#ordered in chronological order. you can really taste my evolution that way

[k1tkatattack]

experimenting

#art #design #illustrator #frutiger metro #(for one) #vectorheart #(for most) #ordered in chronological order. you can really taste my evolution that way #(lmk if I should tag that second to last one as anything...) #vector art

[technicallysideacc]

"I am curious - what are your favourite fics?" Oh honey, this is a tough question! Mmmh, let me think. I usually prefer to read long fics, just because I really really like discover the story and the characters, and have the time to come to know the characters and why they are how they are in "the present", what made them that way and how they deal with who they are. So, obviously it's hard to squeeze all these informations in a, lets say, 20-40K words story. So many of the fics I’ve read since now are long fics. That been said, I’ve read some short fics that I really loved. Now, in no particular order, and just because I can’t choose one, I think my favorites (those stories that have let me like I was missing something once I finished reading them) are, for the long fics: young and beautiful (classic, but really, the way it’s written and the entire plot and the characterizations OH MY GOD, I loved loved loved that story), Strawberry Milk Fic (the author treat the argument of deal with trauma in such a way that sometimes I had to stop reading because like…it was so emotionally intense! The Harry in this fic is one of my favorites Harry and the line between his strength and his fragility is so thin! And Louis’ character here is…just wonderful. It was really well written and every little thing is treated with the right amount of respect, every little detail), Mine Would Be You (just the entire story here is something else. I loved how it jumps between present and past and how the flashback are not in a chronological order. I loved this and I really also loved Own the Scars, also from the same author, but I HAVE to choose, and I choose this one). I feel like I could go on and on. So I’ll add Tired Tired Sea and For As Long As I Can Remember because I LOVED both of the stories but, really, I love how both green feelings and mediawhore writes, and how their plot are always original or originally developed!
I might add to my favorites also “You are in Love”, I think it’s not so well known as the others I mentioned, but it was really beautiful. I wanted to re-read it but I suffered too much at some point (of course there is a happy endings, I couldn’t bare an unhappy ending, my heart is not ready for that hahah), so I wait till I’m ready to re-read it because it was a really beautiful story. That said, I have to add some of the shorts fics I love, because I would feel guilty not to: A house built out of stone, sadly it’s been deleted, but OH MY GOD my feelings have never been the same, after. So well written, and a really beautiful characterization of Louis (and Louis here owns an old book shop, I LOVE OLD BOOK SHOPS!). And, LAST I PROMISE! (Quite the Pandora's box you've opened with that question, I’m sorry if I have gone on for too long!) The last short fic I loved (like really, really loved) was “to live on the moon with you”. Really beautiful, I found myself smiling at my phone when I finished to read it. So that’s it, I think. Please, forgive me for how much I have written and for my English. Probably there are many mistakes…😰🙏 anyway, it’s almost midnight here, so… I’ll hope you a reaaaally good Sunday, and if you want to, and if you have time, I would love to know what are YOUR favorite fics! ♥️♥️♥️

Hiiii, Mels!🥰❤️ Omg thank you so much for telling me about your favourite fics, I was really curious to know which ones you had on your list, and I’ve loved getting to know about them a bit more!💕 I must say that you’ve also mentioned some of my absolute favourites in there (”Own the Scars” and “Mine Would be You” are both such an incredible journeyyyyy, and tbh two of the only instances in which I have actually *cried* while reading fic, which is not very easy to do! Both stories are so well-written, so intense and so satisfactory in their evolution+ending that they always leave me in awe!). And same for “Tired Tired Sea” and “For As Long as I can Remember”, it’s INCREDIBLE and definitely also on my favs list! (From green feelings, I also have “Nameless Night” on my favs list, which is... WOW!💕). I’ve also read and liked the Strawberry Milk series a lot, I totally agree with what you were saying about the characterisations - in both cases, really well-done and lovely!🌺 I think I haven’t read the others you were mentioning, but I’m definitely taking note and adding them to my To Read list (we seem to have pretty similar tastes, so I’m sure that I’ll love them to pieces when I get around to reading them!)

 I coincide with what you were saying about prefering long fics, since there’s more room for knowing the characters in depth and include their backstory/trajectory and, of course, their development and evolution - I also love stories like that, and I also have a soft spot for plot-driven fics (investigation, thrillers... fics in which there’s a plot, apart from their relationship development!).   As for my favourites!❤️ We’ve already talked about two from the top of my list: “These Inconvenient Fireworks” and “You are the blood”, and, as I was saying, you have also already mentioned some of the others (hahaha I love how we coincide so much in fic taste!🥰), but apart from those I also want to mention some of the others in my favourite list: “Hiding Place” (it’s Canon Compliant with a twist, and one of the first I read in the fandom and WOW! I couldn’t put it down, I loved iiiit, and also all the video links so that you can see what the fic is refering to!), “For Reasons Wretched and Divine” (a lovely story in two time periods, incredibly well-developed and so EMOTIVE!), “And Down the long and silent street” (it’s a bit of a thriller, and loveeeed the Jack the Ripper vibes and the characterisations!), and an absolute classic, “Wear it like a crown” (loveeed how the enemies-to-lovers was handled here, and also how interesting the backstory and plot was!).

Thank you again for your lovely message, Mels, this was such a nice thing to wake up to!💞 And please, there’s no need to apologise at all - I like long messages and this is such a broad topic that I’d be really hard to speak about it in few words, absolutely!🥰 (And your English was perfect!).

Hope that you’re gonna have a lovely Sunday as well! Big hug!🥰💕🌺✨

#Thank you again for your message! #I always enjoy talking about such lovely fics #asks #littleprincepleasedontgo #lovely mutuals #about me #fanfic: You Are The Blood #fanfic; These Inconvenient Fireworks #fanfic: Hiding Place #fanfic: Own the Scars #fanfic: Mine Would Be You #fanfic: For Reasons Wretched and Divine #fanfic: And Down the long and silent street #fanfic: Wear it like a crown

[imperfekti]

Best Games ep 3 Fuji vs Kirihara report

The movie theatre screenings started on November 15th. The two shows at Shinjuku Piccadilly included a talk session with Fuji and Kirihara’s voice actors. I was lucky to get tickets to both two shows, so here is my report.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a change in quality, so we’re getting the same as before: some very pretty pictures, some awkward ones, and mostly stiff animation. Voice acting was good though.

The episode is not strictly chronologic, and I wasn’t sure if I liked the order in which they presented things. In any case, before we get to the main match, we see (not necessarily in this order) Sanada calling Yukimura about how everything is going well, Inui winning his match, Seigaku watching Rikkai on video, Fuji reflecting on it further at home, and Echizen’s match against Kirihara.

About that match. For those who are focused on the musicals, it might be a surprise that the only one observing that match is Jackal, not him and Marui. Personally I am happy for this screen time for him - his voice actor is doing a great job and he comes off very cool.

The quality kind of made some parts of this match awkward, but still, seeing Kirihara constantly hitting Echizen’s knee was quite impactful. For most of the time, Echizen doesn’t even make a sound, but at some point he yells out in pain, falls to the ground and holds his leg.

Eventually, we get to the point where Echizen reaches Muga. In this version, the character becomes surrounded by a bright red aura and wind like gusts of air. I guess it’s up to everyone’s taste whether it looks good or not, but I thought the overall impact of the visuals, sounds and how this part was presented in general was pretty good. I could say Echizen going all out in Muga was one of my favourite parts of this episode. I happen to love the image of Echizen in midair with the sun at his back, and this episode definitely played it well.

One detail I’m curious to hear about though is the impression people have about the blue light in Echizen’s eyes in this part, against the red backdrop. Personally I always imagined this scene in reds and blacks, giving Echizen this almost demon like aura that comes from pure strength instead of violence. The blue they added in his eyes kind of feels like they’re saying “this is still the good guy”. Aesthetically I might have preferred not to have that, though if that was the message they were going for I think it’s fine. But curious to hear how others read these visuals.

When the match ends, Rikkai comes around. I should mention that some of the dialogue has been slightly changed (compared to musicals), so people can look forward to a few new lines in multiple scenes.

At some point we get to the main match.

About Fuji. Kaida-san is doing a great job with his voice - he sounds very strong and scary in the right parts, and sensitive and insecure in others. My favourite line is the “So it was you behind Echizen’s knee”. He sounds so quietly angry and protective - you don’t mess with Fuji’s kouhai without consequences.

As for the design, as people have seen in the trailers, his hair is really long and thick now, and they really play with it in several scenes. If a more boyish Fuji is your thing, this episode will not provide much of that - it’s all pretty and beautiful.

A scene they went all out with the prettiness is of course the scene with Tezuka in the rain - finally animated the way it was in the manga. When the episode comes out, you might want to pay attention to the drops of rain on them - they have this subtly shifting shimmer that makes them look like small crystals. But the best thing for me about this is the evolution of both Fuji and Tezuka’s expressions as the discussion proceeds. It really brings back the feelings of when the series was still younger. These two had a lot of complicated feelings going on.

Another scene that was great was the flashback Fuji had into Tezuka’s match against Atobe. There is this one brief closeup of Tezuka soundlessly crying out in pain, and the scene really conveys just how big of an impact seeing that had on Fuji.

Without going deeper into the TezuFuji feelings for now, back to tennis. Same as with Echizen, we get to see Fuji hit by the ball a lot. He reacts a lot more than Echizen, with both expressions and voice, so expect to see him in pain.

One thing I found a little bit unfortunate was that they didn’t visualise Fuji finding his strength and going beyond his limits in a more clear way. After all the effort they put into Echizen’s Muga, I felt they should have tried harder to present Fuji’s strength. Especially since Ryuuzaki-sensei has the line about Fuji surpassing Tezuka, I thought that should have been supported with the presentation more than it was here.

Overall, I think the one of biggest impressions this episode had for me had to do about the dynamic between Fuji and Echizen, and both of their connection to Tezuka. Fuji and Echizen are shown lined up when Seigaku are watching the Rikkai videos, and that is followed up with the both of them preparing for the match in their own ways. The both of them have flashbacks to Tezuka during their matches. Like I mentioned already, Fuji has this very heavy tone when mentioning Echizen’s knee during the match. Of course we also have Echizen shouting out advice to Fuji, Fuji thanking him, and at the end, Fuji watching Echizen when he steps on the court. All of this is really heightened by the fact that Tezuka is not even there at the moment.

Conclusion: I love Seigaku’s internal dynamics.

There could be more to say, but this is getting long so I’ll leave it at this.

A few words about the voice actor talk:

First of all, Kaida-san is so cute and funny. It was my first time seeing and hearing her live, and it was a really good experience.

The talk had some TezuFuji tone to it, haha. Kaida-san was all “Fuji, what are you thinking about in the middle of a match? Focus, focus!” When they put a picture of Fuji in the rain scene on the screen, they went all “Hmm, who is he talking with here… A certain someone… Well, it’s the guy you would expect, isn’t it.” about it.

They also talked about the new song, Dispect, for a bit. Kaida-san said it was quite a challenge to sing. They described the song as kind of a rally, with a lot of back and forth going on.

Both voice actors also talked about their gratefulness of Tenipuri reaching 20 years, the support from fans, and how happy they were to have a chance to do this part of the story again. Kaida-san made the following quote in Fuji’s voice: “As if we would lose… The winner will be… Tenipuri!”

That’s it for now. The DVD of the episode will come out in January, so looking forward to hear what others think then. I’ll try to go see the screening again when they do the ouen version where the audience is allowed to cheer and shout - the voice actors gave some instructions yesterday so I will look forward to participating.

Feel free to ask if you have any questions about the episode!

PS. Me and my boss pulled these coasters as our gifts. I knew we were meant to be. In the professional sense.

#tennis talk #prince of tennis #fuji shuusuke #tezuka kunimitsu #echizen ryouma #kirihara akaya #tezufuji #best games

[rivetgoth]

Lol yes specific recs are good idk where to start

You either came to the wrong or right person. This is a lot. HONESTLY, one of the cool things about Skinny Puppy is literally all of their albums are very very different and they have a huge range of styles and a million ways you can get into them from all sorts of directions. They have a very long history and extensive discography and endless connections and collaborations and associations so you can come at them from a million angles.

Here’s a list of the main albums chronologically. The band’s lineup has changed a little due to band members leaving or dying but Ogre and cEvin have always been members. For more specific recommendations I’m also including their arguably most popular song from each album (veteran fans might wanna dispute me on some of ‘em cuz I think there are a few toss ups but I tried my best to pick the most iconic) if you just want that basic of an overview, although I definitely recommend delving deeper.

Remission (1984) - Their very first album on a label. Sounds like synthpop with baby Ogre vocals (Ogre doesn’t learn to sing until the 90s and just sings in a way where he screams and tears his vocal chords up). Kind of simpler music, sounds a lot like Cabaret Voltaire. Not as uniquely experimental yet maybe. Really dancey and fun a lot of the time. Ogre, cEvin, and Bill Leeb as musicians. Song suggestion: Smothered Hope

Bites (1985) - Their first full length album. Kinda an evolved version of Remission’s goth synth electronic stuff but still definitely experimental and cool new sounds being thrown around. Ogre, cEvin, and Bill Leeb as musicians again. Tom Ellard from Severed Heads and Edward Ka-Spel from Legendary Pink Dots (who forms The Tear Garden with cEvin) contribute. Song suggestion: Assimilate

Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse (1986) - Their first full length album after the  lineup changes and Dwayne Goettel replaces Bill Leeb, who goes off to form Front Line Assembly. Dwayne adds another layer of complex experimental sound and noise to the band. More experimental and abrasive in sound. A little less dancey maybe. Song suggestion: Dig It

Cleanse Fold and Manipulate (1987) - Their second album with the Ogre/cEvin/Duck lineup. Evolution of the M:TPI sound. I definitely group these two together in my mind, they overlap a lot with the directions of the experimental electronic noises they’re going in. Song suggestion: Deep Down Trauma Hounds

VIVIsectVI (1988) - Slight change in direction, this album sounds much more chaotic, abrasive, and experimental imo. Darker album for sure with more ambient tracks and harsher sounds. Same lineup as before. Heavy focus on any vivisection, war, and other social inequality. Song suggestion: Testure

Rabies (1989) - Industrial metal. Al Jourgensen from Ministry joined the lineup because Ogre wanted to male bond with him. It has a ton of electric guitar and screaming. Way angrier and more aggressive music. Song suggestion: Warlock

Too Dark Park (1990) - Really intense, noise-heavy, complex experimental stuff. Al Jourgensen is gone and we revert back to something along the VIVIsectVI trajectory but way more intense with a ton of layers to the sound. Lots of themes of environmental degradation. Ogre/cEv/Dwayne lineup. Song suggestion: Spasmolytic

Last Rights (1992) - Too Dark Park x2. Even more experimental and abrasive and harsh; really dark content, really sad, lots of personal themes surrounding Ogre’s battle with drug addiction. Song suggestion: Killing Game

The Process (1996) - 90s industrial rock-y. Simpler in sound than the complex noise layers in TDP/LR era, with less chaotic experimental sound and more rock noise like guitars. Ogre is doing some early singing and more untreated vocals. This is the last album with Ogre/cEv/Dwayne as the lineup, and Dwayne passes before the album is even released. Song suggestion: Death

Greater Wrong of the Right (2004) - First album with the new (current) lineup where Dwayne Goettel is replaced by Mark Walk. Ogre has learned to sing in a way that doesn’t damage his voice; the music is more electronic and dancey than before, has obvious overlap in sound from the band ohGr that formed between The Process and GWOTR, less heavy noise and more focus on slightly cleaner electronic sound. Song suggestion: Pro-Test

Mythmaker (2007) - Same lineup as before; very fast paced album, with a lot of vocal distortion and treatment to Ogre’s new singing vocals. Very electronic, very dancey. Song suggestion: politikiL

HanDover (2011) - A little more noise based, with interesting recurring sounds and some more experimental noises. Very melodic electronic music. This album always feels very dreamlike to me. Song suggestion: Cullorblind

Weapon (2013) - Some people consider this sort of a throwback album, the music is a little more abrasive and “messy” than the last few albums while still retaining a lot of the more recent cleaner electronic sounds and staples from the previous few albums. They actually cover a song off of Bites and give it a new revamped version. Song suggestion: illisiT

I don’t think I could ever order these from most to least favorite or anything, but I will say that Greater Wrong of the Right tends to stand out as my top favorite... I really truly absolutely love it all though. 

Aside from these albums, there’s three live albums (Ain’t It Dead Yet? in ‘87, Doomsday in 2000, andBootlegged, Broke, and In Solvent Seas from 2010), there’s Back & Forth which was their original debut demo EP from 1984, and there’s the subsequent Back & Forth series which includes lots of demos and outtakes and stuff. There’s also Puppy Gristle, which was a collaboration Skinny Puppy did with Genesis P-Orridge of Throbbing Gristle, and it’s just a really long experimental jam session. There’s also Remix Dystemper which is a remix album from 1998. These are all also really good, but I would probably recommend their main albums first :]

As you can see, the industrial community is super close knit and every band has a ton of overlap and if you just start with one band it’s really easy to get swept up in all the others!! 

Cabaret Voltaire is a great band to check out if you wanna hear one of Skinny Puppy’s big inspirations.

Throbbing Gristle is an inevitable inspiration since they straight up invented industrial music and they ended up collaborating like I just mentioned too

Severed Heads is also great to hear their inspiration and the music from one of their collaborators

Legendary Pink Dots as well, and you can listen to Tear Garden to hear Ka-Spel’s collaborations with cEvin Key.

cEvin also has solo music, as well as music with Hilt, PlatEAU, and Download. Phil Western collaborated with him in these a lot, and Dwayne Geottel, before both of their deaths.

Dwayne also has a few solo songs released as aDuck.

Ogre is the frontman of ohGr alongside Mark Walk, which has five albums out since 2001 and is fucking fantastic. They just released a new album last year in June and it’s so good.

He also collaborated with Al Jourgensen from Ministry and helped write some of their music for the album Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste, and he does the vocals on “Get Down” from the Revolting Cocks and “Show Me Your Spine” for PTP (two of Al’s other projects).

AND he collaborated with Martin Atkins and does a few songs for the band Pigface and together they released the album Bedside Toxicology as RX.

Ogre and Bill Leeb were in a short-lived project together called Muteual Mortuary. Also, Bill Leeb’s band Front Line Assembly is really good.

Ogre has done a lot of one-off collaborations and projects, like writing “Ode to Groovie” for the In Defense of Animals compilation album, a Madonna cover for a Madonna compilation album, working with KMFDM on their albums Symbols and Adios, Paul Barker on his Fix This!!! album, and with Bill Rieflin as The Petty Tyrants.

He’s also done music for the Descent II OST, remixes for John Carpenter, and since he’s been in some musicals he’s also featured on the Repo! the Genetic Opera, Devil’s Carnival, and Alleluia: The Devil’s Carnival soundtracks.

Dave Rave Ogilvie (their sound engineer/producer until 2004) mixed Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.”

Yeah :) Good luck :)

#ythaenagor

[cottagethings]

self-quarantine activities

1. Complete a puzzle: The more pieces the better! Feeling extra saucy? Take on a Rubik's Cube. More of a word person? Crossword puzzle!

2. Start a journal or blog. Sure, it can be about the coronavirus, but it could also be about a specific interest from chess to cheese. 

3. If it won't bother your neighbors: Dust off that old instrument and practice.

4. Text all your exes just in case you have one more thing you wanted to get off your chest.

5. Write poetry. Perhaps you can craft a haiku for Mother's Day, or something without a specific structure. Just try it!

6. Watch all the really long movies you’ve avoided until now.

7. Download Duolingo, or a similar app, and teach yourself a foreign language.

8. Finally read “Infinite Jest,” “Les Miserables” or even “The Stand.” Go all in and read “Ulysses.” You got this. 

9. Meditate. Try lying down with your eyes closed, palms up and while focusing on your breath. Or spend 20 minutes sitting crosslegged and repeat a soothing word to yourself in your head. (The latter is more like transcendental meditation.)

10. Face masks, moisturizer, oh my! Treat yourself to a 10-step skin care routine you don’t have time for during a normal work week.

11. Look at pictures of puppies.

12. Put together the most attractive charcuterie board possible, but you can only use foods you already have in your fridge and cupboard.

13. Take note from "Tangled" star Rapunzel, who has an entire song about how she's spent her days alone in a castle. Activities included in her ditty: Ventriloquy, candle-making, papier-mâché and adding a new painting to her gallery.

14. Write actual letters to family and friends. After that? Write thank-you notes to service people who you remember went out of their way for you.

15. Learn calligraphy. YouTube can help.

16. Finally read the rules to those long and intense board games you've never played with the family. Encourage the family to play.

17. Put on a soap opera. Mute the sound. Create your own dialogue.

18. Have a space in your home where all of the tupperware goes? Organize it and actually match lids to containers.

19. Try on all your clothes and determine whether they “spark joy” á la Marie Kondo.

20. Better yet, go through this process with your junk drawer and supply shelves. 

21. Have a roommate meeting about how to be more considerate of one other, especially while you will likely be spending more time together. Bring baked goods.

22. Bake those goods.

23. Watch the films that won Oscars for best picture.

24. Watch films that won Independent Spirit Awards for best picture. 

25. Watch films that critics say should have won those aforementioned awards.

26. Read all the New Yorker issues piled on your desk.

27. Will Tom Hanks into recovery from coronavirus by watching every Tom Hanks movie chronologically. 

28. Knit or crochet.

29. Use Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts or Marco Polo to video chat with your long-distance friends.

30. Try out at-home aerobics or yoga videos. Consider downloading a fitness app with curated workout playlists.

31. Look at yourself in the mirror. Attempt a self portrait with pencil and paper.

32. Take a bubble bath (bonus: Add a glass of wine).

33. Make a classic cocktail, from negronis to Manhattans and aperol spritzes. Don't forget the garnish.

34. Coloring books: They’re not just for kids.

35. Take time to reflect: What have you accomplished in the last year? What goals are you setting for yourself in the next year?

36. Write a short story or get started on that novel.

37. Actually try to reproduce something you see on Pinterest. Probably fail. Try again.

38. Clear out the family room and camp indoors with all blankets, popcorn and scary movies.

39. Finally get around to fixing that broken door knob and loose tile or cleaning scuffed up walls. 

40. Acquire a foam roller and treat yourself to some physical therapy. 

41. Pretend you're 13 years old and fold a square piece of paper into a fortune teller you put your thumbs and pointer fingers into. Proceed to tell fortunes. 

42. Learn how to braid (fishtail, French, etc.) via YouTube tutorial..

43. Throw out all your too-old makeup and products. (Tip: most liquid products have a small symbol on them noting expirations, usually six months to a year. This includes sunscreen!)

44. Interview your grandparents (over the phone, of course) and save the audio. Can you create an audio story or book with that file?

45. Go through your camera roll, pick your favorite pics from the past year and make a photo book or order framed versions online. 

46. Go on a health kick and learn how to cook new recipes with ingredients you may not be using already, from miso to tahini.

47. Create a Google document of shows or movies you’re watching and share it among family and friends.

48. Make a list of things for which you are grateful. 

49. Have your own wine tasting of whatever bottles you have at home. Make up stories about the journey of the grapes to your mouth.

50. Work on your financial planning, such as exploring whether to refinance your loan or ways to save more money. 

51. Perfect grandma’s bolognese recipe.

52. Make coffee, but this time study how many beans you use, which types, how hot the water is, how long it brews and whether any of that makes a difference.

53. Buy gift cards from your favorite local businesses to help keep them in business while we quarantine.

54. Watch “Frozen 2,’ which went up early on Disney Plus. Another new movie on the streaming service: "Stargirl." 

55. Write a book with your family. Pick a character and each member writes a chapter about their adventures. Read aloud to each other. 

56. No March Madness? Have a Scrabble tournament. Or Bananagrams. Pictionary, anyone?

57. Get into baking with "The Great British Baking Show," but your technical challenge is baking something with the ingredients you have on hand (that you didn't already use in the charcuterie board).

58. Indoor scavenger hunt.

59. Alternate reading the Harry Potter series with your kids and cap each one off with the movie.

60. Dye your hair a new color. No one else needs to see it if you don't like it.

61. Read Robert Jordan’s 14-book “Wheel of Time” series before it streams on Amazon starring Rosamund Pike. 

62. Write a play starring your loved ones. Perform it via a video call app. 

63. Go viral in the good way by making a quarantine-themed TikTok.

64. Rearrange your sock drawer. Really.

65. Stop procrastinating and do your income taxes.

66. Make lists of all the museums, sporting events and concerts you want to visit when they finally reopen.

67. Get into comics with digital subscriptions on your tablet, like Marvel Unlimited. 

68. Rearrange your furniture to make it seem like your home is a totally different space. 

69. Practice shuffling playing cards like a Poker dealer. Be ready for employment opportunities once all casinos open back up.

70. Organize your spice rack alphabetically or get crazy and do it by cuisine.

71. Teach your dog to shake. Hand sanitizer optional.

72. Memorize the periodic table. You never know when that will come in handy.

73. Order and put together some IKEA furniture. Time yourself.

74. Get a free trial of a streaming service and binge-watch as much as you can before it expires. 

75. Apply for a new job. You have remote work experience now. 

76. Learn a new style of dance via YouTube, from bellydancing to breaking.

77. Update or write your will and organize your affairs. Yes, it sounds melodramatic and morbid but let’s face it: This is a task many of us avoid because we never have the time. Now we do.

78.The parades have been canceled but you can still make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day.

79. Bring out the Legos. Build your house inside of your house.

80. Watch the "Star Wars" movies in this and only this order: Rogue One-IV-V-II-III-Solo-VI-VII-VIII-IX.

81. Two words: Coronavirus beard! Grow it, moisturize it, comb it, love it.

82.  Learn the words to "Tung Twista." Get them so ingrained in your brain that you can rap them as fast as Twista can. Impress everyone. 

83. Been meaning to get some new glasses? Try on new frames virtually on sites like GlassesUSA.com.

84. Attempt things with your non-dominant hand, from writing to brushing your teeth. Prepare to be frustrated.

85. How many words per minute can you type? See if you can get speedier by taking a typing course.

86. Prepare to verbally duel a bully who wants to discuss the evolution of the market economy in the Southern colonies, by memorizing Matt Damon's "Good Will Hunting" speech. 

87. Learn origami. Make cranes for your loved ones.

88. Stretch. Work on your flexibility. It's possible to get the splits back, right?

89. Try to speak in pig Latin. Or, "ig-pay, atin-Lay."

90. Talk to your plants. How are they doing? Make sure they are getting the amount of sunlight they should be. Check their soil. Water if necessary.

91. Deep condition your hair and put paraffin wax on your hands. Enjoy your soft hair and nails.

92. Consider donating money to food banks to help families struggling to get meals.

93. Write a song. If you want to make it about your time inside and put it to the tune of "My Sharona" and replace "Sharona" with "Corona," do what you have to do.

94. Study the art of beatboxing.

95. Try moving in super-slow motion. It's OK to laugh at regular speed.

96. You know how there are dozens of ways to wear a scarf, but you only wear it the one way? Learn the other ways.

97. Learn Old English words. Pepper them into your conversation. Wherefore not?

98. Try on a new shade of lipstick. See how long it takes your partner to notice it.

99. Take deep breaths, in through your nose and out through your mouth.

100. Sleep. Get lots of it.

#corona #coronavirus #quarantine #self care #activity #freetime #dosomethingforyourself

[sarazanmai]

Stuff I loved in 2018.

Its that time again. The end of a year and a look back on all the stuff I enjoyed. Honestly I almost wasn’t going to write this because I feel these posts are a lot of effort with very little reward, but there was a lot I experienced this year that I think was interesting and worth sharing. So let’s go.

Roger Ebert once said “artistry can redeem any subject matter”. While I’m not sure any subject matter can be salvaged through an artistic eye, it can certainly help. If someone approaches a certain material with a clear vision and purpose to what they do they can create something truly fascinating. The Monogatari series is a very strange one. Its told in a non chronological order, there’s characters who say they’re one thing and reveal themselves to be something else, there’s a lot of references to other anime, the visual style changes sometimes radically, its incredibly meta, some moments of fanservice have a deeper meaning to them while others not so much. Me personally I think the series goes through periods of being brilliant as well as periods where it just is not up to the same standard as before. That said I kind of like that, I like that you go through so many different moods and style shifts. Not everyone will like that, some will get frustrated with the weaker seasons, but for me I think it all comes together and really made for something I won’t forget. I watched the entire series within a week and then later in the year I rewatched it all barring “Koyomimonogatari” which is one of those weaker seasons in my opinion. Despite its bulk, despite its tendencies, the Monogatari series just kept me hooked.

There comes a time where we all must accept certain truths. One of them is a lot of you don’t really understand mecha. I still see all of these reviews and comments claiming that mecha before “Evangelion” were all just light fluffy Saturday morning cartoon fare with little substance. This could not be further from the truth. The Gundam franchise from the very beginning was serving what I am going to refer to as a human element. It was not this soulless creation who’s only goal was to sell model kits. Whether it was Amuro’s PTSD from piloting the Gundam or Kamille and his tragic romance with Four or Char’s true motives during the original series there was always more going on than just giant robots shooting things. This isn’t even taking into consideration other installments like “War in the Pocket” where its a story of war from the point of view of a child and soldier. I have not watched every Gundam anime, I am sure there are some that were just there to exist as another installment in the franchise and didn’t necessarily push the franchise or genre into new areas. But what I have seen in “Mobile Suit Gundam”, “Zeta Gundam” “War in the Pocket”, “Unicorn”, “Iron Blooded Orphans”, and even the polarizing “ZZ Gundam” which I admittedly dropped were all very interesting and very unique experiences. Tomino really hit on something when he created the series and now we’ve come so far that we have a franchise so massive and large it needs an entire wikipedia article devoted to its cultural impact.

Once again, mecha that came before “Evangelion” were still displaying that human element many critics are convinced wasn’t there. In “Macross” its very prominent to the point where it feels like a driving force to the entire show as well as its film “Do You Remember Love”. We spend as much time with the characters and their developing relationships as we do with the mecha battles. The emphasis on music and culture as something that can create a change in the world is one of the themes synonymous with the franchise. While there certainly were times in the show where it leaned a bit into a comical area, I didn’t mind this. It was a show aimed at a younger audience and was trying to communicate these themes on their level so at times things can be a bit silly, but I appreciate what is being said so much that it does not feel like an issue. The heart is still there, the human element is still there. And more complex and serious sub plots are there too. Regardless when it comes to the film “Do You Remember Love” and the OVA “Macross Plus” things were certainly approached with a more mature voice, bringing the franchise to new places. I watched this prior to any Gundam anime in an attempt to get a better feel for the mecha genre. I wanted to expand my tastes and I’m very happy I did because not only did I love this I also want to really explore the genre now more than ever.

With the release of “Lupin III Part 5″ this year I was really turned onto that franchise. I ended up getting this massive itch to explore it when that anime wrapped and while not everything I found was a masterpiece it was a worthwhile endeavor. There’s something to Lupin the character and the series at large that manages to be both fun while also evoking a sense of coolness in spite of his goofiness. It was interesting to go through the various TV series and the movies and some specials and get a sense for how its evolved through time. Rewatching “The Castle of Cagliostro” I really enjoyed it a lot and other installments like “The Fuma Conspiracy” and “The Hemingway Paper Mystery” were hugely entertaining. I really liked “Lupin III part 4″ and “The Woman Called Fujiko Mine” too and the original “Lupin III” anime. I can still hear that voice singing “Lupin...he’s a nice man...but he’s cool...”. And objectively speaking green jacket is best jacket. I feel like this is a series that has undergone so much evolution through the various people that came in to work on it that there’s bound to be something that appeals to somebody. You just have to find it.

I spent a lot of time ignoring “Gintama” and its a bit of a shame that I did because this is a really fun series. Despite how long it is I really didn’t feel like it took me a terribly long time to finish it. And even though its goal is more on the comedic side of things, the series surprised me with how strong of an emotional punch it can provide. The cast of characters is one of the most likeable and fun that I’ve seen in a while and the seiyuu cast was very impressive. Everyone plays their character well and I get the sense they really enjoy working on it. Akira Ishida in particular seemed to really get a kick out of playing someone as ridiculous as Katsura when so many of his other roles lean more serious. And of coarse everyone loves Tomokazu Sugita as Gin. His voice just feels so right for a character like this and it was great having him for something this big when in other anime I’ve seen him in he’s only around for so long. I’ve also got to give the series credit for its female characters. There’s a really sturdy amount and they’re all occupying their own place in this world with distinct identities. This is something that makes this world feel more alive and expansive. Kagura is a character I need to applaud for the fact that she wasn’t there for some sort of lolicon fanservice or to have a really awkward crush on Gin or Shinpachi. No she just cares about food and her dog. What a queen. Speaking of Shinpachi he was the MVP of this series, good boy. And there’s our Shinsengumi boys and of coarse Gin himself, so many great characters. I am sure a lot of people look at how much there is to “Gintama” and get nervous at the size of it, but there’s really no need to. When it clicks with you then there’s no putting it down.

“Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju” might be one of the greatest anime in recent years. It takes you through so many periods in this man’s life and the people around him and manages to hold you the entire way. Once again Akira Ishida is someone I need to give major credit to. He’s a very talented seiyuu and in this anime his performance was so impressive I was almost beside myself. Given the performance style the series is built around the cast all needed to be really great at reciting these stories and articulating them. And for the scenes where the characters are not on stage, when the interpersonal drama comes out, everything just hits in such a powerful way. I can’t remember how often I cried during this anime, but it never felt like I was being manipulated. It all felt as if it came through organically and easily. Even more subtle scenes like a character finding out he’s having a child hit on just the right emotions. If you are in the mood for a fantastic character driven drama this is absolutely one I’d recommend.

Speaking of character driven drama “Sangatsu no Lion” is another one to tune into. It initially presents itself as a very intense and dark story, but as the viewer stays involved you find that this is not about wallowing in self loathing but healing. The family that has taken this very troubled young man in and helped him navigate through his mental illness is so likeable and endearing. You find yourself wanting to see him get better and hope that these girls, as well as the other shogi players, find happiness for themselves too. Its not always simple though. There are ups and downs to the characters and their arcs, but it never feels bitter or angry. It feels like reality. Over the coarse of its two seasons it manages to do what so many other shows about a character with depression fail to do. It never feels exploitative or like it has no sense of how to handle such a topic nor does it feel hopeless. As difficult as things in Rei’s life can become you know deep down this isn’t the end of the line, things can get better. It also does a very good job at holding your attention whether you understand the intricacies of shogi or not. You’re told what feels like the essential basic rules to the game and you aren’t thrown into a state of culture shock if you’ve never looked into the game before. I feel like what we have here is a modern masterpiece and more people have been watching it and celebrating it as a great achievement and that makes me so happy.

“Galaxy Express 999″, pronounced “three nine” because why not, is quite the space opera. I watched every episode of the original TV series as well as the two films directed by Rintaro and while they have some flaws or areas that did not age well, they’ve remained famous for a reason. The TV series did a really great job at pulling at your emotions and showing you different worlds. Some felt similar to others, but then there’s so much creativity in other areas. The concept of a space train was inspired by the popular Japanese children’s book “Night on the Galactic Railroad”, which would receive its own anime adaptation, and what Leiji Matsumoto did with this inspiration ended up taking on an identity all its own. You really feel for this bond between Tetsuro and Maetel. You spend so much time wondering just who Maetel is and what her goal in all of this could be. She’s kept just vague enough where I feel we were told all that we needed to. Tetsuro is someone I’ve seen reviewers describe as a little frustrating due to his naivete, but he’s a child. It makes complete sense for him to place his trust in the wrong person or make a mistake like he does. Masako Nozawa, the future voice of Goku and all his male relatives barring Raditz, voiced Tetsuro and I think she really brought a strong likeability to the character. We feel for him and also have a lot of fun seeing him travel through space. Its hard to say what version is stronger, I’d argue the show but know its not easy to recommend something that hefty. Whether someone watches the films or the show or both I think they’re still getting something great out of it.

And they say you can’t sum up a show in one image. So “Madoka Magica” what are we to do about you? Its kind of hard to explain, but I rather purposefully chose not to watch it for this long. Mostly because I was tired of the hype and the fandom basically pulling an “Evangelion” and acting like no magical girl anime or manga prior to this served emotions. But its presence never really died, this anime is almost a decade old now and people still care. And while I don’t regret not tuning in while it was running, I am very happy to have experienced it on my own terms. It gave me one of my new favorite characters with Homura, its visually stunning and marvelously directed. the music is so enchanting, and the story really is good. I think the show from start to end was a great watch and really kept me going and the bittersweet nature of it did work for me. As far as the movies go I did watch “Rebellion” and while I think its good it does complicate what the message to the series is in my opinion. Either way its just the same as “End of Evangelion” where I don’t see it as canon. I think the big question a lot of people have is if this lives up to the hype and I’m not totally sure how to answer that, but it is an anime worth your time all the same.

This will be easy. I have a review already written out for “Slam Dunk” so if you want my more expanded thoughts there you go. This really is a fantastic anime.

Last year I watched the movie “A Silent Voice”, but failed to put it in my year end review out of pure laziness. I am not making that same mistake again. “In This Corner of the World” is a film I am very grateful to have seen. Its a very interesting take on a WWII story. Not that we haven’t had movies about the war from the perspective of a civilian before, but there is something to the way its approached through our protagonist that feels especially powerful. She experiences so much during those years and tries her best to keep living with keeping her family alive as her main motivation and eventually is met with tragedy. Its produced by a studio called Mappa who’ve gained a lot of attention for “Yuri on Ice” and this year’s “Banana Fish. I did not like those anime very much, but I really loved this film and have to applaud them for trying different types of stories. I hope the projects they have lined up for 2019 are as enjoyable as this. I’ve heard the director has an interest in releasing an extended cut and if that happens I’ll be very interesting in seeing what it offers.

Again I will not make the same mistake twice. “A Silent Voice” was directed by a woman named Naoko Yamada. She also directed “K-On” and “Tamako Market”, two series that made it on my post for last year. She has an incredible talent and in my opinion is the director in anime to watch. After the success of “A Silent Voice” a lot of people wanted to see where she would go and what she gave us is nothing short of amazing. “Liz and the Blue Bird” is a film more people need to pay attention to. Those who’ve seen it adore it, fans have given it very high scores and glowing reviews. But I think this movie needs even more attention beyond that because compared to movies like “Doukyuusei” this feels like it made a smaller splash in the community. Yamada’s approach to love and drama is so effective without being forceful, you really feel for these girls and the longing between them. Yamada is a director who cares deeply for respecting the emotions of her characters which is why she has successfully created so many famous emotional scenes without them feeling melodramatic or feeling staged. This is especially clear with this film where she manages to communicate everything we need to know, but in very few spoken words. And the animation as one expects from a Kyoani project is just lovely. It also manages to work very strongly with its blue toned color palette. So many people make these blue toned movies look dreary, but not here. Things still have a brightness to them and even a warmth. I feel very lucky I was able to see this movie this year when so many anime films take so long to be made available elsewhere. When it reaches the US on bluray I am definitely buying it.

When it comes to the seasonal TV anime for the year, this was my favorite.”Sora yori mo Tooi Basho“ or “A Place Further than the Universe” is a very interesting installment in the “cute girls do blank” genre of anime. Here its cute girls go to the arctic. It sounds like a weird premise to a show, but when you see it put into practice its impressive how much you feel invested in these girls and what they’re doing. Its directed by a woman named Atsuko Ishizuka who was once identified as one of the great talents at the famed studio Madhouse. I think, like Yamada, she manages to work within these character heavy stories while avoiding any unnecessary melodrama. A lesser director would have made some scenes so cheesy or so over the top sad and that can take you right out of the experience. At first I was unsure of how big of a hit this anime would be given how many huge shows came out this year, but its managed to top the bluray sales in Japan for quite a while now. I feel really happy it became such a success. People say the cute girl sub genre is played out and that if you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all, that is not true. Sometimes you need a talented director, an off the cuff premise, and you can get something fresh out of a genre that sometimes over saturates the market.

“Pop Team Epic” is an anime the like of which we’ve never seen before. And we will never get it again. A lot of people have said that in order to understand or get the jokes you have to know what it is they’re parodying and that really is not true. This isn’t referential humor like in “Gintama” where the impact of the joke relies on you knowing that material. If you don’t know "Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” you won’t get it when Gin references Joseph and Caesar’s training with Lisa Lisa. Here the approach to the comedy is so surreal that if you don’t know the reference it just registers as a bizarre thing they did. Sure I know they referenced things like “Hikaru no Go”, but someone who doesn’t would just think its “Pop Team Epic” being weird again. And if you do know what they’re referencing then you know the layers to the joke. The anime is also in a lot of ways very visually strong to the point of being almost avant-garde. It was expensive and time consuming to make even if people don’t realize it. All of these different animation styles, the mixed media approach to certain scenes. They even brought in Miyo Sato, the woman who does the paint on glass animation for “Mob Psycho 100″, to work on the show for a few segments. To a lot of people this show was a meme, but in a lot of ways I think it was doing more than that. We’re not going to get another season or anything out of it, but I’m happy something this strange was able to exist and grab hold of such a large scale audience.

I have an in depth analytical review out for "Berserk”, if you would like to read such a thing there it is. However it does contain spoilers. My unspoiled and condensed opinions are that its fantastic, with gorgeous art, well developed and amazing characters, and tons of soul. Its very intense and not exactly for everyone, but its definitely a masterpiece. Unfortunately it also has a very foul fandom which turned me off reading it for years. I genuinely expected my review to garner a lot of negative feedback given how this fandom is, to my surprise this never happened though. If you can remove the toxic fandom from the equation, which is surprisingly easy to do, then you’re golden. Also this is a romantic manga and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise because they’re cowards.

“Golden Kamuy” is fantastic as a manga. I watched the anime too, but I feel like that works best treated like a companion piece to the manga. I’ve best described the plot as “One Piece” meets “Silence of the Lambs”. This is also something that probably comes closest to evoking the same kind of strangeness that “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” has. The best way I can put it is that characters will say things that are weird, but nobody acts like they’re weird. There is also a lot of information fed to the reader about aspects of the Ainu culture and hunting and weaponry. At first it feels as if you’re being given a lot of information on topics that aren’t going to be important, but they end up having more significance than you realize. The same applies to the characters. I was surprised at how many characters I expected to be left behind were made relevant later on. And they’re memorable. Sugimoto, Asirpa, Shiraishi, Ogata, Tsurumi, Tanigaki, even that little girl Osoma was memorable. One thing the story really excels at is how you have a large amount of characters chasing the same prize, but with their own reasons. Nobody loses sight of their own motivation, some we still haven’t learned their true gain in all of this, and we see how this effects the flow of the plot. For such a large cast this would under a different writer feel very cluttered, but not here. And visually the manga looks amazing. Noda’s art is a little odd at first, but when you really look at it he’s got a lot of talent. Everyone looks distinct, the backgrounds look great, the animals look good (we’re not gonna discuss the anime’s CGI). If I had to recommend just one I’d say the manga as the anime does skip material, some due to networks being incapable of showing such things others honestly feel skipped because they wanted to streamline the plot at the expense of characterization and world building. I do still recommend taking in both as this sort of bundle deal though because the anime really is entertaining and has such a strong seiyuu cast it would be a shame to pass it by completely.

Takehiko Inoue is an absolute master at this stage in his career. In an interview with Akira Toriyama he was called someone with a real sense for manga and its amazing to see how he went from “Slam Dunk,” where he had not yet drawn a bare foot, to something like “Vagabond”. The art in this manga is deserving of all the praise it gets, its so detailed that it just leaves you stunned. The story also shows just how on point he is as a writer. I’m sure through the many movies and shows about Musashi Miyamoto a lot of Japanese audiences have a certain way they tend to view him and then here comes Inoue offering a different approach to the man. One where he is still working towards an enlightened state and trying to reign in an animalistic rage. Working in themes of being the strongest under the sun, what it means to live for the sword, how these choices effect the people left behind, its really fascinating stuff. There’s even an entire long stretch of chapters where we break away entirely from Musashi to focus on a young Kojiro and his adoptive father, its a very sudden break away yet it doesn’t feel random or jarring. I think because Inoue knows how to craft compelling characters so effortlessly it made that shift in focus work as well as it did. Its one of the most successful manga in terms of sales and with good reason, its a masterpiece. This is one of those manga that currently is on an indefinite hiatus and I can only hope Inoue is able to finish it. And if for whatever reason he can’t then at least we can say we got what we got.

Behold your new shonen king! Not Izuku, not Hinata. Open your arms for the next great shonen! “Dr. Stone” is a manga that at the moment doesn’t have the largest of audiences, but everyone I know who’s read it absolutely loves it. And with the anime being released next year I can only hope that will be the push that people need to experience it. The story is focused very heavily on innovation and discovery which feels so fresh compared to a lot of things Weekly Shonen Jump has been producing as of late. And the level to which things have been thought out really impresses me. In recent chapters it was revealed that in that period of time humanity was petrified the terrain has changed drastically and the maps from the past are now worthless. So that means finding a way to survey the land and get a better sense of the world. Its so exciting to read this sort of thing. And the characters are so fun. Senku is a very interesting character to place at the center of this story. He’s a genius and approaches things as logically as possible, sometimes he can be a jerk and self serving, but he’s always going to do what he can to further civilization because he just loves science that much. Chrome is a really funny character to bounce off of him. We recently were introduced to a new member of the cast that has great potential. I like Asagiri. Its written by the same mangaka behind “Eyeshield 21″ and while I have not read that I can say through this manga that he’s really got a great sense of story telling. I also really like Boichi’s art, he pulls out some hilarious extreme faces and also some really dynamic scenes. Next summer can’t come fast enough because I am so hyped and ready for this anime to start.

“Kimetsu no Yaiba” is another manga that will be getting an anime next year and I am extremely excited. If I had to compare it to anything I would honestly say its like if “Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood” and “Hunter x Hunter” got crossbred. Its mangaka Koyoharu Gotouge really feels very influenced by Yoshihiro Togashi in both her writing as well as some of her character designs. Togashi actually said this manga along with “Dr. Stone” is one of the ones in recent years to read which I’m sure made her thrilled to hear. I feel like this is something that does a lot of the things people generally want to see in anime and manga. You have a strong sibling dynamic at the center of the story (and it isn’t one of those relationships), there’s female characters that are involved with the action and its treated like a real fight, there’s themes of family that are always really endearing, aesthetically its very beautiful while still being able to pull off a more intense body horror style moment, fanservice aside from a couple moments is at a minimum, and it is also very funny. There’s a lot of personality to our main characters as well as the Pillars that we have gotten to know and it doesn’t feel crowded. She knows when to use a character and when to keep them out of a certain arc. She also has a lot of respect towards Nezuko who I feel another writer would have shoved aside in favor of her brother. But Nezuko is shown to still retain her autonomy in spite of her predicament, she fights and is sometimes vital to defeating a demon, and the more recent events in the story show a lot of potential for furthering her as a character. The anime is to be released for the spring and its made by Ufotable, based on the PV we have at the moment this show will definitely be gorgeous. I am very excited for what they’ve done with this material and I can only hope other people will be watching too because I do not want this to be a series people sleep on.

“Revolutionary Girl Utena” is a masterpiece. I have frankly a really complicated opinion of Kunihiko Ikuhara. A lot of people think he can do no wrong, I am not one of them. There’s things that happened with “Sailor Moon” that I know weren’t his fault, but there’s also things that happened during S where he had the most control over the project that still bother me. I can never know for sure if these were his ideas or things Toei forced onto him as he did leave the show because of a lack of freedom to do what he wanted, but that said when he really commits to a project he can produce something amazing. He has said many things over the years regarding Utena and a big takeaway from them is that he does not want to tell us what to feel, he wants us to decide for ourselves. I think what Utena fundamentally is about is deconstructing romantic tropes, analyzing chivalry, and the lies men tell women. The series gets more complex and symbolic as it progresses until we get to the movie “Adolescence of Utena” where its refusing to hold your hand any step of the way. Unlike with “End of Evangelion” or “Madoka Rebellion” the “Adolescence” movie is not an attempt at a different ending, but more of an alternative retelling of the story. Its a pure visual masterpiece and a movie that I honestly think deserves to be seen with or without the TV show. That said I would strongly recommend both of them as not only is it one of the greatest shojo ever, it is also Ikuhara at his finest. Moo.

[chiibinomonodamon]

Hey Arnold! thoughts/opinions

Hey Arnold! is still my most favorite show to come from Nickelodeon. While Invader Zim is great, HA! can give you warm, fuzzy feelings and it has great messages for young kids. It’s hilariously funny, clever, realistic, and has a lot of heart and good morals without getting overly preachy or sappy.

Hey Arnold! is the only cartoon my father not only took seriously; he actually complimented it and he loves Helga’s crush on Arnold.

If I were to make a list of “Best Episodes of Cartoons Ever”, ‘Helga On the Couch’ would easily be in the Top Five. Really, the whole preschool flashback makes me want to sob so hard. I swear the Christmas episode WILL choke you up. It’s beautiful.

Some complain that Arnold is too bland and nice but I think he’s a great role model for young kids. He’s such a sweet character, a child’s voice of reason. I’m willing to bet that adult fans other than myself heard him say “I know you’ll do the right thing” in their heads more than a few times....whether you want to hear it or not. Ha, is that ever the perfect guilt trip!!

Not to beat a dead horse, but Helga Pataki is an amazingly complex character. I love that she can be antagonistic yet sympathetic at the same time. I love how every time she does wrong, she either has to make it right or karma punishes her.(which Craig says is extremely important) She’s funny, a little crazy, insecure, and even when she is being terrible, you almost want her to win. She pretty much stole the show; it could be called “Hey Helga!” for a good chunk of the episodes.

I ship Helga and Arnold 100% with every fiber of my being. Is it unhealthy? Here’s the thing; they are both children. Children have not yet grown up into the people they will be for the rest of their lives. Children make mistakes. They grow. They mature. Arnold is already really mature for his age and he’s pure-hearted at that, which makes him the perfect influence on Helga, like we’ve been shown oh so many times in every episode that focuses on her. Is her obsession with him too selfish? Well, it can be.....but again, she corrects herself (or the show will) when she goes too far; most importantly, she also seems to recognize on her own when she’s going overboard later on in the show. (Character development!!!) We’ve seen her capable of being kind, capable of making sacrifices even if she ends up with nothing, and still be happy for Arnold. For a child with such a neglectful upbringing, that’s.....impressive. I think that’s a beautiful example of what love means. It’s also tragic that the times she is able to make him happy, she remains in the shadows so he doesn’t even know it’s her. ;_;

Many ship Rhonda and Harold but I personally prefer Rhonda and Sid. Harold and Patty seem totally MADE for each other.

The Lila-bashing in this fandom actually shocked me a little bit when I first discovered it. I think her character is fine (though her taste in men is questionable to say the least XD) Also she seems to be a Shipper on Deck for Helga; and how can you hate someone like that?

My favorite minor character is Willy, the Jolly-Olly man. He’s a jerk....cause he hates what he does for a living. Well, hello prototype Squidward. :D

Even as a person who is not fond of jazz, the music for this cartoon is incredible. Talk about capturing moods so perfectly.

Not every episode has a happy ending and I love that. That’s just how life goes sometimes. It’s so realistic but not so depressing that it’s discouraging you away from seeing more.

For a 90s kids’ show on Nick, HA! did some things a little differently; it could focus on adults and their adult problems (i.e. Oskar not being a good husband to his wife, Phil grieving over the thought of death, Mr. Hyunh wishing to reunite with his grown daughter) This was something we really didn’t see back then. It’s good we’re seeing more of it in today’s shows. Indeed, the spotlight doesn’t always need to be on a child protagonist in order to have great story-telling and resonate with an all-ages audience. And because of this, we got some fantastic adult humor too. :D

Aside from Arnold and Helga of course, Hey Arnold! has a huge cast of diverse characters from kids to adults and they are all likable and engaging. It takes quite a lot of effort and skilled writing and acting to make this happen. Even if they’re jerks, you can at least count on them to say something funny.

I have one minor complaint: Most of the kids ARE TOO MATURE. It’s so weird to think of them as nine. I feel like Arnold and his gang act like sixth-graders, the actual fifth and sixth graders act more like high schoolers....okay, even the sixth grade girls talk and act more like college kids.

If you have never checked out this animated series but love good cartoons, I suggest you do it right now. Watching it in chronological order is not particularly necessary (to enjoy it) but you may appreciate the evolution of the show better that way (especially the art and character writing).

#hey arnold #been watching it alot again and felt like writing this #helga pataki #arnold shortman #craig bartlett #good cartoon #nickelodeon #the splat

[thegeeklee]

The Best Upcoming Games of 2017

2016 was a great year for games, and 2017 is shaping up to be a good year as well (and there might even be some surprise releases we haven’t event heard of yet). Here’s my 20 of the games I’m most looking forward to in 2017, potentially in chronological order. And yes… they’re mostly adventure games…

Quarter 1 2017

Night In The Woods – 22nd February 2017 (PC)

I was lucky enough to visit to check out an indie game exhibition at the EMP Museum in Seattle a couple of years ago. I played a demo of Night In The Woods there, not even realising that it hadn’t come out yet (nor that it wouldn’t come out for another 2 years from then). You wouldn’t have known because it was looking as slick then as it is now. It’s 2D sidescrolling adventure game focused on narrative. A cat known as Mae returns home from College to her home town of Possum Springs and thus begins the journey of life. It’s got a bizzare, slightly hipster vibe and morbid humour to it. It’s quite unique. If you want to get a taste of it, you can  try out for free two prologue demos (Longest Night and Lost Constellation) here: https://finji.itch.io/

Paradigm - Early 2017 (PC, MAC)

While we’ve seen a lot of point n click remasters of classic Lucasfilm games, and a heap of Telltale’s evolution of the genre, we’ve not had many games that have truly evoked the spirit of those classic 90’s adventure games. Enter Paradigm.

Paradigm is a surreal point-and-click adventure game set in the strange and post apocalyptic world of Krusz; a land inspired by a mix of Eastern Europe and the 70’s and 80’s. You play as the unattractive yet over-confident mutated Paradigm; who must prevail through inconvenient trials to overcome the insecure yet tyrannical sloth antagonist, Olof!

Paradigm has been developed by Jacob Janerka, whom I don’t personally know (though have had a couple of chats with), but is based in the same city as me, Perth, Western Australia. The detail of the art is awesome. The game was originally supposed to be released in January 2017, but got delayed. Going by what’s left to complete the game, I think there’s a good chance of a quarter 1 release for this game. I’m just surprised this game hasn’t been picked up by Double Fine Presents or Devolver for distribution. You can try out a free demo here: http://www.paradigmadventure.com/

 Thimbleweed Park - Early 2017 (PC, MAC, XB1, iOS, Android)

If Paradigm takes us back to the style of classic 90’s point n click adventures, Thimbleweed Park authentically takes us back to the 80’s. And whom better to take us there than the legendary Ron Gilbert, one of the Lucasfilm originals, responsible for iconic games such as Maniac Mansion and Monkey Island.

A body has been found in the river, bloated and pixelated from the decay of a death come too soon. Agents Ray and Reyes arrive and are immediately suspicious of each other’s intentions. A cursed clown, a disinherited game designer, and the ghost of pillow salesmen join the story and add their own complications. Play and switch between all five characters as you explore the vast, strange, and manipulative world of Thimbleweed Park while unravelling a dark and humorous neo-noir mystery.

Thimbleweed Park perfectly evokes the style of Maniac Mansion, but with update amazing looking pixel graphics, with some really nice lighting effects that really give it a feel of a cross between the X-Files and Twin Peaks. While still no confirmed date, I think it’s pretty safe to say this will come out first quarter. The biggest challenge for me is deciding whether to play it on PC or iOS.

 South Park: The Fractured But Whole - Early 2017 (PC, PS4, XB1)

South Park is a TV show I’ve watch since the first season came out, but it’s only been in more recent years that I’ve realised it’s true brilliance as the show has got more political over the years (while never picking a side, instead making fun of all sides). What puzzled me was why the South Park: The Stick of Truth game flew under the radar for me. I don’t think I even got it on release day. It may have been not until it was like half price that I grabbed it. What a mistake that was, because it was a perfect recreation of the show. It was literally like you were controlling the cartoon. All the humour and characters were there and it also done well with parodying the RPG genre.

While Stick of Truth had Cartman and the gang dressing up as fantasy characters, The Fractured But Whole has the kids of South Park switch it up by dressing up as Superheros instead. This will be a day one purchase for me this time round. Trey and Matt return, being heavily involved in the production of the game. It’s looking as slick as the last game, while aiming to improving the depth of the combat. It was originally supposed to come out early December 2016, it’s now aiming for “Early 2017”, so expect this in quarter 1, possibly early March 2017.

 Mass Effect Andromeda - 21st March 2017 (PC, PS4, XB1)

Mass Effect is one of my favourite game series of all time. As such, Mass Effect Andromeda should be my most anticipated game of 2017. Yet I’m cautious to get too excited about it. Perhaps it’s because some of the key team members behind the original triology are no longer involved in the production of the game. Perhaps it’s the fact the new characters aren’t looking the greatest, and will struggle to meet the lofty heights set by the original cast. Will choice actually really matter this time round?

Still it’s still gonna be a Mass Effect game, and even if turns out to not live up to the original trilogy’s standards, it will still be a decent game. It may also improve on the previous games in some areas. I’d be happy if Mass Effect had no combat at all, so Andromeda’s focus on semi open world exploration should hopefully take away some of it’s combat focus.

Mass Effect Andromeda is set 600 years after the original trilogy, seeing human kind searching for new planets to setup shop in a new galaxy. We will be the aliens. We will be the invaders. It should make for some interesting galactic politics. Despite my concerns this is a day 1 purchase for me, and no doubt will consume me as explore every section of it’s galaxy within the main game and likely DLC (though no season pass has been announced). If they do this right, it’s an early contender for game of the year for me.

 Tokyo 42 – Early 2017 (PC)

Tokyo 42 is described as  the lovechild of Syndicate and GTA 1. Set in a future Tokyo, the game will see you become an assassin and uncover a dark conspiracy that will affect everyone. With open-world single player and competitive multiplayer, you will buy and use a host of weapons and tools to approach the many challenges of this beautiful little world.

This is a game that is pretty much selling me purely on art style. The Japanese influenced isometric graphics sucker me in. Unfortunately it would likely end up on my pile of shame of games I haven’t gotten around to playing much like the spiritual successor to Syndicate, Satellite Reign. As such it’s def on my radar for this year, but probably not a day 1 purchase.

 Quarter 2 2017

Little Nightmares - 28th April 2017 (PC, PS4, XB1)

Little Nightmares is the only game from here on that has a confirmed release date. Looking like something straight out of Tim Burton’s mind, it also reminds me of this stop animation movie about Tom Thumb that came out in the 90s.

This game is set to be like a dark version of Little Big Planet, or a brighter version of Limbo. Hopefully it plays as well as it looks. It’s got triple A game style, with an indie game price (only $20USD), so this is going to be one I’ll certainly give the benefit of the doubt and try out close to launch if Mass Effect or some other game isn’t still consuming my life.

 Tacoma - Q2 2017 (PC, MAC, XB1)

Tacoma is the long awaited second game from the developers of Gone Home, a game that really changed my gaming life. Along with Dear Esther, essentially birthed the genre of FPX  (First Person Explorers), or the more derogatory term of Walking Simulators. What these games did was strip away the combat elements of First Person Shooters like Bioshock and just create a game focus on world and narrative building. To some sections of the gaming community, gameplay to them means shooting things, so to these types of gamers, Gone Home wasn’t even a game. But to more mature gamers, this was exactly the sort of game they’ve been waiting and really inspired me to want to get into indie game development.

Gone Home was set in ordinary American home. Tacoma takes things in an opposite direction to an abandoned space station. This should be one of my most anticipated titles. A FPX set in space from Fullbright? Sign me up! But I am a bit cautious and I’ll tell you why. Because most FPX games are developed by small indie studios, the way they get away with it is by not physically seeing characters in the game. Unfortunately Tacoma takes the path of having avatars play back memory like sequences not too dissimilar to Everybody’s Gone To The Rapture. I hope this pays off, but I am a bit sceptical about it. Still just out of respect for the brilliance of Gone Home, this is definitely a day one purchase for me.

 Sometimes Always Monsters - TBC 2017 (PC)

How can a game made in RPG Maker be possibly my most anticipated game of 2017? Because it was possibly my most anticipated game of 2016! Let me tell you why. I watched a review of the original game Always Sometimes Monsters. The reviewers seemed to be deeply affected by the game. I couldn’t see how this low res, generic looking JRPG style game could be any good. Yet when I saw it for cheap enough, I decided to give it a spin. I’m so glad I did, as it’s one of my favourite games of all time, and find myself regularly discussing it with others.

The reason being is choice. Many may have been disappointed to find their choices in the Mass Effect trilogy has little effect on the ending of the series. What Always Sometimes Monsters didn’t have in the graphics department, it certainly made up in having possibly the best choice/consequence mechanics I’ve ever played in a game. Think of Grand Theft Auto if it was presented as a pixel art American version of a JRPG with no combat. Instead you are constantly presented life choices in the game where by there rarely ever is a right answer, and all choices can lead to perceived negative outcomes. It’s just like real life!

Sometimes Always Monsters continues this journey. In fact if you’ve played the original game you can use your save file and continue on with the same character in the sequel with all your choices you made affecting the future game. It’s got an improved art style this time round that I’m really digging. It was supposed to come out in 2016, but didn’t quite make it. There’s no solid release date, so I’m chucking this in the quarter 2 section. If you don’t believe me how great this game is (and it won’t be for everyone), pick up the original game and try out it. It’s regularly on sale for a couple of dollars. If you dig it, you’ll want to play it through anyways so you can continue the story on in the second game.

 Knights and Bikes – Q2 2017 (PC, MAC, PS4)

Kinghts and Bikes is a co-op adventure about childhood, inspired by The Goonies, Secret of Mana & Earthbound, from developers on Tearaway, LittleBigPlanet, Ratchet & Clank. If it’s hipster style doesn’t grate me, the innocent nature of this game could very well be infectious, much like a non-dark version of Stranger Things. Secret of Mana is one of my favourite games of all time, and Little Big Planet was always an undeniable polished game series, so there is great potential here. I’m interested in the fact it has co-op (much like Secret of Mana), so hopefully I can convince someone to jump on the couch and play this through with me.

It was recently picked up to be published by Double Fine Presents, which is perfect, considering it’s similarities to Broken Age and Costume Quest. It doesn’t have a set release date but I’m estimate a late quarter 2 arrival.

 Cuphead - TBC 2017 (PC, XB1)

Cuphead has been popping up and grabbing people’s attention every now and the past few reason, and for good reason. It’s art style is authentic interpretation of classic early animation (think Disney’ Steam Boat Willy) style. The way this game is looks and moves is astounding.

My only concern is this bullet-hell game supposedly has a brutally hard difficulty level. That does not bode well for people who suck at games, but it’s certainly not gonna stop me trying. It’s painstakingly hand drawn, which gives good reason why it’s been delayed so much. With a whole 11 months more to release it within, it will surely come out this year finally. I’m predicting a release before July.

 Quarter 3 2017

Full Throttle Remastered – TBC 2017 (PC, PS4, VITA)

I’ve spoken about Paradigm and Thimbleweed Park which both pay tribute to different eras of Lucasfilm point n click adventures. Well here’s a remaster of a classic Lucasfilm game that I’m looking forward to finally playing. Full Throttle by Tim Schafer is being remastered by his studio Double Fine much like Day of The Tentacle and Grim Fandango. I haven’t played Full Throttle before, but I always remember it’s distinct cartoon style back in 90’s gaming magazines. This finally be my chance to play it. You can play it in it’s classic pixel style, or the new remastered the graphics. The remastered graphics just looked like a smoothed out widescreen version of the original, much like the Day of Tentacle remaster, so I think I’ll play this in the remastered mode. There’s no set date other than 2017, so I’m estimating an early quarter 3 release date at this stage.

Wonder Boy 3 - TBC 2017 (PC, Consoles)

The classic Sega Master System sidescrolling adventure game, Wonder Boy 2 and 3, are some of my favourite games of all time. I like them so much, I’m tempted to make a game myself in the style of it. Well recently two indie devs bet me two it and announced two Wonder Boy inspired games, both likely to release in 2017. Wonder Boy 3 will be re-skin/re-master of the original Wonder Boy 3. I never owned Wonder Boy 3 as a kid. A friend had, but I only every got the occasional go of it. I now own it as part of my retro game collection, but perhaps this remaster will be the way I play it through from start to finish. I think I prefer the original art style, as this remaster has a very “flash” art style to it, that I’m rarely too keen on, but I will certainly give it a go, based purely on my devotion to Wonder Boy.

 Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom - TBC 2017 (PC, PS4, XB1, Switch)

The other Wonder Boy inspired game is not a remaster, but more so a spiritual successor. After a few different incarnations, Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom does come across as a modern version of Wonder Boy. It unfortunately has a similar “flash” style of art work to it much like the Wonder Boy remaster, but perhaps there’s no other way to approach it without a total pixel art throw back. Whether this can live up the legend of Wonder Boy games, or if it will turn out to be a cheap copy is remained to be seen (Mighty No.9 reportedly didn’t no do well recapturing the magic of Mega Man). Alas, much like the Wonder Boy 3 remaster, I will be grabbing it anyways.

 Memories of a Broken Dimension – TBC 2017 (PC)

You dredge the satellite transmission. Awash in static, harsh structures emerge. Trace a guide line through crushing atmosphere; phantom signals lead to encoded relics. Exhumed from a frozen void, fragmented ruins assemble. But when the stream thaws, no system can handle this overflow...

That’s the description of Memories of a Broken Dimension. If you haven’t guessed already it’s going to be a very dark, abstract experimental game. It’s visually right up my alley, feeling like a music video to my favourite music. I haven’t played it yet but there’s a free early prototype available at https://xra.itch.io/memory-of-a-broken-dimension . I’m not sure what to expect with this game, but perhaps it will turn out to be one the surprise life changing games of 2017. We shall see…

 Overland – TBC 2017 (PC, MAC)

Overland is a squad-based survival strategy game with procedurally generated levels set in post-apocalyptic North America. Every random level is full of close calls and hard choices. Manage allies, fuel supplies, medkits and weapons by making the right choices on the procedural roadmaps.

The art style for this game has certainly grabbed me, and the premise sounds interesting. It could have a lot of replayability to it. My issue is I really want to play this on a touch screen like a phone or tablet. Alas only PC has been announced as a platform. Much like Tokyo 42, I’m not sure I’d actually play it on PC, so I may sit it out for a while an hope for a mobile port in the future. If you are keen for it now though, you can purchase an early access version of the game at http://overland-game.com/

 Quarter 4 2017

Red Dead Redemption 2 - Q3/Q4 2017 (PS4, XB1)

Quarter 4 is usually the time of the year the big Triple A titles fight out for the Christmas dollar, and I expect this year to be no different. Red Dead Redemption 2 was announced last year, with not much information to go by. It’s hard to know if John Marston will feature in it. One thing that is hinted at though is that likely after the success of GTA Online, there will be a strong multiplayer component to the game. Red Dead Redemption was undoubtedly Rockstar at it usual impeccable level.

I didn’t get into it so much due to be not being into Western/Period piece settings. However I can not deny the quality of this world building and have no doubt that RDR2 will end up on many gamer’s game of the year lists. Essentially, if Rockstar makes something, I’m gonna get it. It’s that simple. No firm release date yet, but I’m going to assume a November launch.

 Uncharted The Lost Legacy - TBC 2017 (PS4)

Speaking of the other giants of world building, if Rockstar are the kings of open world games, then Naughty Dog are certainly the kings of Action Adventure games. Uncharted 4 was a great game that made my top ten of 2016. What likely started out as a DLC for Uncharted 4, The Lost Legacy has evolved into a full stand alone game featuring Chloe and Nadine from the Uncharted series as the protagonists. The announcement trailer had a much darker feel to it than the usual Uncharted series, while still being identifiable as part of that world. We’re not talking The Last of Us dark, but whether the whole game has this darker tone or not for the whole, or if it was just this particular scene, we shall wait and see.

One of my criticisms of Uncharted games is it often felt like it dragged on an extra 5-10 hours longer than it should have, often filling it up and stopping progress with waves of generic military goons. The Lost Legacy is meant to be somewhat in between the length of The Last of Us Left Behind DLC (approx. 3 hours) and the full Uncharted 4 game (approx. 17 hours). This should see The Lost Legacy clock in around 10 hours which could be the perfect length, which certainly makes me look forward to diving into this game. When that will be, I dunno, but I’m guessing in the second half of the year sometime.

Cyberpunk 2077 – TBC (PC, PS4, XB1)

While I do own The Witcher 3 (it came free with my graphics card), I’ve never played a Witcher game. Not because I don’t think it would be a good game, but when I’m prioritising my game playing time, I have to pick games in settings I’m interested in. I’m not really interested in fantasy settings (hence only 3 hours in Skyrim on my belt compared to my 120 hours in Fallout 4). My favourite settings are based in the future, whether it be set in a dystopian nuclear wasteland (Fallout 4), a shiny galactic universe (Mass Effect) or dirty grimey cyberpunk world (Shadowrun). Cyberpunk you say? Yes the neon drenched, acid rain, neo noir blade runner esque worlds are my favourite worlds of all regardless of the medium.

The Witcher 3 is so acclaimed by critics and fans alike, I constantly feel like I’m missing out. When CD Projekt Red announced it was making a Cyberpunk 2077, I realised I will finally get the chance to experience their quality game making.  While I have had no association with the original Cyberpunk 2077 license, if the Witcher is really is “that good”, then applying that team to a cyberpunk game could very well end up in my favourite games of all time list.

Still we know very little about the game, other than it will have a multiplayer component (which is exciting). The game was first announced 4 years ago, with a concept art trailer released in January 2013 show and telling very little. We’ve literally heard or seen nothing since. The developer has said it wasn’t going to talk about it any more until after Witcher 3 was done. The Witcher 3 and all of it’s DLC is now doubt, so expect a big announcement at E3 later this year. Hopefully it will be a Fallout 4 style announcement that tells us it’s coming out in November, but there is very much the chance we won’t see it until 2018. At the very least we should at least know and see more of the game this year.

 Squadron 42 (Star Citizen) – TBC 2042 (PC)

I am a veteran backer of Star Citizen from early 2013. I religiously followed the development of this game for the first year or two. It wasn’t until I saw them miss the original release date of November 2014, and just about every other single deadline they’ve set since, that I’ve noticed the cracks. I now have little faith in the game ever being completed despite the over $142 million in crowd funding (more than most Triple A titles). I’ve resigned myself to the fact my money has probably been thrown in a buggy tech demo equivalent of a fire. While Star Citizen is to be a MMO, it has a single player campaign called Squadron 42. Oh how I wish they had just made Squadron 42 first with a limited scope, and then later built a MMO based on that. We could have very well had a game by now, over 5 years since Chris Roberts original prototype. Instead we have 2 games with a never ending scope creep which will never be reigned due to the cult like obsessive white knight fans that destroy any discussion of constructive criticism of the game to defend how many 1000s of dollars they’ve spent on concept images of spaceships (which kinda defeats the point of crowd funding a game).

Unfortunately despite all of it’s money, nearly 6x the amount the developer CIG said it needed to “fully fund” the development of the game, the lack of progress see the very likely scenario that they will run out of money before the game is complete, with likely lawsuits to follow. Still I hope CIG prove me wrong, because I do want to play this game one day, but when that day will be, and whether when that day comes, if the game even ends up being any good are another matter altogether. Squadron 42 does feature a big cast such as Mark Hamil and Gillian Anderson, but what little they’ve shown of it (we haven’t see anything from it for about 6 months), it’s not been very impressive, in particular a military speech scene was quite cheesy. The list of problems with Star Citizen could fill a whole blog post of it’s own. Squadron 42 has missed many release deadlines, so if at least the first chapter of it doesn’t release this year, even the most blindly devoted fans of this game will surely have to see the end is nigh. Let’s hope CIG get their act together, and pay back the people who put so much faith in them.

 Some Surprise Indie or Triple A title

Finally, there will surely be a surprise game we don’t even know about yet that will blow people away. Whether it will be a surprise last minute launch announcement like Fallout 4 (maybe Half Life 3?) or the next break away indie hit like Stardew Valley. There’s a lot of games to look forward to this year, but perhaps our favourite games will be ones yet to be expecting.

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#night in the woods #Paradigm #Thimbleweed Park #South Park #the fractured but whole #Mass Effect #Andromeda #Tokyo 42 #Little Nightmares #Tacoma #Sometimes Always Monsters #Knights And Bikes #Cuphead #Full Throttle Remastered #Wonder Boy #Monster Boy #Memories of a Broken Dimension #Overland #Red Dead Redemption #Uncharted #Cyberpunk #Cyberpunk 2077 #Star Citizen #Squadron 42 #Games #2017 #Adventure #RPG #Platformer #Action

[batterymanufacture]

How do I find battery for wearable device?

I have been searching all over the best for the best wearable battery solution, I mean literally all year long. I can’t believe that I have actually found something that is finally the best for not only my smartwatch, but also my Bluetooth headset battery, and my VR battery. I started using all of the smart devices a few years ago, and I can tell you from personal experience that the first generation of batteries for the pretty awesome, mini devices was just not up to par with the many demands of daily life. In retrospect, they barely had decent smart glass battery options that could power my devices for a full day even two or three years ago.

So initially, I began to search for the many top options and alternatives that could continuously power these devices for me, and allow me to go about my day without constantly worrying about whether or not my smartwatch battery was going to last, or if it was just going to die on me before I had a chance to get home or to a place where I could connect the charger again. It was really just a challenge every day, especially since, unlike the more traditional types of analog watches out there at the high-end jewelry stores, they still have not figured out a way to let the watches charge themselves through some sort of kinetic battery charging mechanism already being contained within the watch. And, do not even get me started on the VR batterychoices because they are nowhere close to being even remotely reliable for what I would need them to be able to endure on a daily basis.

Now when I consider the Bluetooth headset battery choices I recount the instances of searching all over every mall and even all of the web sites in order to find a decent battery choice. It is nearly unfathomable to think that one would be able to find a remedy for a completely discharged VR battery, and the smartwatch battery shopping outlets do not usually carry the most varied array of options for every person’s individual tastes or needs. If you are like me, then you are probably making use of your smartwatch or VR battery almost all day long with very little time for your devices to recover or even for them to charge. Sometimes, I wish there were a solar-powered or kinetically powered option that would maintain its own battery without the need for me to take it off, or to stop being able to use it during the time that it must remain plugged into the charging cable or the mounting dock.

One of the most exciting innovations of our current day and age is the development of the smart glass battery and all of the custom and bespoke devices that use this super-advanced type of electrical power storage technology. It is not unlikely that even this most desirable type of smartwatch battery tech will not one day be succeeded by a type of tech that may become even more popular than the current trend in mobile power, but it is probably a type of consumer staple that will remain intertwined in our day to day lives for many more years, and likely even a couple of decades, to come. We will have yet to see if this is the type of widely adopted tech that will stand the test of time, or if it will be something that we move so far away from using in the future that we all but forget about its existence at this moment in time.

As our society has progressed and evolved in ways that we barely could have fathomed even just a couple of short years ago, we have slowly but surely become more mobile with almost every aspect of our lives. People are shopping for groceries from tiny screens on their wrists in our modern society, and it is because of things like this that we need the most reliable smartwatch battery technology to keep our mobile devices powered up for long periods of time. I have even seen people taking classes, or completing assignments for their jobs on these various mobile devices, and the battery technology is really the backbone of the infrastructure that allows this to happen for them. The days of lugging around a heavy and bulky laptop computer, along with all of the charging and ethernet cables that come along with it will probably soon be far behind us.

I even sometimes think back over the chronology of the evolution of the mobile phone, and it is quite astonishing just how far we have come from having a cellular telephone permanently installed in the body of our cars, to now being able to have completely handed free conversations from almost anywhere we choose to with a device as small as a watch or even an earphone! Production has also been streamlined to handle the massive amounts of public demands for all of the different electronic mobile computing devices that every person wants to have as part of their collection.

If you really take a moment to think about wearable battery, a Bluetooth headset battery or even a VR battery was not one of the things we would have had on our shopping list the year before last. Custom shaped batteries to fit into any and all available space in your product for maximum efficiency. Any shape is possible, Grepow can now offer shaped batteries from 8mm to as thin as 0.4mm. By utilizing Grepow’s proprietary formula in custom shaped cells, it will empower you against your competition. Grepow’s high discharge rate technology and fast charging capabilities will allow you to overpower your competitors and lower downtime between uses.

This is further evidence that times are changing, and you should really think about starting to look for ways in which you can become more mobile with your communications and technology so that you can maintain a competitive advantage among all of our tech-savvy peers. Never before in our entire history has there been a time when we had to consider all of the mobile battery options or even the duration of our mobile battery power supply. The evolution is only going to continue, and the technology will only become more and more efficient and reliable as we progress into the future.

If you are interested in our products, please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time! Email: [email protected] Grepow Website: https://www.grepow.com/

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