Review: High School Story

High School Story is a phone game created by Pixelberry Studios.

You are a new high school student in the area, and it is your job to make a better school than the local Hearst High School (booo Hearst). This is done by recruiting more students, building new facilities, and completing various quests that the characters present you with.

I was admittedly pretty dubious about this game when my sister told me about, especially because she described it as, "Farmville but with high school." But it gets really addicting really fast. The best thing about this game is the level of customization you get with all of your students (except for the plot-relevant characters that the game gives you, which you are not changable) as well as the campus itself. You can build classrooms and hangouts for your students wherever you want, as well as throwing in things like balloons and flower hedges.

One of the most fun features is the Isle of Love, where you can put your students on dates, including your own avatar and the plot-important characters. And, like in most things I review, you don't have to be in a straight relationship if you don't want! Woohoo! It's also really cool how, after sending the couple on a lot of successful dates, they move on from "Flirting" to "Crushing" to "Online Official" and probably a bunch of other levels that I personally haven't achieved yet. And while I'm on the subject of breaking out of social normacy, this game largely features people of color as the protagonists or antagonists instead of making everyone white (there are, like, 6 or 7 different skin color swatches to choose from).

I give this game an A- for its characters that actually make me care about them and its fun gameplay that makes you strategize to have optimal gain rather than tapping the screen endlessly like some other phone-based games. My only complaints are how the higher level you get, the longer quests and construction and other things take (once a couple is at Online Official, their dates can take upwards of 7 hours).
Still, I recommend this game; but just a friendly tip: don't spend all your rings too fast bc omg they are so important in later levels ok HOARD YOUR RINGS

You can download this app from Google Play.

this is my campus :)))

my avatar lmao yes lv6 nerd
and my gf rose (lv5 student gov)

Review: Fly Guy

Fly Guy is a browser-based game created by Trevor Van Meter. 

just doing some copying in the sky hbu

The basic premise is that you are a middle-aged balding man in sensible clothes, evidently waiting for the bus, who just happens to be able to fly. Using the arrow keys, you navigate around the sky, interacting with different passersby (to do this, you just have to fly up to them and their action with activate). There are many different people and objects to interact with, and the higher you fly up the more interesting things get.

he got so tired waiting for the bus
he spontaneously learned how to fly

I love this game because it is so simplistic yet still so fun. Everything is in black-and-white so it isn't hard on the eyes, and the drawing style is very minimalist, which serves to make the player pay closer attention to what is happening rather than what they are looking at. The background music, ever-looping, does not get boring or tedious even after a long session of flying around because it is so relaxing and enjoyable.

The game is not win-lose (although there are some frustrating times when interacting with certain people or objects transport you back down to the bus stop!), and so you do not get stressed out when playing it like you would other games that have actual stakes. You are simply a balding man in a suit flying around and having a super time talking to people and and sitting in chairs with wings.

ok thanks floating guru man

I give this game an A for its relaxing nature and unique concept (not an A+ simply for all the times I got momentarily peeved when a sea monster ate me or something (you'll find out when you play)). If you ever feel like you need to wind down or calm yourself, I highly recommend playing this game, or even just running it in the background so you can sit and listen to the relaxing music.

You can play the game here.

Review: Welcome to Night Vale

Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast created by Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor, who have co-created other projects, all hosted on their website, Commonplace Books.

I would describe Night Vale as a mix between NPR and The Twilight Zone. And, speaking of NPR, Joseph Fink talked about the origins of the story in an NPR interview: "(We) came up with this idea of a town in that desert where all conspiracy theories were real," which is a very good way to sum up the gist of what Night Vale is all about.

It's set in the fictional town of Night Vale, way out in the middle of the desert. The podcast is set up as a radio show, with the host, Cecil Palmer (voiced by Cecil Baldwin), talking to his fellow townies about the goings-on. This news-based aspect is the NPR bit. The Twilight Zone bit comes in with the nature of the stories: in Night Vale, bloodstone rituals and floating cats with poisonous spinal ridges are seen as completely commonplace and ordinary. Helicopters fly overhead, manned by the Sheriff's (not-so) Secret Police to watch the town. The dog park is occupied by malicious supernatural creatures that will steal you away.

It's a very interesting and unique concept that can appeal to just about anyone. What I think is so great about this being a podcast rather than a TV show is that, as there are rarely any in-depth physical descriptions of the characters, Cecil included, people can dream up what they think the Night Vale citizens look like, and it's all completely valid. Okay, well, mostly valid -- what's not cool is whitewashing characters like Carlos (Cecil's love interest) or Tamika Flynn, who are very obviously people of color.

Which, speaking of Carlos, he's also another really important facet to this story. Oftentimes in media today, when there is a gay romance plot, there's a whole big to-do about the characters being gay in a straight-centric society, and will they be okay? how ever will the family react? can the couple stay together throughout the trials and tribulations of being in a homosexual relationship??? The plot is more focused on the fact that they're gay rather than the fact that they're in love. Not Night Vale. When Cecil falls for Carlos (which is in the very first episode, so it's not really a spoiler), it's because Carlos is Carlos, and that's it. Their relationship is dealt with wonderfully and realistically -- I don't think the word "gay" ever even comes up in the entire podcast.

The final big thing I adore about this podcast (besides absolutely everything about it) is the amazing attention to detail the writers have. A big issue in television or book series is laziness on the writers' parts, who leave out plot points that had been brought up in earlier seasons or episodes, totally disregarding continuity. Not Night Vale!!! The writers bring back characters and plots from several episodes back, catching the listener off-guard and making them stop to think, remember where they heard that name before. It keeps the audience on their toes, as they never know what character is going to come back and wreak havoc at any point!

Each episode ranges from 20 to 30 minutes. Two episodes are released every month (there are a total of 40 published episodes to date). Though Cecil is the main voice on the show, other characters sometimes come in to have a few words themselves. There is music under much of the stories (created by Disparition), but there is one specific segment, the weather, where new music from a different artist each episode is played -- which is something I really love, because it gets bands and singers that might have gone under the radar for a long time some very good exposure. And, just as a head's up, Cecil's voice is so smooth that it will literally lull you to sleep, so make sure you're sitting up or doing something else when listening, or you're a goner.

I give this podcast an A+ for its immersive and intriguing storylines that keep listeners interested, keeping us coming back to hear the resolution of each subplot, as well as having really great characters and relationships.

Start listening by downloading the (free!) episodes: iTunes - Stitcher - Libsyn - Feedburner - Soundcloud

Review: Frozen (spoilers!)

why is the snowman in the
middle ugh he's so gr0ss

Frozen was a Disney movie released in November 2013 (US). IMDB's synopsis: "Fearless optimist Anna teams up with Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter." 

I had no real desire to see this movie until I was being consistently affronted with it while on Tumblr (a lot of people on there really really like it). So I finally checked it out, just to see if it was actually worth all of the fuss -- and I'd have to say it is kind of justified. 

It's got all your typical Disney movie things: a handsome guy, a selfish antagonist, the revelation of true life. The staples. But what was really unique was how the protagonist (Anna)'s sister, Elsa, was written. (spoilers start) A girl cursed with power to control ice and no means of learning that needed control, Elsa could have very easily been portrayed as the main antagonist. She ends up casting an eternal winter in summer, and isolates herself in a castle of ice. From there, they could have made her the typical evil queen character, spiteful for having been pushed into solitude. But she isn't. Instead, she's shown as doing everything -- from her isolation to her hiding her powers -- for the good of her kingdom and her younger sister. She chose to deal with it all on her own rather than subject those around her to worry and harm. This was astounding to me, and very refreshing. As well, I read another person's review about how Elsa was a woman with intense anxiety and depression -- very real problems in the world for many people -- and that she dealt with it the best way she could. She is a role model for children who may develop these disorders, because she is still able to live a good life with these things. The fact that she wasn't criminalized for this made it all the better. 

Another amazing, unique plot feature was that, while the solution to the movie's biggest problem was  an act of true love, it was not resolved with a display of romantic love, which is typical. Instead, it was familial love, which was seen in only one other Disney movie I can think of (Lilo & Stitch). This was a very important facet, as it shows that deep familial ties are just as important and powerful as the romantic love of a significant other. (spoilers end)

I also really loved the graphics! They were absolutely beautiful, as to be expected from the Disney studios. Nothing was held back as the characters were shown tromping through incredible snow-covered landscapes -- especially when it came to the ice. I would not be surprised if every animated snowflake were unique!

I'm going to give Disney's Frozen a solid A, awarded for amazing effects and the fact that it made me cry like a goddamn infant. 

Review: Homestuck

Homestuck is a webcomic written and drawn by Andrew Hussie, the creator of many webcomics that are hosted on his website MS Paint Adventures. An incredibly abridged synopsis of the webcomic is, "It's a story about some kids who are friends over the internet. They decide to play a game together. There are major consequences." It would be entirely possible to spend a whole page trying to sum of even the first act of this story, but I will not. A more in-depth explanation of what Homestuck involves and looks like can be found here.

If you have heard of Homestuck before, it is probably with a bad connotation brought on by the complete monstrosity a majority of the fanbase is. These obnoxious followers, called homestucks, give the comic a bad name. It is important to purge their influence on your opinion toward the comic before getting personally involved in it. I know I had to (thoroughly).

Because it would be shame if they were to deter you from reading such a beautiful and complex piece of literature/art. Never before have I encountered a story of this depth and magnitude, and I doubt I ever will again. Homestuck weaves together characters of different personalities perfectly, making each relationship meaningful, while still effortlessly dealing with the plot. It's engaging and well thought-out. It may be confusing at times, but you can tell that Hussie put a lot of energy into making it interesting and involved.

I also really like the way it's written. Homestuck is set up sort of like an old video game, where the player had to enter commands to continue the adventure. Each panel is drawn art, most of which is by Hussie himself but sometimes he invites in other artists to contribute. Usually, they have a bit of text accompanying them to further the plot, but sometimes the page is only the drawn panel, and other times, it has a "chatlog" instead. Much like AIM or Skype chat, every character has his/her own chatname and assigned color, and in this way, the story shows dialogue between characters. Here's an example of what hat looks like:

What I love most about this comic is that there are equal amounts female and male protagonists (and antagonists), which is unfortunately rather scarce. Many stories revolve around men, or if there are females they are often reduced to either the stereotypical lover or bitch character. Every boy and girl has realistic personalities. As well, as with any story there are your romantic sub-plots, but these are not all heterosexual; this, too, is very exciting. The romantic relationships are dealt with beautifully -- sometimes they blossom into amazing partnerships, othertimes they find out they do not work and break up, just like in real life.

I easily award this webcomic an A+, for its flawlessly woven plot, deep and relatable characters, unique art, and endless hilarity. Unfortunately, I know it's not for everyone, but I still think it's worth checking out.

Here's the first page.

Review: The Secret Sharer

In AP Lit, we had to read The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad, author of the famous book, Heart of Darkness. The story focuses around a ship's captain who doubts himself as a leader of his crew, seeing himself as a stranger to them. He then meets a man named Leggatt who heavily influences the captain's personality and outlook on life.

The story itself is very short -- only two chapters -- but it still presents many debatable topics, which in itself is quite a feat. A major cause of disagreement is whether or not Leggatt was a real man; some say that he was only a projection of the captain's mind, Fight Club-style. I personally believe that he was, indeed, a real man, but in the attempt to avoid spoilers, I will not elaborate. Instead, I will simply say that the fact that an in-depth discussion can be created about just that one question -- Was he real or not? -- and only from two chapters is incredible, and a testament to Conrad's use of psychological angles in his writing. Conrad sheds light on the flaws of mankind by including a tale of (accidental) murder in addition to the captain's shifting personality that makes the reader contemplate their own life and agency.

What I enjoyed most about this story was the relationship between the captain and Leggatt. Whether Leggatt was the captain's doppelganger, a projection of the captain's mind, or a real man does not water down their interesting interactions. The two had a deep connection right from the beginning, a true understanding of each other that one would expect only from the closest and oldest of friends. Seeing how the captain changed himself to accommodate Leggatt was both intriguing and amusing.

Still, though they had a tumultuous relationship that was unique, it did not get the conclusion it deserved. Truly, in comparison to the detail and care Conrad gave to the captain and his look-alike up until the end, how it concluded seemed very lazy. It was likely an attempt to slap in another "deep" and introspective metaphor that was rather sloppy. There are so many more satisfying routes Conrad could have taken (albeit perhaps much more sad), so it was a major disappointment to an otherwise solid short story discussing the inner turmoil of human beings.

Ultimately, I would give this story a B+, its only real saving grace being the relationship between the main characters that Conrad masterfully constructed.

You can read Joseph Conrad's The Secret Sharer online here.