WHAT?!?! A HEROES RE-BORN SERIES!

Helloooo everybody,

I'm sure some of you saw that Heroes, the NBC show from the late 2000's, is being re-vamped as a mini-series for 2015. Dubbed Heroes "reborn", the creator of the original series Tim Kring will head this separate 13 episode mini-series with a new story-line.

I don't know about you guys, but I really liked Heroes. Except for the last season of course (if you liked it than wow I don't like you), I thought it was a great series with little to no plot development and a whole lot of jumping around that ended up making no sense. It was entertaining above anything, and some of the characters had awesome abilities. So awesome in fact, that I had to rank them for yours and my pleasure. 

So here we go, the top 5 totally awesome abilities that cropped up in the original Heroes series. They aren't the 5 best, they're the 5 that I would most want to have.

5. Adoptive Muscle Memory - Monica Dawson

One of the minor characters in the series, Monica Dawson figures out she can repeat things that she sees other people doing. Most notably it's seen when she stops an attempted robbery at the fast food restaurant she works at by kicking the assailant in the face after swinging around a pole. Monica can learn to do virtually anything her body allows her to, making her ability incredibly useful in certain scenarios. When it comes to fighting people with abilities of their own however, she's pretty useless. If she's not in it for the fight, Monica's ability would be a great one to have.

4. Enhanced Memory - Charlie Andrews
A recurring character in Hiro's saga, Charlie is granted the ability of mega super-duper enhanced memory. She can recall things after a few seconds of glancing at it, shown most notably when she speak Japanese with Hiro. With no prior experience she's able to speak to an ability beyond what her phrasebook could have taught her, and she learned it in a matter of minutes. Being a waitress Charlie finds this ability very useful, and it's practicality for everyday use makes it pretty sweet. Dethroning Ken Jennings on Jeopardy would be a piece of cake.

3. Intuitive Aptitude - Sylar and Samson Gray
The baddest of all the bad guys, Sylar started out with just one single power. From that power he was able to systematically take other abilities and become the ultimate villain. The intuitive aptitude ability is described as: "The ability to analyze complex systems and intuitively understand how they work without special education or training." This ability gave Sylar the means of obtaining specific and useful powers form other the lead to his rise in power. While Sylar used it strictly for evil purposes, when put in the hands of someone who does good it can benefit society as a whole. Imagine fixing any electronic device that breaks? Correcting our national debt? Just don't let the hunger get to you.

2. Empathic Mimicry - Peter Petrelli
I know a lot of people think that this is the best ability because you could theoretically have ANY ability, and that's a good point. I rebut that later on, but for now...
Peter has a pretty awesome ability. Through proximity with another ability, Empathic Mimicry allows you to absorb and use that nearby ability without robbing the other individual of it. The only limitation is that you need other people with abilities to be near you, so without anyone else you're pretty much useless. With people, you could easily become the most powerful human on the planet (as seen in various other timelines where Peter was an absolute bad ass). It's similar to Sylar, minus the hunger and murder.

1. Space-time Manipulation - Hiro Nakamura
"The ability to alter the space-time continuum, including slowing down, speeding up, reversing, stopping, moving backwards and forwards through time, and moving instantaneously through space"
I fucking love Hiro's ability. Really, if people ask me what super power I want to have I answer with this one. I don't need it to fight crime, I need it to make my life easier. There is no more useful ability than space-time manipulation, if used carefully of course. It has the most practical use in our lives by far, and the reason it outguns Peter's ability is because you don't need to rely on anything to use it. 
Think about it: you're given something to complete and you have a strict deadline. FUCK IT. Do whatever you want, and then when it's time to buckle down just stop time. You have FOREVER to finish ANYTHING. I wouldn't even need the "going backwards or forwards in time" bit of it, just the stopping time and teleportation bit. Hiro used it to save the world, I would use it to make life easier. 

Being an adult and why it's awesome/awful

Hey everybody!

Today I'm taking my blog to a media-less direction, and I'm going to list the 7 things I learned about being an adult so far. Some of them are awesome, some of them are terrible. I have to admit that as much as I miss being an irresponsible college student, being an adult has its perks.

7. Doing your own shopping is great

Heck yeah Costco, you're awsome

I don't know if you could consider this a good or a bad thing, but I love doing my own food shopping. Yes of course it's easier at school when everything is prepared for you, but sometimes I get cravings that I used to be too lazy to satisfy. I could be in the mood for pasta (not shitty dining hall pasta, really pasta) and instead of going to the supermarket and buying it, I'd just settle for whatever they had on campus. Now I don't have the luxury of settling, so I buy the things I want and eat the things I want. It's healthier (maybe) and makes me feel better about my, albeit incredibly poor, eating habits. Yay adulthood!
I've also found Costco to be one of the single greatest stores of all time. A big yay for that one.

6. Not being surrounded by friends 24/7 isn't great
This is both a good and bad thing. It might just be me, but I don't have too many friends that live in my immediate vicinity since I've moved out of my parents place. That means if I want to hang out with a friend it usually requires effort, something I don't like to exert often. That leads to a lot of boring weekends where my highlight is not sleeping for 13 hours and doing something productive. So while it's a bummer that I don't always get to have as much fun on the weekends like I used to, it means that my work no longer suffers. Now on Saturdays and Sundays I can actually do some work to put me ahead at my job (which was the biggest lie I was ever told in college, "work on the weekends so you won't do as much during the week."). I guess that's a yay adulthood for being productive, but also a boo adulthood for taking away a chunk of my social life.

5. BILLS are awful

Go home bills, you're drunk

Bills are the worst. I have pretty much all of them set up electronically, so when I open up my email on the days that my electric bill rolls in I cry a bit on the inside. You take a lot for granted when you're at school, mainly things like heat and water. I could shower for 20-30 minutes easy when at school, now it's more of a rare occurrence (although I do indulge in long showers more often than I should.) Electricity is a huge drain on your income as well, watching TV or playing video games for 4 hours straight now affects your bill just as much as your brain. At school I could care less about marathoning 5 episodes of Game of Thrones because I didn't pay for the absurd amount of electricity it takes to do that. Bills snap you back to reality, even if they do teach you "fiscal responsibility" and all that jazz. Boo adulthood.

4. Watching your bank account grow (sort of) is very nice
While I did save some money while I was in school a good portion of my paychecks went to either booze or the occasional dinner with friends off campus. That being said I didn't really accumulate much in terms of savings while in school. Now, the total opposite is happening. My paychecks are much bigger and I don't spend all my money on luxuries, so each pay day I actually see my account increase instead of staying relatively the same. So yay adulthood for sure. I did notice that there is a certain threshold that you reach with your earnings, once you've hit a certain amount in your bank account it's hard to get more on top of it. Bills and other expenses cause your account to stay at close to the same level, even if that level is more money than you've ever had. Growth has its limits, and to that I say boo. Having money to spend though, that's a big yay for adulthood.

3.  A lack of physical activity is common, and bad

Me basically every day

This may just be me, but I have become downright slothful after graduating. Especially during the winter it's hard to find the drive to work out. I've played organized sports my whole life, and that lack of structure makes it hard to get out and exercise. There are a lot of "after work" type leagues that I can join, but that requires money and much more effort in terms of transportation. It could be that I was just really lazy all along and the level of physical activity I did in school was solely a result of my environment, but I don't want to believe that's who I am. Putting in that extra effort to get just as much, if not less exercise doesn't seem worth it to me. For that I have become more couch-potato like every day. I hope that warmer weather brings more exercise, but for now boo adulthood.

2. The hours of 6pm-whenever I go to bed are glorious
When you're at school the general schedule is class, then work, then fun, then bed. It differs from person to person (mine being class, nap, goof off, work, bed), but in the adult world your daily schedule is pretty rigid. You wake up, go to work, go home, do whatever you want, then bed. Your responsibilities basically end as soon as you leave the workplace, and those glorious 6 or so hours you have after work can be spent however you want. It's weird to think that after graduating you actually have less responsibilities, but at least for me that's totally true. That's the biggest yay for adulthood I can give.

1. Adulthood isn't as bad as I thought it would be

Welcome to Adulthood!
Where everything might not be awful.

Have low expectations, it honestly helps. You hear these horror stories of people not able to find jobs, living at home for extended periods of time, wishing they could just go back to school, and above all being miserable. If you really go into graduation thinking like that than actually getting a job will feel so much sweeter. I'm generally an optimist, a fairly large one at that, and I have serious pessimism going into the working world. So when I finally got hired, got my own apartment, started making my own money, and exercising my freedom as a working adult everything felt so much better. Sometimes I wish I could go back to school and make everything "easy" again, but for now the adult world has treated me well. Let's just hope it stays that way.

Dat update doe

Hello all!

It's been a little while since I've posted anything, mainly because I'm busy and that last post kind of ruined my desire to rank things. I am back though, and now that my weeks are slightly less busy (LIES) I'll set aside some time to write a blog post!

A little background before you read this post: I still play Pokemon. Like, a lot. And I play competitively in online tournaments and the like. It's not necessarily my "guilty pleasure" but it's something most people don't really know about me. Since Pokemon X and Y have come out I got a resurgence of desire to play, so of course I bought the 3DS and Pokemon X and there goes approximately 250 hours of my life. On top of that, I play on this website (pokemonshowdown.com, FUCKING GO THERE IF YOU PLAY POKEMON), and that takes more precious hours out of my day. Needless to say, I play a lot of Pokemon.

Anyways, on to my list - a ranking of the Pokemon generations and the games included in each one. I'm not a genwunner, I believe each generation has given us something positive, whether you think the Pokemon look dumb is irrelevant.

6. Generation 4
What it gave us: New evolutions for Dusclops, Magmar, Electabuzz, etc... AND internet connectivity
What was bad: The legendaries, the plot, the main villain/evil organization

Generation 4 series

Generation 4 (aka Diamond, Pearl and Platinum) gave us very little in terms of game development. Yes it added some cool new Pokemon like Luxray and Gastrodon and the new evolutions for some of the OG Pokemon, but in terms of storyline and plot development it's weak as hell. The main villainous group is flawed in their mission, destroy and remake the universe by summoning one of the legendary Pokemon (Dialga or Palkia). DESTROY AND REMAKE THE UNIVERSE. Yeah, that makes sense.

The best part of generation 4 was the internet connectivity piece and it's affect on competitive battling. Giving players the ability to share friend codes and battle/trade with people around the world opened up Pokemon to new meta games and techniques. It jump started the influx of competitive battling seen in later generations.

Game rank:
13. Platinum
12. Diamond/Pearl
8. Heart Gold/Soul Silver

5. Generation 5
What it gave us: Weather based teams/more competitive battling meta game, the best sequel series, harder in-game play, unlimited TM use
What was bad: The main villain (N) and the villainous group

The biggest gripe I had about this generation was N, the second antagonist introduced on top of the main villainous group (team plasma). His goal was to separate humans and Pokemon by splitting them into different worlds. What happened to the good old days where criminals would simply steal Pokemon and sell them for money? I miss the simplicity of Team Rocket. Also, can we please stop with Dragon type legendaries? Seriously, it's getting annoying.

Generation 5 series

The best part of generation 5 was by far the competitive play. Weather based teams ruled the online world, and it made battling fun. The sequel series, Black and White 2, was also the best post-core game sequel made, as it didn't just slap a new color on the box and give you a similar plot line. It actually focused on events two years after the ending of Black and White, which was really cool. Also the in-game Pokemon were way more leveled up, making strategy a necessity for actually beating the main plot-line.

Game Rank:
11. Black 2/White 2
10. Black/White

4. Generation 3
What it gave us: Running shoes, VS Seeker, Battle tower, much enhanced graphics, Pokemon contests
What was bad: Secret bases, not making the Sp. ATK/ATK distinction

Generation 3 series

Hey Gamefreak, just because my move is a fire type doesn't automatically make it a special move. Fire PUNCH doesn't seem like a special type move to me, but hey what do I know?
Also, let's talk about secret bases. Who thought that was a good idea? Yeah I get the whole "promote play between trainers without internet connectivity," but a secret base? LAME.

You know what's awesome? Running. I don't know how I lived without it. You know what else is awesome? The VS Seeker, possibly the greatest item ever created in Pokemon. Fuck grinding on wild Pokemon, use the VS Seeker and battle trainers you've already battled. And their Pokemon get stronger the more you battle them! Genius!
Also Pokemon contests. Strangely addictive, way too much fun. My Aron was a fucking masterpiece.

Game Rank:
9. Ruby/Sapphire
7. Emerald
3. Fire Red/Leaf Green

3. Generation 6
What it gave us: The most complex meta game so far, easy IV checker, possibility of a sequel similar to BW2, mega evolution, easy egg hatching, wonder trade
What was bad: Weather was nerfed beyond all belief, not too many new Pokemon, fucking fairy type

In previous generations special abilities that brought in weather conditions (drought, drizzle, snow warning, sand stream) were permanent on the field until another competing weather condition came into play. And that was awesome. The amount of teams that included a Politoed or a Ninetales in BW2 were through the roof with weather teams being so popular. Now? Now it lasts 5-8 turns like it used to and weather teams have disappeared. Poof, there goes that meta game.

Generation 6 series

Also I despise fairy types. They are so over-powered it's unbelievable. Weak to steel and poison? Oh cool, two fairly uncommon types. Now you need to make sure you run a fairy counter or you're screwed.

You know what's really cool? Mega evolution. It brings relevance back to some long forgotten Pokemon like Kangaskhan, Mawile and Amphoros. They have super cool abilties and typing and totally shake up the tier system, but in a good way.
Breeding is also insanely easy now, you have a reliable IV checker in the game and hatching eggs is super easy (bike in circles around Lumiose city).
There's talk of a potential sequel (like BW2, Platinum, Emerald, Crystal, Yellow) that includes a totally different region. WHAT. Like, new Pokemon and new routes and basically a whole new game. That's mixing it up for the better.
But do you know what the best thing about generation 6 is? Wonder trade. It's the best! You can trade Pokemon via wifi with a random trainer in the world, and it can be any Pokemon you want! I can trade a level 1 Caterpie and get a shiny Blaziken in return! You can spend hours just trading away doubles and/or poorly bred Pokemon to get a surprise in return! That's genius.

Game Rank:
6. X/Y

2. Generation 1
What it gave us: Everything
What was bad about it: Zubat

Generation 1 series

Generation 1 is the start of everything, so it gave us the most by far. I really don't know what to say about it other than it's awesome and set the stage for Gamefreak's future success. There is one problem...ZUBAT. I had nightmares about Mt. Moon and the sheer amount of Zubat in such a small space. Other than that, amazing.


Game Rank:
1. Yellow
5. Red/Blue

1. Generation 2
What it gave us: Breeding, Berries, Dark type, Steel type, 16 gyms, Night/Day, Apricorns/specialized Pokeballs, Mt. Silver post-game
What was bad about it: Whitney's Miltank

Generation 2 series

Generation 2 was an amazing followup to generation 1. They added in so many awesome features like breeding (and the rise of PUNCHZAM!), making your own Pokeballs, fighting all 8 Johto and Kanto gyms, and giving Pokemon berries. You also got to play around with 2 new types in steel and dark, making teams far more diverse and cutting down psychic Pokemon's dominance. You also had to plan your Pokedex searching for night and day, because now only certain Pokemon appeared at different times of the day. It was such a jump from generation 1 that everything seemed so fresh and cool.
Also, the fight on top of Mt. Silver against Red was by far the coolest thing Pokemon has ever done.

And then Whitney and her stupid Miltank ruined your hopes and dreams. Hardest gym battle by far. Other than that, the game was STELLAR.

Game Rank:
2. Gold/Silver
4. Crystal


So there you have it, my ranking of the Pokemon generations and the individual games released within them. Do you agree, or are you a "Genwunner?" Do you even play Pokemon? WHY AREN'T YOU ON SHOWDOWN YET?

Keep it cool guys.