Pac-Man in Smash

In all honesty, I was confused as to how Sakori intended to create a moveset for Pac-Man. But he did. OOH dang he did. And it's beautiful.

Pac-Man isn't so much representing himself, but more of Namco as a whole. He has many attacks that don't necessarily belong to him, such as Mappy's trampolines and Galiga's ship. But that doesn't change things. Pac-Man isn't top tier, but he is most certainly interesting. He's the kind of character that's hard to master, but when you do, it can be beautiful. I personally love playing as Pac-Man, but I'm far from mastering him. But I do know the Pac-Man meta, and to my understanding, here's what it looks like.

Pac-Man's moveset has a huge emphasis on his specials. As a matter of fact, most of your moves will be specials. His grab is bad, and his smash attacks aren't much better. But his specials give him all the tools he needs to create mass confusion. As Pac-Man your goal should be to launch an endless amount of projectiles to create confusion, and then go in yourself to limit your opponent's options. He doesn't have any spikes, and his nair and fair are bad at gimping, which limits your offstage options. But he does have an amazing recovery if done rights, so you can go in deep for what it's worth. It's important you use your side-B for recovery as its safer than his up-B. This also allows you to charge your neutral-B off stage for a very long time. His neutral-B changes as it charges, so sing its different properties can give you a huge advantage. For example, the apple and key can kill, the bell can stun, the Galiga ship can be used to wrack up damage and be used in combo with his down-B. Pac-Man's down-B is the fire hydrant. The hydrant shoots water which pushes people back, and once it receives enough damage you can send the hydrant flying, doing damage and killing if at at high enough percent. If Pac-Man can catch his neutral-B, he can juggle the item to damage the hydrant and his opponents to get them high enough to die from a key or apple. In short, you should be sending you hydrant and neutral-B around while attacking your opponents to deal damage, then finish off with a hydrant, apple, key, smash attack, and possibly a side-B.

This is just my opinion as to how to play Pac-Man, and I'm not actually that good at Pac-Man in comparison with others. Make sure you check other places for better tips.

When you hear me blow my horn, boys, make sure you charge!

-GIR

Macs

//This isn't against anyone who likes or uses Macs. I actually used a Mac to write this in particular //post, unlike usual where I use my Windows laptop. This is just my opinion and thoughts.
Apple makes some pretty cool stuff. I've used their products for much of my life, and my entire school is filled to the brim with them. And while their mobile devices are pretty cool and useful and have many advantages over Android, their computers simply confuse me.
This is because I grew up with windows, but even now they make no sense to me, even after one full year of using them at school. I, personally, dislike them. I STRONGLY dislike them. I actually see no reason to use them above Windows, and here are my reasons why .
Windows is more unlocked. Unlike Macs, in windows you simply have access to more usable and changeable features. I'm think it might also be open source, which only makes it even better. Now, this argument could be turned the other way around. Because of their less-changeable nature, Macs can be easier to use for non-technologically minded people, and because they are so locked down they make for great school computers. This isn't to say that if you use a Mac that you don't know tech, but it is true that you can simply do more with Windows machines.
Windows is more common. This actually has a variety of benefits. Because it's so much more common, more applications are made for it. A good example of this is games. There is a MASSIVE games library in Windows whereas Macs have close to none in comparison. It also has more 3rd-party support than Macs. Macs do have more 1st party support, Apple loves up its computers with a ton of accessories, but the ones they release (Mainly their mice) are actually quite bad. Again, the the other side to this is the fact that MANY viruses are coded for Windows, but very few are coded for Macs. This is why not many Macs get viruses.
Windows machines are cheaper. There's no getting around it. You can get a decent Windows laptop for about $400 to $500. A decent Apple made Macbook? Upwards of $800. Yes, you could compare things like the new Surface Book and a Macbook, which would be far more even. However, you can get comparable performance out of computers much cheaper than a Macbook.
Lastly comes the most bias part of all, I just like Windows more. It may be because I've grown up with it, but even after learning how to use Macs I still just like Windows more. There's nothing wrong with liking Macs, and they aren't outright inferior. Much like all comparisons, there are good things and bad things to both sides, and the Macs of the world definitely beat Windows Machines in many rights. But if you ask me, Windows all the way.

Hey, smell this. Does this smell like buttered pancakes?
Man, Dragons are weird.
-GIR

Discworld (pt. 1)

//WARNING: DISCWORLD SPOILERS

I don't know much about Discworld. I've only read one of the books, and I had trouble understanding it initially. But after finishing that beautiful first book I realized how amazing it was. Now I can't wait to get my hands on some more of these brilliant novels, and hopefully I won't have to wait long.
Discworld is a book series consisting of 41 books which were written by Sir Terry Pratchett. Why SIR Terry Pratchett? Because he was knighted for his services in literature. Yes, that's right. He was knighted for how amazing he was at writing. Needless to say, he was REALLY good at writing. The Discworld series is about Discworld. That seems simple, but that's the truth. All 41 books are about certain characters and events, but it all correlates to tell the story of Discworld itself. If you were to "study" all 41 novels you could create one singular book that treats the entire series as history and write a legitimate history of Discworld that could be modeled on real world history text books. (Someone should do that...) That being said, there are many recurring characters in the books, such as Death, the Librarian, Captain Sam Vimes, and more. There are also many subplots in the books, but in order to fully understand the subplots you must read all of the books Unlike other series, Discworld novels aren't released in any particular order. The only way to tell what book comes when is to read the book and try to use whatever context you can find to place it into a timeline. THat being said, many people have done this, and you can find timelines online. Like the one above, which also details some of the subplots in the novels. It is important to note that I haven't actually read all the books and I haven't looked through the timeline above to avoid spoiling things for myself. Try not to spoil things for me in the comments (If anyone actually reads this, but hey. Precautions.)
With 41 different books written, some may be wondering if Sir Terry Pratchett intends to write more. Sadley, he will not. For on March 12th of this year, Sir Terry Pratchett passed away. It is most certainly sad. But his works and influence will never be forgotten by his readers, and I am happy to say that I am one of them.
For those wondering why it says part 1 in the title, that is because I've only read one of the books, and I want to re-visit this multiple times in the future as I read more. So I'll come back to this. Soon.

Discworld Book count: 1

Ah, I remember old Yavender. That's why we dye everything blue after all!
-GIR

Competitive cubes

WCA (The World Cube Association) hosts cubing competitions worldwide for a specific group of puzzles which have been appropriately dubbed "WCA puzzles". There are about 10 WCA puzzles in existence, but several of them have subsets such as OH, blind, and... 3x3 with feet? Wat? Amongst all of this though there are many cubes that have been dropped from WCA after they were in the system for a while. Cubes like the rainbow cube, rubik's magic, and more (I think). With this, many people want more cubes to be included in comps. WCA does bring new cubes into competitions regularly, normally at the beginning of the year, but they don't always. Skewb is the most recent event added, which was added n 2014.
WCA competitions must follow WCA regulations. Regulations can change, and occasionally do. A good example of this was when stickerless cubes were banned from WCA competitions a while back, and in the summer of this year they were brought back. With this change in regulations came a regulation requiring devices to be put in place to prevent squans from moving during transport to the competitor.
WCA regulations also mandate a certain kind of timer. Competitions always use Speed Stacking timers. It is slightly confusing seeing as cubing companies do make timers, yet we don't use them. It makes sense when you realize that Speed stacking timers are much higher in quality, but regardless, it's still confusing.
Competitions are few and far between in many places. Here in California they happen regularly, but in many places cubing competitions don't happen at all. So if you cube and you hear of a competitions happening near you, make sure you go. You'll love it. Trust me. If you're a cuber, that is.

Venomburners! They eat your mana in the darkness, Jimmy!
-GIR

When one needs to rant...

/*This post is incredibly bias, and in no way reflects weather Cloud should be released as DLC or not. It's great that more characters are coming, but I would rather see someone else join the fray aside from him. I also give my argument for my opinion below. If you disagree that's fine. This is not meant to insult Cloud as a character, nor the games he comes from which I, admitadley, have not played. This post is just my opinion.*/
Cloud was recently announced to be coming in smash 4 as DLC. Now, it's great to see more characters coming to smash, and I know that Nintendo probably intends to announce more characters in December as stated in the end of the Nintendo Direct, but I personally believe cloud wasn't the best choice for them to spend their time on. There won't be any hate here, but let me present my argument.
By Nintendo's perspective, it's not going to be as profitable. By putting a character in Smash you inadvertently promote the game the character comes from. Final Fantasy isn't a Nintendo exclusive, so they aren't helping themselves as much as they could be. Along with that, while the Final Fantasy games on Nintendo consoles are popular, they aren't as popular as other games. Because of this, some people might not buy Cloud as paid DLC. While the people who don't know about Final Fantasy and buy Cloud anyway, as many will still do, may enjoy him and purchase the game he comes from, earning them sales. But at the same time, they might buy non-Nintendo Final Fantasy games, and it's just more of a risk over all.
In terms of what we're receiving, there are better options. I'm not saying that Cloud won't be an awesome addition, I'm saying there are better options. While I'm sure there was demand for Cloud, there was definitely a far larger outcry for other characters. Logically, they should release the character with the most outcry behind it as that would earn them the most money, and give the fans what they want. With all of this, it appears that Cloud has a very intense moveset, like Ryu. This is a good thing, as it will represent his character properly and create a fun to play character. But it will also take a lot of time. Time they could be spending on other characters with more outcry.
Cloud is a swordsman. Is this an issue? Yes. Smash has many swordsmen already, and while some do operate differently (Link and Robin have a large focus on projectiles, Marth and Roy have sword sweetspots that play a factor, and Lucina and Ike are just kinda swords people.) they still have a huge presence already, and diversifying the lineup would be appreciated by many. Because it's likely that Cloud will be a mid-weight, characters such as the much wanted King K-Roll would be better as he his a heavy-weight, a minority in the cast.
In the end, I think Cloud will make a fine addition to the roster, and I'm looking forward to seeing where he places in the tier lists and how he'll be used in competitive play. Despite this, I won't be buying him. And although I'm excited to see his moveset, his announcement was overshadowed by the announcement telling me of what's to come.

Oh don't mind him, Jimmy. That's Nisovin. He's a Gnome!
-GIR

The "Hoo-Hah'

Yes, I'm talking about it. And yes, I'm done with the 3x3's. Moving on.

The Hoo-Hah is a term used for a Diddy Kong down throw combo that was incredibly overpowered before it was nerfed. It was known for it's terrible presence in the competitive scene, and it bumped Diddy up to the top of the tier lists. He stayed up at the top of the tiers for quite some time, but after the Hoo-Hah was nerfed, he fell down the tiers and is now in the A category instead of the S category.

But almost all characters have down throw combos. What makes Diddy's so special? Well, unlike others, Diddy's Hoo-Hah can combo into itself. A lot. Not only does it wrack up loads of damage, but because it involves Diddy's U-Air it is also capable of killing. This amazing combo was used by many, but the big one to note here would be ZeRo, who sub-mained Diddy during the age of Hoo-Hah. Again, Diddy's Hoo-Hah has been removed. But is there another?

Yes. The robotic Hoo-Hah. R.O.B.'s U-Air is already amazing for damage and for killing, but with his down throw combo-ing into it, it makes me wonder why R.O.B. isn't higher on the tier list. That isn't R.O.B.'s only powerful moves. He has his top and head-lazer... thing... His neutral B can give him stage control with his top. His Dair is also very good at spiking and his recovery is brilliant. With all of this, I really wonder why R.O.B.'s competitive presence is tiny.

This was short. I'm sorry. I'm tired. Nezzelmeh.

Wolves Jimmy! Don't fight'em alone!

-GIR

The ZhanChi

The ZhanChi is Dayans 5th and final cube. What? You say there was another Dayan cube? No. No there wasn't. This was Dayan's exit from designing 3x3's, and it was a good one. While the GuHong and other cubes were definitly good, the ZhanChi was the beginning of what is now considered "modern 3x3's".
The ZhanChi had no outstanding flaws. All cubes before this had some issue. The Alpha cubes couldn't corner-cut as well, the GuHong had block corner-cutting and pops, and Rubik's brands were, and still are, just bad. The ZhanChi, on the other hand, had none of these problems. It had rounded and smoothed curves on the corners and edges which resulted in all around better corner-cutting, and the torpedoes held the cube together. With all of this was Dayan's signature buttery feel, and sticker-less options. The ZhanChi was the first cube to have such large gaps between the corner stocks and edge wings, which gave it a customizable factor. It could be as fast or as slow as you want it to be, based on how you lube it. The gaps also helped internally for reverse corner-cutting.
I've talked about Dayan a lot this week, but there's a reason for that. Dayan released some of the most important 3x3's of all time. They created speedcube 3x3's as we see them today. And while they have ceased creating new 3x3's after the release of the ZhanChi (Directly after the release of the ZhanChi. The Dayan 5 ZhanChi was the final 3x3 created by Dayan. There was never another. Never.), Dayan will always be remembered for their service to our community.

I'm not scared of anything. Well, accept glass. I'm kinda scared of glass...
-GIR