Monthly Archives: May 2023

Tech/Games

JOYSTiCK season finale: ‘Reigns: Three Kingdoms’ – 2,000 year-old Tinder dating

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By: Daniel Kendle

Welcome one and all to JOYSTiCK. No time for unfunny quips, we’ve got something more important on the docket – it’s the end! Not of the world, unfortunately, but the end of the first season of this little serial.

It’s been fun, honestly, and it’ll be nice to start up again next year. Whether I’ll be doing a season 2 or not is uncertain, but it’s been fun nonetheless. When I started in my journalism class I didn’t really know what to write about at first, and now, about 7 months later, we’ve reached the end.

There’s about a 50-50 chance I will or won’t do this again next year. I’ve been branching out into more types of content this semester, and it’s nice to have more of a mix of stuff to write about. To use a metaphor, the first semester was like a nice bowl of saltines, with the second a bag of Chex Mix. I mean, the saltines are good, no doubt!, but after a while you get a salty tang on your dried-up gums and it’s like you’re back in the Sahara or something. Meanwhile, the Chex Mix has lots of flavors, and you don’t get tired of eating it after a few minutes.

Dumb metaphors aside, I think that’s the future of my content: a mix of serial templates and random stuff I put out. I’ll write more down-to-earth, serious stuff like my UFO article, weird one-off projects like that gopher article, and JOYSTiCK. I think that’s a good outlook for my sophomore year of writing.

Anyways let’s move onto our final review, in which we’ll be discussing a mobile game! Yes, the toll booth ticketer that guards the entrance to the underworld has finally caught up with us, and it’s thirsty for the red Kool-Aid that pulsates through my organ structure. Thus is the life of a mobile game reviewer.

However, the game we’ll be discussing today is connected to another titan. A monolithic force that has skulked these ravaged lands for eons old and eons to come. It stalks these earthy plains with a taste of terror, with even whispering its name bringing a shudder of frosty fear.

Netflix.

Meandering aside, today we’ll be talking about the game ‘Reigns: Three Kingdoms,’ released by Nerial and Devolver Digital and published by Netflix in late 2022. The game is the fifth installment in the franchise.

Before we get into the meat-and-potatoes of this article, I’ll say that this’ll be a shorter and more laid-back review compared to our previous installments. Hopefully you take this in mind!

…..
PART ONE: GAMEPLAY

‘Reigns: Three Kingdoms’ is like dating on Tinder if a.) Tinder existed in 200 B.C. and b.) if Tinder was a viable way of dating.

That being said, you don’t date people in the game. The comparison is through the game’s main gameplay. Basically, the set up is that you are a test subject in a laboratory that is being repeatedly sent back in time to ancient China to…I guess become a conquering warlord? You basically interact with different ancient civilians, swiping left or right on their questions and statements to say different things in response, lowering or raising 4 meters in return. These meters, while never really stated what they mean directly, are likely representing Money, Intelligence, Militarism and Civilian Kinship. Some are raised or lowered one at a time, some choices raise or lower multiple. Some can be raised and some can be lowered at the same time, and some can be changed more harshly with certain decisions.

If one of your bars reaches the top or bottom then that’s your lose condition, as a skull will appear above and you’ll meet some fate related to your current situation. I liked this system overall; it was fun trying to balance all 4 while keeping up with the various mini-stories you’ll inevitably encounter. You also don’t get to see if your choice on a person adds to or subtracts from a meter, so that provides some more intrigue by not knowing if your action will be good or bad; you have to look at the person’s dialogue and choices to see if they’ll keep your bars in check.

Now it’s time we talk about combat. While playing you’ll accumulate various people in the form of cards that you can add to your party, and when you enter a story battle you’ll choose 4 to use against the opponents 4. Basically, you continue your swiping pursuits as you swipe left or right on your allies to have them attack the opposing team, in which eliminating a fighter will open up a number inside the circle you and the other team each make, where you have to get that number to 0 to win. Here’s a diagram to illustrate:

Your team is the lowermost one, and you have a certain amount of actions each round, starting out with 2 until going to 3. These battles don’t give anything to you, they just progress the story.

While gameplay isn’t that complex, it’s still fun. It definitely has the “mobile game-ness” that means its simplistic loops don’t have much to them in terms of how the user interacts with the game’s mechanics and controls. If I had to give some critique, it’d be that the actual fighting doesn’t really do much for me, and I feel like it would’ve been better if controllable. Like, you don’t fight super often and only when the story permits it, and I found it kind of forgettable in the long run.

That said, I feel that the game works well on your phone; since this game isn’t on other consoles I can’t really test it with a controller, though I feel like the game’s simple swiping mechanic is perfect for the platform of your phone. It’s good in that regard. So in the end, while gameplay isn’t the most complex or deep, it works well for the role playing structure it presents. Speaking of presentation…

PART TWO: GRAPHICS

‘Reigns: Three Kingdoms’ is perfectly fine in the regard that its graphics are…okay.

The game has a very geometric style, with rare rounded textures. This is cool, but the pictures of people are very simple, and after a while the artstyle get’s kind of dull, and somewhat dull to look at. Like, I get there not being much in the way of animation due to this being a digital card game, but the simple art doesn’t change over time or do anything very exciting; the consistency makes playing through the game a monotone experience.

Progression isn’t something that’s very prevalent in the game, with conquering the different regions coming through the different people you’re forced to interact with. However, the further I went into the game the more desensitized it got. I’m not a terrible fan of the game’s look, which is a bit sad.

CONCLUSION: (PLUS AN EXTRA SURPRISE)

Yeah, I told you it’d be short!

I didn’t have too much to say on this game; I just felt like promoting it. I had a solid time with it, and I felt like spreading the word about it.

Granted, part of me feels like this game isn’t as good as many of the other games I’ve reviewed. On the other hand, this game is much smaller and simpler in terms of gameplay than any others, being comparable to ‘Minecraft: Story Mode’ in terms of the amount of “playing” to do, with both being basically interactable stories with brief sprinkles of combat (not that this game is anywhere close to the former game’s lunacy).

Overall, I’m going to give ‘Reigns: Three Kingdoms’ N/A/10, since it’s so different compared to my other entries here that I can’t really put it alongside other JOYSTiCK games. I enjoyed most of the other games more, but this game isn’t trying to be a deeply-woven system of gameplay and progression. It’s trying to tell a story. This is similar to the same mindset behind ‘Minecraft: Story Mode’ in that it’s not comparable to other games. Granted, I gave that game a bad review because the thing that made it not comparable to the other reviewed titles sucked.

Now, this is normally where we’d end the article and wish you a good day, but not this time. THIS time we’re going to be ranking all of the JOYSTiCK games, and see which comes out on top. I mean, how else am I going to get my weekly sellout quota? What’s next, donating to those in need? (laughs). Anyways, let’s begin, starting with the worst and ending in the best.

And as I’ve explained above, I can’t really rank ‘Reigns: Three Kingdoms’ alongside these others, but if you’re curious, I enjoyed it more than ‘Minecraft Dungeons.’

…..

7. ‘Minecraft: Story Mode’ (3/10)

Winner of the “Most-Likely Cause of Skin Disease” Award

Yeah, this game still sucks. Like, keep in mind that I was being dramatic in the holiday special when talking about having a midlife crisis when first playing it, but it’s not like it’s gotten much better.

Granted, I would like to say that I find ‘Minecraft: Story Mode’ as more of a fun kind of bad, rather than a bad kind of bad, for lack of a better phrase. This game isn’t a ‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’ or ‘Destiny’ where playing is the same equivalent to carpal tunnel, but more like reading a cheesy romance novel. Like, yeah, it’s really dumb, but in a cute way! I’ve thought more about this game this school year than I have any other game on this list, so hopefully that paints the picture I’m trying to tell you. I have more to say and discuss about this weird title than all of my other entries.

6. ‘Splatoon 3’ (6/10)

Winner of the ‘Strangest Opening Monologue That Wasn’t About an Apocalypse’ Award

Aside from the skeletal remains currently in my garbage bin outside, there’s just so little I have to say about ‘Splatoon 3’ other than the obvious: it’s okay. For a number of games I’ve reviewed I’ve changed my opinions on them later, and this is one of them.

I know a lot of people love these games, but I find the hectic gameplay dull, strangely-enough. When matches basically come down to the last minute of shooting ink and whatever, you can’t expect me to be engaged beyond my mind. It’s fine; I’ll pick it up again at some point, but whenever that may be, it’ll be a year or so until then.

5. [TIE] ‘Minecraft Dungeons’ & ‘Kirby and the Forgotten Land’ (7/10)

Winners of the ‘Games that Embody a Collective Pleasant Shrug’ Award

While I enjoy playing ‘Minecraft Dungeons’ more than ‘Kirby and the Forgotten Land,’ I’ll group them together because of their ranking reason, in that they’re good games with a number of small issues.

For the former, its main problems stem from simplistic gameplay and frustrating progression, and the latter’s awful UI, weird difficulty spike towards the end and forgettable level design. They’re both good packages overall, but definitely not the pinnacle games of their respective franchises.

On that note, another ‘Minecraft’ spinoff called ‘Minecraft Legends’ released exactly a month ago as of writing this, and might I say that it’s, like, amazing? I’m going to be reviewing it for sure, don’t you worry about it.

4. ‘Cuphead’ (7.5)

Winner of the ‘Most Aggressively Anti-Porcelain’ Award

This game’s great! I’m likely going to be roasted on a human-sized spit by the end of this school year because of the unfathomable concept of opinions, but I don’t think this game is a perfect specimen like many others do. Granted, the art-style is one of the best in modern gaming (ironically-enough), the combat is snappy, and the music SLAPS. But there’s always been some issues spawned from the game’s hand-drawn graphics and shooter gameplay rubbing against each other. Still, a work of art that (hopefully) no one attempts to shamelessly replicate.

3. ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ (8)

Winner of the ‘Best-Playing pile of Sawdust’ Award

Yes, the graphics are bad. But honestly, this game is great, being the only previously-reviewed game that’s score has gone up over time.

The music? Great. The gameplay? Masterful. The deformed animal designs? Deformingly-strong. Overall, it almost makes up for November 18, 2022, otherwise known as the day of pain by many across the globe, and otherwise otherwise known as the day ‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’ released. Haha, I love the feeling of burning flesh! That’s what I felt when being subjected to that piece of filth.

But anyways, I’m glad ‘Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ restored my faith in Gamefreak, at least for a little while.

2. ‘Wingspan’ (9/10)

Winner of the ‘Most Times I had a Desire for Birdseed’ Award

I like ornithology. Therefore, I like ‘Wingspan.’

What I love about this game is that it’s decidedly a “calm” experience. Out of all the games on this list I find myself going back to this indie title due to its more serene qualities, and I find that important in gaming. It feels like we always get games that are very flashy, very dramatic, but it’s nice to have a complex system of challenge in a kinder experience. A title that rewards relaxation and serenity.

1. ‘Metroid Dread’

Winner of the ‘Most Times I’ve Asked Myself “Why Didn’t This Win Game of the Year at the Game Awards 2021?”’ Award

‘Metroid Dread’ is the oldest review I’ve done, and also the one that I remember the least about. At least, besides it being a masterpiece.

The first mainline ‘Metroid’ game in 19 years was obviously going to be at least a bit good, but man, THIS great? Like, I don’t think it’s as good as ‘Super Metroid’ but got very close on a handful of occasions that made me know that this was a masterful title that deserved all the praise in the world. While not my favorite game, it is decidedly the best game of JOYSTiCK’s 2022-2023 season.

…and that’s all I have for you this year. Minus one more article before summer, this is it for now. It’s been great having an outlet for all of my opinions and whatnot, and whether I do this all over again or begin a new serial or series, it’s been great fun having you along for the ride, disembodied viewer o’ mine.

Thanks for reading, have a good day, and for now, I think it’s time I step out of the spotlight and back into the shadows.

Travel/Food

‘Pan De Budín’ recipe

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By: Pablo Contreras

Pan De Budín is just bread pudding, and this is what this recipe is, but it’s just a Mexican version of bread pudding from the United States.

This is my grandma’s recipe and this was an easy and hard process; it didn’t have a lot of steps so that was a plus, the outcome didn’t come out the way that I expected, but it was still fun making this.

Beware this recipe does require you to use your hands and if you don’t like touching raw dough with your hands then use gloves before beginning.

Pan de Budín

Here are your ingredients:

  1. 2 Piloncillos (cane sugar cones)
  2. 1/2 of water
  3. 4 pan dulces (can be purchased at Mexican markets and bakeries)
  4. 1 stick of cinnamon
  5. 1 1/2 of milk
  6. 3 eggs
  7. 1 tablespoon of baking powder
  8. 1 cup of vegetable oil
  9. 1/2 cup of raisins
  10. 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

Here are your steps:

  1. In a pot, put in 1/2 cup of water, add in the 2 piloncillos, and 1 stick of cinnamon, and put it on the stove on medium heat
  2. Wait for the piloncillos to fully melt down and then turn off the stove and take out the cinnamon stick
  3. And now we wait for the honey mixture to cool down

Here is how to make the dough:

  1. in a big bowl put in the 4 pan dulces and tear them apart into small pieces
  2. Add in the 1 1/2 cups of milk, 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and the 1/2 cup of raisins
  3. Then mix it all up with your hands
  4. Once it’s all mixed up and it’s a dough texture cover the bowl with plastic and let it cool in the fridge for about 1 hour
  5. Take out the dough from the fridge and mix in the honey that we made earlier with the dough, after that, cover the bowl with plastic again and put it in the fridge for an hour
  6. After an hour find a square baking pan and cover it with non-stick baking spray (don’t use a lot, only a little!!! – this will cause it to be flat), take out the dough and spread the dough all around the baking pan
  7. Now set the oven to 380, once the oven is fully heated put in the bread for 35 minutes
  8. After the 35 minutes take out the bread and let it cool down (if it’s not ready leave it in for a little more)
  9. Now that the bread is fully cooled down cut yourself a piece and grab a scoop of ice cream (if you have any) and place it on top of your slice and enjoy 🙂
Soccer

Loons narrowly avoid elimination in U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 drama plus the 2 most recent MLS games

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By: Aeden Evenson-McDermott

After many disappointing results and matches leading up to the Round of 32 Match, the Loons would look to turn the page and set their sights on advancing in the Open Cup further. Kickoff was at 7:30PM which has become a primetime kickoff for most fixtures with MLS and U.S. Soccer Federation scheduling this year.

After an enticing game against Vancouver, the Loons would fall short once again with a 3-2 loss. A first goal from newly signed South Korean striker, Jeong Sang-bin, in Minnesota colors and a first goal of the season for captain Michael Boxall. Vancouver’s goals came from Brian White and Simon Becher.

With coming off the road loss, the Loons would be at home at Allianz Field. Only half the stadium was used plus the supporters section but it was still a decent crowd for a midweek match.

The Loons and Philadelphia Union would play a highly competitive first half with neither side striking first. Good to see the higher intensity and better game flow as Loons have been pretty lackadaisical as of late. The second half would be even more exciting with both teams exchanging chances. The drama would ensue when the 68th minute came and South African Striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane got a diving header and sent the ball through the hands of Philadelphia Union’s André Blake.

In the 73rd minute, Honduran midfielder Joseph Rosales received a fantastic play in which Hlongwane dribbled the defenders and dished it off to Rosales for a slotted shot into the right corner. 2-0 for the Loons!

The excitement wouldn’t last for long when the Union’s Chris Donovan got one back and it was 2-1 Loons in the 78th minute. As the clock neared closer to the 90 minutes, it became clear that Loons fans were becoming nervy. It’s been an unfortunate statistic this season that in the closing of the 90 minutes the Loons can’t hold on. Kai Wagner, the substitute defender, would smash it home in the 90+4th minute to get the game at 2-2 and send it to overtime.

Disappointing how the Loons blew the lead being up 2-0. But in the first half of extra time, Hlongwane would rejuvenate the Loons with another goal, thus being in the 103rd minute. Loons and Philly would go at it further with both sides pushing themselves and fighting to stay alive.

Disaster struck again for the Loons when in the 120th minute, and once again near the end of the match, Kai Wagner would bag his second and end Loons celebrations for the moment. It would send it to penalties!

The Loons thankfully won the first kick and got it down on the side of the supporters section for the penalty shootout. Franco Fragapane would get the first kick for the Loons and Dániel Gazdag equalizing with his kick. Second round, Will Trapp and Jack Elliot would get their second kick as well. In the third set, Kervin Arriaga and Matthew Real would miss their shots. The fourth set, Rosales and Torres would get theirs. The fifth set, Dunbar and Carranza would get theirs! Heavy drama as it would still be tied and now it would be sent to sudden death penalty shots.

Kallman and Rafanello would get theirs for the sixth round. Boxall and Lowe would also get theirs for the seventh round. In the eighth round, Tapias would get his shot for the Loons and back up goalkeeper Clint Irwin who got the start to give rest to the main goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair would deny the man who saved Philly before; Kai Wagner would be ultimately denied on the incredible penalty save made by Irwin and Loons would survive another day and get the only win of the season at home to sing “Wonderwall”.

They advance to the Round of 16 and will be facing Houston Dynamo in Houston on 5/23 for a 7:30 kickoff with streaming to most likely be through the BR Football YouTube channel.

The Loons would return to regular MLS play by traveling on the road to Sporting KC on Saturday 5/13. With a quick turnaround, the Loons would be lackluster and concede 3 goals to unfortunately lose 3-0.

They most recently played on Wednesday 5/17 back at Allianz. The game started out fast paced with much running. The Loons looked more energized and more collective in their play.

The play of the game would come in the 14th minute, early on when a costly mistake from Houston’s left back, Escobar, passed it back, which went through the Houston team and made it to the Loons, and Bongokuhle Hlongwane tucked it past Houston’s goalkeeper Steve Clark and into the right corner. 1-0 to the Loons!

The rest of the first half would have its chances and many were almost point blank on a few attempts. The second half would be quite physical and fast paced as Houston pushed for an equalizer. Thankfully there was no equalizer and the Loons held on despite at least 3 minutes of stoppage time and the ref letting play continue for Houston as they seemed to want to make it more interesting.

Our second home win of the season, but the first win in MLS at home for the season. Loons survive by narrow margins and take all three points to move from 9th into 7th spot with 15 points.

They take on the Portland Timbers on the road this weekend with a 9:30PM kickoff on Apple TV+ which is the streaming service for all things MLS! The Loons will head to Houston to play in the Round of 16 matchup next Tuesday at 7:30PM as well, before they return to Allianz the following Saturday 5/27 to play Real Salt Lake (RSL)!

Local

Standoff at Mall of America

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By: Isabelle Baidoo

On April 22, 2023, there was a standoff between police and a man in a parking lot of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The surrounding roads were closed and people couldn’t get into the parking lot the standoff was taking place in. Although the roads and parking lot were closed the mall remained open throughout the altercation.

A shopper at the mall called 911 and said that there was a man with a large gun in the parking lot next to his car. This call then led to the standoff which began at around 4 PM.

People in a nearby hotel were evacuated as well as the people at the Canadian International Circus. Buses were also detoured from the mall until later that night due to the police activity.

When police arrived on the scene, the man refused to drop his gun and remained stationary while holding the gun. Around 4:52 PM crisis negotiators were communicating with the man attempting to persuade him to surrender.

The family of the gunman reports that he was having a mental health crisis which could have contributed to him not putting his gun down when asked by police and crisis negotiators.

Then at 6:15 PM, after a few hours of negotiation, the man decided to lock himself in his car and refused to leave. But then after about an hour and a half, he exited the vehicle and was taken into custody.

This is not the first time there has been a gunman at the Mall of America, this has been an issue for years. For example, one of the more recent shootings, on December 23, 2023, resulted in the death of a 19-year-old man, and 5 arrested teenagers.

After the murder in December, the Mall of America’s Vice President of Security, Will Bernhjelm, provided insightful information on how security is run at the mall and how they’re trying to prevent these incidents from happening. They have security officers on bicycles that patrol the parking lots, there are six K-9 officers at the mall that smell copious varieties of explosives, and they have security cameras everywhere, some you can see and some you can’t.

For more information, please visit:

Advice/How To

Ideas to get rid of boredom

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By: Mya Olson – Williams

Whether you’re stuck in the house, or have nowhere to go, being bored is no fun. Whatever the situation is, here are a few ideas to get rid of boredom.

1. Find a new show to binge

There are so many good shows out there. If you have enough time, and nowhere to go, find a new show and watch as much as you wish. This not only is very entertaining, but passes time quickly. This should keep you busy for a while.

2. Cook/bake

Staying in the kitchen is a lot of work, but quite some fun. There’s a variety of things you could make, sweet or savory. This may or may not take up a lot of time, depending on what you choose to do. Either way, at the end you get something to eat!

3. Go for a walk

If the weather is bad, skip this one. But maybe it’s sunny, or warm with a breeze and you wanna get outside. Try walking without having a route. You never know where you’ll end up, and you’ll go home having wasted a lot of time.

4. Call a friend or family member

Talking to someone close to you is always good. You could talk to someone you haven’t interacted with in a while and see what they’re up to. Whoever it is, I’m sure they’d enjoy talking to you for a bit.

5. Clean/organize

It’s officially spring, so maybe there’s spring cleaning that needs to be done! Whether that’s your room, a closet, or anything else. This may take awhile, but turn on some music and get it done.

Now these are only 5 ideas, but there are many more activities that could help get rid of boredom. Hopefully one of these could help.

Movies/TV/Theaters

Slaying, both literally and metaphorically: A review of ‘M3GAN’

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By: Bijou Kruszka

Warning: Spoilers for ‘M3GAN’ and discussions of murder ahead.

A classic staple of horror films is creepy dolls. From Chucky to Annabelle, there seems to be something particularly horrifying about dolls, especially if they become animate. ‘M3GAN’ introduces a new doll with a fun, modern AI twist. But does the titular M3GAN live up to her predecessors?

Released in January of this year, ‘M3GAN’ follows a little girl named Katie, sent to live with her aunt after her parents are killed in a car crash. Her aunt, who is more technologically savvy than motherly, creates a doll named M3GAN. M3GAN seems like she can do everything, from teaching Katie about the world around her to comforting her in times of emotional turmoil. However, M3GAN’s devotion to Katie is a little too strict, and she begins to murder anyone who wrongs Katie.

Before the movie was released, ‘M3GAN’ already captured the attention of the internet. The trailer, which was mostly formatted like a normal horror movie trailer, was interspersed with clips of M3GAN doing a dance. The dance was so tonally different from the other clips and background music that it was very comedic. The clips immediately went viral, and people were wondering if this was a weird mistake or a marketing ploy.

The trailer, despite its strange comedic feeling, ended up being a perfect preview of the film. This movie is hilarious, and it knows it. The dance scene is the most iconic for sure, as it feels just as out of context in the movie as it was in the trailer. Immediately afterwards, M3GAN kills two people and leaves the building in a red sports car. But, this is not the only funny moment. The comedy is pretty consistent throughout. It opens with an incredibly satirical toy commercial for “Purrpetual Petz,” a toy advertised to outlive you.

My personal favorite moment of the film happens shortly after Katie witnessed a boy that bullied her get pushed out into the road and killed by an oncoming car. She asks M3GAN if he’s in a better place. M3GAN responds “No” and then sings a slow acapella rendition of Sia’s “Titanium” to comfort her. This film knows that it is camp, and takes advantage of it at every turn, making it a thoroughly enjoyable watch.

This movie also has a very good emotional core built into it. The relationship between Katie and her aunt is strenuous, to say the least. But there are a lot of tender, heartfelt moments between the two that make you root for them, despite Katie’s irritating immaturity and the aunt’s incompetence at caretaking. While the “woman can’t balance her career and family” trope is a tired one, this movie does a good job of proving that the aunt can be both focused on her career and still care for Katie, despite her stumbles along the way.

However, it doesn’t exactly work as a horror movie. There are 4 deaths in the movie total (plus a dog, but that one isn’t graphic and I prefer to pretend that part doesn’t exist). But because the movie is focusing on campy comedy so much, it doesn’t really generate much fear during the suspenseful moments. That’s not to say the deaths aren’t gruesome, but if you’re looking for something spine-chilling, ‘M3GAN’ is not your movie.

In the end, ‘M3GAN’ is an enjoyable watch. Its camp comedy cements it as a classic, despite only being released for a few months. It’s a great film to watch with friends, especially if you’re looking for something a little bit darker. If you’re looking for a super-scary horror movie, this isn’t your film. But if you want something with both murder and humor, ‘M3GAN’ is for you.

Travel/Food

Minnesota state parks

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By: Tasha Cudinski

In Minnesota there are a total of 66 state parks. All state parks have fees for renting campsites or entering the park. In Minnesota the entrance fee is $7 for a day pass or $35 for a year round pass. Camping sites are about $20-$25 a night depending on what type of campsite it is.

The first state park established in Minnesota is Itasca State Park, established in 1891. Itasca is the state park that protects the lake at the head of the Mississippi River, and is the third most visited state park in all of Minnesota. The most visited state parks are Gooseberry Falls, followed by Fort Snelling and then Itasca state park.

The state parks all have lots to do. All state parks have beautiful views of nature and miles of hiking trails to explore, and some even have the option to do activities like boating, fishing, or even swimming. From the rushing waterfalls at Nerstrand and Interstate state park, to the beautiful sandy beaches of the St. Croix River at Afton state park, every state park has something different to find and something new to see.

Minnesota’s state parks are scattered all over the state, but the five state parks closest to St. Paul are: Fort Snelling, Afton, William O’Brien, Interstate, and Nerstrand. All of these parks are less than 60 miles away from St. Paul and would be a good option for a day trip to explore the park. So if you are looking for something to do this weekend, you might want to consider visiting one of these state parks.

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COVID-19

Potential omicron illness coming?

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By: Jasmine Williams

Just when we thought COVID was done: it may be coming back says experts. According to the ‘Washington Post,’ the White House has received a warning about the possibility that the coronavirus may be coming back.

There’s a 20% possibility that COVID could come back in the next two years. A highly known scientist, Trevor Bedford, suggested that there could be a 40% percent chance of a similar omicron wave. He also conducted a statistical analysis about this possible new corona wave. This is what an immunologist and virgolist, Dan Barouch, said, “No one’s saying it’s zero. No one’s saying it’s 80 percent.” He added. “It’s more than an infinitesimal chance — and it is by no means a certainty.”

Experts in virology, immunobiology, and more, had spoken with White House officials about the virus being able to develop and mutate, bypassing protections from vaccines and treatments. These responses came, not instantly, as the administrators planned an end of the public health emergency on May 11.

Though in the US, the virus is considered finished, leaders and the coronavirus response team have other options made for long term pandemic protection. Senior officials are needing to implement more public health protections against the next threat. “One of my biggest worries is that we are losing time in preparing for the next pandemic,” assistant secretary of Health and Human Services, Dawn O’Connell, said.

Recently, the World Health Organization declared that COVID is no longer a worldwide health emergency. A director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made an announcement saying, “[This] does not mean that COVID-19 is over as a global health threat.” He isn’t wrong, in fact there were a few confirmed cases and deaths recently. There were less than 80,000 cases in the US last week. Though it isn’t widely viewed that COVID isn’t fully gone and coming back, it’s still good to take precautions.

Student Creative Writing

The Essence of A River Fairy

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By: Maya Breininger

Note: This is a student generated work of short fiction

I never learned how to activate my essence.
Even as the morning dew weighed down my delicate wings and ruined my ability to fly, even as I hid from the earth walkers under grass blades and lilly pods, I had never once felt the magical tingle of a flower growing at my touch. I hadn’t earned it.

I was a river fairy, I was.

Or so I thought I was.

But as my friends grew older, and as their earthly essence manifested, mine stunted to a point where my only power was helping the snails cross over the moss covered rocks.

So I found myself punting pebbles into the small lake left of the oak tree, cursing the essence distributors for skipping over me.

Then, a sound similar to the fall of dewdrops, I hear footsteps approaching me.

“You there!” An oily voice exudes. “Yes, you! Little one!”

“I am called Lo’ak.” My eyebrows furrow, and I refuse to turn around to the creature behind me.

“Lo’ak.” They taste my name on their tongue. “Lo’ak.”

“Yes. Why do you bother me?” I wonder aloud, wrapping my arms around my knees. “You are a river fairy, Lo’ak?” The stranger asks, their voice dripping with command. “I am.” I finally stand, and turn around to match the oily voice with a face. “But what are you?”

I faced a female as tall as auburn wall, with sun kissed skin, and hair the color of daisies. My eyes widened as I recognized her distinct outfit, and the realization hit me like the wind through the overpass. This woman was an Essence Distributor.

“You will come with me. We need a female river fairy; a monk has been hurt. He lies by the entrance to the oak tree.”

“I would not be of use to you.” I sit back down on the soil. I could not help but be angry with her; all my life I had waited for my essence, but it skipped past me.

“At your age, you have not been graced?” The woman looked a mix of surprise and disgust.

“No,” I say.

Her face froze in a confused expression as she stared at me, and I began to grow uncomfortable.

“I have told you my name. I think it is only fair that I know yours.” I say.

“I am called Kayla. I am an Essence Distributor; I bestow the power of fire onto young burn fairies.” It occured to me now that her voice was not an annoying oil, but a smooth, buttery coconut oil that soothed my ears.

“I can tell you are discontent, Lo’ak. But I cannot give you what you wish. I do not reside in the River Domain, therefore I cannot distribute river powers.”

“Kayla, everyone has their powers, except me. Everyone can embrace their talent and help the home tree. Except me. It has always been this way. I have these wings, but I cannot fly. I am to help the River, but I cannot bend water. Not only am I discontent, I am useless.”

She let out a smoky sigh, and sat beside me. “Fairy roads have increased tremendously to accommodate those who cannot fly. Magical herbs with healing properties have been found to replace the essence of river fae.”

“Are you trying to make me feel better? All you have shown me is that the fairy race has had to make great amendments because of those who are powerless.” My wings wilt behind me, and my heart sinks.

“I am trying to tell you, that even as someone with no powers, you rely too much on them. How do you think essence is earned, by hard work? No, it is when a Fae or Fairy has found their calling, a special talent that only they can achieve. The essence of air, earth, water or fire is then distributed to that individual, to help them achieve their goal.”
I blink once. Then twice.

“Leave me, Kayla. You speak nonsense.”

After a moment of silence, she complies, and stands up away from me.

“Very well then.” She swiveled on her heel, and marched away from me.
I held it in for as long as possible, but as the woman who held the power to change my life walked away from me, I found it impossible not to jump at the chance.

“Wait!” I shot up from my seat, and climbed up the vine to the oak tree. “Wait, Kayla!” In my haste, of course, I flapped my wings to propel my sprint. But to my greatest surprise, thrill and excitement, my feet began to lift off the ground. I realized then; I was flying.

Music/Concerts

Jack Harlow album review

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By: Nagad Omar & Sophie Johnson

In this writing we will rate the new Jack Harlow album ‘Jackman’. This album came out just last month on April 28, 2023, and it is the third studio album that singer and rapper Jack Harlow has released. The style and genre of this album is very hip hop. The album as a whole, as well as the songs on it, are already a big hit with many of his fans and other listeners.

This album has a total of 10 songs with a length of 24:03. The whole album overall got generally positive reviews averaging with a score of 67/100.

The first song we are reviewing is called “It Can’t Be”. This song has a lot of nice bass in it and the vocals are especially good. Some of the songs on this album are not our favorite but this is one of the better ones we’ve heard. The beat is a little repetitive but overall, this song is a 7/10.

The next song is called “Blame On Me”. We would rate this song a 6/10 because there is not as much of a melody. It’s not a bad song but there are definitely better ones on the album.

Another song on this album that we reviewed is called “Is That Ight”. In our opinion, this song sounds the same as most of the other songs on the album. It is another 5/10. Once again, this song is not a bad song, but it’s not the best we’ve heard.

The next song off of Harlow’s new album, ‘Jackman’ is called ‘”They Don’t Love It”. This song was released as a single for the album. We would rate this song a 6/10. The beat of this song is pretty good and the song overall is not bad.

The next song on the album is “Ambitious”. The lyrics of “Ambitious” are great but we don’t like the sort of mellow beat. The chorus felt repetitive and long. The verses are definitely strong but feel like spoken word sometimes and less like pop music. We rate this song a 6/10.

The next song is “No Enhancers”. We really like the chorus of this song and the repetitiveness. It’s just enough but not too much. The lyrics flow really well and it feels like the normal pop music Jack Harlow makes. The beat is great and doesn’t feel as mellow as others. We rate this song a 8/10.

The next song we will rate is “Denver”,our favorite song on the album. The beat and flow of this song is unmatched. The chorus is great and the melody and flow of Harlow’s voice all match up perfectly to create this masterpiece. The opener of the song is great and sets the tone before the beat at the beginning comes on which we love. This song has no flaws. We rate this song a 10/10.

The last song we will rate is, “Gang, Gang, Gang”. This song was Harlow’s biggest song on the album, but really because of the content of the song. In this song Harlow talks about one of his buddies who allegedly raped 7 girls in the back of a Target parking lot. He also talks about his other hometown buddie who is accused of molesting a 10-year-old. This is very different from what is usually in his music, but the bigger story in this song is how much people change when he revisits his hometown and how hard it is to believe. We rate this song a 8/10.

Overall, this album is different than what Jack Harlow usually puts out. This was more deep of an album than Harlow puts out normally. His past album, “Come Home the Kids Miss You” was more rap and pop whereas this album is more mellow and Harlow tells stories in each song. The lyricism in this album is different then what we usually get. In the last album, Harlow had big features such as, Drake, Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake and Lil Wayne, whereas in this album there are no features. All in all, this album might not be for everyone but this album has better reviews than his last. We rate this album a 8/10.