Doesn’t matter if I’m in a relationship or not, sometimes when I went back to my room and lay down on my bed; I just felt so lonely. Have you ever felt that way? Did you ever feel that you have no one to rely on but yourself? Yourself is the only person who knows what you have been through, and knows what’s your feelings and emotions were in the worst situation. Every time I talk about my feelings with someone, they always say they understand what it feels like. However, that is not true, no one has been through something terrible like you do. They’re not you, they don’t know what your pains feel like. Everyone is busy with their own problem, which doesn’t have time to help you. At this point, you realize you are the only person left holding yourself up and keep walking every single day. I always told myself that it was just progress of becoming a stronger me, but it’s really lonely. Even I found the joy of being on myself, loneliness is still bothering me sometimes.
If you know me personally, you probably know that I love dogs. I have a powerful affinity for dog breeds that have had tarnished histories or bad reputations because of dogfighting and generally poor owners. As a kid, my dog was pretty ambiguous, but it was pretty clear he was either American Bulldog or Pitbull, and so was his brother. The dog that we take care of for about a month each year is also a pitbull-boxer mix. Similarly, my family and those around me have also had quite a few Pitbulls, Dobermans, Rottweilers, and other ‘dAnGeRoUs’ dog breeds. Through all this experience, I have not met a single one of these dogs that were aggressive even in the slightest. In fact, the most aggressive dogs I have met have been breeds that are usually considered well-mannered.
Photo Credit: Daily Paws
However, despite having such a wide range of great experiences with dogs of these breeds, I have met an abundance of people that are either scared of these breeds or dislike them because they believe they are dangerous. Usually, it’s some story about how they were kids and got barked at or nipped at, or even bit by a dog of said breed. To me, this literally just sounds like racism. When someone comes out with their excuse for why they dislike a particular breed, it’s usually worded exactly the same as when a racist says they don’t like a race of people. I mean, think about it, telling you like labs but not Pitbulls is not that far from saying you like one race of people and not the other. In terms of weight and general history, it’s not exactly the same, but in biological terms, it’s strikingly similar to racism. I’m not saying it’s ok to prefer a breed and look for one that you want, but having a pre-set prejudice against a dog breed is dog racism. Don’t be a dog racist.
If you know me personally, you know that as a masochist, FromSoftware(Souls-Like) games are literally my favorite types of games. Bloodborne, Sekiro, Dark Souls 3, and Dark Souls 1 are all four out of my top five games. However, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco just released their newest title, Elden Ring. Which had been in the works since before Sekiro was released in 2019. It is now 2022, three years later, and Elden Ring is finally here. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever played. From minor detail to major detail this game is as close to perfect as anyone can get. (I play this on PC so I am aware of and have experienced the frame stutter when in fights, but they’re already fixing it and it really doesn’t take away from the experience at all).
Photo Credit: TechRadar
First of all, this game is absolutely gorgeous. Elden Ring is hands down the most artistically and graphically impressive game I’ve ever played. Sure there are a lot of games with technically better or more realistic graphics but, the care and detail put into making this world is absolutely unparalleled. As an open-world game, I was expecting it to be a little lazy with lots of walking around between one interesting location to the next like most large open-world games. I was wrong. This world is jam-packed with detail, easter eggs, items, side quests, characters, hidden levels, the list goes on. And every single one is great with immense detail, no enemy, no boss, no area feels unfinished. Every nook and cranny is filled with fun things to do. It is the single best open-world game I’ve ever played. And as a souls game, it is easily the best. It brings back my favorite part of Dark Souls one which is semi non-linear progression. Instead of only being able to go to one level and being stuck there if you’re under-leveled or skilled, you have the option to go do something else and explore the lush and lore-rich world that surrounds you.
Photo Credit: IGN
Secondly, Elden Ring takes everything good about the other games and packs them all into one. Weapon arts from DS3? Check. You can even change your weapon art on the fly. Powerstancing from DS2? Check. I am currently power-stancing two greatswords. A separate jump button from Sekiro? Check! 83 bosses??? CHECK. This game is jam-packed with content, it is everything FromSoftware learned from all the time they’ve been making games. And just like the masterpiece that is Bloodborne, it is a completely separate game from Dark Souls in every way. It doesn’t matter that the combat is technically similar, the environment, the feeling of playing Elden Ring, the satisfaction is all just on a different level from their previous games. It is a culmination of all of their previous masterpieces. If there’s any game that defines the spirit and the artistic value of gaming, especially RPGs and Open World games, it’s Elden Ring. I adore this game.
Plus it has the two best NPC’s ever in gaming, Pot man and Wolfman. Buy it right now
Two weeks from now, the Journalism class at my school will be participating in a smash tournament amongst the class. For my blog this week I will be giving a prediction based on how I think the skill of my classmates is in smash.
For those of you readers that don’t know what Super Smash Bros Ultimate is, it is a game that consists of fighters trying to stay on top of a platform. Characters have a bunch of different attacks these include a neutral smash, a side smash, up smash, and a down smash on top of these attacks there are the same directions but with a light attack. Heavy attacks do more damage at the cost that they leave an opening at the end of the attack for the opponent to take advantage of.
The ordering of placements will go like this (I’m not going to use their names for privacy I will use their initials)
The list goes from first to last
E.H.
N.J.
A.K.
C.C.
H.L.
Z.D.
S.H.
B.M.
E.S.
Wildcards: Z.Z., C.H., F.A.
E.H. Has the game and plays it a lot, so I trust his skill.
N.J. plays with E.H. a lot and supposedly is very good, so he makes the number two spot.
C.C. recently got the game and had been playing it a lot.
H.L. plays smash on her brother’s switch in preparation for the tourney.
Z.D. hasn’t played a lot of Smash but has a lot of prior game knowledge.
A.K. plays games to my knowledge but I don’t know how much, I just know how good others are.
B.M. plays Madden so he knows how to strategies, so I think he’ll do pretty well.
E.S. doesn’t play games and when she did it was quite disappointing.
F.A. I’ve never seen him play a videogame ever he says he knows how, though, so he’s gonna be a wildcard.
Z.Z. is a bit of a mystery to me because I have no clue of her videogame knowledge, so I put her at the bottom but she is a bit of a wildcard.
C.H. confuses me because I don’t know if he plays videogames, so he’s another wildcard.
Underrated is probably a gross overstatement. Most of these animes can be found near the top of the MyAnimeList charts, but I still notice that not a lot of the people I know who watch anime have not seen these. And should most definitely see these as they are far better than some of the Sword Art Online’s of the world that preside near the top of MAL charts.
Starting with the only anime that has ever got me to sit through a single one-hour episode, let alone ten of them. Hellsing: Ultimate is an adaptation of an older anime called Hellsing. The show has all the same characters and even has the same start to the plot. However, this anime is a world of difference. First of all, the animation and art style are so nice. Everything about it is so clean and fits the general vibe of the show so well. Not only that, but it has some of my favorite characters in all of anime: Alucard, the first Vampire ever born, and Lady Hellsing, the leader of the organization and the coolest female character ever. She is the hottest and only hot British person ever. Add that to one of the only good Dubs in anime and you’ve got a certified slapper. I’m not gonna tell you how the plot unfolds, but it is a beautifully drawn anime with a great plot and characters. If you’ve seen the original Hellsing and it deterred you from Ultimate I fully encourage you to watch it, it is a completely different level of quality.
Photo Credit: IMBd
Afro Samurai is one of the shorter animes I’ve seen and easily one of my favorites. Even though it isn’t ranked high on my list, it is easily the anime I have re-watched the most and the only anime I’ve ever watched in one sitting. This anime has everything. Compelling storyline and Villains? Check. A great main character and comedic relief? Check. I mean it’s all about one headband but somehow it’s one of the most complex storylines with a great backstory and fight scenes. And it has Samuel L. Jackson. What more do I need to say. If you haven’t seen it yet or are just getting into anime, this is the one to watch.
Photo Credit: Medium
Another is an anime that I rarely ever hear about. It definitely is one of the more peculiar horror animes I’ve seen and honestly has quite an interesting storyline. This kid goes to a middle school in which there is a curse, one that he reactivates on accident. The show basically follows him trying to figure out what the hell is going on or even what the hell he did wrong even though he’s the only one in the class who is morally right. The whole show and the plot are great in my opinion. The art is very nice and it is overall just a clean anime. It doesn’t shoot for more than it’s capable of and it doesn’t suffer from an underdeveloped plot. I would definitely watch this if you have Crunchyroll.
Photo Credit: Anime Filler Guide
Terror In Resonance was a very refreshing anime for me. I had been on a streak of pretty mediocre shows and I had finally stumbled onto this one which I had been continuously told was very good. So I watched it and it still stands as one of my favorite animes ever. Every character fits into the show perfectly. The plot unfolds seamlessly. It is a very dark and very real anime. It actually caused me to think about my life a little after I watched it. Terror In Resonance is a beautiful anime, if you haven’t seen it, you are missing out on the best short-length anime ever made.
Well, it’s official, the ISS (international space station) will be falling out of the sky by 2031. NASA has stated that in ten years’ time they will bring the ISS down into Point Nemo in the Pacific ocean. What’s special about Point Nemo? It’s the furthest point from land on the earth. It has become a spacecraft graveyard, dozens of satellites, telescopes, rocket boosters, and other such things. The ISS has provided us with tons of experiment data, product testing, and even some world records. It has become a safe international space, where men and women from multiple countries come together to spend a few months doing repairs, experiments, and other space things they might be required to do. It has given us opportunities for peace as well as development. The next ten years will see the last experiments done on the station and then its ultimate burial in the sea. In ten years’ time, we will no longer see the small dot flying across the night sky.
My last blog post was basically a mess of me trying to explain what Tokyo Ghoul is fundamentally whilst also trying to gush about the genius of part one. However, now that basically every piece of context has been laid out I can now gush about one of my favorite sections of Tokyo Ghoul, part 2. Originally, I had seen the anime before I had read the manga. In the anime, Kaneki joins Aogiri Tree, completely letting go of who he is as a person and becoming a cold-blooded killer so that he can become strong enough to protect the ones he loves. Although it does work into the story either way it is so far from what happens in the manga it’s comical.
What I forgot to explain in the first part is that the CCG rates ghouls based on their level of danger. If a ghoul is a rate A it means they’re generally pretty dangerous but not hardened killers. Some ghouls can go all the way up to SSS rating which means they have quite the body count when it comes to investigators.
Kaneki forms his own minor organization with the single goal of finding Dr. Kano, a ghoul researcher/doctor who planted Rize’s kahuo in Kaneki. Kaneki remains kind and fragile as he was in season one, but he now has the power necessary to get what he wants and he’s finally willing to use it. However, Kaneki still somewhat refuses to eat. Instead, he cannibalizes other ghouls, which greatly increases his already insane power. However, what Kaneki does not know is that if ghouls cannibalize, they become Kakuja which if translated means “awakened person”. Kakuja are immensely powerful ghouls who have multiple Kahuos, allowing them to control multiple Kagune at a time. However, should a ghoul awaken, they lose control, and only a very select few ghouls can maintain control when awakened.
About halfway through part one, the CCG ghoul prison known as cochlea is broken into and many high-ranking ghouls are released, putting the CCG in a very tough spot. Kaneki who was at Cochlea for reasons I can’t remember is confronted by an especially strong ghoul who was very close to Rize and is now set on killing him as he bears Rize’s scent. Being one of the strongest non-kakuja ghouls, this ghoul wipes the floor with Kaneki. Lying in the puddle of his own blood, Kaneki’s loss drives him to awaken. Unable to control his Kakuja powers, he mortally injures an investigator and barely escapes with his life. Kaneki, now being a Kakuja is a ticking time bomb. He still isn’t eating well and mostly eats ghouls as he knows it makes him stronger.
Photo Credit: Reddit
What makes the second part of Tokyo Ghoul so special to me is how much backstory and lore they give to characters that received very little attention in the anime. This happens all throughout the show as basically half the content that made the manga so special was surgically removed. Sui Ishida gives many side characters compelling and emotional backstories throughout part two which adds an immense amount of depth to the Tokyo Ghoul world, which I will definitely be getting into in another post.
Throughout the first half, one of the main roadblocks for the CCG is a ghoul known as the owl, who is responsible for the conception of Aogiri Tree. The owl is actually two ghouls, a father and his daughter who are both kakujas. Despite looking and fighting completely differently the owls are one of the biggest threats to the CCG. Mr. Yoshimura, the man who took in Kaneki is the owl, the founder of Aogiri tree, and one of the most feared ghouls in Tokyo.
Photo Credit: Tumblr
The CCG launches an operation into the 20th ward which is the worst possible situation for Kaneki as every ghoul he was training to protect was in the 20th ward. In a hurry, Kaneki goes to the 20th ward where he faces Special Investigator Kisho Arima. An extraordinary investigator who has a flawless record in the CCG and is the only investigator to have mortally injured the owl which he did when he was sixteen.
In one of the coolest scenes ever, Kaneki confronts Arima underground in a bed of Red Spider Lilies. Kaneki loses epically. He doesn’t even land a single hit on Arima and gets a quinque through the eye. Although Kaneki has an absurd amount of power, not even he can stand up to Arima. At this point, everyone believes Arima is the main villain, and in typical Tokyo Ghoul fashion, the first part ends, and seemingly so does the story of Ken Kaneki
Starting from my 9th grade, I can feel the time passing so fast. Every year passed with a blink. I kept complaining about school and life until recently I noticed that I only have a couple of years left being a student. I started to like being a student actually, the only struggle is homework every night. Otherwise, I can just have fun and do anything I want with my family and friends. With my work experience before, I imagine in the future, I will need to wake up so early and do my work until 9 pm. When I get home it’s probably 10 pm, plus, doing some stuff and taking a shower will be at 11 pm; Afterwards, I need to sleep at least before 12 am so I won’t be tired from tomorrow’s work. I also imagine that every day will feel the same. Nothing surprising will happen to me. It all just feels so complicated.
In this case, I want to give myself a goal. Although I might be busy working in the future, I still want to do something that I always wanted to do, which is to become a Youtuber. I’m not sure about when I am going to start, maybe from college or maybe after college. I love taking videos and editing them. Some of the successful jobs started from interest, and my interest is editing videos, so I give myself a goal to start the action and share those videos I made with everyone. I’m thinking the content of the video I will be posting is about a vlog or some prank video with my friends. To be honest, I haven’t started yet so I don’t know what the content will be. However, I wish I could do or even try anything I want to do before I get old and couldn’t move my body anymore.
I tested positive for Covid over winter break and it t’was not a fun experience. I had no symptoms, except I slept for 13 hours the night I tested positive. I had to quarantine for 10 days and it sucked. The only good that came out of my quarantine was that I came out of retirement for my Fortnite career. Having Covid was not an enjoyable experience, I could not hang out with friends, I could not go to the gym, and I could not go to work. I highly recommend not getting Covid.
For this week’s blog, I’m going to go back to the pokemon theme and pick out some of my favorites to share with the readers of this blog.
To start Pokemon are a type of imaginary creature that has been incorporated into games cards and tv shows that have run for many years, starting in 1997. I have loved Pokemon since I was first introduced to it in middle school when a classmate gave me their old 3ds. The game omega ruby (a Pokemon game) was the first game I ever played. Ever since I have followed pokemon and tried to play as many of the games as possible. It means borrowing someone’s Nintendo Switches just to play the game and give it back is worth it to play Pokemon.
The first pokemon on my list is Toxtricity (low key form) This pokemon is an electric poison type, the primary reason for this pick is that it is one of my favorite pokemon and that it is powerful. Toxtricity is fast and it can poison enemies with poison-type moves.
Photo credit: Bulbapedia
The second pokemon in my dream team is Salamance. I chose this Pokemon for its dragon flying typing and its sheer power. this pokemon is a large blue dragon that is just super cool looking.
Photo credit: Pokemon. com
The third member of my team is going to be Swampert because he is my favorite pokemon. He’s a starter, this means that it is likely that I would have had him from the beginning of the game. Swampert is a water and ground type pokemon with the ability to learn very solid moves. Mudkip Swapert’s primary evolution was the first pokemon I ever got as a starter and has been my favorite ever since.
OVS Journalism Blog 
You must be logged in to post a comment.