Tablets - Comm 352

                As an owner of a tablet, I can definitely attest to the idea of tablets being “convenient but unnecessary” in today’s technological age.  Tablets have become so mainstream as of late that they have already found a place in advertisements and electronic departments regardless of their novelty.  These gadgets offer most of their utilities in the forms of apps, which makes these devices feel more like oversized cell phones with no call option.  It seriously limits the usefulness of these devices as they are still considered mobile devices when the average user is more than likely trying to use them as a miniature laptop.  When the first article mentions that more and more individuals are trying to replace their home computers and laptops with these devices, they probably are not taking this into consideration.
                The convenience of the size of these devices is what really sets them apart from the rest of the competition.  The Kindle Fire is the size of a standard DVD case, and this is a nice size that falls between the standard cell phone and an iPad.  I feel like this size is ideal because it is portable and small enough to be taken anywhere, but large enough to actually interact with the device and its apps that require the interaction.  Small enough to safely fit in a small satchel or purse, but large enough to provide a touchscreen that is easily readable an navigable. 
                That being said, I firmly believe that tablets used for recreational purposes are highly unnecessary.  I own one, and I definitely know that I merely use it as an internet device when I’m “too lazy” to just use my laptop.  Tablets don’t feature any scroll options, and doing anything too “technical” like typing a document or editing a website cannot be adequately executed on one of these devices.
I am all for using these devices as a fast and easy alternative to the large and “clunky” devices we are used to, but they are in no way a permanent substitute to the technology we already have.

Like If You Agree! - Comm 352

               Facebook has gone from a fantastic and mature social networking site to a steaming pile of baboon’s excrement that has yet to be cleaned from the floor.  What was once a site that you could go to in order to flee the annoying layouts and instant-playing music on Mysace is now just turning into more of the same.  With the addition of apps, games, and the dreaded instagram, Facebook is now a site that people barely use for its intended purpose: to keep in touch with each other.
                I have all but given up on updating most aspects of my Facebook page.  My phone number and e-mail are on there, and when I need to contact others I expect to see the same.  Nowadays I have to trudge through miles of pictures, invitations, and rants just in order to get anything done.  Facebook was once about communication, but now it has evolved into social climbing, like Myspace.  What I find the most irritating is “statuses”.  The idea of announcing what I am currently doing to the world on a daily basis is absolutely juvenile.  In reflection, I don’t even care what people are doing every waking moment of every day.  Why is there so much emphasis on this?  If it were important life events (“Just got a new job! Come visit me at Burger on a Stick in the mall!”) it would be one thing, but how many pictures of food with a high contrast filter applied to it have you seen?  My answer would be about two or three on a daily basis.  Food!  Why food?!  Why do we care what each other are eating daily?  And you cooked it yourself?  Hooray.  You successfully cooked your first grilled cheese with tomato.  iCarly must be so proud of you.
                It’s the fact that Facebook is being watered down to the same popularity contest that Myspace used to be.  I went to Facebook to get away from this, yet it still catches on.  People cannot interact socially without needing a hierarchy of “whom is doing better than whom” in their lives.  Statuses and information that people display are far from their actual thoughts, and we tend to skew what we say in order for it to be well received by our peers.  This falsity is what infuriates me – we simply cannot have a social networking site where people will literally “be themselves”.  Because everyone is so caught up on popularity or what people think of them, sites like Facebook are doomed to social conformity that stems from everyone constantly aiming to please others instead of themselves.

The Paladin - Comm 344

The next series of classes are Hybrid Classes, or classes that are combinations of any previous two.  These combinations take strengths and weaknesses from each class, so none of them are typically overpowered.  They also take social elements from each of the borrowed classes, which create even more distinct characters with different driving goals.
                The first Hybrid class is the combination of the Fighter and the Cleric: The Paladin.  The Paladin, or Tower Knight, is a holy warrior that uses the powers of light and the heavens to smite their enemies.  They draw tough armor and heavy weaponry from the fighting class, but obtain the religious knowledge of restoration and prayer from the cleric class.  This is a very stalwart and defensive class used primarily to outlast an opponent’s harsh advances.
                Utilizing heavy equipment used by their fighter counterparts is part of what makes these holy knights such good defenders.  By donning mighty armor sets that cause little recoil from hits, the Paladin can fight in the front lines with his fellow heavy-hitters.  Although somewhat uncommon of knights to wear In general, Paladins often wear capes with depictions of the God or Goddess they worship adorned on them.  This can be seen as a nod to the cleric class, which features robes and flowing garments.  Colors like white and gold become common, as they represent divinity and power through holy strength.  Weapons tend to have the same focus.  Large, heavy weapons like greatswords and steel maces are wielded in a fearsome manner.  By enchanting their weapons with holy power, the Paladin is able to use physical attacks with holy properties – something that nearly no other class can do. 
                Adorning their weapons with holy magic is by far the simplest spell they can cast.  They can provide restorative magic in a similar manner to the Cleric, but as front line fighters Paladins would much rather heal through attacking.  In Dungeons & Dragons the Paladin has attacks such as Righteous Brand that allow him or her to deal damage with their weapon and convert a portion of the damage dealt into health.  This converted health can be used to heal the ally of choice, making this an effective strategy for a front line attacker.  This makes it very difficult to defeat a Paladin as they can be constantly attacking and healing simultaneously.  Because of their holy lineage they can also provide blessings that do more towards strengthening the party.  They can place a mark on an enemy that heals any ally who is to attack the enemy that is marked.  This is another example of how a Paladin can heal allies in nontraditional ways that are still quite effective. 
                The Paladin is a soldier of God (whatever God that might be) and therefore must also behave in a manner as such.  The role of being a Paladin is a job, and one that is to be taken very seriously and respectfully.  Paladins must only use their powers for good, and are required to aid any traveler they meet as a sign of good virtue to others.  This is a class that must remain just as vigilant in battle as they must out of battle.  The paladin’s moral alignment literally forces them to be good, or else their title of Paladin is revoked.  Obviously this excludes aiding foes, but excessive behaviors such as looting or desecrating dead bodies is strictly forbidden.  The Paladin embodies the nature of a priest very well in this respect.  You would find it difficult to conceive a Paladin that was considered “evil”, unless he is worshipping a deity with evil intentions, the Paladin is simply following the orders of a higher power.
                This unique class offers a more active holy fighter.  Where the cleric must remain passive due to their low attack power, the Paladin fearlessly fights onward and illuminates a path to victory. 

The Mage - Comm 344

Vivi, from Final Fantasy 9 is a stylized version of the classic black mage comprised of dark energy with glowing eyes.

                The mage is the last member of the original set of four archetypes.  Filling the role of a second magic caster, the mage deals damage primarily (and almost exclusively) with offensive, powerful, elemental-based spells.  Utilizing fireballs, icicle daggers, and lightning storms are all just the tip of the iceberg for these spellcasters.  This type of magic is known as black magic (contrary to the white magic that is used for healing) so this mage is also known as a black mage is certain connotations.
                As far as equipment goes, we see the black mage using the same type of weapons and robes that the white mages use.  The weapons can get a little more creative, though.  We see the typical staff and rod type weapons used for spellcasting, a common staff user being Vivi from Final Fantasy 9, and Mia & Nash from Lunar Legend (you get two black mages in that game, both focusing on different elements).  This is by far the most common weapon used by this class, but interesting alternatives have included animated dolls (Lulu, from Final Fantasy X), and books (Leon, from Star Ocean 2).  Lulu sends her doll out to do her bidding, resulting in a weak poke attack that is more comedic than useful, while Leon opens his book to various pages that have different effects (such as a large demon emerging that exclusively hits flying enemies).  The idea that the black mage is placing a spell upon his/her own weapon in order for it to be semi useful speaks for the fighting style of this archetype.  Overall, the black mage follows the same path as the cleric in that they really should rely on their magic to be effective in combat – which is generally never a problem because these two classes have by far the most magic points of any other class in any game. 

Lulu is a beautiful yet harsh woman
who is as serious as she is
deadly.  She animates her dolls
to attack for her.

                The clothing worn by these mages also resemble that of the cleric.  The biggest difference is that the black mage may have more “witch” or wizard-like clothing like wide brimmed hats and colors ranging from dark blues to purples and blacks.  The most generic of all black mages is stylized to be a literal black mass of energy with two yellow eyes, most recently portrayed by Vivi in Final Fantasy 9.  It was also explained in this game that these creatures were “created” rather than born, and therefore not human at all.  This adds to the mysteriousness and ambiguity that is associated with this archetype.  As for the humans portraying this class they tend to be sinister, soft-spoken, and quite intelligent (traits that match a scholar).
                The black mages can be some of the most powerful allies consistently throughout the game.  Because they focus on the elements, they have the easiest time exploiting an enemy’s weakness.  For example, if an enemy is weak to fire, a mage could simply cast a fire-based spell whereas a fighter would have to find a weapon imbued with fire or enchant their weapon.  Some black mages even have the ability to create an elemental weakness for an enemy that has none, or has a weakness to a type of element that the spellcaster does not know.  This constant heavy damage dealing is separated by spells that often inflict negative status effects on their enemies, such as poison clouds, petrification, confusion, and sleep.  This is a great parallel to the white mage who has spells that lift all of these negative effects.  The black mages tend to revolve around the elements of fire (ranging from simple fireballs to volcanic eruptions), ice (ranging from a cold gust of wind to a howling blizzard), lightning (ranging from a single lightning bolt to a vicious storm), and earth (ranging from a smashing boulder to a lethal earthquake).  At first glance, it seems that black mages should be considered demigods by the way that they can control their environment, and you wouldn’t be too far off.
            Aside from elements, non-elemental spells can also be used to deal damage to any enemy without worrying about their resistance to a certain element.  Spells like meteor that (surprise) summon a giant meteor from space to annihilate foes. There's also flare, an intense explosion of light, both serve as safe, powerful spells that can do an equally large amount of damage to any enemy that is weak to magic in general, not a specific type.  The black mage can also be associated with doom, and the Death spell can cause instant death to an enemy.  Although some enemies (and certainly all bosses) are immune to instant-death, to those that do not there is literally no way they can prevent an attack like this, making your job a whole lot easier.
                 The black mage is definitely one of the heaviest hitters damage-wise when in comes to archetypes.  Unlike most other classes, however, this comes with the price of steep magic point costs to some of the higher level spells.  Realistically speaking though, how much magic would it take to pull a meteor down from space?!  I think that it scales nicely as the black mage might not be the most powerful without magic, but can consistently deal high amounts of damage with a steady flow of magic points coming their way.  If you like to deal a lot of damage, exploit enemy’s weaknesses, and fight from a distance then the mage is a perfect choice for your playstyle.

The Thief - Comm 344

Zidane with his signature twin daggers

Rikku is definitely showing a lot of skin in her costume.
Let's... just say that it helps with her agility.

               The thief is a sneaky and tricky character that uses their sticky fingers to pilfer items, money, and loot from opponents.  The core ability of the thief class is the “steal” ability, which proves useful early in a game as a means of obtaining treasure for free.  Having a way to cheaply have access to basic healing items like potions is how the thief can make their niche in the party a useful one from the start.  This character is usually introduces relatively early for this reason, and on few occasions has even been featured as the main character.  The thief is usually a perky, fast-talking, street-wise, young individual which can make for an all-around fun character in combat as well as travelling around the world.  So just how does this delinquent utilize their five-fingered discount to the fullest?
                The thief is almost always seen using lightweight, agile and dexterous weapons such as daggers, claws, and throwing knives.  Long ranged weapons like bows are sometimes an option as well in games like Skyrim where the thief is by themselves in their quest, which sounds ideal.  But the thief can really shine within a group of fighters as the player to not necessarily deal a ton of damage, but to annoy the hell out of their enemies for sure.  Twin daggers are definitely the most popular weapon set, but in games like Final Fantasy 9 (where the main character is a thief named Zidane) we see the use of “thief-swords” which is two blades connected by the hilts.  Think a bladed version of Darth Vader’s lightsaber.  Apparently this is a lightweight weapon that allows for a decent attack power while leaving a hand free for doing what the thief does best. 
                Thieves, due to their agile playstyle, are usually seen donning lightweight armor, and often will find accessories that enhance their stealing abilities.  “Thief’s Gloves” are a common accessory in RPG’s as an equipable item that increases the odds of successfully stealing loot from enemies.  Other accessories like boots that muffle footsteps or scarves that supply invisibility seem to be present in games where thieves are staple characters.  All of these clothing items resemble the attire of a real life thief from medieval times.  They definitely set themselves apart from Ninjas, which are an entirely different class that I will touch on at a later date. 
                In battle, the thief has had many different roles.  As far as stealing goes, games like Final Fantasy X-2 have given thieves somewhat magical or supernatural qualities to their pilfering abilities.  Rikku (the young, bubbly thief from both Final Fantasy X and X-2) can steal items, money, and even time from her enemies.  That’s right.  By stealing “time” from the enemy she puts them in a sort of stasis that freezes the enemy in place.  She also has abilities for stealing specifically rare items from enemies should they have any.  She can steal the enemy’s “spirit” which puts them in a berserk like state of fury.  So we can see that developers have gotten very creative with simple stealing.  She can even simply steal health or magic points from the enemy.  I mean, stealing is stealing, right?  Her signature quote “There ain’t nothin’ I can’t steal!” couldn’t be truer.  In Final Fantasy X Rikku can use the items she’s stolen and combine them together to make a more powerful, usually devastating attack that, depending on the items used, can deal various types of damage or support the party.  So this iteration of a thief is also an alchemist of sorts.  Zidane’s attacks moreso go along the lines of gambling, with an ability called “Lucky 7’s” that does damage based on how many “7’s” are in his current hit points.  He also has an ability called “Thievery” that does more damage depending on how many times he has successfully stolen.  In instances like this the thief is rewarded in a more damaging attack for doing well at what they are designed to do, a great balance In the thief’s playstyle which allows for the thief to have another motive for liberating their enemy’s wallets.  Following closer to the ninja route, thieves can usually inflict negative status effects on enemies with poison daggers and various traps. 

                Thieves haven’t really seen a dominance of one particular sex, though a young, lithe, street-wise individual with a lot of personality usually fills the shoes.  Both sexes tend to wear tight fitting clothing and have snappy comebacks for any occasion, suitable for someone who makes a living by taking what they want from society (and not in a “Robin Hood” way, mind you).  These individuals do their best to convenience their team, and mostly themselves, in any situation.