"The Professor's Workshop"

An excerpt from my graphic novel script drafts, posted here without beta bc it motivates me to write. In this chapter, the protagonists David and Kuruk are being given a tour of Armadillo Island by its mayor.

"Just wait til you meet them!" RJ exclaims excitedly. "They're the mind of a generation - maybe two!" He now adds an additional spring to his step, and David has to jog to keep up with him, despite them both being very short men. Kuruk follows behind, looking deeply skeptical.

RJ leads them down a winding forested path to a more remote part of the village, continuing to talk about the island the whole time while occasionally asking friendly questions of his guests.

They arrive at a secluded building tucked away in the bright green foliage of the island. The building is made in the same unique colorful architectural style as the rest of the island, but it has an odd overall shape - as though it has seen many small additions and renovations over the years. Paint chips in a couple places, but otherwise it looks well-cared-for. Shiny metal vents and chimneys emerge from the roof and sides, gently emitting white smoke. A stone pathway leads from the sign to the door, nearly hidden in untamed tall grass.

Out front, a high-quality colorful carved wooden sign reads:

Doctor Professor Xosha Zapata, PhD

Chemist & Architect Extraordinaire

"The sign was a gift from me," RJ chirps, stopping for a moment to admire it.

"No kidding," David deadpans politely, obviously hiding a smile.

(Behind him, the side of Kuruk's mouth twitches upwards a little for just a moment.)

RJ is marches up the overgrown stone and knocks confidently on the door, which turns out to not be fully closed; it creaks open from his knocking.

RJ stands just outside of the doorway and shouts inside cheerfully, causing Kuruk to wince at the volume. "OH, PROFESSOR!!! Are you in, Professor? I've met the most lovely chaps and I'd love to introduce them to our island's premiere scientific mind!"

There is a distant muffled sound from within.

"... PROFESSOR?" RJ shouts again, looking slightly concerned, "ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

An indistinct wobbly speech bubble comes from inside, ending in question marks.

RJ looks both worried and like a man on a mission. "WE'RE COMING IN TO CHECK ON YOU - ALRIGHT, PROFESSOR?" He shouts loud enough this time that David and Kuruk both wince.

RJ hustles in and our heroes follow hesitantly behind.

The small entryway opens into a large room with high ceiling. It appears to be a lab or a workshop of some kind. Skylight windows light the room with soft sunlight, and dust motes float in the air in the brightest of the rays of light.

In terms of the contents of the room, the place looks like if a cartoon professor somehow had even more ADHD than usual:

There are dozens of beakers and vials on a number of desks and tables. A few of the beakers sit on lit bunsen burners, bubbling with colorful substances and sending white smoke up into the vents above them. At least one beaker has bubbled over and created an unidentifiable burnt mass at its base.

There are multiple architectural drafting tables with designs and blueprints on them in various states of completion.

There are several chalkboards full of notes in messy handwriting.

Books, papers, notebooks cover nearly every flat surface and several of the non-flat ones. Many torn notebook pages have been taped to the walls. [I guess this fantasy world has an equivalent to scotch tape now. ... I'm fine with that.]

The only decorations are a cluster of very nice painting on a small section of the wall. (Readers looking very closely will notice they all have the same artist's signature - Epa, who runs the inn.)

There is nothing to suggest nefarious scientific activity. Real "absentminded professor" energy.

In the far corner of the room, a set of scaffolding and a ladder block off a small space.

"H-hello? RJ, is that you?" says a small speech bubble from behind the scaffolding.

"Aha!" RJ leaps in that direction impressively quickly for a tiny man in his 50s.

Before David and Kuruk catch up to him, they hear RJ's relieved and once again cheerful voice:

"Ah, professor! There you are, thank goodness!!! You had us worried for a moment there!"

"...'Us' ?" says the unknown person in a pinched voice.

David and Kuruk round the corner to see three things:

One: an incomplete 8-foot-tall architectural model of a building,

Two: a fallen ladder, and

Three: a very embarrassed-looking non-binary person whom they recognize as the amateur vigilante they last saw getting shoved into the town square fountain by Armadillo Woman. Ze is wearing overalls, safety goggles pushed up on zyr head, a white shirt with some almost neon-colored stains on it, and a safety harness.

Ze appears unharmed, but they are suspended in the air by a cord attached to the back of the harness, and they look exceedingly uncomfortable. Zyr feet are dangling high off the ground, and ze is slowly and involuntarily rotating in place.

"Oh." Ze says weakly at the sound of additional footsteps. "There's... more people to witness this. ...My lucky day." They look as though they'd rather melt away into the earth. As they speak, they continue to spin, and they miss their initial chance to look at David and Kuruk, not seeing their faces until spinning slowly back around.

RJ, however, continues with his introductions, gesturing grandly and earnestly. "Mister David, Mister Kuruk - please meet the esteemed Doctor-Professor Xosha Zapata! Professor, these are my new friends Kuruk and David! They're here for the festival!"

Behind RJ, Kuruk squints at being called RJ's "new friend." David just looks amused.

"Y-You can just call me Xosha actually I'm not really--"

Xosha stops as ze finally catches sight of David and Kuruk - zyr face somehow falls even further. "Ah. We've, uh, met, actually," they say with a pained smile.

RJ is delighted. "Really?!? Fantastic! You must tell me all about it! How you met, what everyone was wearing! Every detail!"

"Um, actually, do you think maybe somebody could get me down first, please?" Xosha says in a small voice.

RJ looks surprised to find Xosha still in the air; he presses his hand to his forehead. "Oh! Oh my! Of course of course - my apologies! - I just get so carried away! Gentlemen, would you assist me?"

David and Kuruk nod. Kuruk looks like he's questioning how his life has come to this.

"Tell us what to do, Professor!" RJ says with his hands on his hips.

What follows is a ridiculous comical sequence in which Xosha explains how this happened and the men help zyr get down.

Ze was standing on a tall ladder and working on the architectural model. The safety harness they're wearing supports their torso and pelvis, and it connects to a rope from a clever pulley system on the ceiling. The early light of dawn indicates that this was probably a few hours ago.

They lean too far to reach for something and lose their balance, kicking the ladder out from under them while simultaneously knocking the pulley controls out of their reach.

Their legs kick in the air as they tried to release themselves from the harness, but in their struggles they manage only to somehow tangle the straps of their overalls and cause a lot of discomfort.

The final flashback panel is a distant wide shot of the whole workshop with the lonely defeated figure of Xosha hanging comically from the harness in the background.

Per Xosha's direction, RJ and David find the pulley controls and begin to lower zyr down in stops and starts. The pulley system is not cooperating with them, and Xosha yelps in a mix of alarm and discomfort with each small drop. It looks very painful, and David winces in sympathy. RJ looks similarly apologetic.

After the first small drop, Kuruk moves quickly to stand under Xosha.

"I will catch you," he says, looking entirely unsure of himself, but ready nonetheless.

"Thank-- you," Xosha squeaks, "It's-- YAAHH--!!!"

They let out a final yelp as they drop the last few feet. Kuruk catches them from behind [either under the arms or by the harness] and slows their fall so they land safely on their feet. Kuruk continues to support them for a few seconds until they seem steady.

As soon as Kuruk lets go, however, Xosha whimpers and lowers zyrself to the ground in a comically pained ball. Evidently, hanging from a pelvis harness hurts one's crotch and hips like a motherfucker, and Xosha is too exhausted to pretend otherwise. They are still clearly embarrassed, but they seem to have accepted their humiliating fate.

RJ hurries over to help them take the harness off, crouching on the ground next to them and patting their shoulder consolingly. He asks them what happened, and he asks if they need help taking the harness off. Xosha accepts his help and explains, accompanied by 3-5 cartoony flashback panels:

In the flashback, ze is standing on a tall ladder and working on the architectural model. The safety harness they're wearing supports their torso and pelvis, and it connects to a rope from a clever pulley system on the ceiling that can be manually adjusted by the user. The early light of dawn indicates that this was probably a few hours ago.

Xosha leans too far to reach for something and loses their balance, kicking the ladder out from under them while simultaneously knocking the pulley controls out of their reach.

They are caught by the harness and the expression of pain on their face is ridiculous and exaggerated for humor.

Their legs kick in the air as they tried to release themselves from the harness, but in their struggles they manage only to somehow tangle the straps of their overalls and cause more discomfort.

The final flashback panel is a distant wide shot of the whole workshop - with the lonely defeated figure of Xosha gently swaying in the background.

In the present, Xosha buries their head in their hands and lets out a loud long groan; they lament how stupid their mistake was, and RJ reassures them that even geniuses make mistakes! Xosha insists that ze is not a genius. RJ declares that they are too modest. It is clear that this is not the first time they have had this conversation.

David takes in the absurdity of it all and he smiles at Kuruk across the room. Kuruk doesn't smile back, but he does meet David's gaze and there is a hint of a twinkle in his eye amongst his general bewilderment.

Finally, Xosha manages to get the harness off and sit in a chair, letting out a long sigh.

On the final page of the chapter, a large panel shows Xosha in a detailed, fully-rendered (shaded, inked, colored, etc.) shot with warm natural lighting. Ze looks up from their chair with an attempt at a smile that lands a little closer to a wince. The shot is framed to make them appear endearing in their awkwardness. They are both cute and anxious.

"So, uhh, I'm guessing you have some questions about yesterday?" ze says.

Below that panel, a banner with large font reads:

Tune in next time for Part 3, Chapter 7:

"The Professor."

[End.]

If you liked this and want to read the published scripts with concept art on AO3, you can do that! I get a comment on those like once every 3 months and every time it gives me serotonin for like 3 weeks tbh. If you don't mind an unusual reading format, then you can find sexy men tied up and rescued, gay sky pirates, budding friendships, autistic/ADHD friendship, so many Trans people, sexy fat characters, empowering disability representation, a group of actors who would fit right in with The Ember Island Players, a haunted mop, a magical trauma recovery library, a lesbian biker gang that robs imperialistic museums - AND SO MUCH MORE

Note to self: I think maybe I'll change Xosha's pronouns to they/them and zey/zem, instead of they/them and ze/zyr. Seems to fit better.

Cutscenes for editors, a masterpost

For those who don’t know, I tend to post all the cutscenes I record (in english and with no subtitles) in my YT channel, not only for safe keeping but also to share them with other editors.

All scenes are in English, with no subtitles (when possible: for example, genshin impact has no option to remove subs, so the scenes include them). The older games are all 1280x720 (recorded with a PS4) but the latest ones should be 1920x1080.

Since it’s been a while since I posted an updated list, here it is after the read more.

ANTHEM (rip buddy)

—

ARISE: A SIMPLE STORY

—

ASSASSIN’S CREED:

ACII (Ezio Collection) (on going): ACII | Brotherhood | Revelations

AC Unity (on going)

Syndicate: Main Story | Secondary Missions | DLC: Dreadful Crimes | DLC: Last Maharajah | DLC: Jack The Ripper

Origins: Main Quests | Secondary Quests | Miscellaneous Cutscenes | DLC: The Hidden Ones | DLC: Curse of The Pharaoh

Odyssey: Main Quests | Secondary Quests | Miscellaneous Cutscenes | DLC: Lost Tales Of Greece | DLC: Legacy Of The First Blade | DLC: Fate of Atlantis

Valhalla: Main Quests | Side Quests (on going) | Wrath Of The Druids DLC | Ragnarok DLC

—

BORDERLANDS:

Borderlands

Borderlands 2

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel

Tales From The Borderlands, S1: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5

Borderlands 3

—

DEATH STRANDING (on going)

—

DESTINY:

Destiny 1 (Expansions included)

Destiny 2: Base Game | Expansion I: Curse of Osiris | Expansion II: Warmind | Expansion III: Forsaken | Y2 Annual Pass Content [Expansions IV/V/VI] | Y3: Shadowkeep | Y4: Beyond Light | Y5: The Witch Queen

—

DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN

(With over 800 videos, it contains the main route, plus added cutscenes to other paths, as I worked towards the platinum)

—

FINAL FANTASY:

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Final Fantasy XV: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |  Chapter 12, Patch 1.16 | Chapter 13 |  Chapter 13, Verse 2 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 14, Royal Edition | Platinum Demo | Side Quests | Broquests | Miscellaneous Cutscenes | Episode Gladiolus | Episode Prompto | Episode Ignis | Episode Ardyn | Comrades DLC | Moogle Chocobo Carnival | Assassin’s Festival | TERRA WARS Collaboration | FFXIV Collaboration

Final Fantasy VII Remake: Part 1 | Intermission DLC (on going)

—

GENSHIN IMPACT

—

GOD OF WAR (2018)

—

GRIS (on going)

—

HELLBLADE: SENUA’S SACRIFICE (on going)

—

HORIZON:

Zero Dawn (+ Frozen Wilds DLC)

Forbidden West (on going)

—

JOURNEY

White outfit version.

—

KINGDOM HEARTS:

Kingdom Hearts III | Re:Mind DLC (incomplete)

Kingdom Hearts HD Dream Drop Distance

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth By Sleep: A Fragmentary Passage

—

LIFE IS STRANGE:

Life Is Strange: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5

Life is Strange: Before The Storm: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Farewell

The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit

Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5

Life is Strange: True Colors: Main | Wavelengths DLC

—

MASS EFFECT:

Mass Effect (on going)

Mass Effect 2 (to be uploaded)

Mass Effect 3 (to be uploaded)

Mass Effect Andromeda: Main Story (Sara w/ LI!Vetra) | Main Story (Scott w/ LI!Reyes) | Squadmate Missions

—

NI NO KUNI: Wrath of the White Witch

—

SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS (2018)

—

MARVEL’S SPIDER-MAN (on going, to be re-uploaded)

—

RiME

—

THE WOLF AMONG US

Season 1: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5

—

UNCHARTED:

UNC1: Drake’s Fortune | UNC2: Among Thieves | UNC3: Drake’s Deception | UNC4: A Thief’s End | UNC5: The Lost Legacy (most to be uploaded)

— 

As a final note, I do this for my own entertainment but, if you appreciate what I do and would like to help/tip (games are expensive!), the link to my paypal is up on my channel, next to the twitter and tumblr icons :) Happy editing!

mechanisms basics & lore

welcome to my updated mechanisms intro post! this post will cover both the topics discussed in my mechanisms basics post, which is geared towards people who don’t know what the mechanisms are, and my deep lore post, which aimed to be a comprehensive compilation of all the important character and world lore. this post should serve the above group, but it’s geared towards people who have listened but feel there’s a lot of lore that seems to be common knowledge they’re missing. we’ll start out with a basic introduction, and then go into crew lore and a semi-comprehensive guide on where to go for further information.

basics

the mechanisms were a steampunk concept band, known for their queer representation and their tragic stories. they are no longer together, their last performance being january 2020, but several of their members are still creating related spinoff content.

they follow the trope many steampunk bands do, which is albums that tell a story; think similar to listening to a musical soundtrack, but geared to a visual-less experience. what distinguishes them is 1) narration tracks between each song, making the plot very easy to follow, and 2) being meant to be watched live, meaning there’s layers of meta that are more easily understood by watching recorded gigs rather than studio recordings of albums. specifically, there’s a focus on the narrators, known as the mechanisms or the crew of the aurora, who are immortal space pirates telling the stories and occasionally inserting themselves into them. though they are tragic figures themselves, their banter serves the purpose of bringing a lightheartedness and dark humor to the stories. if there’s an aspect of the lore you’re confused on, it’s probably related to the narrators!

to watch the mechanisms live, you can find recordings on youtube, dropbox, google drive, soundcloud, or vimeo, which are all compiled in this post (including transcripts!). if visuals aren’t your thing, i’ve linked the studio recordings later on in this post when they come up, and here are the mechanisms’ official spotify, bandcamp, and youtube, as well as an unofficial comprehensive lyric videos channel. 

the albums

regarding the albums specifically, there are 4 main ones (once upon a time (in space), ulysses dies at dawn, high noon over camelot, and the bifrost incident), 2 that are compilations of miscellaneous songs (tales to be told 1 & 2), 1 single (frankenstein), and 1 album that’s a high-quality recording of their last live show, including an alternative performance of the bifrost incident, 2 songs only performed at live shows, and 'the deathsong’, which details how they all eventually die (death to the mechanisms).

as you might have been able to tell from the titles, they’re all based off of various myths, folklore, literature, and/or fairy tales, using different genres on top of a sci-fi setting to add a fresh twist to them! for example, high noon over camelot is a western based on arthurian mythos, set on a space station. (the albums are known for all ending in tragedy, so be careful if that isn’t your cup of tea!) if your goal is to get into the mechanisms, i’d suggest sitting down and listening to them all in full; links will be provided below, or alternatively you can watch once upon a time (in space) live here, ulysses dies at dawn live here, or the bifrost incident live here. (there is no full live recording with visuals of high noon over camelot, sadly, but there are partial and audio only recordings.)

once upon a time (in space) - spotify/bandcamp/youtube

ulysses dies at dawn - spotify/bandcamp/youtube

high noon over camelot - spotify/bandcamp/youtube

the bifrost incident - spotify/bandcamp/youtube

tales to be told, volume 1 -  spotify/bandcamp/youtube

tales to be told, volume 2 - spotify/bandcamp/youtube

frankenstein - spotify/bandcamp/youtube

death to the mechanisms - edited video with the stream corruption fixed + subtitles / stream / spotify / bandcamp / youtube / transcript pt. 1 / transcript pt. 2

reading the fiction is integral to understanding both the albums and the mechanisms themselves. the fiction is a collection of short stories set in the mechanisms universe posted on their website here and compiled by me here, with an extra high noon over camelot story here. (there are also audio versions for ‘mirror mirror’ and ‘a rebel yell’ included on both the website and the compilation).

the crew of the aurora

as for the crew, at their peak there were nine members played by people, as well as the ex-member dr carmilla, who has extensive solo lore and is still active (which we’ll touch on in a few paragraphs). there is also their ship, the aurora, who is sentient and has her own lore. in fact, every member of the crew has their own backstory, set in a different genre or historical period; for example, nastya rasputina's is historical, jonny d’ville’s is a western and marius von raum’s is a mecha anime. however, they’re all still different flavors of steampunk! below, i’ll list each member, their performer, and the main sources of lore about them. for the majority of them, they have their own song in tales to be told, but there are a few outliers. everyone also has their own bio up on the website, which can all be found here. 

the aurora (n/a, ship)- on aurora (meta)

jonny d’ville (jonny sims)- one eyed jacks (song), jonny before he was mechanized (meta)

nastya rasputina (anonymous)- cyberian demons (song)

ivy alexandria (morgan wilkinson)- archive footage (fiction), crew bio

ashes o’reilly (frank voss)- lucky sevens (song)

drumbot brian (ben below)- lost in the cosmos (song), crew bio

the toy soldier (jessica law)- the story of the toy soldier (fiction)

gunpowder tim (tim ledsam)- gunpowder tim vs the moon kaiser (song/minialbum)

marius von raum (kofi young)- the death of byron von raum summary (blog post)

raphaella la cognizi (r l hughes)- crew bio

if you’ve noticed the crew bio doesn’t say much about raphaella, that’s because we know little to nothing about her backstory. the only thing we have to go on is a quote from the tv tropes page, which looking at the edit history, was likely written by one of the mechanisms. the quote is ‘Science officer who may or may not have cheated her way onto the ship after becoming a little too interested.‘ and the page is here.

the majority of fandom content is about the crew, working off of what we get from the tales to be told songs, the live gigs, and the fiction.

dr carmilla

speaking of characters with obscure lore, let’s talk about dr carmilla! rather than linger, i’ll just link my carmilla basics post, which is a comprehensive summary of who she is in and out of universe. to summarize, she’s a character based on the novella ‘carmilla’ by sheridan le fanu, commonly regarded as the first vampire novel, but her lore has diverged heavily from that original starting point since then. she is the oldest out of all of the crew, and made the majority of the other crew members immortal. she, as well as aurora, is from a planet called terra, which was destroyed partially as a result of her actions. her character is defined by her immortality and how she deals with it, her experiences on terra, her relationship with the mechanisms, and her dysfunctional relationship with her ex-girlfriend loreli, the last of which is the most covered by her songs. out of universe, she is played by maki yamazaki. all her lore lines up with what happened out of universe, and ties to the fact the mechanisms were originally dr carmilla and the mechanisms. she has two solo albums and two singles, which i’ll link below.

ageha (prototype edition) (album)- bandcamp | youtube

exhumed and {un}plugged (album)- bandcamp | youtube

the city {nex:type mix} (single, in-character cover)- bandcamp | youtube

eleven (single)- bandcamp | youtube

the majority of her lore is still to be officially revealed, and will be in the trilogy of albums maki yamazaki is working on.

further reading

if you’d like to delve further into the lore, there are a few sources i use! there are official, in-character, blogs, as well as things that are harder to dredge up; i won’t link them here, but some sources include @/thedreadvampy (the band’s artist, as well as morgan wilkinson’s sister and kofi young’s partner; don’t bother her for lore or anything, but she’s previously made posts sharing previously unknown information), old websites and deleted content found on the wayback machine, the tv tropes pages, and most notably the lore doc.

the ‘maki forbidden lore doc’ is an archive of all the lore maki yamazaki has shared on the mechscord, the official mechanisms discord which she’s on, and her own personal server, where she’s running an arg (alternate reality game) as a way of relaying more lore about the dr carmilla universe. for an idea of the scale, the doc is currently 91 pages and 28346 words, and recontextualizes much of what is known about dr carmilla and maki’s canon of the mechanisms universe. it is confidential to anyone not in her discord or the mechscord, as she’s said that this lore isn’t thought out nearly as much as the albums and is subject to change, so she’d rather it not be out in the open. however, information on how to join the mechscord can be found here. there is also a non-canonical fan project based on the arg in progress, but information on it is also confidential for now.

with regards to the above phrase ‘maki’s canon’ it’s worth noting that all of the individual band members have their own idea of what counts as canon and what doesn’t, and as you foray deeper into lore that division becomes more and more apparent.

with that, here are the mechanisms’ blogs. they are all both run in-character by the main nine band members and inactive unless i note otherwise.

twitter

tumblr

facebook

website/wordpress (run ic by tereshkova’s ghost, the blogbot, for the most part)

carmilla twitter (active, run ic by dr carmilla)

conclusion

now that we’re coming to the end of this, i’d like to thank whoever got this far, and to say a few words. my interest in the mechanisms has been slowly fading, and i’ve been writing less and less meta and lapsing in keeping up with new lore myself. honestly, i’m pretty worn out by how much i’ve done on this blog and in this fandom, and the commitments i’ve assigned myself. i do have plans for future meta, but it’s unlikely they’ll come to fruition. so, i thought i’d do a new version of my two oldest posts on this blog, and hopefully enable other people to look into the lore and theorize themselves with the new information.

to find more information, remember there’s a mechanisms wiki, and that my askbox is always open.

thanks for reading!

what do you think are some of the biggest pieces of evidence for cas being ace? i've watched so much of the show in the past month that it all blurs together, lol, so i can't remember many specific scenes. i do remember "i'm utterly indifferent to sexual orientation" (though that wasn't about his own orientation) and cas' discomfort at idea of sleeping with women at the bordello in 5.03... anything else you can think of? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!

rubs my hands together okay a List yeah i can do a list

wait actually first i wanna say that the biggest reason is because i’m asexual and i said so 0:) like i know that sounds a joke and it is a little bit but SERIOUSLY it’s just a general Aura or what the fuck ever about people. you know how sometimes a friend group formed in teenage years will one by one realize they’re all queers and they just grouped together organically? ace people are like that too. many of my closest friends have been aspec and i didnt even know that when i met them, THEY didn’t even know. but like if you asked me to list the ten people i was closest to over my life the huge majority would be aspec like me. we find each other In The Wild. so when i say he’s ace because i said so like i’m saying I’m Ace And I Can See Him. He Is Ace Because I Said So. my ace-dar is EXCELLENT

okay anyway with that out of the way here’s your actual list. obviously much of this can be a point in favor of many different readings of cas (and i’m not saying those can’t be true at the same time as ace cas!), but i’m ace and he’s ace and that’s what this post is about so i’m focusing on the ace parts. thank you.

list of ace cas evidence:

in general cas has a lot of trouble connecting with humanity at first which is an ENORMOUS ace mood

when dean cracks in the 4.01 deleted scene “yeah i have that problem with women” (after cas talks about the difficult in finding a vessel that can contain him) cas absolutely does not get that joke. we were having ace cas moments right from the get-go

it’s shown as early as 4.02 that cas doesn’t understand personal space. this is him not getting one single thing about human intimacy works and that he’s overstepping a boundary. it’s not just that he’s an angel (though that’s some of it) he just doesn’t intuitively understand physical stuff like that

that dean/anna kiss in 4.10. LOOK AT HIS FACE. that’s a face that says “i had no idea this is how humans were intimate with each other” and also “do i want to try that?” answer: maybe. dean’s very pretty. but something about it just feels like he’s going “whoa i never even CONSIDERED that” - like that to be sexy with the humans he’s into just didn’t occur to him

i know you said so already but WOW 5.03 brothel scene. THEEE ace cas moment

i’d also like to take a moment to tip my hat to 5.04. almost every aspec will have had a period of frustration and self-loathing where they thought at least once about maybe just having sex they weren’t into as a way to be “fixed” or to prove something. when aspecs are at their lowest and most broken, they are having sex they do not want to have. and when cas is at his lowest and most broken (in 5.04 AND 9.03, thank you), what is he doing? having sex! it’s just Interesting to me that the only times cas fucks is when he’s literally in the absolute worst points in his entire life 

also, i’m getting out of order here, but that thing in 9.03 was absolutely rape. the way he talked about it after was THEEE most comphet bullshit i’ve ever seen. “that was nice.” “she was...sooo hot.” dean winchester can’t fool me and neither can cas thee tiel. 

i know everyone was uncomfortable with the cherub in 5.14 but cas was SUPER uncomfortable. “no one likes it” yeah that’s cause he’s not a big touchy-feely dude 

i actually really hate that porn scene in 6.10, but it is a classic “i don’t get it” moment + a side of “monkey see monkey do” later when he decides to mimic it and kiss meg. she started it - he’s just going “oh yeah i remember watching that on TV - like this, right?” he’s pleased with himself for correctly mastering a form of human interaction, he’s not, like, horny. 

didn’t get the erectile dysfunction joke in 6.19

obviously, godstiel’s utter indifference to sexual orientation

strongly implied to be in a chaste marriage with his “wife” daphne when he was an amesniac

being repeatedly lobotomized in season 8 is its own can of worms. they were trying to make him straight. alas, it cannot be done

meg propositions him in season 8 and it takes him a bit to catch on. i don’t think accepting means he’s not ace, just that he’s interested in stuff humans do. would have been nice for his first time not to be with a psycho reaper who got him to trade his virginity for a pb&j :/

cas seemed REALLY nervous at the prospect of the date in 9.06, almost like it was something he had to steel himself to do - yet another weird part of human life he was resigning himself to, especially after metatron told him “go find a wife and have some babies” when his grace was taken

cas in season 10 is UTTERLY oblivious to hannah’s advances, even the ones that include nudity (and his own nudity at one point lol), and when he finally catches on he lets her down in the most awkward way possible

in season 11 he says he’s gonna take dean’s temperature and doesn’t see how that’s weird lol

he never got to truly speak to dean about his weird “””attraction””” to amara but i like to think he would have been equally confused

in season 12 in the hotel room where an orgy had clearly just taken place dean snickers and picks up the panties but cas is totally oblivious

ALSO completely oblivious when the waitress hits on him in season 12

this is a little bit of a stretch, but despite being named as jack’s “real” father, his relationship with kelly, his ostensible baby mama by proxy, seemed INCREDIBLY platonic to me. like they were such good buds! but he never had any of that romantic chemistry with her - there were no lingering notes or touches or whatever. he just wasn’t interested in that same way. 

exasperated with gabriel and talking about porn stars in season 13 lol

canonically, castiel spent seasons 4-?? falling in love with dean, but he never made a move on him physically - yeah yeah the CW is homophobic but i like to think that most of castiel’s Urges where dean is involved are not in fact of a sexual nature. he wants to be close to him and important to him more than he wants to fuck him. you can long for someone in the ace way without longing for them sexually yk

this is part of why i actually really liked the 15.18 confession - the happiness was in the being, or whatever. he was already WITH dean in almost every way that mattered (i wrote a fic about this). they shared secrets, they shared burdens, they lived together, they fought and worked together, they even raised a fucking kid together! cas was convinced he couldn’t have more than that but also he didn’t really NEED much more than that and thinking about how he had been with dean all along was what made him happy enough to literally die. yeah there’s a version of that scene where the reciprocation was enough to do it but they accidentally hacked it into an ace love scene so i will TAKE it

this concludes my list! i bet it’s a lot longer than u were expecting

[spn masterpost]

edit: a few updates

Let Lips Do What Hands Do - Part 11

Y’all, I haven’t posted in here since they updated it so everything might be terrible. Anyway, I’ll do my best. You can always catch me on AO3. 

previous

It's April, and Addie feels like crying most days. In fact, she actually has cried for the past eleven days — once in the shower, twice over her cup of tea and the other times where when she was in bed alone. Taron's been filming in Ireland for three weeks, and it's a glimpse at how life would be if they were to stay together in all the madness.

 "Sad again, huh?" Jack says, catching the gray look in her eyes. "I feel I should be offended you're not that upset about leaving me."

 Addie throws a sugar packet at him, hitting her mark on his cheek. "I know things between us won't change when I leave. You'll just be a phone call away."

 "Taron will too."

 "That's different. I don't think I like this ache, this pain." Addie absently stirs her tea. "In the words of Elphaba, 'If that's love, it comes at much too high a cost.'"

 "You know she ends up with the scarecrow at the end of that musical, right? I mean, we saw it together. I wrote a review which you edited."

 Addie rolls her eyes, too done to deal with Jack today.

 "I love him, you know. And to think we won't be together because of our location, I think I would rather not be with him at all."

 "Your call," Jack says. "I know you're scared but I think the two of you could make it work, and that's coming from a guy who stays away from relationships. You don't have to split because you're half a world away."

 "What if he meets the one but can't act on it because of me? Or what if he does act on it and I'm left devastated? It's a real poop chute."

 "It'll work out, Addie," Jack says, covering her hand with his own. "It'll work out."

 Addie slumps and rests her head on the table. "Why?"

 Jack gently musses her hair. "You didn't not date for years while you were here and the first guy you do consider turns out to be fuckin' perfect. You really know how to pick them."

 Addie laughs, feeling a little lighter at the thought.

   It's her whole year on display, the premiere of the students' films adapted from classic novels. Four fully written, produced and edited films will be turned in with her thesis, but the gala tonight will only feature twenty minutes from each with the students having a few moments to present before their film. It's an affair she's invited the whole school to as well as their family and friends, and even though Jack is by her side, the one person she wants to be there most isn't. Taron's caught filming in Ireland; Addie understands but still doesn't enjoy it.

 "Look at what you've done," Jack says, watching the rows of students talk excitedly amongst themselves, no doubtedly ready to display their hard work. "Not even a full teacher yet and you've got them inspired. That's a noble thing."

 Addie squeezes his hand. She takes the microphone and heads to the center of the stage. Pausing a moment before delivering the introduction she's prepared, she smiles. The kids eagerly sitting before her are a tribute to her and her hard work and creativity, and this life is about her just as much as it is Taron.

 She takes her seat next to Jack as the first group's film rolls across the screen, an updated retelling of Sense and Sensibility. It's funny, well thought and inclusive of the community, what with Edward Ferris having evolved into Edwina and Colonel Brandon an Indian man in the British navy. Everyone claps as the students presenting The Picture of Dorian Gray take the stage. Addie's phone buzzes in her pocket and she risks a quick chance to look at it.

 Can we watch the full-length versions this weekend? - T

 Sure, if you want. - A

 I do! At least that one. I'm dying to see how they did the marriage proposals. - T

 Addie whips her head around, looking to see him somewhere. There are faces illuminated by the screen but then she sees him, sitting on the edge of the row with his hood pulled up over his head; no doubt he didn't want to be recognized. He waves slightly when he sees her, and Addie smiles.

 He came after all.

 I'm so happy you're here! - A

 I'm really glad I could make it. Will sneak to bar at end so as not to detract. - T

 Sounds perfect. - A

 Thank you for coming. - A

 Addie is extremely proud of everything the students accomplished, and the cooking class made a giant cake for the ocassion. She sneaks a piece for Taron in her bag, poses for pictures with the kids, compliments the parents for raising some great hopes for the future, and then she's dashing out the door.

 "Adelaide, you're incredible!" Taron says, standing up from the table. He wraps his arms around her and kisses her cheek.

 "I can't believe you're here," she says, her face buried in his neck. "How'd you manage?"

 "Flew in this afternoon," he says. "Wanted to surprise you."

 "I'm very surprised," she says. "Very happy, too."

 Taron kisses the side of her head before pulling away to point her to a secluded booth. "I want to hear all about the rest of the videos. When can we watch them?" He holds her hand across the table, leaning towards her.

 Addie bites the inside of her lip, studying him. "What's wrong?"

 "What?" Taron asks, shifting backwards. Addie knows she was right to expect something.

 "Taron, I know you," she says quietly. "I know when something's up. What is it?"

 "No, Adelaide. I came here to celebrate you and the work you've done and I don't want it spoiled."

 "I feel like it's already spoiled if you don't tell me what's going on. Is everyone okay? Your mom and the girls? Your dad?"

 "Everyone's fine." He exhales loudly, looking at the table. "It's two more weeks."

 "Oh." Addie sags against the cushion. "Oh."

 Taron rubs her knuckles with his thumb. "I know it's really shitty, but it is what it is."

 "It's okay," Addie manages over the lump of emotion lodged in her throat. She feels like she's gagging but it's just the thought of his absence for another two weeks just a couple of months before she's supposed to move back to the United States. "You chase your dream and I'll chase mine."

 "Thus, though we cannot make our sun stand still, yet we will make him run."

 Addie snorts, swiping a tear off her cheek. "Marvell. Good choice."

 "Anyway," Taron says. "We've got tonight."

 "Bob Seger, a modern poet."

 It's Taron's turn to laugh now and he shakes his head. "Seriously though, can I take you out to dinner and then stay up with you all night watching the work of your students?"

 "Yes, I would like that."

 "Good," Taron says, moving quickly from the table. He drops a note on its surface and helps Addie back into her coat.

 "Can I make an amendment to the plan though?"

 "What's that?"

 "Can we just pick something up and take it home? I really don't need an audience to just want to be with you and I'm wearing Spanx so I'd really like to get out of them and into my pajamas."

 "Deal," he says. "You look bloody gorgeous but comfortable is something I also enjoy. Your place or mine?"

 "Mine is closer but you have a better TV so let's do that."

 "Sounds perfect," he says. He could offer to run back by hers so she can gather things, but he knows everything she needs is available at his. Tucking her beneath his arm, he kisses the side of her head — she'd taken the news of his delay better than he would have expected.

 They're curled up in his bed and halfway through the updated retelling of Frankenstein when Addie stretches her fingers across his chest.

 "What is it, cariad?" Taron asks, shifting his eyes. He can see the crown of her head and the tip of her nose, and he can see her fingers flex against his shirt.

 "I'm thinking about us."

 "Oh?"

 She pauses the video and sits up, and it's then he sees the tears in her eyes. "I think when I leave, that should be our end."

 "Adelaide." He bolts upright and reaches for her, but his fingers don't actually land anywhere. He can't touch her now.

 "Being apart from you these past few weeks has been hell. I never thought I would be someone to feel this way about anybody, but here we are. I'm exhausted. It feels like a piece of me is missing when you're gone, like smiles are less genuine and laughter does little for my soul. I can't imagine living my life for extended amounts of time without you, feeling this way. So if we just enjoy the time we have left and part as companions who once loved each other, I think that would be better."

 "Do I not get a say in this decision?" He asks softly, his chest tight and his jaw returning to a painful clench.

 "Of course you do," she sighs. "But what is the logical outcome of this?"

 "Fuck this. You can sleep in the guest room tonight." Taron moves in a flash, storms into the bathroom and slams the door shut.

 "Taron! Taron, no!" Addie frantically scrambles off the bed and futilely twists the doorknob. "Taron! Taron, please."

 She can hear the shower running and she sinks to the floor. She knew she shouldn't have said anything.

   Taron finds her half an hour later curled up on the floor with her cheeks red and eyes blotchy. He wants to be angry, he can feel the cold inside him wanting to push her away, but he can't.

 "Addie, come on," he says, gently collecting her in his arms and setting her upright. "I'm hurting too, you know."

 She nods blearily as he leads her back to bed. "I didn't mean to ruin what we have now. I feel like shit, and now I really feel like sh—"

 "Addie, I know," Taron says. "What you're saying makes sense, but it really fucking sucks when it's said out loud. You would rather be without me than be far away and with me, and I suppose that makes sense. Your chances of moving on are better if you're not thinking about some loyalty to me."

 "Me moving on?" She laughs. Taron thinks her crying must have left her too weary to think properly. "It's you. You'll move on long before I will and I don't want you to be stuck with me."

 "That doesn't matter," he says, taking her hand. "I think you're right though. We have a few good weeks left together and we should spend them as happily as we can. Let's not fight or what-if ourselves anymore. You're here, I'm here, and we should let that be enough for now. I can't think on it anymore."

 "Is it really okay?"

 "For now." He wipes a tear from her cheek, knowing his own should be joining it had he not just cried in the shower. "Let's go to sleep and sleep very late into the morning beside each other."

   Taron bites his nail, a habit he'd gotten into since ditching cigarettes; his teeth weren't thanking him but his lungs certainly were.

 "There he is," Jack says, pulling out the chair across from Taron and sinking into it. "Mr. Egerton."

 "Jack," Taron says, shaking his hand. "I wanted to talk to you about Addie."

 "I figured," Jack says. "She told me about her plans of departure."

 "Yeah, and it's not good. How do I get her to stay?"

 “You don’t."

 "Jack, please," Taron says, rubbing his forehead. "I can't have her leave."

 "And you can't have her stay either." Jack says softly. "I know you love her, Taron, as do I, but I also know she won't stay. She'll come to regret the decision as well as you if she stays. Going back to Washington has been her goal for six years. It's all she's worked for and all she's wanted. You need to let her go."

 "Can you?"

 Jack snorts his laugh. "I don't have a choice."

 "We could talk to her together."

 "That's not going to work."

 Taron drops his head to the table, his chest feeling unbelievably tight. "I don't know what to do."

 "Taron, there's an obvious solution here."

 "What's that?"

 "Go with her."

 Taron grunts. "You and I both know that's not logical."

 "So what? You can't do for her what you want her to do for you just because you're a famous actor who happens to make more money?" Jack leans back in his chair. He's really liked Taron, like him for Addie, and he needs Taron to see the sense in this before his like gives into loathing. "You're not giving up her dream so don't let her give up hers."

 "She's your best friend. How can you be so calm?" Taron crosses his arms in front of him, elbows still on the table, and he lets his chin fall to rest against them.

 "Addie is more than a best friend to me," Jack says. "I truly believe she is my person, even if there's no romance. Addie wasn't even supposed to be born, yet here she is. Incredibly determined, driven and happy."

 "I know that." Taron leans onto his cheek.

 "I know you do," Jack says patiently. "That's part of the reason you love her." He reaches across the table and squeezes Taron's shoulder. "You have to let her go."

 "Why is that the only option?" Taron moans, rhetorically putting the words into the universe.

 Jack chuckles as he leans back in his chair. "That's the only way she'll come back."

 "You think she'll come back?"

 "I hope so," Jack says. "For both our sakes."

 Taron laughs. He'll have to make time for Jack when Addie is gone.

 He finds her asleep on the couch when he returns home, and he gently brushes a hand across her face.

 She opens one eye to look and smiles when she sees him. “I must have dozed off.”

 “Yeah,” he says softly. It spreads through him, a calm peace. She is leaving to pursue her dreams, and there is nothing he can do to stop her, nor would he want to. He kisses her tenderly, finally accepting it. “You want to go take a nap upstairs?”

 “That sounds nice,” she says, sitting up next to him. “Hey, are you okay?”

 Taron smiles and kisses her again. “I’m totally fine. I just really love you.”

 Addie’s laugh warms him and she leans her head against his shoulder. “I love you, too.”

 Taron takes her hand and quietly leads her upstairs.

7,15, 18, 28, 37 for fic writer questions! Thank you!

@natsora out here makin’ me think this early in the day....

Thank you, though, truly.  I love doing these.  I’m going to put this under a cut, because it came out really long.

7: Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

From Junkyard Dogs:

“Hancock?” she asked after a while.

“Hmm?”

“How am I going to do this?” He was silent for a moment as he framed his thoughts, enjoying the silk of her hair running through his fingers, clinging to him with static. She was relaxed, almost boneless, as the heat of the water worked a magic on her tense muscles no amount of chems could do.

“You’ll do what you gotta. You and me, we’re like junkyard dogs. We find a scrap of something and call it ours. We defend it, fight off anything that comes our way and take no prisoners. We fight with anything that comes to hand, even our teeth and nails. Everything becomes a tool in our hands. The Institute will be no different.”

Obviously, this is from whence the fic gets its title.  This was my very first published piece of fanfiction.  The lines Hancock says describe the entire tone of the story in just a few words.  Sometimes I surprise myself with that sort of thing.  This is also my most popular and ‘successful’ work, although Flash In the Pan is catching up.  I’m proud of it still, even though I don’t write for the Fallout 4 fandom anymore, simply because it was first, it was proof I could still write (it had been a long time), and that people liked what I created.  Personal and public validation in one.

15: If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose? 

...I have no idea.  I just sat here for a solid five minutes thinking about it and not a one came to mind that couldn’t already be done with the right mods and editing software, since all of my work comes from video games.

Not to mention, considering my penchant for writing explicit content, the rating on that would be...prohibitive.

18: Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines? 

Not especially.  I’ll make notes for myself at the end of a document to keep myself on track or jot down ideas to be fleshed out later.  That’s about as far as I go with outlining.

28: Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much. 

(For all my other lovelies out there, please don’t feel snubbed.  I love you all, but this ask is just for 3 faves, so I will go with the ones that I read over and over.)

words-writ-in-starlight, because OMFG the levels of emotional intensity make me feel incredible, indescribable things.

MizDirected, because the sheer intricacy of the butterfly effect combined with the truly stellar psychological horrors therein is what inspired me to write my very own canon divergent ME fic.  I cannot compare to that, nor do I try to, but I enjoy every moment of reading their epic Future Imperfect.  The volume alone was at first intimidating, but then I literally couldn’t walk away, couldn’t stop, even when my heart was breaking and I was ugly crying at my computer at 3 in the morning.  I have read all 988K words four times.  In a year.

And finally, Azellma.  I will read anything by this author, anything.  I have devoured each and every one of their works, regardless of fandom.  Again, levels of talent and thought that I simply don’t have in me, but that’s okay.  Cuz I can enjoy theirs and get lost in the word sauce happily.  Seeing an update email fills me with squee.

37: Talk about your current wips.

This is a list, you realize.  I have like...five.  No, I don’t have a life, why do you ask?

Racing Down the Barrel: a sequel and part two of my series Soldier, Spectre, Savior.  Mass Effect trilogy retelling with canon divergence, namely that Garrus and Shepard were already a couple before the events of ME1.  Headcannons galore, thought out reasoning behind paragon choices, true love.

Maker Damned Fools - Fluffy Version: my first attempt to write Dragon Age.  Again with some divergence because canon does not spark joy.  Varric/Female Hawke pairing.  I will go down with that ship.  Part of the Fluff-uary 2020 series, a prompt challenge that I am co-creator of with @ir0n-angel.  The basic premise of this will eventually be expanded into a longfic.

Cross-Species Liaisons: the other part of the Fluff-uary 2020 series, this being all Mass Effect.  Shakarian and Shryik.  Post canon ficlets for Jayne and Garrus, interspersed ficlets for Henna and Nihlus, with some Henna and Garrus thrown in soon.

Accidental Synchronicity: the aforementioned headcannons?  Yeah, one of those became this.  Jack/Thane.  Short, not so sweet although it has its moments, almost finished.  One of two works of mine that actually needs the archive warning ‘Major Character Death’, which I usually don’t write and don’t tend to read, honestly.  But you can’t save them all, and it’s already established in my timeline that Thane will remain true to his canon arc.  Uh...spoilers.

Some Kind of Resolution: a Nihlus fix-it.  Turned poly on me, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows me.  Don’t make me choose between turians; I have an alternate solution.  It was initially only going to be the first game.  Then of course Garrus popped up his head and said ‘what about me?’  And...yeah... now it will span the entirety of the trilogy.  Gonna be long, this one is, I foresee it being a second fic of mine that breaks 100K words.  Currently on hiatus while I work on Fluff-uary stuff, since it’s the only WIP without a backlog of already completed chapters.

Review: Rise of the Turtles part 1 (TMNT 2012)

I know, I know I promised to post this during summer but instead I ended up editing my TMNT 2012 fanfiction. I ended up having some technical difficulties with this post. I did watch the episode but somehow all the screen shots I took just vanished. My guess is some form of Windows update happened and poof, all screen shots were gone.

I actually just got the first season on DVD yesterday – I finally ordered it online three or so weeks ago, I’ve been looking for Finnish release of the show ever since 2014 when it started to air in Finland but we got nothing. Not that I minded, the dub was decent but definitely lot worser than the dub 2003 series got from the group called Dubberman. So I’m more than happy to have the UK release of the first season.

Firstly I’d like to address one thing: I was hesitant to watch this show because I don’t like CGI that much anymore since it’s everywhere these days, but I was interested in it after scrolling some Turtlepedia especially after I saw one of my absolute favorite character from the 2003 show, April. When I read about Donnie’s crush on her, I recalled their relationship in the 2003 series – seeing Donatello and April interact was one of my favorite things about the show so naturally I was interested to see how well 2012 series pulled that off. Then I had this boring weekend and I decided to give it a try. I did and absolutely loved the show, I loved the turtles, I loved what they did with Splinter, I even loved this one character I thought I wouldn’t, what I didn’t love however was April – instead Karai became my favorite character.

But we get to that when we get to that. Let’s start this thing!

Like with the previous post I’m not going to do full plot summary here, instead I’m doing this brief summary. If you are interested in full summary please go to sites like Turtlepedia for that!

Now this episode starts similarly to the 2003 series. We are introduced to our main characters as they are in training session. It turns out the turtles are celebrating their fifteenth birthday today and wish to go top side for the first time even though Splinter is hesitant to let them go. Eventually he does and the turtles get to see the what the world looks like outside sewers. It seems to be full of wonder… and dangers. Turtles witness a family of two, father and daughter getting kidnapped by a group of identical men, but are unable to rescue them due to their inability to work as a team. And Mikey finds out those men weren’t exactly human… but no one believes him. The group returns to the lair and they get scolded by Splinter for letting the kidnappers getting away because they couldn’t work as a team – then again, he does admit it’s partially his fault as he never trained them to fight as a team. While Splinter suggest they have another year to wait until their next visit to the top side, Donnie isn’t having it as he wants to save the poor kidnapped girl, he fell in love with at the first sight. After some convincing Splinter agrees to let them go and save her. Before they go however Splinter makes Leonardo their leader – the group does need a leader in order to function correctly after all, but as to why he chose Leo, isn’t clear. So, to the back side we go, after some time they manage to find one of the kidnappers and chase him until his car falls over. When Raph opens up the back door to the car a mysterious cannister filled with green ooze rolls over – looking a lot like the one broken cannister the turtles have in their lair, the one that had something to do with their current forms. And with that the first episode ends.

What I liked about the episode

+ Turtles actually acting like teenagers. I don’t think we have seen that in any other incarnation despite the show being called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”.

+ What they did with Leo’s personality. I was so used to Leo being this perfect serious leader who’d win any training session against Raph, seeing Leo actually losing against Raph not to mention having this kind of geeky awkward side to his character was refreshing to see.

+ Master Splinter. I liked how he looked nothing like his former counterparts, I loved how they brought up his personality and most of all now he actually felt like a caring father to the turtles instead of being just their teacher. Not to mention how cool his design looks in this show!

+ The plot in general. For a pilot episode it did good job at presenting our four main characters, showing they, each have different personalities without spending too much on that. It had this sense of wonder when we see the turtles discovering the world for the first time. And there was action included as well but not in a way that our heroes just swoop in and save the day, I liked the fact they messed it up on their first try. I also liked how the episode didn’t end with turtles saving the day but rather with a cliff hanger because that would get viewers to want to catch the next episode – unlike 2003 series where it just ended, personally I wouldn’t have waited to see the next episode, unlike with this 2012 show.

+ Interaction and comedy between the turtles was well done, I definitely did have some laughs here and there.

+ The way flashbacks and ending stills are done in this version. What can I say? I just love the comic book style they went with!

What I didn’t like about this episode

- Well in general I liked this episode fine; it really didn’t have much to complain about, characters were solid, their backstory was solid, story was solid and the action was solid. Over all I’d say it’s a good episode. But if I had to pick one thing I did not like; it would be the way April was presented. Unlike the turtles she didn’t seem like a character, just a pretty girl shown to our faces who needed to be saved. I know that’s how it was intended but if I’d have to pick one thing I didn’t like about the episode, this would be it.

And now let’s say few words about the dub my country eventually got...

When this series finally started to air in Finland you better believe I got up every Sunday to watch this show, not because I hadn’t seen it, it was January 2014, I had already seen the episodes couple of times in English but I wanted to check out the dubbed version especially after seeing the voice cast. Just by looking at the voices seemed like this dub would go either way. It could be good or really bad. Like with seasons 3-4 and 6-7 of TMNT 2003 a group called Dubberman. And I wasn’t completely trusting for the fact they would do the show justice. I mean they did skip over the season 5 in 2003 series – and later season 3 in 2012 series so…

The dub was decent, not great, not the worst we could have gotten but decent. There were some errors like they called Raphael “Rafaello” or “Rafa” for short like in the dubbed VHS/DVD release of 1980 series – luckily, they stopped doing that after few episodes because it bothered me a lot. Another thing was how those Japanese phases were pronounced – in this episode by Leo. They didn’t sound right at least when you compare to the original version.

The voice cast was okay. It consisted of some familiar and great voice actors like Jon-Jon Geitel as Leo who has also voiced characters like Jack Frost from the Rise of the guardians or Jake Long from American Dragon: Jake Long – I think this is where I first heard his voice acting. More recently he voiced Aladdin in the live action version from 2019. Another familiar voices we had were Aksu Palmén as Donatello who had voiced characters like Hiccup in How to train your dragon, and Markus Bäckman as Master Splinter – It’s better I won’t go in too much details on his voicing career because he has done a lot of good voice acting in TV and Disney movies. These two were probably the most suited for their roles. Especially Markus Bäckman as Splinter. He sounded just right for the part. Then there was Henri Piispanen who I hadn’t heard much voice acting from before TMNT. I think he was solid pick for Raph – not as good as Sean Astin but they could have gone for worse. Then there were couple unknown actors Miro Loopperi who voiced Mikey and Ella Jaakkola who voiced April.

Miro Looperi did fine job as Mikey but he didn’t really sound like him. This reminds me of 2003 series as Mikey had a voice actor in the Finnish dub that I liked, but one that didn’t sound like him when compared his original voice. This has the same feeling to it. And now Ella Jaakkola, she had this high-pitched kind of bitchy voice I found annoying but at the same time I thought it kind of worked for April’s character because I knew what would become of her character in season 2. I remember thinking: “I can’t wait to hear this voice in Mutation Situation!” – Too bad they changed her voice for season 2.

Now, don’t expect me to do this thing for all the episodes where I talk a little bit about the Finnish dub as I’ve only seen the first season dubbed – I don’t even know when season 2 aired. And I don’t have many notes about the dub. Nor do I remember much of it. I have notes for I think five or so episodes and very good memory for Karai’s debut episode but that’s about it. As I said earlier so far now DVD releases have been made in Finland so I would only have access through streaming services to seasons 4 and 5 – which I haven’t even watched completely yet. I can only hope Netflix or Viaplay would upload the dubbed versions of TMNT to their servers but as we lack DVD releases or reruns of seasons 1 and 2 and season 3 in general that’s very unlikely.

And now some screenshots!

Would you look at that? Leo actually lost to Raph.

Is that supposed to be Splinter? He looks kind of cool - were my first thoughts when he appeared on the screen.

Happy Mutation day! I just love their expressions here.

And it’s flashback time! I really love the way they did and animated the flashbacks in this version.

Splinter holding the broken mutagen canister.

...And Mikey giving it a hug.

They are finally able to go to the top side. Look at how happy they are - I mean even Raph is smiling.

Well I just like this shot of Splinter.

Leo and Space Heroes. I love how proud he looks here.

“Hai, sensei!” - This is probably one of my favorite scenes in this episode. It shows that over protective side of Splinter which is one of the many things I love about the show.

Turtles entering the top side for the first time.

Donnie geeking out at computer stuff while Raph is not interested. Personally being a geek myself, I see lot of myself in Donatello during this moment.

Turtles are about to find out what pizza is.

Oh, look at that it’s a love interest... I mean it’s my least favorite character... I mean it’s April.

And Donnie is in love with her. Just like that.

I know April is supposed to be scared here but I find her expression hilarious. It cracks me every time.

Fighting is not going too well here.

Or here.

Saving April.

I really like this shot of Donnie smiling. He looks kind of adorable. I mean who would scream after seeing that adorable face?

April of course!

I find Donnie’s reaction and posture here priceless, it’s like: “Oh my god, what did I just touch?”

April is being cornered by creepy men.

And Donnie’s offering to help her.

But that doesn’t really work out. Mikey looks adorable though!

I guess The Kraang didn’t fancy April’s screaming either.

And here’s Mikey, facing a suspicious man all by himself.

...That is not a man at all.

Okay what the hell is that thing?

You know what Mikey, I totally agree with you.

Turtles are having a conversation about the leader stuff. And they all can’t believe what they just heard.

Here is Leo facepalming. One of my favorite scenes in the episode.

“I thinking of something green. Green.” “Is it Raphael again?”

Cornering Snake.

Ending still.

Anyway, this was my review for the first episode of TMNT 2012. Next time I think I’m doing review for the second episode of 2003 series, so stay tuned for that. Or something.

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Putting Simulator Screen on TV. Wireless Transmitter and R.C. Real Flight 8 (RF8) Phoenix v5.5 with SD-10G. Mojo 40 (BETA 1.0) for Aerofly RC7. Phoenix RC 5.5 and FlySky i10 Tx setup problems. Phoenix sim adapter. Older G2 'Interlink USB Controller'. Clearview flight and realism. Free of charge realflight 6.5 download demo download software at UpdateStar. Update is usually a software program device by Apple that installs the latest edition of Apple software. RealFlight 6.5 provides you a fresh look at RC airline flight simulators and it39;t called. Yes you can.it updated for. Real Airline flight Simulator (goes close. Download real flight for free. Games downloads - CGM rc Heli Simulator by Eiperle CGM and many more programs are available for instant and free download. A downloadable version of RealFlight 6.x is not available. Installation is only supported from an original DVD ROM. To install RealFlight 6.x on a computer that does not have a disk drive, you can use an external USB DVD ROM drive. The RealFlight 6.x disk is not referenced for daily operation, so you can store the disk once the installation is. Graphics and sound cards compatible with Microsoft DirectX 6.0 or later (most are compatible) 30 MB available hard drive space 2X CD-ROM drive Super VGA Monitor NOTE: Windows NT is not currently supported because it does not support Direct X 6.0. Windows 95 emulation boards for Mac and Unix systems are not supported.

Realflight 6 Download Mac

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I recently upgraded my computer to Windows 7 and installed RealFlight G2 USB without any issues. I thought it might be useful to create a new thread with simple instructions as the first post. My computer is running Windows 7 32-bit. Instructions: 1) If you don't already have RealFlight G2 patch 2.00.723, get it. You can contact KnifeEdge and they'll probably send it to you, or give you a link to download it. Or Google 'realflight patch 2.00.723'. There are multiple locations from which to download. The file size is small, about 7 MB. 2) Get something to plug into the microphone jack on the front of your computer. It can be anything, even a cable with double-male plugs. 3) Install RealFlight G2. Your computer will ask if you want to allow this, so click Yes. When prompted to install DirectX, DO NOT. Choose cancel. 4) Install Add-Ons, if you have any. If ever prompted about DirectX, do not install. 5) Install update/patch 2.00.723 6) Right-click the desktop shortcut for RealFlight G2 and choose Properties. On the Shortcut tab click the 'Advanced...' button and check the box by 'Run as administrator'. Click OK, then OK. 7) Plug something into the microphone jack on the front of your computer. You must do this step! 8) Plug your USB RealFlight controller into the computer. 9) Then start RealFlight G2. As before, the first time you run RealFlight, you'll be prompted to insert the original CDs, one at a time. This only happens the first time you run it. That's it! The device plugged into the microphone jack is necessary whenever you start G2. Once it's running, you can unplug the device from the microphone jack. If you get this error on startup: Error: DSERR_NODRIVER File: L:kelib2aDirectXDXDirectSound.cpp it means your computer still doesn't see anything plugged in the microphone jack, so double-check that you got the correct jack and the plug is in all the way.

Hughes And Kettner Tubeman Mk1 Manual Transmission

Hi all, I am new here and a novice guitar player playing a bit of Blues, Jazz, Classic Rock. I had the opportunity to buy a H&K Tubeman MKI secondhand.

Bright Insight 999,807 views. The Hughes & Kettner TriAmp Mark 3 is intimidating from first sight, but after a brief review of the owner’s manual and quick set-up to get acquainted with the basics, it was a breeze to start navigating through its vast landscape. Www.hughes-and-kettner.com MANUAL 2.3. 5 TUBEMAN-MANUAL ENGLISH 1.

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This page lists owners manuals, service manuals and documentation available for Hughes & Kettner audio, music, stage and studio equipment. Our website has lots of manuals and documentation for many brands in multiple languages as PDF, DJVU or paper document. Bright Insight 999,807 views. The Hughes & Kettner TriAmp Mark 3 is intimidating from first sight, but after a brief review of the owner’s manual and quick set-up to get acquainted with the basics, it was a breeze to start navigating through its vast landscape. Www.hughes-and-kettner.com MANUAL 2.3. 5 TUBEMAN-MANUAL ENGLISH 1. Hughes & Kettner Vortex Black Series head with 4x12 Cabinet Features: - Solid State 100 watt head - 100 watt 4x12 cabinet - 2 channels: Clean and Lead - Character-control for lead channel - 3 EQ knobs - Master reverb - Master Volume - FX Loop, - Footswitch jack (footswitch not included) - Headphone jack - Includes kettle lead - Home made timber.

This is the official homepage of Hughes&Kettner Guitar Amps. Hughes & Kettner Home - Since 1984, the name Hughes & Kettner has become synonymous worldwide with guitar amps of the highest quality.

. back. back. back. back. back.Thomann is the largest online and mail order retailer for musical instruments, light and sound equipment worldwide, having about 10m customers in 120 countries and 80,000 products on offer.

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We are musicians ourselves and share your passion for making it. As a company, we have a single objective: making you, our customer, happy.We have a wide variety of pages giving information and enabling you to contact us before and after your purchase. Alternatively, please feel free to use our accounts on social media such as Facebook or Twitter to get in touch.Most members of our service staff are musicians themselves, which puts them in the perfect position to help you with everything from your choice of instruments to maintenance and repair issues.Our expert departments and workshops allow us to offer you professional advice and rapid maintenance and repair services. This also affects the price - to our customers' benefit, of course.Apart from the shop, you can discover a wide variety of additional things - forums, apps, blogs, and much more. Always with customised added value for musicians. Electric Guitar Amp Head. All tube.

Power: 20 W. 2 Channels: Clean and Lead with Lead / Boost function. Power Soak: 20/5/1/0 Watt. Preamp tubes: 2x 12AX7.

Power tubes: 2x EL84. Classic 3-band EQ. Red Box AE Ambience Emulation DI output with the settings Vint. & Small / Large to connect the amp directly to the PA or recording setup. Serial FX loop. 1 Speaker output: 8 - 16 Ohm. Dimensions: 35 x 15 x 15 cm.

Weight: 5 kg. Incl. Bag. Corresponding foot switch: Article Nr (not included). The approach that H&K have taken to the design of the amp and the compromises they have made for the lunchbox format work really well for me. I had been considering options for an upgrade to my current amp for a while. Wanted something that would work well with my overall set up and be useful for both stage and studio work.

I play ST type guitars for the most part, have used H&K amps in the past but, like others, have tended to find them on bright side and better suited to LP derivatives. That said I have always liked the format and the build quality. I read reviews and decided to give TM Deluxe 20 a go and am not disappointed. The only con I have is that it doesn't come bundled with a foot switch as this is pretty essential in any live setting. Within hours of arrival it was on the way to the rehearsal room.

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I use the amp with a 2x12 cab loaded with celestial V30s. Plugged in the amp, plugged in the footswitch, set the tone controls to mid setting, adjusted the levels of the channels to give a mild crunch on the clean channel and an overdriven 'rhythm' tone on the lead channel with the same volume on each channel and ran through the entire set without changing anything. Several gigs in and I still haven't tweaked much. We play a mix of fairly hard edged R&B as a power trio and I get full and rounded tones from this little amp that sit well in the mix with more than enough balls for most of the venues we play. IMHO H&K's approach is perfect for the lunchbox format. They've concentrated on creating separate channel voicings that are fit for purpose and what they have chosen works great for me.

If you are used to using the tone controls on the amp to get the sound you want, this amp takes a different approach. As I see it the tone controls allow you to tweak the sound for the room and stage dynamics you're dealing with. If you don't like the basic channel voicings H&K have given you then this is probably not the amp for you, though I struggle to see what is not to like.

It also take the guess work out of things. I toyed with giving the amp four stars for features as it is a lunch box and lacks the versatility of it's grown up brothers, but given the sheer useability of the amp combined with power soak, red box DI and a effects loop I believe it rates 5 stars for the format.

Producer edition provides the highest level of program functionality for FL Studio.FL Studio 10 is a complete software music production environment, representing more than 12 years of sustained & focused development. Everything you need in one package to compose, arrange, record, edit, mix and master professional quality music. FL Studio 10 is the fastest way from your brain to your speakers. The Producer edition rounds out FL Studios capabilities with comprehensive audio recording and manipulation capabilities, audio, and automation clips. Full audio recording and post-production Producer edition allows you to record external and internal audio. Record up to the maximum number of simultaneous audio tracks your computer and audio interface (soundcard) can support.

It gives you access to the Playlist Pattern, Audio and Automation Clips for arranging, chopping, stretching, time-shifting any Audio, Notes and Automation. You can use the flexible Automation Clip-based automation to overlay audio, notes in the Playlist, and hand-draw/edit point & curve based splines. The addition of audio-focused plugins such as Edison, Slicex, and Vocodex help you chop, loop, and perform audio in creative ways.

Plus, Producer includes Synthmaker, a modular synthesizer and effects creation environment with unlimited potential. Producer Edition includes all Fruity Edition features plus: ¢ Audio recording from external sources ¢ Direct-to-disk recording & offline rendering of Mixer tracks ¢ Audio Clips with waveform view & support for cue points ¢ Automation Clips with editable envelopes and LFO mode + Edison - integrated audio editor/recorder + Slicex - loop slicer & re-arranger + Vocodex - advanced vocoder + Synthmaker “ advanced everything! ¢ Lifetime free updates to Producer Edition by download FL Studio 10 What's New? 100's of improvements, additions & bugfixes featuring:. https://loadingchoices847.tumblr.com/post/657273795548151808/adobe-photoshop-for-mac-full-free. 64 bit plug-in support - The Wrapper now automatically detects 64 bit plugins and opens them in 64 Bit 'Bridged' mode. 'New pattern' (+) button - On the Channel Window / Step Sequencer.

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The maximum memory available to the plugin will be at least 2 Gb for 32 Bit Windows and up to 192 Gb depending on your version of 64 Bit Windows. Audio Clips & Sampler Channels Keep on disk option now opens the sample in a separate memory allocation. Each Audio Clip / Sampler Channel can now load a sample of at least 2 Gb for 32 Bit & 64 Bit Windows versions. Improved audio options - ASIO: 'Mix in bufferswitch' and 'Triple buffer' may improve performance with some ASIO drivers.

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Edit Ghost notes - Double Right-click on Ghost note or X1 button. Cycle Piano rolls - Shift + H or J cycles through data in Piano rolls. Vertical zoom - Vertical zoom now possible and notes include properties view. Note stretch handle - On note selection to rescale length. Piano roll wave-display - Displays waveform behind notes to align notes to audio events.

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64-bit and 32-bit bridged mode operation. Zoomable envelopes - Sytrus, Fruity Love Philter, Envelope Controller etc. Patcher (Free) - Chain effects and or plugins to create complete chains that can be quickly loaded in new projects. ZGameEditor Visualizer (Free) - Visualization effect plugin with movie render capability based on the free, open source, ZgameEditor Browser. Autohide - Auto-closes the Browser in-situ or undocked.

Why choose FL Studio? Free to choose - An open standards and modular design mean you won™t be stuck in a production dead-end. FL Studio supports industry standard plugin formats so you can use instrument and effects form 3rd party manufacturers including VST1 to 3 (64 or 32 bit).

Import and export all popular audio formats such as.wav,.mp3 and.ogg, among many others. Importantly, upgrade FL Studio and add features if and when you need them. Free your audio - Route any group of instruments and soundcard inputs to any mixer track.

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Effects - FL Studio includes more than 40 effects spanning maximization, limiting, compression, delay, distortion, equalization (graphic & parametric), filtering, phasing, flanging, chorus, vocoding and reverb. These have you covered for the creative broad-brush effects, through to the minutia of the mastering process. Open plugin standards “ FL Studio supports all PC industry plugin effect standards including VST (1/2), DX(1/2), Buzz and Rewire. This means you can mix with your favorite plugins and applications. Lifetime free updates There may be no such thing as a ˜free lunch™ but there certainly is ˜Lifetime Free Updates™ with Image Line' update policy. Never pay for bug-fixes again! - Customers who purchase FL Studio receive Lifetime Free Updates by download.

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Windows 7, Vista, XP & 2000 (32 & 64 Bit)(or) Intel Mac with Boot Camp (running XP, Vista or Windows 7, 32 or 64 Bit). 1GB or more RAM recommended. 1GB free disk space. Soundcard with DirectSound drivers.

Download rancid bass book pdf. ASIO/ASIO2 compatible required for audio recording (FL Studio installs with generic ASIO4ALL drivers)Supported Formats.:. FL10 will fit easily within current software supporting VST/VSTi/VST2, DXi, DXi2, MP3, WAV, OGG, MIDI, ASIO, ASIO 2, REWIRE, REX 1 & 2.

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Common options include sticky notes, callout boxes, highlighting, freehand drawing tools, and stamps with messages like “approved,” “revised,” and “confidential.”. Security: All businesses deal with documents containing sensitive data. Look for a PDF editor that includes security features that allow access for authorized eyes only. Good options will usually offer several levels of security, including password protection, permissions setting, and content redaction, which “blacks out” selected text and images. Most PDF editors will also offer one or more ways to electronically sign documents. Mobile support: While deep PDF editing is best done on a desktop, it’s nice to be able to review and annotate files when you’re out and about.

Hughes And Kettner Tubeman Manual

While PDFs can typically be reviewed in any PDF reader or editor, regardless of which one they were created in, consider looking for an editor that has a dedicated mobile app, is optimized for mobile devices, or allows cloud access to features through a mobile browser. One of the great things about a PDF is that it can be read and edited in any PDF program regardless of which one it was created in. So beyond the features outlined here, let your personal preferences guide you in making your decision. All PDF reviews If you want to learn more about all of the PDF editors we reviewed, see the list below. We’re kicking off our guide with six PDF editors, but we’ll continue to evaluate more as time goes on—as well as re-evaluate those we’ve already reviewed.

ewk’s Guide to Windows 98 Retrocomputing

hello all, i’ve created this post to help people that are interested in using windows 9x in the current year (i’ll be focusing mainly on windows 98 here since i have the most experience with it). my goal is to build a community of people that share the same hobby of using 90s/early 00s computers and want to help bring back the old web in a small way by making personal homepages and communicating with each other via old chat services such as aim or msn messenger. so, without further ado, here is my guide.

step 1: finding a pc

the first thing you’re gonna need to do is find an old pc (obviously). start by checking craigslist. if you can’t find anything on there try checking your local thrift stores once or twice a week for a few months before looking on ebay because their prices suck. i’ve gotten old systems that would’ve gone for hundreds on ebay for as little as $8 at thrift stores.

look for a pc from around 1998 to 2000 (identifiable by a windows 98 sticker on laptops and prebuilt desktops), these will typically run pretty fast but any pc from 1996-2000 should work. if you find one at a thrift store be sure to check to make sure it works. try to check the bios for specs.

the minimum specs of a system i would buy for windows 98 would be a cpu with a speed of around 300mhz and 32mb ram (i would recommend a 350mhz cpu and 64mb ram or better). note that you can use a system with specs lower than the minimum i gave but it won’t be fast.

if you can’t find an old system locally and you don’t want to spend tons of money on ebay you can build your own windows 98 computer using old and new parts. i honestly have no experience with building old systems though so don’t ask me about it. lol

if the pc you’re buying is a laptop be sure it has pcmcia slots. they look like this:

this slot is required in order to install a wifi card. if your laptop doesn’t have this check to see if it has an ethernet port (not to be confused with a phone jack):

you will need either a pcmcia card slot or an ethernet port in order to connect to the internet.

desktop pcs are easy because they have pci slots that you can easily install an ethernet card into

be sure to find an network card that windows 9x supports. for desktops an easy find is a 3com etherlink tx card (drivers are here). and for laptops the linksys wpc54g is cheap and easy to find as well (drivers here).

step 2: installing windows

if your pc already came with windows you can skip this step but let’s say you built your own system or upgraded the hard drive and you need to do a fresh install. in this case the first thing to do would be to grab an install disk image which you can from winworld. serial numbers are also there. i picked windows 98 second edition for you because it’s better supported and more stable.

then burn the image to a blank cd and yada yada yada, i’m sure you know how to do this. (if you don’t, here’s a tutorial)

you can chose a “typical” installation or go with a “custom” installation to select what components to install. i personally check most of the boxes except accessibility options and webtv (which sounds cool but doesn’t work anymore iirc). put in the serial number, enter the date and time and you’re done installing windows.

step 3: installing drivers

assuming you need drivers for your system, driversguide has a large archive of drivers and i personally use it. to get the drivers onto the new pc without internet you can burn them to a cd as well. make sure to set the disc “for use in a cd/dvd player” when prompted by newer versions of windows. if your driver is a .inf file instead of a .exe just right-click it, select “install” and restart.

step 4: software and services

congratulations, you have a working 90s pc! but what do you do with it? here’s a list of software to improve your experience:

updates and tweaks

Windows 98SE Service Pack 3.61 - unofficial pack of microsoft hotfixes and system software, has been updated in 2018

KernelEx 4.5.2 - system tweak that allows you to run software designed for newer versions of windows

classic internet browsers

Internet Explorer 5.5 SP2 - the last good version of internet explorer. full installation package comes with additional software (other versions available on this page as well)

Netscape Communicator 4.5 - good version of netscape i use

modern internet browsers

K-Meleon 1.5.4 - the fastest modern browser for win9x around, sadly the last version supported by windows 98 was made in 2010

SeaMonkey 2.0.14 - slower than k-meleon but slightly newer and runs under kernelex

communication

AOL Instant Messenger 5.1 (via Phoenix server) - aim lives on unofficially thanks to iwarg’s replacement server

MSN Messenger 3.0 (via Escargot server) - you can also connect to msn messenger in a similar way to the aim server. i believe version 5 also works but it requires hex editing and i haven’t tested it yet.

mo-footer 0.9.6r - mo-footer is a twitter client written for win9x/win2k by japanese programmer blackwingcat. it hasn’t been updated since 2011 but still works for basic use. setup can be a bit of a hassle if you don’t know what you’re doing so use google translate on the page

NetMeeting 3.01 - similar to skype or later versions of msn but older and uses ip adresses (please note that your ip address is visible to your contacts when using this software)

mIRC 5.41 - popular irc client

multimedia

Media Player Classic 6.4.9.1 - last version of mpc for win98, requires directx 9 (included in the service pack i linked earlier) and ffdshow (ffdshow requires windows 98 and an x686 cpu or better)

RealProducer G2 6.1 - great for making very compressed audio and video files for your webpages

Winamp 2.5e - very cool and sexy audio player

plugins here (be sure to get the flac one)

imaging

IrfanView 4.30 - image viewer since windows 9x doesn’t come with one by default

Adobe Photoshop 5.5 - it’s photoshop, need i say more?

file sharing

RFtp 0.9.7.5 - very lightweight, portable ftp client 

WinMX 3.54b4 - p2p service similar to napster (be sure to run the patch in the install directory)

TinyUpload - not software but rather a file sharing site that supports files up to 50mb and loads in almost any browser

webpage stuff + good hosting sites

Arachnophilia 2.1 - good html editor, please read the very touching about section

Microsoft FrontPage Express 2.0.2 - microsoft’s own visual webpage editor.

GEOCITIES.WS - mirror of geocities that accepts new accounts. doesn’t use ssl so pages will load in old browsers.

Yahoo! Japan Geocities - the official japanese geocities is still up but you need to make an account which involves verifying a japanese captcha. microsoft character map is your friend. (registration page is here)

Tripod - an old webspace provider similar to geocities but still exists

AngelFire - another old webpage host owned by lycos just like tripod

Neocities - a very well done reincarnation of geocities. uses ssl so old browsers will not be able to load pages. pages will load in k-meleon but the “browse” and “activity” pages will load infinitely so be sure to stop loading the page (esc key) shortly after clicking the link

helpful links

ECSIS List of Software For Windows 95

DON'S WINDOWS 98SE SOFTWARE PICKS

Completely Free Software - hosts many pieces of software for windows 9x

WinWorldPC - archive of a bunch of old software and operating systems

that’s about it for now, i’ll be updating this post from time to time. please message me if you have any questions!

And because tumblr is going to destroy this post: the full image Please be kind to my terrible Paint skills, I wasn’t about to bust out an old tablet to make this super fancy. Please know that this is one possible interpretation of the final year, year and a half of Overwatch given what we currently have available to us right now.

Sources and more information under the cut:

To start off with, our baseline point is Recall.

Recall is when both the game and the main plot begin - the Recall animation and Winston’s “Are You With Us” recall message are initiated, and this “coincides” with the game’s release in 2016.  To make things easier for everyone, my math here is simply to project: 2016 + 60 years forward = Recall initiated in 2076

Fairly straightforward and makes following game updates a bit easier.

From here, forward-progressing events move roughly at the same time as the game has been released.  For example:

Summer of 2016 || Summer of 2076: Ana is released || “Old Soldiers” comic occurs

November of 2016 || November of 2076: The Sombra ARG concludes || Sombra leaks LumériCo’s secrets

November of 2016 || November of 2076: “Infiltration” is released || Talon attempts to assassinate Katya Volskaya

November 2076: Volskaya asks Zarya for assistance in finding Sombra

Holidays of 2016 || Holidays of 2076: the “Reflections comic” occurs

Now we’ve entered 2017 || 2077.  Things shift slightly here.

On-going throughout 2077: Zarya searches for Sombra

Late February 2017 || Late February 2077: Interview with Efi Oladele is released

July 2017 || Late February 2077: “Masquerade” comic is released || Doomfist breaks out of prison and returns to Talon

March 2017 || March 2077: Orisa is released || Efi builds Orisa

Sometime after Orisa is built, 2077: Zarya meets Lynx in Numbani

April 2017 || April 2077: the “Uprising” event is released || files on the Strike Team’s mission against Null Sector are declassified

July 2017: Doomfist is released

August 2017 || (likely) August 2077: Junkertown map is released || Junkrat and Roadhog initiate “The Plan”

September 2017 || (likely) September 2077: “Searching” is released || Zarya finally finds Sombra

This is why the “Uprising” content all says “seven years ago” - because the game and the overall plot since Recall has moved forward one year, but the actual event of Null Sector’s Uprising did not change in time. So, with the “Recall” event and the “Uprising” information, I have two anchor points of reference for the general, final year of Overwatch: 2076 - 6 years = 2070 2077 - 7 years = 2070

Michael’s GDC talk also gives us a third anchor point: the Halloween party where Reinhardt tells the story of “Junkenstein’s Revenge.”  This is actually set during Halloween the year before, so 31st October, 2069 (nice).

I’m breaking this up by section to help make this a bit easier.

Introduction

1. “Six Years Ago:” “Fading Glory: On the Trail of Jack Morrison,” in-universe article (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/) 2. Michael Chu’s timeline: “Thinking Globally: Building the Optimistic Future of Overwatch,” a GDC talk given by Michael Chu (Timestamp: 49:12 - clip starts at discussion of materials: https://youtu.be/bj56ejM5EcU?t=2952)

Late 2069/Early 2070

1. “Halloween party:” “Junkenstein’s Revenge,” a comic in which Reinhardt narrates a “scary” story to some of the Overwatch members (https://comic.playoverwatch.com/en-us/junkrat-junkenstein).  What is important to note here is that Michael actually puts this in the “Fall of Overwatch” era of his timeline.  It is also important to note that several major Overwatch characters - Lena, Winston, and Genji - are either not yet a part of Overwatch, or were not permitted to join the “core members’” Halloween party.  I have personally chosen to interpret this as the first option.  You may view things differently.

2. Tracer disappears from the timeline (not shown): “I was missing for months” - quote from her Origin video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27LPGldyY7M).  “[Tracer] reappeared months later, but her ordeal had greatly changed her: her molecules had been desynchronized from the flow of time.” - quote from her Hero profile (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/tracer/).  “Months” here, as I understand it, probably means fewer than 12 months (a full year) but more than “a couple” (2 months).  It’s difficult to say when exactly Lena disappeared and when she returned, but we know she had returned by April of 2070 (at the very latest).

3. The Shimada brothers’ duel: alright.  Full disclosure inbound.  I got a handful of people countering me on this issue in my Moira discussion and here’s my response: we have a number of conflicting pieces of information and many of them could be possible.  I’d like to run through my reasoning for why I’m placing this event in the final year of Overwatch, as well as other possible places it could go.

3.1 “Nearly ten years ago:” a few people brought up that the 2014 Blizzcon Overwatch reveal panel described Hanzo (a then-playable character) as having left his home “nearly ten years ago.”  You can find this quote on this transcript here (http://overwatch.blizzplanet.com/blog/comments/blizzcon-2014-overwatch-unveiled-panel-transcript/3).  Reason why I disagree with this assessment: this line never made it to either of Hanzo or Genji’s final Hero profiles (Hanzo: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/hanzo/) (Genji: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/genji/). 

That said, this does not mean the line is incorrect, nor that it is not part of whatever internal timeline Blizzard is using.  I personally do not think it’s wise to specific details from the 2014 Blizzcon panel because of how old it is and how much changed between 2014 and the game’s release in 2016.  Remember - Blizzard was still rethinking its own plot well past the game’s release (when they canceled “First Strike”).  But in all fairness, if you want to make your own version of the timeline and use that, then feel free.

3.2 Late March/Early April: I had someone else note the fact that the “Dragons” animation shows several koinobori, or the Japanese koi windsocks traditionally flown on Children’s Day on May 5th.  There are a couple of issues with this: one, it does not particularly coincide with the blooming of the cherry blossoms in the Tokyo region (source: http://www.jnto.go.jp/sakura/eng/index.php), which is where Hanamura is “set,” and two, the idea kinda trusts that Blizzard did research on koinobori and when they are supposed to be used.  In an effort to be fair to Blizzard, technically, koinobori can begin appearing as decorations as early as April, and be flown all the way through to Children’s Day.

3.3 Genji in training: a related issue to 3.2 and the upcoming 5th event in the timeline is that Genji appears to be testing out his cyborg body in a sparring match against Lena/Tracer.  The “Art of Overwatch” book also provides a description that appears to imply that this skin is him when he is still recovering:

“Much like the Origins Edition skins, the designs released for the Uprising event offered a glimpse into a pivotal period of the characters’ lives.  One of the most extreme designs belong to Genji.  After his brother, Hanzo, nearly killed him, he was taken in by Overwatch and given a new body (below).  The experience left the hero embittered and angry, constantly at war with the cybernetics that were now a part of him.

“When designing a skin for this part of Genji’s story, the developers used his outfit to mirror his turbulent state of mind.  They made his armor feel like a mishmash of parts, symbolizing the hero’s struggle to accept what he has becomd.  The use of red throughout the skin also helped ot emphasize his uncontrollable rage.” - The Art of Overwatch, page 233

No date is given, hence why I feel the idea is only implied, but it is not stated.  Again, if you wish to create your own interpretation of this, you are free to do so.

4. Winston crash lands on Earth (no exact date given): this one is very difficult and admittedly extremely loosely incorporated into the final year of Overwatch.  You may interpret it differently.  My reasoning here is that Winston is not present in the Halloween comic, and no specific details are given in the ironically-named “New Details Emerge About Possible Fate of Horizon Lunar Colony” article (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20812209).  However, Winston needs to be “present” and part of Overwatch when Tracer returns to the timeline from her accident, so this potentially puts Winston’s landing sometime around the Shimadas’ duel.

5. Uprising: As I described above, I’ve extrapolated that the time since release and the canon-events revealed have some parallels running between them.  Obviously, this is not set 100% in stone.  However, with Uprising, we do know a few things: 

it is Lena’s first mission, so it has to come after her return to the timeline

it features Winston, so he’s either a part of Overwatch now or taking a more active role

it features Winston testing Lena’s chronal accelerator, so it is relatively recent after her return and stabilization

it features Genji before he gets his normal cyborg “skin” 

it features Angela who appears to be testing Genji’s cybernetics

Reinhardt has not yet retired

Jesse is still present and part of Blackwatch

Ana is still present

Gabriel is still present

Overwatch is already under public scrutiny

Director Petras has already suspended Blackwatch activities

It takes place “seven years ago” from 2077.

These are a lot of constraints to place on Uprising, but they do limit us to what is likely the final year of Overwatch.  The teaser tweet for the event can be found here (https://twitter.com/playoverwatch/status/848958308643885056?lang=en) and the blog post can be found here (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/20696534).   Mid-to-Late 2070 (exact dates unknown) This is where things get very difficult to align, and the majority of events could be effectively rearranged to come before or after each other. 1. Moira recruited to Blackwatch: main source - Moira Origin Story (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ETybQd4uRE)   The newest event at the time of this writing, Moira’s recruitment is constrained by two major things - it must come after Genji joins, and it must happen before Genji and Jesse leave Blackwatch.  Again, if you see Genji’s fight with Hanzo as happening a couple of years before 2070, then yes, this event could come much earlier. The second “part” of this (which I’ve placed several months after her recruitment in the timeline) is that whatever Moira does or “tests” on Gabriel must come after Ana has “died” and separated from the Overwatch team.  Hypothetically, Moira’s “tests” are likely conducted over a period of time, but no matter what, Gabriel’s “final, unmasked appearance” (whatever it is) was never seen by Ana (but hypothetically has been seen by Jack/Soldier: 76).

For the quote that I provided, you can check here (http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/167111711575/moira-preview-new-hero-overwatch-panel) or you can watch the source video yourself:

“Moira Reveal Panel” - quote from Michael Chu (Timestamp: 3:47 https://youtu.be/HsJU3PEk9JY?t=227)

Source for the “Soldier: 24 folder” - http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/167127031445/new-details-on-the-university-map-of-oasis-found

2. Doomfist’s arrest: main source - Doomfist Origin Story (https://youtu.be/vaZfZFNuOpI) Again, no exact date has been given, but there are number of constraints that put this after Uprising:

Tracer is part of the team that arrested him

Winston is part of the team that arrested him (this may come after Winston passes whatever certification test is in the photo in Recall)

Genji appears to have his new cybernetics and may have transferred to Overwatch

Other key members of Overwatch, such as Reinhardt and Torbjörn, are not present and may have retired.

This may come before Moira’s recruitment.  Talon activities at this time period are difficult to suss out correctly.  As Moira’s hero profile implies:

“After Overwatch was disbanded, O'Deorain was forced to turn to unconventional sources of funding. This time, she was invited to join the scientific collective that had founded the city of Oasis. Yet some have whispered that the shadowy Talon organization had already been supporting her for years, aiding her experiments in exchange for utilizing the results for their own purposes.” Moira may have already been working for Talon at this time.  The “organization had already been supporting her for years” overlaps with her recruitment into Blackwatch (no matter where you put it), meaning she may have entered Blackwatch and Overwatch as a Talon agent.  It is also possible that she was approached by Talon AFTER becoming a Blackwatch agent.

This is important - and unfortunately very vague - because our next two points rely on knowing when and how Talon began infiltrating Blackwatch and Overwatch. 3. Amélie’s transformation into Widowmaker (no exact date given): main sources - Widowmaker’s Hero profile (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/widowmaker/) and “Legacy” comic (https://comic.playoverwatch.com/en-us/legacy)

The exact timeline of Amélie’s transformation is hard to pin down because so much of it is simply unknown.  We have a few constraints but don’t know the exact time or nature of them:

Her skin and heartrate have been affected by whatever chemicals Talon put in her, turning her blue/purple (and yes, that’s canon and not just “aesthetics” - “then her physiology was altered, drastically slowing her heart, which turned her skin cold and blue and numbed her ability to experience human emotion.”)

However, her Talon skin does not have the blue/purple tint yet, so it’s possible this is a representation of her shortly after she killed Gérard (I suspect Overwatch would’ve been much less casual about letting her return to her husband if she had been, well, literally blue/purple).

It is not known if this process was started before or after Moira joined Blackwatch, but it is incredibly suspicious that a “possibly Talon-affiliated” scientist with knowledge of altering genetics and physiology who is literally shown testing chemicals on her own arm which later turns blue/purple appears in the exact timeframe that Amélie’s transformation begins. The Fall of Overwatch: Late (?) 2070 1. Ana’s “death:” main sources - Ana Origin Story (https://youtu.be/yzFWIw7wV8Q) and “Legacy” comic. For my original discussion on this, check here: http://segadores-y-soldados.tumblr.com/post/159512959195/alright-so-the-subject-of-ana-being-the-source-of Ana’s death was likely a major, major turning point for both Overwatch and Talon.  Again, it’s hard to place because it appears to come after the majority of Amélie’s transformation into Widowmaker, but again, the exact date to place this is unknown.  Many fans originally believed that Ana had “died” much, much earlier in the timeline, like, several years earlier.  However, after Uprising was released and it was revealed that Ana was still present early in the final year, fan theories had to be changed.

It also makes a lot more sense if Ana’s “shoot-off” with Widowmaker occurs very close to the Fall of Overwatch - so close that she was not able to recover in time and return to the organization to help repair any rifts her “death” may have caused.  However, it also has to come before Gabriel’s final transformation or shift into “Reaper,” because Ana does not recognize “what has happened” to him.

It is also a little difficult to sort out, but a major “potential” cause for a rift between Jack and Gabriel could stem from discussions about Ana disobeying orders.  It’s a small detail to catch, but in the “Legacy” comic, Ana deliberately defies orders to evacuate and turns off her communications device, possibly leaving the Strike Team unable to find her location.  However, in the “Old Soldiers” comic, Reaper says that Overwatch “left [Ana] to die,” which seems to contradict the point that she disobeyed evac orders.  I know many fans don’t like the idea of the fallout between Gabriel/Reaper and Jack/Soldier: 76 being over a miscommunication, but it seems entirely plausible that Jack returned from the mission without Ana, claiming she had ignored his orders, and that Gabriel had accused him of abandoning her. Again, this is my interpretation of the events presented.  Reading between the lines, especially with such large gaps in the plot, is a difficult task and you may choose to interpret things differently. 2. Events with unknown dates: there are three events that have no set dates but occur near or close to the Fall of Overwatch, or at least must occur after certain other points.  These are: 2.1 Genji leaves Overwatch: this must occur after he participates in the arrest of Doomfist. 2.2 Jesse leaves Blackwatch: this must occur after Uprising and Moira’s recruitment (bare minimum), and must occur after “the infighting” within Blackwatch had begun (McCree’s Hero profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/mccree/).  Direct quote: “McCree appreciated the flexibility afforded to the clandestine Blackwatch, unhindered by bureaucracy and red tape. But as Overwatch's influence waned, rogue elements within Blackwatch sought to bring down the organization and turn it to their own ends. Wanting no part of the infighting, McCree set off alone and went underground.” 2.3 The “Venice incident:” an unknown event alluded to in Moira’s Hero profile, in which her presence in Blackwatch is revealed (Moira’s Hero profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/moira/).  Direct quote: “Her employment was a closely kept secret, until it was uncovered during inquiries following the Venice incident. Many high-ranking Overwatch officials disavowed all knowledge of her affiliation with them.”  This is significant because a major Talon leader - Vialli - works in Venice and appears (briefly and much later) during the events of the “Masquerade” comic.

These events have no set dates and no particular order.  Michael Chu has stated that McCree and Genji kept in touch after leaving Blackwatch separately, but no dates are given for that.   3. “What happened to you?”/“It was a conspiracy:” Main sources:

Reaper’s Hero profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/reaper/

Soldier: 76′s Hero profile: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/soldier-76/

Soldier: 76 Origin Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byhvUmpAA9c

“Fading Glory: On the Trail of Jack Morrison”: https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/blog/19809396/

Moira Origin Story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ETybQd4uRE

Nesskain’s (the artist of the Moira Origin Story video) response to how Gabriel is feeling about the shadows: https://twitter.com/nesskain/status/926674887615188992

Moira Reveal Panel at 2017 Blizzcon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsJU3PEk9JY

“Old Soldiers” comic: https://comic.playoverwatch.com/en-us/ana-old-soldiers

“Are you with us?” Recall message: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwFu8kEsUW4

And now Here we are. I’ve put these two events side-by-side because it’s incredibly likely that they’re linked in some way.  The exact nature of their connections are still unknown, as are their dates. Hypothetically, by the time Genji and Jesse leave, “whatever happened” to Gabriel has not yet occurred.  That said, Michael Chu has stated that Jesse McCree has not seen Gabriel/Reaper in the current plotline, but that, if they were to meet, McCree “would known [sic] that Reaper was Reyes if he encountered him” (https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/comments/6b63j3/ama_request_michael_chu/dhlepud/).  In other places, Michael has stated that the only people who recognize that Gabriel is Reaper are Jack, Ana, and Sombra (this is prior to the release of Doomfist and Moira).  Direct quote: “So far: Ana and Jack (when they encountered him in Old Soldiers) and Sombra (because she Knows Things). “Even with everything that's happened to Reyes, Ana and Jack would be able to recognize him immediately, given all their close experience serving together over the years. “(To make it extra confusing: it gets a little more complicated in-game because we chose to have some non-canon interactions because I think it's more interesting to have Reinhardt take out Reaper and say, "Traitor!" than to accurately reflect that he doesn't know Reaper's true identity. But as I've said before, events in game shouldn't be considered strictly canon.)” - Michael Chu (https://us.battle.net/forums/en/overwatch/topic/20753735625#post-13) So we’ve come to a few constraints on Gabriel’s “appearance:”

Jack/Soldier: 76 knows that Gabriel is Reaper by the time of “Old Soldiers,” if not beforehand.

Ana recognizes him by demeanor and personality, but is horrified by his appearance when she unmasks him in “Old Soldiers.”

Despite having worked with him for the same amount of time as Ana, Reinhardt canonically does not know who “Reaper” is, but would recognize him if he encountered him.

Jesse McCree canonically does not know who “Reaper” is, but would recognize him if he encountered him.

Interestingly, Widowmaker does not know who “Reaper” is.

Winston does not appear to know who “Reaper” is.

Genji may or may not know who “Reaper” is.

It is important to note that, by the time of the explosion at the Swiss Watchpoint, the majority of these characters are not present in Overwatch anymore.  Ana, Reinhardt, Jesse, Amélie (if she ever was close to the Overwatch agents), and Genji have all left.  Winston, presumably, is at Watchpoint: Gibraltar.  The locations of characters like Torbjörn, Angela, and Lena are unknown.

That leaves three possible “major characters” at the Swiss Watchpoint at the time of the explosion: Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison, and potentially Moira O’Deorain.  Her direct involvement in this event is unknown. According to the “Fading Glory” article, both Gabriel and Jack were seen by witnesses as being present in the Watchpoint before the explosion.  Soldier: 76 confirms this in his Origin Story.  Reaper confirms that he too was present at the base in the “Old Soldiers” comic.

What is significant is that Nesskain has confirmed that Gabriel is “scared” when what appears to be his final transformation is occurring (in the presence of Moira), yet for some reason, he specifically blames Jack and Overwatch for “what happened to him.”

Ana: “What happened to you...?”

Reaper: “He did this to me, Ana.  They left me to become this thing...”

Ana: “Gabriel...”

Reaper: “They left you to die.  They left me to suffer...”

Reaper: “...Never forget that.”

Reaper’s explanation in “Old Soldiers” is fascinating because it appears to be in direct contrast with information given to us in “Legacy” (Ana chose to turn off her comms) and the Moira Origin Story (Gabriel approached her for recruitment, Moira either created or enhanced his genetic mutations, resulting in his “Reaper” powers and/or current appearance/state of existence). It’s incredibly difficult to say how closely together Gabriel’s shift and the Swiss Watchpoint explosion occurred, or how much they are directly related, but it seems likely they are linked in some way.  At the very least, Reaper links “being left behind (to suffer)” by Jack/Soldier: 76 and Overwatch with the explanation for his current (2076) state of existence.

Again, I will leave you to formulate whatever interpretation or conclusion you want. Conclusion You don’t have to use this timeline. I’ve provided every major source that I have for this “final year of Overwatch” - watch them, read them, form your own interpretations, do whatever you want.  If your biggest issue is where I’ve placed things, go ahead and rearrange your own puzzle pieces. However, you should keep in mind an important quote from Michael Chu: “One of the things that we really like doing with Overwatch is playing with perspective.  We utilize perspective when we tell stories about what characters are thinking, what their goals are - and we have a lot of unreliable narrators.  We want people to pay careful attention to what characters think about in particular situations.  We want them to use their judgement and knowlege of a character’s thoughts to come up with their own ideas about the universe.” - Thinking Globally (Timestamp: 34:35 https://youtu.be/bj56ejM5EcU?t=2075) Not only are many of the points in the timeline effectively “freefloating” (aka, they have no exact dates, or hell, not even exact months or years), they are also complicated by the matter of unreliable narrators and biased perspectives.  The Moira Origin Story gives us a crucial clue to Gabriel/Reaper’s story, but the narration in the video is all told to us by Moira.  I am personally infinitely grateful for the Moira Reveal Panel and Nesskain’s comments on his own art because they provide us with very significant clues that are from outsiders looking in.  That is, they are not tinted with biases or unreliability.  

After going through the new clues on Oasis, as well as listening to the Moira Reveal Panel and seeing Nesskain’s comments, I have revised a lot of my initial ideas on her, Gabriel, and Jack.  At the moment, I’m waiting to see if we get any in-game interactions between her and Reaper when she is released to the PTR later. For now, this my interpretation of the Fall of Overwatch.

TCL 6-Series Roku TV review: Better than ever

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TCL 6-Series Roku TV review: Better than ever

The new TCL 6-Series Roku TV has big shoes to fill. For two years running it’s been my favorite TV for everyday buyers, with excellent image quality, class-leading smarts and an affordable price. The 2020 version adds a new backlight system powered by mini-LED, improved gaming features and a 75-inch size, yet keeps the cost affordable. The result is the best picture quality for the money I’ve tested this year.

Like

Excellent overall image quality

Superior brightness for the price

Great game mode performance

Roku smart TV is simple, capable

Don’t Like

Some issues with low-light dimming

No HBO Max or Apple AirPlay

Those mini-LEDs maximize brightness, leading to better images in bright rooms and with HDR. Local dimming, meanwhile, manages to keep black levels dark and overall contrast superb — although it’s not perfect. And gamers will appreciate the new THX Certified game mode, which serves up fast response time with minimal lag and excellent image quality.

Now playing: Watch this: TCL 6-Series Roku TV review: Brighter and better than…

4:43

Compared to the 2019 6-Series, which is still an excellent TV if you can find one in stock, the 2020 version is better in pretty much every way and worth an extra $100 or so at the 65-inch size. The new 6-Series isn’t as good as the 2019 TCL 8-Series, however, which has an even brighter image and better local dimming. Normally there’s a big price gap between the two but when the 8-Series is on sale — as it often seems to be — video quality snobs who don’t want to spring for OLED should probably choose the 8 instead.

I’ll update this review when I have the chance to test out more 2020 TVs — coming soon — but going into the holiday season the TCL 6-Series is already tough to beat, especially once the traditional November price drops kick in.

Red Roku, metallic frame, impressive picture mark TCL 6-Series

See all photos

Gray metal body, adjustable feet

TCL’s midrange TVs have a much more polished look than their budget sets and the new 6-Series is no exception. The slim frame around the image and thicker bottom edge are dark gray textured metal, with subtle TCL and Roku logos. Not-so-subtle is the big accent light below the central logo — it turns off when you turn on the TV, thankfully, but I wish there was a way to disable it entirely. (Update: You can! Go to Settings > System > Power and turn off the Standby LED. Thanks to commenter chazzsubscribe.)

New for 2019 is a dual-position stand leg arrangement on the 65- and 75-inch sizes that lets you place the legs either out toward the edge of the panel, as seen in the images here, or more toward the center. Both also include a cable cozy in the legs that let you kinda hide HDMI, power and other connectors.

David Katzmaier/CNET

Hello, Roku (now with Peacock); goodbye, HBO Max

I’m a fan of Roku TV, for reasons I’ve documented extensively in previous reviews. Here’s the short list why:

Frequent updates and feature improvements

Simple menus with full customization, including input naming

Inputs on the same home page as TV apps

More apps (and 4K HDR apps) than any other smart TV system

Cross-platform search covers many services and allows price comparisons

Like other Roku devices, the TCL 6-Series is currently missing an app for HBO Max. HBO subscribers can still watch HBO shows using the standard HBO app, but won’t get access to Max-specific shows such as Friends or Love Life. The TV does now have a Peacock app, however.

In an issue first brought to my attention by a reader, the 635’s Amazon app doesn’t yet deliver HDR. TCL says Roku is aware of the issue and working on a fix with Amazon. I’ll update this section when that happens.

Another thing currently missing from the Roku platform — and available on competing smart TVs from Vizio, Samsung and LG — is support for Apple’s AirPlay system. The Apple TV app, which includes access to Apple TV Plus, is on-board.

David Katzmaier/CNET

The 6-Series includes the simple Roku remote with built-in voice control. Roku’s voice function isn’t nearly as robust as Amazon Alexa, found on Fire Edition TVs, for example, but it worked fine for searches, app launching, switching inputs and tuning to an antenna channel. If the TV is off, a voice command such as “Launch Netflix” will turn it on and launch the app.

Mini-LED leads a big list of features

Mini-LEDs are, as you might have guessed, smaller than standard LEDs, allowing them to be grouped into more local dimming zones. Full-array local dimming is the best way to improve picture quality on LCD TVs. It allows the backlight — the part behind the LCD screen that provides illumination — to dim and illuminate different areas simultaneously. Smaller areas, or more dimming zones, mean more precise illumination, which ultimately increases contrast, the most important ingredient in a good picture.

Key TV features

Display technology LED LCD (Mini-LED) LED backlight Full array with local dimming Number of zones 55-inch: 128, 65-inch: 160, 75-inch: 240 Resolution 4K HDR compatible HDR10 and Dolby Vision Smart TV Roku TV Remote Voice

TCL is still the only TV maker to use mini-LED technology, first in the 8-Series and now in the 6-Series, but specs on the 6-Series aren’t nearly as impressive. The cheaper 6 has around 1,000 LEDs and 240 zones on the 75-inch size, while the more expensive 8 has 10,000 mini-LEDs and 1,000 zones. That’s likely the biggest reason the 6-Series didn’t perform as well as the 8-Series in my tests.

Read more: Mini-LED is here: How smaller lights could lead to big TV improvements

The 2020 Vizio P-Series is probably the new 6-Series’ closest competitor and it actually has more local dimming zones than the TCL — 200 on the 65-inch size. The Hisense H9G matches the TCL with 160 zones on the 65-inch size, while other TV makers like Sony and Samsung don’t specify number of zones. 

Another improvement over the 2019 6-Series is a true 120Hz refresh rate on all sizes in the series, which leads to better motion performance. Like most TVs in its class today the 6-Series uses quantum dots that help improve color compared to non-QD-equipped TVs. And of course it supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range formats. These days basically the only manufacturer that doesn’t is Samsung.

David Katzmaier/CNET

Inputs are ample:

4x HDMI inputs

1x analog (composite) video input

1x USB port (2.0)

Ethernet (wired internet)

1x headphone jack

1x optical digital audio output

1x RF (antenna) input

The 2020 6-Series supports Auto Game Mode that engages the new THX Certified game mode automatically when connected to a compatible device. New for this year it also has variable refresh rate and the ability to accept frame rates up to 120Hz. The latter are both important capabilities of the upcoming PS5 and Xbox consoles, but hardcore gamers should note that the 6-Series lacks the ability to do 4K resolution 120Hz with HDR, instead maxing out at 1440p resolution. The Vizio P-Series and Sony X900H, meanwhile, can handle 4K/120 with HDR. I’m not sure how big a difference it will make but I plan to test the new TVs with those consoles when they come out.

Picture quality comparisons

Click the image above to see CNET’s picture settings.

David Katzmaier/CNET

While the TCL 6-Series put out an excellent image, I can’t say yet how it competes against the 2020 Vizio and Hisense sets mentioned above, since I haven’t reviewed them yet. Against the TVs I have reviewed, however, its overall picture is better than any other set that earned an 8 in this category — yet not quite worthy of the 9 I gave the brighter and more expensive 8-Series and Vizio PX from last year, let alone OLED models like the CX that earned a 10. The new 6-Series nails the basics and looks great for gaming, but some issues with dimming in select scenes held it back a little.

Dim lighting: With standard Blu-ray and other SDR content calibrated for a dark room, the TVs looked very similar, and any differences would be tough to distinguish outside of a side-by-side comparison. Overall the Sony showed slightly lighter black levels than the TCLs, for a slightly less impactful and contrasty image, and between the three TCLs the 8-Series looked best by a nose.

Watching 1917 on Blu-ray, for example, after the soldier awakens in chapter 13 (1:06:38), the 635’s letterbox bars and shadows looked truer and more inky than the Sony’s, while I could discern more of the folds of his uniform and walls in the background than on the 625. Meanwhile the 635 and the 8-Series were closest of all, with the only real difference being slightly better shadow detail on the 8-Series.

During the extremely dark assault on Hogwarts from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 635 again looked best aside from the 8-Series. Compared to the 625 from 2019 its black levels were very slightly worse but shadow detail was significantly better, and all three TCLs maintained black levels better than the Sony. 

In content prone to blooming, for example when I brought up the playback controls during a black screen, the TCLs all did a better job controlling the stray illumination than the Sony, which lit up larger portions of the image. The 635 did show blooming more with brighter content, however, including HDR (see below).

Bright lighting: The TCL 6-Series is the brightest TV I’ve ever measured at this price. Brighter TVs like the 8-Series and the Vizio PX cost a lot more — as do numerous dimmer examples like the Sony X900H. 

Light output in nits

TV Brightest (SDR) Accurate color (SDR) Brightest (HDR) Accurate color (HDR) Vizio PX65-G1 1,990 1,120 2,908 2,106 TCL 65Q825 1,653 904 1,818 982 TCL 65R635 1,114 792 1,292 1,102 Sony XBR-65X900H 841 673 989 795 TCL 65R625 653 578 881 813 Vizio M658-G1 633 400 608 531 LG OLED65CX 377 290 690 634

The TCL’s brightest settings, “TV Brightness: brighter” and “Picture mode: Vivid,” (or “Bright HDR” for HDR content) are terribly inaccurate. An accurate bright-room picture is laudably easy to achieve, however. Just switch the mode to “Movie” or “Dark HDR” mode, which reduces light output but delivers a much better image. 

Under bright lighting the 2020 6-Series’ TCL’s screen performed a bit better than last year’s model, as well as the Sony, at mitigating reflections and preserving black levels and contrast. Overall its bright-room image is just as impressive for the price as its home theater picture.

Color accuracy: According to my measurements the TCL 635’s color was excellent before calibration in Movie mode and even better afterward. Watching 1917, for the most part I’d call its color excellent as well, as indicated by the numbers. It did appear slightly less saturated than the other three at times, for example, in the faces of the soldiers or the reddish glow of the firelight. In general the difference was minimal, however, and in other scenes it was much less visible.

Video processing: The 6-Series is a 120Hz native TV with plenty of options for handling motion. The most obvious is Action Smoothing which has four settings. In Off the TV delivers correct 1080p/24 film cadence but in the other settings, Low and higher, it causes the TV to have the buttery smoothness of the soap opera effect.

Those other settings, “Action Clarity” and “LED Motion Clarity,” affect motion resolution and interact with one another. The good news is that achieving maximum motion resolution doesn’t require SOE. When I toggled LED Motion Clarity on, engaging black frame insertion, and cranked Action Clarity to High, I measured a healthy 1,080 lines of resolution — very good, albeit not as good as the Sony or some other 120Hz TVs I’ve tested. Turning LED Motion Clarity off reduces resolution out at 600 lines. I preferred to leave AC on High and turn LED Motion Clarity off because the latter dims the image slightly and introduced some flicker. Viewers very averse to blur might want to leave it on, however.

Compared to last year the 2020 6-Series added a couple milliseconds of gaming input lag, clocking in at around 18/19ms for both 1080p and 4K HDR in game mode. Twitch gamers might notice, but nobody else will. That said, the chances of noticing lag go way up for anybody who doesn’t use game mode in 4K HDR: I measured 134ms (!) in 4K with game mode turned off.

“Game mode” is actually another confusing setting on the 2020 6-Series. You can apply it to any picture mode (such as Movie) or choose the actual “Gaming”https://www.cnet.com/”Gaming HDR” picture mode, which invokes THX’s special sauce. In both cases input lag was basically the same.

Uniformity: With test patterns the 2020 6-Series was solid without too much brightness variation across the screen: slightly better along the edges than the 2019 6-Series and better in the middle than the Sony. One blemish on my review sample was a pair of very slightly darker spots in the middle right. They were quite subtle: I only noticed them on test patterns and demanding material like hockey. From off-angle the 65R635 preserved more black level fidelity than the 625 and the Sony, while off-angle color was similar to the other TCLs and worse than the Sony.

HDR and 4K video: As usual with bright, contrasty HDR material I saw more differences than with SDR. To get a baseline I started with the video montage from the Spears and Munsil 4K HDR benchmark disc, and the 635’s advantages stood out over the Sony and the 2019 6-Series. In the cityscape scenes like the Ferris wheel at night (4:49), the 635’s highlights looked brighter than the other TCL, while the black levels of the sky and shadows were significantly darker than the Sony. Meanwhile the 8-series looked best of all, with blacks as dark as the 635 and brighter highlights.

In difficult scenes with objects against black backgrounds all three TCLs showed similar inky black levels but the highlights were quite visibly different. The 635 was consistently brighter than either the Sony or the 625 (the pen at 4:12 was a good example) and dimmer than the 8-Series. In mostly white scenes, like the mountains and the horses grazing in the snowfield, the 2020 635 again measured the brightest aside from the 8-Series.

As with SDR the 635’s color did appear slightly less impactful and saturated at times, particularly orange like the sunsets or the wings of a monarch butterfly at 3:51. And just like with SDR the difference was subtle and the kind of thing I wouldn’t notice outside of a side-by-side comparison. And in other scenes, like the red, green and yellow of the tulip field, the 635 looked just as vibrant and punchy as the other three. 

Moving on to the 1917 4K Blu-ray disc it was mostly the same story, but in a couple of mixed bright and dark scenes that really test local dimming, the 635 stumbled. When the soldiers meet the general in the bunker (5:20), the 635 showed more blooming and stray illumination in the soldiers silhouettes, the shadows and letterbox bars than the others. I tried reducing the brightness setting from Brighter (which I recommend for HDR on this TV in general) to Normal (which put it at roughly the same overall light output as the 2019 TCL) and or Darker (the dimmest option and much dimmer than either one). If I had to choose between the Sony’s lighter black levels and the 635’s blooming, I’d still take the 635, but both of the other TCLs handled this scene better.

And as usual the effect varied quite a bit. In the next dark bunker scene, around 25:45, the 635’s blooming was much less noticeable, perhaps because of the way the flashlights and camera moved through the rooms. On the other hand in the Chapter 13 awakening scene the TCL 635 was basically unwatchable: its dimming kicked in aggressively to crush almost all the shadow detail in the scene, the uniform and background were invisible and blooming rampant. Changing the picture mode to Bright HDR reclaimed most of the detail but made other aspects of the image look worse, especially in brighter scenes. The 625 looked a bit better (but not great) during this scene, the 8-Series looked significantly better, while the Sony looked the best despite its lighter black levels, showing minimal local dimming effects.

HDR color during 1917 showed the Sony as the palest and least saturated of the three in this pale and unsaturated movie, and to my eye the 635 and 8-Series looked the most balanced. HDR color accuracy measurements gave the Sony the advantage over the 635.

4K HDR gaming: For this test I played The Last of Us Part 2 on a PS4 Pro in the TVs’ various Game modes: Gaming HDR (aka THX-certified Game Mode) for the 635, Dark HDR/Brighter/”Game mode” toggle on for the other two TCLs and Game mode on the Sony. In my comparison THX Game mode did an excellent job of balancing image quality and low input lag.

In those settings the 635 had the best contrast, brightest highlights and most punch of the bunch — the other three looked more washed-out. When you’re crawling around a dark building hunting zombies, however, shadow detail is more important than black level and contrast, because it allows you to peer into dark recesses to spot enemies. By that measure the Sony was better than the 635, delivering every ounce of detail in the darkest shadows while the 635 was a bit more shrouded, albeit still better than the other two. If I wanted maximum zombie-spot potential on I’d set the game’s Contrast slider a bit lower.

Moving out into the day-lit Seattle streets the 635 again looked best overall thanks to superior contrast, which as usual helped colors pop. Of course you can reclaim the native contrast of the other TCLs by turning off the Game mode toggle but the trade-off is extreme input lag  — which was intolerable as I played the game. 

Geek Box

Test Result Score Black luminance (0%) 0.005 Good Peak white luminance (SDR) 1114 Good Avg. gamma (10-100%) 2.2 Good Avg. grayscale error (10-100%) 0.44 Good Dark gray error (30%) 0.40 Good Bright gray error (80%) 0.54 Good Avg. color checker error 1.60 Good Avg. saturation sweeps error 1.56 Good Avg. color error 1.39 Good Red error 1.36 Good Green error 2.16 Good Blue error 1.61 Good Cyan error 1.29 Good Magenta error 1.17 Good Yellow error 0.72 Good 1080p/24 Cadence (IAL) Pass Good Motion resolution (max) 1080 Good Motion resolution (dejudder off) 600 Average Input lag (Game mode) 19ms Average HDR10 Black luminance (0%) 0.011 Good Peak white luminance (10% win) 1292 Good Gamut % UHDA/P3 (CIE 1976) 96.51 Good ColorMatch HDR error 10.91 Poor Avg. color checker error 4.96 Average Input lag (Game mode, 4K HDR) 18.27ms Average

TCL 65R635 CNET review calibration results by David Katzmaier on Scribd

First published Sept. 11.

Ok, let's finish this up tonight, now that I've gotten my cover letter ironed out. We're to Cherubquest, and I have a lot to say about the way John interacts with some of the meta stuff in this subact, so let's get started.

As they approach the MSPA terminal, John and Dave have another chance to talk. In John's tirade about Con Air, he reveals he thinks Dave is the true hero of the story. Meanwhile, Dave has repeatedly said he thinks John is the real hero. This is mostly due to both of them holding themselves to silly standards and then putting their friends on pedestals in comparison, and in the conversation, they both agree that's probably a little silly. The conversation closes with

JOHN: now, let's go write ourselves a happy ending!

which is a callback to something Jane said a long time ago.

Now, it's time for the conversation between Dave and Caliborn while John's trying to hack the narrative prompt. This log makes me laugh literally every time i read it. Part of its purpose was to relentlessly mock the theories that Dave would die because he's the most important tragic character ever, but the log also explores some meta stuff about Homestuck as a narrative and authorial control that ties into what I'm doing with John, even if he doesn't participate in the conversation. And I've got a lot to say about this, because I wrote my undergrad thesis on how Junot Díaz portrays the author as inevitably a dictator in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Great book by the way, if you haven’t read it. It has the most kickass opening I have ever read.

In that novel, Díaz quips that writers and dictators have never gotten along because “like recognizes like”. The novel explores the politics of storytelling – how those in power shape or silence narratives – and it makes even its own narrator and author complicit. Any act of storytelling is inherently dictatorial to an extent. The person telling the story gets to choose what to include and what to leave out. Everyone listening is forced to accept their version of events. There's a big motif in the novel of gaps - things that the dictator has covered up, or things that the narrative is not willing or able to tell. The blank pages are a sign of suppression and violence, but they can also be an opening for someone willing to write on them.

Caliborn is a textbook example of putting the author into authoritarian. He seizes control of the narrative and attempts to retell the story in a way that fits his sensibilities. (Some conspiracy theories argue that he succeeded.) This extends way past his Homosuck doodles. As Lord English, he shapes and defines the alpha timeline, dooming any deviations from the path he has set to wither and die. Any story that doesn’t meet with his approval and match the one he’s telling is sidelined. Caliborn has been forcing everyone to be bit parts in his epic from day one.

(As a sidenote, this is a flaw I accuse Dave of having – of thinking of other people’s motivations and reactions as peripheral to his aims, like they’re props in the drama of his life. Of course Caliborn is much much worse (many teens are solipsistic) but it’s intriguing.)

I’m aware of the obvious catch here. After all, the two of us decided we didn’t like the way the story was going, so we barged in and grabbed it. Now we’re telling a version, and the characters are dancing to our tune. My conclusion from reading Díaz’s novel (though not mine alone; I wasn’t fast enough off the block to be the first person writing on this) was that to avoid being dictators, writers have to leave gaps. A motif within The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is the pagína blanco or blank page, something that hasn’t been filled in. The narrator leaves gaps, asks questions, and specifically says he cannot finish telling the story on his own. The readers have to piece things together or make assumptions, and different readers are likely to do that differently. The novel draws on so many different frames of reference, probably intentionally, that no one person will grasp it all.

So silence is one way to not impose your authority over a narrative, but then no narrative gets to exist at all. But the other option is openness, or multiplicity.  I wrote in a gag about Caliborn’s superior headcanons, because he’s trying to make his vision overrule all while wildly misinterpreting the characters we know, but headcanons? Fanfic? Fandom in general? That’s how readers turn a dictatorship into a democracy.

As I was working on the outline for this project, I had to wrestle with what made Lord English a compelling villain. After all, Dave says it himself in his argument with grimbark Jade. He lurks on the periphery. He hasn’t done much to any of them directly. Technically, he’s the reason any of them exist. But he’s also what has them trapped in only one option, punishing any deviation even if it might make things better for them. He’s the reason for the dreambubbles being stuffed with dead dreamers who objectively did everything right. He’s the tyranny of the narrative given form.

I was rather pleased with this conclusion. Then Act 7 happened and a bunch of other people came up with the same idea as an explanation for why canon had to end the way it did, which made me feel far less original, not that I was very original to begin with. Did canon pull it off? That’s up to you to decide. Will we? Same thing. After all, if we want to avoid the same level of tyranny, at some point we have to back off. At some point, we – like all the other authors – have to die. Metaphorically. Hopefully, anyway.

How does this tie into John's arc? As I said earlier, John has a tendency to view things through the lens of fiction. When he gets the retcon power, he now has authorial control over the story. He can defy the alpha timeline, which is the narrative Caliborn/Lord English privileges. Dave makes a joke about Karkat's sickle plus John's hammer meaning they'll seize the means of production, but John does. He seizes the narrative, and he writes them out of the hole they're in. By saving Calliope, he defies Lord English's will and starts a chain reaction that will lead to his defeat on more than one front. 

Specifically, he calls Calliope's name. At the very beginning of Homestuck, we're shown that you have to name the character before you can give them commands. We're told later that the cherubs' names are important, but it never comes up again. So I made it relevant again - maybe  Roxy just saying Calliope's name wasn't enough, but armed with the narrative prompt and Breathy power, John can call her name loudly enough to bring her back from the dead. Plus, with his meta power, he fucks around with the comic proper - clicking links and appearing outside the panel frame. This story is his now. After viewing his life through the prism of a story, he's going to use that to rewrite it better.

Now that I have forced you to sit through a miniature version of my undergrad thesis, let's move on to post-Cherubquest content. As the Betas prepare to fight Jack, John stares up at the sky and is treated to a cloud-memory of his dead father. (Has Gill shared the sketch for this panel? It's ridic.) 

EDIT: She once sent it to me. Here it is.

He's facing these memories now, even if they're not ones he enjoys. As a side note, you'll notice the next panel has everyone drawn in old school Homestuck style to show how far they've come. The thick lines are kinda unsettling tbh.

And finally, our most recent update. John is getting used to the fact that ok, he might be silly and dorky and not the traditional Platonic form of a hero, but he gets the job done. He's actually one of the characters who'll rely on the walkarounds a lot more for closure - be on the lookout for him to sort of settle some of his issues re: emotional repression, heroic ideals, and doomed timeline bias when we get there. Still, he's on his way! And he got to do some stuff on his own terms, instead of just being bossed around, so he's a lot happier, even if he is burdened by the harsh reality of their lives. The past may be brutal, but things are looking up.  

 TRIBE NEWS - 25th JANUARY 2000:

Important news - The Tribe moves from Sunday on Channel 5 (UK) to Saturday!

We have been advised that Channel 5 in the UK is changing the date they broadcast the Tribe. From Saturday 29th January, the Tribe will be shown as one-hour episodes every Saturday at 16.55 pm (and not every Sunday, as it has been up until now). This is due to the great success the series has had so far (other rival channels had even lined up programs against the Tribe`s slot on Sunday) and from now on, the Tribe can be seen every Saturday at 16.55 pm.

Exclusive - The Tribe appear before 30,000 people

We are delighted to advise that this Saturday 29th January, the cast from the Tribe will be appearing at the new Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, before an expected packed out crowd of 30,000 people. The Tribe will be the half-time entertainment during an Australian Rules football game at the stadium. During the interval between halves, the Tribe cast will perform two songs from the forthcoming Tribe album - "Abe Messiah" and "This is the place". This will be the Tribe`s largest public performance to date so far (previously, the Tribe had played a venue at Christmas before 5,000 people). Members of cast are rehearsing their routine and choreography this week and are looking forward to the performance on Sunday. With a world tour planned for the Tribe album later in the year, this is expected to be the first of many performances at stadiums and large venues around the world! We will have feedback from the cast next week on how the appearance went and some pictures. You will be able to find these in the News section here and in the Location Report on Tribeworld.

Zoot (Daniel James) is coming to get ya!

On Monday 24th January New Zealand time (Sunday 23rd January European/American time), Amy Morrison (ZANDRA) appeared live and exclusive on the Bulletin Board at Tribe Talk. Amy really enjoyed talking with fans and viewers and looks forward to appearing again in the near future. If you missed Amy`s appearance, you can check out what she had to say on the Bulletin Board in the Tribe General Chat section of the Forum Index.

We are delighted to announce that the next member of cast to appear live and exclusive on Tribe Talk is Daniel James, who plays Zoot in the series. Daniel will be appearing on the Chat Room at Tribeworld (and not the Bulletin Board as with previous cast members). The Chat Room will enable live and immediate chat so all users can see what Daniel has to say about different things and his answers to questions. Daniel will be live on the Chat Room in Tribe Talk on Friday 4th February at 08.00 am (New Zealand time). PLEASE NOTE for fans in the UK, this is Thursday 3rd February at 19.00 pm UK time due to the time difference. In the USA, this is 14.00 pm on Thursday 3rd February EST. If you haven`t been in the Chat Room before, you will need to create a username and password to enable you to use the service. To do so, visit the Chat Room in Tribe Talk and follow the online instructions. You can then join in when Daniel appears next week. IF there is a problem with the Chat Room when Daniel appears (just as a back-up, we don`t expect there will be any problem with the Chat Room), then don`t forget to check the Bulletin Board. IF there is a problem with the Chat Room, Daniel`s interview will continue in the Bulletin Board. So, to ask what it`s like being Zoot, leading the Locos, riding around in the Loco`s police car, being the boyfriend of Ebony, and perhaps being the toughest and baddest character in town, then Daniel James will be on Tribeworld soon!

2000 Competition

There is a special competition on Tribe Talk that was set in December last year (and last century/millennium!) that asks "What kind of world do you see for the 21st Century?". A special prize will be given to the winner who has the most imaginative answer - and the judges of the competition are some cast members from the Tribe! Many of you have entered the competition already and cast members have already read the submissions so far, which are very good! The competition can be found in a message called "2000" posted by Cloud9production in the WorldView section of the Forum Index on Tribe Talk. To enter, all you have to do is post your thoughts under the topic - and the closing date is Sunday 30th January. On Monday 31st January, the cast members will choose the winner and we will announce details on Tribeworld. Good luck! To jump to the special 2000 competition, Click here

When is it on?

Many of our new American fans and viewers have emailed us asking information about when the Tribe is on so as not to miss any episodes. By popular request, we are advising our US viewers that the Tribe can be seen every weekday on Encore`s WAM! Channel and the show is broadcast three times a day - at 16.00pm, 20.00 pm and 24.00 pm (all Eastern Standard Time).

New Zealand news - competition winner to act in the Tribe

The magazine in New Zealand called "Girlfriend" had absolutely truck-loads of entrants for the competition where the prize was to go to the Cloud 9 production centre, meet the Tribe and be in the Tribe on a day of filming! The winner of the competition is a young girl from the West Coast of New Zealand, who will travel to Wellington on Friday 28th January and be in the Tribe! We will have some details on Tribeworld after the special day for the lucky winner!

A Tribal Welcome to Eire!

The Irish channel RTE will start broadcasting the Tribe as half-hour episodes from Wednesday 26th January at 18.00 pm. We would like to welcome new viewers and fans in Eire to the tribe of fans and viewers around the world, and we hope you enjoy the series and the Tribeworld website!

Two weeks of Series 2

We are now in the penultimate week of production of Tribe Series 2. After six months, the production has a few more days left before it "wraps" on Friday 4th February. There is an update from the location in the Location Report section in the GUIDE part of Tribeworld. After that, there is still post-production to be done (when music and sound effects are added - and episodes are edited together and mixed) and this will continue into March 2000. And after that? Well, the Tribe has become a hugely successful series worldwide and as long as there are viewers and fans of the series then there will always be the Tribe on television screens. Cloud 9, the makers of the Tribe, are planning Series 3 of the Tribe with UK broadcast Channel 5, who commissioned the series. We will advise more details in the future but in the meantime, keep the dream alive…

Michael Wesley-Smith (JACK) audio interview now on Tribeworld We are pleased to advise that an audio interview with Michael Wesley-Smith (JACK) is now available on Tribeworld at http://www.tribeworld.com/club/download/clips_michael.htm There are Real Media and QuickTime versions available and we hope you enjoy what Michael has to say about Jack, The Tribe, and loads more! ALL members of cast are being interviewed and their interviews will appear on Tribeworld in the near future.

New Post has been published on https://magzoso.com/tech/ipad-2019-review/

iPad (2019) Review

The iPad (2019) is the most affordable of the current generation of iPads, but that doesn’t mean it lacks meaningful new features. The iPad (2019) features a larger 10.2-inch display and a Smart Connector, which allows it to be connected to Apple’s Smart Keyboard Case. This is an accessory that could make the iPad far better for productivity.

On the other hand, the iPad (2019) is based on the three-year-old Apple A10 Fusion processor, and doesn’t have the best display we’ve seen on an iPad. Are these compromises too big to ignore, or is the iPad (2019) the perfect entry-level tablet for most people? We’ll answer that in our review.

iPad (2019) display and design

One look at the iPad (2019) and you’ll immediately notice its larger display. The 10.2-inch screen is bigger than the 9.7-inch ones on all previous standard iPad models. It’s great to have a bigger display, but there are three things to keep in mind. First, the iPad (2019) lacks the anti-reflective coating that’s available on the iPad mini (2019) (Review) and all other current-generation iPads. Secondly, it isn’t laminated, which means that there’s a gap between the panel itself and the glass surface, which you can see if you hold the iPad at an angle.

That second point won’t bother most people much, but the lack of an anti-reflective coating does get annoying after a while. While watching movies or gaming, you’re more likely to see your own reflection on the iPad (2019), which could make the experience less immersive. You will also see black bars at the top and bottom while watching most movies or TV shows, thanks to the aspect ratio of this screen, but this is a minor complaint.

iPad (2019) has a big 10.2-inch display

Third, this iPad doesn’t have the True Tone display feature of its premium siblings, which means it doesn’t adjust its colour temperature based on ambient lighting. That would have been nice to have, but it isn’t a huge miss. Having said all that, if you’re buying this iPad for casual use, none of these factors will bother you much. The only reason we’re even mentioning these points in such detail is that the iPad mini (2019) costs just Rs. 5,000 more and offers a much better, though smaller, display

The speaker is quite loud, but we do miss the stereo speakers that iPad Pro models have, especially when watching movies. That said, the speaker on the iPad (2019) is still pretty good.

While the iPad (2019)’s design isn’t revolutionary, it retains everything that’s good about previous iPad models. The build quality is excellent and it does feel premium. Weight is distributed evenly too. There are thick borders around the display, with the selfie camera at the top and the Home button at the bottom.

The iPad (2019) supports Touch ID for fingerprint unlocks, which is nice to have. When held up in portrait orientation, you have the volume buttons on the right, along with the Nano-SIM tray on the cellular variant. On the rear left, you’ll find the Smart Connector. The power button and 3.5mm headphone jack are at the top, while the Lightning port and speaker are at the base of the iPad.

iPad (2019) performance and battery life

Yes, the iPad (2019) has Apple’s A10 Fusion SoC and it is old now. To be fair to Apple, the A10 Fusion is still a really powerful chip and wouldn’t appear to be very dated if not for Apple’s consistent annual gains in terms of CPU and GPU performance. In our usage we did not encounter any lag or stuttering on the iPad (2019). We played a few games such as Asphalt 9: Legends, Alto’s Odyssey, and Fieldrunners 2, and found performance to be satisfactory. Switching between apps was smooth.

iPad (2019)’s Lightning port and speaker are at the base

For basic use such as watching movies, social media, and browsing the Web, the iPad (2019) is pretty good too. Most people will find the iPad (2019) adequate for day-to-day tasks, but if you are planning to edit photos and videos, you’d ideally want to get at least the iPad Air (2019), if not one of the Pro models.

The iPad (2019) also impressed us with its battery life. We used it to watch a couple of TV shows on the go, for Web browsing, a bit of gaming, and reading every day. With this kind of use the iPad (2019) ran out of power once every four days or so. Apple has always set the battery life bar for iPads at around 10 hours of usage per charge, and we managed to slightly exceed that. The iPad (2019) ships with a 10W charging adapter in the box, which took around three hours to top it up from zero to 100 percent.

The iPad (2019) has a single front camera and a rear camera, and we found both of them to be pretty average. The cameras are decent for FaceTime calls but not for much else. We don’t use iPads for photography and we don’t think anyone else should unless there’s no other choice.

iPad (2019) software

While reviewing iPads in the past, we’ve often said that iOS has been holding these devices back. This year, Apple decided to branch its operating system and created iPadOS 13, which is a version of iOS with several features designed primarily for iPads. This is a good start, and we hope to see regular, meaningful updates to iPadOS in the future.

iPad (2019) isn’t the most portable iPad out there

The first change we noticed is the Today View, which has all of your iOS widgets and Siri Suggestions. Until now you had to swipe left from the first home screen to access this, and it would act like a separate home screen in itself. With iPadOS 13, you can add the Today View to the default home screen alongside your app icons. This is a great way to utilise the big screen, and it made Today View more useful for us as well.

You can also open multiple instances of the same app, which is a good step towards making iPadOS a desktop-class OS. You can tap and hold an app icon in the Dock, and then tap Show All Windows to see all open windows of the same app. We used Safari side by side with a bunch of apps such as Mail, Messages, and even Music, and found it really useful.

We also enjoyed having Safari being recognised as a desktop browser by various sites we use. Sites such as Google Docs work much better thanks to this, and we were not forced to figure out how to load the desktop versions of various sites on an iPad, which is great.

Our experience with iPadOS was largely pleasant, but we do feel that you aren’t going to make the most of it without a keyboard. If you’re planning to use the iPad (2019) for productivity you probably should purchase a good Bluetooth keyboard or Apple’s own dockable Smart Keyboard Cover to make the most of iPadOS’ keyboard shortcuts.

Unfortunately the Smart Keyboard Cover costs Rs. 13,900, which is almost half the price of the iPad (2019). We’ve used this cover with other iPads and found it to be excellent. It does add a bit of weight to the iPad, but it’s a lot lighter and more convenient to use than separate Bluetooth keyboards. Other options such as the Logitech K480 will cost at least Rs. 2,200, but these need to be carried separately and will need to be paired before using.

The iPad (2019) supports the Apple Pencil (1st Generation only), which costs Rs. 8,500. This could be an affordable iPad for those who want to sketch or take handwritten notes.

The Smart Connector allows you to connect Apple’s Smart Keyboard Cover accessory to the iPad (2019)

Verdict

The iPad (2019) has a big display, performs reasonably well, and offers great battery life. It’s nice to have the Smart Connector on this iPad, in case you want to use Apple’s excellent Smart Keyboard Cover accessory and don’t mind shelling out for it. Since the processor is older, there’s a chance that the iPad (2019) may feel a bit sluggish a few years down the line.

The iPad (2019)’s base variant has 32GB of storage and is priced at Rs. 29,900. It would be easy to recommend this if not for the iPad mini (2019) (Review) , which costs Rs. 34,900. The iPad mini (2019) has a smaller display and does not have a Smart Connector, but it has the much more powerful A12 Bionic chip, a better display, and 64GB of storage in the base variant.

If we were picking up an iPad for casual use at home, we’d go with the iPad (2019). If we wanted an iPad to carry with us while commuting or travelling, the iPad mini (2019)’s compact form factor is far more appealing.

Prices:

iPad (2019) Wi-Fi 32GB: Rs. 29,900

iPad (2019) Wi-Fi 128GB: Rs. 37,900

iPad (2019) Wi-Fi + Cellular 32GB: Rs. 40,900

iPad (2019) Wi-Fi + Cellular 128GB: Rs. 48,900

Apple Pencil (1st Generation): Rs. 8,500

Smart Keyboard Cover: Rs. 13,900

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Deathstork #11

Just based on this cover, I know this Creeper is five bershillion times better than Nocenti's Creeper.

You start out in 1954 by saying, "Nigger, nigger, nigger." By 1968, you can't say "nigger" — that hurts you. Backfires. So you say stuff like forced busing, states' rights and all that stuff. You're getting so abstract now [that] you're talking about cutting taxes, and all these things you're talking about are totally economic things and a byproduct of them is [that] blacks get hurt worse than whites. And subconsciously maybe that is part of it. I'm not saying that. But I'm saying that if it is getting that abstract, and that coded, that we are doing away with the racial problem one way or the other. You follow me — because obviously sitting around saying, "We want to cut this," is much more abstract than even the busing thing, and a hell of a lot more abstract than "Nigger, nigger."

Atwater readily admits that the change of behavior (a change you still see as the basic building blocks of the GOP) is due only because the language has become so unacceptable by the populace that the person saying it loses support. But like the euphemism treadmill, changing the language doesn't change the message or the asshole nature of the person using the abusive language. Those people will try to hide in plain sight but they can never actually succeed completely. They need a way to vent their hatred and anger. Which finally brings me to the word that, in today's climate, identifies the racist: thug.

If you don't know who David Duke is, bless your ignorance.

Thug is thrown around constantly these days with a wink and smile. It's the currently acceptable way of saying nigger and people using it need to be called on it. As an added bonus of winks and smiles and elbow nudges, you'll note that racist David Duke expects readers to understand that "decent Americans" means white people. This is the current narrative being seen on channels like Fox News and dining rooms across the country. To some of you, this is the most obvious thing in the world and you've probably been angrily rolling your eyes at the word for years now. But I wanted to talk it through a bit because I know, from my own family's posts on Facebook, that there are way too many people who find it way too easy to call Black Lives Matters protesters "thugs" while never seeming to use that word in any other context ever (except maybe if they're reading an old Batman comic book). Call it out when you here it. Point it out to your family. Don't let the racists get away with normalizing this word.

Dammit, DC! Maybe get a new model for your Thug Heroclix!

The Review! This issue begins like this:

Dammit, Deathstork! I don't have the energy to rant about guns now!

When I say "rant about guns," of course I mean it as much as when I say I want to "rant about dogs." It's not really the guns or the dogs I wind up ranting about. It's the gun and dog owners who are always the huge idiots that need a verbal wedgie. Although this first page ties in a bit with my thug rant (and not in the way you think if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you racist piece of rat excrement). Smoking bans have happened because of consequences, both monetary and electorally. The only way a politician will change their views on a subject is if they face consequences for being on the wrong side of it. Right now, a lot of politicians are on the wrong side of gun control. But thanks to gerrymandering, the ability to self-delude, and a strong NRA lobby, they can't see it and have yet to face any career consequences. Until politicians begin losing their jobs because they don't give a shit about gun violence, they will continue to do nothing about it. Hell, they'll continue to do less than nothing! Fucking idiots just blocked a measure that would prevent schizophrenics and other mentally ill people on social security from purchasing a gun. That isn't just unsafe for the public, it's unsafe for schizophrenics themselves! You don't want somebody with schizophrenia to have a gun on hand when the voices begin telling them it's time to die. The police at the scene of the shooting come up with a typical cop description of the crime. Two black men stop to rape a white woman in a broken down car at one in the morning. She shoots at them and hits a kid going by on his bike. But Jack Ryder, Creeper Extraordinaire, describes what really happened. The two black men are mechanics who stopped to help a woman in distress. Woman panics because, well, two black men! She shoots off a gun with no training and kills the kid coming up to sell her the drugs she was parked in this neighborhood to buy. That's a lot of social commentary packed into a three page scene. The bottom line is that it's rumored Deathstork is in town to murder a bunch of murderers. The Creeper just wants to get to the bottom of it before Lois Lane does. Oh, and for people who actually read this comic and my review who are thinking, "That black cop written by the black writer and drawn by the black artist just called those black men thugs!"? Of course he did. The guy's a fucking cop, fer chrissakes. Edit: Later a priest uses the term but this time, it's in quotes. Get it? According to Jack Ryder, gang members responsible for child deaths have been turning up dead. But not one of them has been shot. The Creeper thinks Deathstork (I miss the nickname Douchéstork) is sending an anti-gun message. Also an anti-smoking message because not one used butt has been found at any of the crime scenes. Also an anti-rape message because nobody has been raped. Also an anti-Batman message because somebody has been scrawling "Batman is a dick!" on the wall nearby each death. The mothers of these dead children did indeed hire Deathstork. They want the people responsible for killing their kids to pay. Jack Ryder swoops in with his trench coat and his notepad and his Pulitzer dreams and begins discussing issues of race with them. The mothers are all "Dafuq?" One white man is helping solve their problems. Another white man is all, "Is this really appropriate?" (Said in that voice that black comedians do when they're imitating a white person! You know, basically Steve Urkel.)

Okay. Maybe the Batman is a dick thing was a lie. He's writing DS.

Jack Ryder is aghast at these mothers perpetuating a cycle of violence. But the detective explains it to him logically: "Guns don't kill people. Deathstork kills people." Is there a test to find out how old you are "on the inside" by how many times the name "Deathstork" makes you giggle? I must be nine months old. Most of this is Jack Ryder working the clues and following leads and asking witnesses. It could end up being an M. Night Shyamalan shocker: The Creeper is responsible! Maybe the "DS" is actually an emoji of The Creeper's horrified face. Jack Ryder's story leads him to a different story and a different reason for Deathstork being in Chicago. It also leads him to getting shot so now he's going to have to get all Creeperfied before he dies. Then maybe he'll come clean as to what this is actually all about. It turns out Jack Ryder is actually a pretty good investigative journalist! He saw all the clues that I didn't. Like how did a bunch of mothers get enough money to hire Deathstork? Answer: they didn't! They hired a knock-off version who felt he was doing the right thing. Douchéstork manages to stop by to kill the guy impersonating him due to "brand dilution." Before leaving, Deathstork offers Jack Ryder his solution to the gun violence in Chicago, and it's pretty fucking cynical. I mean, I thought I was cynical but Priest's Deathstork easily has me beat.

See, the problem was innocent victims being gunned down and if...why am I explaining the punchline?!

The Ranking! +1! Priest tells a good fucking story. Also, I just want to point out that I wrote the rant on the word "thug" before I even knew what this issue was about. It's my super power! To discuss things appropriate to the comic book I'm about to read!