the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Is Far Cry 5 a “5 out of 5”?

by Leave a Comment

By Peter Kadel

Far Cry 5 is the latest installment of the Far Cry published by Ubisoft and developed by Ubisoft. The game takes place in the fictional Hope County in Montana. This is the first game of the series to take place in the United States. Many of the jokes and quests are more relatable and the characters seem to be more relatable and more farcical at the same time. As a sequel, the game stays close to the core concept of Far Cry: Lots of weapons, outlandish and wacky side characters, maniacal and oddly charismatic villains, and an expansive open world. But, it also mixes it up with a plethora of new minor features that give the game a fresh feeling for the first couple hours of gameplay. The gameplay itself is pretty standard for a Far Cry game. The main villain(s) is/are the Seed family and their radical evangelical cult, The Project at Eden’s Gate, who have taken over Hope County, Montana, and are capturing, brainwashing, torturing the people of Hope County. The main leader of the cult is Joseph Seed who oversees the entire cult with support from his three siblings: Jacob Seed, a cruel and merciless warrior who believes in culling the weak; John Seed, a charismatic man who forces people to confess their “sins” and submit to the cult; and Faith Seed, a sort of enchantress who uses a hallucinogenic drug to control and manipulate her enemies and turn some cultists into drug-fueled berserkers. Each member of the Seed family controls a region, and players have to defeat the three lieutenants and liberate their region before getting to the leader Joseph.

 

The main story of the game is entertaining at parts, but as a whole it is disorganized and lacks a compelling reason to follow the main quest. In all honesty, I only completed the main questline because the side quests were even more one dimensional and linear, with one exception–the Clutch Nixon Stunt missions, which are a series of time limited vehicular feats which you must recreate. The quests themselves don’t have a compelling backstory, but they unlock a series of star-spangled vehicles that are really fun to drive/fly around. But, in general, the game fails to provide a compelling reason to complete missions other than “do this to get some cool stuff” or “because an NPC [Non-Player Character] said so.”

 

That being said, the game is entertaining and provides an enjoyable experience in many parts. New vehicles such as planes, helicopters, and semi trucks offer more options in terms of gameplay and how to overcome certain challenges and obstacles such as enemy strongholds and convoys. The game also includes a new type of weapon–melee weapons. These give the player more stealth options in terms of combat.

 

SO! Overall the verdict is: Far Cry 5 is an entertaining game and provides a good gaming experience, but it isn’t worth the 60 dollars needed to pay for it, so if you would like to purchase it, I suggest waiting until it is cheaper.

 

Editor: Bella Bier

Death’s Messengers–A Fairy Tale Re-Telling

by Leave a Comment

Graphic by Harlow Berny

Retold by Harlow Berny

Centuries ago, in a long forgotten kingdom, a giant was walking through a mountain pass, when suddenly a female figure cloaked in white jumped out before him and shouted, “Stop! Walk no further!”

“What?” bellowed the giant, “Does this fragile pebble try to block my path? What does it think it is?”

“I am Death,” answered the figure, “and your time has come, as it comes for all.” But, upon hearing this, the giant grew infuriated and raised his fist to the sky. Before Death could retaliate, the giant had crushed her with a devastating blow. Seeing Death on the ground, the giant laughed and continued on.

What will happen, thought Death, if I just stay here on the ground? No one will die, and the world will become so full that people will not have enough room to merely stand side by side. They will not be able to grow food to eat, not be able to sleep, and not be able to avoid disease. Despite this, they will not die, and thus will be condemned to eternal pain and suffering in a new hell.

As Death lay on the ground, lost in thought, a young and healthy man came along the road, singing as he gazed at the forest below. As he did so, he glanced upon Death, and rushed to her aid, leaning her against a nearby rock and giving her water from his canteen.

Once she had finished drinking, she softly spoke. “Would you happen to know who I am, kind man?”

“No,” he answered, glad that she had recovered.

“I am Death, the one who visits all at the moment of their passing. I can spare no one, and can make no exception–but I am grateful for the kindness you have shown me today. I promise that I shall send you messages before I come to take you from this world.”

“Well,” said the man, “there is something gained from knowing when you will come. If anything, I shall certainly have many years before you visit me again!” He and Death went their separate ways, both grateful for the encounter. The man, however, did not remain healthy for long, as he soon fell bedridden with a violent fever which took away his sleep. Despite the grim prospect that this sickness presented, the man stayed confident that he would live through it, as Death had yet to send her messengers. As he had predicted, he recovered quickly and went on in life merrily. That is, until a week after he had become healthy again, someone tapped his shoulder and whispered his name.

“….H–l-w -e-ny….” The man spun around and was shocked to find Death herself standing behind him. “The time has come for you to leave this world and move to the other.”

“What?” shouted the man. “Did you not tell me that you would send your messengers to warn me of your coming? I have seen none, yet here you stand.”

“Silly man,” Death said, “has fever not come to remind you of me? Has not the cracking of your bones in the morning, the aching tooth in your mouth, and the darkness of the night reminded you of your skeleton decomposing? Furthermore, has not my brother Sleep reminded you of me every night, as you lay in bed as you will lie in your coffin?”

Hearing all of this, the man saw how Death had made a fool of him. But, it was not anger that he felt, nor was it sadness. He smiled and walked side by side with Death, content that his life had not ended with blood, but with joke.

Editor: Bella Bier

A Re-Telling of Grimm’s

Everything Sucks: Reflecting the Unfortunate Reality of LGBT+ Representation

by 1 Comment

By Shelby Armor

Everything Sucks is an eight-episode TV show that hit Netflix on February 16, 2018. Now, first things first, I have to state how much I adore this show. It is set in the 1990’s, and beautifully mixes 90’s culture with teen angst. The show itself has a sort of otherworldly vibe, as part of the main plot actually focuses on an alien/space romance adventure. The show follows Boring High freshman Luke (Jahi Winston), who is trying to navigate the ups and downs of high school, while also dealing with having a crush on the principal’s daughter, Kate. Kate (Peyton Kennedy) is grappling with her own problems. She is coming to terms with her sexuality in a less than accepting environment.

Just a few weeks ago, Netflix cancelled the show. However upsetting it was, it was not surprising. One of the main points of the entire show was Kate finding out that she is a lesbian, and unlike much representation in TV shows, it was done correctly. When encountering lesbian characters, there are many tropes that almost every single character falls into. The lesbian will either be killed (the “kill-the-lesbian trope”), pushed to the sideline and never given an important role, or given a sad ending. But Everything Sucks didn’t do that. They didn’t ignore the situation. In fact, they decided to put Kate at the forefront of the show. They didn’t see the need to get rid of her character, and they gave her a lovely and healthy relationship that didn’t end poorly.

But, the unfortunate reality we’re facing is that this exact plotline is the reason that the show didn’t survive. Everything Sucks found appeal with LGBT+ audiences but was unable to gain mass appeal. We’re in a world where people are pushing for greater LGBT+ representation in film and TV. But, the reality is that a queer character is only helpful if they’re on the sideline. Shows like Supergirl have a lesbian character as a supporting character, which directly helped their ratings. They keep the character present enough so they’re there but don’t really make them overly prominent. When faced with a show that puts an LGBT+ character at the forefront, mass appeal is quickly lost, which is exactly what happened with Everything Sucks. Kate was crucial to the overall plot of the show, and her accepting herself and finding out about her sexuality was seen as amazing for LGBT+ audiences, but, again, it leads to the loss of mass appeal.

Everything Sucks is an amazing show that deserves loads of praise. However, LGBT+ representation ultimately brought them down. They are not the only show to encounter this fate, as the Netflix Original Gypsy was cancelled, which had two women in a relationship at the forefront of the show.  So, while LGBT+ representation in TV is making a rise, sadly, shows are still unable to sustain themselves with an LGBT+ character in a leading role.

Editor: AJ Patencio

Mythological Misunderstandings

by Leave a Comment

Graphic by Harlow Berny

By Harlow Berny

I. Love. Fairy tales. If it has magic(k), mythical creatures, or an interesting and emotionally deep plot, then chances are that I’ll like it. But the thing that sets me off the most is when there’s a misunderstanding of something important about the magic(k) or mythical creature involved in the story. Here are some of the mistakes that upset me the most.

Types of Magic(k). There are two main types: magic (simple things like pulling a rabbit out of a hat and someone using cards for a reading) and magick (occult magick such as divination and summoning a demon). The two main types of magic are not black magic and white magic. The terms black magic and white magic can be construed as racist terms made to separate the “evil, impure, and barbaric” African magic from the “good, pure, and refined” European magic. These insensitive terms are often used by people who are new to the community and mean well or people who are just using magic(k) for show/money.

Occult vs. Cult. These words do look very similar, but they certainly do not mean the same thing. Occult simply refers to anything that can’t be explained by science, while cult refers to a group that worships a particular being or object. It can be confusing to people who haven’t been told the difference, and thus has caused misrepresentation of both subjects. One example would be the game Yandere Simulator (Warning: This game would likely be rated M for Mature by the ESRB–Entertainment Software Raters Board–if it wasn’t still in development) which has an Occult Club that the player can join. When you join the club, however, you participate in cult activities such as demon summoning and sacrifice.

Satyr vs. Faun. What does a satyr have to do with a female deer? Nothing. What you’re thinking of is a fawn. A faun is a creature from Roman mythology that can be male or female and has goat legs, horns, ears, and tail with a human torso, head, arms, and hands. They typically play pan flutes, drink wine, and have an affinity for romance. Sounds familiar? That’s because many people use the word “satyr” for creatures like that, when a satyr is really a different creature from Greek mythology. A satyr is a middle-aged (or older) man with a long beard, pointed ears, a donkey tail, and a goat or enlarged human phallus that is permanently erect. They are almost always ugly and drunk, have extreme lust for women, and play a pipe flute. These creatures are from different cultures and are quite certainly different species.

Chimera vs. Manticore. For the last misunderstanding, we have two mythical creatures that I don’t see very often. A manticore comes from Persian mythology and has a lion body, human head or face, and a scorpion tail. Sometimes a manticore has poisonous spikes on a lion tail, and some modern depictions give it large bat wings. A chimera is from Greek mythology and is a female creature with a lion head, goat body, and serpent tail. Some modern depictions call any monster that is a combination of multiple animals a chimera.

Editor: Makena Behnke

LGBT+ Superheroes

by 2 Comments

By Comic Lover and Blogger Peter Kadel

America Chavez–Marvels first LGBT latina superhero

In the past two decades, there has been a major shift in pop culture and modern entertainment. Comic books and comic book movies have gained an incredibly high popularity as comic books have become a legitimate form of art, and their film adaptations have grossed  billions.

Recently, I was talking with Mr. Griffin after a GSA meeting. The subject of comic books and comic-book movies came up after Mr. Griffin complimented me on my knowledge of Marvel comic books. As the conversation continued, we eventually got to the subject of minority representation in comic-book superhero movies. It was at this point that Mr. Griffin asked, “When is there going to be an LGBT Superhero on the big screen?” And, while I could not answer the question off the top of my head, I decided that I needed to find the answer. At first glance, it seems like there are no LGBT+ heroes and that there aren’t likely to be any in the near future. But upon a closer look, the opposite is true. In terms of current representation, many existing LGBT+ characters have hit the big screen, and there are even more LGBT+ characters that exist in the comics that have not yet been adapted to the big screen. Harley Quinn who appeared in the DC Extended Universe’s movie, Suicide Squad, is bisexual in the comics, having had romantic encounters with Poison Ivy. However, the movie adaptation, where Harley Quinn is played by Margot Robbie, did not explore that side of the character’s sexuality. On the Marvel side of comic-book movies, the character Deadpool, who received his first stand-alone movie in 2016, identifies as pansexual. And, while he has not yet had an on-screen romance with a man, many people involved with the franchise, including Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, have voiced interest in pursuing this side of the character’s sexuality. 

Representation within the DC comic-book universe–Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn

But there are even more LGBT+ characters in comic books that have not yet made their way onto the big screen. The best example is Marvel character America Chavez (aka Miss America). She is a lesbian latina superhero who was raised by lesbian parents. She is likely our best bet in terms of an LGBT+ hero with a stand-alone movie. The character is currently set to appear in an animated film titled Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors. While that is not the great big live action event that the character deserves, it’s a start. Miss America is an empowered young woman who always stands by her ideals and does not put up with bigotry and injustice. She is the perfect role model for younger generations, not only because of her ideals, but because she is more than her sexuality and relationships. This is how representation should be. People are more than their sexuality, or race, and this is shown in the way Miss America is handled as a character. America Chavez is a step towards representation that will ensure the relevance of Marvel Comics. Comic books are very popular among young people, so it only makes sense that they appropriately represent the young people of America. 

Marvel comic books especially have a long history of representing the under-represented and making us fall in love with those we thought were unlovable. Stan Lee (the major creative force behind the most popular Marvel characters) has a penchant for taking society’s outcasts and making them heroes. The core of the best marvel heroes are not their looks or social standing but the content of their character. The importance of representation in comic books is not the race or sexuality of the character, but the fact that they are shown as being worthy of being heroes.

Editor: Shelby Armor

Stories About Snakes–Fairy Tale Re-Telling

by Leave a Comment

Graphic by Harlow Berny

Retold By Harlow Berny

Storyteller Berny unearths Grimm’s tales about children and snakes. As we move from one to another, Berny reminds us, “None of these stories are related other than the fact that they contain children and snakes.” Enjoy the combination.

I.

Centuries ago, in a long forgotten kingdom, there was a little girl whose mother would give her a small bowl of milk and bread. Every day the child would eat in the yard on a small stump. When she would eat, a snake would creep out a crack in the wall, dip its head in the dish, and eat along with her. The child took joy in having a friend to eat with, and so, when the snake did not come out one day, she softly spoke,

“Snake, oh snake, quickly

come forth, you tiny critter,

you shall eat your bread crumbs,

you shall drink your milk.”

When the snake heard these words, it rushed forth to enjoy its meal. To show its gratitude to the child, the snake gave her some of its hidden treasures, such as shining gems, captivating pearls, and glistening golden jewelry. Following this event, however, the snake only drank the milk, never touching the breadcrumbs. After a few days of this, the little girl tapped the snake on its head with her spoon, saying, “Eat the bread crumbs as well, tiny critter.” The mother, who was in the kitchen, heard the child speaking, looked out the window, and was horrified to see a snake right next to her daughter. She ran out with the knife she was using to cut vegetables, and she killed the peaceful snake.

From that day forth, the little girl changed. When the snake ate with her, she grew tall, strong, and beautiful, but now she withered–her cheeks went pale, and her hair fell out. It was not long before the doves cried and the robins collected little branches for a funeral wreath as the child lay in her coffin.

 

II.

A young orphan girl was sitting under a tree when she suddenly spotted a snake slithering out of a hole in the ground. She quickly laid her blue silk handkerchief beside her, as she was always told that snakes loved blue handkerchiefs so much they’d ignore nearby humans, even resting on the handkerchief as humans walked by. This snake, however, went straight back into the hole in the ground upon seeing it, only to return with a small golden crown. The snake placed the crown on the handkerchief before rushing to the hole once more. The girl, amazed with what she was seeing, picked up the glittering crown and her handkerchief, placed the crown atop her head and the handkerchief in her pocket. She skipped her way to the orphanage to show all her friends what she had found. The snake came out again, and, upon seeing that the crown and handkerchief both were missing, bashed its head into the wall over and over again, only stopping when its body went limp and bloody, never to move again. If the girl had left the crown and waited a while longer, surely the snake would have brought more treasures out of the hole.

 

III.

A snake laughed, “Hehehe.”

A child heard the snake and went to question it, “Little snake, have you seen my little sister? She wears little stockings upon her legs.”

“No, I have not,” answered the snake. “Have you seen little red stockings? Hehe, hehe, hehe.”

The child never said the sister’s stockings were red.

 

Editor: Renée Vazquez

A Re-Telling of Grimm’s

Story Starter . . . Can You Finish It?

by 2 Comments

Sophomore Doreen Yuan is working on a novel. She’s given us the start of it. She has great plans for her mysterious figures. But, let’s play. Where would you take the story?

 

Snow Country Train

                     Chapter One                         

“In the Endless Snow”

 

Story begun by Doreen Yuan



 The piling snow made it hard to see the end of the railway track, a place buried in a  raging storm. Driving past, we see the faded shadows from struggles of passengers long ago. You can only see the ongoing snowfall, and the occasional dry dead trees in the snow. My friend Dazai, who had been suffering from the stale air in the train carriage, suddenly sat upright and winked at me with a mysterious smile. He then reached out and pulled up the window frame, shaking off the rust, letting the cold air rush into the train car.

Dazai looked out of the window, as the wind and snow fell on his hair and shoulders. Luckily, the train doesn’t travel quickly, or else I’d fear that the cold would bite his skin. My friend Dazai is clearly cold, but he insists on reaching out the window for the snowflakes. He quickly withdraws his hand when the cold wind picks up, turning into a flurry. He stretched his hand out and marveled at the melting snowflakes on his skin.

“This is such a fleeting thing.”

The other man in the carriage fiddled with arranging a briefcase.

The melted snow made an imprint on Dazai’s suit, darkening the fabric, but a few flakes remained. The other man with the briefcase, AnWu, as always, looked helpless. And, once again, he opened his neat briefcase, took out the plain checkered handkerchief and handed it to Dazai from across the table.

“It’s dangerous to open the window in this storm. It’s dangerous.. Please don’t…, ” said AnWu.

Editor: Shelby Armor

Six-Word Stories: Can You Do It?

by 2 Comments

Written and Compiled by Brennan Nick

 

Old Friends. Yelling. Gunshot. Silence. Regret.

 

Left footprints. Tide came. No footprints.

 

Every sickness starts with a hug.

 

Aimed for moon–Landed among stars.

 

Three steps backwards; two steps forwards.

 

Dark and stormy night?! Oh no…

 

If I’m alone, then who knocked?

 

Epitaph–“Only wanted to find home”

 

Once vibrant village now lies silent.

 

Orders given. Orders followed. Lives lost.–Peter Kadel

 

The side of my face hurts.–Peter Kadel

 

Feel free to write your own!–Peter did.

 

No. I’m sorry. I’m all out.–Makena Behnke

 

Editor: Makena Behnke

Bears, Wolves, and Dragons–Issue 1, The Beginning: Prologue

by 1 Comment

Beginning of a Novel Series by Charles Schnell

 

Charles outlined a novel/series. He liked it, so he wrote how he imagined it would begin. This is its prologue.

 

Dashuri Jetë was a small, short-haired, blue-eyed, five-year-old boy looking through his telescope at his window. He gazed at the stars freely. His imagination was bursting out of his heart as he hopefully and anxiously pictured all those other worlds out there, wishing he could go to them.

He usually peered through the telescope with his right eye, but tonight he looked with his left, for his right was bloody and swollen. His knees were scraped; his soul desolate.

Behind him, the sound of his door slightly creaking open interrupted his thoughts as his mother pushed it open all the way.

“Hi, Mommy,” the young boy said.

“Hey,” she replied, “I’m sorry I was late picking you up today, honey.”

“It’s okay…”

“It’s not okay. Look at what those boys did to you.”

“They woulda’ done it anyway….” Dashuri spoke quietly as he kept looking at the stars.

The pale blue and yellow-painted walls of his room were covered with various decorations, ranging from posters of sports stars to celestial charts. Toys, games, and papers used for writing stories layered the tan carpet. The fan spun quietly and slowly, as if it was peacefully dying. His two bookshelves were filled with comics, puzzle books, and children’s literature pieces such as The Magic Tree House, Geronimo Stilton, and Reddy Freddy.

“Why were you late, Mommy?”

“I had an important meeting with my publisher, sweetie.”

“Pub-lish-er?”

“I’ll explain it to you when you’re older…”

Dashuri turned back to his telescope and focused in on the biggest, brightest dot in the vast, freckled dark.

“Hey, what’s that star?”

“Which one, Dash?” His mother walked over and took his place behind the telescope.

“That one.” He pointed at it.

“Hmm, it’s probably Venus.”

“Can humans go there?”

“Not yet, but maybe someday…. Perhaps, you could be the first.”

“I want to do that.” Dashuri again looked through the telescope. “I want to go to a star, and stay there forever.”

“Why?”

“I don’t like this world. It’s mean.”

“Why don’t you try to make this one nicer?”

“I can’t.”

“Of course you can.”

“But it’s not my fault. It’s everyone else’s. I just want friends. Friends are only on a better world.” He rubbed at the lens of the telescope. “I want to live in a better world, a nicer world,” he said peering through the telescope again.

“When you’re an adult, baby, you’ll have more friends than you could ever want.”

“Really?”

“I promise. With hard work and faith, you can do anything… Except convince your mother to let you stay up past your bedtime.”

“But Mom…”

“It’s a school night, Dash.”

“Can you at least read me a story?”

“Of course I will.”

Dashuri’s mother pulled his blue Buzz Lightyear sheets over him, and opened another fairy tale. Dashuri always laughed when she read it to him. Her delivery was perfect.

His mother put the book away and stood at the door frame saying, “Goodnight, Dashuri.”  

“Goodnight, Mommy.”

He fell asleep quickly, dreaming about all the worlds the universe holds. And, there was one world, many galaxies away . . . .

 

###

 

Editor: Brennan Nick

Come See The Crucible!

by 1 Comment

Public Service Announcement created by Brennan Nick and Charles Schnell

The Crucible opens tomorrow! There are shows scheduled for December 1, 2, 3, 8, and 9! On the 3rd is the afternoon matinee at 2 p.m. The rest of the shows will start at 7:30 p.m., with the house opening at 7 p.m. General seats cost $15 a piece, while priority reserved seats are $20 each.

 

The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller that takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials. Salem at the time is a distant corner of the world on the fringes of both civilization and the dark wilderness where the Bible is the law and the citizens believe unquestionably in its teachings. A teenage girl begins accusing others of being conquered by the Devil and committing themselves to witchcraft, and the village becomes consumed by fear and religious zeal.

 

Arthur Miller lived in a similar time of fear–a fear of communism which pervaded in the early 50’s and was known as McCarthyism. Miller wrote this play to provide a parallel world to the one he and his peers were living through. Today, the play is considered by many scholars to be one of the great pieces of American literature.

 

This production is directed by Ken Sarkis, Kim Phillips, and Craig Gahnz. The Blog Staff are very excited to see it (or act in it), and we hope to see you there, too!

Edited by Peter Kadel and Claire Jenkins