Category Archives: Entertainment

Travel/Food

The effects of energy drinks

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By: Ruby Anderson and Priya Anderson

Energy drinks have begun to rise in popularity, especially among younger people, often replacing coffee as a new popular form of caffeine intake. These drinks can contain dangerous amounts of caffeine and other chemicals that can be unsafe to consume, especially to those who drink them on a regular basis. According to the ‘National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’, energy drinks are the second most popular dietary supplement for American teens and young adults and almost one third of teens ages 12-17 drink them regularly.

While caffeine can be safe in limited amounts, too much caffeine can cause side effects. The most common side effects of energy drinks are short term effects such as shaking, rapid heart beat, increased blood pressure, anxiety, and restlessness. The recommended caffeine intake is up to 400 milligrams per day for adults and 100 milligrams for adolescents. Sticking to these amounts or less per day can prevent you from experiencing serious health issues.

Energy drinks contain ingredients like taurine, caffeine, and lots of sugar which when consumed daily can cause many long term health issues. Some include insomnia, dehydration, digestive problems, heart palpitations and can even cause problems as serious as cardiovascular disease and heart attacks. Long term use of caffeinated beverages can make you dependent on caffeine and without it can cause you to experience withdrawal symptoms like headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, a depressed mood, and many more symptoms.

Energy drinks have become very popular recently and many of the most popular drinks contain the highest amounts of caffeine. A few of these drinks are: Redbull, Monster Energy, Bang, and tons of other drinks which can contain dangerously high amounts of caffeine. These energy drinks are available to almost anyone, being sold mostly at grocery stores, gas stations, and in vending machines.

Even though energy drinks are so easy to access, there are many groups of people which energy drinks can be especially dangerous to. Children and adolescents, pregnant people, those who have conditions like heart or kidney disease, and anyone who takes medications regularly can be more negatively affected by energy drinks than others.

Even with all of these negative effects from energy drinks, these beverages can actually be beneficial for certain people. If you consume energy drinks in a safe amount, a few of the benefits you can get include increased energy, concentration, mental alertness, and enhanced physical performance. Many people, especially athletes or those who participate in other strenuous activities, use energy drinks to enhance their abilities. Energy drinks can also contain vitamins and minerals. The majority of energy drinks contain B vitamins, most commonly biotin.

For those who still would like a caffeine boost in the morning without drinking energy drinks or coffee, there are many alternatives that are much more healthy. Green tea is probably the most healthy alternative with typically 25-45 milligrams of caffeine per 8 ounces. Really, any tea is a good alternative and also includes many health benefits that energy drinks don’t contain. Fruit juice and smoothies are nutritious alternatives and even just simply drinking water can give you a boost of energy when you wake up.

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Editorials/Student Voice, Travel/Food

Why is McDonald’s a popular fast food restaurant?

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By: Grace Lopez

McDonald’s is such a popular fast food that anyone can eat. This fast food is most known for their fries, chicken nuggets, hamburgers etc. McDonald’s was created in 1940 and from then to right now business has been booming and a lot of people really like McDonald’s. McDonald’s could be really affordable and really expensive for some people, but a lot of people really like the food.

Not a lot of items on the menu have really changed through the years. Little kids really only mostly go to McDonald’s for Happy Meals. They only really like the toy that’s inside. When I was little I also only wanted the toy.

Some people have different nicknames for McDonald’s like, Mickey D’s, McDirts, Macas and more.

McDonald’s also has a mascot: Ronald McDonald. He dresses up like a scary clown and a lot of people are really scared of him.

When me and my friends always try to go to another place to eat we always end up going to McDonald’s because it has a lot of different locations and it’s never too far from anywhere we go so that’s how they get the popularity from being so famous.

At McDonald’s you can also collect points from your visits and can earn free food and that’s how McDonald’s really knows how to advertise and get a lot of people to go there.

About three McDonald’s open a day and that’s how there are so many McDonald’s fast food restaurants around the world. The most popular McDonald’s, in Orlando, has an aquarium and an arcade and that’s how they get a lot of visitors and the popularity goes up everyday.

Editorials/Student Voice, News, Tech/Games

The ban of TikTok

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By: Samson Belihu

Hello, and today I will be talking about the ban of TikTok that’s GOING to happen in the U.S.

You may ask why the U.S. government wants to ban TikTok. Well, let me tell you.

The main concern that the U.S. recognizes is that TikTok collects a lot of data on users, including location, browsing history, and even device details and since it’s owned by a Chinese company, critics worry that this data could be shared with the Chinese government. The government could then use that information for spying or to influence American politics. Though TikTok denies sharing data with China, U.S. lawmakers point to China’s laws that could force companies to cooperate with the government. Many of the lawmakers are politicians, particularly from the Republican Party.

Another worry is that TikTok could spread fake news or propaganda, affecting elections or creating social unrest. Though TikTok has taken steps to try and stop the spread of misinformation, many U.S. lawmakers still see it as a national security threat.

The push for banning TikTok mainly comes from conservative politicians like Senators Josh Hawley, Marco Rubio, and others, who argue the app is a threat to national security. They worry that TikTok could be used for spying or spreading fake news for the Chinese government.

TikTok has been told to either sell to an American company, create a new U.S. controlled TikTok, or make sure they store all data safely and away from China. If they don’t do one of those things, they could face a ban in the U.S. The owner tried to file an appeal to the Supreme Court, but failed due to the concern of the information that could potentially be sent back and forth.

In my opinion I find myself stuck between both of their sides.

If TikTok is a way to sell people’s info to the Chinese government I find that troublesome, but I also think TikTok has become a way for people to express themselves and find support, and if it’s banned all of it will be taken away. People’s lives have been changed for the better due TikTok

Tech/Games

HOW ‘HALF LIFE 2’ FIRST LEVEL MASTERS ENVIRONMENTAL STORYTELLING

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By: Hoaseng Thao

Environmental storytelling is the use of a game’s setting to convey a story to the viewer, and is often used to give the viewer context to the game’s story. Many games can do environmental storytelling very well, but there is one game that in my opinion, does it the best in one level. That game is ‘Half Life 2’.

‘Half Life 2’ was developed by Valve, or Valve Corporation, you may know them for their online gaming platform, “Steam”, or their other games such as, ‘Counter Strike’, ‘Team Fortress 2’, ‘Portal’, ‘Dota’, etc, but ‘Half Life 2’ will always be the game I will always associate them with, but why is that? I like to attribute it to the game’s unique gameplay and storytelling. I will be going into its storytelling, but more specifically, how its first level is the game’s best example of environmental storytelling.

WAKE UP MR. FREEMAN

You, Gordon Freeman, are woken up by the mysterious entity only known as the G-Man. He appears to bring you back from a long slumber following the events of the first ‘Half Life’ game.

The G-Man calls out to you to “Rise and shine”, he begins to compliment your work during the events of the first game, and how such a task led to your resting period, but now is the time that you are needed again.

In between the G-Man’s speech, we see the testing chambers that started the Black Mesa incident in the first game, but we are also given a glimpse into an area that does not resemble any place on earth. The place behaves like a machine, with futuristic pods being transported to an unknown location as the G-Man calls out to you for one last moment.

The G-Man says to you, “The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world”, an eerie line that both references the events of the first game, but also foreshadows what lies ahead of you. So wake up Mr. Freeman, wake up and smell the ashes.

SMELL THE ASHES

You are teleported inside a train, a passenger looks over and sees you saying that he didn’t recall you getting on, but he shrugs it off as if it wasn’t the most out of place thing in the world. Interacting with the other passenger, he says how he can never get used to being relocated, but what does this mean?

If we look at the two passengers, we see them wearing identical clothing, a blue jumpsuit with what appears to be an identification tag on them. The world that we knew back in the first game seems like a utopia compared to what happens in the present, and as the train halts at its stop, a passenger remarks, “Well, end of the line”.

CITY 17

You are brought into a train station, old and grimey. You’re immediately flashed by a robot drone as it scurries away. Walking down you can see an aged man being broadcasted on a large holographic screen, welcoming you with a smile to City 17, calling it the finest remaining urban center while thanking our “benefactors”, whoever they may be. And as the screen cuts out, his smile goes away in an instant.

Exploring the place, you’re greeted by a truly dystopian sight, it appears earth has turned into an authoritarian police state, as an officer harasses a man who simply wants to get his luggage. But the most surprising thing is witnessing an enemy from the first game, the Vortigaunts, be shackled for force labor as it sweeps the trash littered station.

Proceeding through the station, you witness propaganda pieces of the aged man from before, making it seem like he’s the leader of Earth or as it seems. Multiple NPC’s can be interacted with, a lady waits for her husband, recalling how he was detained and was promised he’d be on the next train, or the train after that.

Another warns you to not drink the water, saying it makes you forget as he doesn’t recall coming to the station. One man talks to himself, mumbling how the trains are always full but no one goes in or out, while another tries to bring up the courage to continue walking.

A pair talks about the aged man, his name being Dr. Breen, they talk of him in disdain, however they refer to not talking loudly of it or being arrested for it. As you walk past, and reach a checkpoint, you’re immediately detained by the gas mask wearing police officers, one calling out to you to follow them.

Proceeding with his orders, you witness another man sitting down in a confined room behind a locked door, saying he didn’t do anything wrong. You’re ordered to enter a room, in it is a chair covered in blood, a torture room you will be in. The cop guiding you is asked by another cop if he needs assistance handling you, but he declines and the other cop leaves the room to the two of you.

In a cheery tone, the cop says how he’s going to need some privacy for what’s about to happen. The cop turns off the cameras, and as you wait to be tortured, you’re greeted by a plot twist.

ABOUT THAT BEER I OWED YA

The cop reveals himself as Barney, an old colleague of yours from Black Mesa, who immediately apologizes for his scary demeanor from before in order to act in front of the cameras.

Barney fills you in on what’s been happening, saying how he’s been undercover with Civil Protection. In the meantime, you’re greeted through a screen by a fellow scientist, Dr. Kleiner, who is surprised to see you alive after the events of Black Mesa.

The two are thinking of a way to get you out of there and to Kleiner’s lab before realizing that another character, Alyx, could be of use, but in the meantime it’s up to you to get there. But soon enough, a knock on the door causes Barney to rush you out of the room, and guides you to jump out of a window leading outside.

Once landed, you’re met by a small corridor and a door that presumably leads to freedom.

FINAL THOUGHTS

That was the end of the first level, or rather the first map of the first level, but in this single map, you are given enough information to digest as a player of the world you’re in. You’re brought back from sleep only to be brought into an entirely different world where it is clearly ruled by an authoritarian leader that uses unethical methods to make its society “better” for the people. But in the midst of this is a secret group that seeks to rebel against this system, and they need you, the player, to help them in their cause.

This, and the little tidbits of detail such as the propaganda posters, Dr. Breen’s slip up of his smile, and the dialogue between NPC’s is what makes this level the best example of environmental storytelling in gaming.

There are more things like this further in the game, and I highly recommend playing ‘Half Life 2’ to not only experience the story it has, but also play what I believe is one of the most important games of all time.

You can play ‘Half Life 2’ and its previous entry on Steam, at https://store.steampowered.com/app/220/HalfLife_2/

Travel/Food

Fast food secret menus

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By: Ian Larson

Many fast food restaurants have secret menus available only to the people who know about them. Just ask for any of these items and you’ll probably be able to get them.

First are the secret items at McDonalds. McDonald’s has many secret menu items that are available at most locations. One of these items is the apple pie McFlurry, which is a McDonald’s apple pie blended into a McFlurry. There’s also the grilled cheese which is just 2 of their burger buns with cheese in the middle. Another item is the Big McChicken, which is a Big Mac, but instead of buns it has McChicken patties. McDonald’s actually has many more secret menu items, but I thought these were the most interesting of them.

Another fast food restaurant that has a secret menu is Burger King. You can actually order a BK ham and cheese sandwich on a sesame seed bun. You can also order another classic type of sandwich by getting the BK BLT , which is BLT toppings on a Whopper. Can’t decide between fries and onion rings? You can order “Frings”, half fries, half rings.

Five Guys also has their own secret menu. One option is the cheesy fries which are just Five Guys fries with cheese melted on top. Another cheesy item is the patty melt with buns grilled just like a grilled cheese sandwich. If you want some fries that are unique but don’t want the cheesy fries, you can order the well done fries that were fried longer and are more crispy.

While there are many other fast food restaurants that have their own secret menus, the last one that will be shown here is Chick-fil-A. One of the Chick-fil-A items is the buffalo chicken sandwich where buffalo sauce is added to their spicy chicken sandwich. A drink you can order is the root beer float. The last item you can get is the chicken quesadilla. The chicken quesadilla is chicken and cheese in a tortilla.

Local, Music/Concerts

Local bands: Rock Melon

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By: Persephone Pond

Rock Melon is a local band based in Highland Park, Saint Paul. This surf-pop-indie band consists of six talented students from around the Highland Park area. This article will go over a few need-to-know facts about the band before listening to their music.

Before going over the music the band has released as of late, it’s important to know the talent behind music. Here’s a quick introduction to the band.

Zack Nelson (he/him) is a senior at HPSH and the founder of the band. He plays both the guitar and bass. Elzie Bieganek (she/her) is one of the two talented vocalists of Rock Melon, currently attending SPA as a junior. Erin Moore (she/her) is a junior at HPSH, and the second vocalist of Rock Melon. Ryan Mitchell (he/him) and Izzy Montgomery (she/her) both play guitar, and Syan Blackwood (they/them) plays the drums for the band.

Now, the music itself this small band produces showcases a wide range of talent in terms of instrumentals, vocals, and production. All music is recorded by the band, and released on all streaming platforms.

Their latest releases include three singles from their upcoming album. The three tracks are “First Love’s Name”, “Eucalyptus”, and “The Architect”. All of these songs were written by the band members, and feature riveting vocals and soothing instrumentals.

The band plays live music around the Saint Paul/Minneapolis area, so keep an eye out for their next gig. Small venues around the metro area often support other small local bands as well. Attending live concerts is an easy, low commitment way to support these young artists.

To support this growing band, give them a follow on Instagram @rockmelonband. Stream their music on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube music, and more!

Tech/Games

‘Hungry Hermits’ A game by Tangotek made in Minecraft!

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By: Julia Yang

Tangotek, otherwise known as “Tango” for short, is a Minecraft YouTuber most known for being on the ‘Hermitcraft’ server. ‘Hermitcraft’ is currently one of the most popular SMP’s around the Minecraft community along with others such as ‘Lifesteal’ and the ‘QSMP’.

Tango enjoys making a variety of games on ‘Hermitcraft’; one of his most successful and loved ones being in season 9 called ‘Decked Out 2’. All of these games are made in a vanilla survival world usually over the course of a couple of months, to a year, based on the complexity of the redstone.

Tango always streams the process of making the games live on his Twitch channel as he can get tips from his very intelligent viewers in the chat. They’re a huge help at solving bugs and coming up with unique ideas, making his life just a little bit easier.

His most recent game, only to be finished and opened to the rest of the server on December 6th, is called ‘Hungry Hermits’. ‘Hungry Hermits’ is based off of the party game ‘Plate Up’ where you are to serve customers the correct food they order whilst juggling 4 other activities and orders at the same time.

The game ‘Hungry Hermits’ goes by in “days” just like ‘Plate Up’ would. There are 8 days in total, and as each day goes on, the orders and number of customers get harder and harder.

As much as I’d like to sit here and explain every mechanic in full detail, I will do my very best to dumb it down to its simplest form.

The customers are fun and customized with the heads of the other Hermits (members of the server), they can leave a little bit of a mess and all of them have armor stand animations that tell you how much patience they have left. If a customer loses their patience, it’s game over. Your goal is to get their order and make it happen before their patience or the day runs out.

In the kitchen, the basic tools are a crafter, a cauldron, an ordering system, the freezer, a campfire to cook food, and the flood room.

To craft things you may need for food in later days, like gold to make a golden carrot, you must order from the ordering system and use the crafter to break the gold down into nuggets. Or maybe you’re making a cookie, where you will need to craft it using the crafter— but be warned, the crafter is a lot slower than any player would like.

The cauldron is simply used to get water for water bottles when customers order it. Although, once in a while, you just may need to refill the cauldron if it runs out.

The ordering system is a lectern with a book on it. You choose the item you want by going to the corresponding page, and press the button above where it will deliver your item to you in a matter of seconds.

You get frozen meats like cod, pork, and chicken from the freezer by throwing a snowball into a target block. But the freezer, if I’m being honest with you, is a death trap. The freezer is a one-way road where if your partner isn’t there to open the door for you from the outside, you can and will die from hyperthermia. There have already been countless deaths from the freezer in the test runs.

The campfire, as I stated before, is used to cook things that may need to be cooked. Stuff like raw meat or potatoes.

The flood room is how to prevent a flood hazard from happening. An alarm will go off, then one player must stand on a pressure plate near the freezer while the other player must run to the complete opposite end and turn a valve to stop the flood. If you fail to do so in time, the kitchen will be flooded with water, causing a mild inconvenience.

Another hazard is rats. Underneath the restaurant are running hopper minecarts that will suck up any items thrown onto the floor. If sucked up, it will trigger the rat hazard. The rats are really just silverfish, but either way, they’ll drop down into your kitchen and attack you.

The last hazard as of December 10th (Tango is prone to add more updates later on) is the phone. The phone will occasionally ring, if you fail to answer it after the 4th ring, you will lose 4 points from your overall score. Another mechanic for the phone is that you can ring it on your own accord which will make customers arrive to your restaurant faster, making it harder but you will gain more points.

As you work in the kitchen, you may also work in the back area that is the farm. On the farm, you’ll do farm-y things. You’ll collect wheat, carrots, beetroot, melon, pumpkin, potato— basically 70% of the food traffic relies on you. Get it to your partner running the front house, and you can retreat back to your barn and get ready for future orders or work on the load of current orders.

Tango has always had a knack for creating incredible games in vanilla Minecraft, and as much as I also love ‘Decked Out 2’ as much as the next fan, I personally really like ‘Hungry Hermits’ just a bit more.

‘Hungry Hermits’ uses the armor stand mod the server has installed to its fullest extent, along with the disc, note block, and player head mod. The choice of making it a solely multiplayer game is just so enjoyable. I think I like this game a bit more because I really enjoy watching the Hermits interact with each other, it’s really the only reason why I watch ‘Hermitcraft’, and in ‘Decked Out 2’ it was a solely single player game.

As I said before, Tango has only just rendered it playable and open to play on the server, meaning that you can still catch livestreams and episodes actively coming out!

Tango usually uploads the replays of his streams to his second channel “Tangotek2” if you can’t catch them live on your own time. Plus, you’ll really only find Hermits playing rounds of ‘Hungry Hermits’ on Tangotek2 because it’s often easier to just stream it rather than having a 2 hour episode on the main channel. This also happened with ‘Decked Out 2’ where he just streamed all of the runs instead of making episodes— I’m really starting to wonder what the real main channel is.

Visit Tangotek or Tangotek2 for way more information than what I gave you, and have fun watching Hermits play ‘Hungry Hermits’!

Travel/Food

Peanut butter chocolate chip cookies review

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By: Norah Hoglund and Max Cahoon

While chocolate chip cookies are very delicious, what is even better is peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. We tried this recipe out because right now is the perfect time to make cookies and share them with your friends and family. Just make sure no one is allergic to peanut butter!

Review

Taste

These cookies had such a good taste; we would say they were probably some of the best cookies we have ever made. The peanut butter makes them really really good because the saltiness of the peanut butter contrasts the sweetness of the cookie and it is a really great flavor, especially if you love peanut butter. A lot of people know that chocolate and peanut butter go really well together, and that fact does not change in this instance.

All of the ingredients in this cookie just go very well together and make for a great cookie. It is also not too sweet, due to the peanut butter. When they came warm fresh out of the oven, they were the best. We had them with milk and we agreed that they were some of the best cookies ever.

The only downside is that once you taste them when they are warm it’s a little underwhelming when you eat them at room temperature, but you can always warm them up.

Our rating: 9.9/10

Ease of making

These cookies were a bit of a challenge to make. We decided to brown the butter (see how in the recipe notes), even though the recipe doesn’t call for it, because it makes for a richer cookie. The recipe said to melt the butter anyway, so we browned it in a pot and added the peanut butter to the butter.

Once we had mixed together all the wet ingredients and dry ingredients, we mixed the two together. The dough then was very thick and we had to mix it with our hands because a whisk or spatula couldn’t mix it.

We filled up two trays with all of our dough and decided to put both trays in the oven at the same time, to save time baking them. The only thing we had to change was to bake them for 2-3 extra minutes.

The rest of the instructions were fairly easy and these cookies were definitely worth the effort we put into them. It was also a really fun experience making these, especially if you love baking. Our rating: 8/10

Overall

Overall, these cookies were so delicious and fairly easy to make for a high-quality cookie recipe. These cookies were very good and absolutely worth all of the effort we put into them. It was a fun experience. We rate this recipe a 9/10 and you should absolutely try it.

Here is the link to the recipe: https://handletheheat.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Recipe

Ingredients

  • ▢ 2 1/2 cups (318 grams) bleached all-purpose flour, measured correctly
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ▢ 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter
  • ▢ 3/4 cup (202 grams) creamy peanut butter
  • ▢ 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • ▢ 1 cup (200 grams) packed dark brown sugar
  • ▢ 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
  • ▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ▢ 2 cups (340 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  1. In a large heat-safe bowl, microwave the butter until melted. Vigorously stir the peanut butter into the hot butter until well combined. Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add in the vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  1. Dough may be loose and slightly crumbly. It will not appear like normal chocolate chip cookie dough. If it’s unbearably crumbly, that’s likely due to discrepancies among brands of peanut butter and if you used unbleached flour. Add 2 tablespoons milk if that’s the case.
  1. OPTIONAL: If time permits, cover the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours but no more than 72 hours. Let the dough sit at room temperature just until it is soft enough to scoop.
  1. Divide the dough into 3-tablespoon sized balls using a large spring-loaded cookie scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets. Flatten dough slightly into disc shapes with your palms. Dot each disc with a few extra chocolate chips for picture-perfect cookies.
  1. Bake for 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
  1. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

NOTE: to brown butter, cook it in a pan on medium heat until it turns golden brown. This should be 5-7 minutes after it melts.

Tech/Games

‘Sky: Children of the Light’

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By: Cleo Newton

Screenshot

For about the last year, ‘Sky: Children of the Light’ has been my favorite mobile game.

It’s a game where you have to find and gather winged light (which take the form of glowing children). After acquiring your first winged light, you form a cape and your first wedge. This wedge is the amount of times you can flap in a row before having to recharge when flying. The amount of times you can flap is displayed on your cape to other players. The cape in this game is key when flying, without one, you can’t fly. Flying is crucial in many parts of this game; you may not be able to get to certain places if you can’t fly. The animation for the capes in this game mimics the way wings flap.

You can gather more winged light as you explore the world and discover new places. In each place, there’s a shrine where you can log down the new area and add it to your map.

There’s a reason why this game is called ‘Children of the Light’, in the game, there are supposedly no adults (they have all passed). All the adults are spirits. Spirits are another important aspect in this game. As you find more spirits, you get to relive a short but important part of their life. After finding out their story, you gain an emote, or in some cases, a new voice (The voice changes every time you “honk”).

Honking can be used to find other players in the game or to summon nearby butterflies. These butterflies can be used to recharge your cape. Another use for honking is to flip over crabs. The crabs in the game are hostile and will attack you, “yelling” to flip them over keeps them from hurting you.

Throughout the game, you’ll find red candles with bits of light/wax floating above the flame. You can collect these and use the wax to forge candles; these candles are your main form of currency in Sky. You can use it to buy cosmetics from the spirits or from temple elders. Cosmetics include pants, masks, hair, capes, and props.

In this game, you can light up other players with your candle to see what they look like; it’s kind of like saying hi. After this, you can spend a candle to either talk to them on a nearby bench (if available) or friend them. If you don’t want to spend a candle to friend someone, you can send them a code which then can be typed into a bar (in settings).

Sky has annual events that last a few weeks. During this time, you can buy limited time cosmetics and props. You can also do this with the seasons Sky hosts. The seasons are like events but last longer and have more things you can buy.

Lastly, there are different realms you can explore. The last one being “The Eye of Eden”. Here, you climb a mountain before giving your winged light away to statues. I think these statues represent fallen skykids. After giving away all your winged light, you die and then get reborn. Part of getting reborn means you get ascended candles, a more difficult form of currency to acquire.

After getting reborn, you will lose all your winged light but you will also gain a new winged light which will be added onto the total count after you regather all your winged light again.

After reading this, I hope you’ll consider playing ‘Sky: Children of the Light’. I would give it a 4.5/5.

You can play ‘Sky: Children of the Light’ on multiple platforms including, the Switch, Steam, and mobile devices (Android & Apple IOS).

Music/Concerts

Song meanings of the EP ‘Superclean, Vol.II’ by The Marías

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By: Christine Yang

The Marías is a psychedelic-soul lovechild of Puerto Rican-bred band with María Zardoya, Josh Conway, Jesse Perlman, and Edward James. The EP ‘Superclean, Vol II’ was released on September 28, 2018, with six songs on it. The EP is a blend between alternative and indie (Latin indie).

“Ruthless”:

“Ruthless” can be about someone who’s in love with somebody that they haven’t seen in awhile, but still have affections towards them and want to have a relationship with them. 

“Cariño”:

“Cariño” can be interpreted as a song to appreciate a romantic lover, and how you find peace just being with them. Or it can be about someone you love and how you’re telling them they’re special in many different ways.

“ABQ”:

The song “ABQ” can be interpreted as about anxiety, how you feel this constant feeling that you’re never alone and crave that loneliness or time with yourself.

On a personal level, it’s about María Zardoya’s struggle with anxiety of not wanting to let anyone down, and having so much pressure to get things done (songs related) to please the audience, but also be on track with her band members too.     

“Loverboy”:

“Loverboy” is about a partner being unfaithful towards you, and how you can’t really process or accept that fact, but also can’t bear to hear a word from their mouth.

“Over the Moon”:

“Over the Moon” is an idiomatic expression that means a state of extreme happiness. It’s also viewed as a bittersweet love song about the struggles of an uncertain but passionate relationship.

“Clueless”:

“Clueless” is about a relationship that failed due to not being able to handle it anymore (due to lack of emotional awareness, miscommunication, and growing apart). Also, being confused about their words/actions, and having moments of being able to feel free, but being reminded of them.   

Overall, I would give ‘Superclean, Vol II’ a 10/10.