Title: Yomega X-Brain
Classification: Weapon (Ranged)
Date obtained: September 27th, 2022

Description: something i don't really mention very often is that i really enjoy yo-yo as a hobby, and find it really relaxing and rewarding. it's sort of like skateboarding, in the sense that it's really daunting and difficult at first, and you are going to fail a LOT when you're learning. but also like skateboarding, once you practice enough and get that muscle memory down, you sort of get into this flow state where everything comes to you naturally. at least, i think that's what skateboarding is like. i tried to get into skateboarding a few years ago, but it just wasn't something i had the time (or physical ability) to dedicate myself to. but that's what i love about yo-yo. it's something you can whip out at pretty much any time and practice a bit, or do a few quick throws, and then just slip it right back into your pocket. as a kid, i had gotten pretty good at all you can do with Duncan yo-yos. (which admittedly isn't much...) but in the latter half of my junior year of high school is when i started to really get into it though, and in senior year it was a pretty common sight to see me with my yo-yo. if i were ever just waiting around for something at school, i'd mess around with my yo-yo for a bit, and i guess people started to notice. and for my birthday that year, a substitute teacher we had quite often who i was pretty buddy-buddy with gave me this, the Yomega X-Brain. he said it was a yo-yo he's owned for a long time, and that i'd probably appreciate it a lot. (i do) he's a really awesome guy by the way, we bonded over our shared love for Talking Heads. if you're reading this Mr. Medina, hi! hope you're doing well.

so that's the story of how i came into possession of this. but how is it as a yo-yo? well to tell you that, i gotta explain a bit about yo-yo types. when it comes to yo-yo, there's a few factors that determine what kind of yo-yo it is and what kind of tricks you're able to do with it. those are Response, Shape, and Counterweight. that last one doesn't really matter for what we're talking about today, so i'll omit it for now. (though i may come back to talk about yo-yo more some other day...) Shape is the... well, shape of the body. there's the classic Imperial body which sort of curves inwards, making the body spin straighter overall, and there's Butterfly, which is used mainly for tricks that require the yo-yo to sit on the string, since the outward curve gives you a larger catching area. Response refers to how the yo-yo controls. if the yo-yo is responsive, that means it'll come right back up at a flick of your wrist, and if it's unresponsive, that means it'll hang at the bottom of the string and won't come back up without some extra effort. (i.e. binding, or throwing the string over the axle so it gets caught and is forced to return) think of it this way, unresponsive yoyos are how people do the classic Walk the Dog trick, while responsive is more used for Shoot the Moon. you get me? cool. anyways, where does the X-Brain fall in these categories? well, it's kind of an inbetween for both. the body doesn't curve all the way inwards, but it doesn't have a heavy outwards curve like Butterflies do. and while it definitely isn't as unresponsive as something with a ball-bearing, it's still pretty good at staying at the bottom, but is also responsive enough that it doesnt require any binding. the X-Brain is a great middle ground and would definitely be a good pick for those starting out with yo-yo. definitely a lot better than starting out with something like a basic Imperial Duncan, that's for sure. (sorry Duncan for throwing shade, just never liked your basic models.) and unlike those basic Duncans, the X-Brain actually lets you unscrew the body in case you ever want to replace the string. (that's my biggest issue with Duncan, if you try to take apart the basic models they are NOT going back together) so overall, i really like the X-Brain! it's a really balanced little thing and is good for beginners, as well as being a fun tool to mess around with for the experienced. (oops, i guess i kinda turned this into a review... whatever, who cares)