Long Live Our Queens! Long Live SLAY!

~SLAY~
By Brittney Morris
Amazon ~ Powell's

Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give in this dynamite debut novel that follows a fierce teen game developer as she battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther–inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for black gamers.

By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the black man.”

But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”

Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically black in a world intimidated by blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?


I first came upon this book during RivetedLit's December Reads event, and considering how much I love The Hate U Give and my interest in gaming culture, I couldn't say no. But then I let it sit too long and expire. So when the Black Lives Matter movement resurged this spring/summer, I finally got my butt in gear and checked it out. And I'm glad I did.

Film Star Focus: Wreck-It Ralph

Or, why I think Disney's Wreck-It Ralph deserved its Oscar nomination. Let it be known that I have not yet seen the other nominees (including the winner, Pixar's Brave), but I still think what this film was able to accomplish was more than deserving of its nomination, if not the win. Wreck-It Ralph might seem like a blatant cash-in, or a movie that would only appeal to the gaming demographic (and even then, only the younger one), but I'm here to put that theory to rest. The setting and slew of cameos might draw in the gaming community, but the characters and their journeys are what will bring people back for their 2nd, 3rd, and 50th viewings.

And so this brings me to the first of my latest line of features, the Film Star Focus. I may not be well versed in cinematography or film history/techniques, but I can at the very least spot a great character story when I see one. Thus, in this series I will be trying my best to flesh out the great (and not so great) characters and their journeys in their respective films.

Also, before we get too far along, since I'm aiming to tackle the full character arc, the following 'review' will involve spoilers. I will try my best to be tactful, especially for movies which I'm advocating to be seen, but I will touch on character-specific endings here. Plot may get spoiled here and there, but character finales are very much on the table. So with out further ado...

~Wreck-It Ralph~
Walt Disney Animation Studios
2012
On Video March 5th, 2013
Amazon ~ Powell's

For decades, Ralph has played the bad guy in his popular video game. In a bold move, he embarks on an action-packed adventure and sets out to prove to everyone that he is a true hero with a big heart.

As he explores exciting new worlds, he teams up with some unlikely new friends including feisty misfit Vanellope von Schweetz. Then, when an evil enemy threatens their world, Ralph realizes he holds the fate of the entire arcade in his massive hands.

Our "Hero"

In the beginning, Ralph was a simple forest dweller, maybe a backwoods kind of guy, dressed in overalls and living in a tree stump. One day a bulldozer came along and moved his stump (and him) over to a dump in order to build a tall apartment building called Niceland. Ralph, suffering from a very short temper, climbed the building and started wrecking it.

Is it just me, or does this sound like the opening to a Bugs Bunny cartoon gone wrong?

The Nicelanders obviously don't want to be put out of their homes, so they call their building supervisor/carpenter/contractor (who happens to have a magical fixing hammer) by the name of Felix Jr. to fix the building. Once all the damage has been repaired, and Ralph (now deemed Wreck-It Ralph) has been chased to the roof, the Nicelanders award Felix a gold medal and then toss Ralph off the building with only a mud pile to break his fall.

Thus the stage is set for the world Ralph lives in. Felix is the good guy who gets medals, pies, and the gratitude and adoration of all the Nicelanders. Ralph is the bad guy who gets relocated to the dump, wrecks a building, and gets thrown off a building.

Of course, that's only part of Ralph's story.

Top Ten Tuesday: Non-Bookish Sites

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

So I tend to focus on mainly bookish things here. Even my last post, which was art related, stemmed from Harry Potter. But what kinds of sites do I read that aren't book related? Here's my top ten:

10. Pottermore

Sorta cheating here, but I do enjoy the games/activities on Pottermore. Sure, it's a site based around a book, but it's not just about reading, right?

9. Etsy

Partly business, and partly just browsing. Perusing the site for the latest and greatest handmade goodies is just so much fun! Seeing the prices on said goodies...well, not so much. When I win the lottery...

8. The Daily Show

This one I mostly go in spurts. I see a little on TV and then go watch 5 episodes (or extended interviews) straight. Jon Stewart is awesome.

7. Hellfire Commentaries

That's right - I have a video game addiction. But I'm lousy at playing games, so I settle for watching other people play them instead. It keeps me up-to-date on pop culture, while entertaining me with the commentators' witty rapport. And gotta love NTom's British accent.

6. That Guy With the Glasses

A fairly recent find, but I absolutely love watching CR, The Nostalgia Critic or Nostalgia Chick rip into my childhood favorites. Whether it be Disney, TV shows of olde or not so olde, these guys are masters of hilarity. I find myself cracking up even while they're bashing movies I absolutely loved.

5. XKCD

A comic that may not look pretty, but consistently delivers great punchlines, touching moments, or witty insights.

4. ...With Sprinkles

A web-comic/blog created by one of my college friends. I always look forward to Mondays knowing I'll get a good laugh - even if it does usually come from her misfortune. ...Does that make me a bad person?

3. TV Line

I wouldn't say I'm an American Idol addict...but I love reading/watching Michael Slezak's recaps, insights, interviews and predictions each season. And when he's not reporting, I sometimes look for the latest spoilers for my fave shows. TV spoilers = okay. Book spoilers = I kill you.

2. YouTube

I'm tempted to put this as number one, but since this is purely entertainment/distraction, I guess it gets lowered a peg. Whether it's watching a line of related videos for 3 hours more than anticipated, or checking out my favorite channels (SSoHPKC, ApprenticeA, CardGamesFTW, ItsJustSomeRandomGuy, HISHEdotcom, and TheCreatureHub to name a few), YouTube never ceases to entertain.

1. deviantART

Another site all too easy to spend unaccounted hours at, deviantART is probably where I spend the most non-bookish time. Between reposting my reviews, browsing random art, managing the SmilingMoonCreations account, browsing more art, checking in on my groups, uploading photos, and browsing the latest art my favorite artists have posted, it's a busy busy site.

Honorable Mentions:
Pandora
Library's Site
Ctrl+Alt+Del
Various Manga sites
Facebook


Yeah, a lot of my sites revolve around movies, video games, and art.
Can you tell I like distractions?
Which sites are on your list? Let me hear you howl!

Write Your A** Off!

Okay, first off, an announcement:

This post is not just about Write Your A** Off.

That information will be located at the end of the post.

Scroll down if you're really that impatient.

Thank you.

Now to other news.

Video Games

Following my rushed reading spree of both the Hitchhikers' series and the Mercy Thompson books (review links located on the right) I decided to take some time off and revisit a video game I've put off for some time.

Now, I'm not very good at video games in general. Anyone who knows me can tell you that. I'm not the greatest with hand-eye coordination, so anything involving timed running/jumping or shooting is right out. And combos? I'm more for button-mashing.

Really, the only games I'm any good at whatsoever are Turn-Based Role-Play Games. Pokemon is always a good mind-numbing game to play while watching TV. I played through the Ace Attorney games bing, bang, boom. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon was fun while it lasted, but I conquered it pretty quickly.

A friend, upon discovering my enjoyment of RPGs traded me a game he'd fiddled around with, but ultimately found too long and confusing. Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled proved to be right up my alley.

It has a great story and is very immersive. Only complaints I (and many people) have with it is how often the "random encounters" occur. Like Pokemon, when you're walking through the world, creatures/people suddenly attack you. But unlike Pokemon, there's no 'repel' or way to lessen the rate of battles. In fact, they pop up even MORE often than in Pokemon. Main reason I consulted a walk-through -- the battles would make me forget where I'd come from/where I was going.

There are also a couple (documented) glitches in the game. Sometimes you'd walk through a door and it wouldn't let you exit again. Or it'd say you'd acquired an item but it didn't show up in your inventory. There were other times, however, when I'd be walking along and the game would suddenly freeze. And (again, unlike Pokemon) save areas are hard to come by, often resulting in an hour down the drain. >_<

But, after 55+ hours of leveling up, item grabbing, and map-consulting (okay, FAQ-walkthrough consulting), I'm happy to say I finally beat the game! Yay! Another (meaningless) accomplishment checked off my list!

Job Hunting

I've started another round of job applications. I'd like to stay out of retail as much as possible, but I'm starting to concede a little. I've applied for a couple teller positions and some management jobs (my degree has to count for something, right?) in a couple retail stores.

I'm happy with my resume, how it's laid out and what it says. Still no bites, but I'm enthusiastic. Not that a lot of these low jobs even look at resumes. Have you seen some of these online applications? Yeah, some have a slot for uploading your resume, but most just ask you to fill in all the information over again on their page. And the questionnaires are confusing and tedious.

What percentage of politicians statements are true?

Over 50%

Between 30% and 50%

Between 30% and 15%

Between 15% and 5%

Under 5%

...What does that have to do with me gathering carts?

People who know you would describe you as...

Much more enthusiastic than others

Slightly more enthusiastic than others

Equally enthusiastic/reserved as others

Slightly more reserved than others

Much more reserved than others

We were out at dinner tonight and I'd describe our server as very enthusiastic. He was funny, he was personable, and he was certainly memorable (I'm writing about him now, aren't I?). But three events stuck out to make me not want him as my server again:

• As we were ordering drinks, he didn't have a note pad. When the last person ordered--WHILE he was still ordering, actually--he walked away to get our drinks. When he came back without the last one (his hands were full) he then clarified the order he hadn't heard fully because he was walking away.
• When he was taking the order for a salad, he kept up a 'friendly' conversation. She wanted a salad consisting of ONLY lettuce, carrots, and sliced (not cherry) tomatoes. I couldn't tell if he was trying to be funny, but when he read it back, he added onions and pickles, which she quickly repeated she didn't want. It took about 2 minutes just to order that salad.
• When we were ordering pies, he again didn't have a note pad, and AGAIN walked away as the last person ordered, so that we had to YELL ACROSS THE ROOM that we wanted his pie in a to-go box.

Enthusiasm might be a good thing...as is speediness, but I don't think it's an automatic qualification for customer service.

Ah well, not much I can do about it but sit and wait.

Write Your A** Off

Saturday, June 12th

That's right, it's what you been waiting for!

This Saturday, June 12th, the New York Writer's Coalition is hosting a 3000 word writing challenge. Really, it's just an excuse to write. They say there's strength in numbers, so maybe you can get your nagging friend/sibling/spouse/parent off your back long enough to get some words down.

The Official Page offers a sign-up for prizes, plus prompts, chats, workshops, and resources. If you're in New York (you lucky people, you) you can even attend live events!

I've also invited some people to the event via Facebook Event so I'm hoping for some people I know to get involved.

I don't know if I'll hit 3000 words. I'm not even sure I'm going to work all on one thing. I might write a blog post. I might post comments or responses to comments. I might return to my (much neglected) RP site. Or I might actually focus on my story. Eh, I'll see Saturday.