the bird on fire

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King of the Fighters XIII–A Review

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By Game-Reviewer James Zheng

A great graphic quality, a realistic sense of hitting, a diversity of abilities from game characters, all these are key elements to decide if a fighting game is truly extraordinary. All these qualities apply to one of the most classic and famous fighting games in the whole world, King of the Fighters. This series has continued updating for nine years. The very first work of KOF (King of the Fighters) was born in 1994; from there it gradually became an overwhelmingly popular fighting game. SNK Playmore released more versions each year until 2003.

SNK Playmore had a long and tortuous course in the development of King of the Fighters. While they were trying to release the seventh work of KOF they had to fight off a piracy version and fake simulators of their games. SNK Playmore rose again and then pushed out their thirteenth work–KOF XIII–as an announcement to the world that SNK Playmore is back.

There are three parts which make this particular work so fantastic. First, the animated artistic style mixes with 3D modeling. The characters are incredible even if the whole game is a 2D fighting game. If you play a special movement (a characteristic ability besides punch and kick), the animation may include fire, sparkles, and lightning. Secondly, because there are so many characters from which to choose, the game offers plenty of fighting combos. Some of them also have a characteristic background that creates a story. Thirdly, this game would not fail in the sense of playability, which refers to a factor that decides if this game gets boring. Since this game requires so much skill, it might take you a long time to master a certain character, but do not get me wrong. What I said does not mean every single character is extremely hard. They all have the basic and advanced fighting skills waiting for you to dig them out.

Depending on your preference of using keyboard or controller (I would suggest that controller is better) to play the game, you can play KOF on Xbox or PC system. The game is sold for $20 on Steam.

Editor: Makena Behnke

Ode to “Bohemian Rhapsody”

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By Holden Hartle

 

Queen has been in the media a lot recently, largely due to the movie Bohemian Rhapsody that came out last month. Since the release of the movie, Queen seems to be all that most music critics are talking about–a bit of a blast from the past. The song “Bohemian Rhapsody” is something where everyone goes, “Oh yeah, that’s a good song.” But, how did the song come to be?

The recent movie explains that after Queen released their first album, Freddie Mercury wanted to do something big and different, combining the vocal extremities of opera and the punchiness of rock n’ roll. And, after a long period of time composing in the country, the song was complete.

There was a lot of debate over whether or not “Bohemian Rhapsody” should be released as a single, as the song is almost six minutes in length. The record company was worried that the song was too long and that maybe it was a bit too avant garde. Needless to say, the song was released and was a huge hit. Its uniqueness is something that still strikes people today.

But what if the song was never released? Personally, I think the song is the work of a musical genius. This song fuses balladic lyrics with hard rock instruments, and operatic vocals. Yet, somehow, with all of these contrasting parts that dip into different genres, the song still remains coherent, and something that most people can immediately recognize from the piano introduction. But what if the song was never given the recognition? It is very possible that if Mercury wasn’t so adamant on the song being released as a single, it would have just been released as a part of the album and overlooked by a lot of people. Only the more hardcore fans would have listened to the song, because let’s be honest, even I only know Queen’s greatest hits.

It is kind of heartbreaking to think of a world without that song. Last year I went to a Green Day concert, and the introduction went like this. All the fans are talking to each other and suddenly, the lights go out. Then, in darkness, “Bohemian Rhapsody” plays before the band enters the stage. I was astonished as what seemed like every person in the stadium knew every word to the ballad. During the concert itself, Billie Joe Armstrong uses many of the crowd-hyping methods that Freddie Mercury did, i.e. the call and response method of singing a riff and having the crowd sing it back to you.

But now, back to the song at hand. Imagine creating a song with so much influence that a band from decades in the future will play your song in tribute, and that hundreds of thousands of people will be singing this ballad like it’s a hymn. But now imagine if that song was never released. Sure, life would go on, but only a select few would know of this fantastic song and its beauty.

The song deserves all of the media attention that it is currently receiving. The song has had several resurgences to the top of the charts, and, in my personal opinion, the song should remain on the charts for all time. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is so forward-thinking and is definitely unique from most other rock n’ roll ballads. “Bohemian Rhapsody” is truly beautiful.

Editor: Leo Milmet

2018 Palm Valley School Pride

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By AJ Patencio

On November 4th, Palm Springs held its 32nd annual Palm Springs Pride Parade, and the PVS Gender Sexuality Acceptance (GSA) Club was there to represent our loving community. We were put in spot 79 and given a banner with a colorful take on the Palm Valley Firebird logo. I was one of the GSA members who joined them, and it was an amazing experience to march through the streets while surrounded by my friends. I’m glad to have experienced it in my senior year before I go off to college. However, it’s not my first time participating in the Safe Schools march at the Palm Springs Pride Parade.

During my freshman year, before PVS had a GSA club, I was one of the only openly gay students in the Upper School. Our English teacher at the time, Mr. Griffin, had talked with the advisor for Palm Spring High School’s GSA club and received permission to send any of our students who wanted to participate in the Pride Parade with them. He handed out flyers, but I was the one student from our school who actually went. I was dropped off near the parade and had to walk alone to meet with the PSHS group, and I knew none of them. I was an alone 14 year old surrounded by people I didn’t know in a loud and crowded place. It was a memorable experience, but not in a good way.

This year was different. I’m 17 now. I was with friends and people I knew and trusted. I was never alone and  always easy to find, as I had a giant rainbow umbrella that unintentionally attacked anyone who got too close. We had school GSA shirts and many rainbow-colored tattoos. I learned of a certain teacher’s habit of putting empty gift cards in his wallet. I ate greasy pizza with my friends as we laughed at a cringy pamphlet. I met enthusiastic parents that were proud of what their kids were doing. I got to have an amazing experience that I won’t forget. I felt happy with who I am, and I’m glad that others will be able to experience this in the future.

Editor: Holden Hartle

Speed “Limits”?

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A Satirical Op-Ed By Luke Langlois

Hello to my fellow licensed drivers. Today, I am here to present an idea: the speed limits should be just a recommendation. We should all drive faster. There are so many reasons to leave the slow-driving hooligans in the dust.

Most cars literally encourage driving faster: Why is it so easy to drive faster? Well, it’s because you should drive faster! Driving slowly requires effort. It requires control. Honestly, who doesn’t want to just stretch out and floor it? To add onto this, why would a speedometer have speeds over 100 on them if you are not supposed to go over 100? When I’m cruising down Da Vall drive in my Lamborghini, I make it my goal to hit 160 before I get to school.

You use more fuel: Look, the world is running out of gas. By driving faster, you burn more fuel. By burning more fuel, you accelerate the rate at which we run out of fuel. If the Earth runs out of fuel, we would be forced to move to renewable energy! By moving to renewable energy, all of the world’s problems will be solved, no questions asked. Also, by burning more fuel, you have to spend more money. Spending money helps the American economy. Woo!

You save time: When I was a slow driver, I arrived slightly later to school. I was always in a rush. I found myself missing the five seconds that I could have had if I had just driven faster. I could open my locker with those 5 seconds! That time builds up, and we all know time is our most valuable resource. In a week, driving faster could save you a few minutes. Awesome!

You get more run-ins with the police: Who doesn’t love police officers? By driving faster, the police will happily spend more time with you due to your service to our community via economic contribution and a vastly efficient lifestyle.

You get to agitate the people in front of you: Under the shade of anonymity, annoying others is fun! By driving faster, you get the opportunity to ride the bumper of drivers in front of you. Who doesn’t love free rides?

So, that’s what I’ve got for today. Trust me, the list goes on. There are an endless amount of benefits to driving faster. I strongly encourage all of my readers to add at least an extra 50 mph to their average driving speed.

*Do note the element of satire and irony in the piece. The Blog advocates safe driving and good health.

Editor: AJ Patencio

Existentialism at the Third Grade Level

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By Guest Blogger-Editorialist Charles Schnell, Singing “Hello, Dolly!” Too Loudly in the Afterlife

 

The possibility that there is no almighty deity, definitive meaning, or afterlife is a frightening notion, particularly if you’ve been paying for a Netflix subscription all this time.

After taking AP Chemistry for quite a few weeks now, I have come to hope that there is an afterlife, that there is more than this.

Though, when I reach the afterlife, I have a few questions that need some answering before I can start enjoying myself. Firstly, how long has it been since the afterlife was founded? How late is the neighborhood delicatessen open? Will my college debt carry over? Are there more levels of education? Have we gotten a clear lay of the land? How much money are the cartographers making per 1,000 maps? And, of course, is there anything after the afterlife? Is there anything after the afterlife’s afterlife? How many afterlifes are we going to have to go through before we get some peace and quiet? And, on average, what is the cost of quality plumbing in each of them?

Having posed those questions, we must remind ourselves that all of them will be answered eventually. It is of the utmost importance that we try not to worry about the future so much. How could we? There’s too much going on in the present moment to consider what could be, as well as what could have been.

Editor: Luke Langlois

Teachers and Students

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By Charles Schnell, Self-Proclaimed King of Mediocrity, Controversy, and Unavailability

 

Is it better to be the teacher or the student? Neither, if you still do not have a significant other.

When all is said and done, there is not much of a difference between teachers and students. We are all human, and that means on our best days, we are all imperfect. (Albeit, some more than others.)

Teachers and students are more similar than the teachers would like to admit. For one thing, we all fall in love. Teachers fall in love with Lincoln, the Ti-84, the government, and the College Board. And students, well, we fall in love with each other–for better or worse.

Additionally, we all have favorite foods. I am sure all my teachers are craving an In-N-Out burger as much as I am. The difference here is students have the metabolism to handle the burger, the shakes, and the fries that find themselves tossed around in the bag.

Sure, metabolism is great, but being a student certainly is not free of its own disadvantages; teachers have a “leg-up” on us in many things. They cannot be grounded by their parents, only the law; they get to correct the homework instead of doing it; they can drink. As a lover of freedoms like these, I would rather be a teacher than a student. However, if you were to ask teachers, I’m sure they’d rather be students again.

To sum it up, teachers and students have one key similarity trumping all other similarities: our humanity. We are all human, so maybe we can reach an understanding and compromise. Teachers, if you stop giving us homework, we will stop giving you homework to grade. Imagine how many outings to Applebee’s we could make.

 

Editor: Luke Langlois

Why you Shouldn’t Live for the Weekend, Proven by Math. (NOT CLICKBAIT)

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By Luke Langlois

In honor of National Positive Attitude Month, I, Luke Langlois, am here to say that “living for the weekend” is a horrible way to live. I define living for the weekend as counting the days, every week, until you reach the short, two-day weekend. Why live like this? Why not appreciate every day given?

No one is ever skeptical of numbers; therefore, I will use numbers to prove my point. To start, let’s look at some facts. Using my big brain knowledge, I can tell you that there are 52 weeks in a year. If we multiply 52 by 2, we get 104. 104 is the number of weekend days we get a year. If we subtract 104 from 365 (days), we get 261. That would be 261 weekdays in a year. If you despise the weekdays and only live for the weekend, you fail to appreciate 261 days out of the year. Let’s go further. The average human lifespan is 79 years. An average 79 year old experiences 28,835 days (unless they happen to have fallen into a coma). That is a lot of days. More big brain knowledge tells me that 79 (years) multiplied by 261 (weekdays) is 20,619. Finally, let us subtract 20,619 from 28,835. That would be 8,216 weekend days in a 79 year old’s life .

So, in conclusion, live for all seven days of a week. It is to the entire planet’s benefit to learn to appreciate every day that you live. If you live to be 79 and only live for the weekend, you will only appreciate 8,216 days of your life, compared to the possible 28,835. That is a lot of days you could be missing out on! Please, appreciate your days, at least for National Positive Attitude Month.  

Editor: Makena Behnke

Different Time, Same Humans

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By Luke Langlois

Unless you happen to be an 80’s movie star with easy access to a certain DeLorean, you most likely have not time traveled. However, you’ve definitely thought of what kind of petty things you could do with the power of time travel. You could tear the very fabric of the universe in order to procrastinate a little longer! While that would be incredible, the sun may implode before we figure that out. For now if we really want to time travel, we simply need to look to one the world’s greatest inventions, film.

When we young people tend to look back to the land before our conceivable time, it’s usually in black and white photography. While we may think we have a general idea of what’s going on, do we really? Personally, I find it difficult to actually process what I’m seeing. My brain registers a black and white picture as little more than a relic of history. In reality though, these people were once living, breathing, and struggling, just like ourselves. My eyes have recently been opened to the past due to the gears of capitalism–advertisements.

Humans seldom look back on what has changed. We seem to view the mid-20th century as a completely different time with things like the Cold War, funny hats, and video games like Pong. While of course big changes have been made globally and culturally, humans have always been humans. Last weekend, I was on YouTube, a rare occurrence in these junior days. On YouTube, as people do, I looked up “old commercials.” I clicked on a video that was titled “Commercials from the 60s.” I was expecting ridiculous advertisements for irrelevant products or some sort of American propaganda. However, I had heard of almost every product featured (look below for a link to said video). It was almost surreal, though that may be a bit dramatic. Many things have changed, but, in the grand scheme of things, there is so much that hasn’t changed at all. We humans are still just humans. While the advertisements are a bit strange by today’s standards, it’s really just a bunch of food, coffee, or medicine commercials. Yes, the Trix rabbit has been attempting to steal cereal for more than half a century.

The point is, we can’t time travel in the science-fiction sense, but we do have access to a type of time travel. I encourage you all to watch any available old film, audio, or video, to put life, and previous eras, into context. Who knows, maybe you’ll be enlightened! Along with the video of commercials I referenced, check out things such as old political or colorized footage.

Tide–because the world has always been in color.

Link to video of advertisements below. Students, you’ll have to watch it at home.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2AQdyB34so)

Editor: Holden Hartle

The Story, Production, and Genius of “Arrested Development”

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By Charles Schnell

Arrested Development is my favorite sitcom. With the release of the first half of season five on Netflix on May 29, I thought I would write a post explaining why.

To put it in the show’s own words, Arrested Development is “the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.” Enter the Bluths: a wealthy family who owns a real estate development firm named the Bluth Company. Not only are they a very wealthy family but they’re also an extremely dysfunctional family. After the CEO of the company, George Bluth Sr., runs into legal trouble, the family starts falling apart, and it’s all up to one of his four children, Michael Bluth–the “one son”–, to keep them from plunging completely off the deep end, all the while trying to keep the company afloat. So, why does keeping his family together pose a challenge for Michael? Well, once you see his family, you can understand why. His family includes a lying, lazy, selfish, indecisive twin sister whose favorite hobby is to crack open the company checkbook; an arrogant, foolish, self-centered older brother trapped within his hopeless dream of being a magician; a gullible, post-hemispherectomy younger brother who’s overly attached to his mother; and an oblivious, neurotic, ex-therapist of a brother-in-law who’s chasing his dreams of acting. These four are just a fraction of his family. And what happens when you place this dysfunctional family right in the heart of a highly satirized Newport Beach? Chaos, crime, romance, loss-of-limbs, death, and hilarity!

Arrested Development was created by Mitchell Hurwitz. The show originally began in 2003, airing on Fox. Upon the completion of its first season, the show was met with critical praise, winning six Primetime Emmys and a Golden Globe. However, due to poor marketing, the show received poor ratings. Thus, in 2005, its second season was cut from a planned twenty-two episode run to eighteen episodes, with which it was still able to garner eleven Emmy nominations and one win. A similar but more unfortunate event occurred in 2006 with its third season: twenty-two episodes became thirteen, and the show was ultimately cancelled by Fox.

Fortunately, in 2013, Netflix, who had nabbed the rights to the show, released a fourth season. Many aspects were different about this fourth season. For instance, while all the main actors were able to come back, many crew members, writers, and producers did not return. Another thing is that almost all the actors had reached new heights of fame since the original series. Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Michael Cera, and David Cross are all Arrested Development actors that have been in multiple movies and TV shows and have become more popular since the end of the third season. Because of this, Hurwitz and the rest of the creative team had trouble working around the actors’ schedules, especially without a film budget. Thus, the fourth season had to undergo a different writing and presentation style than the original three seasons. The original series was full of scenes of the characters being together, and what made the original so great was how cleverly the writers had the characters interact with each other. The fourth season had to go a different route, since the actors’ schedules were very limiting. Thus, while there are some scenes of the Bluths together, the majority of the fourth season was written with each episode being dedicated to one of the main characters’ individual adventures. The writers decided to turn this handicap into an advantage, as they used this to structure the plot of season four in a very complex way. Season four was not ordered chronologically upon release. Because of this, the writers ended up turning season four into an intertwining, complex, out-of-order story. This fourth season eventually unfolds into a mystery storyline. And this led to the controversy of season four. Some argue that much of the charm and wit of the original series was lost, as one of the reasons the original show was so great was because of how the characters played off of each other. Others praised season four, claiming that the complex plot of season four that gradually turns into a mystery made the show much more engaging and much more than “just a comedy.” While I would agree that the show is way more than “just a comedy” even if the fourth season never happened, I really like season four. The writing is extremely clever and well thought out. I think that about the original three seasons too, but the difference is that the first three seasons are clever in a comedic sense, while the fourth season is clever more so in its plot and storytelling, while still being funny.

After five years of little news regarding a fifth season, we recently received great news. About a month ago, Mitchell Hurwitz announced that not only was season five going to be released very soon, but that he had made the Season Four Remix: a recut of season four that not only put the fourth season back into chronological order, but cut and reordered all the scenes as well, putting the season into episodes that each contained multiple characters’ stories per episode. This recut, that turned the original fifteen thirty-minute episodes of season four into a new twenty-two-episode season with each episode being twenty-two minutes, has been positively received and generally recognized as better than the original fourth season. Some have even claimed it is just as good if not better than the original series. All the complaints of a convoluted plot and character-overdose per episode are taken care of in the recut. While I agree the recut is way funnier than the original season four, I still appreciate the original for taking its production circumstances and trying to do something bold with them. Plus, the writing in the original season four is still really organized and well-thought out. (Thankfully, both season four’s are available on Netflix. The original has been tucked away in the “Trailers and More” section).

Okay, enough with season four. I want to get to why I love this show. On May 29, the first half of season five launched on Netflix. Season five continues the mystery cliffhanger left by season four. But remember, it’s still a comedy first and foremost.

The writing is extremely clever, silly, intertwining, connected, organized, and hilarious. From funny one-liners to ridiculous physical mishaps, the script of almost every episode is non-stop laughter. Every line is delivered with the exact delivery it calls for. The actors all have great chemistry with one another and, also thanks to the brilliant scripts, can play off each other well. The pacing is very rapid and works beautifully; the only problem is sometimes your laugh from one punchline will extend over another punchline. Not only are the actors’ deliveries spotless, but their facial expressions and body language are always on point, sometimes even garnering more of a laugh than the line does. The soundtrack, while not the highlight of the show, is fitting and is subtly funny in its own way. Some of the tracks become their own on-running gags. Speaking of which, I hope you like on-running gags and inside jokes because this show is chock full of them and will never hesitate to use them time and time again, even when you least expect it. Another thing I will say about the writing is while Arrested Development is first and foremost a comedy, the storyline is not horrible. Unlike numerous sitcoms, a continuous storyline actually exists and has its own little surprises, twists, and turns. And, because of the continuous storyline, this is not a sitcom where you can jump around. In order to fully understand what’s going on in an episode and all the jokes an episode might have, you must have seen all the episodes prior to that episode respectively. The storytelling becomes much more of a focus with the Netflix seasons than the original series, which provides the story as a backdrop for all the crazy comedic scenarios that occur, as well as a relief from the otherwise non-stop one-liners and on-running gags. Finally, Ron Howard is the narrator. In the first season, he more or less acts as a normal omniscient narrator. However, as the show continues, Howard starts saying more and more witty one-liners and clever, comedic quips, and he gradually becomes one of the comedic highlights of the show.

Arrested Development is a hilarious, ridiculous, absolutely crazy comedy that also knows how to tell a compelling story. This show never fails to make me laugh, and with the release of the fifth season and the upcoming summer break, I hope you will give this show a chance. For those of you who already like this show, aren’t we glad that Netflix is keeping this show alive? And for those who do not like this show… we’ll agree to disagree.

 

Editors: Renée Vazquez and Leo Milmet

some movies that i love and you might not but i don’t care because i love them with all my heart

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By Makena Behnke

 

some movies i like suck; some rule. it’s all a matter of opinion, okay? it’s summer, so instead of going outside and getting a tan, stay inside your little cave of a room and watch movies (most of these are on Netflix by the way). so, here we go.

  • The Craft. four girls experiment in the world of witchcraft. can they handle it, or do they go power mad? plus it has Skeet Ulrich soooo, yes.
  • Almost Famous. a 15-year-old kid goes on tour with a band in the 70s. as far as i know, this is the most realistic movie about band life on tour. also, a true story. love, peace, and joy, man.
  • 10 Things I Hate About You. despite what Leo says, it’s great. Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger? yes! also, a modern interpretation of a Shakespeare play? yes! also, set in the 90s? yes! overall, yes.
  • Hush. the horrorest of horror. not really, but it’s still good. It involves a deaf girl who lives in the middle of the forest and a murderer. the girl’s cat’s name is my favorite thing; i’m not allowed to mention it on the blog, but trust me, it’s good.
  • Peter Pan–the 2003 one specifically. the very story of Peter Pan just makes me so happy, but the actors and the way it’s executed makes me love it more.
  • Scream. so darn good. a classic. it has Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox–my favorite 90s actors. truly one of my favorite movies ever.
  • Bring It On and Bring It On: All or Nothing. i was obsessed with this for a long period of time. i probably still can remember most of the cheers (and probably most of the script), but don’t ask me to cheer; i won’t.
  • 13 Going on 30. a movie everyone should watch. although a little chick-flicky, it’s great. can a magical birthday present fast forward through seventeen years? 
  • Kong: Skull Island. i haven’t seen any other giant monkey movies, but this was on the plane, and i couldn’t sleep on the plane. so far, i’m a fan of giant monkey movies. my last two eight-hour plane rides were good movie days.

 

Warning: some movies are Rated R, so beware.

Editor: Claire Jenkins