#its good its keeping me excited for s10 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

televinita · 1 year

Text

Library Triage!

I have a reading triage on deck, but first I gotta plow through my actual mother-of-god-how-do-they-multiply-so-fast library checkouts first to try and make sense of them all (27!! with like. at least 10 active requests and/or books I'm gonna pull off the shelf tomorrow)

DVDs I Checked Out For Circ Numbers And/Or Have Watched And Can Return Any Time Now: 6 (CSI Vegas; Hours; Anywhere But Here; Little Women PBS version; La Brea S2; Doctor Who S10 -- i assure you this last one was pure circ numbers)

Books Ready to Return: 2 (Miss Nelson is Missing - checked out purely by chance for funsies and circ numbers when I saw it; The Runaway's Diary graphic novel)

Books I Have Read But Am Keeping 'Til I Write Reviews: 2 (The Last Bookseller; Home Before Dark)

CDs Out: 2 (one Maddie & Tae as a fun option to have in the car; one Loreena McKennitt, although honestly that one is probably ready to go back; Lost Souls didn't grab me)

---------

Other DVDs Out: 10 (!!) (listen I am Going Hard on my vow to single-handedly prove physical media still has value to patrons and the library should not consider eliminating it. there has been no actual discussion of this but I see the DVD section shrinking, I see it!!)

Marley & Me: this WAS just for circ numbers but now I'm looking at it like "oh yeah this movie is amazing actually" and I've kinda been on an Owen Wilson kick this year, so maybe I should actually watch it first.

2-4. Scott & Bailey, S3-5: these were ALSO just for circ numbers but then I remembered I actually do like this show and it's weird I never got past S2*...so I've watched S3 and now I kind of want to finish, and also want to keep them all out so they can be returned and easily reshelved together. (*i also realized one episode into S3 that I may not have actually gotten past 2x03? but oh well no looking back; I hated those 3 episodes so SURGING FORWARD)

5. Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor: I! Will! Watch! It! (ONE of these times it's gotta actually go through...)

6. Doctor Who: Series 11 (Thirteen my beloved!! What if...what IF I wanted to randomly start)

7. Doctor Who: The Animation Collection: "WHAT U MEAN GEORGIA TENNANT VOICED A (non-Jenny) COMPANION CHARACTER IN ONE OF THESE FEATURING TEN I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED." and I thought I might revisit Infinite Quest while I'm at it, though I have thus far done neither.

8. Good Omens: when you finish S2 and are immediately like "I need the option to revisit season 1 right now, in a way where you can easily skip around to favorite parts in the episodes in VLC instead of struggling through the laggy Amazon Prime interface," but now it's been over a month and you haven't actually opened the case. but you still might. (I should probably throw in the towel huh)

9. Around the World in 80 Days: oh yeah. forgot I started this. (Suranne Jones and the rest of the lady police gang are very distracting ok)

10. Broadchurch, S3: originally for circ numbers and then I remembered I actually never got around to this season (but am still excited to! eventually!)

-------

Other Books Out: 5

1. Cabin Tripping: mostly a coffee table book, beautiful photos based on the Instagram of the same name with a bit of text. I wanted to look through it properly and use it to get myself in the mood for the RV / road trip books I was considering reading, but I think those have receded into the temporary background so I should probably send this back as well. temporarily.

2. Gilmore Girls: The Official Cookbook: have I watched more than 3 full episodes of this show in my life? still no. but since dollsome-does-tumblr's tumblr has given me almost all the information I could possibly need about this show, I feel like I know it and ever since I randomly saw this on the library shelf, I have been obsessed with the entire vibe and aesthetic of this oversized book and its mouthwatering photos and can't stop paging through it. (have I tried making any of the recipes? also definitely no) (would that I had a personal chef or at least a talented local friend!)

3. The Little Book of Hygge: this is at least the third hygge book I have checked out on a whim but can't actually read because I just get too overwhelmed by how cute and cozy the mere idea is. But that won't stop me clinging to it with a death grip 'til my renewals run out.

4. Good as Gold - Candace Buford: oh finally an actual novel i might actually read (if I don't get distracted by my GIANT INCOMING STACK, considering I checked this out a full month ago). I am actually very excited by the prospect of this YA novel about searching for a lost treasure of local legend (to pay for college). I don't honestly know why I haven't yet!

5. Lessons From Tara: Life Advice From the World's Most Brilliant Dog - David Rosenfelt: A Goodreads friend read this, which reminded me how much I loved Dogtripping and wanted to read more stories about his big fluffy dogs. Which led me to learn there is only one copy of this 2015 release left at my library so whoops, gotta show interest (and ideally even read it?) before it disappears.

#library triage #i feel like i actually say some vaguely interesting things in this one (or at least have some interesting checkouts)#things I have made progress on watching today: nothing on dvd that's for sure!#(though in my defense. it's so stupid hot we've had to turn the AC on again and window units are So Loud and in the same room as the tv

0 notes

bisidneycarter · 2 years

Text

watching sacrifice of tantalus cause its on tv and feeling as excited abt sullivans return as i was when i first watched it

#ITS CAUSE HIS S10 RETURN AS A REGULAR IS GONNA BE SO GOOD #IM GONNA BE SCREAMING IN JANUARY #its good its keeping me excited for s10 #its gonna be such an interesting season in january u guys #also ik this episode by heart almost thats kinda embarrassing #7x06 #father brown

10 notes · View notes

skadood · 3 years

Text

Thoughts on S10 ….

So… let me start by saying this season has been very meh to me, the writing, the storylines… meh meh meh

I love this show, I love some of the characters… I don’t understand what they are doing lately

They’ve made Gallo, a character almost everyone used to love become some whinny, very inmature guy we are starting to find really annoying.

Ritter barely has had any moments and has been relegated to becoming the peace maker in the whole Gallo-Violet drama when I’m sure there a lots of different stories he could have a bigger part in

I really am starting to get sooo bored with the whole Kelly-OFI thing. It used to be fun when it was one case every season but lately its like OFI is the only thing Kelly has got going on. I do believe that not making Kelly a Captain or giving him any promotions is totally fine, he has made it clear more than once that thats not something he is interested in , but cant they give him something else to do? Or is this the way they are preparing us for him leaving to join OFI for good?

Also, am I the only one who kind of thinks they are not renewing the show after S11? It just looks to me like they’ve run out of new stories to tell…

(Plus the prospect of probably having to wait till next season for the stellaride wedding just makes me sad)

On a more positive note I’m loving Lieutenant Stella Kidd and everything she has done since coming back from Boston. She is the reason I keep watching every week.

I love Violet, im not as obsessed with Hawkami as everyone seems to be but I have nothing against it and if that means more Violet screen time thats fine by me

Maybe I’m just feeling pessimistic today 🤷🏻‍♀️ There are still some episodes left this season, I really hope they make me excited for the show again

#chicago fire #nooneaskedformyopinionbut…

4 notes · View notes

queerofcups · 5 years

Note

could you talk about why you're so into ian/mickey? i don't know tha tmuch about them (only watched a few of scenes of them together) but they just seem. toxic.

oh boy can i!

so the thing you’ve gotta understand about Ian/Mickey is that Shameless (US) first aired in January 2011. For reference, Glee started airing in 2009 and Blaine and Kurt kissed on primetime television in March 2011 and there were like, a lot of articles, in real newspapers and magazines about that kiss. It was referred to (erroneously, but people were excited) as the first show to have a primetime kiss between two men. While there was definitely LGBTQ+ media, there were not a lot of queer folks existing on primetime or premium television and there definitely weren’t a lot of them who were teenagers. I don’t think Shameles was the first to depict anything, but it was definitely one of the first shows in American television to show a relationship like Ian and Mickeys and be so popular.

Because Shamess wasn’t always a bad show! Shameless used to be critically acclaimed, it used to regularly nominated for Emmys and shit.

Ian is the whole reason I started watching Shameless. I was young and fannish and excited to see a gay character on screen. I was young enough to not be as squicked by Ian’s first relationship on the show as I was when I rewatched Season 1 a few weeks ago (Ian’s first boyfriend on the show is Kash, who’s older, married with kids and also Ian’s boss). And it was a desert for easily accessible queer content (I was watching a lot of queer movies at the time but there’s a real difference between a movie and a on-going TV show narratively) with an oasis or two that was usually shaped like a pretty white boy.

Also. To speak to your notion of toxicity. You’re right. Ian and Mickey’s relationship is relatively toxic. If I knew them in real life I’d be telling both of them to get into therapy and also break the fuck up immediately. But back then and now, I find it refreshing to watch a story about two people that are in a context where money is very much an issue, and they’ve grown up shaped by poverty and crime as totally normal things.

(Don’t…don’t get me started on the ways Shameless fails around the racial politics of Southside of Chicago. The cast is qwhite monochrome but its even worse when they try to engage with race. Liam’s whole character is just. Yikes.)

Pop culture and fandom are really drawn to characters that are middle-to-upper class or characters that don’t exist in situations where money is a concern. Ian and Mickey are poor, and they’ve been to prison a time or two and they’ve beaten each other bloody a time or two. There was a recent episode where they both thought the other killed their (shared) parole officer and didn’t believe the other when both denied killing her. It was played for laughs but that’s some fucking rich narrative material. Ian got compared to Kurt a lot when Shameless started and got called “real”. I mean, I’m not really here for erasing the experiences of LGBTQ+ kids (good or bad) because they’ve theoretically got some financial privilege, but obviously people were getting something from Ian that they weren’t getting from Kurt.

Then there’s Mickey Milkovich. Uhm, CWs for sexual assault, parental abuse

So listen. To keep it one-hundo, if they re-did all of Shameless from Mickey’s perspective, I’d eat it up with a spoon. Because all the time the show has spent on Ian trying to “get out” and failing or succeeding and then ultimately failing, there’s been Mickey fuckin’ Milkovich. Mickey, who embraced the family name and family reputation of being a thug. Mickey, who’s a bottom (like. he claimes this, this isn’t me putting that label on him) and been relatively nonplussed about it and how it lines up with his masculinity for a decade now. Mickey, who was forced, literally. at gunpoint. by his father to have sex with a woman and then did his damndest to take care of her and his kid and his boyfriend for months. Mickey who constructed what was essentially an elopement for Ian despite having not seen him for what months? (years? time isn’t real on Shameslss), an elopement that would have worked if only for a while.

Tbh I started watching Shamless S10 because Mickey came back. And the fact that they’ve given Ian and Mickey more space in Season 10 only confirmed that they’re one of the most interesting elements of Shameless and Mickey is one of the most interesting characters on the show. If they’d actually give their relationship time and space to breath, they’d probably get nominated for some more awards.

But they aren’t, so they won’t. So I’ll just keep writing deeply frustrated fanfiction.

ETA: I posted and thought about a clarification. I think Mickey’s character benefits from not getting the over-writing that Ian’s character gets. Whether its because of behind the scenes stuff or just because Ian is both part of this huge ship and a Gallagher, he gets more screentime than Mickey and his stories for the last ten seasons have been all over the place. I feel like I know and understand Mickey much more as a character than Ian. He’s not fundamentally that different from himself in S1. There are some fundamental changes but his core personality is pretty much the same. Where as Ian’s character feels like he’s changed a lot over the last seasons. So like. Its not that I like Mickey and dislike Ian (well. mostly not.) and more that I think Mickey’s a better written character.

#ian/mickey #i gotta get a Shameless tag #Anonymous

14 notes · View notes

twdmusicboxmystery · 5 years

Text

TTD and the S10 Preview Show - Analysis

So we had three good hours of TWD time this past Sunday. (Yah!) I watched all three with the intentions of doing posts on all three.

However, the TTD episode and the S10 preview show, while they had a few interesting things in them, neither had tons, so I decided to combine them. (Hooray!)

Okay, down to business.

S10 Preview Show:

The first thing we noticed—something @wdway always looks for—is that the music box is still sitting on the shelf in the background.

A couple of ways in which this is important. You could argue that they have lots of past artifacts from the show sitting on the shelves. And they do…ish.

1. No other artifact appears so often or for so long after it was last scene in the show. So the fact that they keep bringing it back is significant.

2. We also noticed the music box was NOT present in TTD later in the evening. That was a TTD episode for Fear, rather than regular TWD. But it’s obvious that they don’t just throw things onto the shelves and leave them there. They specifically put the music box there for the S10 special, and then specifically took it away for Fear’s TTD.

3. I also had the thought that Rick’s hat occupied a prominent place on the shelf as well.

Of course, no one questions that because we KNOW he’s alive and the hat is still relevant. But think about that. If the hat is there because Rick is still alive and out there somewhere, even though TF family doesn’t think he is, what does that say about the reason for the music box being there? Just saying.

So the guests on the show were Khary Peyton (Ezekiel), Josh McDermitt (Eugene) and Angela Kang (our favorite TWD writer).

Khary did address the Michonne/Ezekiel kiss from the trailer. He certainly didn’t explain what it was or in what context it happened. As they always are, he was evasive. But he did tell a story about how weird it was for him and Danai because they’re good friends and felt like a brother and sister kissing.

Okay, I’m really side-eyeing that, guys. Because Danai and Andrew Lincoln are good friends too, and they make out on the show all the time. Heck, she and Norman are good friends and does everyone remember the behind-the-scenes vid from S6 that Michael Cudlitz hosted where Norman just decided to jump into the frame and make out with Danai to be funny? It’s just kind of an odd thing for Khary to say, given that these are professional actors.

So why did he? I think this was his way of saying without saying that this Michonne/Zeke kiss isn’t at all romantic. No idea what it’s all about, but I think this was code so Khary could answer without technically giving anything away. It’s what I believed anyway, and this was just confirmation for me.

Chris also asked what Zeke thinks of Daryl and Carol’s relationship. Khary basically just said that Ezekiel isn’t terribly threatened by Daryl. He doesn’t necessarily LIKE him, but he doesn’t dislike him or feel threatened by him either. That’s pretty telling, guys. If Ezekiel were afraid that Daryl was making the moves on Carol and they were going to hook up, he’d be freaking out. Just more confirmation that there’s nothing romantic between Daryl and Carol. If the guy would probably be the most jealous in this situation ISN’T? Well, that says a lot.

They talked a lot about how RK suddenly ended the comic book series, which discussion didn’t anything particularly important for TD in it.

Chris showed off a new TWD drop box you can buy online. It has a “Dixon Brothers Moonshine” mason jar.

Much like the music box, why do they so often bring up moonshine going on six season after Still aired? Could it be to remind us of something?

I also noticed that he showed the RV with umbrellas, and Alpha’s belt buckle, which is a snake eating its tail in an infinity symbol. All of those are symbols we can tie to Beth. After that, Chris just said, “and a whole bunch of other stuff.” I thought it was suspicious that he only showed those things.

This doesn’t have much to do with the special itself, but Chris held up a t-shirt with this picture on it:

And I had sort of an epiphany. I’m sure this has occurred to many of you already, but it hit me hard when watching the special. I think it’s because he called it a “Season 10 commemorative T-shirt.” Something about that made me realize that to “commemorate” S10, they put an X in the logo. That’s kind of a confirmation that the Xs we’ve always seen represent the number 10. The Xs are always related to Beth, and now here we are, going into S10. Just saying.

They also showed a sneak peek.

About the only thing I took from this is a parallel to S4. Just as in S4, Michonne was going out to search for the Governor all the time, and Daryl was concerned about that. Now it seems he suspects that Carol is secretly searching for Alpha in a similar way. And he’s concerned about that too. What does it mean? I don’t know yet. We’ll have to wait and see more of a context, but it’s always encouraging to see a parallel between the current season and one that Beth figured prominently in.

What didn’t they talk about? Well, lots of stuff. But @wdway pointed out something important. While they did say we’d see a lot of Daryl/Carol scenes this season, there was absolutely no mention of Donnie or Connie at all. Yes, we saw her in the trailer somewhat, but you’d think they would tease it a little more like they did last season. Nope. We’re pretty sure there’s nothing to worry about there. ;D

TTD:

I think TTD had even less stuff of note.

They did talk at length about Al and Isabelle’s relationship and how lovely it was and how most people hope Al will find Isabelle again. That’s encouraging because it’s a heavy foreshadow that Morgan’s group will run into the helicopter group again at some point. That alone doesn’t prove anything, but since we think perhaps Beth is with them, that would be a good thing for us.

They also put some focus on the song in the episode about the bear. If I can get around to it, I’m going to do an entire post on that song, because the “bear” isn’t the only important symbol in it. I definitely think tptb chose that song for a reason, and that reason is all the TD symbols it happens to contain. ;D

One thing that made me excited was an interview with Lenny where he said something would happen in this back half of the Fear season that will be really shocking and NO ONE will see it coming. No idea if that’s Beth (meh, probably not) but either way I get excited about stuff like that.

Finally (yes, this is really the last thing) the sneak peek for next week’s Fear is SUPER exciting. We see a bird at its nest (Beth = songbird). But the bird is red and yellow. It looks EXACTLY like a Phoenix. And if you listen to the voice over, it’s a man talking about how he wants Morgan’s group to kill him because he’s already been bitten. So it’s a discussion about suicide. Also something tied heavily to Beth.

I have more to say about the upcoming episode, but I’m going to give it its own post in a couple of days. But suffice it to say, I’m EXTREMELY excited for next week’s episode.

Yeah, I think that’s it. Like I said, nothing huge, but a few things worth mentioning. ;D

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiane #beth is almost here #bethyl

13 notes · View notes

sillyandquiteawkward · 6 years

Text

Assmcgee is a glowing one mercenary that can be found in The Slog or in a random encounter. If found in a random encounter, Assmcgee declares someone has payed him to fight you by name. You can choose to fight him, or recruit him yourself. Winning his fight will leave him prone on the ground, but he will not die. You can encounter him later at the Slog where he’ll praise your skills. You can pay for his services, or pass a speech check to “pay him back later.”

S10 P1 E10 C1 I1 A1 L10

Inventory: Comfort Clothes, Sugar bombs

Perk: If the player character reaches highest affinity with Assmcgee he will give the perk Dumb Luck, which maxes your defense when unarmed.

Loves: Violence, Hacking, Picking locks, Stealing

Likes: Generosity, Meanness, Chem use, Drinking alcohol, Walking around naked

Dislikes: Peace, Selfishness, Chem addiction, Murder

Hates: Companion swapping, flirting while in a relationship

General ambient: “Hey, dare me to eat that for 5 caps?” / “Get out of these rads, ya dumbass!” / “Next time we find a deathclaw, stand back and let me show you something epic.”

Combat: “Hey, don’t look at my boner! Focus on my FIST.” / “Aw, are you even trying?” / “Heheh-heheh!!” / “Fuuuck yeah! RRAHHGGH!”

Romance: “We have to do that again.” / “You okay? Need a Rad Away?” / “Stay in bed with me, please?” / “No round three?” / “I didn't keep you up, did I?” / “Tell the sun to shut the fuck up, will you.”

Some Companion Swaps:

MacCready- “Could you pick a more insufferable member of the human race to join up with?” “Oh they’re serious. Beat it, MacGee”

“You can’t be serious, this guy will double cross you as soon as a higher bidder comes over.” “Like you wouldn’t, caps for brains? Fuck off, Robert, will ya?”

Cait- “Now here’s a girl that owes me a few rounds!” “Next time I’m back here, I’ll kick yer arse. Now that’s a promise.”

Assmcgee’s first affinity talks starts when he brings up the payment for hiring him. If the player never paid him, Assmcgee will joke that he had forgotten about it til now, and doesn't care about getting paid anymore because he's having so much fun with you. If he was paid however he admits he gave you a steep discount for looking like tough shit and a lot of fun to hang around. He goes on to admit that he's always scraping by financially and that he isn't above hunting or even stealing to get something to eat. You can mention its bad business to always be undercharging, but Assmcgee will get defensive and argue that its how hes always done it and he keeps getting business so its just fine, thank you. FLIRT: The sole can turn the conversation and instead mention how resourceful Assmcgee is and compliment him. Assmcgee instantly agrees and congratulates himself before also again praises the player for their good eye and compliments.

His second affinity talk starts with Assmcgee praising your fighting skills. He’s very heavy on the praise, even mentioning how attractive it is, however he’s quick to praise himself as well and puts you two on equal ground. You can ask him what hes going at, and Assmcgee admits to you not many people can stand him and his rads, but you seem to be cool, and don’t mind the rads he spits out and that you’re tough shit. On that note you can push and ask him about being a glowing one. Assmcgee says he has no idea why he glows and has kept his sanity, that most glowing ones are feral. Assmcgee goes on to say that he doesn’t think ferals are that bad, they can be awful annoying though, and he recalls that he many times he has woken up surrounded by at least fifteen ghouls, leeching off his radiation. FLIRT: The player can hint that they wouldn't blame the ghouls from spooning Assmcgee. Assmcgee laughs and say he wouldn't mind getting spooned by you either.

Assmcgee's final talk begins with him stopping you to ask your opinion. He asks if the player ever feels regret for being the last person alive from the vault situation. The player can give their varied opinion or pass a speech check to ask if something is on his mind. Assmcgee clamps up immediately and thanks the player for their opinion. Passing further checks can make Assmcgee open up and admit he's been in the same situation. Being prewar, Assmcgee's watched people in his life die and leave him behind. Sometimes its even his fault for their deaths, that he's not strong enough to protect others. ROMANCE: The player can soothe Assmcgee, saying that he doesn't need to protect them, that they have each others backs, that you have his back. For the long haul. Assmcgee asks if this means they're finally official now, hearing you say that. The player agrees and Assmcgee's mood immediately switches, growing ecstatic and admitting that he cant wait for the next mattress to formally break in their relationship. Assmcgee further expresses his happiness and relief before ending the talk there, excited for the future.

Assmcgee is romancable and at this point you receive his final affinity perk, Dumb Luck.

Assmcgee will not use guns but will use melee and unarmed weapons. Equipping a gun will make Assmcgee use his fists so giving him a melee weapon is the best bet.

Assmcgee’s radiation blast will not give you rads, but enemies will still suffer full radiation damage. Downed ferals that rise from Assmcgee’s radiation blast will become friendly. You may still kill them for exp but they will go back to attacking you once you do.

Assmcgee will randomly give the player Rad-x and Rad Away expressing his worry as he does.

Feral ghouls will sometimes back down and become friendly when Assmcgee is your companion.

#told u id have his out eventually #fallout 4 #assmcgee

165 notes · View notes

dustydreamsanddirtyscars · 6 years

Note

Reg your Blade Runners pics. Could that man be any hotter? Mercy. Sorry, where was I? Pics. Yes. Pics. Loved the Dean/Magnus scene. Loved his invisible Fortress of Solitude. Loved his somewhat sexual overtones when he was creeping on the elder Winchester. Really loved the painting of the slaughtered rabbit. So fitting. I’d like to see Show bring back Cuthbert Sinclair. He was such a delicious foe. He was like Honey Badger. He did what he wanted and didn’t give a shit. ;)

Hello there!

Well, Jensen Ackles certainly is a very handome man that is for SURE!. :)

I am obviously biased here, because the MoC arc and espeically S9 will always remain my favourite season of SPN, because it was so deliciously dark and tragic and atmopsheric, but yes I did enjoy the Dean(Magnus scenes as well in a horrified but transfixed kind of fashion that revolved around a whole lot of worry for Dean.

The sexual overtones are what actually creeped me out a great deal, but it falls perfectly in line with the Dean and Amara scenes later on and this episode in particular Dean felt the full effect of the Darkness power as the blade and the mark worked together.

There is a TON to love about this episode and all of the small nods, callbacks, parallels but also pieces of foreshadowing thrown in here. For one, there is the fact that Dean experiences losing his free will and being “frozen/blank” almost when Magnus uses the spell on him and creepily adss that if he did that enough to Dean he’d be “ready for whatever he had in mind” *shivers down my spine* which is accompanied by similar sound cues as are the scenes later on when Dean is losing himself to the mark and the blade - the eveil little steam whistle sound. This aligns and foreshadows pretty neatly how Dean throughout S9 and S10 continues to lose his agency and free will even more which culminates and finds its climax when the Darkness is freed and Dean bound to her.

Or - as another example, why this episode and this season will always send me in excitement - since you mention the picture that Dean is framed with throughout the scene where Magnus makes him hold the blade for the first time. That painting is so telling on a multitude of levels. Given this episode centers around the quest to beat Abaddon, the last Knight of Hell alive (supposeldy, of course there is also Cain still, so... she isn’t really the last) it is very important to remember the conversation between Magnus and the Winchesters beforehand, because there he calls Henry quite the “wild hare”, which directly connects to the painting as Henry, much like the rabbit in it, are dead, even more so, the bunny in the painting looks like it was killed as “an offer” like on an altar (which also nicely calls back to Dean basically making an offer to Cain on his kitchen table by killing a demon there). To me this connects pretty well to Henry, the Wild Hare, who offered himself up to Abaddon to save his grandsons. And the way Abaddon is brought into the mix here through Henry by Magnus also aligns well with Dean, because Dean offered himself up as well when taking on the mark (to kill Abaddon), which would mean his demise at the end of the season - only that he wouldn’t die... but you know what I mean.

Goddddd, this season was so good writing wise.

As for Magnus/Cuthbert as such. I have said this a multitude of times before that I too would have loved for him to return, because he was such a great villain. Or it wouldn’t nescessarily have to be him returning in person but for the Winchesters to raid his home base. I mean.... you can’t tell me Crowley didn’t try to get his hands on all those artifacts and if he didn’t I also kind of don’t get why the Winchesters wouldn’t want to get their hands on it.

Headcanon insert here: What if Cuthbert’s fortress was actually was the BritMoL were looking to find? I always thought he could have fit in rather well with them and their approach to rid the world of all evil - hell, they even could have made him the one holding all the strings together. Plus: He was a very powerful guy in terms of spells - I also could have imagined him having run into Rowena at some point. Who knows, if he knew how to keep himself young or at least look like it, he def has something in common with Rowena. And like she had taken precautions if killed to not die they could very well do sth. similar with Magnus if they wanted to, because the skills for that he surely would have had.

So yeah, I think they would have had plenty of good options to choose from to revisit Magnus. Who knows, maybe they’ll do at some point but I highly doubt it. But as a villain and what his introduction meant and set into motion for Dean... it was just horrible and amazing at the same time. Yeah, I know I am flainling, but hell, S9 was just so damn good all around. :’)

#Ask #Anonymous #Dean love club #SPN discussion #SPN Meta #Supernatural Meta #Season 9 #Mark of Cain #Dean Winchester #MoC!Dean #the First blade #Cuthbert Sinclair #Albert Magnus #Free will #Loss of free will #Loss of agency #Death is not a condition but a transition #Queued

5 notes · View notes

droneseco · 3 years

Text

The S10 Robotic Vacuum by 360 Smart Life: An Excellent Option for Pet Owners

360 Smart Life S10

9.40 / 10

Read Reviews

Read More Reviews

Shop Now

Overall, the 360 S10 is an exceptional choice for those who want to get into the realm of robotic cleaners. And for people who have one or more pets, this vac will give you back a ton of free time that you can use for other, more exciting activities.

Key Features

Hidden Triple-Eye LIDAR

4-Stage Suction With Max 3300Pa

Ultra Slim Design

3-Stage Mopping

Customizable Cleaning Modes

App Support

Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Enabled

Smart Assistant Support (Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Clova)

Auto Carpet Detection

Auto Charging

5000 max battery, 72Wh

Specifications

Weight: 8.48 lbs (3.85kgs)

Collection Capacity: 500 ml

Wattage: 30W

Filters: Yes (One included)

Pros

Easy to set up

Obstacle avoidance is fantastic

Can clean ~2153 sq ft on a single water tank

Easy emptying of dust bin and water tank

Demolishes pet hair

Cons

Uses large amounts of battery life on higher modes

Dust bin requires frequent emptying due to size

Buy This Product

360 Smart Life S10 other

Shop

// Bottom var galleryThumbs1 = new Swiper('.gallery-thumbs-1', { spaceBetween: 10, slidesPerView: 10, freeMode: true, watchSlidesVisibility: true, watchSlidesProgress: true, centerInsufficientSlides: true, allowTouchMove: false, preventClicks: false, breakpoints: { 1024: { slidesPerView: 6, } }, }); // Top var galleryTop1 = new Swiper('.gallery-top-1', { spaceBetween: 10, allowTouchMove: false, loop: true, preventClicks: false, breakpoints: { 1024: { allowTouchMove: true, } }, navigation: { nextEl: '.swiper-button-next', prevEl: '.swiper-button-prev', }, thumbs: { swiper: galleryThumbs1 } });

A robotic vacuum is a wonderful way to indulge your laziness. But for some people with pets, the idea of coming home to a pet “uh-oh,” that the robotic vacuum has mistakenly spread around the house is the stuff of nightmares.

For those folks, 360 Smart Life has just introduced a new triple-eye LIDAR robotic vacuum called the 360 S10 that can easily detect obstacles—including pet poop. This robotic vacuum offers up to 3300 Pa of suction, and it can mop as well. But is it any good? That’s what we’re going to find out in this product review.

youtube

Meet the S10 by 360 Smart Life

The 360 S10 is a robotic 2-stage vacuum with mopping capabilities, but this isn’t 360’s first robotic vacuum. Previously, the company has had a lot of success with both its S7 and S9 robotic vacs. The S10, however, is brand new for 2021. It features triple-eye LIDAR, which uses a SLAM algorithm and direct time of flight (dToF) to detect hundreds of obstacles as it works its way around your home. LIDAR is the most advanced navigation technology for robot vacuums.

Technical Specifications

Robot

Dimensions: 350mm diameter x 85mm tall (13.78 inches diameter x 3.35 inches tall)

Weight: 3.85kg (8.48 lbs)

Battery Capacity: 5000 mAh, 72 Wh

Voltage Rating: 14.52V

Power Rating: 30W

Dock

Dimensions: 220 x 153 x 100 mm (8.66” length x 6.02” depth x 3.94” height)

Rated Power/Power Output: 24W

What’s in the Box?

In the box for the S10, you’ll get:

Main Robot Unit

Charging Dock

Power Adapter and Plugs

Water Tank

Mop Bracket

Mop Pad

User Manual

Small Cleaning Tool

Dust Bin, Main Brush, Side Brush (attached to the main unit)

How is the 360 S10 Different From Eufy, Xiaomi, and Dyson?

The first thing you’ll notice about the s10 is that there is no protrusion for the LIDAR on the top of the vac. If you’re familiar with 360’s previous models, you’ll know this is a new design. The lack of a LIDAR sensor on the top of the unit makes it ultra-slim and allows it to easily fit under furniture. 360 calls this the “hidden triple-eye LIDAR."

Now LIDAR is available on many robot vacs out there, but the S10’s triple-eye LIDAR gives the robot much more precise obstacle avoidance. The main sensor can detect obstacles between six and eight meters away. In addition, the front laser can detect objects taller than 0.4 inches to determine if they should be avoided. Finally, the wall laser can measure obstacle height to help the robot learn whether it can travel under or past objects. 360 claims that this gives the S10 no blind spots.

Obstacle avoidance was the most significant thing stopping me from looking into robot vacs. But, with the triple-eye LIDAR, the S10 sees objects and navigates around them. That includes unexpected presents from any of the pets. The S10 also features up to 3300Pa of suction and the biggest water tank on any of 360’s models.

Setting Up the S10 Robot Vacuum

A critical area that I always try to evaluate is the ease of setup. With the S10, you unbox the unit, plug it in, download the 360Robot app, and pair your S10. It’s super simple, and for me, it only took a few minutes. The vacuum also uses Wi-Fi to communicate with the app, but setting that up was also pretty simple.

Download: 360 Robot for iOS | Android (Free)

The Best Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair?

Now, let’s talk suction. One of the essential features, and probably the feature I like the most about the S10, is its 4-stage suction. I have four pets in the house, and they shed a lot. With the S10, I can adjust the amount of suction based on how dirty the floor is. There are four different suction modes.

Quiet mode is 600Pa, and this is the mode I find the best for operating the unit early in the morning. For me, I’ve found that running the S10 early, before the house wakes up, is best to ensure that everything stays tidy.

Standard mode is 1000Pa, and that will be the default for most normal cleaning tasks. I’ve been using standard mode to tidy things up in the afternoon when the noise isn’t going to bother my wife or me while we’re working.

Powerful mode is a step above the standard mode and offers 1500Pa worth of suction. This mode is excellent for low-pile carpet and area rugs. We mainly have hardwood floors in my house, but we have a couple of low pile rugs throughout, and those rugs tend to collect pet hair. So, using powerful mode gets those rugs spotless.

Max mode is the last stage here, and it’s the strongest, at the full 3300Pa. If you’ve got a lot of dirt and debris to deal with, then the max mode will pick that stuff up. Using Max mode, I was even able to pick up small nuts and bolts.

Out of all the modes, max will also use the most battery, so it’s not something you’ll want to use constantly if you want to preserve battery life.

All of these options mean that dust bunnies will have nowhere to hide. I think that the S10’s suction is superb, especially for people with pets.

A Robot Vacuum That Works With Amazon Alexa

There is also smart assistant capability with the S10. It offers voice control for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Clova. Visual instructions are included in the 360Robot app. Now, I prefer using the app because I have more options, but it’s nice to know that while you’re sitting on the couch if you want to shout at Alexa or Google Home to start cleaning, you can do so.

No-Go Zones

The Vac also allows you to set no-go zones. I have two sets of stairs in my home that I don’t want my expensive robot vacuum anywhere near, so I set up no-go zones in those areas.

These zones are pretty easy to set up, and you can have more than one if you have multiple areas that you want to avoid. I should also note that the S10 can accurately detect things like stairs.

It uses edge detection and six anti-drop sensors to keep the unit from winding up at the bottom of the stairs in pieces. While we’re on the topic of stairs, the S10 will also support up to 10 floors in the app. It can also automatically switch between maps when moving to other floors.

A Killer Robot Vacuum and Mop Combo

The S10 has a 3-stage intelligent mop function built-in that uses high, medium, and low spray volumes based on the depth of clean you need. With the low spray, I could mop my entire downstairs section, which is a little over 1200 sq. ft., and only use half of the water in the tank.

360 states that this size tank can mop up to 2153 sq. ft. without needing to be refilled, and based on my testing, I would say that figure is pretty accurate. Even on the medium spray setting, I found about 1/4 of the water left in the tank when the S10 finished mopping my entire first floor.

The electric water tank on this unit is 520ml, which is around double the capacity of other cleaners on the market. And the S10 has a 15% larger mop pad than the previous S9 model. Obviously, higher spray means more water usage, but low spray seemed to work well for routine maintenance cleaning. Additionally, the S10 has an automatic mode that can adjust water volume based on the level of mess on the floor.

Auto Carpet Detection

360 Smart Life’s S10 can also automatically detect carpets. When it does, it increases the suction power by one level. The vacuum does this via an ultrasonic sensor built into the undercarriage of the unit. If you are like me and have a few small rugs in your house, you’ll appreciate the added suction that the S10 uses when encountering carpet. Using the same sensor, the S10 is also smart enough not to mop on a carpet.

Smart Cleaning Modes, Noise Reduction, and Battery Life

There are also 18 intelligent cleaning modes for the unit. You can clean specific areas, clean the entire house twice, customize a plan, deep clean an area, auto divide areas, mop only, vacuum only, name individual rooms, and much more. The flexibility of the S10 cleaning modes will be a huge factor for some, and customizable cleaning is a feature that I enjoy.

So, based on 360’s lab conditions, the company claims that the S10 will stay under 60dB when operating in quiet mode. The way it does this is through a 10-stage process that routes the intake and exhaust flow, adds baffling cotton around the ducts, and even utilizes a brushless motor.

The S10 also features a 5000mAh battery, allowing the unit to operate for around 3 hours on low mode. When the power gets low, the unit will automatically return to the charging station and juice itself up before it continues cleaning. In my testing, the S10 took an average of about 45 minutes to clean the largest level of my home. During that time, it lost anywhere between 40-60% charge depending on the mode options I was using.

User-Friendly Dust Bin

The S10 houses a 500 ml dust bin, and to empty it, you remove the bin and press the green button. There’s a little door on the bottom of the bin that flips open, and the dust falls out without getting you messy.

360 claims you can should two weeks out of this dust bin, but for me—and maybe other pet owners, I think it might be best to empty it after every use, or perhaps every few uses. There’s also a washable mesh filter on top that will help avoid dust and hair clogging up the bin.

Build Quality

This unit is pretty stout as robot vacuum cleaners go. It’s got these giant wheels on the bottom with what looks like rubber dirt-bike tires. These tires help with carpet and with getting over raised egresses, like the one in my downstairs bathroom. The unit is primarily made of plastic, but it doesn’t feel cheap.

Auto-Mapping With the S10 and 360’s App

Image Gallery (3 Images)

Expand

Image 1 of 3

Image 2 of 3

Image 3 of 3

window['gallery_1'] = new Swiper('#swipper-1', { direction: 'horizontal', spaceBetween: 20, slidesPerView: 1, centeredSlides: true, preventClicks: false, observer: true, observeParents: true, loop: false, keyboard: { enabled: true }, // If we need pagination pagination: { el: '.swiper-pagination', }, navigation: { nextEl: '.swiper-button-next', prevEl: '.swiper-button-prev', }, }); var images = document.getElementsByClassName("gallery-1-images"); for (var i = 0; i < images.length; i++) { images[i].addEventListener('click', function (event) { var swiperDiv = document.getElementById('gallery-modal-1'); var imagesArray = document.getElementsByClassName("gallery-1-images"); index = Array.prototype.indexOf.call(imagesArray, this); window['gallery_1'].slideTo(index, false, false) swiperDiv.style.display = 'block'; document.body.style.overflow = 'hidden' }); } function closeGallery(element){ element.parentNode.style.display = 'none'; document.body.style.overflow = "initial"; }

One of the best features of the S10 is its app. With it, you can automatically map 2D and 3D models of your living space, you can set those no-go zones we were talking about, you can set cleaning modes and do a bunch of other stuff.

The LIDAR helps a lot here because it allows the S10 to create a map of your space when you first run the unit. So, essentially you just hit the clean button once the unit is fully charged and then let it make its way around your home. I had no trouble with the unit detecting all of my furniture, including tables, desks, chairs, and rugs. It also correctly identified carpets.

Testing the S10 Robotic Vacuum

To test this unit, I sectioned off an area of my living room and used some of the features. The first test was for obstacle avoidance. I used a few dog toys to see how the unit navigated around each after asking it to clean the entire area. While the unit did bump up against these toys a bit during this test, it didn’t drag them around.

To test the suction capabilities, I laid out some pine nuts, some cereal, some small nuts and bolts, and some kosher salt. Then I put the vacuum to work. After two passes at max, the unit had cleaned up the entire mess and filled the dust bin with the debris. The only piece it didn’t pick up was a small flat key, which was probably heavier than the unit could handle.

I also wanted to test the mopping performance, so I “spilled” some ketchup on the floor and engaged the mop function. The S10 did a decent job cleaning up the ketchup, but there was still a slight stickiness after completing the cleaning. I also had to remove the brush and the dust bin and thoroughly wash them to ensure no ketchup remained inside the machine.

Finally, to test the anti-drop sensors, I instructed the vac to clean an area deliberately over a staircase in my home. Once the unit “saw” the edge, it immediately changed direction away from danger. This test was a nail-biter, but it was good to know that the anti-drop functioned well.

What Do We Love About the 360 S10?

I have to say that the S10 is a fantastic little robot vacuum and mop combo. I love the ease of use, and I like that this unit allows me to indulge my laziness.

The no-go zones are awesome, which means I won’t have to worry about the unit getting damaged when I am not around. The anti-drop sensors add to this feeling of security. Having a robotic vacuum that can get underneath my furniture is also a huge help.

Finally, by far, the most important feature to me is the LIDAR object detection. I have been holding off on looking into robotic vacuums because I didn’t want to babysit a device. With the S10, I feel confident that even if my pets have an accident, I won’t come home to a huge mess all over my floors.

What’s Not to Love?

First, the device does tend to burn through the battery when you’re using it on higher suction levels. But even at the max level, the S10 was able to clean my entire downstairs level on a single charge. After the robot finished the first floor, I took the unit upstairs with the charging station and let it charge up to 100% again before running the vacuum. To get to full charge on this device took a little over an hour, starting at around 30% battery.

Battery life may not be an issue, but if you have a considerably-sized home or a home with multiple levels, you might get frustrated trying to use this vacuum continuously. I only have two floors in my house, so this wasn’t much of an issue, But I can see how it may be important to some people.

Finally, the bin on the S10 did get pretty full after only one or two days of cleaning. Now, this behavior may change as those first few cleanings always find more pet hair and dirt. The bin is easy enough to empty, though, and the tool inside helps to break up hair and other debris that might get hung up in the brush.

Can You Repair the S10 Robotic Vacuum?

There are a few components here that can be replaced or serviced by the end-user. The brush on the unit is easy to remove. The same is true for the water tank, the mop pad and bracket, and the dust bin. Most people would have no trouble replacing these components if they ran into a problem.

I think where I would draw the line would be with the internal components, the LIDAR sensors, or the bumper portions of the unit. For those tasks, it might be better to send the unit in. The warranty on the S10 is one year, so if you have issues, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out.

Should You Buy the 360 S10?

I really like this vacuum. Like, a lot. My wife even commented on how much cleaner the house feels after having the floors vacuumed and mopped daily. Currently, the S10 is in the production phase but will be shipping very soon. For those looking to buy their own S10, I’ll invite you to check out 360’s limited-time Indiegogo campaign for early-bird pricing, free shipping, no customs fees, and some extra goodies. 360 expects to fulfill pre-orders between June and July.

Overall, the S10 is an exceptional choice for those who want to get into the realm of robotic cleaners. And for people who have one or more pets, this vac will give you back a ton of free time that you can use for other, more exciting activities that aren’t housecleaning. If you’re in the market for a robotic vacuum cleaner, the s10 by 360 Smart Life is an excellent option.

The S10 Robotic Vacuum by 360 Smart Life: An Excellent Option for Pet Owners published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

0 notes

harryfeatgaga · 4 years

Note

Miss Paige I keep seeing on my fyp people being so excited because AHS is filming rn and I’m excited too because I want another good season of the show. I wonder how long they have been filming and how much longer they will. Tv shows take at least a few months to film it depends how many episodes and things they need production wise (CGI, location scouting, etc). I feel like s10 won’t come on tv until end of October/maybe mid November of this year at the earliest

they just started filming last week! at least here they are on cape cod rn like 2.5 hours away from me and yeah it usually comes on around October anyways but I hope its good too lmfao

Anonymous said: imagine telling harry you wanna give him a rim job and he thinks you’re joking 😭😭😭😭

KNJSBEHGRUFHIJVKL

0 notes

carolinesiede · 7 years

Text

Reflecting on 2017

Oh 2017. What a hard, hard year. A post-election haze seemed to hang over the whole year. I struggled and frequently failed at figuring out how to use my voice and my social media presence in this current political climate. It’s something I’m still grappling with, in fact. Elsewhere, I settled into the apartment I moved into at the tail-end of 2016 only to discover a whole bunch of problems with said apartment. That eventually meant a (hellish) move into a (thankfully, much better) new apartment. An older member of my family passed away, I had a creepy experience with an eye doctor, and I had some scary personal medical stuff to deal with for the first time in my adult life. All in all, however, I would say I came away from those experiences with a better sense of how much I can handle as well as a reminder that it’s okay to ask for help when you need it.

In terms of good things that happened this year: I attended the Women’s March in Chicago in January and participated in the Women’s Strike in March. I road tripped to a cabin in rural Illinois with my friends, saw a live taping of Pop Culture Happy Hour, witnessed a (very cloudy) solar eclipse, welcomed my sister back from a year in France, and got to see a whole bunch of wonderful people who came to visit Chicago throughout the year (as well as a whole bunch of wonderful people who live here all the time). I spent most of February and July in St. Louis with my parents and extended family, where I did my first ever Escape The Room, attended an anti-Trump protest, and showed off my town’s adorable Fourth Of July festivities to one of my good friends. I also directed a one act play (in just 12 hours!) and served as emcee for a jam-packed viewing party of the Star Trek: Discovery premiere. Oh and I turned 28 and didn’t even freak out about it (as least not too much). I also had an anti-Trump tweet go insanely viral and I still haven’t decided if that was a good or bad thing.

In terms of career stuff, I had my usual assortment of random gigs and side projects throughout the year, including a cool new job as a script reader. But most of my writing was centered at The A.V. Club. And there were some big changes there for me. In 2017 I wrote my final What’s On Tonight, my final Great Job, Internet! and my final Newswire. Though it was a little scary to end gigs I’d been doing since I was an intern back in 2013, I was also able to take on more TV reviewing opportunities, which was really exciting. Another exciting aspect of 2017 was deciding to launch both a Patreon and a Kofi account to make it easier for people to support my work. I’ve been both honored by and grateful for the people who’ve decided to invest in my career in such a tangible way.

With that, I’ll leave you with wishes for a Happy New Year and a roundup of all the writing I did in 2017:

LONG-FORM PIECES

Stranger Things 2 keeps its “strong female characters” apart from one another, like every Hollywood genre property

Steve Trevor, Joss Whedon, and the men getting in the way of Wonder Woman

The joy of watching strangers’ boring lives on YouTube

“19 years later,” Harry Potter’s biggest legacy is how it shaped modern fandom

8 tips for becoming a freelance writer

EPISODIC TV REVIEWS

Supergirl S2 and S3

This Is Us S2 (and one ep of S1)

The Crown S2

The Punisher S1

Iron Fist S1

Sense8 (every other ep of S2)

Random thoughts on The Defenders (ep 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)

Doctor Who’s Christmas special

ONE-OFF TV REVIEWS

A Christmas Story Live!

A pre-air review of Class

This Grey’s Anatomy discussion post

Reacting To Something on X-Men: The Animated Series and X-Men: Evolution

PODCAST GUEST APPEARANCES

Iron Fist with Cinematic Universe

Dredd with Cinematic Universe

Girls with The Televerse

An Oscar preview with The National Podcast

Class with Debating Doctor Who

A Doctor Who S10 retrospective with Debating Doctor Who

And here are similar year-end wrap-ups I did in 2016, 2015, 2014, and 2013.

#Best Of #Best Writing #2017 #Best of 2017 #Writing #freelance writing

5 notes · View notes

cawnvictofmurder · 7 years

Text

Gold Forever- Chapter 2 (AO3)

Chapter 1: (tumblr) (ao3)

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei

Summary: Being a Demon isn't what Kei had expected but he thinks he's settled into a decent routine- sleep, work, maybe read a book if he feels like it, and repeat. Then he gets called back into the field and a messy haired Angel makes him feel things he hasn't in years.

Rating: T

Tags: Alternate Universe- Angels and Demons, Violence, Magic, Fantasy, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Friendship, Reincarnation, Blood, Mentions of Death, Partnership, Slow Burn, sort of, slow build at least, Pining

Word Count: 4,316

Notes: There’s some AMAZING art here of Kuroo by @0rchiddart! The art is utterly beautiful and I honestly could not have pictured him anywhere near as awesome as 0rchidd has done. Please go check them out, I really love all her art.

It doesn’t take long for them to receive their first assignment; it comes in the form of ‘US10-SWEEP’ and a set of coordinates sent to their pagers.

Unit S10 is his new identifier- a letter to show the type of team and a number for all the various teams out there.

Kei has not seen the letter ‘S’ attached to anything he’s been assigned to for years. There’s a small pang in his heart when he sees it- an echo of something hollow and lost but as quickly as it comes, it fades.

There isn’t anything he needs to grab before he leaves- anything he would ever need is within him- and he shuts the door behind him. It might have been a long time since he’s done a sweep, but the knowledge of how is ingrained in his head and he heads towards Sentry. Once he’s in the elevator, he doesn’t go to the fifth floor but presses the ‘B1’ button instead.

There’s a groan of shifting gears before the elevator rattles and descends. It doesn’t take long before he’s underground but once it stops, the doors don’t open. Kei touches the immobile doors and sparks just the slightest bit of his magic against it.

The doors creak open at that- a security measure built into the elevator- and reveal a large underground parking lot.

Majority of the parking spaces are filled; most of them common cars anyone would see on the streets, occasionally a sports car or two. Some of them are occupied by motorcycles or large buses and limos. There is even a couple of police cruisers and ambulances, the decals on the vehicles declaring them to be from Tokyo.

Kei has a feeling that there is even a rickshaw of some type in here- though he hasn’t been able to find it just yet.

The lot is empty of all other people except for him and one other and it helps Kei find his...teammate with ease. Tetsurou is leaning against a plain white car and swinging the keys around a finger. A good pick. It’s ordinary and forgettable, Kei absently notes.

“You ready?” Tetsurou is excited and it shows as he plays with the car keys, the jangling metal almost echoing in the parking lot. “I can drive.”

Kei hums, stepping around the car to get to the passenger’s side. Tetsurou is already seated and turning the keys in the ignition when he sits down, the car rumbling into motion. Kei automatically reaches for the screen on the dash before he stops himself.

Tetsurou shoots him a quick look as he backs the car out of the parking space. “Oh, yeah, it would be helpful if you did that, thank you. No free hands, see?”

Kei snorts when Tetsurou wiggles his fingers from where he is gripping the steering wheel but reaches forward again. The screen on the dash between them has multiple icons and he presses the one with the map.

He enters the coordinates they were given and a GPS screen shows up, a blue line directing them to their destination, and they’re off.

Their destination is a rural area, away from large towns and composed of sparse buildings and small pockets of forests. They pull up in front of what had once looked like a construction site for a new house.

At the moment it looks more like a site of destruction.

The partially built house is collapsing in on itself, the wooden structure burnt and flaking into charcoal. It’s still smothering and small lines of smoke drifts into the sky. The ground had not gone unscathed, the dirt layered with black ash and deep grooves cut across it- looking as if a single wheel had torn through the ground.

As he gets out of the car, Kei has a newfound appreciation for wards- one of which they had passed a few feet back. The debris and the heavy smell of smoke would have attracted too much questions and attention.

“I’m sort of surprised,” Tetsurou says, nudging a piece of smothering wood away with his foot. “This is a lot of damage but it’s well contained in this area. Newer team or smarter creature?”

There's a slight noise and Kei looks up at the approaching pair for a moment before he replies, “New team.”

Despite his absence, he still remembers the teams that were in active duty with him and this pair is one he’s never seen before. The Angel, a short guy with a tuff of blond in his black hair, bounds up to them with a grin.

“Hey, you’re the sweepers? I’m Yuu! That’s my partner, Asahi!” Yuu hitches a thumb over his shoulder, pointing to the taller Demon catching up to him. Asahi’s brown hair is gathered in a bun but, as he gets closer, they can see that a few strands are loose and singed at the ends.

Tetsurou returns the grin, gesturing at himself and Kei. “Tetsurou, and that’s Kei.”

“Sorry about all the damage,” Asahi murmurs, scratching his cheek. Behind him the plow of a heat warped bulldozer breaks off and hits the ground with a loud boom. He flinches, hunching his shoulders as if he had been struck. “We were- erm. Caught off guard...and….”

“It’s okay!” Yuu vigorously smacks him on the back. “We managed! Next time, I’ll make sure nothing gets past me- and you!”

Asahi shrinks back at the finger jabbed viciously in his face.

“You don’t need to hold back! Go all out!”

Asahi quirks a small smile and nods firmly. “Right.”

“Good!” Yuu turns back to them after that and crosses his arms, mimicking a serious posture. He doesn’t quite pull it off, the gleam of his eyes and the unrestrained grin aren’t well hidden.

“We dispatched a Wanyuudou- it was pretty creepy looking, the head in the wheel. It was also on fire” -Kei barely holds back a snort, that information is obvious from their burnt surroundings- “and it was pretty angry when we came. No casualties, the humans were off site when it came by.”

Yuu waves a hand at the construction site. “We don’t think anything will come by, but keep an eye out!”

Kei nods, glancing around them. “Noted.”

He watches as Yuu and Asahi leave; the two are walking step for step, despite their height differences, and Yuu is chattering and nudging Asahi along. He’s turning back to survey the area when the static feeling that is them disappears from his senses, leaving him alone with Tetsurou.

It’s quiet and the distant sounds of rustling leaves fill the air. The air is still humid, even though it had taken a bit of time for them to arrive, and a thin layer of smoke still lingers. Kei looks at Tetsurou, who is silently examining the burnt building, before he quickly scans the area with his eyes.

He then closes his eyes and feels, reaching out with his magic.

Tetsurou’s white static is buzzing a few paces to his right, similar to a bee hovering too close to his ear, and the soft thrum of a portal is slowly dissipating behind him; there are no off-white sparks of human life near them. He feels the presence of the grass, the dirt, the machinery and the building; more faint impressions in his mind than an actual feeling. Normally, the air would have been clear- in an area like this, it would have been untouched by any major magic. Now, however, the residue of the Wanyuudou still remains and its magic is a powdery and sticky feeling clogging the air.

It tastes like ashes in his mouth.

There is a gentle wave of magic- a barely there ripple- and Kei opens his eyes to note where everything is outside of his head. Tetsurou is merely watching him and he turns, grumbling, “Well?”

“I thought you said you haven’t done this for a while,” Tetsurou comments, looking away and taking in the damage once again. Kei scoffs and walks away.

“Not long enough to forget to check the surroundings.” Kei steps over a twisted metal beam and heads towards a pile of large pipes, mostly untouched and only slightly scorched by fire. “It’s not like you haven’t done that already.”

“Heh.”

“That also means you noticed the salamanders under the pipes, right,” Kei continues with a slight smirk. Tetsurou, who had been in the process of inspecting the damage on one of the machines, does a double take.

“Wait- what?”

A snicker involuntarily comes out and Kei chances a quick glance back to see him scrunching his face and narrowing his eyes at the pipes. “We wouldn’t want you to mess up your blessing now do we.”

In truth, Kei doesn’t blame him for not noticing; fire salamanders feel very similar to fire and this place has been practically bathed in it. It still felt nice to one up Tetsurou though.

He crouches by the pipes and slowly reaches in, as unthreatening as he can. The air inside the pipes is cooler than it is outside, but he knows he’s close to the salamanders when he reaches a pocket of heat. It takes a moment but when he pulls back, two salamanders are wrapped around his hand and wrist; their black and orange skin bright against his skin and their heat is a comfortable warmth.

While they are pretty harmless, the area would need to be blessed before they leave and anything magical in the area would have to be accounted for- it was much easier to just remove them whenever possible.

“They’re not burning you?” Tetsurou calls from where he is standing by the warped bulldozer, watching him with concern.

Kei simply raises his hand, showing off the salamanders, before walking away. He heads away from all the destruction, though he’s still within the wards when he leans down to gently let the salamanders go.

Tetsurou is running a hand over the warped metal when he gets back. As the scorched areas flake off and metal bends back into place, there’s a slight rustle of wings- of feathers brushing in his head- and Kei can’t help but run his eyes over Tetsurou’s back.

He doesn’t see anything other than his shirt and he pulls his eyes away, busying himself with the debris.

The larger pieces of wood and various other material- drywall, plastic, tools- that Kei is able to find and salvage are piled in front of the burnt house. Any other material that is simply too damaged to use is destroyed by a burst of magic before he starts on the torn ground.

It’s an easy enough fix, he thinks and digs his fingers into the earth. Ash and dust cling to his fingers, still warm, and this close to the ground, the smell of ash and fire is thick in his throat.

Kei ignores the feeling as best as he could and pushes his magic into it; a rush of power, a feeling of warm silk and thrumming electric, flows through his chest and down his spine but he tamps it down and directs it into the ground. It’s not difficult to mimic the properties of the dirt and shift it and soon one of the grooves is gone, filled with fresh dirt. He repeats the progress with all the grooves and furrows in the ground until all the tracks and charcoal is buried under a layer of fresh dirt.

The movement hadn’t bothered Tetsurou, who has finished with all the machines and pipes scattered about, and is observing the half collapsed house with a thoughtful frown. Kei pats off the dirt on his clothes and hands before joining him.

“That’s not going to be a easy fix,” Tetsurou remarks to him. “The frame is pretty much destroyed, most of the wood is burnt…”

“Let’s get started then…” Kei carefully takes a step closer and touches one of the splintered beams. Part of it crumbles under his hand and he quickly backs away as the house creaks. “...And not bring this down on our heads.”

Tetsurou huffs a laugh from beside him before reaching out with a hand. From this close, Kei can feel his magic welling up- it’s a burst of sunlight and a raising warmth. There are no visible signs of magic as he reaches out but as soon as he touches the wood, a pale, red light spreads from beneath his fingers and a few wisps of it drifts down his back.

The house creaks as the wooden beams start crumbing, the burnt areas flaking off to be replaced with pristine wood as the light spreads. The pile of debris is swallowed up by the light, and when the light fades, the materials are once again useable or already merged with the beams.

Kei takes a few steps away, gathering his own magic, and grabs a hold of one of the restored beams and pours. He closes his eyes to focus- it’s harder with the wood than it is with dirt, where he only had to multiply and move it. To fully repair the structure, and not have it collapse on them, he has to shift the beams back into their places as Tetsurou repairs it. He can sense the ashy residue of the Wanyuudou in the wood, but it’s being washed away by the sluggish warmth that is Tetsurou’s magic.

Tetsurou is cleansing the wood while he repairs it back to its original state and, for a moment, Kei is awed by the skill. Cleansing to Angels is what blessing is to Demons- challenging and difficult, practically impossible.

It’s easy, like breathing, to work with Tetsurou. And while their magic don’t really mix, they slip by each other smoothly and don’t hinder each other’s task. It also hurts because, feeling Tetsurou’s magic- feeling someone else’s magic- brushing against his, it’s like being suddenly dumped into a steaming bath- it’s warm, relaxing, but it’s different to what he’s used to and it stings.

The structure creaks again, more of a splintering sound than before and Kei refocuses.

He bends and slides the beams into their places, shifts metal and rebuilds the frame. Soon, he feels Tetsurou slide away, all the beams having been restored and leaving Kei with brand new material to work with. It goes quicker, now that he doesn’t need to account for any other magical presence. When he steps away, he’s breathing heavily and the sunlight hurts his eyes when he opens them.

But the frame is complete again, looking undamaged and new.

“Looks good,” Tetsurou comments from behind him. Kei jerks the slightest bit forward, startled. He hadn’t sensed the Angel, and only now he registers the white static that is Tetsurou.

Kei turns and walks away from the house. “Your turn.”

“You don’t need to leave,” Tetsurou tells him as takes a stand a few paces away from the frame. “I can do a blessing with you in the area.”

It has been a very, very long time since Kei’s been in the vicinity of a blessing.

Kei stops after putting a bit of distance between them, but he’s still in the area and he has a front row seat to Tetsurou, who is intently surveying the area before he closes his eyes. Tetsurou’s hands raise and he cups them in front of him.

It’s gradual, the welling of magic, and the hair on Kei’s arms stand up from the feeling. His eyes are glued to Tetsurou as a ball of white magic sparks in his cupped hands. Wisps of red magic trail off his back, burning white as it spreads out to form foggy wings behind him. With a ripple of silver, the wings lose their fuzzy outline, becoming solid.

They’re still hazy in colour, a pale translucent white, as if they are made of smoke. Majority of their wings are hazy and see through, and this wasn’t the first time he’s ever seen an Angel’s wings before, but for some reason, Kei’s eyes are fixed onto them. They frame Tetsurou’s build perfectly and, just from the looks of it, he has a large wingspan.

All that wingspan and Tetsurou can expertly use every single inch of it- that type of confidence shows. It’s in the way he stands after gaining them, not faltering at the change; it’s in the way they’re tucked to his back, aware of every single part of them, down to the very last feather.

Tetsurou spreads has hands and the ball of magic expands, as if being pulled, and it disperses. Kei can see the slight ripple of magic in the air as it spreads throughout the area.

He sees it but he isn’t prepared to feel it.

It’s warm and, above all, he feels settled. Stable and confident. Content. The magic washes over him like a beam of sunlight and he breathes; breathes like a heavy weight is lifted off of his chest and it feels like he’s tasting fresh, crisp air for the very first time. The churning in his gut calms and turns into a inner warmth, a small spot of comfort.

The ripple of magic fades as it goes further but its job is done. The area, previously feeling of burnt ashes and murky smoke, feels cleaner and renewed. It’s not entirely gone but it would fade with time.

Tetsurou’s wings fade with his magic, growing fainter until it scatters like mist. The air tastes of faint smoke and warm wind, light on his tongue. In the distance, the rustling of trees fill the background and Tetsurou slowly opens his eyes. His eyes are bright, maybe a result of the blessing, maybe not, but they shine.

“We’re done here, let’s go,” Kei blurts out, sharply turning on his heel. He busies himself with his pager, confirming a finished sweep, and tries to ignore Tetsurou as he catches up to him.

Kei is quiet as they drive down the roads after removing the wards. They’re heading towards the next destination they were given, another Sweep.

It isn’t a long drive, yet it feels like hours.

Tetsurou isn’t affected, tapping his fingers on the wheel and driving. Occasionally, he would glance over, though Kei wasn’t sure if it was to check his blind spots or to look at him.

His first Sweep in years and Kei feels empty. He doesn’t feel tired and he doesn’t feel the joy he had once felt after completing an assignment. The entire thing had practically been done through memory, even if he did have to dig a bit deeper to recall all the theory. The feeling of being here with Tetsurou, along with the heavy sound of the road passing under the car, makes him much more aware of the ache in his chest.

He hasn’t been present at a blessing in years and today, it had felt as if Tetsurou had included him in that blessing.

When they close in on their second destination- a small mountain resort village- they immediately notice the wards, even from a distance. They’re large and they look like they enclose a good portion of the village and nearby mountains.

They drive through the village, the citizens going through the day as if it was just another ordinary day. As soon as they cross the wards, the image of the village changes. In the distance, there is smoke crawling lazily into the sky and the area is empty of any living beings. From where they are, there aren’t any signs of damage.

“Retrieval was called,” Kei says, frowning down at his pager. Tetsurou makes a low noise, his grip on the wheel tightening.

As they get closer to where they can sense the Strike Team on site, they see the signs of destruction- fortunately, there aren’t any bodies.There’s a large crater in the paved stone road, nearby storefronts are torn apart and debris is scattered everywhere. A wrecked tour bus is lying on its side, looking as if it had been grabbed and crushed.

The Strike Team on the scene is standing by the bus, along with two others- the Retrieval Team. The four of them are standing in a cluster, quietly talking, but they stop when Tetsurou parks the car and the two of them step out.

Kei recognizes the Strike Team- Hajime and Daichi, who are primarily a defense based unit. The Retrieval Team, however, is unknown to him.

Hajime, the Demon with spiky black hair and an annoyed look, meets them halfway as the other three continue what now looks like an argument.

“Hey, sorry about the large ward, it was a precaution,” Hajime says, his annoyed expression smoothing out for an almost bashful one. “A Onikuma decided to come down from the mountain and people panicked.”

Tetsurou whistles, eying the damage. “A Onikuma, huh? A regular bear is frightening enough...”

“Any casualties?” Kei asks, voice disinterested. The look he sends the Retrieval Team however, belied his indifference.

“Thankfully, none.” Hajime grins, proud and triumphant. He tips his head towards one of the Angels behind him- the one with short brown hair and broad shoulders. “Daichi was able to protect and evacuate all the humans.”

Kei nods, subtly acknowledging their feat, and raises an eyebrow at the Retrieval Team. The team is leaving, a portal swirling to life near them. Hajime gives a displeased snort, crossing his arms and a scowl is back on his face.

“When we got the alert for the strike, they were expecting casualties,” Daichi informs them as he comes over. He gives Kei a gentle nod. “It’s nice to see you back in the field, Kei.”

“It’s clean up duty,” Kei blandly shoots back but Daichi smiles, genuine and pleased, and he can’t help but look away. Other than occasionally bumping into each other in the rec room, he has not spoken to Daichi in years.

Hajime huffs a laugh and there’s a slight smirk on his face as he stares at Tetsurou. “So, how’s being put on beginner duties again? Having fun?”

“You can switch with me, this would suit you much better.” Tetsurou glowers at him, though there’s an edge of amusement to it. Hajime is ready to reply but Daichi quickly cuts in.

“I’d rather not have you as my partner. Dealing with you in training was more than enough.”

“That hurts.” Tetsurou grasps his chest as if he had been stabbed. “Daichi, I thought what we had was special. Did you not miss that one time where we stole-”

Daichi bristles, taking a step forward. “That was entirely your fault!” he snaps, his arms are crossed but his shoulders are relaxed. “We had to repair the whole building, every single crack and hole.”

Tetsurou sniffs. “Good times.”

“Okay, we’re leaving.” Hajime is rolling his eyes as he not-so-subtly nudges Daichi away. “We’ve cleared the area of any living beings, all you need to do is the repair work and blessing.”

Daichi shoots Tetsurou one more glare- more challenging than truly annoyed- before leaving. The portal twists close after they step into it and Kei is already heading towards the wrecked bus before it disappears.

He can sense Tetsurou following him but he ignores the other, focusing completely on the crushed vehicle. A single touch of the shredded metal tells him all he needs to know and he reaches out with his magic.

His magic pours out, and this time he doesn’t try to compress it and lets it run free. Wings bloom from his back- from a wisp of darkening gold magic into a translucent and hazy set of smokey-gray wings. With half of his mind no longer occupied with controlling a part of his magic, he repairs the bus with ease. Metal pops and shrieks as the bus uncrumples and the glass grows back, washing away cracks and filling empty windows.

He pulls away, feeling his wings recede with his magic, and moves on. A quick glance tells him that Tetsurou is working on the storefronts so he gathers the debris. The two of them work in silence, the only sound being the wind, and Kei is relieved.

“I’ll get the crater,” Kei says shortly to Tetsurou after he finishes with the debris.

Tetsurou hums, looking up from where he’s repairing a broken door. “Alright.”

The crater is his size, if he laid down next to it, but Kei is sure it wouldn’t take long to fix. Years ago, it could have taken him an hour. Now, he knows he can do it in minutes. It’s a combination of experience and knowing possible shortcuts- taking the existing stone and altering it is much faster than creating it with magic after all.

As he mends the road, he listens; the sound of stone grinding on stone and the creaking and cracking of wood being restored. Magic is buzzing with activity behind him. It’s all so heart achingly familiar.

Tetsurou’s presence is a heavy static and, when he gives a wordless confirmation, the feeling of warmth raises from under that static. It’s lulling and the magic itches.

A blessing washes over him, his eyes are fixed on Tetsurou and he feels overwhelmed again.

Kei isn’t aware of when Tetsurou breaks the wards or when he got into the car, but he finds himself staring out the window, watching the streets and people all fly by. There’s a beep and he blinks, tearing his eyes away and focusing on the message on his pager. It’s another set of coordinates and he inputs them into the GPS.

“I didn’t think about how tedious this is,” Tetsurou groans and takes a hand off the wheel, flexing his fingers. “I haven’t used my magic this much in ages.”

“Must not have gotten any real assignments then,” Kei quips listlessly, turning to look out the window again.

“Hey.”

#kuroo tetsurou #tsukishima kei #kurotsuki #haikyuu!!#my writing #of swords and shields verse #hq

3 notes · View notes

myassbrokethefall · 7 years

Note

As a fan of The X Files, what did you first think of Fringe? I remember Fringe being compared to TXF before the show even premiered and the creators stated that it was influenced by it. Having seen TFX after seeing Fringe, I definitely understand the comparisons and I was wondering what did you think about that. One thing I think Fringe did really well (especially in later seasons) that I wish TXF S10 had done was having the mythology sprinkled in even in the case of the week episodes

When I first watched Fringe, it did feel to me like something of an XF ripoff. Basically that they added more people to make it different but then copied XF as much as they could. I thought it was OK, and I didn’t mind it being ��inspired” by XF per se -- after XF’s peak popularity there were a ton of shows that tried to cash in on the vibe (anyone remember Dark Skies?), so there was actually a little novelty factor in one of them coming out years later, and I like XF and I like the XF vibe so I was fine with it being basically redone.

But it was a little boring to me, and it didn’t really have anything on the order of the Mulder and Scully stuff that chained me to XF. I found myself not really looking forward to watching it, and after a few episodes in I basically had decided to stop watching it, but I had a series record set on my DVR and it kept giving me episodes so I kept being like “fine I guess I’ll watch this.”

And then it changed in literally one episode for me, which was the first episode with the Observers. That kicked it from “people investigate paranormal cases and fight vague opposition from Authority and crack jokes and Pacey is in it” to "...What is up with this creepy dude??? I MUST FIND OUT”

Then it had its hooks in me, and it got better as so many shows do as they find their footing and their rhythm and what they do best, and it actually grew to be quite different from XF. I never really cared about Peter and Olivia as, like, a ship, but I enjoyed the interactions of all the characters in their various configurations. And what I really loved about Fringe the most was that ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN. They weren’t afraid of gamechanger stuff, and after Season 8-9 of XF, that was a breath of fresh air for me. DD left the show and after five minutes of Scully crying and sad music playing, the show settled into the exact same format, except with Scully doing the “believer” lines and Doggett doing the “skeptic” ones. Hell, they even amped up the drama of Mulder leaving as much as possible by having Scully be pregnant to maximize her sadness and that in-the-moment emotion, just so they could then drop it all after the two-part season premiere and go back to doing the exact same shit. Fringe did an entire season (half season? I don’t really remember) set in an alternate universe. They just kept COMMITTING to stuff and it gave me a TV boner.

I enjoyed a lot of the characters -- and I really am very fond of Astrid -- but the focus for me in that show was the plots and the twists and the sciencey excitement. For XF, I’m in it for Mulder and Scully, and I occasionally have glimmers of “you know, this IS sort of a cool mytharc thing,” but mostly the plot stuff is background noise (or atmosphere/aesthetic) for me, and has been since about Season 4. Which is fine; I love XF for what it is. But it does mean that I get impatient when we have to listen to people from the show talk about how a great twist is coming up or how it explores modern society’s blah blah blah Tad. I’ve never felt XF does any of that particularly well, even if it thinks it does. I just want to see Mulder and Scully doing things together. Also, after S10 and the breakup I’ve kind of transitioned from “I’ll politely tolerate all CC’s plot brainstorms and just enjoy all the Mulder and Scully I can” to “please don’t let CC’s plot brainstorms hurt Mulder and Scully, I just want Mulder and Scully to be OK, I wish CC would leave Mulder and Scully alone.” Hence, it’s hard to get excited about any spoilers anymore, because after he broke M&S up, seemingly in service of returning everything to status quo even harder, I feel like he might do anything, and our priorities as regards the show have, plainly, diverged.

Well, that was a digression. I totally agree with you that Fringe integrated the “mythology,” aka, the big important stuff that was happening in the show’s universe(s), much more seamlessly into the show. And without that need to reset everything every week, no matter how high the stakes seemed in the moment, so the characters could get back to doing cases in the exact same way they had done since S01E03, Fringe was free to have foundation-shaking stuff happen and then actually build on it and progress and evolve. Separating it worked semi-OK for XF at the beginning, as the outlines of the conspiracy/alien stuff were still very faint and mysterious, but it worked less and less as the series went on and Mulder and Scully’s world darkened and changed around them, and at this point it’s pretty self-conscious, artificial-feeling, and silly. “We’ve always done it that way” is not a good reason to keep doing something, especially if you only did it that way because that was the only way you knew how to do it. But that is a fundamental difference of opinion between 1013 and me.

#fringe #xf negativity #a bit #Anonymous

8 notes · View notes

smartecky · 6 years

Text

Launching around the globe a few days ahead of the world’s largest mobile show was the ultimate big-dog move. Samsung celebrated the 10th anniversary of its flagship phone line by launching its latest device on Apple’s sometimes-stomping grounds at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Center.

The timing was less than ideal for all of us jet-lagged gadget reviewers, but the effect clearly paid off. Dozens of the world’s highest-profile reviewers have been roaming the streets of Barcelona with the S10 in hand and Galaxy Buds in ears. You couldn’t pay for that kind of publicity.

And, naturally, none of us minded testing those new photo features in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

Here’s everything announced at Samsung’s Galaxy S10/Galaxy Fold event

But the 10th anniversary Galaxy arrives at a transitional time for Samsung — and the industry at large. The last couple of years have seen smartphone sales plateau for the first time since anyone started keeping track of those sorts of numbers, and big companies like Samsung and Apple are not immune.

That manner of existential crisis has led to one of the most eventful Mobile World Congresses in memory, as companies look to shake the doldrums of a stagnant market. It also led Samsung to open last week’s Unpacked event with the Galaxy Fold — first the cryptic product video and then the product unveil.

It’s a heck of a lead in, and, quite frankly, a recipe for disappointment. Here’s a look at the future, and now let’s talk about the present. Several people saw that I was carrying around a new Samsung device, got excited and were ultimately disappointed with the fact that I couldn’t unfold the thing.

None of this is any reflection on the quality of the S10 as a device, which I will happily state is quite high. But unlike the iPhone X, Apple’s 10th anniversary handset, the new Galaxy isn’t an attempt at a radical departure. Instead, it’s a culmination of 10 years of phone development, with new tricks throughout.

The Galaxy S10 doesn’t offer the same glimpse into the future as the Fold. But it does make a strong claim for the best Android smartphone of the moment. Starting at $1,000, it’s going to cost you — but if Samsung’s $1,900 foldable is any indication, smartphones of the future could make it look like a downright bargain.

Screen time

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ has been my daily driver for a week now. It joined me on an international road trip, through several product unveils from the competition and is responsible for all of the images in this post. Sometimes the best camera is the one in your pocket, as the saying goes.

A closer look at Huawei’s folding Mate X

Like other recent Samsung flagships, it’s going to be a tough device to give up when review time comes to a close. It’s a product that does a lot of things well. Tending, as Samsung often does, toward jamming as much into a product as possible — the polar opposite of chief competitor Apple’s approach.

But in the case of the Galaxy line, it all comes together very nicely. The S10 doesn’t represent a radical stylistic departure from its predecessor, maintaining the same manner of curved design language that helps the company cram a lot of phone into a relatively limited footprint, including a 93.4 percent screen-to-body ratio in the case of the S10+.

That means you can hold the handset in one hand, in spite of the ginormous 6.4-inch screen size. This is accomplished, in part, by the curved edges of the display that have been something of a Samsung trademark for a few generations now. It has also helped the Infinity-O design display, a laser cutout in the top-right of the screen, to fit the front-facing camera in as small a space as possible. In the case of the S10+, it’s more like an Infinity-OOO display.

Samsung was going to have to give in to the cutout trend sooner or later, opting to go ahead and skip the whole notch situation. The result is a largely unobtrusive break in the screen. Just for good measure, the phone’s default wallpapers have gradually darkening gradients that do a good job obscuring the cut out while not in use.

But while the whole more-screen-less-body deal is generally a good thing, there is a marked downside. I found myself accidentally triggering touch on the sides of the display with the edge of my palms, particularly when using the device with one hand. This has been a known issue for some time, of course.

Oh, and there’s one more key aspect in helping the S10+ go full screen.

Putting your finger on it

As with many of the features here, Samsung can’t claim to be the first to have the under-display fingerprint sensor. OnePlus, in a rare push to be first to market, added a similar technology to the 6T, which arrived last fall. But Samsung’s application takes things a step further.

The S10 and all of its variants are among the first to implant the fingerprint technology that Qualcomm announced at its Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii last year. The key differentiator here is an extra level of security. If the OnePlus’ fingerprint sensor is akin to your standard face unlock, this is more in line with what you get on the iPhone or LG’s latest handset.

The ability to sense depth brings another layer of security to the product — quite literally. Here’s how Qualcomm describes it:

Combining a smartphone’s display and fingerprint reader for a seamless and sleek look, 3D Sonic uses technological advances and acoustics (sonic waves) to scan the pores of a user’s finger for a deeply accurate 3D image. An ultra-thin (0.2 mm) sensor enables cutting-edge form factors such as full glass edge-to-edge displays, and can be widely used with flexible OLED displays.

Setup proved a bit fussier than the standard physical fingerprint button. Once everything is squared away, the reader is actually fairly responsive, registering a rippled water animation and unlocking the phone in about a second.

Getting your finger/thumb in the right spot might take a couple of tries on the first go, but after that, it’s muscle memory. There’s also a small fingerprint shaped guide that pops up on the lock screen for help. It can still be a bit tricky for those times you’re not looking directly at the display, or if you switch between hands.

It’s also worth noting that the unlock can be tricky with some screen protectors. Samsung will be working with accessory manufacturers to design compatible ones, but picking the wrong company could severely hamper the unlock function.

In some ways, though, the in-display fingerprint reader beats face unlock. I tend to lay my device down next to my keyboard when I work. Lifting the phone up to my eyes in order to read notifications is a bit of a pain. Same goes for when I need to check messages in bed. Here you can simply touch, check the notifications and go on with your life.

Ports in a storm

Around the edge is a mirrored metal band that houses the power button on one side and volume rocker and devoted Bixby button on the other. Yes, the Bixby button is back. And no, it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Samsung is wholly devoted to the smart assistant, and the company’s mobile devices are the one foothold Bixby currently commands.

The complaint about the Bixby button mostly stems from the fact that the assistant was, quite honestly, pretty useless at launch — particularly when compared to Android’s default assistant. In fact, when Google announced this week at Mobile World Congress the upcoming arrival of Assistant buttons on third-party devices, the news was generally welcomed by the Android crowd.

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 deserves better than Bixby

Samsung, meanwhile, gets hounded about the Bixby button, as though its inclusion is a way of forcing its assistant on users. Once again, Samsung relented, giving users the ability to remap the button in order to launch specific apps instead. This has played out time and again with the last several Galaxy devices.

The fact is, after an admittedly rocky start, Bixby has slowly been getting better, feature by feature. But the assistant still has catching up to do with Google’s headset, and frankly doesn’t offer a ton of reasons to opt into it over Android’s built-in option. Samsung has certainly made big promises of late, coupled with the imminent arrival of the Galaxy Home Hub.

Samsung’s Bixby may finally get more third-party integration soon

Of course, that device was announced more than half a year ago, and when it does finally arrive, it will likely be carrying a prohibitive price tag. Beyond that, Bixby is currently the realm of things like Samsung refrigerators and washing machines. None of this adds up to a particularly compelling strategy for a multi-million-dollar AI offering that has become something of an inside joke in the industry.

But Samsung sticks to its guns, for better or worse. Sometimes that means Bixby, and sometimes that means defiantly clinging to the headphone jack. Turns out if you avoid a trend for long enough, you can become a trendsetter in your own right — or at least a respite from the maddening crowd.

It’s been a few years since the beginning of the end came for the jack, and the whole thing still leaves plenty of users with a sour taste. Even the once-defiant Google quickly gave in and dropped the jack. Samsung, however, has stood its ground and the decision has paid off. What was ubiquitous is now a differentiator, and even as the company hawks another pair of Bluetooth earbuds, it’s standing its ground here.

All charged up

The back of the device, like the front, is covered in Gorilla Glass 6. The latest from Corning, which debuted over the summer, promises to survive “up to 15 drops.” But don’t try this at home with your shiny new $1,000 smartphone, as your results may vary.

The material also helps facilitate what is arguably the device’s most compelling new feature: Wireless PowerShare. Samsung’s not the first company to roll out the feature — Huawei introduced the feature on the Mate 20 Pro last year. Still, it’s a cool feature and, perhaps most importantly, it beat Apple to the punch.

The feature needs to be activated manually, by swiping down into notifications (it will also automatically shut off when not in use). From there, tapping Wireless PowerShare will pop up a dialog box, letting you know the feature is ready to us. Turn the phone face down on a table and place a compatible phone on top, face up, and the S10 will go to work charging it.

Placement can be a bit tough to get right the first couple of times. The trick is making sure both devices are centered. Once everything is where it should be, you’ll hear a quick notification sound and the phone will register as charging. In the case of the new Galaxy Buds, the sound is accompanied by the appearance of the case’s charging light.

It’s a neat feature, for sure. I can certainly imagine lending some ill-prepared friend a little juice at the bar one night. I wouldn’t go throwing out my power bank just yet. For one thing, one of the phones needs to be face-down the whole time. For another, wireless charging isn’t nearly as fast as its wired counterpart, so beyond the initial novelty of the feature, it may not ultimately be one you end up using a lot.

And, of course, you’re actively draining the battery of the phone sharing power. It’s a little like a Giving Tree scenario, albeit with the lowest stakes humanly possible. Thankfully, the handsets all sport pretty beefy batteries. In the case of the S10+, it’s a massive 4,100 mAh (with the 5G model getting an even nuttier 4,500 mAh).

It’s clear the days of Samsung’s Note 7-induced battery cautions are well behind it, thanks in no small part to the extensive battery testing the company implemented in the wake of a seemingly endless PR nightmare. As it stands, I was able to get around a full day plus two hours with standard usage while roaming the streets and convention center halls of Barcelona. That means you shouldn’t have to worry about running out of energy by day’s end — and you may even have a bit to spare before it’s all over.

Camera ready

You know the drill by now, Samsung and Apple come out with a new flagship smartphone, which quickly shoots to the top of DxOMark’s camera ratings. The cycle repeats itself yet again — with one key difference: It’s a three-way tie.

[Left: Standard, Right: Full zoom]

Really, there’s no better distillation of the state of the smartphone industry in 2019 than this. The latest iPhone, which is now half-a-year-old, is now a few spots down the list, with Samsung in a three-way tie for first. The other two top devices are, get this, both Huawei handsets. It’s been a banner year for the Chinese handset maker on a number of fronts, and that’s got to leave the Apples and Samsungs of the world a bit nervous, all told.

For now, though, there’s a lot to like here… 109 points’ worth, in fact. The last several generations of camera races have resulted in some really well-rounded camera gear. It’s a setup that makes it difficult to take bad shots (difficult, but hardly impossible, mind), with the combination of hardware and software/AI improvements we’ve seen over the course of the last few devices.

The camera setup varies from device to device, so we’re going to focus on the S10+ — the device we’ve spent the past week with (though, granted, the 5G model’s camera warrants its own write-up). The plus model features a three-camera array, oriented horizontally in a configuration that brings nothing to mind so much as the original Microsoft Kinect.

[Left: Samsung S10+, Right: Pixel 2]

It’s been fascinating watching companies determine the best use for a multi-camera array. Take Nokia’s new five-camera system, which essentially compiles everything into one super-high-res shot. Here, however, the three lenses capture three different images. They are as follows:

Wide (Standard): 12 MP, 26mm Telephoto: 12 MP, 52mm Ultrawide: 16 MP, 12mm

The system is configured to let you seamlessly switch between lenses in order to capture a shot in a given situation. The telephoto can do 2x shots, while the ultrawide captures 123-degree shots. The 5G model, meanwhile, adds 3D-depth cameras to the front and rear, which is a pretty clear indication of where Samsung plans to go from here.

That said, the current setup is still quite capable of pulling off some cool depth tricks. This is no better exemplified than with the Live Focus feature, which applies a Portrait Mode-style bokeh effect around the objects you choose. The effect isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty convincing. Above is a shot I took on the MWC show floor and used in the led for a story about the HTC Vive.

There are some fun tricks as well, like the above Color Point effect. I’m not sure how often I’d end up using it, but damn if it doesn’t look cool.

All of that, coupled with new touches like wide-image panorama and recent advances like super-slow-motion and low-light shooting make for an extremely well-rounded camera experience. Ditto for scene identification, which does a solid job determining the differences between, say, a salad and a tree and adjusting the shooting settings accordingly.

Oh, and a low-key solid upgrade here are the improved AR Emojis, as seen above. They’re 1,000 times less creepy than the originals. I mean, I’m still not going to be sharing them with people unironically or anything, but definitely a step in the right direction.

Today’s Galaxy

The present moment is an exciting one for the mobile industry. There were glimmers of promise all over the MWC show floor and a week prior at Samsung’s own event. A stagnant industry has caused the big players to get creative, and some long-promised technologies are about to finally get real.

The Samsung Fold feels like a clear peek into the future of one of the industry’s biggest players, so it’s only natural that such an announcement would take some of the wind out of its flagship’s sails.

The S10 isn’t the smartphone of the future. Instead, it’s the culmination of 10 solid years of cutting-edge smartphone work that’s resulted into one of today’s most solid mobile devices.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/01/samsung-galaxy-s10-review/

Samsung Galaxy S10+ review Launching around the globe a few days ahead of the world’s largest mobile show was the ultimate big-dog move.

0 notes

twdmusicboxmystery · 5 years

Text

Song Analysis: Convoy by C.W. McCall - FTWD

Good morning! Remember I said that I wanted to say more on the trucker song they listened to last week on Fear? Well, here it is! I’m basically just going to give you the lyrics and highlight the symbols. They’re things I and others on TD have talked about for a LONG time. I’ll also try to link to discussions of these symbols if you want a refresher, but I don’t really want to repeat all the info for each symbol. If you’ve followed my theories for any length of time, you should be fairly familiar with them. If not, you can always click the links. 😉

I guess my biggest take away with this song is that they chose it specifically for how well it ties into the show and how heavily it references the symbols they use in the show all the time. And that just makes us happy, you know?

So, the song is Called Convoy by C.W. McCall. It was a big deal back in 1975 when it hit number one on both country and pop charts.

In terms of what the song is about, it basically tries to show a dialogue between truckers on the road who speak to each other via CB radios. Already right there we have an interesting tie to the show. While they predominantly use walkie talkies, we have also seen many CB radios in both TWD and FTWD. In the latter, we saw them this season at the denim factory and at the gas station in 5a.

The other thing you should know about this song is that it uses a lot of CB slang. So if you just read through the lyrics and you’re NOT a trucker of CB radio enthusiast (which I’m guessing is most of us) it won’t make much sense to you. Go HERE to get an interpretation of the CB slang and it will make way more sense.

Here are the full lyrics. I put the bold text in to draw your attention to those words/phrases:

[CB radio chatter] Yeah, breaker one-nine This here's the Rubber Duck You got a copy on me Pig Pen, c'mon? Uh, yeah, Ten-Four Pig Pen, fer sure, fer sure By golly it's clean clear to Flag Town, c'mon Yeah, its a big Ten-Four there, Pig Pen Yeah, we definitely got the front door, Good Buddy Mercy sakes alive, looks like we've got us a convoy

Verse 1:

Was the dark of the moon on the sixth of June In a Kenworth pullin' logs Cab-over Pete with a reefer on And a Jimmy haulin' hogs We is headin' for bear on I-one-oh 'Bout a mile outta Shaky Town I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck. "And I'm about to put the hammer down."

'Cause we got a little convoy Rockin' through the night. Yeah, we got a little convoy, Ain't she a beautiful sight? Come on and join our convoy Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way. We gonna roll this truckin' convoy 'Cross the U-S-A. Convoy!

[CB radio chatter] Yeah, breaker Pig Pen this here's the Duck And uh, you wanna back off them hogs Uh, ten-four 'bout five mile or so Ten-Roger them hogs is gettin' intense up here

Verse 2:

By the time we got into Tulsa Town, We had eighty-five trucks in all. But they's a roadblock up on the cloverleaf, And them bears was wall-to-wall. Yeah, them smokies is thick as bugs on a bumper; They even had a bear in the air! I says, "Callin' all trucks, this here's the Duck. "We about to go a-huntin' bear."

[CB chatter] Uh, you wanna give me a ten-nine on that Pig Pen Uh, negatory Pig Pen you're still too close Yeah, them hogs is startin' to close up my sinuses Mercy sakes, you'd better back off another ten

Verse 3:

Well, we rolled up Interstate 44 Like a rocket sled on rails. We tore up all of our swindle sheets, And left 'em settin' on the scales. By the time we hit that Chi-town, Them bears was a-gettin' smart: They'd brought up some reinforcements From the Illinois National Guard. There's armored cars, and tanks, and jeeps, And rigs of ev'ry size. Yeah, them chicken coops was full'a bears And choppers filled the skies. Well, we shot the line and we went for broke With a thousand screamin' trucks An' eleven long-haired Friends a' Jesus In a chartreuse micra-bus.

[CB radio chatter] Yeah, Rubber Duck 'tis Sod Buster C'mon there Yeah, Ten-Four Sod Buster Listen, you wanna put that microbus In behind that suicide jockey Yeah, he's haulin' dynamite And he needs all the help he can get

Verse 4:

Well, we laid a strip for the Jersey shore And prepared to cross the line I could see the bridge was lined with bears But I didn't have a dog-goned dime. I says, "Pig Pen, this here's the Rubber Duck. "We just ain't a-gonna pay no toll." So we crashed the gate doing ninety-eight I says "Let them truckers roll, 10-4."

[CB radio chatter] Ah, Ten-Four Pig Pen what's you're Twenty Omaha Well, they oughtta know what to do With them hogs out there, fer sure Well, mercy sakes good buddy We gonna back on outta here So keep the bugs off yer glass And the bears off yer...tail We'll catch you on the flip flop This here's the Rubber Duck on the side We gone Bye, bye

Okay, so like I said, read HERE for a complete interpretation of the CB slang in the song, but it’s worth mentioning a few things that are important. The song is about a bunch of truckers who basically stage a “rebellion” by tearing up their log books, driving cross country, and busting through a bunch of police blockades in the process.

The conversation is mostly between three main people: “Rubber Duck,” “Pig Pen,” who has a truck full of hogs, and “Sodbuster.” I’m assuming those are their CB call signs. Here are posts on Rubber Ducks and Pigs. I don’t have one on Sodbusters, but that’s basically slang for a farmer, and just makes me think of Hershel.

So the song also mentions bears a lot. Guess what a bear is slang for in CB lingo? A cop! Specifically highway patrol. That’s because they often wear hats similar to the Smokey the Bear mascot.

So when the “bears get smart,” it means the cops are being resourceful trying to stop the convoy. Going hunting for a bear metaphorically means hunting for cops. And, just a point of detail, in the song, they’re not REALLY hunting for cops. Rather, they’re doing things that will draw the cops toward them because their activities are illegal. Just wanted to point that out.

And the “bear in the sky” is a—wait for it!—HELICOPTER! Yup! A police helicopter that’s also following them.

See why this song made us excited! It screams so many TD symbols that we’ve talked about for a long time, including Grady cops. If you read the Wikipedia I linked above, even the trucks in the convoy (mentioned in slang, so you’ll have to look it up to see what they are) have some significance. There’s the pig truck, of course, but also a REFRIGERATED boxcar truck, which works well with @frangipanilove’s refrigeration/Sirius theories.

I highlighted the “11 Long-haired friends of Jesus” for two reasons. 1) Jesus/bible reference. 2) 11 is also significant. Me, @wdway and @frangipanilove were talking about this on Sunday. If you read the theory I re-posted yesterday (also by @frangipanilove) I’m sure you understand. Oh, btw, Omaha, Nebraska is mentioned in the “CB chatter” part of the song as well.

I also highlighted the “hammer” in the first verse because we saw the hammer symbol brought up a lot last week. The young guy at the end used a broken hammer to break into the generator room at the gas station before Logan showed up to shoot up his three wheel bike.

And then it caught my attention that on the S10 special, Tyreese’s hammer was given away in the special drop box. I’m feeling like there’s something significant about this symbol right now. And the only thing we an really connect it to is Tyreese, who died in the episode after Beth was shot and whose death hallucination, Beth was in. Just saying.

Also notice the moon and bridge symbols. I don’t think I need to explain those. Plus some others I highlighted on principle: some eights, some fives, cars, tanks, a reference to suicide and explosives, etc.

And I maintain what I said in my original analysis. If hunting a bear = hunting a cop, and what character was most heavily associated with cops? That would be Beth, because of Grady. Then hunting a bear suggests hunting Grady cops (or drawing them out) which has to lead to Beth eventually. And I have no idea when. Maybe not even this season. Who knows? But what the group is doing now by helping people will probably eventually lead to it in some way.

And then we had that thing Lenny said on TTD about how something really unexpected will happen this season. Something no one will see coming. Juuust saying. ;D Thoughts?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusion #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

3 notes · View notes

un-enfant-immature · 6 years

Text

Samsung Galaxy S10+ review

And, naturally, none of us minded testing those new photo features in one of Europe’s most beautiful cities.

Here’s everything announced at Samsung’s Galaxy S10/Galaxy Fold event

youtube

Screen time

A closer look at Huawei’s folding Mate X

Oh, and there’s one more key aspect in helping the S10+ go full screen.

Putting your finger on it

The ability to sense depth brings another layer of security to the product — quite literally. Here’s how Qualcomm describes it:

Ports in a storm

Samsung’s Galaxy S9 deserves better than Bixby

Samsung’s Bixby may finally get more third-party integration soon

All charged up

Camera ready

[Left: Standard, Right: Full zoom]

[gallery ids="1790609,1790610,1790611,1790612,1790613,1790614,1790615,1790617,1790618,1790619,1790620,1790621,1790622,1790623,1790624,1790625,1790626,1790627,1790628,1790629"]

[Left: Samsung S10+, Right: Pixel 2]

Wide (Standard): 12 MP, 26mm Telephoto: 12 MP, 52mm Ultrawide: 16 MP, 12mm

There are some fun tricks as well, like the above Color Point effect. I’m not sure how often I’d end up using it, but damn if it doesn’t look cool.

Today’s Galaxy

The S10 isn’t the smartphone of the future. Instead, it’s the culmination of 10 solid years of cutting-edge smartphone work that’s resulted into one of today’s most solid mobile devices.

#TechCrunch

0 notes