The Stickler Ninja

So I finished the demo and have since moved on to the arduous task that shall be Type-0. But before I fall too far out of my writing cycle, I wanted to take a moment to write about Episode Duscae and what it reveals about the upcoming entry in the series.

For starters, the visuals are, as always, superb. The environment of Duscae, the area where you run around in this demo, is gorgeous and allows for open roaming. It took me a while to reconcile the fact that the in-game action was so damn pretty. This is par for the course when it comes to Final Fantasy, though. With every new installment, we expect to see graphical quality that pushes the envelope of the system it’s on, and PS4 seems up to the task of handling it.

As for combat, I have to admit it took me a bit to get used to. Unlike previous installments, FFXV departs from turn-based combat in favor of real-time action, and 360 interaction with the environment. It is all too easy to swing and miss your targets as they hop around the battlefield, and it forces you to improvise and change up your strategy depending on the circumstances. I really enjoy how your teammates can team up with you to unleash killer combo attacks, and once you learn not to button mash (I am terrible at not mashing) it makes for an exciting element of battle.

This demo doesn’t give us too much in the way of hints about the story world nor do we learn all that much about the characters. Noctis, our main character, is your typical semi-silent protagonist, and his buddies Gladio, Prompto and Ignis are also similarly archetypal in nature. Gladio appears to be the tough guy/tank, Prompto the bumbling comic relief, and Ignis is a British accented know-it-all who almost seems like a reincarnation of Balthier from FFXII. We learn at the tail end that Noctis is the exiled prince of a country that has recently experienced a coup d’etat, and it’s up to the prince and his retinue to restore the monarchy. Other than that, we don’t learn much else, but I’m sure I missed stuff because I blazed through the plot in two hours. I know there’s probably much more to explore, but I’d rather do that in the real game.

It’s Star Wars Day, which means that I am practically obligated to write about the awesomeness that is Star Wars. But this year is particularly special, mainly because Star Wars has entered a new age, and it’s the Age of the Bad-ass Chick.

This is extremely cool for a number of reasons, not the least of which being the original intent behind our beloved nerd holiday. May the Fourth started out as a day designed to help encourage girls to love Star Wars just as much as their male counterparts. It was started by the father of a little girl who was teased for bringing a Star Wars lunch pail to school, and her dad did not take it lying down. He started a movement on May the Fourth called “Wear Star Wars, Share Star Wars Day,” a day meant to show little girls everywhere that Star Wars belongs to them, too.

And now is definitely an exciting time to be a girl in the Star Wars fandom. The much anticipated Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens introduced us to the new, female protagonist of Star Wars, a spunky, self-sufficient, Force-wielding bad-ass by the name of Rey. Whatever her origin might be, Rey has made a splash in the franchise that has put girls front and center in the world of Star Wars.

The Force Awakens is a real milestone for Star Wars, and not only because it’s given us a woman who is no man’s arm candy. Episode VII introduced us to Finn, a black Stormtrooper who throws off his helmet to join the Resistance. It gave us Captain Phasma, our first real FEMALE Stormtrooper, who is also in a leadership position. Although she doesn’t get nearly enough screen time, she has made an impact on the otherwise male dominant realm of the First Order. And, of course, we also get to see Princess Leia, now General Organa, at the head of Resistance, leading the charge against the oppressive First Order. I was so thrilled to see an older, wiser Leia at the helm of the new rebellion, and to see that she is a real force to be reckoned with, no pun intended.

But Force Awakens is just one of the many ways that Star Wars has begun to reflect the importance of women. Before The Force Awakens, we had the impressive run of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The show accomplished many things the prequels didn’t, like making Anakin Skywalker likable and showing more than just the political side of war. In this show, we got to see female characters come to the forefront, especially in the case of Ahsoka Tano, Anakin’s padawan and spunky sidekick in the show. In many ways, Ahsoka dominates the narratives of Clone Wars, covering an impressive character arc that leaves room open for future appearances in the franchise. In Clone Wars, we also saw Padme Amidala actively resisting the war, and we saw other powerful women in politics in the form of Mon Mothma and Satine, the Duchess of Mandalore. On the darker side, we also got a treat in the form of Asaaj Ventriss, a Sith apprentice and dual-wielding bad-ass who dogs Anakin and Obi-Wan throughout the series. Her own character arc, from apprentice to outcast, mirrors that of Ahsoka, but with slightly more sinister undertones. All told, the Clone Wars presented us with nuanced, intriguing, and self-rescuing females that don’t need men to make them important to the story.

We’ve also seen similar themes in Star Wars: Rebels, a post-prequel but pre-Trilogy tale about the beginnings of the Rebellion and a ragtag team of rebels set on upsetting the power of the Empire. In this series, we see powerful and self-sufficient women in the form of Hera Syndulla, a Twi’lek pilot who isn’t scantily clad at all, and who flies with the same finesse as Han Solo. We also have Sabine Wren, a Mandalorian demolitions expert with a flare for graffiti. These two women hold their own against a male cast of equally interesting folks, and in many ways, Hera runs the show even more so than Kanan, a Jedi in hiding.We also see women in power in the Empire, although their importance is overshadowed by such baddies as Grand Moff Tarkin and the big bad himself, Darth Vader. Still, what I’ve seen of Rebels has given me even more to be excited about with regards to the expanding role of women in Star Wars.

And equally exciting, we have another female lead in the upcoming Star Wars: Rogue One, a Star Wars anthology stand-alone that presents the events that led up to the theft of the Death Star plans. This movie is going to give us the story of a woman who leads a band of rebels into the heart of the Empire to seek out the truth behind the mega-weapon that is in the works. Although I don’t know too much else about the story, its diverse cast gives me plenty to squee about.

Of course, all of this progress comes with some cost. Many so-called “die hard fans” of the franchise have spoken out against the “over-feminization” of Star Wars. These man-children are threatened by a Star Wars that has replaced metal-bra-wearing pieces of eye candy for full-fledged female characters, and this apparently scares the bejeezus out of these guys. If you remember, these were probably the same idiots who unsuccessfully boycotted Episode VII because, horror of horrors, it featured a black man as a central character. Apparently having a black Lando Calrissian is fine, but give us a black Stormtrooper turned rebel and all hell breaks loose. And these same people are up in arms because Star Wars: Rogue One has a woman at the helm, and this just isn’t Star Wars enough for them,

Whenever there’s progress, there’s always backlash, but I am heartened by the fact that those creators at the helm of this new age of Star Wars aren’t balking because some of the fan base is butt-hurt over some changes. Quite the opposite, it seems that the fandom as a whole is distancing themselves from such shallow-minded peers. Many of us are fully embracing the new feel of Star Wars, and now more than ever does it seem like Girl Power is finally winning the day. Granted, there is always room for improvement, but Rey and her cohorts have definitely broken some glass ceilings and have proven, to paraphrase President Obama, that fighting like a girl makes you a bad-ass.

I was going to write something fairly awesome, but then I had tequila. On Tuesday. Yep, it’s been that kind of week, and it’s only two days in. Woot.

Adulthood is messy. It’s rife with responsibility, bills, and dealing with the mundane nature of the day-to-day. I mean, unless you’re living a life of high-flung adventure, the quotidian concerns of “adulting” can definitely get to you.

I think this, in addition to the other things I will soon discuss, is part of why My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has acquired a surprising volume of adult viewers, both male and female. Why is it that a show designed primarily for small children, and probably aimed at selling said small children toys, has come to be so beloved by adults?

If you’ve not watched an episode of MLP:FIM, then I can understand your consternation. If you have watched the show and still feel this way, then I’m sorry, but you have no soul. Well, either that or you’re more geared for “adult” shows, which is also cool. But if you have watched an episode of My Little Pony, or maybe several in a row, you’ve probably seen the appeal.

Unlike previous incarnations of the beloved toy ponies, this show has a cast of main characters who are actually characters. In many ways, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has the kind of awesome ensemble cast that I used to adore watching in such nineties shows as Animaniacs and Sailor Moon. Not only are the primary six characters, aka the Mane Six, interesting in their own right, but the show has produced a full-bodied world of side characters that are just as cool and interesting as the principal characters.

But if you’re still wondering why this has hooked adults, then consider this: there is something extremely satisfying about watching our characters resolve a conflict in the space of twenty-four minutes of screen time. This sort of conflict resolution doesn’t generally happen in the real world, mostly because the real world is messy. This isn’t to say that our characters don’t have complex issues to deal with: at least once a season, our Mane Six are faced with an almost world-ending catastrophe that they are able to overcome through their wits, their team work, and, you guessed it, the strength of their friendship.

It sounds hokey, but in this show, the power of friendship manifests itself in every aspect of the show. It’s not merely sugar-coated moral lessons, but nuanced stories that deal with topics as wide ranging as jealousy, responsibility to others, and to being true to who you are. One of my favorite episodes of late was one where Fluttershy decides to participate in Nightmare Night, the Equestria equivalent of Halloween, to be with her friends. But in the end, Fluttershy decides that she really doesn’t enjoy either being scared or scaring others, and her friends accept the fact that Fluttershy has a different take on it, and that’s the end.

What’s lovely about this show is that despite its outward kiddish charm, it is nevertheless rather mature in its treatment of friendship. It openly acknowledges that the Mane Six are all different, but that their differences are what make their friendship stronger. Even the most hardhearted characters, like Diamond Tiara in this most recent season, are given opportunities to learn the value of friendship through the show. The show also honors the fact that friendship is complicated, and it requires compromise, compassion, and even promotes the idea that sometimes space is a good thing between friends.

This is a refreshing take on things, and it helps to give the world a real sense of harmony that is so rare to find elsewhere. I appreciate the simple bliss of spending a half hour watching my favorite ponies tackle anything from saving Equestria to deciding how to celebrate an occasion together. Each character has a chance to shine, and this most recent season saw an episode dedicated entirely to the background characters of the series, showing them off and reiterating to the audience that yes, they are just as important as the main characters.

So is it any wonder that adults can be found watching this show with their kids? Is it any wonder that some of us childless adults watch it in our pj’s after a long day at the office, or after a particularly frustrating event in our lives? It’s escapism, sure, but it’s a pleasant kind of escapism that also reaffirms that life’s simple pleasures are worthwhile.

And yes, my own love of MLP borders on obsession, but I think many of my fellow Bronies and Pegasisters can agree that it’s a healthy kind of love we have for the world of Equestria and its equine inhabitants. So, if you were wondering, you totally have my permission to like MLP. You totally have permission to love it, even. Or not. Adulthood is knowing when you need a break, and knowing how to enjoy said break. Just because something is made for kids doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.

Feminism and gaming have a troubled relationship to say the least. With the recent debacles of Gamer Gate and rampant online animosity against any woman who speaks out against the gaming industry, it's easy to see why many gaming women find themselves between a rock and a hard place. It's almost as if every game, every purchase, every achievement, even, has some sort of philosophical ramification. Is it possible, in the long run, to be both a feminist and a gamer?

Well, the quandary is strong with this one, to be sure, but I have to say that one game in particular, and its subsequent “spiritual successor,” have left me with some serious doubts about the nature of how we interact with games, and to what extent critique can, in some cases, go a little too far.

This may come as a shock to some, but I loved the hell out of HuniePop. I wouldn't have heard about the game if I hadn't seen two prominent let's-players feature it on their respective channels. Despite the nature of the game, which is a dating sim where you play a hapless guy/girl who is prompted by a sex fairy to pick-up all the women you meet, I found the whole concept remarkably entertaining and, dare I say it, hilarious.

Even though a part of me felt really, really dirty when doing so, I downloaded the game on Steam and immediately dove into it for hours on end. It was effortless for me to spend roughly three hours playing it the first time, and I found myself slowly growing to understand all of the mechanics involved in the game play. Not only does the game allow you to focus your attention on dialogue with the girls, but your dates with them and the items you use during said dates will determine how easily you get them to the next heart level.

I was midway through my first playthrough of the game when I came across an article on the game written by a feminist critic. Although I cannot remember who I was reading, she made some pretty solid points. For one, she said that the game was an obvious oversimplification of both women and dating that dehumanized the whole process. True enough. But I was perhaps most taken aback by one of the seminal claims of the piece: that this game was made with immature, small-minded men in mind who really view women as mere notches on their bedposts.

Suddenly I found myself in an uncomfortable state of thought: if HuniePop were designed simply for men, why was I enjoying it so much? Why, indeed, was I even deigning to play a game that did, in many ways, turn the women in the story into one-dimensional non-agents? Did this mean that I was a bad feminist for pouring money into a game that was both stereotyping and demeaning my own kind?

But the more I thought about it, and the more I played the game, the sooner my sense of cognitive dissonance began to settle on a middle ground. Yes, the game was a false representation of women and the act of dating/sleeping with them, but wasn't that, actually, the whole point of the game? In many ways, HuniePop is a satire of the dating sim genre, and while it does play to the prurient interests of the people who play it, it also openly points out the flaws in its own formula. For example, Kyu, who you eventually get the option to pursue as a love interest, spends many of your dates commenting on the meta-aspects of the game. If you fail a date, or pull a bad move, she'll criticize you for it, commenting, “Please, can you be worse at match-three games?” Her blatant sarcasm underlies the whole game, thus giving the impression that the harbinger of the game itself doesn't take it all that seriously.

If the game doesn't take itself seriously, then do we, as gamers, have to take it seriously at all? I know that feminist critique is not so much about accepting satire as harmless, tongue-in-cheek humor, but is it possible that we're being too sensitive when it comes to something that is very clearly meant to be a joke?

I know joking can be harmful, trust me. I do not condone joking about rape or violence towards women, and I know that many who talk about it, when called out, will claim to be joking when it certainly feels like they were very serious. But what if something is intended, first and foremost, to be a satire of a genre? Does that automatically make it complicit with misogyny? HuniePop isn't merely guilty of stereotyping women, but stereotyping women of color as well. But if it calls itself out on its own stereotyping, does that make it part of the problem or does it mean that we are moving away from the typical dating sim towards something more nuanced?

I don't claim to know the answers to these questions, nor do I think that feminist critics are wrong to go on the offensive when they see something that conflicts with their worldview. It's very clear to me and many other women that the gaming industry needs major change to make it a more equal and comfortable environment for women. But I'm not sure I buy into the belief that HuniePop, and games like it, are reinforcing the kind of behavior we want to see change. In fact, I would argue that it is placing a spotlight on what's wrong with our culture when it comes to how we portray, view, and understand women and, equally important, their sexuality.

Now, when HunieCam Studios, the so-called “spiritual successor” to HuniePop came out on Steam this year, I was unsure of what to expect. When I saw my favorite Youtubers playing it and having a laugh over how ridiculous its premise is, I was encouraged to get it and play for myself. Unlike HuniePop, in HunieCam Studios you never see any tits or ass, though some of your girls can certainly wear scanty outfits that flaunt those assets. Although you send them in to the Cam Studio to film, you don't get to see what they're doing, and you're more concerned with managing assets and fetishes than you are with seeing boobs.

And yes, like its predecessor, HunieCam Studios is a satire of the highest caliber that is painfully aware of its own perversions. The achievements you unlock most clearly hint to this as they come with ignominious titles such as “Harem (strictly professional)” and “Disappoint your Parents.” If these names don't at least make you chuckle, then I'm not sure if I can reach you with this argument. HunieCam Studios, if possible, is even more hilariously tweaked than the first, and it definitely has its moments where you stand back and think, “I am a terrible human being.” This occurs most often when you send your girls to “escort” clients and they contract a serious STD, such as AIDS. If that doesn't beat you over the head with its implications, then nothing will.

But it seems to me that the people behind these two strange, perverted games are not in it to make women out to be mere objects, but are very clearly poking fun at a society, our own, that lets this sort of thing happen without thinking twice. Companies like the one portrayed in HunieCam Studios exist and operate in real life, and not unlike how they do in the game. If you look at how much you pay your girls for their services, you can also see another sad parallel to reality: even when they ask for the highest possible pay, a girl who cams doesn't earn even a small fraction of the money her studio makes from her work.

It's wage theft, and it happens to women in these kind of operations every day. In the real world, Russian women are exploited by studios that take 70% of the money they earn while camming, and often ask them to work twenty or more hours straight without any breaks. In all likelihood, the same is true or worse in other parts of the world as well. And this sort of thing goes unchecked because it happens outside the US and, even more importantly, on the internet where we don't yet have the mechanisms in place to check this rampant exploitation of both men and women who work in the sex industry.

So yes, we can argue back and forth about whether HuniePop and HunieCam Studios promote and reinforce this kind of thing, but we probably won't stop people from downloading these kinds of games, and, even sadder, we won't stop society from letting slide the behaviors portrayed in these games. It takes more than a boycott of a game to change the world. In fact, I would argue that games like this one help us to see the disparity between the sexes more clearly. They help us look at the dark side without having to experience it for ourselves first hand. They give us a chance to play out the darkness and see how we feel afterward, all from the safety off our laptops.

I have a million other things I should be doing, but I needed to get this off my chest. Election season is in full spate, and I, being an outspoken female of the liberal persuasion, have been using my Facebook and other platforms to share what I believe to be pertinent information about the issues at hand.

Tuesday night's town hall debate was a considerable kerfuffle, but I feel that Mitt Romney's comments about women were the lowest point of all the proverbial dog fighting that was going on between Obama and his opponent. As such, I posted the above photo on my FB, which a few like-minded individuals "liked" and one person commented on. No biggie. Then, of course, I had the audacity to post the following:

My tagline, not surprisingly, was: If there was any doubt about Romney's take on women, this should clear it up.

Well, apparently it's not okay to post something this controversial, because apparently it just puts an entire beehive in some people's bonnets when you try and translate the essential message. I went on FB today and found what looked like a SWTOR chat-rant on crack, but the content was even more astounding. Evidently one of my male, conservative Catholic "friends" felt the need to say that this was out of context and was verbally bashed by one of my female, liberal very-non-Catholic friends about how yes, in fact, the context made sense.

Then the dude decides that he's trying to tell all of us intelligent ladies "the truth" about what Romney meant by his statement and that I, silly girl that I am, was not giving Romney enough credit for trying to be inclusive (bear in mind, this is my interpretation of his words).

I mean, what the hell? Is it International Troll Week or something? I swear, I've had weird encounters like this online throughout the week and not a one of them ends well. Maybe it's my own damn fault for posting about politics, but call me crazy, I find that shit to be pretty important.

So what do I do? Do I stop posting something I find pertinent so I won't get my page trolled or do I continue to receive the abuse so I can broadcast what I believe?

If you know me, you probably know the answer to this question. Like hell am I going to back down on this point. Dammit, Romney and his republican cohorts are having a chuckle over this, probably, along with their infamous "binders full of women" statement. I mean, these guys do not see women as equals and it is horridly apparent when Romney makes the kind of statement that implies single mothers are one of the reasons that people turn out messed up and violent. He also seems to think that only women need "flexible" schedules to go home and take care of the children. Don't single dads have the same responsibility?

It just doesn't make sense, and it infuriates me that we still need to talk about this crap when women have been breadwinners for some time now. It should come as no surprise to anyone that women want to be treated the same as their male counterparts who continue to outstrip them in pay, even though women are equally qualified. And both men and women are now responsible for the care and nurturing of children, as it friggin' should be. In other industrialized countries, predominantly Scandinavian ones, men and women are more equal and are less hung up about specific gender roles that we Americans can't seem to move past.

So here was my response to the friend who told me I was off-base:

Holy shit. I posted this for two reasons: One, I found it utterly and completely condescending of Mitt to say that he provided one of his cabinet members with a "flexible schedule" because she needed to be home with her kids, implying, as Serra said, that a man wouldn't need to do the same because he has a woman to do that for him. Also, when I post these things, it's really not to sway the minds of those who staunchly believe that we've made "enough progress" in women's rights--those of you who feel this way are entitled to your opinion. But the truth is that we're still having conversations like this one about something which should honestly be a non-issue. Women work, men work, women have families, men have families--let's cut the bull and realize that women are simply asking for equal treatment and equal rights that men enjoy without thinking twice. And that's why I posted this.

My friend's response: I can see that, but every politician has two faces, one for the public and one for reality.

o.O

This will be a bit of a hybrid post, so bear with me as I endeavor to make this analogy. Today I finally finished reading the world famous manga Rurouni Kenshin, a massive epic of 28 volumes of action-packed sequences. And tomorrow starts a new chapter in my teaching career. And yesterday marked the end of a different chapter that, technically, ended long ago.

Yesterday was the date set for my wedding. I had been dreading the passage of that date even though it is just another day. I couldn't help but feel sad and wistful in the early morning up through the mid-afternoon. It took a substantial amount of effort to not think about when the ceremony would've been or anything like that. Also, a part of me felt like this was an expiration date of sorts--if my ex was going to change his mind, today would be the last day to do so. But he didn't show, not that I thought he would, and so I just had to mourn for a little bit.

I went upstairs to the room where my ill-fated wedding dress rests. I unzipped the plastic bag covering it and rested my head down on the bodice where the beading happens to be. And then I cried...I just let myself cry.

When the self-pity and sadness subsided slightly, I came to a very strong and happy conclusion: so today is not my day, but some day it will be.

The rest of the day I spent with my mom and sister. I ended up finding a ton of new work clothes for my job and I also bought some impulse buys, but it was a productive trip. My sister and I watched Bridesmaids and laughed our asses off, and I went to bed feeling certain that this day I'm leaving behind is only going to lead to better things. One day, I'll find the person I'm looking for.

In the meantime, I am going to be working at an arts high school as an AP English teacher. I can't tell you how big of a deal that is for a new teacher to say. I happen to love the idea that I'll be teaching AP and honors, as well as regular classes. Tomorrow is our first staff meeting and I am really looking forward to seeing my new classroom.

As for today, I've been getting ready and staying relatively calm. And, of course, I was raring to finish Rurouni Kenshin. I started the manga around June and have been steadily checking them out from the library as I blazed through them. At first I was having a hard time conceptualizing the swordplay and whatnot, but I just fell in love with the characters and the complex era they were living in. Honestly, it got me interested in learning about the Bakumatsu and the Meiji Restoration.

Anyway, I probably don't need to gush too much about it--if you're interested, you'll probably love it. But what I'm taking away from the manga is something that I, too, am committed to in my own life. Throughout the series, Kenshin has to come face to face with his past and move forward to a better life. Kenshin experienced loss and pain and still decided to keep on living for a new day. So the theme of moving forward remains my chief goal in my life--just keep moving forward.