I Believe Survivors

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you are on the side of the oppressor."

 - Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/desmond_tutu_106145

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/desmond_tutu_106145

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/desmond_tutu_106145

When I was fourteen years old, I was coerced into my first sexual act by an older boy. When I was fifteen, a family member of my ex boyfriend messaged me on Facebook, asking me to detail my sexual relationship, calling me prude when I did not agree to talk to him about it. When I was sixteen, I was walking alone to meet my friends for lunch in my hometown when a car full of men slowed down to crawl next to me. One of them yelled, "nice shorts, I want to fuck you!" before speeding away. When I was a freshman in college, the president of one of the school's fraternities cornered me during a crowded party with countless bystanders and told me that he wouldn't let me go unless I made out him. Later on, when he tried assaulting my friend, I pulled her away from him, and in the most scathing voice, he whispered, "girls like you are the ones who ruin everything." Just one of the many reasons that I transferred schools. In my junior year, I was getting late-night groceries with a friend, when a total stranger became hostile in an adjacent car in the parking lot, yelling sexual obscenities at us. When I called him a misogynist, he laughed in my face, sardonically, "Ha, that's right. I hate women," and then lowered his voice, "you have no idea what I'm capable of." We waited in that grocery store for an hour before going back to the car.

I have been frozen in fear when "friends" touched my inner thigh and lower back without my permission. I have had men drunkenly sling me into a headlock and get angry when I tried to slip away. I have had men outright tell me that I am weak, and they could overpower me if they wanted to, even if I had a weapon. I ended a friendship with a man that said he would have fucked my (at the time) underage sister. I have had boyfriends that tried to feel me up when I was crying or inconsolable. I have been grabbed and touched inappropriately in the workplace. A coworker once followed me into an isolated warehouse storage area, yanking my arm and demanding that I go on a date with him. I told one of my female coworkers and she said, "give him a break. He's a single dad. He's a nice guy." I have been stalked on social media by older men from the workplace. I have been called a bitch and a slut for looking at a stranger wrong on the subway, only for a male friend to stand there and say nothing. I have been gas-lighted and manipulated into being silent, turning me into a distrusting and emotionally unhealthy person in relationships, specifically sexual relationships, where I have only in the last year began to recover.

I have been dealing with sexism and sexual assault since I was a teenager. I was a CHILD, whose responsibility was to hide that fear of being blamed and sexualized. Some people knew and judged me, blaming it on my behavioral problems or my rebelliousness, others normalized it, acting as if it was just another one of the wiles of puberty and growing up, and sadly, most people did not know, because I shut them out. I felt disgusting and worthless at that time in my life, and the person who welcomed me with open arms was my abuser, ready to isolate me from my friends and my family, and even cheat for good measure. Because it was not enough to coerce me into sexual acts when I was that young and impressionable. I needed to hate myself too. Just a dash of questioning my entire self-worth for good measure.

I have carried this weight with me for almost ten years. It has taken me that long to do research on gender studies and throw aside my internalized misogyny, but also to rediscover myself, not as a victim, but as a survivor.

When I watched Dr. Christine Blasey Ford speak, I understood her. It's a fear that doesn't go away, even when you're surrounded by people that love you. Even when your current relationship is a healthy one. There is a terrible, lingering feeling that I can't shake-- that I am one of the "lucky ones" because I was not raped by a stranger. Because I am still alive.

In the wake of the Me Too movement, the intellectual cesspool known as the Internet was filled with hot takes and "um, actually"s about sexual abuse. This woman is lying to get attention, they say. That one is lying to ruin his life, chimes another. Why aren't we concerned with how Brett Kavanaugh feels in all of this?

Let me ask: How did a man that told us to grab her by the pussy make it into political office? Scratch that-- how did we let him become the leader of the entire country?

This "locker room talk" as an acceptable idiom--this blind defense of (white) men's innocence and the heralding of their futures as more important than the people they hurt-- it is normalized by our society. THAT is the status quo. Only when the act is so terrible and unavoidable, when there is no excuse or plausible deniability, do we start listening.

I have been afraid for so long, but I will never give up hope. I will never stop challenging this disgusting system that disregards women's health and bodily autonomy. I will never stop pushing to create a world where a board does not look like this:

 

A dangerous precedent was set today. That board does not speak for me. The government does not have the people's interests in mind; it is all about money and self-preservation. A self-preservation to make this country great again--a country that feeds women and people of color scraps from the table built from our labor. A country whose only hope of ever achieving greatness is to acknowledge its own bloody, imperialistic, oppressive history, and to heal, through empathy, education and understanding--not through nationalism, violence, xenophobia, and bigotry.

Dr. Ford was a high school student. So was I.

Fuck. His. Future. 

Haley's Hot Takes: Kingdom Hearts 3

Today the newest Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer was dropped at D23 Expo, showcasing a new world: Toy Story! The other worlds that are confirmed are Tangled, (as seen above in one of the most widely distributed promotional photos so far) Big Hero Six, and Mount Olympus from Disney's Hercules. So, I thought I'd give my genuine reaction to the latest trailer and some opinions that have been floating around my brain for awhile rather than a nuanced or developed response. Without further ado, here are my hopes (and concerns) for Kingdom Hearts 3.

I am excited at the choices for the worlds so far, and I think that the graphics look superb. Sora's toy design is not my favorite and I would have liked if they went for less of a block design and modeled him after an action figure with adjustable limbs, but that is a small complaint. The entire cast of Toy Story looks like they walked straight out of Toy Story 3, and the variation of the world's scope intrigues me. It won't just take place in Andy's Room, but also outside on the roof and in the toy store. I really hope that we make it into Cid's room, but I have a feeling that they are going to go with Zurg as the baddie. And how cool was that D.Va-esc mech? Very. My boy Tom Hanks better be voicing Woody. That's all I have to say.

Based on the trailers, I am looking forward to magic casting and Sora's special abilities. In the past main title games, I did not use the magic often; I would only use cure and other spells when the game called for it— like when the chests in Hollow Bastion required the use of graviga— that sort of thing. I made Aqua a fire-build in Birth By Sleep, and generally enjoy playing mages.

Kingdom Hearts 3 looks intense— what I assume to be aero is a tornado and the animations for blizzard, fire, and thunder are all big, flashy, and powerful. I'm sure that they are not showing the first level version of those spells, of course, but even if that is aeroga, it is still cooler than the other iterations of that spell in the main title games.

I understand that people have trepidation about "The Osaka Effect," which is the term fans are using to describe the failings of the team that worked on the side games. Here's a video explaining what I mean. I hope that Kingdom Hearts 3 does not succumb to it, and the added features do not break the game; overall, I am optimistic that although there are games within the series that do not have balance in battle, that the newest installment in the cherished main trilogy will uphold the previously established standard of difficulty.

I am interested to see what Final Fantasy characters will be brought into Kingdom Hearts 3. I expect that the Radiant Garden gang will reprise their roles. I hope that they give some spotlight to a character from one of the earlier games, but I wouldn't be upset if they included someone from a game that came out after Kingdom Hearts 2, like FFXII (I liked it, damn it). I am expecting Lightning to make a cameo. I would bet actual money on that.

So, here's my unpopular concern for the series: I do not want a Star Wars or Marvel world. You might be thinking, 'Haley, you love Star Wars and Marvel, why don't you want your favorite nerd worlds to combine into a fantastical love-child?' My answer is fairly simple: Too many cooks. Too many cooks.

The keyblade wielders and masters are inherently casual Jedi. They believe that you should follow a code of moral principles, and that you shouldn't succumb to the darkness within yourself to gain power. They follow a similar training process in their ranks, they travel around to maintain the balance between light and darkness, and they have a special connection to their weapon and the forces working within themselves. The people that betray or oppose them wear dark robes and often cover their faces. I mean, come on. On second thought, if you smacked 20% of Kingdom Hearts and 80% of FFXII together, you would have Star Wars, so maybe stray away from that.

If Sora were to show up to solve the problems presented in the Star Wars universe, he would be undermining the Jedi, which some of you may argue is a good thing. However, I do not think that the rest of the game's minor characters are structured in the same way, or at least, I don't like to think of Star Wars characters losing their agency and handing the keys (—haha, it's funny because—) over to our lovable teenage protagonist. Sure, the Disney characters have agency, but at least to me, it's less upsetting to see some of them disenfranchised. They do not have the level of control as, say, the Jedi would, over their own world's affairs. Within Disney movies, (this is a generalization, hence the "hot take") the stakes are on a smaller scale than an entire galaxy fighting in a war against fascist ex-space wizards. Their respective movies are affecting the lives of a country, a group of people, or a kingdom. Most of the Disney characters are seeking help because they can't solve the problem by themselves—gee, wonder if that's perhaps because it is written into the story that the keyblade wielders are the only ones who can defeat the threats that plague these worlds. (They are all Secretaries for Foreign Affairs, apparently). Either way, I would have a difficult time believing that a light saber couldn't wreck a heartless' day. And even if the Jedi and the resistance needed help, I feel like it would diminish their role if a keyblade wielder were to step in. Sora would need to play a very minor role in the way the story plays out. And which movie would they pick, Episode V?

From a somewhat meta-narrative level, this "new Star Wars" is  straying away from the stark contrast between good and evil; Rogue One showed that people within the resistance were forced to make decisions that they didn't want to, and that not everyone that worked for the imperials were doing so by choice. The Last Jedi teaser trailer implicitly states that Luke wants to put an end to the Jedi, and he claims that there is more than just light and darkness; there is a balance to be maintained, but I am hoping that these movies will show that although evil does exist, there are many shades of gray besides "Jedi" and "Sith." In fact, The Clone Wars television show took pains to retell Anakin's story, and I think people can relate to that version of Anakin that strays from the principles of the Jedi because he forms bonds with other people and loves wholeheartedly—less about killing women and children or hating sand. Sora fits a similar mold. No, he is not going to turn evil. I think about Vanitas and cringe. Yet, he does have a rebellious nature in his pure unadulterated altruism. Riku and Terra embody an Anakin-likeness even more so with the way that the darkness seduces them.

Kingdom Hearts has been dabbling with the idea of moral ambiguity all along by claiming that "there is darkness within every heart." However, the series is still built on the premise of good versus evil. These ideas are interesting and beg to be explored by both franchises, but having both on the same screen is overkill. I don't mind the similarities; in fact, I think that both of these stories contain elements that are popular in many facets of our culture and media. "Oh, but the keyblade would be so cool!" Meh, it would be unfair and disingenuous if they were to conflate the two.

As for the Marvel universe, it takes place on our Earth—primarily, New York City. Superheroes follow their own value systems and are obviously more individualistic than monastic space wizard orders, but nonetheless, they don't need other people to solve their problems for them. Take a look at the overwhelming backlash that Nintendo received from fans after they revealed Super Mario Odyssey. Putting Mario in the real world is disturbing. Is he proportionally equal or larger to regular people? Just, why? As it is, I disliked Port Royal  for the contrast in animation style. I don't want to see Sora swinging around NYC. Now he's in my territory. There are some universes that need to stay their own universes, that's all I'm saying. I do think it would be funny to see Tony Stark pushing Sora around like he did to Tom Holland's Spiderman, so this concern only gets one paragraph.

I am hopeful for Kingdom Hearts 3. People have been waiting a long time for this game, and I believe that they are going to deliver—I have been waiting a long time. Kingdom Hearts was my first video game and my favorite series; it opened so many doors for me in terms of friendship and discovering other interests. I hold the series very dear to my heart, and like any media that you're exposed to when you're young, it has contributed to the person that I am today. That being said, I wouldn't mind if the release date got pushed back in order for the quality to be the best possible. I am putting my trust in you Square Enix. Don't let me down.




If you like Kingdom Hearts, please check out Cynical, a YouTuber that focus on the series. Here's his channel:

https://www.youtube.com/user/thegamersjoint

Also, Daniel Floyd of ExtraCredits did a video series on the animation in Kingdom Hearts that I totally loved. He does tons of videos on animation in other video games too, like Overwatch, so take a look:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8aygr-1xAA

Marginalized Voices in Cinema: How Horror is Changing for the Better

In the past couple years, horror movies have been winning critical acclaim and adoration, bringing the genre more and more into the realm of high culture. In particular, Hush, Get Out, and It Follows come to mind; none of them utilize cheap thrills to get a quick scare, but all of them are excellent for their writing, characters, and  plot execution.

**Spoiler Warnings For All Films Mentioned** 

In Hush, the main character, Maddie, is a deaf and mute writer who lives alone to the discomfort of both her family and her neighbors, who constantly reach out to her. She is capable and competent, and chooses to live the way that she wishes with the help of the technology that is available to her.

The beginning of the movie lays the foundation of Maddie's life in silence, showing that she gets along quite nicely on her own, cooks her own meals, and communicates with her friends and family via text message. Her neighbor, Sarah, comes over to visit, and talks to Maddie using sign language that she is attempting to learn because she values Maddie's opinion and wishes to speak with her more freely. The two of them have a conversation about Maddie's newest book, making Maddie forget all about the food that she was making earlier. The smoke alarm goes off as her lamb chops burn, and Maddie asserts that it must be loud enough to vibrate the house, so that it will shake her awake if the house catches fire when she is asleep.

After Sarah leaves, Maddie goes about her business. She does not notice or hear Sarah screaming outside for help as she is murdered. The killer is intrigued, and enters the house without Maddie knowing. The suspense reaches critical heights here, and Maddie only becomes suspicious of another person in her house because she calls her sister on FaceTime and she mentions seeing something in Maddie's kitchen. The killer then takes Maddie's phone and snaps a picture of her while she is on her computer, which she receives over iMessage. Maddie, reasonably so, is terror-stricken, and begins to investigate.

The killer is cruel and unrelenting, and as soon as he finds out that Maddie is deaf, tortures her by lingering around her premises. He cuts off the power, has her cell phone, traumatizes her by throwing around Sarah's inanimate corpse, and maintains the upper hand most of the film because he has all five senses. She cannot scream for aid, call the police, or seek help conventionally because she needs to use FaceTime and ASL in order to communicate. However, Maddie uses his ability to hear against him, setting off her car alarm and the overwhelming smoke alarm, hiding out of sight, and using every resource available to her in order to take him down.

The movie portrays her struggles as entirely human and accessible, instead of commodifying her disability for distasteful humor. She is a brave character, opening up the locked windows of her home to steal the killer's cross bow. At the end of the movie, she even accepts her own death like a warrior returning to battle, writing a goodbye letter on her computer, telling her family that she died fighting. Maddie is victorious because of her intellect and ability to, as a writer, play through different possible scenarios and endings for her characters and herself. She assesses her situation, and is called to action, planning her moves ahead of time. Hush, quite literally, gives a powerful voice to a woman who is unable speak.

Jordan Peele's thought-provoking addition to horror cinema, Get Out, empowers its characters in its critique of racial injustice and societal microaggressions. The movie opens with a black man being kidnapped by a man in an armored mask as he nervously walks through a suburban street, criticizing the stereotypical narrative of white people being afraid if a person of color enters their neighborhood.

 The movie then cuts to a biracial couple; a black man named Chris and his white girlfriend, Rose, are packing up to go on a trip to her parent's house. Chris expresses his anxiety about meeting her parents because of his race, and she comforts him about it, telling him that they would have voted for Obama for a third term, if they were allowed to.

Rose's parents, at a glance, seem to be warm and inviting to him, yet there is something uncanny lurking beneath the surface. All of their household workers are black; Rose's dad acknowledges the awkwardness, telling Chris to disregard appearances. Then, Rose's mom hypnotizes Chris against his will under the guise of helping him quit smoking cigarettes, leading him to temporarily become a prisoner in his own body. Rose's family has a party, filled with old white people making comments on Chris' body being strong and limber, making Chris extremely uncomfortable. He picks up on the strange behavior by talking to the black maid and groundskeeper, whose way of speaking is eerily robotic and calculated. Eventually, the man that was kidnapped at the beginning of the movie is shown to be married to an elderly white woman, Chris takes a picture of the man with flash photography to send to his friend, and he breaks out of his apparent hypnosis, screaming at Chris to "GET OUT." After a bunch of sketchy misdirection by the family and an auction scene meant to emulate the slave trade, Chris uncovers that Rose is a succubus-type that dates black men and women to capture them, and her brother, the man in the armored mask, helps by knocking out strangers and bringing them back to the house. Rose's family then performs an operation to put their dying white relative's souls into the bodies of these black men and women, so that they may live on forever. Chris narrowly escapes with the help of his intuition and his friend, leaving the house to burn, and all of the evidence with it.

The film successfully illustrates tensions that run under the surface—the tensions that most people are not aware of or refuse to admit are indicative of prejudice. None of the white characters within the movie are blatantly hateful, but all of them view black people as inhuman; they are viewed as mere vessels to further the white existence and identity, and only viewed as useful because of what they can do for the family. The film, along with showing the more satirical aspects of racial politics, highlights the objectification inherent to  racism, and how people think they can escape their hypocritical ignorance by voting Obama for president for a fictional third term, or having a friend or significant other of a different race.

The film aims to show how disjointing, cruel, and unnatural it is for a person of color's identity to be stolen, their culture to be erased, and their mannerisms to be "whitened." Get Out is powerful. No, the "white nightmare" narrative is not offensive to me. White people will always benefit from systems of white supremacy, whether or not they are complacent with, ignorant of, or against the racial injustice in the world. In acknowledging that privilege, you can use your voice to fight against that injustice, but that does not mean that you are exempt from the very systematic advantages that you are criticizing.

It Follows' themes surround the impact of the invisibility of rape culture and the shame in expressing sexuality, which the film specifically shows as consensual sexual activity between young people before marriage.

The "It that follows" manifests in unlimited forms, sometimes total strangers, or people that the victims love, but either way, it is always slowly walking towards them, and when it touches them, it kills them, mangling their bodies. It only follows one person at a time and can be passed onto another victim if the person has sex with them. If the person that it is following gets killed, it starts following the previous person in the order, and so on.

The main character, Jay, sleeps with her boyfriend, Hugh (whose real name is Jeff) and the fatal curse is passed onto her. Although the consummation of their short-lived relationship is consensual, Hugh/Jeff knocks Jay out afterwards with chloroform, ties her to a wheel chair in her underwear, and explains her fate to her. The It then takes the form of a naked woman, slowly walking towards Jay. The It is almost always half naked, sickly, or disrespectful in its adaptation of humanity. There is definitely a content advisory for sexualized violence here, especially with how the It kills its victims.

No one else can see the It besides the people that have the curse, regardless of whether or not they are the one that It is currently targeting, so even though Hugh/Jeff passes it onto Jay, he can still see it because he has been made aware of it. That is where the allegory for the invisibility of our sexually violent and taboo culture comes into play; the friends of the protagonist do not believe her at first, and even after they do, they are unable to see or experience what is terrifying her. She seems to be screaming at nothing— induced by the trauma of being thrown into the street and tied-up by her then-boyfriend, instead of expressing genuine terror towards a tangible problem that is endlessly chasing her. Jay passes the curse onto her friend (and ambitiously ex-boyfriend) Greg, (not sure, the story doesn't really go into it), and he ends up dying because of his disbelief.

Her other guy friend also offers to take the curse away from her, but she feels too guilty to subject him to the horror that she is feeling. She eventually agrees to sleep with him, and he implies they also had a romantic history, so he is willing to bear the burden with her. The movie ends with them walking hand-in-hand, ready to face the world together. Mirroring our own society's inability to believe the victims of rape and sexual assault, It Follows displays how harmful that denial and blaming really is, and how the only way to overcome this culture is unity. And no, it is not about STDs. At least, I supremely doubt that interpretation.

There is so much more symbolically that I could delve into, like, Chris staring empathetically into the dying eyes of a deer in Get Out after Rose accidentally hits it with her car and then using a buck's antlers to impale a member of her family later on. And Jay wearing a swimsuit during multiple scenes in It Follows, alluding to images of purity and rebirth—perhaps I'm projecting, but it brings to mind the infamously stupid, "why are women uncomfortable in their bra and underwear if they are fine walking around in a bikini?" question. Because these are moments that she allows herself to be seen.

Quintessentially, the horror in these stories lies within cruelty, violence, and uncertainty of the supernatural, but highlights ableism, racism, and sexism, waving goodbye to the flat, horror victim tropes of the past. Unlike Scream or Cabin in the Woods, these movies do not completely satirize or deconstruct the genre, but rather, use horror as a medium to invoke the fear of oppression in society—their characters as champions of circumstance against the forces of nature.

Why Does Setup and Payoff Matter In A Story? A Look Into Alien: Covenant

Within the first twenty minutes of Alien: Covenant, the audience is introduced to the main cast and crew of the Covenant, a colony spaceship en route to the Valhalla planet, Origae-6. The story unfolds ten years after the events of Prometheus, beginning with a spiritual discussion between Peter Weyland and his AI companion, Walter. Weyland muses existentially to Walter, citing a Divine blueprint for human beings to conquer the stars and meet their creators. He reveals that Walter's purpose is to serve humanity. Walter becomes skeptical, questioning why he should serve humanity when he is immortal, but Weyland tells him that it is his destiny to do so, just as it is humanity's purpose endlessly search for meaning in life.

The scene fades to Walter standing on board of the Covenant, working alongside Mother, the ship's computer, as the 2,000 colonists and crew hypersleep in pods, awaiting their arrival to their land of hope from extinction. But, there is trouble in paradise, and both Mother and Walter fail in predicting a storm that shakes the energy sails of the ship, emergency alarms blare throughout the craft, and the crew is woken up to disaster. Here, the movie is slowly setting up its themes, building upon both the first scene and Prometheus, showing that machines are subject to error, and humanity is not obsolete.

In a moment that should be pivotal to the development of the characters, this is where the movie lost its initial impact on me.  One of their members dies; this member happens to be played by James Franco, but that is neither here nor there. His pod malfunctions, (again, we cannot always rely on technology to get the job done) and he explodes into an inferno as his wife screams in agony as the rest of the crew attempt to pull her away from the scene.

And... I felt nothing. But before you start thinking that I am a Xenomorph, I want you to consider why. Why, in a movie that is obviously heavy-handed in its plea towards the importance of humanity, does the first death miss its emotional mark?

The audience, although familiar with the Alien franchise, and presumably fans of the series, do not know the current cast of characters, and therefore have no connection to the events on the screen. Sure, we know that the two of them were married, and that is objectively sad, but we do not know their relationship, their dynamic, or the true feeling of loss experienced by the character left behind. The widow, Daniels, acts similarly to the other female Alien protagonists, but is not enough to sell the pathos or continue on the legacy of Ripley on looks alone.

I critique this aspect of the movie, not only because the first death reflects the rest of the deaths within the film, but to highlight an issue that is rampant throughout the current market of sequels, prequels, and remakes: recycled pathos. More specifically, trading notoriety for authentic setup and payoff. Dan, Film Studies aficionado and genuine cool guy, explains this concept better than I could, here. Stories can have more complicated, symbolic, or nuanced setup and payoff moments, but for the sake of Covenant, the lack of setup has to do with the relationships with the characters and the conflict that they feel. Without the proper setup, this conflict is more contrived than effective. In essence, we have no stake in the conflict, and the resolution is less rewarding because of it.

Convenant is not without its merits--it carries over the excitement and intrigue of the original films, and walking in the footsteps of Prometheus, makes the Xenomorphs even scarier in their new evolution. Not only are they parasites, but they are pathogens, and more imperious than ever before. The gore, the intensity, the rape allegory, the deep meditations on playing god--Covenant had it all. Yet, the cast of characters were forgettable. They were nearly all married, which made sense on account that it was a colony ship and they all wanted to start families and lives on a new planet, but they did not share any moments that fleshed out these roles. Danny McBride's wife dies, and he acts out his grief wonderfully, but there was nothing that connected the audience to their relationship. Similarly, the captain's wife dies in the same explosion, but they only shared one moment as she comforted him as he complained about the rest of the crew disrespecting his authority.

The most interesting dynamic in the film is between Michael Fassbender and himself. Walter meets the AI from Prometheus, David, who, if you remember, is pretty damn evil, and is plotting for humanity's destruction like a game run by a chaotic Dungeon Master, releasing the aliens unto them as a part of his vision of eugenics. Walter, aims to protect humanity, and unfortunately does not make it, and is replaced by David as Daniels escapes. Perfect opportunity for another sequel.

The original Alien movies are not replete with emotion, but in Covenant, there were eight more members of the crew (excluding Jonesie the cat) and much more emphasis on their interpersonal relationships. This is not just a sci-fi movie with a badass protagonist hell-bent on a revenge based on trauma, wielding a flamethrower, but a ship full of families and loved ones. The focus of the movie shifts as a result.  Alien: Covenant is an exciting movie that attempts to delve into interesting topics such as creation, evolution, sexual assault, technology, and morality, but it falls short in its representation of the human relationships that it wants to protect.

Haley Reviews: Breath of the Wild

My review of Breath of the Wild: I loved it.

Okay, end script. That’s enough, right?

Humor aside, the problem that I am having in regards to writing about this game is that I have so much that I want to talk about. There is almost too much to mention, and I don’t want to do it an injustice. And if you haven’t played it, I suggest checking it out for yourself. I am not just giving a general overview, after all.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is absolutely beautiful: the sprawling landscapes of grassland with mountains looming majestically in the foreground of each shot, the soothing music, the small, familiar towns that seem homely in contrast to the ancient, mysterious shrines, the animation that is cartoonish, yet soft and elegant, and the unique re-imagined character designs of each race in Hyrule. There are so many aspects of artistry and composition that make this game special; most of all, it is the detail that makes Breath of the Wild so impressive.

Besides Breath of the Wild, I have only played Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Twilight Princess, and Wind Waker, so my perception of the series is based in those experiences, as well as minimal knowledge of games that I have neither played nor mentioned. Unlike the other games in the series that I have played to completion (and really, the typical Zelda formula,) Breath of the Wild is the least straightforward and least linearly driven of the series. Link does not just go from dungeon to dungeon. You do not have to complete the central storyline by finding the memories or even free the Divine Beasts from Ganon’s control in any order, if at all. Finding the memories and defeating Ganonblights within the Beasts makes the game more enjoyable and the fight against Ganon supremely easier, but it is not necessary. The game grants agency to the player; from the moment that Link steps out into the sun after his one hundred year nap, he stands on a cliff, gazing upon seemingly endless green that is waiting to be explored.  That is why this game has so much potential for replay value, and that is what makes the game so immersive and fulfilling to whoever picks it up. 

I have seen quite a few people critique this aspect of the game because after getting the paraglider, they lose their sense of direction and purpose. However, like many RPGs, the game forces the player out of their comfort zone; you no longer have a current objective, so you must seek out another quest and talk to NPCs in order work towards that main objective (defeat Ganon) which seems unrealistic in Link’s novice-hood. When dropped into the world of Breath of the Wild with three measly heart containers and only a tiny bit of stamina, the prospect of being the Hero and conquering all challenges seems overwhelming... to put it lightly. This point is made especially clear when you first come across a guardian that will kill Link out-right in one horrifying blast from its laser.

The level of difficulty from early in the game 

makes the journey all the more satisfying when you put time and effort into upgrading Link’s armor with the help of the Great Fairies, finding and completing shrines, and cooking new and interesting meals that grant status boosts.

At the beginning of my playthrough, I wasn't sure how to feel about stamina in addition to heart containers, but I ended up really enjoying that component of the game. It added challenge and realism to battles and exploration, and encouraged decision making earlier on in the game. 

One of my favorite aspects of the game is cooking. It an interesting mechanic that is helpful, as by just travelling around the world, your inventory should be replete with resources. Besides being a fun way to incorporate gathering materials, cooking encourages the player to find those materials. In many cases, food and elixirs are essential in traveling and navigating terrain. Without heat resistant armor, Death Mountain is too hot for Link to go to, but Goron City is where you get that armor. Huh. Well, just make yourself some heat resistant elixirs and you’re good to go. Are you stuck in the middle of a climb that is too high? Eat something to increase your stamina. The system is forgiving and intuitive; it makes preparation before battle and traversing essential, and keeps the player entertained as they concoct different meals using a variety of ingredients. There are recipes all over Hyrule in stables and shops, which I found to be a wonderful detail to the game that encouraged thorough investigation. You can also heat meals outside by laying food on the ground around Death Mountain! The healing in this game is very well-executed; the raw materials do not heal as much of Link's heart container as cooked food does, which makes sense. On top of that, you need only to have a fairy in your inventory for it to revive you. The days of filling glass bottles are behind us.

The multitude of outfits that this game has for Link to wear are all unique and serve their own purpose without much overlap, and I enjoyed how easy it was to change in and out of outfits during combat. In fact, the main menu is organized and easy to navigate, and so are the mini menus that you can access in order to quickly switch weapons, bows, arrows, or shields. The Climber’s Gear is especially crucial for exploration, but each other outfit fits into a portion of Link’s persona of the Hero accurately by referencing his iconic style, with a twist. The shorts of the Trousers of the Wild are a tad silly and boyish for my taste, but that is a minor and inconsequential complaint in the larger picture.

The guardians, shrines, and other ancient tech did not clash with the rest of the game, despite contrasting aesthetically. They are intimidating and overpowering, yet strangely cute and endearing as the game went on. I loved how in one of the memories, Zelda and Link were watching Hylians try to control a guardian, and it spinned its head around like a dog wagging its tail. The shrines, although sometimes infuriating, are clever and pay homage to classic Zelda puzzles, in which a concept is introduced and becomes more complicated in each further iterations of the puzzle. There are so many shrines that sometimes finding them is the puzzle itself. Like other titles in the series, Link has to rely on elements such as fire, water, and wind to complete certain trials. There is an interesting theme of environmentalism because the plot is about ancient technology becoming evil, and the hero needing to use natural resources in order to build himself up to regain control of them.

Furthermore,  I loved how the Sheikah Slate powers can be used all over the world of Hyrule to find treasure and shrines, and not just within the shrines themselves. This mechanic made it impossible to forget what all of the sheikah powers were, as they were always relevant. Using cryonis to jump from ice block to ice block across long spans of water is a hilarious and ingenious way to avoid swimming, or in the case of a lack of stamina, drowning. You can use stasis to stop time on a rock, hit it to send it flying, and at the last second, hop on for a free ride. You can test whether or not a chest is an octorok mimic in disguise by opening magnesis. I also found the round and square bombs to be functional and effective, especially because Link can drop them below from his glider; the mine-carts along Death Mountain are a fun way to travel using the round ones that roll around, but the square bombs are useful on hills.

There are, unfortunately, some aspects of the game that I do not love. First and foremost: the weapon durability. Although there are an overabundance of materials in this game, including weapons and shields, this part of the game is unnecessary because it only added minimal challenge to combat. The durability was a pain in early-game, but luckily as the game goes on, there is no shortage of weapons when farming for resources and looting Hyrule castle. Thankfully, the Master Sword cannot break and only has to recharge for ten minutes after extended use, but the Hylian Shield, along with anything else, can break, so be careful.

The new Lost Woods is rewarding and challenging, making Link use the elements once again to gather his bearings. Using the trail of embers on your torch in the wind to determine your path was an interesting choice on the part of the developers, and satisfying to complete. On the other hand, I feel as though Nintendo missed an opportunity with the music in this area by completely ignoring the original iconic sound of the Lost Woods and replacing it with run-of-the-mill ambiance.

My least favorite part of the game was not the weapon durability, or the strange, off-putting dripping animation each time the sheikah slate synchronizes with a new tower, or the lack of the Lost Wood’s iconic tune, or even the fact that the truest evil in the world is called Calamity Ganon, and referred to as such in the most ridiculous manner by every single character. My biggest gripe is with the voice acting. Breath of the Wild is the first game in the series to have full voice acting (besides Navi’s “hey listen!”) and I understand that they were trying something new, but…it doesn't work for me. The voices did not fit the characters, especially the Great Deku Tree and the King of Hyrule, who should have deeper, more robust voices. Zelda’s voice actress is a bit whiny and almost ruined her plight within the game, which I found to be a fascinating portion of the narrative.

But, I do not want to be too negative. The voice acting takes away from the story in the slightest regard and the naming of Calamity Ganon is cringe inducing, but neither change the fact that the story is one of the most interesting in compelling in the entire series. Link’s memories, (which are admittedly super expositional) focus on Zelda’s efforts to save Hyrule with the champions by her side. Zelda’s reasonable existential struggle of fulfilling her role as princess despite not being able to use her power for most of the story humanized her character. She holds Ganon back from destroying the world for a hundred years as undeniable proof of her strength, wisdom, and endurance, anxiously awaiting Link to be her backup. Like in past titles, she is essential to saving the world, and in Breath of the Wild, she is leading the efforts on the front lines. When reading Zelda’s diary in Hyrule castle, you may even come across her speculating about Link’s role as a silent protagonist, saying that it is due to stoicism and taking up the mantle without burdening those around him. The game gets it right where it counts, and paints both of the main protagonists as brave and interesting in the narrative.

Link is a trusted advisor and knight that Zelda can rely on and she seeks to understand him. The other main characters, the champions, have distinct and memorable personalities that reflected their powers. Mipha, the Zora champion, who is kind and timid, is a healer and aids Link by making the Zora armor that helps him swim faster and ascend waterfalls. Urbosa, the Gerudo champion, is affiliated with lightning because she is a strong, quick, and tenacious warrior.  Daruk, the Goron champion, is sturdy as a rock, and seeks to protect people, hence his power being that of a shield. Revali, the Rito champion, is admittedly the least likeable of the bunch, but meant as such; he is a show-off and wants to prove his capability and superiority, so his power lifts Link into the skies to reach new heights. I enjoyed how all of the Divine Beasts referenced the respective "champions" of previous Zelda titles. Vah Ruta, the elephant controlled by Mipha, is a reference to to Princess Ruto from Ocarina of Time. Vah Naboris, the camel controlled by Urbosa, is a reference to Nabooru from Ocarina of Time. Vah Rudania, the lava lizard controlled by Daruk, is a reference to Darunia from Ocarina of Time. Lastly, Vah Medoh, the bird controlled by Revali, is a reference to Medli from Wind Waker. There are also countless landmarks and islands named after characters from previous titles in the series, a character that pays tribute to Robin Williams and a mountain dedicated Satoru Iwata. 

(Edit: One of my friends is salty at me for dissing Revali, so I will give credit where credit is due. It is refreshing to have a character that does not fall at Link's feet, especially in a game where they made multiple NPCs comment on how beautiful he is. Even though I thought that was hilarious and self-aware of them. He goes against the grain of quintessential minor character. That is for sure.)

My favorite character, along with the rest of the Internet, is Prince Sidon. I mean, just look at that endearing smile. I am filled with determination:

Making Ganon an uncontainable force of evil is an intriguing take on the dichotomy between darkness and light in the series; while in the past Ganon does not have much more character besides being the only male Gerudo that is a shape-shifting, intrinsically evil warlock with a proficiency in baseball, this time around, he is just a powerful energy. I like to think that Breath of the Wild Ganon, (no, I will not say Calamity Ganon) was once humanoid and then became so powerful that he lost his humanity, only to become a mass of evil without any purpose but to destroy. The story focuses heavily on ancient prophecy and the like, so it is not impossible. 

The monsters in this game are entertaining to fight, especially stealth killing and jumping mid-air to fire arrows at them in slow motion. I enjoyed how color indicates the level of difficulty and the game had enough variety with monsters and enemies that repetition of similar types of enemies did not make a negative impact on the gameplay.

Breath of the Wild’s charm is not only in the characters and story, but in the details and eastereggs that made the game feel classic, yet fresh and new. If Link is wearing certain clothing or wielding weapons around NPCs, they become visually uncomfortable or frightened. You can shoot a piece of wood with a fire arrow to make a campfire; or use a fire weapon to light it and keep you warm in colder areas instead of wearing warm clothing. Shooting shock arrows in water or metal conducts electricity and forms a bubble, which is very useful for killing enemies or fish. You can even start your own town called Tarrey Town and have a house of your own in Hateno Village to store some of your weapons, and keep your most prized possessions out of your inventory and on display, safe and sound. My favorite obscure detail: you can ride other animals in addition to horses. Lynels are huge, terrifying beasts that can destroy Link if you aren’t careful, but you can still hop on their backs when they’re down. You can ride bears! Unfortunately, you cannot register any animal other than a horse at a stable. If you don't want to travel by horse, can use your shield as board on snow or sand. There are so many details in this game that not only play with the elements and resources, but reference past Zelda games. I cannot hope to list everything in this post, especially when there are people who have played the game and discovered much more than I have. Here is an awesome Twitter thread that explores a ton of those lovable details. 

Breath of the Wild is immersive and magical. It is filled with somber moments of reflection as you venture, uncertain in your quest through the land of Hyrule, yet is filled with endearing moment with quirky NPCs, heartwarming memories of the past, and quests that test your wit and creativity. Breath of the Wind is a game that will never cease to satisfy your thirst for adventure. 

HTC Vive: Delving Into the World of Virtual Reality

About a week ago, I had the opportunity to go to the Microsoft store in Walt Whitman Mall and try the demo for the HTC Vive.

Brief summary of my experience:

When I first put the headset on, the employee at the Microsoft store was speaking to me through a microphone connected to the earphones. I could not hear or see anything else when she handed me both of the controllers-- I actually attempted to peek out through the bottom of the goggles to see the real world and to remind myself that it was still there. Sounds silly, but despite my mind knowing that I was in a pixelated world, it felt more real than staring at pixels on a screen, and I was almost completely convinced of my autonomy within a different environment.

Being vulnerable in the middle of a shopping mall was unsettling; having two of my major senses cut off from the outside world was isolating and even a bit nerve-wracking. However, when the demo started, the visuals made the immersion a positive experience rather than putting me into a fear-induced mental state. Instead of thinking of my lack of relation to the outside, I relaxed and began thinking about myself within the game environment.

The first part of the demo put the player at the bottom of the ocean on a sunken ship to look at the surrounding visuals and get a feel for the VR experience. It was a way to acclimate the player to the space and limitations of the area marked by a grid within the game. It was beautiful and all-encompassing--of course, it was less of a game and more of a way to gauge what to expect graphically.

After that, the demo switched to a game where the player shoots robots out of the sky using various types of guns. (My favorite was the laser beam). I used the triggers on the back of the two controllers to aim and fire. It was a fun, but pretty run-of-the-mill in terms of gameplay, serving as a placeholder for *what might be your favorite AAA shooter title and how it could run one day*. I do regret not feeling comfortable enough to move around and throw my body into the game; I suppose I held back because of my experience with the Nintendo Wii and for the mere fact that I was in public and subconsciously knew that people were passing by and staring at me. Sure, I was fine with lifting my arms and shooting, but when it came to somersaulting to avoid enemies, I was afraid of tripping over the headset wire.

The third part of the demo, and the part that I enjoyed the most, was Tilt Brush by Google: a game that lets you draw in 3D. There wasn't enough time to experiment with all of the different brushes, colors, and backgrounds in this game, but if they would have allowed me to, I would have probably drawn for hours. The colors were vibrant and electric, and the motions were fluid and relaxing. I can see this game being a great way to destress and deal with anxiety.

Source: http://www.polygon.com/2015/9/11/9310729/disney-virtual-reality-animator-valve-tilt-brush
(My art wasn't this good).

So, the gameplay was fun and refreshing! Is it worth 800 dollars?

Verdict:

After playing, I felt discombobulated. The closest comparison that I can think of is when your eyes adjust to wearing sunglasses for a long time then you suddenly take them off on a bright day. It's not as a extreme as going from complete darkness to blaring sunlight, but it is still uncomfortable. That could easily be because I was in a store with fluorescent lighting, but it might also just be the shock from going from one reality to another.

Secondly, I am a person that is prone to motion sickness. I actively avoid playing first person games because they hurt my stomach. Perhaps this discomfort is caused by my body being stationary and my perspective moving forward within the game. Even so, I didn't feel as nauseous playing the Vive as I do watching or playing first person perspective games because my body was moving around within the game environment. I think anyone can feel queasy after staring at a screen for too long, but VR didn't affect my body as intensely as I thought it would. I had a slight headache and a very mild stomach ache. My only warning is that is absolutely exhausting. I felt like my body had been drained of all its energy--this statement is coming from a person who drinks three to four cups of coffee a day. I can speculate that playing VR for the first time will have an adverse affect on your body, but with further use that feeling would dissipate. I can't say for sure.

There is seldom that I would spent 800 dollars on in this world, especially a console that I played for ten minutes. However, I am interested in VR technology and would buy a system if they even went on sale for the same price as normal consoles. We're talking way down the line. For me, there isn't that much of pull to spend an arm and a leg on it yet. As I stated before, it was an amazing experience that I would recommend to everyone who is interested in video games, but eh, it is a hard sell at the current price. There are cheaper VR alternatives to the HTC Vive like the Oculus Rift or PSVR, but I have not tried them yet, so I am not going to speak on that subject until I do.

I will be keeping up with VR and playing when I am afforded the opportunity to. It's a hot topic and ever-growing medium that I can't see becoming less interesting anytime soon. It is important to note that me and many others have some paranoid skepticism on the subject. However, skepticism aside, before you pre-order or write-off virtual reality, I advise you to find a local demo, and get some perspective.

-Haley

Remember, I played a ten minute demo. I am not an expert. Don't just take my word on it: there are so many people talking about their VR experiences online. Be sure to check out what they have to say!