow share identical souls, but that Gerald literally modeled Shadow after Maria out of his love for her. I'm not sure to what degree or in what ways, but Shadow is supposed to share purposeful similarities with Maria, likely through the content of her character and her morals. That's what makes them so much deeper than just psuedo siblings, he's not only made for her, but designed after her too. It can't really be compared to, for example, Sonic and Tails.

I also think its what makes Shadow's character so substantial and meaningful. His self titled game's entire theme was purity, morals, what is good and bad. This question of purity and morality spreads into his appearances in other stories too- This question that, if you were badly hurt in your youth and shaped by evil- does that leave you impure? Stained? Destined to continue that cycle of harm and cruelty? I think these insecurities feel very real and relatable, and that it's even more realistic that despite these insecurities, that hurt and damage is actually what fuels him to protect others. Just as he said in Sonic Battle, "There's no need to repeat past tragedies! Nobody else ever needs to go through the things that I have!"

Statistically (despite media portrayal) abuse victims RARELY become abusers, because they understand the pain on a deeper level and can't bring themselves to force someone else into experiencing that same pain, knowing the permanent damage it causes. However, childhood abuse leaves people socially stunted and conditioned to harshness, which causes them to accidentally hurt others without meaning to. Or they end up hurting people out of desperation if they feel endangered (like Shadow's "means to an end" approach where he'll prioritize violence if it means reducing the end-impact). Also, they are more susceptible to being abused again after escaping the first abuser, because they are so susceptible to manipulation- Just like how whenever Shadow does switch sides, its usually because someone manipulated him into it or literally brainwashed him. I think Shadow conveys all of this so well, and that Maria's true role is an integral part of it all that can't be ignored or misunderstood, or else Shadow ends up reading as unnecessarily violent or overly obsessed with her when you interpret her as just a sister-figure that he knew for... who knows how few years.

I think this symbolism runs deep with his writing. Just like Maria's meant to be that inherent purity and inner child, I think the black arms DNA is that stain that abuse or trauma can leave on you, that causes you to act out or feel like you're always holding back and trying to keep control over some darker part of yourself that was left behind in the damage done. Especially since they literally have a mind link with Shadow. In the Sonic Universe comic, they succeed in brainwashing Shadow and turn him against his friends. These mind-links, soul-sharing, and brain-washing from both Gerald and the black arms... To disregard the fact that he's deeply connected to these people on a metaphysical, identity altering level is to water down his character and leave it feeling as though his motives are too weak to justify his harsh actions. I've seen people poke fun at his amnesia or insecurity in his identity, as though his confusion isn't justified, and I think it's because people don't realize he has these... literal fragments of other people inside of him, that that's pretty much what he's made of, kind of franken-steined together between a little girl's hopes and morals, an alien race's hivemind greed, a weapon-hungry government and a revenge maddened scientist's painful grief, and even the chaos emeralds which we all know are spiritually whacky and potentially connected to another alien race's memories and energies (the ancients from sonic frontiers). With all of that going on, plus some amnesia mixed in and his memories having been altered by Gerald- I mean.. you'd be searching for the "truth" of your identity too, who you really are. And of course, prone to frustration and aggression, or even a "wish-washy inconsistency." I think there's always a constant tug of war inside of him and that his whole development was a game of tug of war between Gerald, G.U.N and the black arms too. "Am I a cure, am I a death-bringer, am I earth's protector, am I it's destroyer," etc etc

Idk I just think a lot of problems people have with Shadow's writing stems from not realizing how deep things go and what they symbolize. Not to say that something like his boom characterization is of good quality or anything, but I think it's unfair to call him inconsistent when a confusion in his own identity and purpose/goals is kind of the point. And I think people not realizing Maria's deeper, physiological connection to him and influence might be part of the problem.

#major mumbles #shadow the hedgehog #ark siblings #maria robotnik #gerald robotnik #sonic the hedgehog #sth #shth #sonic adventure 2 #shadow the hedgehog headcanon #sonic headcanon #sonic analysis

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thedubiouspeach · 1 year

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New Layout New Me!

I think it's only fair that since I've been nothing but an enigma on this site that I properly introduce myself!

Hi! My name is Bliss! I'm a 25-year-old LGBTQ+ & Neurodivergent writer. I am a Jhin main first and a human never. My fixation is primarily Jhin-centric, but I tend to hop across a multitude of fandoms!

Said fandoms include:

League of Legends

Baldur's Gate 3 (Astarion-centric interest)

Psycho-Pass

Jujutsu Kaisen

Sonic The Hedgehog

91 Days

Sun Haven

Buddy Daddies

Blue Exorcist

Yuri On Ice

Kuroko no Basket

Soul Eater

Dragon Ball Z

Steven Universe

Avatar: The Last Airbender / The Legend of Korra

Suitor Armor

Gangsta

Castlevania

I'm a hopeless romantic and throw together ships whenever possible because it's fun and I enjoy exploring dynamics. I sometimes find myself in Rarepair Hell and it is of every fault of my own.

Current ships and their ship names if they have one in my mind's eye:

Jhin / Rakan - Golden Lotus

Jhin / Pyke - Red Water Dreams

Jhin / Yone - Method Acting

Jhin / Yasuo - Freelance Artists

Jhin / Varus - Sacrilegious Shots

Jhin / Vladimir - Crimson Affairs

Jhin / Pyke / Rakan - Weight In Gold

Jhin / Rakan / Yone - Standing Ovation

Jhin / Rakan / Yasuo - Travelling Show

Jhin / Pyke / Rakan / Yasuo / Ezreal / Akshan - The Men Pile

Irelia / Xayah - Kingslayers

Irelia / Xayah / Akali / Nilah - Sparring Practice

Irelia / Xayah / Akali / Nilah / Neeko - Battle Born

Xayah / Sett - Fisticuffs

Shusei Kagari / Shinya Kogami - Kissed Knuckles

Satoru Gojo / Kento Nanami - See No Evil

Hiromi Higuruma / Kento Nanami

Satoru Gojo / Kento Nanami / Hiromi Higuruma

Yuji Itadori / Megumi Fushiguro

Yuta Okkotsu / Toge Inumaki - Speak No Evil

Jun / Dr. Wornhardt

Jun / Vaan

Dr. Wornhardt / Jun / Vaan

Jun / Vaan / Donovan

Jun / Van / Donovan / Dr. Wornhardt / Darius

Rei Suwa / Kazuki Kurusu

Ryouta Kise / Yukio Kasamatsu - Kisamatsu

Daiki Aomine / Taiga Kagami - Kagomine

Kotaro Hayama / Shun Izuki

Kotaro Hayama / Taiga Kagami - Hot-Head Express

Katsuki Yuuri / Victor Nikiforov - Victory/Victuuri/Victuri

Shadow the Hedgehog / Sonic the Hedgehog - Sonadow (duh)

Goku / Vegeta

Rin Okumura / Renzou Shima - Cotton Candy Complications

Shiro Fujimoto / Mephisto Pheles

Nero Vanetti / Angelo Lagusa - Russian Roulette

Katara / Zuko

Trevor Belmont / Alucard / Sypha Belnades - The Usual Suspects

Death the Kid / Crona

Pearl / Bismuth

Sapphire / Ruby

Boundaries:

I won't participate in ship discourse. I just won't, it's not worth it. I have my reservations on certain things and Imma keep it to myself.

What I will do is participate in fandom, fandom activities, and the occasional discourse about the shows/games/comics themselves!

Interests & Hobbies:

When I'm offline I tend to read here and there.

I write mostly romantic/ship-related fanfic and even original works with original characters! Occasionally, I post poetry when I'm in A Mood(TM).

It's an absolute delight to talk about all of my characters that I've taken so much time to craft <3

I make playlists on Spotify and Youtube based on stories I've written, favorite characters, favorite ships, and original characters! I'll be adding those links to my Carrd once I have them both up-to-date c:

I'm not entirely sure what I should be posting on Tumblr? This site is very awkward for me and I feel a tad isolated every time I open it. So if anyone has any ideas of what they'd like to see or a better way to be more engaging drop me an ask!

I might make a post for snippet requests and whatnot that y'all can choose from as well! It'll take a bit, but it'll be up eventually lol.

If you wanna find me anywhere else like Twitter, AO3, Commaful, Wattpad (Idk why, but it's an option), and more then you can find my Carrd in my bio!

Thanks for reading this far and getting to know me! If you have any questions then you know where the ask and DM buttons are c:

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beevean · 2 years

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You know, with the discussions of Frontiers being anything other than a Sonic game I think there are two key questions to be made. ''Is the execution the same as other titles?'' ''Does this game feature elements that haven't already been done in other Sonic games before?''

I see you want to unleash the flames of disaster :P

Frontiers is a very experimental game and that's undeniable. This is far from the first time too: Adventure 1 and Lost World were also games that threw every idea at the wall to see what stuck. Adventure 1 worked, some parts better than others... Lost World not as much :P so it depends on the execution.

Sonic relies on 3 Principles, as detailed here: speed, platforming, and exploration. And from what we've seen, Frontiers has all of these principles! Although it obviously places a far bigger focus on the third one, constrasting the Boost formula which relied more on the first one. But this doesn't mean Sonic isn't fast here, even in the "main" areas of the game: it's been confirmed that you can run from one side of the islands to the other!

In this sense, Frontiers is still recognizeable as a Sonic game, it just has different elements like a leveling up system (which Unleashed had as well), more combat (which Heroes and Unleashed had as well) or different gameplays and minigames (hello entirety of the Adventure era). It's a Sonic game with much, much bigger levels, but not to the point of being open world (it's open zone, thank you very much :P) or a Metroidvania.

I don't know, I just can't feel like this game is *so* radically different from Sonic that it's nothing more than BoTW or SotC with Sonic slapped on it. It's different, absolutely, but 1) it's not the first time, and as I said, it can work really well, and 2) the differences don't impact the core of the gameplay.

Now sure, of course fans can have some reservations. The artstyle is somewhat realistic to the point of being dull (although to me Ares Island looks far more interesting than Kronos Island), the plot is hinted to involve some serious stuff and we don't know how it could be handled, the ending song is bizarre, you know what else, so yeah, I understand people who are a little weirded out, and sadly this is a problem with the series, someone is bound to be disappointed. But I still feel like Frontiers is less of a generic game with Sonic in it, and more of a potential evolution of the Adventure formula.

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic frontiers #i hope it doesn't sound like i said a bunch of nothing

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indianamoonshine · 3 years

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chapter ii | sundaes and princes

summary: every summer you work on your father’s strawberry farm with your three sisters. it’s a way to take a break from the big city but summers in the midwest are hot and they linger. this year, your father’s old and mysterious friend shows up to stay on your land for a reason yet to be determined. din djarin seems dangerous, but kind enough, and the two of you quickly become…well, let’s fact it…smitten. rating: m (18+) for future and explicit sexual content. author's note: reader is well over eighteen for obvious reasons. i won’t ever go into physical detail about the reader’s appearance because we include everyone. this fic is pretty much a mix between pride & prejudice and call me by your name except without the und*rage crap we do not condone. warnings: drinking, a bit of blood mentioned because of a slight accident.

dinner was loud, as expected, which made it difficult for you to hear the guest sitting beside you.

you'd been zoning out ever since din's eyes met yours from across the table. he'd been kind enough to listen to a woman named dima who was known to be a bit of chatterbox. she meant well, but most of the time she spoke it was about her family or her dog which had a tendency to put anyone sucked into her trap into "rest mode". nevertheless, din listened carefully and nodded when nods were appropriate and smiled when smiles were pertinent. the man was pleasantly charming, grin faint but with affable disposition. it wasn't any wonder when those around him continued to ask questions about himself, to which he answered with vague reserve.

while dinner was entertaining enough, it lagged on more than you'd anticipated. the roast was tender and well seasoned, simmering with heat, and the company praised your culinary skills with hearty acclamation. afterwards, the guests separated into their respectable groups, jubilant conversations echoing about the yard. your sisters were busy amongst their own crowds with faces familiar since childhood, letting out a chorus of laughter whenever someone said something amusing. they were your confidants as well, but you were so distracted by the mess left behind that you couldn't help but start tidying it up.

it wasn't long until madeline set her hand atop your own while you reach for a dirtied plate. she gave you that look she bore when she felt you were doing too much, eyes heavy with exasperation at the idea you'd even considered cleaning at a time like this. you pause and smile feebly at her, a little guilty.

"we can do that later." she takes the plate from your grasp, setting it back down a little more forcibly than you'd like. "enjoy the party. grab a sundae at the bar - it was your idea to set it up."

you glance at the setup near the house. an ice cream station with dozens of toppings and syrups beckoned you temptingly.

you sigh and pat her hand. "alright," you murmur in defeat. "do you want one?"

"sure, i'll take one." she links her arm within yours and places a kiss on your cheek.

the two of you go a little crazy with the ice cream. you've piled it high with chocolate and vanilla scoops, decorating it with colorful sprinkles, and dousing it in raspberry syrup. madeline decides on plain vanilla with chocolate curls.

"you know..." she begins, voice a bit too playful in its caution. "i saw him looking at you."

you freeze, like the ice cream, but shake your head. so you hadn't imagined it. "i don't know what you're talking about."

"is it such a strange idea that a man might be interested in you?" she proposes, placing a long-handled spoon in both of your glasses.

"yes," you reply with a small, bolshie laugh.

she says your name in pest. "you're beautiful and sweet. charlie once called you enchanting.

charlie was a childhood friend - like most of them. he was also bestowed the nickname "charming charlie" and it wasn't just because he was blond, handsome, and had the reputation of a casanova. charlie complimented everybody - especially women.

you remind her of this with a scoff as the two of you sit on a log beside the river. the water laps gently against the banks, rippling slightly from the hop of a bullfrog in the distance.

"charlie may be charming but he doesn't lie." madeline takes a spoonful of her ice cream and then rolls her eyes in ecstasy at the sweetness. "this was the best decision i've made tonight."

"don't think i haven't noticed tommy giving you bedroom eyes throughout the entirety of dinner," you clap back. you also moan in rapture at the taste.

madeline blushes in the moonlight. "don't change the subject."

tommy was your favorite of madeline's many endeavors (she had a bit of reputation in town). the tall, brunette was a hockey player with freckles splattered along the bridge of his nose. you'd been interested in him first, but as soon as you saw how quickly the two of them hit it off, your attraction to him fizzled. he was a hockey player which was admittingly one of the reasons why you found him so appealing. madeline felt the same way. the two of them have been inseparable ever since his first college game.

a millisecond before a quip can escape your lips, rhea comes bounding down the beaten path, long legs skipping with ease and hair swaying behind her.

"come join us, you hermits!" she titters blissfully, obviously tipsy on wine. that's what you deduce anyway; she preferred red rather than hard liquor. you couldn't relate. "come drink with me!"

both you and madeline exchange a look but it's in good-humor.

"i see you've already started!" madeline yells across the distance.

rhea blows a playful raspberry. "it's no fun being drunk without you guys." she gesticulates with a wag of her finger. "come ooooon! they're playing elton!"

this peaks your interest. she knew the king of rock n' pop would convince you to dance badly which is exactly what the alcohol was for.

madeline pursues her lips and cocks an eyebrow at you. "i think that's a great idea," she says suspiciously.

you didn't trust her tone, but when you heard the beginning rift of saturday night's alright (for fighting) blast loudly from the distant speakers you were possessed.

"alright," you laugh as rhea grips your hand and drags you backwards.

the three of you giggle in the night. |||

you didn't drink very often, but you did it enough to know not to wear a sundress while doing so.

in your defense, you hadn't known you'd be drinking tonight - or this heavily, anyway. you wanted to be sober enough to be aware of any stupid ideas that may creep in your head in the event you oogled over din long enough. drunk you was not sober you.

drunk you was a flirt. but not just any kind of flirt - a tease. and no matter how much you may or may not have caught din djarin's attention, he didn't deserve to have debauched eyes - clouded with drink - making him feel any sense of discomfort.

but dammit, he'd been drinking too.

how much, you couldn't be sure, but he had nursed at least two glasses of whiskey at the bonfire. he sipped slowly, relishing in it, and wise enough to know it was dangerous to scarf it down. you tried to convince yourself that it was okay to be this irresponsible while throwing back your third shot of vodka. after all, you were in your twenties and could hold your alcohol better than your sisters. life was too short, youth was too fleeting...all of that bullshit your elders had lied about.

sir elton john certainly didn't help nor did freddie mercury. by the time don't stop me now began to play, you were spinning in circles with charlotte, head thrown back in whimsical laughter, and stumbling upon the ground. the two of you laid back - despite the dirt - and held your bellies in order to settle the maniacal chuckling.

your sundress might've been too short for such ruckus but you couldn't find yourself caring. no one was looking anyway, right? a breeze lifted the hem and you shrieked playfully. charlotte is startled by the sudden gasp. she lets out a throaty chortle.

"you're such a sloppy drunk," she accuses, but slurring all the same.

"am not," you protest in a faux whine, but giggles edge the corner of your voice.

the two of you continue to volley insults back and forth, all in good fun of course, before charlie and tommy hover above you with quizzled, but humored brows. they were handsome, but unfortunately not enough to distract you from the way din kept throwing swift glimpses at your pathetic display. his intense features loosened when he found you joking, albeit drunkenly, with friends.

madeline joins the group and leans her head on tommy's chest, apparently brave enough to admit something to herself. "let's play hide and seek," she suggests, words a little rushed and lazy.

tommy and charlie were both as intoxicated, but tries harder than you girls to pretend otherwise. they shrug at one another, interested in the idea, though tommy may have been catering to madeline's pleads.

"alright, bet." tommy presses a kiss to madeline's forehead. "i'll be seeker."

"rules?" you ask, attempting to get up from the ground and failing miserably. charlotte takes your hand, clumsily pulling you to your feet. you knock yourself against her. the two of you almost topple to the ground again but she steadies herself with you in her arms.

"the pond is as far as you can go," charlie interjects. he motions to the willow tree in the center of the back yard. "that's the counting place."

the five of you agree enthusiastically, separating from one another like a football team does before their play.

it might have been strange (even reckless) to someone in the east - or west - to take part in such a game in the dead of night. after all, the moon was your only source of light in the woods, its beams illuminating the thicket and branches with a faint glow. but in the midwest, such games were a right of passage. forests were to be memorized, danger to be reckoned with. hide and seek in these conditions were elementary.

by the time tommy starts counting in a sonic boom, you've already begun sprinting in the woods. you were somewhat aimless in your pursuit, eyes frantically searching for a hiding spot worthy enough to be considered. you were the master at hide and seek - always have been. it once took charlotte an hour to find you and, when she did, she caught you wedged between a rack of clothes in the basement closet. you had a reputation to uphold.

but, alas, vodka was stronger than your sense of pride. while running through the entanglement of abundant undergrowth, you lost your footing and tripped over - what you can only guess - a shrub riddled with thorns.

"jesus christ!" you scream, immediately grabbing hold of your foot to inspect the damage. it was enough to sober you up to squint through the darkness. why the fuck hadn't you worn shoes?

you can't see the thorn - the night is too thick with darkness. you curse again just as loud as the first time in attempt to gain someone's attention. you weren't terribly far from the house, so you prayed to the gods that your cries of help would be heard.

because, much to your chagrin, you couldn't walk.

you did try but it proved fruitless because of the thorn. you realized how stupid that was because it pushed in further. god damn this drunkenness you whined internally.

a rustling of leaves startles you. you decide this was the end - you'd die in the middle of the forest you once trusted with your life. you've accepted the gory fact that your father would find your body mangled by the paws of a coyote in the morning.

"i don't wanna die a virgin," you moan tearfully.

a heavy voice full of worriment slices through the darkness. "let me see," he says.

oh no. oh no. oh no, no, no.

din djarin leans down upon his knees, taking your foot in a gentle fashion, before squinting at the damage. his fingers prod carefully against the arch, wiggling something foreign from the meat of your skin. you squeak pathetically at the intrusion, shifting away from his makeshift surgery. finally, he pulls out the thorn and holds it up to the light of the moon.

"a rose thorn," he confirms. you watch as a hint of blood glistens against the lunar rays. he smiles tenderly and then presses the pad of his thumb to the wound. "you'll be alright."

you gulp, all drunkenness suddenly scrambling your thoughts like eggs. instead of thanking him like a normal human being you can only mumble, "i can't walk."

din allows a full bodied smile and your heart skips a beat. he is princely and it takes everything in your pie-eyed body to stop from saying it.

"grab a hold of my shoulders," he instructs, leaning down a bit more so you can reach. you do so, very hesitantly, because there's no way in hades he'll be able to carry you.

but din is full of surprises. he lifts you almost effortlessly as you're slung bridal style against his chest. you must be joking.

with your arms wrapped around his neck, you gaze softly into his eyes. it's hard to see them, but you're close enough to watch as his pupils dilate, mouths almost pressing against one another. gods, you want to kiss him. you really do, but the very little percentage of your brain sober enough to reason with you decides against it. you'd regret it in the morning.

"thank you," is what you meekly say.

his stare is a bit more serious now...but not in an icy way. no. he looked...just as charlie once said...enchanted. his lips part just slightly, considering his next move, but then falls short. he nods in chaste before turning towards the break of the woods.

this was bad.

||| this is just the beginning of the night, ya’ll. more fun to follow! :-) tag list: @dancingwiththeplanets | @t3a-bag | @dodgerandevans

#din x reader #din djarin x reader #the mandolorian x reader #mando x reader #mw1 #strawberryfic

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skull001 · 5 years

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Personally, I think Cream the Rabbit is currently the one character out of the entire Sonic cast of characters that I feel was never needed.

Why do I come to that conclussion?

For starters, Cream was introduced with the idea of being Amy's equivalent to Sonic's Tails. However, an aspect that the people at Sonic Team did not take into account is that while Sonic and Tails are very different characters from each other than on top, not only complement each other but also hightlight each others positives, this was never the case with Amy and Cream.

The problem is not just that both Amy and Cream are very similar characters (both are sweet innocent girls) which by itself alone causes a situation where they overlap and in order to make one shine by being sweet and compassionate, the other has to take a dive... Guess which of the two took said dive and had her character be flanderized in the 2000's by playing out the other notable aspect that was left?

No, the other problem is that their dynamic does anything but highlight what makes each other special. Amy Rose is a very quirky and entertaining character who makes Cream look like a dull and one-dimensional charicature while on the other hand, Cream's impossibly nice politeness causes for Amy to be seen as selfish and pushy in comparisson. Definitively nothing like what happens with Sonic and Tails.

Cream was introduced to the series to work as a support character for a support character (Amy), yet I feel the idea was poorly executed not because of just the usual clumsyness from Sonic Team, but rather because the idea was flawed from the very beginning. It says a lot whe Cream, who was created to be Amy's BFF, then changes her for a cat princess who hails from Austral... I mean, the Sol dimension.

OK, it's been established why Cream as a character had a very poor execution, but why was she never needed?

A) IMO, any series that hopes to strike a nice balance between the members of it's cast needs to make them unique from each other so that they can all shine in their very own right and not overlap each other. Amy's contribution to the franchise is that she is the one character with the strongest compassion and empathy for others. How can Amy possibly go back to being the sweet kid from SA1 (or even Mania Adventures #6) if we're adding another character who also does the same thing? It's either one or the other and I don't think it's fair that Amy has to share (and be reduced to fangirl again) so Cream can shine when all the other major characters get to keep the thing that makes them unique to themselves. I don't think anyone would be happy if ST introduced a younger, cuter and smarter new character to eclipse Tails on his very own game. There is a reason why you never get two Han Solos in the Millenium Falcon.

B) If what they needed was a character who could keep in check Amy's more impulsive side by offering advise, why not use Tails instead? I think Amy would be more willing to listen to the one character that also advises Sonic over some little girl that's half her own age. Plus we get the bonus benefit of Amy being more involved with the main cast... as it should had been from the start. The only thing we got with Cream is to create more distance between Amy and the other characters.

C) If they wanted for Amy to have a BFF, then why not Blaze? In fact, with Amy and Blaze we actually get a dynamic between two characters with personalities that is not only actually different (Amy is bubbly, cheerful and optimistic while Blaze is serious, reserved and realistic) but which also complements for each other's in a way that highlights what makes them endearing characters (Amy can see in Blaze the kind of strong heroine that she aims to become one day, while in Amy, Blaze learns to see the best of any situation as well as to be more compassionate in how she exacts justice). Plus there is the twist the while in Sonic and Tail's duo the blue hedgehog is the oldest, here it's the pink hedgehogette who is the youngest in her duo, a thing that IMO is more original than just trying to be "Sonic and Tails in girl form".

But if you want a short, more direct answer, then I would say the following: whatever Cream could add to the franchise was either better done by characters introduced before her, or can now be done much better by other more complex characters. Even the whole young child thing can be better pulled off by Charmy Bee and in a more entertaining manner.

Just like how I dislike when characters are given crap for very poor reasons/arguments that don't have a solid foundation, it annoys me when the very exact opposite thing is done for characters who show that they really don't have the potential to stand on their very own merit. Personally, I think Cream is this kind of character that hardly contributes anything meaningful at all. Not even when she actually does get the spolight, which often consists on a watered down version of what Amy did before.

Why exactly do people want Cream to return for? As a character, her strongest point is having one of the most cute designs, but to mee, looks aren't everything. Her personality is pretty basic. Worse, she's one of those type of idealized characters void from any form of flaws. As far as I know, Cream doesn't even have a purpose or goal to drive her character. Sonic likes Adventures, Eggman wants to conquer the world to build the largest amusement park and have it all for himself alone. Tails wants to be as cool as Sonic, Amy wants to win Sonic's affection and respecc, Knuckles wants YOU off his lawn, Rougue wants all them gems in the world, Vector wants to be a famous detective and make lots of money, Big wants to go fishing with Froggy for ever and ever, etc. All of them have something they want or like to do more than anything, no matter how ambitious, mundane or plain ridiculous. All of them, except Cream.

The things I feel Sonic Team really need to think before throwing a half-baked character should be the following:

What is the character's motivation/purpose?

What unique thing is this character going to add/contribute to the existing cast?

Does it overlap and/or take away from existing characters in any way?

And because I like to at least add some constructive criticism, these are the things that Cream needs to have fixed:

* Don't make her Amy 2.0. I can't stress enough how this is a disservice to both Amy (taking away from her character) and Cream (not being allowed to be her own unique thing)

* Don't make her an idealized perfect little princess with no flaws, as that is no character in any way, shape or form. Give Cream actual flaws with clear consequences that can be felt as well as offer an opportunity to grow. You can't win me over if I cannot perceive the character as credible and relatable. To me, this are the two most important things and why it's Amy and Eggman who are my two all-time favorites, since both of them feel "real" in their own unique way because they give a reason to become invested and care for what happens to them. A flaw I can think off is that Cream does not understand things that are normal to grown ups and which to her might come as contradictory, like for example, why sometimes it's better to say a lie than a truth that will hurt others. At six years old, Cream is supposed to be learning and trying to understand her world and how people interact, not giving moral lessons that require having the experience of living to understand them.

As she is now, Cream is not needed. However, I could change my perception of the character, even be more accepting, if Cream was changed from "discount Amy" into something unique... something that actually plays her young age in a credible manner, who pursues a goal and struggles to overcome obstacles being driven by that goal.

They got her design. That's like 50% of the character done right. It's only the personality and how her interaction dynamics are played that needs a major overhaul.

#Cream the Rabbit #Sonic the Hedgehog #opinion #very unpopular opinion

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ospreys-watch · 5 years

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Bird’s Eye Review: Pokemon Detective Pikachu

Video game adaptations tend to not do very well as feature-length films, mainly due to the length of most games being far too long to squeeze in the extensive details and lore many games entail. As such, game adaptations of any kind often tend to do better as graphic novels or animated series (i.e. Persona 4: The Animation or Netflix’s Castlevania). And with the absolute travesty that was the trailer for the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog film (I honestly don’t know if overworking the animators to redesign the title character will save that movie), I admittedly had some reservations when I sat down to watch Pokemon Detective Pikachu on Sunday. However, the general response from my friends who had seen the film had been very good, and the response online even better.

I think what partially saved this film was that it was only covering the plot of a single game in the series’ 20+ year history; a Nintendo 3DS title with the same name, that wasn’t all that connected to the main series. The plot of the film (and game) centers around Tim Goodman, who teams up with a talking, wise-cracking Pikachu to discover what happened to his father Harry, who supposedly died in a car accident. However, the Pikachu has no memories of its past, with its only clue being Harry Goodman’s address stitched into its hat. It should be noted that the premise and some other plot points are the same between the game and film, but most of the characters are different to include a bit more diversity. From here on out, I’ll only be discussing the film.

When Tim goes to his father’s apartment (and meets Pikachu), he encounters and (stupidly) opens a mysterious vial containing a purple chemical; as he opens a window to air out the room, unknowingly causing a group of wild Aipom to go on a temporary rampage and attack the pair. This begins the investigation of a second plot point—a strange chemical compound called R being produced to drive pokemon mad. It becomes clear that Harry was also investigating this R, as when Tim and Pikachu manage to find a lead and encounter an underground pokemon fight club (Ryme City, where the film takes place, does not permit pokemon battles, normally a staple of the game series), the club owner recognizes Pikachu—and doesn’t take kindly to its return.

There’s so much I want to discuss about this film, but I’ll begin with the pokemon themselves—they’re fleshed out beautifully in this film, as if they actually belong in the scenery, affected by lights, shadows, water and other aspects of their environment. There is a scene early on where Tim is licked by a Lickitung, and saliva appears on Tim’s face right beneath the massive CGI tongue. Later scenes seamlessly blend CGI pokemon attacks with special effects, such as fire and water. Human actors are impacted by animated characters very clearly, though I feel like in some cases the movements were a big exaggerated. Pikachu’s fur is shown as short and fuzzy without seeming to be too much; Charizard’s scales have full detail, and even details of an electrical burn from a previous battle. The pokemon characters are a seamless blend of human and animal, visibly changing expression and showing that they’re not beneath instincts (such as when Pikachu is scratched on the chin and begins tapping his foot like a dog). My favorite pokemon depiction in the film, however, is Mewtwo. Heeded in-universe as one of the most powerful pokemon in existence, the genetically-created psychic type is shown as a blend of highly intelligent, yet still an animal at its core. It communicates telepathically, and I absolutely love the way they blended the audio for Mewtwo’s voice, using two voice actors, one male and one female—Mewtwo is a genderless pokemon, so this was a very nice touch. It’s clear the people who worked on the film were people who loved the series and wanted to be as loyal to it as possible.

The human characters were, honestly, a bit flat, but nothing terrible. Tim, played by Justice Smith, is a cynical adult who gave up his dreams of being a pokemon trainer and hasn’t spoken to his father in years, harboring a sort of resentment toward him—he at one point in the film states it sometimes felt like his father, who lived in Ryme City while Tim was cared for by his grandmother (his mother had passed), cared more about pokemon than his own son—this can sometimes be a sentiment shared by children whose parents work demanding jobs, or travel frequently for work. Lucy, played by Jessica Newton, is an okay character, but at the same time, I feel like she looks too young to be an adult character (that’s just a personal thing, though). To be honest, she reminded me a lot of Hilary Duff during the Lizzie McGuire era—and that’s a bit young. But that’s really a minor gripe; other than that, Lucy’s a nice supporting character who proves herself to be useful to Tim without falling into the “sexy lamp” category (i.e. she has enough of a presence on the screen where she can’t just be replaced with a sexy lamp—look that test up if you’re curious), not to mention having her own ambitions that happen to coincide with Tim’s.

Naturally, the one who steals the show is Ryan Reynolds as the titular Detective Pikachu. He’s crass, overconfident, and a good foil to the much more strait laced Tim. It’s pretty clear he’s pulling a lot from his role as Deadpool in 2016’s titular Deadpool, but that doesn’t make him any less funny in the role.

Now, at this point, I want to talk about a few things in the film that bugged me, or I felt were worth noting. They’re relatively minor, but they are spoilers, so they will be down below the Read More.

[[READ MORE]]

I feel like the dialogue was a bit weak in some areas; most noticeably in the scene where Mewtwo speaks to Pikachu before merging Harry with him. Mewtwo simply states that “not all humans are bad.” I understand this is a children’s movie, but Mewtwo is a highly intelligent creature, and is highly likely the same Mewtwo from Pokemon: The First Movie, who said the famous line, “The circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.” I simply feel like “not all humans are bad” could have been said in a more sophisticated way. On the subject of Mewtwo, I understand he’s a powerful pokemon, but the idea of him being able to merge humans and pokemon seems a bit out of his range of abilities as a psychic-type.

The other issue was with Ryan Reynolds playing the actual father at the end of the film. Ryan is far older than he looks, but his youthful appearance did not work for him in this film—he simply looks too young to be the father of an adult son.

The villain’s motive, to merge people and pokemon to advance humankind, is a bit more complex than the typical, “take over the world” plot—the villain is an old man, confined to a wheelchair, who wants nothing but strength, and uses Mewtwo’s body and DNA (to produce the chemical R) to achieve that end. I have seen some arguments that the film is ableist because the villain is disabled. I just don’t think the film set out to be that way, and calling it “ableist” may be going a bit too far—granted, I am not physically disabled, so I can’t speak for anybody whatsoever.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, and I highly recommend it—the people who worked on the film made it clearly as a love story to the decades-old series that’s inspired and entertained millions of players since its inception, and their hard work and research shows, from subtle dialogue hints (Pikachu says “Arceus” instead of “God” at one point, referring to the godly pokemon), to references in the environment that are there and gone in the blink of an eye. It’s a good film that’s worth a watch, with a decent mystery and plenty of action.

Gotta catch ‘em all, indeed!

#review #pokemon #pokemon detective pikachu #detective pikachu #pikachu #nintendo #game freak #pocket monsters #movie #movie review #film

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msclaritea · 7 years

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...quotes from cast/crew of Sherlock

"We had some fun times when we were filming in Belgium. I was desperately trying to put on weight, so there was a lot of [eating] rubbish food and drinking alcohol without worrying about it. With Sherlock, it’s lots of seeds, juices, swimming and running, but on this I was doing lots of beer, wine, chips and the most f*cking amazing proper steaks and goulashes. I still didn’t put on enough, though. But for Star Trek, I went up about three suit sizes."

—Benedict Cumberbatch

"Little Martin? Can you imagine that? He wouldn’t be allowed anyway, he’s got to be the grumpy Hobbit. He’d be down on the ground looking all cool and mod-like with his shades, listening to some ska going, “Yeah that looked like fun, you tw*t.” Whereas I’m there jumping around like Tigger."

—Benedict Cumberbatch , on skydiving in New Zealand

"Yeah, sometimes you want to go, “I actually do mind having a photo taken because it’s one o’clock in the morning and I’m off my face.”

—Benedict Cumberbatch

‘Someone will always hate what I say. There’s always going to be somebody spitting blood about my wooden-faced, toffee-named, crappy acting.

—Benedict Cumberbatch

‘There were bean bags, but it wasn’t like, “Hey guys, let’s hang out and talk about sexuality” when I was five.’

—Benedict Cumberbatch , on his home life as a child

‘I remember watching Star Trek, but I wasn’t obsessive about it. There were other programmes I’d always tell my mum I wanted to watch. Mainly Knight Rider, The A-Team, occasionally Buck Rogers and, funnily enough for a child, Baywatch. Good old Pammy!’

—Benedict Cumberbatch

‘I’m trying to look after my Sherlock jawline, otherwise I’d have loved the cake.'

—Benedict Cumberbatch, on the apology cake he was offered by a Twitter stalker

'I struggle to learn by rote. I’ve had meltdowns on set. Which is embarrassing and shameful.’

—Benedict Cumberbatch

“I’m not very geeky. I’m quite homespun. I would say I’m more modern rustic than gadget-orientated. I like woollen things and log fires and whiskey…”

—Benedict Cumberbatch

I was on the Tube in London and this teenage girl eyed me up and said: “Alright, Mr Sex?”. It threw me. The daft thing was that she was quoting a line in the show but I’d forgotten it because it had been a while since filming,’ … ‘I just thought I was looking particularly hot that day. Well, it’s better than being called Mr F***wit…

-Andrew Scott

“Benedict has his own gravity, both as an actor and a human being. He pulls you in and you are powerless to escape. I never knew whether to cry out in fear or weep in his arms.”

-Damon Lindleof

“I know people are touched by it, because they write to me and send me pictures– often of me having sex with Benedict Cumberbatch…”

-Martin Freeman

"I can’t stop traffic on Fifth Avenue, not unless I walk in front of an oncoming cab."

-Benedict Cumberbatch

"Do I like being thought of as attractive? I don't know anyone on Earth who doesn't, but I do find it funny. It's new to me, and I'm sure I'll get used to it and find a way of dealing with it, but at the moment it is quite odd. I look in a mirror and I see all the faults I've lived with for 35 years, and yet people go kind of nuts for certain things about me. It's not me being humble. I just think it's weird. I dislike the size and shape of my head. I've been likened to Sid the sloth from Ice Age… I have a long face, retroussé nose and have been known to be quite camp… I know I don't fit into some archetype. I'm comfortable with it. People have a hindrance if they are extraordinarily beautiful. It can be a problem. You are not given the challenges and then, when you are, all eyes are on you to see if you can pull anything off other than being beautiful to look at."

--Benedict Cumberbatch

“If I were the [producer], I’d be frightened of the dynamic of male friendship that you’d lose,” he confesses to TVLine, “because that is obviously the bedrock of the books as well. [Now] there might be sexual tension between Joan [Watson] and Sherlock, which is [a different dynamic than you'd have] between the two men. So, that’s a new thing to explore.”

--Benedict Cumberbatch (on CBS' Elementary)

Mycroft’s popularity doesn’t surprise me at all. He is, after all, incredibly beautiful, clever and well-dressed. And beautiful. Did I mention that?

--Mark Gatiss

And yes, please vote for us in the YouTube thing. Cos if we lose we’ll be too upset to make any more. And I’ll axe Doctor Who as well. And shoot Santa Claus and some puppies.

--Steven Moffat

Sue: Sherlock to me feels like a Great Dane, you know, those dogs where the legs are too big.

Benedict: Yes! Yes. Except, more like a meercat, or a hybrid between a meercat and a Great Dane. A Great Dane on speed. A Great Dane that's just had a bowl of coffee.

Sue: What would John be?

Benedict: He's a big dog. He's sort of angular; there's something more predatory about him. A kind of creature of the night. Not the most sociable. Not a cat, but something very independent. Removed.

(On Appropriate Sherlock and Watson Spirit Animals)

"Is John a hedgehog? I haven't seen the hedgehog. When did that happen? Is it due to Martin's hair? Because if it is, I'll be really happy about that. "

--Benedict Cumberbatch On the Otter and Hedgehog Internet Memes

"It cuts me up and I can’t control myself from making funny sounds as I dive into my hands and eat my fist."

--Benedict Cumberbatch, on War Horse

"Pull the hair on my head the wrong way, and I would be on my knees begging for mercy. I have very sensitive follicles."

-Benedict Cumberbatch

"It’s always definitely a love story. I don’t see why that means that sex has to be involved. What a weirdly sexualized world we live in where you insist they much be having sex as well. Why would they? John isn’t wired that way, whatever Sherlock is. But I think that whole scene, when Irene Adler has to say she’s mostly gay, she has had relationships with men as well, it’s not what it’s about. Sherlock Holmes is indifferent to sex. So is Irene. She uses sex to get what she wants, and John Watson happily has a string of girlfriends. Sex is not really the issue among any of these people. Love is. Infatuation is. I think John Watson is infatuated with and fascinated by Sherlock Holmes. I think Sherlock Holmes absolutley relies completely and utterly on John Watson and is devoted to him."

--Steven Moffat

"He knows how to be charming, he knows how to play all the games we play in every social interaction, and yet he withdrawals from them. Purely, it’s an athlete thing. He’s reserving what he needs for when he needs it. That’s a huge difference between him and me. I kind of spend myself too easily I’m far more [makes a “putting it all out there” motion] “bleh,” and there it all is, heart and sleeve. But he’s incredibly controlled and that’s sort of what’s remarkable about him.

--Benedict Cumberbatch on Sherlock

"And I think, you know, the other thing I really enjoy is he is achievable. He is somebody that we could all be — not that we necessarily want to follow the personal traits, but these abilities. He doesn’t fly through space or have a sonic screwdriver, he’s somebody who has actually … Who has sonic screwdrivers?"

--Benedict Cumberbatch on Sherlock

"One minute he’s not quite so handsome. Then the next minute he’s gorgeous. What is that term? Jolie laide. It’s French for ugly-handsome."

— Una Stubbs on Benedict Cumberbatch’s looks

"I've gone up two suit sizes. The character I'm playing, he's strong, I can say that much. I've changed my physique a bit, so that requires eating like a foie gras goose, well beyond your appetite. Providing I don't feel too ill, I then work out two hours a day with a phenomenal trainer. It's the LA way."

--Benedict Cumberbatch

"There is weird fan fiction out there — weird. They write stories and do manga cartoons of what they think you get up to behind closed doors. Some of it’s funny. Some of it’s full-on sex. Get Martin to show you some. "

--Benedict Cumberbatch

“Benedict is a kind of magnificent, exotic animal as an actor. He doesn’t look like a normal person. He rarely plays normal people. He plays sort of exceptional people.”

- Steven Moffat

"Believe me: during my first years on stage and in front of the camera I often felt like nothing more than a moving piece of furniture. I still always gave the best of me."

--Benedict Cumberbatch

"And some idiot locked us out of our hotel room - who turned out to be Benedict."

--Steven Moffat, The Hounds of Baskerville commentary

"Everyone’s been asking us if we’re going any further with the relationship between John and Sherlock, and I’m thinking, well, why not? I really don’t see the problem with it, and Mark (Gatiss) has already asked us if it would be an issue if we were to kiss on screen. Of course he was joking, but I wouldn’t mind at all."

— Martin Freeman

“He found the part that he could make live uniquely, that he could inhabit, that could make him a leading man. He is never going to be a conventional leading man, he’s not going to be James Bond. But he is going to be the sexiest Sherlock Holmes there has ever been.”

--Steven Moffat on Benedict Cumberbatch, London Evening Standard Interview

Of course I’d like to live a few months a year in Hollywood, then I’d at least get a bit of sunshine. (laughs) But surrendering completely to the American way of life? No fucking way!

--Benedict Cumberbatch

“I try to get them to write ‘Sir Benedict’ on it. Occasionally they oblige.”

--Benedict Cumberbatch (about his polystyrene cup of coffee)

"A militant one. Dungarees, moustache, all men are rapists, you know the drill... Seriously, though, I'd like every man who doesn't call himself a feminist to explain to the women in his life why he doesn't believe in equality for women. I think Page 3, Nuts and Zoo are bullshit. I don't wax my pubic hair off. I don't think working in a titty bar getting fivers shoved up your bum is empowering. And I'm bored of pictures of women in their smalls on buses with fuck-me mouths."

--Louise Brealey (on what kind of feminist she is)

"We just were looking for someone with the most awesome name in history. That was the casting call. We asked for someone with the most awesome name in history, ever, and Benedict Cumberbatch showed up, so we were like, “You’re cast!”"

--J.J. Abrams (on casting BC in the new Star Trek movie)

"One day we were in the make-up trailer and someone was brushing out Benedict’s stunt double’s wig - and we decided to put Martin in it. We put Sherlock’s coat on him and stood him on top of one of the make-up chairs so he looked tall and took the photo from low down. And when Benedict came in we got the make-up assistant to ask him to autograph the photograph. She handed it over - and this is how Benedict’s mind works - and he went “I don’t remember wearing my coat with that colour scarf"

--Lara Pulver

"Martin said a few things but they were harmless. They were both supportive and by the end of it I wouldn't move on to the next line until Benedict had stared at my boobs!"

--Lara Pulver, on being naked in Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

"But it doesn't matter how many times you say that [they're not gay], an entire forest of dirty fiction has arisen as a result. And long may it continue, I don't know what it's about. . ."

--Mark Gatiss

"I'm very aware of it, God, I'm aware of it because people come and talk about it every time we do any kind of event but I suppose the history of it is going way back. I think it started with Kirk and Spock. Anything like that has a kind of slash element and it's an interesting thing because you've brought up the idea of heterosexual men get off on the notion of lesbians but the flip side is just as powerful, particularly I think for girls of a certain age. The idea of two sexy men getting it on is a really powerful aphrodisiac."

--Mark Gatiss

"I was the boy that turned a girlfriend into the most celebrated lesbian on television. I got so much stick for that. "

--Benedict Cumberbatch on his role in "Tipping the Velvet"

As an actor, you can do weight loss, weight gain, put on silly noses, crazy accents, move like a dragon, inviting people to look at the fireworks and admire how different you’re being. But with acting like that, it’s all about look-at-me, when what you should be doing is helping the audience care about the person they’re watching.

— Benedict Cumberbatch - Radio Times Interview 2011

"He is alarming, strange, possibly psychopathic, but perfectly happy. He clearly adores John, he's not got some deep emotional problems with connecting to people, he just can't be arsed. He'd rather be out solving crimes."

--Steven Moffat on Sherlock, Total Film Dec. 2011

"John is a little bit more in control. There’s an understanding and a balance there, now that they’ve been at it for about nine months. Sherlock is kept in check by him, and he funcitons better with him."

--Benedict Cumberbatch

"I guess like any friendship, marriage, or whatever it is familiarity breeds more contempt, and more love. They’re just more settled with each other now."

--Martin Freeman

“I remember very clearly someone saying, ‘Don’t shake hands with the cactus,’ and I thought, ‘Well, why not? What could possibly go wrong?’ Shaking hands is a friendly gesture.” --Benedict Cumberbatch, on his schoolboy days

“This is amazing, thank you. It makes up for a blog I accidentally read last night that described me as “horse-faced, arse-named, wooden and untalented.” I can dispute the last two because you have honoured me with this [Actor of The Year Award], but the first two? Yeah: I am horse-faced and arse-named, but there you go - it’s what I was born with.”

--Benedict Cumberbatch

The story of Sherlock Holmes, on the surface, is about deduction, but in reality, it's about the best of two men who save each other--a lost, washed-up war hero and a man who could end up committing murders instead of solving them. They come together. They become this perfect unit. They become the best friendship ever, and they become heroes.

--Steven Moffat

“I’m aware of the power of looks. I’ve wanted to play roles that have gone to much better-looking people and you just think ‘Oh well, that’s the pin up guy’s… an actor like my friend James Mcavoy, who’s gorgeous on screen. I’m not that. But at least I don’t have to worry about taking precious care of my face because it’s my commodity. That’s a great freedom. I’m not afraid of being heinous for the sake of a part”

-- Benedict Cumberbatch

"I’m always keen to use my body in my work, so I’m looking forward to the motion capture for Smaug. Both Gollum and King Kong were primates, whereas I’m playing a serpent, so it’ll be interesting - I’ll have to tie my legs together, possibly, or else they’ll be kind of splayed out to the side as a reptile’s should be." --Benedict Cumberbatch, on playing Smaug in The Hobbit

'Seriously, WHAT kind of a man meets John Watson - sober, clean-living, ex-military - and instantly thinks of Sherlock Holmes - insane young genius who likes to beat corpses - and says, "Oh, I know just who you must meet.."? This guy's dinner parties must be legendary!'

--Jude Law, on Mike Stamford

"Benedict is bumbly, sweet, affable; the nicest man you've met."

--Mark Gatiss

I am very flattered. I have also become a verb as in I have cumberbatched the UK audience apparently. Who knows, by the end of the year I might become a swear word too! It’s crazy and fun and very flattering.

--Benedict Cumberbatch

At that minute Martin walked in and I just had a thunderbolt. It dawned on me: "Oh, God it’s him!" We flirted with each other all day and when I went home he texted me, saying "You left and I wasn’t done flirting with you. That’s a bit rude", which I thought was really smooth.

--Amanda Abbington on how she met Martin Freeman

He’s extraordinary. During auditions, the minute he stepped into the room I said to the producers, I don’t know if you want my opinion, but I want to work with him, because he makes my game better. I honestly felt myself get better as an actor playing scenes opposite him — he has brilliant level of humanity. We all know how funny he can be from his work of “The Office,” but he can also play so much pathos — it’s an unsung talent of his that’s often clouded by his “Office” fame.

--Benedict Cumberbatch on Martin Freeman

"Only one death threat, two demands for my immediate resignation, and two for my suicide. IT'S A HIT!!"

--Steven Moffatt on the mid series finale of Doctor Who series 6"He is a little bit old fashioned so you’ve got some of the old ideas of him coming from another era but he’s also a modern young man and, you know, to be honest he’s a brilliant actor, very good looking, dashing and he’s what Sherlock Holmes ought to be."

"It is a double act, and he’s my wingman and he’s just phenomenal, and he’s a joy to work with. In no small way, he keeps me afloat and happy during the day as well. And he’s just a brilliant presence to be around. He’s just a scream. And we adore each other. In a very *platonic*, non… you know, way."—Benedict Cumberbatch on Martin Freeman at the 2011 BAFTAs

"Obviously it’s Sherlock’s show but there’s far more parity than I think there often is in that relationship. I know [creators] Steven [Moffat] and Mark [Gatiss] primarily wanted the show to be about that relationship as much if not more than anything else. [It’s about the relationship] and how it develops and how it changes and the things that wind each other up, the things that they genuinely sort of love about each other as well. It’s the gayest story in the history of television… People certainly run with that which I’m quite happy with! But we all saw it as a love story. Not just a love story, but those two people who do love each other - a slightly dysfunctional relationship sometimes, but a relationship that works. They get results."

---Martin Freeman

“I ate healthily, but there was no snacking, no drinking, no bread, no sugar, no smoking. Afterwards I had a pork belly roast.”

--Benedict Cumberbatch, on fillming Third Star

“I made the mistake of calling in Benedict to solve a crime. He was absolutely hopeless!”

--Mark Gatiss

"Hitler. I’d tell him his paintings were great and to stay off the politics and get laid. Alive… The mother of my children and I’d ask them to take a deep breath and if they fancied a drink."

--Benedict Cumberbatch, when asked "If you could meet anyone in the world dead or alive who would it be and what would you say to them?"

"Finally on my way to see my little brother in 'Fronkensteen' at the National. He was always a grower not a show-er."

--Mark Gatiss on Twitter

“Don’t you think my life is confusing enough? And listen, if John Simm could hear you, you would not live another hour. He came up to me after the press [junket] for the End of Time where he’d been saying ‘I think now that David has left as The Doctor, I would have to leave as The Master’ but then he pulled me aside and said ‘I didn’t mean that! And look at me, I’m fit! I’m OK!’ So Benedict has to wait in line probably. But how confusing would it be? All four cheekbones at once! I tell you, I stood between [Matt Smith and Benedict] in a photograph once. It’s a really good way to look extra ugly.”

--Steven Moffat

“I always seem to be cast as slightly wan, ethereal, troubled intellectuals or physically ambivalent bad lovers. But I’m here to tell you I’m quite the opposite in real life. In fact I’m a fucking fantastic lover.”

---Benedict Cumberbatch

“My new agent said, ‘Why aren’t you using your family name? It’s a real attention-grabber.’ I worried, ‘How much is it going to cost to put my name in lights?’ But then I decided that’s not my problem.”

--Benedict Cumberbatch

"I hate this distinction of me being some f***ing academic who has just managed to escape the allure of some postgraduate course, and Miller as this mad f***ing wild child with dyed hair from Trainspotting. We have different working methods but ever so slightly – we block on the same lines. We’ve got the same sense of humour and think much the same about what’s good and bad."

--Benedict Cumberbatch

"It's tough, our bodies are all in pain. It’s fascinating, sort of crippling ourselves doing this. I’ve spent time in X-ray today; I’ve got my hips coming out of joint, my wrist are developing into ankles, 'cause of work I do at the beginning. We’ve had all sorts of injuries, back problems and neck problems. It’s a hard show to do, but it’s also been wonderful. Thank God I like Johnny Lee Miller."--Benedict Cumberbatch

"I imagine Holmes probably got pneumonia on a couple of occasions in Victorian London. I got flu and kept braving through it while green stuff was coming out of me. I was told, ‘You’ve got man flu, have a couple of paracetamol’, but when I soaked the bed sheets with sweat three nights running in the middle of winter, I knew there was something really wrong with me. It’s not nice having liquid on your lung and it takes a long time to recover - the irritating thing is that I was so disciplined and living a very healthy existence… I’d swim a lot, do yoga and eat healthily. I was really annoyed with myself for getting flu in the first place and I did myself a bit of damage by not acknowledging that I needed a rest."

--Benedict Cumberbatch

“I always think of the Doctor, bizarrely, as the more human one. Because he’s sort of like, in my mind, an angel who aspires to be human. Whereas Sherlock Holmes is a human being who aspires to be a god.”

--Steven Moffat

“Sherlock and Watson are a love story”

-Martin Freeman

”Sherlock and Watson meet at the right point in their lives, when they need each other the most. It’s a love story. Sherlock is upset because nobody can see the world the way he does. Watson misses the adrenalin and the constant life or death situations,”

--Martin Freeman

"I had a superb audition with Martin, and I immediately knew that he was my primary choice. He was definitely the person that I immediately sparked off and raised my game for. He’s an adorable man and blissfully, ridiculously funny and entertaining. He’s a great support and companion in real life as well. We have tremendous fun doing the show."

--Benedict Cumberbatch when asked how it was to work with Martin Freeman as Watson

Steven Moffat: Oddly enough, the thing [our kids] really enjoyed were the deductions. They were very, very hard to write.

Mark Gatiss: That’s why Conan Doyle stopped bothering.

SM: Or they become rubbish. ‘How did you know I was on the train?’ ‘I saw your train ticket!’

MG: ‘I was sitting next to you on the train!’

"Benedict (Cumberbatch, who is playing Sherlock) looks amazing. He's still got a Sherlockian silhouette, with a large overcoat, but in a classic cut. Watson dresses with an urban elegance, a touch of old school dashing, giving a feeling of both the military and medical profession. I suppose it's something they have in common as well. They're a bit metrosexual."

--Martin Freeman

Sherlock in Real Life (we can't blame it all on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

.@youngqueenwerewolf you are right. I would say, first off, bless Martin Freeman and his little Johnlock heart. I had never seen a lot of these quotes. So, he pretty much put it out there, that he wouldn't mind kissing Ben. Ben just casually letting people know that if they want to see naked pictures of the two of them, just ask Martin. And Gatiss...I don't know what to say or think of that man, except he certainly is incredibly condescending about females. I don't get a queer man behaving so disgusted over the thought of a queer Holmes.

#so many questions #seriously why

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turntothree · 7 years

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Ry& Reaction: Wolves & Shepherds

E3 came early this year! ...OK, it didn’t but it certainly felt that way, kind of.

It seems in recent years, game publishers have been tripping over themselves to take up valuable space on that pre-show hype train. I’m talking teasers, press releases, cryptic tweets and anything else they can think of to score some attention before the big three step in and snatch the spotlight. Hell, we’ve seen E3 grow an extra couple days to accommodate more publisher-sponsored events.

Editor’s Note: Really looking forward to that keynote, Devolver Digital!

A few weeks back, Ubisoft decided to do things its own way and steer the train in a slightly different direction with a bombshell announcement most other companies would save for the trade show.

Editor’s Note: NO! NO! That wasn’t released, it escaped!

Damn, man. I was just kidding. It’s going to be alright.

Anyway...this is what I’m really talking about.

Yup, the French gaming giant casually name dropped one of its top secret E3 reveals in a nonchalant tweet, a whole month before the show. But it didn’t stop there. One week later, the aforementioned Youtube suite released a...let’s call it “tourism video” for the humble little town of Hope County, Montana.

Editor’s Note: I have a “MIGHTY” fine feeling about this place.

What? You’ve got crisp country air for breathin’, plenty of wild game for huntin, a nice clean creek for fishin’ and plenty of big ol’ green acres to roam. Of course, you’d have to overlook the constant bear attacks, air strikes, ominously empty streets and the prospect of being randomly murdered, but what town doesn’t have its share of problems?

Editor’s Note: Wait...wasn’t Far Cry 4’s announcement handled in a similar fashion? Letting the fanbase sneak a peek behind the curtain; then slamming the curtain back down until a good and proper reveal at E3? Isn’t that what’s going on here?

You’d think so, but...

Dateline – May 26, 2017

IGN’s Daemon Hatfield and Marty Silva greeted the California sunrise with a live (and exclusive) reveal of Far Cry 5’s first proper trailer. In it, would-be players are told the sad tale of how a struggling working-class town was taken in by a wealthy con artist who promised the world.

This self-proclaimed “prophet” Joseph Seed and his twisted family of disciples preached of peace and prosperity; instead they delivered onto his flock a life of servitude and unabashed cruelty. He used his good fortune to giveith himself their property. He used his cultish militia to takeith away their free will. The chosen among “his” townsfolk would be baptised into his parish or they would surely perish.

In a town past the edge of civility, a brave few in the community have chosen to fight back against Seed’s ghoulish gospel and reclaim what’s theirs. In this holy war for the soul of America’s heart land, it is up to the player to lead the resistance.

That’s the story (at least up to that point)...as for gameplay, the trailer didn’t show too much, but it caught fans a quick glimpse at some old and new tricks alike.

As said previously, the hunting mechanics are back, but with a new batch of wildlife to track. Bears, deer, wolves, cows and bulls are among the critters in the mix. In a similar vain, fishing will be implemented into the series for the first time. Catch and fry up some bass for hit points!

Also returning are the conveniently placed vehicles. Fast travel and open road/seas/(and for the first time) sky combat will be a breeze with your choice of motor boats, ATVs, 18 wheelers, muscle cars and fighter planes.

Of course, the series’ standard first-person gunplay will remain locked and loaded.

Oh and the world-wide release date for Far Cry 5 has been set for February 27, 2018. The platforms in which it will be made available are as follows: Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. Sorry, Nintendo fans. No Switch port is planned.

Editor’s Note: That’s a fair bit of information. Surely, that’s enough to appease fans for now.

Actually, Ubisoft continued the Youtube rollout with three more trailers; specifically the stories of the three main support characters as told by them in direct conversation with the player.

Meet Nick Rye: A third-generation fighter pilot who had been fortunate enough to have never seen combat, but when “Eden’s Gate” comes knockin’ on his doorstep, Nick is the first to enlist in the resistance.

youtube

Meet Mary May Fairgrave: A bartender pushed to the edge after both her brother and mother are kidnapped by Seed’s followers; now her family-owned establishment serves as a home for anyone looking to bust a cap in “Eden’s Ass!”

youtube

Meet Jerome Jefferies: The local pastor turned shepherd in wolves clothing; charged with the task of taking back the flock “father” Seed had led astray.

youtube

Monologues aside, the folks at UbiBlog also had the chance to catch up with Far Cry 5 Creative Director Dan Hay, who discussed the modern day anxieties, urban legends and Montana road trip that inspired the game’s theme and setting. That interview was also posted to Youtube.

youtube

Editor’s Note: ...Anything else?

Then the press releases rolled out and the media was all over it.

Details of full campaign co-op; a customizable protagonist (who also happens to be the sheriff’s deputy); and so much pending controversy plastered the headlines.

Oh yeah, and there has also been some talk about melee combat specific scenarios being worked into the game. New weapons such as baseball bats, sledgehammers and pitchforks will be implemented as part of the series’ inventory.

image credit - 20th Century Fox

Editor’s Note: Wow! That’s an awful lot to tell so soon. What’s left for the E3 showing?

Actually, there’s still plenty to juicy reveal tidbits to share. Like say, an in-depth look at “Eden’s Gate”. We know so much about the heroes, but we haven’t really seen much of anything concerning the big bads, nor do we know the why or how of their hostile takeover.

There’s also the new feature Ubisoft promised to show off during its presser. If I had to wager a guess, I’d say it’s either the campaign’s co-op option or the flight mechanics.

Editor’s Note: Even still, why reveal so much about the game now? Why not leave it all as a major E3 surprise?

My theory, the publisher wants the press to focus its collective energy on whatever new Ubisoft IPs (and or Assassin’s Creed sequel) premier that fateful day, so it’s trying to answer the more common Far Cry questions ASAP. Also, all this Far Cry hype sure makes for a damn fine centerpiece.

...

Editor’s Note: Thoughts on what you’ve seen and read so far?

*Sigh* I guess I should start off by addressing the elephant in the room – the story.

For all of the hullabaloo, it’s nothing new. The town overrun with zealot cultists ranks among the classics of horror tropes, and stories (subtly or not) inspired by political unrest are certainly commonplace, even in the world video games.

Editor’s Note: And they’re only going to get more common over the next, let’s say four years?

While these character archetypes and plot devices may seem a tad (or more) over done, that doesn’t mean they can’t be used to tell a good story. In fact, I trust Ubisoft Montreal to do just that. That’s not to say I didn’t have any reservations or crack a joke or two at first glance, but the deeper the Youtube showings went, the more invested I got.

Hearing the stories of Nick, Mary and Pastor Jerome gave me Goosebumps, and I instantly wanted to know more about what was going on and how they aimed to deal with it.

Editor’s Note: Forget this customizable protagonist nonsense, Ubisoft. Rip-off Rockstar so I can swap between these three heroes!

The villains on the other hand, I have no real opinion of, yet. Sure, Ubi is more than capable of creating the type of sinisterly charismatic baddies this plot calls for (shout out to Vaas and Pagan Min), so I feel “Eden’s Gate” has plenty of potential. However, I can’t judge Seed or his siblings sight unseen.

...Promo images excluded, of course.

Editor’s Note: Speaking of elephants, Far Cry 4 let me wreck shit on elephant back. Surely, Ubisoft can’t just expect me to go back to primitive man power.

I don’t believe the southern United States is an elephant’s natural habitat.

Editor’s Note: i dOn’T bEliEVe tHE SoUtHERn UnITeD StATeS iS aN eLePHaNT’s nAtURal hAbITat.

...

OK, so Montana isn’t normally thought of alongside the exotic locales the series is known for, but the more I’ve thought it over, the more I’ve come to realize it’s the perfect setting for a Far Cry game.

It’s beautiful and serene territory hosts some gorgeous natural splendour...it also has some hidden and very real dangers entrenched deep within its forestry and rocky domains. The ravenous wolves, perilous coyote packs, rabid dogs, wild bulls and massive grizzlies will be just as, if not more formidable than the tigers and honey badgers of previous games.

If you’re luckily enough to be the hunter, as opposed to the hunted, you’ll be able to score some prime cuts of meat for health boosts, and some fine pelts for crafting items.

Of course, there’s also the option to fish for some grub. That could be fun for a bit.

Editor’s Note: As long as it’s SEGA Bass Fishing quality and not Sonic Adventure quality, I’m totally up to do a little fishin’.

Not to mention the prospect of being hunted down by a bunch of gun-toting manics does compliment itself rather terrifyingly well to the whole outdoor survivalist angle, much like the militants and royal guardsmen of entries 1-4.

Yeah, the setting might be a little different and the enemies might be a little different but this is still very much Far Cry, with all the fun DIY M-A-Y-H-E-M that comes with it.

Speaking of what makes Far Cry - Far Cry, let’s talk vehicles. This pitched selection is cool as frig!

Tarring through the countryside in a muscle car or big rig, and the promise of delivering some cathartic death from above sounds absolutely sick!

Editor’s Note: Hopefully, the air battles can match stuff like Ace Combat or Battlefield 1. Now that would be sick.

Anything else...oh, right; campaign co-op. It’s a great idea!

I can’t recall the number of times I played through a mission in Far Cry 4 only to find myself completely surrounded and desperately wishing I had back-up. The ability to call in a buddy should certainly make breaking through those impenetrable compounds at least a little bit more bearable.

Editor’s Note: This all sounds rad...still wish I had my elephant though.

...

I honestly don’t quite know how to cap this off. I guess I could say:

Far Cry 5 has all the potential in the world to be a great action game, as its pedigree can attest. The guns, explosions, fast rides, deadly beasts, and vast destructible set pieces are all on lock. It has all it needs to kick ass and take names. But its creative direction is taking the series into some unknown and fairly risky territory.

There’s certainly plenty of potential in the characters and setting presented, as I’ve said earlier. However, the direction the game seems to be heading could cause a drastic tonal shift that throws the entire thing off kilter. This building sense of horror, sorrow and despair, and to have it all inspired by today’s political climate could put a major damper on the aforementioned ass-kicking and taking of names.

It’s going to be tough and sadly, it might even get a little ugly, but Ubisoft has a rock solid creative team and I do believe they can make these pieces fit into something truly great. At least I hope so.

...

Boy that sure was some dark stuff. Let’s lighten things up next time by battling it out Poké-Style!

#Far Cry 5 #Ubisoft #Xbox One #PS4

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rosiebarryart · 4 years

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Splendid isolation: how I stopped time by sitting in a forest for 24 hours

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/jan/24/wilderness-solo-splendid-isolation-stopped-time-sitting-in-a-forest-24-hours

My life seemed to be getting busier, faster: I felt constantly short of time – so I stepped outside it for a day and a night and did nothing.

By Mark O’Connell

Fri 24 Jan 2020 06.00 GMTLast modified on Tue 28 Jan 2020 09.56 GMT

It was early summer, and I was on the verge of turning 40. I found myself entertaining a recurring daydream of escaping from time. I would be hustling my son out the door to get him to school, or walking briskly to work on the day of a deadline, or castigating myself for being online when I should have been methodically and efficiently putting words on paper, and I would have this vision of myself as a character in a video game discovering a secret level. This vision was informed by the platform games I loved as a child – Super Mario Bros, Sonic the Hedgehog and so on – in which the character you controlled moved across the screen from left to right through a scrolling landscape, encountering obstacles and adversaries as you progressed to the end of the level. In this daydream, I would see myself pushing against a wall or lowering myself down the yawning mouth of a pipe, and thereby discovering this secret level, this hidden chamber where I could exist for a time outside of time, where the clock was not forever running down to zero.

My relationship with time had always been characterised by a certain baleful anxiety, but as I approached the start of the decade in which I would have no choice but to think of myself as middle-aged, this anxiety intensified. I was always in the middle of some calculation or quantification with respect to time, and such thoughts were always predicated on an understanding of it as a precious and limited resource. What time was it right now? How much time was left for me to do the thing I was doing, and when would I have to stop doing it to do the next thing?

This resource being as limited as it was, should I not be doing something better with it, something more urgent or interesting or authentic? At some point in my late 30s, I recognised the paradoxical source of this anxiety: that every single thing in life took much longer than I expected it to, except for life itself, which went much faster, and would be over before I knew where I was.

Much of this had to do with being a parent. Having two young children had radically altered my relationship with the days and hours of my life. Almost every moment was accounted for in a way that it had never been before. But it was also the sheer velocity of change, the state of growth and flux in which my children existed, and the constant small adjustments that were necessary to accommodate these changes. I would realise that my son no longer mispronounced a particular word in that adorable way he once had, or that his baby sister had stopped doing that thing of nodding very seriously and emphatically when she heard a song she liked – that she was, in fact, no longer a baby at all – and that those eras had now passed for good, along with countless others that would pass unnoticed and unremembered, and I would feel sad and remorseful about not having lived more fully in those moments, not having stopped or at least slowed the flow of time. And when I felt this way, I would succumb to the daydream of the video game, the secret level, the escape from time itself.

My son turned six around then, itself a significant milestone in that he was, for the first time, at an age I myself could dimly remember being. And with this new phase of parenthood, I began to think how strange it was, given how precious those early years now seemed to me, that I spent so little time thinking about my own childhood, the lost civilisation on which my adult self now stood. The motion of the video game unfurled rightward, and I had no choice but to follow its motion towards the future, towards the completion of the game itself.

And then one day, about a week and a half before I turned 40, I found myself alone in a forest in Devon, where I discovered this secret level of my daydreams.

Here is how I did it: I came to a clearing in a forest by a riverbank in Dartmoor national park, far enough from any trail that it seemed unlikely I would encounter anyone while I was there. I gathered some loose branches and stones and arranged them in a circle of about 10 metres in diameter, and then I walked into the circle and did not leave it until the same time the following day.

The short version of this story is that nothing happened in that time: that I did nothing and witnessed nothing, experienced only the passage of the hours and minutes, and the languid dynamics of my own boredom. The long version isn’t exactly The Iliad, either, but in that version something could be said to have happened. Because by the time I walked out of that circle the following afternoon, I’d had an entirely unexpected and intensely cathartic encounter with the passage of time, and with my own mortality.

This is a practice commonly referred to as a “wilderness solo”. The basic principle is that you go out into nature, the wilder and more remote the better, and confine yourself to one very small area for a set period – a day, two days, three days, sometimes longer. During this period, you forego anything that might come between yourself and your own solitude. No phone. No books or other reading material. You don’t build a fire, because building a fire is a way to keep yourself busy, watching the dance of its flames a primitive entertainment. Most participants choose not to bring food, because when you have got nothing to do for a day and a night, the prospect of eating a sandwich can easily become an all-encompassing preoccupation, undermining the entire project of unmediated communion with nature. After that period of immersion, you step outside of your circle, and you re-enter the world.

Until fairly recently, I was not a person who had a lot of time for nature. I wished it well in all its dealings, and was glad to take its side in any quarrel with the forces arrayed against it, but my regard for it was essentially abstract, and I would just as soon have left it to its own devices. Nature was something I encountered as scenery, an experience to be consumed before getting back in the car and continuing on my way. But about the middle of 2016, amid the endlessly unfurling horrors of that year’s news, I became increasingly preoccupied with how this darkening political reality seemed to foreshadow a near future defined by a permanent state of climate emergency. And these things felt connected in some way that resisted easy definition: the speed and efficiency with which technology was gutting democracy and alienating us from the reality of human suffering, and the increasing extremity of our estrangement from the natural world. I was thinking all the time about climate change, about the future my children would be forced to live in, about what we had done and were continuing to do to the world. But at some point it dawned on me that I didn’t know the first thing about that world. What I knew was the great indoors in which I lived my life: the insides of buildings, the insides of books, the interlocking interiors of the internet and my own mind. When I talked about nature, I didn’t know what I meant. In a way that was somehow both vague and urgent, I felt that it was time to go outside.

I came across an organisation called Way of Nature UK that arranged group wilderness retreats, and I signed up for a trip. This was how, in the spring of 2017, I ended up spending a week with a group of about 20 other people in a remote wilderness reserve called Alladale in the Scottish Highlands, towards the end of which everyone went off to various locations and did a solo. How did I feel about sitting by a river for 24 hours and doing absolutely nothing, aside from looking at grass and clouds and water and so on? I felt slightly intimidated. I felt uncomfortable. I felt, above all, reflexively cynical, in the way that I was reflexively cynical about pretty much anything that felt new-agey or hippyish or otherwise overly earnest to me. But over the course of that week, and in particular the 24 hours I spent alone by the river, that brittle carapace of cynicism began to give way. What affected me most deeply about that time alone in nature was the aspect of it I had initially been most daunted by. The experience of the solo is the experience of time itself, in its rawest and most unmediated form.

When I stepped into that ad-hoc ceremonial circle in Devon last summer, it had been over a year since I had performed the ritual, and I found myself craving the solitude and immersion it provided.

Andres Roberts, Way of Nature’s co-founder, picked me up that morning outside my hotel in Bristol, near where he lives. I had got to know him pretty well on the two previous trips I had done with him, and my new enthusiasm for spending time alone in nature had been informed by his quietly ecstatic way of talking about the wilderness. As we drove south along the M5 through intermittent downpours of rain, he spoke about his work, and the ideas underpinning it. If there was a single word that encapsulated the value he was trying to incubate, that word was “slowness”. There was an extraordinary transformative power, he insisted, in the practice of sitting and doing nothing, and thereby slowing your mind and body to a meditative rhythm in nature.

One of Roberts’s major themes was the idea that our particular civilisation, at our particular time, was unusual in not having as part of its cultural repertoire some ritual whereby during periods of change or upheaval people went out alone into nature. When he talked about the practice of the wilderness solo, he talked about it in such terms – as a ritual whereby you stepped out of the flux of the world, in order to gain some perspective on the flux, and your place within it.

A word he used a lot in talking about his work, and in describing the experience and value of the nature solo, was “re-enchantment”. He was of the opinion that most people, most of the time, lived life in a state of disenchantment. What he wanted to do, above all, was to help people strip away the layers of hard rationalism that accrued around the adult mind, so that they could return to a more childlike engagement with the world. And in reaching this state, he said, this place of re-enchantment, we could come to see ourselves not as separate from and in control of nature, but as part of it.

It was harder than anticipated, finding a solo spot. We had settled on Dartmoor for its proximity to Bristol and its relatively humane weather outlook, but it was not a place with which Roberrts was particularly familiar. We followed at first a northward trail, planning to cross a footbridge into deeper forest on the far side of the river, but when we eventually found it, the gate to the footbridge was firmly padlocked.

Further along the trail we met a man out for a walk with his dog. Early 70s, bearded, wax jacketed, he wore the dog’s lead draped athwart himself shoulder to hip in the manner of a mayoral sash. Roberts asked him whether there was a bridge we could cross further on. He shook his head and courteously informed us, in a Devonshire accent as soft and mulchy as the ground beneath our feet, that we were on land privately owned by one of his neighbours, and that the more densely forested territory across the river was private, too, and that we technically required a permit to walk this trail.

We turned and strolled back with him toward the road, and as he chatted to us about the cottage he and his wife had recently renovated, and their troubles with the local conservation society who disapproved of their alterations to the property, I was struck by how easily the concept of private land ownership could be made to feel absurd. It seemed perfectly rational in towns and cities, in housing estates and apartment buildings, for people to own their little portions of the world. But here, on the flourishing banks of a torrential river, the thought that this place was the sole property of some mere person – that that person could own the deeds to a river bank or a forest – seemed deeply and disorientingly counterintuitive, in a way that threatened to undermine the whole spirit of our enterprise. It felt impossible, as I put it to Roberts after we parted company with the man, to pursue the kind of immersive experience of a place we were after when you worried you might be trespassing.

“Yes,” he said. “Although this is England. Literally half of the land in this country is owned by less than 1% of the population. A handful of aristocrats and corporations.”

He reassured me, though, that we would find a suitable place for my solo, on commonly owned land where I wouldn’t have to worry about some local squire coming along and telling me I had no business having an immersive experience with his privately owned nature.

We found another trail, running northward along the River Dart. Roberts lowered his voice to not much more than a whisper, eventually stopping talking altogether, and slowed his pace so that I was walking well ahead of him. I understood this deliberate minimisation of his own presence to mean that we had entered a kind of buffer zone between the outside world and the solo space. This was one of the great charms of how he worked; without his having seemed to do anything very specific, you were made to understand that some ritual was underway, that you were somehow in the midst of the sacred.

The point of being here is to be here. An hour or two into my time in the forest, I wrote these words in my notebook, and drew a box around them to emphasise their authority and self-sufficiency. And then I stopped writing words in my notebook altogether, because writing words is my work, and I was wary of taking an utilitarian approach to the solo. The point of being there, after all, was to be there. (The cynical reader might argue that the point of being there was to write about being there – an argument the cynical writer will, on balance, concede, if only to avoid getting bogged down in the ontological complexities of the whole relationship between experiencing things and writing about them.)

And what did I do, while I was being there, in the forest, by the river? Nothing, more or less. The first half hour or so, there was a certain amount of housekeeping to attend to. I had to find exactly the right spot: not too damp; flat enough to pitch a tent once night began to fall; sheltered from the elements, but not so sheltered as to obscure the view of the river and the far bank. I had to mark out the circle, of course. I had to gather flat stones and sticks and bits of branches, and arrange them around a beech tree I had chosen as the central feature of my location. It could, I suppose, have been an oak tree, or an elm, or some other type of lofty deciduous of which I, being no Robert MacFarlane, had no prior knowledge.

But once all that was out of the way, I had to confront that fact of having nothing to do. In theory, I should have greeted this experience with open arms. I had, in fact, been looking forward to it for weeks – to having no tasks to attend to, no places to go, no obligations to meet. Here I was with nothing to do but inhabit the spaciousness of every passing moment, to bathe at leisure in the pooled flow of time itself. In theory, it was the dream. In practice, if I could have taken out my phone and gone on Twitter I surely would have. (Thankfully, this possibility was foreclosed to me by the fact of having no mobile coverage. In any case, I’d stowed my phone in my backpack in order to stop myself violating the spirit of the wilderness solo by spending the whole time looking through photos of my children, or opening up the New Yorker app and immersing myself not in nature, but in back issues of a magazine I never had the time to read, for reasons gestured at above.)

When you’re actually in it, the reality of the solo is, at least at first, one of total boredom. I cannot stress enough how little there is to do when you have confined yourself to the inside of a small circle of stones and sticks in a forest. But it is an instructive kind of boredom, insofar as boredom is the raw and unmediated experience of time. It is considered best practice not to have a watch, and to turn off your phone and keep it somewhere in the bottom of a bag so as to avoid the temptation to constantly check how long you’ve been out and how long you have left. And as you become untethered from your accustomed orientation in time – from always knowing what time it is, how long you have to do the thing you’re doing, when you have to stop doing it to do the next thing – you begin to glimpse a new perspective on the anxiety that arises from that orientation. Because this anxiety, which amounts to a sort of cost-benefit analysis of every passing moment, is a quintessentially modern predicament.

As weirdly counterintuitive as it feels to acknowledge, human beings are not naturally predisposed to think of life in terms of seconds and hours, of how they might be optimised. The development of mechanical clocks during the middle ages and, later, the advent of widespread precision timekeeping that facilitated the industrial revolution, fundamentally changed the way in which the human animal related to the world. Time became both an abstraction and a commodity, a raw material to be bought and sold, saved or squandered.

The mass adoption of this new conception of time, abstract and removed from the organic context of nature, was central to the rise of capitalism, and to the accelerating mechanisation of life. “Beginning in the 14th century,” as the American cultural critic Neil Postman put it, “the clock made us into time-keepers, and then time-savers, and now time-servers. In the process, we have learned irreverence toward the sun and the seasons, for in a world made up of seconds and minutes, the authority of nature is superseded.” To sit by a river for a day and a night is to experience the reinstatement, if only temporarily, of that authority.

What did I do, sitting in that forest? I drank a lot of water, because I had brought a lot of water, and drinking it was, if only in the most basic of senses, something to do. And because I drank a lot of water, I took a great many resulting pisses around the far side of the tree, and this too presented something to do, however minor. I would occasionally treat myself to a bit of a stand, or even a little stroll around my circle, but mostly I was content to sit propped against my backpack with my legs spread before me on the soft carpet of leaves. I spent a lot of time looking at those leaves: holding them up to the light, observing the delicate webbings, the desiccated veins, crumbling them slowly between my fingers. This, I admit, was only slightly more interesting than doing nothing at all.

The tree, in time, became a central object of my attention. I can’t say how long I spent standing in front of its trunk, staring at its covering of bright green moss, its gnarled protuberances of bark, but it must have been at least an hour. The moss was leafy, and felt both delicate and spongily resilient beneath my hand, and the longer I stared at it, the more I came to feel that I was gazing downward from a great height at a forest, that the moss was a canopy of leaves and the bark the ground beneath. The surface of the tree was its own ecosystem, expansive and intricate, and when I looked closely enough I saw that there were tiny insects everywhere, spiders and other many-legged creatures, whom I imagined living out their days aware of no other world than that little vastness, that forest within a forest.

My own incapacity to give this tree a name seemed suddenly strange to me, and slightly sad. In the ordinary run of things, if I were curious enough about what kind of tree I was looking at, I would have just gone on Google, or downloaded one of those tree-recognising apps, but this option was not available to me. Then it occurred to me that there was something about the not knowing that was somehow right. Not having a human name to give the tree, a category in which to put it, made the tree more real and present to me than it otherwise would have, or so I allowed myself to believe.

At some point it came to my attention that I was no longer bored, and that I had not been bored for some time. This is not to say that I was in a state of high mental stimulation, but that the hours of inactivity had induced in me a kind of meditative stupor, whereby I was receptive to the information of the environment – to the ceaseless clamour of the river, the chattering of the birds overhead, the urgent whisperings of the leaves in the breeze, the modulations of temperature and light – but uninclined to think much about this information, or anything else. I had, I realised, become attuned to the frequencies of the forest. I had found the secret level.

This is a thing that has happened to me whenever I have been alone in nature for an extended period: there occurs, some hours in, a subtle but profound modulation in consciousness whereby I come to experience myself as part of the place I am in, as an organism among organisms. This is a state of mind in which I can watch a small spider crawl along my arm for many minutes, feeling a kind of sentimental fellowship with this busy, delicate creature, whom in the normal run of things I would not hesitate to brush off in irritation or disgust.

In these moments, I find myself thinking of the place itself as somehow conscious of my presence. To be alone in a forest, and to be thinking of the forest as somehow aware of you: I will acknowledge that this sounds like the very substance of nightmare, but, in fact, it is a strangely beautiful and quietly moving experience, and I think it must be what people mean when they talk about intuiting the presence of God.

The word that comes to mind is immanence – a term I learned as a philosophy undergraduate and which I did not remotely understand until I began to have these experiences of being alone in nature. In his 1836 essay Nature, American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson identifies precisely this sublime phenomenon. “The greatest delight which the fields and woods minister,” he writes, “is the suggestion of an occult relation between man and the vegetable. I am not alone and unacknowledged. They nod to me, and I to them.” It’s a phenomenon that he views as both an apprehension of the divine and a return to the child’s perception of the world. “In the woods,” he writes, “a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period soever of life, is always a child.”

I am struck now by how strongly these lines of Emerson – these ideas of casting off years, of attaining the spirit of early childhood – resonate with the strangest and most unsettling and, in the end, most wonderful aspect of my experience in the woods. While I was there, I didn’t spend much time thinking about reaching 40, and whatever lay beyond. What I thought about was the distant past of my own childhood, which I spent in the countryside, in a house beside a small wood with a little stream running through it: a tamely arcadian surrounding which provided the setting for countless imagined adventures, battles and voyages. Something about sitting alone among the trees, looking at the river, put me in mind of that period of my life. The fact of having all this time now, and nothing to do with it; the slow process by which intense boredom had given way to a kind of absent-minded and playful immersion: these were things I associated with my own childhood. I remembered what Andres Roberts had said about re-enchantment, about time in nature as a means of returning to a more childlike engagement with the world.

And then for a long time I thought about my son, of how he existed in a thin space between reality and fantasy. I thought of how attached he was to his favourite toy, a small brown rabbit he carried everywhere with him, clutched in the crook of an arm, of how real and alive that rabbit was to him. This was in my mind because the previous evening, as I had unpacked at my hotel, I saw that my wife had slipped among my camping things a stuffed rabbit I myself had been deeply attached to when I was small. She had found it on a recent visit to my parents’ house, where it had been lying around for years in my childhood bedroom. That rabbit, with its floppy long limbs and its black button eyes and its faded blue dungarees, had been as real to me, as invested with surplus love, as my son’s stuffed rabbit now was to him. I thought of how soon – a year from now, or maybe less – my son’s rabbit would stop being real to him, how soon his world would lose the magic he himself had breathed into it.

And I thought with a pang of how I was always hurrying him – to get dressed, to get out the door for school, to finish his dinner, to get ready for bed – and of how heedlessly I was inflicting upon him my own anxious awareness of time as an oppressive force. How before he knew where he was, his own childhood would have receded into the past, and he too would be out of the secret level of childhood and into the laterally scrolling world of adulthood.

As the sun was going down in Dartmoor, I put up my tent and, in the dwindling light of the forest, rummaged in my backpack for my head-mounted torch. Inside the backpack, my hand encountered again the familiar softness of the stuffed rabbit. I held the toy a moment, smiled again at this touching and witty gesture of my wife’s, and then decided to take a photo of it to send to her when I had mobile coverage the following day. I propped the rabbit against the outer lining of the tent and turned away to rummage again in my bag for my phone, and when I turned back I was overcome by a shock of recognition. I was seeing the rabbit not as I had seen it a moment before, as an intriguing relic of the submerged civilisation of my childhood, but as I had seen it as a small boy.

The rabbit was entirely alive to me in that moment. It was as though all the love I had invested in this object in those days was still contained within it, within him, and the experience of its sudden animation was overwhelming. I was looking at the rabbit, and the rabbit was looking at me, and it was seeing me, and I was both myself and the child I had once been. Whatever complex of emotions I was feeling was neither sentimental nor nostalgic in character, but powerfully existential. I felt simultaneously closer to myself as a child than I had in all the years of adulthood, and yet that sudden closeness came as an experience of loss, of immeasurable distance. It was as though time had folded in on itself, and the present was touching the past. There I was, as close to 40 as made no difference, alone in a forest on a moonless night and weeping with cathartic abandon at the sight of a threadbare stuffed animal. I was mourning my childhood, and the mourning felt long overdue.

I woke early, and lay still for a time listening to water dropping from the branches and leaves onto the outer layer of my tent. I had slept more soundly than I had expected, given the hard ground beneath me and the mummifying strictures of the sleeping bag. The absolute darkness and solitude had aroused neither loneliness nor unease. I had felt strangely at home with the sounds and silences of the forest at night.

Until very recently, the idea of spending a rainy morning alone in a forest would have been a profoundly unattractive one, but I found myself relishing the prospect of these last hours. The restlessness I had experienced the previous day, in that last stretch of the solo, was entirely absent now, the question of what to do with myself for several hours having come to seem nowhere near as pressing. The idea of such a question felt, in fact, somehow absurd. I went to the edge of my circle and sat down, and looked at the river.

You would have thought that I’d have been more or less done with looking at the river by now, but in fact I was eager to get stuck into it again after the long night-time hours of not looking at the river. In terms of the diversions that were presently available to me, looking at the river was the hottest ticket in town. And so I sat there at the edge of my little circle on the riverbank and binge-watched the river. There is, it turns out, a lot going on at any one time in a river, especially if you’ve got nothing else to be looking at.

There were birds coming and going all the time, skimming low over the water and landing on the banks. There was the occasional ambiguous shape flitting on the periphery of my vision that may well have been some kind of leaping fish. I attended in particular to a bit of river directly in front of me where the water plunged low into a sort of miniature waterfall, immediately after which it appeared to run backward into itself, a phenomenon I couldn’t begin to try to account for, but for which the most likely culprit seemed to be gravity. I stared at this spectacle for so long that a kind of optical illusion began to assert itself, whereby when I glanced up at the opposite bank, the long grass and drooping ferns seemed themselves to be engaged in sympathetic movements, swirling impossibly before my eyes. It could have been the effect of hours of meditative inactivity, or it could just have been hunger, but there was something mildly trippy about the experience.

Around noon, I heard a gently insistent bird call coming from a little way upriver. I turned toward it, and saw Roberts standing not far off with his back against a tree trunk, making an owl sound with his hands cupped to his mouth. I gathered my things, and we walked in silence out of the forest, him keeping several paces behind me. This seemed both entirely deliberate and entirely natural, and its effect was to preserve a measure of my solitude as I gradually emerged from the circle, out of the secret level and back into time.

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goadapter-blog · 5 years

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Asus S451LB Review

Asus introduces a completely new 14-inch laptop computer having a touchscreen,upper-range configuration,and classy appears to be dubbed VivoBook S451LB.The bundle produced a superb impact within the take a look at,although we anticipated far more through the display and storage product.The class of smaller sized,14-inch laptops isn't a rarity any longer on present-day market.The shopper instantly gains from dropping price ranges and an ever-increasing selection.Though suppliers now emphasis more around the 13-inch classification and often adhere to Intel's ultrabook specs,the 14-inch market will however only come into problem for purchasers who discover a 15-inch system a tiny bit way too unhandy.In addition to the far more compact proportions and also the reduced pounds when compared with conventional laptops,the suppliers also endeavor to differ in other regions. Very high-quality metal casings ad883020 ended up reserved for quality laptops right up until a handful of years ago.Asus now presents a device from the seven hundred Euros range that includes this special take care of.The core factors in the new Asus S451LB are very little unique,although the machines is during high-end.A traditional HDD and touchscreen are set up alongside an Intel i5 dual-core and devoted Nvidia graphics card.As a result,swift performing and multimedia compatibility are ensured,and our knowledge displays that game titles really should operate effortlessly in medium to higher options along with the integrated CPU/GPU array.Immediate contenders from your 14-inch sector having a equivalent configuration 1st have to be discovered.The focused graphics card in Asus'laptop is frequently the main reason for excluding probable contenders with an aluminum casing.They frequently do not sport a devoted graphics memory,and only Intel's integrated Hd graphics is set up.The purchase costs range noticeably.Apple's lowest-priced MacBook Professional thirteen Retina Adapter Mac Mini is plainly with the higher finish of the hardware class which has a price of 1199 Euros,but it really has the track record for just a excellent build as well as reasonably new Intel Iris Pro Graphics 5200 on its aspect.The IdeaPad U430 and ThinkPad S440 from Lenovo that we now have examined seem far more reasonable.Acer's Aspire S3-392G from your 13-inch sector would arrive into issue.All characteristic focused graphics,metal casing,and touchscreen with Windows eight.We examine all areas in the Asus S451LB within the evaluate under.

Design

With a brushed-metal lid that offers it the appearance of a considerably pricier equipment.As well as peak - a mere 0.97 inch thick - helps make it glimpse eminently totable,the kind of svelte device you might just toss into a bag.Nevertheless the VivoBook S451LA weighs 4.8 lbs .,which is effectively around the onerous facet.The notebook includes a 14-inch touchscreen,which appears to be rad.But then you certainly open up it up,and find out that it offers a measly 1,366x768 pixels of monitor samsung a5814_dsm real estate,and it is also not great: viewing angles are incredibly restricted,with colours inverting and looking washed out along with the smallest shift in angle.I come across myself regularly adjusting the hinge,hunting for that legendary fantastic angle the place I'm able to sit comfortably and nevertheless see obviously - this will likely demonstrate problematic in the event you want to transfer about much.Having said that,it really is a touchscreen.It's responsive and handles Windows 8's gestures with aplomb,but its hinge isn't extremely rigid,wobbling somewhat annoyingly as I tap by menus.I have grown accustomed to glass or matte touchpads,hence the extremely glossy one on this VivoBook feels somewhat far too slippery for my taste.Gestures are problematic,since the touchpad is occasionally imprecise.This is certainly compounded because of the extra tips included to emulate Windows 8's contact gestures: swipe in within the proper fringe of the touchpad,and you will carry up the charms menu.Swipe in with the left to speedily swap amongst functioning apps,even though swiping down through the touchpad's prime edge 776620 001 phone calls up Windows 8's context-sensitive menu bar.You'll also have the normal pinching and panning to control photographs that we've arrive at hope from fashionable machines.My fingers have admittedly grown accustomed to sliding alternatively lazily across the MacBook Air'stouchpad,but obtaining Asus'gestures to work necessitates a little finagling,with swipes that happen to be too quick or not shut more than enough to your edge only failing to sign-up.Thankfully,a lot of this is certainly customizable: fireplace up Asus'Smart Gesture menu and you can disable almost each touchpad function and permit some new kinds,including three- and four-finger gestures.Factors do not get significantly better around the keyboard.The chiclet keys are suitably huge and cozy adequate to variety on,but they are also quite shallow: my fingers are continually bumping in to the laptop's body,which does not essentially have an impact on accuracy asus adapter ad890026 but is quite bothersome.Worst of all,the keyboard isn't backlit.I'm a able touch-typist and would not go as far as to contact backlighting required,but I'd be hard-pressed to endorse any notebook keyboard that will become all but invisible should you opt for to operate or perform in dark spaces.You will also need to keep down a Operate important to entry media controls and also the like - many keyboards give those people vital controls priority,so it's a shame Asus hasn't adopted accommodate.The remainder of the VivoBook S451LA's hardware just isn't amazing,but par for that system at this price tag.It is really run by a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-4200U processor,with 6GB of RAM.

The keyboard that Asus installs options the pleasurable,typical dimensions with letter keys of 15 x fifteen mm.Nevertheless,it does not have a very backlight.The keyboard's appears to be like once again almost match Apple's style,notably while using the aluminum body.It can be seamlessly embedded into the casing,and that is also to generally be dust resistant in addition to the beneficial structure element.The stroke noise is agreeable,plus the keys will not create a clatter sounds even though typing energetically.The strain point is fairly weak but nonetheless sufficient to stop typos when typing for for a longer time periods.Like most 14-inch laptops,a dedicated amount pad just isn't mounted.The ClickPad ads 40fsg 19 is incredibly big using a diagonal of twelve.five centimeters,and its silver color merges pretty properly from the aluminum seems to be.The color is identical using the laptop's floor.Compared with the impeccable aluminum surface area,it often feels "sticky" and will function a fairly rougher floor.The mouse keys are included in to the touchpad and therefore are only visibly separated by a line.The strain position is nice and only performs mouse clicks dell la65nm130 after they are genuinely supposed.The pad responds right away and without having "lead-time" to finger gestures.Regrettably,it's a tiny bit imprecise and use is not really genuinely pleasing. Employing an external mouse is recommendable during the extensive operate because it might generally take place that more compact gestures are not detected accurately.For instance,the mouse cursor moves 1 mm upward rather than adhere to the finger's motion of one mm into the right.Asus must rectify this to ensure the user discovers the total diversity of multi-finger gestures that could be in particular exciting with Home windows 8.one.Asus treats its new VivoBook into a monitor with - in keeping with Asus - a whole new touchscreen technology.It constantly responded reliably and pleasantly to the touch,and it could even at times compensate for your rather imprecise touchpad.Performing with it and navigating via Windows is entertaining,particularly while in the tile mode of Windows 8.1.The single icons medion e2228t adapter are pretty much also modest in desktop mode,but it remains to be doable to work with them.The utilized hinges are absorbing more than enough to lower aggravating teetering when inputting about the touchscreen.Even so,more robust and regular rapidly clicking results in thescreen to wobble a little bit.Asus touts a exclusive touchscreen having a increased accuracy through the use of downscaled actuators.This may be correct in idea,but there are no subjective pros in functional use.

Performance

Although touchscreen technologies is by now pretty widespread in notebooks,several buyers usually are not nevertheless accustomed to the novelty and may really feel confused.But it's just a make any difference of time to adapt and recognize the amount this type of display can make a big difference inside a laptop computer,for the reason that it innovates the way in which to use the notebook and perhaps would make it much easier to work with,too as supplying a far more interactive practical experience with the written content.The mouse Lenovo SA10L79751 Adapter is usually replaced for many essential capabilities,though the peripheral remains to be far more practical to the variety of texts,one example is.The S451LA,like every notebook,has its individual mouse: the touchpad,that is aspect on the keyboard.A destructive issue in the gadget is the fact this feature has at times locked inside the decreased left corner in the delicate machine.The keyboard from the model is "chewing gum" form,which is,its keys are near to the bottom include,which assures smoother and a lot more silent typing.The webcam has wonderful good quality,for making 720p graphic.The audio from this VivoBook options good quality,high-definition audio with headphones only,thanks to Sonic Learn seem technologies,that's by now built-in.The Intel High definition Graphics 4000 graphics card with the design is previously a bit outdated together with the presence from the High definition 5000 and Intel Iris within the most recent chips of Intel,however it is sufficient for your common usage of the day to working day,not merely is not really perfect to rotate hefty game titles,for instance.The i7 processor is a really quick CPU for that notebook,that is a moreover stage,but it has its pro and counter.The advantage may be the pace,more stream within the utilization of the systems,however the drawback Sony VGN-A417 Adapter is definitely the higher battery consumption.The S451LA arrives with Home windows 8 operating system,that's minor intuitive,but just know the operation to learn the features effortlessly.Home windows 10 is scheduled to hit the industry during the first fifty percent of 2015 with new desktop attributes.You are able to trust in the VivoBook's 1.6-GHz Intel Main i5-4200U processor with 6GB of RAM after you really need to crunch quantities,view movies or produce a report or two.The notebook experienced no complications streaming a full-screen episode of "House of Cards" on Netflix,with 8 open up tabs in Mozilla Firefox,Google Chrome and Internet Explorer,all although jogging a full-system scan.The laptop computer scored 2,782 on PCMark7 exam,which predictably blew with the two,417 scored via the Dell Inspiron 14R's 1.7-GHz Intel Main i3-4010U CPU.Having said that,the ASUS acquired trounced through the Lenovo IdeaPad U430 Contact and Toshiba Satellite,which scored three,785 an four,316,respectively.

The processor and graphics card Accu CS03046XL-PL both clock nearly their greatest level of 2.6 GHz and 1033 MHz in battery manner making use of Windows"High Performance" environment.The total program overall performance is on the high stage subjectively.An evident general performance furthermore is found especially when in contrast which has a funds notebook.Specially processor-intensive purposes,such as unpacking data files or installing computer software,are plainly more quickly and smoother. Sad to say,Asus only installs a traditional really hard travel in place of a swift SSD.Laptops that has a common HDD will seem to some degree slower once the person has gotten utilized to an SSD system.Nonetheless,the running speed AD887020 is all through over a large standard.Our PCMark benchmarks ensure this with scores which might be inside the same assortment as laptops centered on comparable components.The PCMark 7 scores amplified by as much as 74% once we put in an SSD into a related check program.This is certainly also really observed in program use and would add towards the VivoBook S451LB's impact.Asus clearly lags at the rear of SSD ultrabooks employing likewise potent factors Adapter Apple A1185 from the PCMark scores because of into the absence of an SSD.As expected,the battery runtime on the Asus S451LB plainly assorted depending upon the solitary load problem.In the event the graphics card is fully loaded,the facility requirement is at least 5 situations as higher as during the strength frugal place of work mode.The way too small,even to get a potential gaming laptop,forty six Wh battery sets the boundaries in this article.Even though adequate for office manner,it is actually certainly way too small in gaming use.This is often a little bit better with Lenovo's IdeaPad U430,but only marginally.Listed here,the customer should make your mind up in between useful dimensions fused with short-term nevertheless excellent performance,or maybe the gaming category with considerably much larger dimensions and higher pounds but additionally more robust batteries and consequently for a longer time runtimes even in the course of load.A mixture of equally is rarely probable.Nevertheless,Asus'VivoBook S451LB,such as other contenders,nevertheless delivers the most effective of both worlds.The battery in Asus'laptop adp 33aw c lasted for just above eight hours in idle manner; the Lenovo S440 is better.Idle manner is ascertained employing Battery Eater's Reader's exam.The display screen is ready to bare minimum brightness,the energy-savings profile is enabled,as well as the wireless modules are off.

Verdict

Small proportions fused with superior and,for this category, over typical large efficiency.As 1 of the few laptops through the 14-inch category,the Asus VivoBook S451LB gives large processor functionality And a potent,dedicated graphics card,and it is actually convincing simultaneously.The CPU/GPU array is actually well-implemented.An important unfavorable position for us is the difficult travel.It can be not simply fairly loud and makes a dependable clacking noise when working,it slightly slows down the system significantly in copy or installation processes.An SSD or SSHD would've appeared far better from the S451LB,and it will have rounded from the overall deal of the specified effectiveness,aluminum casing,and helpful measurement more.However,the device is often advisable to any person on the lookout for prime processor and graphics effectiveness in the helpful measurement for just below seven-hundred Euros,and who're ready to shell out a bit a lot more for aluminum rather than plastic with this selling price vary.Nonetheless,consumers really should also appear closer at Lenovo's IdeaPad U430 Touch,then decide their favored.

If your spending plan is tight along with your wants are very simple,you may also think about a Chromebook - we liked the Acer Chromebook C720p.It even features a touchscreen! With products just like the Microsoft Surface area Professional 3 or Lenovo Yoga 2 Professional I drop into a type of rhythm,gliding involving touchpad and display devoid of substantially in the strategy for mindful work.I have always felt that is the best way to tackle Home windows 8,since the OS opens up new - and usually more quickly - solutions to get close to without mucking up what will work,what's common.But you genuinely require a touchscreen,and when you're likely to get a hybrid structure,you absolutely need to nail the basics.Asus Adapter Asus S451LA hasn't carried out that listed here.For the same selling price,you'll be able to pick up the Lenovo IdeaPad U430 Touch,which features a brighter display screen by using a higher resolution and for a longer time battery existence,all inside of a additional eye-catching chassis.Total,the V45iL is often a superior middle-of-the-road choice for mainstream users who want to do a little little bit of almost everything - especially people that want a DVD drive.But it isn't really our best choice.

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zeroviraluniverse-blog · 6 years

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Kevin Pelton's weekly mailbag - Next Victor Oladipo?

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/kevin-peltons-weekly-mailbag-next-victor-oladipo/

Kevin Pelton's weekly mailbag - Next Victor Oladipo?

This week’s mailbag features your questions on the next Victor Oladipo, the Warriors’ bench and NBA draft projections.

You can tweet your questions using the hashtag #peltonmailbag or email them to [email protected].

“Is there a statistical way to project next year’s Victor Oladipo or what a third option would do if they had a first option’s usage rate? And, would there be a way to assess the market value of that increase?” — David

I suspect that there will be a lot of articles searching for the next Oladipo over the next eight months, and the simplest answer is that very likely nobody will match the transformation he has made from OK starter with the Orlando Magic and Oklahoma City Thunder to All-Star with the Indiana Pacers.

Among players who changed teams after using 20 percent of their team’s plays or more since the ABA-NBA merger, the increase in Oladipo’s usage rate is the largest on record.

Biggest increases in usage rate after changing teams

Player Season Team Old Usage New Usage Change Victor Oladipo 2017-18 IND .214 .307 .093 James Harden 2012-13 HOU .216 .292 .075 Tracy McGrady 2000-01 ORL .243 .313 .070 Byron Scott 1993-94 IND .207 .271 .064 Louis Williams 2014-15 TOR .210 .272 .062 T.J. Ford 2006-07 TOR .201 .262 .061

Minimum usage rate of 20 percent in season one; since 1977-78

James Harden and Tracy McGrady followed somewhat similar paths, but the growth in their usage rate wasn’t as sizable as Oladipo’s and both were younger at the time (Harden 23 and McGrady 21; Oladipo is 25).

Typically, the rule of thumb is that players become less efficient as they take responsibility for creating a larger share of their team’s offense. This isn’t easy to show year over year because, naturally, players who increase their usage aren’t chosen at random — even when they change teams, they usually do so because they prove capable of handling the larger load. This is true even in Oladipo’s case; while going from Oklahoma City to Indiana naturally was going to increase his usage to some extent, it was certainly possible that Myles Turner was instead going to emerge as the Pacers’ go-to guy.

So I don’t think we should expect players to become more valuable simply by moving to a larger role. More often, this plays out like Harrison Barnes, who went from the fourth option on offense for the Golden State Warriors to the first or second option for the Dallas Mavericks. Despite maintaining an admirable amount of his efficiency, Barnes hasn’t rated much better in Dallas than he did in Golden State. (His best season by my wins above replacement metric remains 2014-15, when Barnes had the lowest usage rate of his career.)

Back to Oladipo and why we shouldn’t be expecting a repeat: In terms of improvement from year to year in player win percentage, the per-minute component of WARP, Oladipo is not only the most improved player this season but one of the most improved players in modern NBA history.

Biggest increases in player win percentage

Player Season Team Old PWP New PWP Change Allan Houston 1994-95 DET .296 .521 .225 LeBron James 2004-05 CLE .536 .750 .214 Victor Oladipo 2017-18 IND .445 .647 .202 Dwyane Wade 2008-09 MIA .603 .792 .188 Darrell Armstrong 1998-99 ORL .544 .732 .188 Terry Dehere 1995-96 LAC .383 .569 .186 Gerald Wallace 2005-06 CHA .477 .663 .186

Minimum 1,000 minutes both seasons; since 1977-78

Because Oladipo had rated somewhat better in Orlando, posting a .525 player win percentage in 2015-16 before being traded to Oklahoma City, some bounceback was to be expected. Still, the nature of his development is extraordinary.

My SCHOENE player projection system tries to account for variance by looking at how much the 50 most similar players at the same age improved from their baseline (performance over the previous three seasons, adjusted for age and regression to the mean) and applying it to the player’s baseline performance. The best projection this yielded for Oladipo this season was a .609 player win percentage. He’s beating that by nearly 40 points.

“I was wondering if the Warriors’ bench production is in line with its production in recent years? It feels like starters carry a heavier burden this year.” — Michael

The website HoopsStats.com has production by reserves separated out, and Golden State’s performance this season is in fact pretty similar to past years.

Warriors bench production

Season MPG PPG RPG APG TS% 2014-15 89.5 34.0 15.6 9.0 .535 2015-16 90.5 33.8 16.1 9.1 .547 2016-17 92.5 32.5 16.0 9.1 .584 2017-18 95.5 32.9 16.8 8.8 .582

Source: HoopsStats.com

The last couple of seasons, Golden State’s reserves have been incredibly efficient, posting true shooting percentages far better than league average (.557 this season). The key driver of that efficiency this season has been David West, whose .626 true shooting is far and away a career high. West’s excellent play has helped compensate for a downturn from Andre Iguodala, whose own true shooting has dropped from .624 to .533 this season (though up to .697 since the All-Star break).

I think Iguodala’s play before the break was a big reason the Warriors’ bench hasn’t felt as effective this season. But even in terms of on-court net rating, the reserves have been as good as ever, According to NBA Advanced Stats, Golden State has outscored opponents by 8.1 points per 100 possessions with at least one reserve on the court, as compared to 7.4 last season (and just 5.1 in 2015-16).

If there was one variable you could include in your draft project model that you don’t currently have data for what would it be? #peltonmailbag

– Brian Frederick (@bfred34) March 10, 2018

Maybe this is too abstract for your answer, or too unrealistic, but a measure of a player’s capacity and willingness to improve. My projections are built on the assumption that knowing how good a player is entering the league and his age will tell us how good he’s going to be in the future. On average, that’s the case, but even if we could project with 100 percent accuracy how players were going to play as rookies, that would still leave us with huge uncertainty about their development.

In Philadelphia, the 76ers can order yakisoba noodles for breakfast and drink bone broth during film sessions. It’s all part of the team’s food program under executive chef JaeHee Cho.

How is the NBA draft shaping up heading into the NCAA tournament? Jonathan Givony breaks down the new picks in both rounds.

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Many of the league’s best players, notably two-time MVP Stephen Curry, have bloomed late because they’ve improved their skills once in the NBA far more than their peers.

Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey mentioned something similar when asked about future advances in basketball analytics during this year’s MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

“If we could properly forecast, I would say, three things, it would be a huge advance — at least for us, maybe other teams are better,” Morey said. “One would be what will they do the minute they get a lot of money. I have not been able to predict that. Some guys handle it, some guys don’t.

“Two would be do they have the self-awareness of where they’re not as good as they need to be, meaning do they understand there’s a gap between them and Chris Paul or James Harden or any of these great players in the league? And then three, what are their habits to improve that gap? We’re trying to get really good at predicting that and we’ve got a great scouting department, but we’re hoping to create an edge so it’s not enough to be good, we have to be better than our competitors, which is where it gets really challenging.”

“Amazon’s HQ2 is going to be a game-changer for some city. How could this impact the NBA in terms of fan base or free agency for smaller markets? Lots of NBA towns are on the list of finalists: Toronto, Indianapolis, Chicago, Denver, LA, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, DC, New York, Boston, Philly.” — Hank

If HQ2 ends up in one of the bigger cities on the list, I’m not sure it will have an impact noticeable at the NBA level. A smaller NBA market could be more interesting. I still doubt it would affect free agency much — a few players, notably Iguodala and Kevin Durant, have mentioned the value of playing near Silicon Valley, but only after the Warriors became contenders. More likely, it would increase the corporate base that is crucial for premium tickets and sponsorships. Among the finalists, Denver and Indianapolis seem most likely to benefit from that.

Another interesting outcome would be Amazon putting HQ2 in a city that does not currently have an NBA team but aspires to get one. Already, Pittsburgh is one of the largest cities in the country without an NBA team, and it’s possible an influx of the young tech workers who fit the demographics of NBA fans could make adding a fourth pro sports team viable there. Northern Virginia is currently a bigger media market than the smallest NBA cities (New Orleans and Memphis) and Virginia Beach expressed interest in building an arena to relocate the Sacramento Kings before they were able to build a new arena in Sacramento.

Now, none of this is to say that if a non-NBA market gets HQ2 it should expect a team to follow. After all, Amazon’s current headquarters are located in far and away the biggest American media market without the NBA, Seattle. While Amazon’s growth has expanded Seattle’s economic base in a way that makes the city a more attractive home for the NBA than it was when the Sonics moved in 2008, that has yet to translate into the league’s return.

#Kevin #mailbag #Oladipo #Peltons #Victor #Weekly #Sports #Sports News

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