Category: Junior Literary

I’ve decided that I’ll share a bit of my interest while I decide on what topic I’d write about in-depth.  ദ്ദി( •̀ ᴗ –  ) ✧

Series?

There’s multiple, but my current favorite is Demon Slayer. It’s a popular manga series, there’s also an anime adaptation of it, that I only like because Douma is from there.

I can rant and rave all I want about Douma, but that’s for another post. 

Music Artists?

I’ll list my top five since I have too many favorites for my own good.

• Deftones
• Mortician
• Foxtails + IHS
• Mitski
• Alex G

My favorite album from Deftones is their Around the Fur one. It’s the second album they’ve ever released; it debuted in 1997. I love how much aggression there is within this album compared to their later ones. ‘Mascara’ and ‘Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)’ is my top two from this album, but ‘Headup’ and ‘Rickets’ are honorable mentions. Deftones has MANY other wonderful songs such as Hole in the Earth (Saturday Night Wrist album), Passenger (from their white pony album), and Beauty School (Diamond Eyes album). I’d say to check all their songs out. Your ears will thank you later.

I have many artists within the metal genre that I adore ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡ (Deftones being the main one). Mortician would be one I won’t ever grow tired of. I’ve actually tried scouting out their ‘Hacked up for barbeque’ album on cd to add in my ever-growing collection. Fun fact, Mortician only has two people within the project. My favorite album from them is Hacked up for Barbeque, but Chainsaw Dismemberment is good also. ‘Rabid’, from their Chainsaw Dismemberment album, is their most popular song. It’s for good reason because the audio clip in the beginning sets you up for the song and then the guitar is just chef’s kiss. I’d like to throw in other band recommendations with this section. Burzum, Yanderechainsawregurgitationfactory, Suicide Silence, I will always remember, Korn, Party Cannon, glistening, and Decalius. A lot of these bands are from different sub-genres of metal. Nu-metal, Black metal, Death Metal, and Grindcore.

I stinking love Screamo so much (๑´>᎑<)~* The band that got me into the genre was IHS. ‘San Francisco’ from their Circle Thinking album might be the best screamo song out there, and I will never grow tired of hearing that song. All of their songs are goated though I understand if others won’t share the same sentiment (´∇｀”）Foxtails is another screamo band I absolutely adore! ‘Every window in Alcatraz has a view of San Francisco’ is a great track made by them. I would definitely recommend ‘Cucaracho’, ‘I experienced ego death on an nde thread’, and ‘vacant lottery’ by them also. Before this section ends, notice how I said the best songs from both bands have San Francisco in the title ╮ (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.) ╭

Mitski had me in a chokehold back in 2021. I’ve stopped listening to her for a little while, but I’ve started to pick up on her music again 〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠꒳⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜 Cop car by far is my personal favorite. “I am cruel, I am gentle, I can make you laugh” “I don’t think about the past, It’s always there anyway” (Both lyrics are from Cop Car) like ouh my goodness I love love love this song. I also enjoy the live version of ‘Drunk Walk Home’ along with ‘Abbey’ and ‘Shame’ ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)

Boy oh boy Alex G (╥ ᴗ ╥) Love almost all of his songs. ‘Candy’, ‘Hope’, ‘Gnaw’, ‘Brick’, and ‘Things to do’ are some of his released songs I enjoyed. ‘I’m not like the other girls’, ‘I wait for you’, ‘Not Anywhere’, ‘east coast’, ‘and ‘track 7’ are unreleased songs that I could blast in my ears until I burst my eardrums ヾ(˵☆□☆˵)و  I JUST LOVE HIS SONGS SO MUCH. I can try to dissect every single one of his songs or even write something based on them. 

Hobby?

Currently, I like writing as a pass time. After entering the literary class, I feel that I’ve slowly grown passionate with writing. I also draw, commission artists, listen to music, and collect items (CDS and figurines). I have some writings planned out, but I haven’t gotten around to starting them yet.

Movie?

I actually don’t watch movies. Not a whole lot anyways. I like KNY: Infinity castle, cough cause of Douma, and that’s all I can think of. There are others I enjoy, but they’re not as rememberable as Infinity Castle (੭ ;´ ⌂ `;)੭♡

Game?

It’s a tie in-between Alice: Madness Returns or Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Both have incredible narratives. DR2 is a visual novel, but it has also detective aspects along with being a VN. In all honesty, I say DR2 is the best out of the Danganronpa series. The cast is funny, the plot is good, it’s just good in everything while the other games lack something. On the other hand, Alice: Madness Returns isn’t a visual novel. It’s a more action story game. This rendition of Alice in Wonderland is amazing. The ‘Alice is actually insane’ route in retellings is overused and boring, but this game makes it interesting. I can also talk about A:MR in another post.

I hope this served as a little peak into what I like. What post would you like to see from me next? The topics I’ve had on my mind were Norwegian Black Metal, Douma, or Alice: Madness Returns. I haven’t made my mind up yet, so I was wanting to see what you thought ₍₍⚞(˃ ꒳ ˂)⚟⁾⁾

Hey y’all! Ok so, if you read my prose piece then hopefully you’ll like this blog, and if you didn’t read my prose piece then maybe you’ll want to after this? I don’t know. 

For those who didn’t read it, here is some background: There is this girl named Autumn who we find out in the beginning was missing, before breaking news informs everyone that Autumn is dead. Or is she? Detective Riche House is the lead officer on the case who also happens to be our main character, Elijah, his uncle. Now, Eljah has some sort of connection with Autumn, and when he hears that she is dead, he begins to spiral. However, that doesn’t last long before his attention is dragged first to the kitchen then to the front door. On the other side of his door is a hind, which I’ll explain later, and a box holding information about Autumn and his uncle who is planning to kill her. Or is he? 

Ok, so yeah. That is the beginning of the story and a snippet of my prose piece. I do plan on expanding on it because I went over word count and I wasn’t trying to get in trouble, so if you wanna read more of it, I might post it in the future for feedback but idk. Don’t hold me to it. 

BUT

I do want to give y’all a little background on the hind characters, and the inspo for them because they are key figures in Elijah’s story. 

First off, let me explain what a hind even is. Hind has many definitions; however, as a noun it refers to the traditionally used term in Britain and other parts of Europe to specifically talk about an adult female red deer. I know the general term that we all know which is doe, but doe isn’t intimidating enough for the story and it refers to all female deer. Another reason I chose hind was because of an important figure in the story, the Red Stag which if you couldn’t guess is the traditional name that refers to a male red deer. 

Now these characters aren’t actually animals. They are key figures in the religious cult that the story is centered around. The Red Stag is like the head honcho of the cult; who can talk to the “god” while the hinds (we only met one but there are 2) are the second in command under the Red Stag. Oh and the deer heads are like their mask if you couldn’t tell, which was actually inspired by the game studio called Rusty Lake. 

If you don’t know them, they’re a studio that produces escape room games called Cube Escapes. They’re really fun and most are free, so I would definitely check them out if you haven’t. I love them, and I love how all the games are connected. Sooooo, go check them out. Trust me it’s worth it.  

But anyway one of their characters, Mr. Deer inspired the deer head look; along with Hannibal, the 2013 series starring Mads Mikkelsen. Because in the show, Will Graham is continuously being haunted by this giant black stag and I really liked the idea so that’s why I chose to pick a stag in specific. I highly recommend this show!!!

Also if you haven’t connected the dots, I love the idea of masks. I love how they are a curse disguised as a blessing. I love the mysteries they contain and how they hide from the world. I also hate them because even though everyone has a mask they use, the mask begins to take. The longer you hide behind a mask the more you forget the person you truly want to be, and you’re shaped to be the person society thinks is acceptable. You know, we usually call people who use a mask fake or two faced, but lets be honest who hasn’t hid behind a mask? You may do it willingly or you might not. But honestly no human has ever lived life without acting like someone they’re not because society won’t let you. (If I’m wrong please correct me)

Wow sorry I drifted. And I don’t wanna make this too long so to sum up: hinds are female red deer. They are important to the cult run by the Red Stag (a male red deer). The hind was the creature pounding on Elijah’s door and gave him that present. But why would a religious cult want to warn Elijah about his uncle and Autumn? Strange. Makes you think doesn’t it?  

Dream a dream within a dream, for smudges of uncertainty serve no purpose here.

The lines of the ceiling are etched into my eyes. I see the swallowtail caught in its grainy image, stuck forever or free to stay. I can’t decide which. Perhaps there is no difference.

Dust drips from my hands. It is purple.

A stain in my way. A splotch in theirs.

Maybe we should fly.

I delve into my thoughts so much sometimes that I get lost in them. I can take one small thought and turn it over and over until I don’t remember what it looked like when I first picked it up. I follow it down one worn path, then another, until I eventually end up in a new thought field (or cavern). Sometimes it is overwhelming. Sometimes it is peaceful. Sometimes exciting. Sometimes I don’t want to deal with any of it.

But occasionally, I find something worthwhile. There are no maps, but there are patterns. Things repeat. Old thoughts return wearing new clothes. Questions I thought I had outgrown wait patiently (or impatiently) in corners I haven’t looked at, or deliberately ignored, for years. I usually find a new way of understanding myself. I understand someone else a little better (or think I do). I stumble across ideas that change the ways I see some things I thought I already understood.  I realize that a feeling I couldn’t explain has been muffled for a long time, trying to tell me something all along.

Sometimes I wonder if thinking this much is useful. It’s frustrating. There are thoughts that clarify and thoughts that only create more thoughts. There are questions that lead somewhere and questions that simply carve a crevice inside of me and make themselves comfortable.

I wander on. I don’t think getting lost is always a bad thing. We tend to think of being lost as something that needs to be fixed. You are supposed to know where you are going. You are supposed to have a destination, a plan, an answer. There is something almost embarrassing about saying, “I don’t know.”

I do think there is value in not knowing.

We are taught to treat uncertainty like an error. A filthy smudge that needs to be wiped away. A wrong answer. Something unfinished. But perhaps uncertainty is just another part of the landscape. Maybe the blurry edges are what allow us to keep moving, keep floating by, dreaming, running, achieving.

The swallowtail doesn’t need to know whether it is trapped in the wood or choosing to remain there. It is there, and I wish to do the same.

I can think. I can question. I can get lost. I can find something and carry it with me. I can leave other things behind. I can figure my way out. 

The point isn’t to finally reach the end of my thoughts. Maybe the point is to see what I find along the way and make the most out of it.

On that note, I’m really attempting to come up with some interesting, concrete concepts instead of just writing vague stuff ninety percent of the time, but that’s yet another thing I’m trying to work out with my brain. Wish me luck and I hope you have a stupendous rest of your week!

Now, as I’m sure that you are aware, the words video games and art in the same sentence will most likely start some sort of fight between a group of people. And no, I’m not talking about those losers who couldn’t be bothered to create a decent world so they have AI make all of it. That’s just stupid. But we’ll get to the use of AI in gaming in a bit. Before that, let me ask all you people who say video games aren’t art. Isn’t story writing art? Isn’t music art? I mean I think so, it’s been around since cave men could think properly. Is the creation of characters and vast new worlds not art? If you said yes to all of this, then why isn’t combining all of them together to create one thing not art. Anyway, back to design. When it comes to making a game, nowadays, there are lots of different perspectives you can create. Sidescroll 2d (used in games like super mario), first person, third person follow, third person top down (effectively playing like a board game) and so many others. Games also will often switch between different perspectives to better tell the story. But I hear you ask. “ What does perspective change in a game?” well much like a painter’s perspective changes who their art will appear to another, the same is said for video games. For 2d games, much of the art will be hidden in the back but still contribute to the relevance of the world. One of my favorite games is Hollow Knight, both the first and the second one. In both of these games the written back story is not readily apparent, but is rather told through environmental storytelling and character design as seen in the images below.

Notice how the art tells a story of either what transpired before you got to this land, or how a character will act towards you. Environmental story telling is a really good way to show what happened without it needing to be told. It also allows the players to formulate their own idea of what happened. But where this is a game that relies on its background, limiting what can be seen in the corners behind the characters, other games do it with both scale and the use of 3d elements. In ARC Raider, a game about a robotic apocalypse, you can come across gigantic husks of bots that are from raiders before you.

Every time I load into a match and I see one of these monsters just laying there, I wonder how on earth they were able to take such a beast down. But not all game art is used as a set piece with deeper meaning. 

 

In hollow knight, the art is all around you. Its brush shocked textures of tiles beneath your feet. In the characters you interact with, and even in the abilities you use, all stay within that style of art. Some games though are only art. Take Slay the Princess for example, a visual novel game where every decision you make will change the outcome of the end. You play as… Well, you play as yourself. By your side are a multitude of voices spurred by your subconscious, each one having their own approach to how to deal with the princess. The princess herself also changes depending on which decision you make, whether it be her tone toward the player or her entire design and personality

The game follows a mainly monochrome theme, with most frames being in different shades of black and white, with the use of red for blood or roses as seen in the one image. Most of the style appears to be pencil drawn. The game also moves dynamically, shifting small frames back and forth to give areas where the game might be slow, the feeling that time is still passing. Bear in mind that this game focuses heavily on body horror, a trope that many other horror games follow. Many images depict gory scenes such as decapitation, dismemberment, convulsions, and others that I dare not say. However despite all the fears, all the blood shed, all the fighting, this is in fact a love story. I think. Look it says it is in the beginning so it must be true.

 

Finally one of the best uses of art in a game is when it is in an ironic manner. The game cult of the lamb perfectly captures this ironic nature of art. In the game you play as a lamb who has to control a cult in order to earn devotion from a chained god waiting to be set free by prophecy.

But for how evil you are and for how much demonic rituals and sacrifices you do, you and your followers are nothing but cute little animals. The irony of having a cult that is populated by fuzzy little animals is very funny to me. It really just shows that art can be anything. If you have an idea and you execute on it then it can be a great piece of art. Especially with this which has two ideas that wouldn’t seem to fit together. For the rest of the art style of the game, most of the characters, that are not you or your cult members, follow a design that is like they worship another being than your god. The enemies and bosses are amalgamations of animals and plants. Giant frogs covered in pustules followed up by giant spiders that drop from the sky to attack you are only some of the horrors you will come across on your crusade. And that’s just the normal enemies. The bosses consist of amalgamations with rows upon rows of jagged teeth. All of this while being nothing but a small little lamb

 

Ok, now I’m aware that was a lot. And for some people I’m aware that visual art is not your forte. I’m also aware that every single word I’m saying can, and probably is, complete and utter nonsense. But hey, it’s just my opinion, it’s just how I feel. Now we get into the middle of this sandwich. The thing that makes a game have purpose. The story and themes.

 

“You reap what you sow.” — This happens to be one of my favorite quotes to date. If you don’t believe in karma, then you may not believe in the consequences of your actions, but I do. I think all past actions come back fourfold, no matter how much later in life it is. The quote reminds me of the stereotypical plotline in movies or shows where the bully ends up needing help from the said person they bullied. Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit reap eternal life.” Now, I have not read the entire bible, nor do I go to church every Sunday, but I live by these words. My whole childhood, I wished those words on people who did me wrong, and grew angry and confused when nothing happened to them. Wait guys, I was just an angry child, not psychotic. As I got older, I realized that everything comes in time, and karma has a way of coming back to you.

 

I swear I don’t mean to sound like a Disney villain when I say that, I just love philosophy. In most stories you read, an unfortunate event will befall the antagonist that serves as a reckoning of their actions. A good example would be one of my personal favorite movies, “Mean Girls.” At the end, Regina suffered the results of spreading nasty rumors by getting hit by a bus and receiving a spinal injury, alongside losing her friends and having her popularity questioned. And see, I’ve had my own experiences with the proverb. The only instances I particularly remember that I can share publicly is when I used to have sticky fingers as a child. Later on, a lot of my own things would go missing and I never found them again. That was my karma—losing my own things since I had stolen.

 

My reasoning for sharing that is so you don’t think these words are just that—words. Words come from truths, and reaping what you sow is a truth set in stone. You can change all you want, become a better person, but what deeds you have done still lie with you. You cannot make someone’s life a living nightmare, and then get to live out your life happily forever. Repercussions, people. The point is, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, or you’ll reap what you sow. Don’t make up rumors about people, or talk behind their backs, or bully someone for being different. Because, in the end, those said actions will come back to haunt you.

Hey guys! Today we are going to talk about the scientific revolution that eventually led to the Galileo trial. 

Around the 1400s the earth was believed to be in the center of the universe this was called the Geocentric Universe. This was based on the work of Aristotle and Ptolemy. This model was supported by the catholic church who were in complete control of the government.

A Polish mathematician and astronomer named Nicholaus Copernicus proposed that instead of the earth the sun was in the center of the universe. This new Heliocentric model contradicted the beliefs of the church which were the established authority at the time.

Galileo Galilei improved the telescope and turned it to the sky. He observed and documented the sky at night. He discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter. He observed sunspots and the rough surface of the moon. He documented the phases of Venus, which proved it orbited the sun.

In 1616, there had been an order to not teach heliocentrism as a proven fact but as a theory. After his findings he publicly supported heliocentrism (the belief that the sun is the center of the universe) by publishing “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems” in Florence in 1632. This book contrasted the geocentric and heliocentric models, and the heliocentric model made more sense and had a simpler explanation. The catholic church (one-sided beef for real). Galileo was ordered to come to Rome even though he was very wise in age and was poor in health, but he still came and there he was accused of heresy (disagreeing with the beliefs of the church/contradicting scripture). When on trial Galileo claimed that he presented arguments for both sides(which he did). He argued that he gave arguments for heliocentrism,but didn’t actually flat out say it was a proven fact.

The courts had three theologians to examine the book. They claimed that the book strongly favored the heliocentric model. The authorities believed that he had provided arguments in its favor, despite the restrictions in 1616.

In his written defense he argued that the book had been written to indicate that the heliocentric model arguments were not conclusive (basically copping a plea). He pointed out that the book concluded with an argument from the Pope. No matter how much he pleaded his case the Roman Inquisition still saw the book as problematic. In the end he was found guilty of heresy and was put on house arrest until he died. It took the church almost three hundred years to admit he was right.

If the little red fingerprint looks familiar, it’s the logo for NetEase. They are the same developer for Marvel Rivals. 

To preface this, back in 2023 I was absolutely in LOVE Identity V. Every day I would play for hours on end and delved into the lore of my favorite characters within the game along with the main stories within the game. I used to read and make up my own analysis of characters. I could summarize character lore even now because I still enjoy it. The characters weren’t the only thing that had me attached to this mobile game. There were other players to engage with, and I had many online friend groups because of this game. A huge chunk of my money went to this game for merchandise and in-game currency. Earlier this year, I ended up selling my account that I spent close to one thousand on for two hundred dollars. Money’s money, but a little more would’ve been nice.

BASE GAME (basics)

Whenever thinking of the mechanics for this game, think of Dead by Daylight. Five ciphers need to be decoded to activate gates. Then you need to open the gate by decoding it. There are four survivors and one hunter, and the game happens on a randomized map. Instead of hyper realistic graphics and humanoid models which would be in DBD, you have Coraline looking dolls as survivors and a hunter who may either look human with slight abnormalities or something that barely resembles one. Even with non-human models for hunters, it isn’t scary because of the janky graphics. The survivor’s and hunter’s abilities differ from the ones you’d encounter in Dead By Daylight. There is a survivor who can destroy the chairs (hooks in DBD terms), a survivor who can disable your abilities as hunter, a survivor that can stun you for prolonged periods of time with a rocket, and way more. Hunters have abilities of the same level, if not better skillsets. There is a hunter that you cannot look at as a survivor, or you will get hit and placed on a rocket chair at five ciphers. Then your team is pinging “you’re on your own!” (basically telling you that you suck and need to delete the game). There is a hunter that can make duplicates of herself, and the clone can phase through obstacles while also being able to hit you. There is a hunter that launches cats at you, and she can either stun you or disable your abilities (this is an actual in-game mechanic I’m not joking).

 

There are skins for both factions. Now it’s all a fashion show for who has the better skin rather than eerie concepts prevalent in Identity V’s early days. To even get skins you have to do a gacha (gambling).  You either save a lot on in-game currency you get for free over long periods of time or get your debit card out and spend one hundred and get five duplicates of the same skin. You can also get skins within the in-game shop, but you would have to get that debit card ready as majority of them require it. I’ll give them credit where credit is due since a lot of skins are beautifully designed. Some of the designs gave me inspiration for my writings and artwork. The base character designs themselves are amazing as there is a lot of research done into the character’s background to render it cohesive with the time period (nineteenth century).

 

 

Where the issues arise

Now this is where my main issues of the game start. Within the game there are currently only THREE characters that are darker complexed out of at EIGTHY ONE playable characters. That’s way less than one percent people of color featured within the game. There are other characters that come from countries where citizens are generally tanned or darker but share complexions of those with fair skin. For example, there is a character who is from Nepal (an Asian country in-between China and India), but you cannot tell him apart from the European characters. Yes, there are more poc (people of color) characters within the game. Though, they are either mentioned in passing or served as stepping stools for the playable characters in their lore. All of the time they are side characters you never see. In some controversial skins in-game, there is straight up cultural appropriation.

 

In other skins and illustrations made by developers themselves, the only three poc featured in the game are whitewashed. The three characters shown, Ganji, Patricia, and William, birthday portraits compared to official artwork. Both are made by the same company by the way.

There also has been Generative Artificial Intelligence usage within the game and promotions of the game that started this year. It was first spotted in a promotion in their annual Call of Abyss tournament (Yes, the game has tournament aspects and esports teams that participate. There are opportunities to win cash prizes). NetEase also started to fire official artists for the game and replaced them with AI.

 

All in all, this game is bad like an open pizza box that’s a week old. I advise not to support this game or the developers because of the actions I stated prior. What are your thoughts on this? I’d love to hear your opinion ꉂ(˵˃ ᗜ ˂˵)