Looking for Party

Written by Tommy Sandrin, Grade 11

In this series of articles I’m planning on looking into various aspects of MMORPGs (Massive Multiple Online Role-playing Games for any non-gamers out there) and how they’ve changed over the years. In this one, I’ll be looking at grinding. The act of grinding is killing the same monsters or repeating the same quests over and over again to gain EXP (experience) and money. Grinding is in pretty much every single RPG known to man. When you just walk around and look for monsters to fight? That’s grinding. Grinding is usually the answer to a hard boss fight; can’t beat him? Grind up some levels and then try again.

Now today we will mainly be looking at two MMORPGS, ones that I’ve played a lot, World of Warcraft (WoW) and Maplestory (MS) , both take different approaches to grinding and the level system in general. Let’s start off with WoW. When I played it was in the Burning Crusade, the max level cap was 70 and you spent a fairly long time in Outland (which by the way is one of the most beautiful video game worlds I’ve ever seen. I’ll try not to gush too much about it), starting from level 55ish. Each level took a fairly long time, about a day of decent playing, not just messing around in town, and every level felt like a battle. When you levelled up, you got rewards right away in the form of talent points. Each of these could be used to further increase your character’s damage and skills; you could gain extra spells you wouldn’t normally get just by levelling, as well as just a general increase to your effectiveness. You looked forward to each talent point because you could see everything you could get! You could plan out your builds, see which talents appealed to you the most, it made you want to level up and it gave you a good reward to look forward too, along with the max level bringing flying mounts and a whole lot of new and exciting raids, which I’ll cover dungeons in a later article. Now in WoW levelling is a lot easier, and to balance that, the talent point system was changed wildly. In Cataclysm, you got one point every few levels; and in Mists of Pandaria, you only get a few points in total! The changes made sort of balanced out how easy it is to level now, when I played in Cataclysm with my friends we all levelled so fast it was crazy, and I found it very… hollow. You didn’t feel like you achieved much.

Now Maplestory, is a whole different beast, the max level in that is 200, excluding the Cygnus Knights, and you are meant to level faster than in WoW because the level cap is higher. Maplestory does an amazing job of giving you many little rewards. If you are playing as a Magician, your magic claw spell changes colours as you level up, making you feel stronger. At level 10, 30, 60 and 100 you get a job advancement, giving you a flashy new title and a whole host of new skills to play around with, as well as the ability to do more things, like MS’ version of raids, more party quests, and new places to train, which in an incredibly grind heavy game like Maplestory, is pretty dang awesome. However back in old Maplestory, pre big bang patch, everything was pretty different. Back then level 30 was amazing, it took literally a month of good solid playing to get it, and anything past that...? That was damned impressive! When you saw a high level back then, you had respect, they’d earned what they’d got and if you ever managed to get that high you felt like you’d achieved something. What does this all mean though? What does it mean for the genre as a whole? It means games are evolving and changing. The fact that it is easier to level means that more casual gamers can get in and get to the more interesting parts of the game quicker, but is this good? Well, that depends. If you are a hardcore gamer you might not feel it’s fair that someone can work for a short amount of time and get huge rewards, and it might directly impact you. MMO’s have an economy, again which I’ll go over in another article, and if suddenly a lot of people are high level they’ll need higher level gear, and this could have radical effects on you and your enjoyment of the game. My thoughts are that I don’t like the way WoW is going with it, but on the flip-side I like what Maplestory is doing to an extent. I enjoy the easier levelling, but I still want enough of a challenge so that I feel like I achieved something; not just me slamming through a ten levels an hour- that’s not fun, that’s just mindless busy work, and I do enough of that in school! On another note though, on the topic of addiction to these online games, someone might say that making it easier to level will lessen the addictions. I personally feel like it will do nothing; if you can spend the same amount of time to get one level as it is to get three you might actually worsen the addiction, but that’s just my thoughts. I want to know what everyone else thinks, however! Avid gamers, leave some comments on your thoughts!

Hush 

Kelly Cameron

  Grade 11

One night I dreamt of a stormy place

With dark clouds frowning on my face

Distanced down the cobbled street

Lightning flashed upon the sea

The lamp-posts bled into my skin

A light mist crowding every sin

And looming in a central square

Stood a decrepit statue

Hey, little gargoyle, don’t be shy

There must be warmth in stone-cold eyes

A polaroid in ruckus, true

Pulsing through sick déjà vu

Pick it up, pick it up, step in time

Horrific stiffened veins run dry

Falling pathetic, my foul doubt

And I’ll leave it to the church mouse

Grotesque renditions, allusive light

Of another Mona Lisa or Starry Night

The grey lady looked down at me

The fiendish smirk, I didn’t see

She did not move, but beckoned still

That I come forth for just a thrill

I screamed inside to run away

But something made me stay

Hey, little gargoyle, don’t be sad

There must be good in tireless bad

Your marble arms, like venom ice

They now have got me in a vise

Pick it up, pick it up, step in time

Asphyxiation’s not a crime

When flesh isn’t flesh and art is art

I’ll leave it to the church mouse

The Black Squirrels – A Political Love Story

Kelly Cameron

Grade 11

Once upon a time there was a beautiful black squirrel named Blaze. Blaze lived in a thick jade forest located in Michigan, inside a lovely hollow tree by the pond. Regrettably, Blaze lived all alone. It was truly a shame, for the hollow was big enough for two and Blaze would have loved nothing more than to share it. All the other black squirrels had met wonderful grey squirrels and settled down, just like generations before them. Blaze wanted to meet a nice grey squirrel too, but had yet to meet a decent one.

      One day, that all changed. Blaze was digging up a buried chestnut in the forest floor when the most gorgeous squirrel showed up. Blaze found out that this magnificent creature’s name was Dusty. Dusty and Blaze bonded over the finally unearthed chestnut, and after weeks and months of seeing each other, the two of them fell in love. Dusty moved into Blaze’s hollow tree, and the two made terrific plans to be married.

      Unfortunately, the woodland forest was ruled by a silly old cat named Mittens. When Mittens heard of Blaze and Dusty’s wedding plans, he was outraged. Mittens believed that black squirrels should only be allowed to marry grey squirrels. Dusty and Blaze were both black squirrels. Mittens valued the tradition of the past generations and refused to allow Blaze and Dusty a simple marriage certificate. Because of this, the other squirrel couples began to laugh at Dusty and Blaze. They called them rude names and even attacked them when they went down to the pond for a drink. Blaze and Dusty begged Mittens to put a stop to it, but Mittens just told them they’d brought it upon themselves. If they didn’t like it, Mittens suggested, then they should simply each find themselves a grey squirrel. Mittens believed it had been their choice, but Dusty and Blaze couldn’t help that they’d fallen in love! Blaze was angry and Dusty was hurt. Why should they be denied their rights, all judging from who they kept as a roommate?

      Just when Dusty and Blaze were considering migrating to a different forest so they could be married, a wise old owl swooped in from a distant land called Hawaii. He was called Rocky. Rocky didn’t like Blaze and Dusty’s situation at all. He believed that all squirrels should be able to marry whoever they pleased, and he felt that the leader of the forest shouldn’t have control over their subjects’ relationships. Dusty and Blaze couldn’t believe it: it was as if Rocky was their own guardian angel! The other squirrels in the forest began to listen to Rocky, and soon found that he would be a much more suitable leader than Mittens was. Eventually, Mittens was forced to step down as leader, and Rocky took his place.

 The first thing Rocky did was allow Dusty and Blaze their marital rights.

The end.   

Screaming Eagles Podcast: 3

Screaming Eagles Podcast: 2

The Wal-Mart of All Exoticness

Chris Spangenberg

The truth is, most of us only want a “superficial multiculturalism”. Sushi for a Saturday lunch. Tattoos with Chinese characters. Persian swear-words in one's linguistic arsenal.

Multiculturalism is truly only able to exist when all involved cultures attempt to connect and have a sincere knowledge and respect for each other. Not when it's a “convenient commodity”, or seen as “exotic”. A holiday to Hawaii might be healthy for the Hawaiian economy, but I'll bet you a cache of Monopoly money that the natives find it patronizing when you're flashing cameras, and pretending to be a Hula dancer. Same goes for any country, except for the USA. They find it intimidating and strip-search you at airports.

I'm still waiting for the time when cultures truly cast away the confines of comfort and prejudice, and really try to gain a deeper understanding of different cultures...a veritable melting pot of ethnicity coming together to wise up and gain more knowledge, and enforce a bond of peace and mutual appreciation.

Sure, the barriers of racism have broken down, and Lil Wayne, a visible minority, appears on the same shelves as Caucasians like Maroon 5 and Katy Perry. But for what I know, it's the same caterwaul, thus rendering the comparison obsolete.

Until the fateful day when the walls come crashing down, eating a Burrito at Taco Bell does not make one a Mexican. Or even multicultural. It makes you a fast-food connoisseur.

Inspiration and footwork from When Rap Music Had A Conscience by Tayannah Lee McQuillar

Screaming Eagles Podcast: 1

Hey ladies, ever wander what the average guy talks about when we’re not around? Now’s your chance to find out! An average conversation between three sensational Carson guys, with plenty of playful banter, innuendos, and talk about Halloween terror, school and sports (we think), video games (of course), and technical difficulties. They like to make us believe they’re tech savvy, but we see through their shallow facade!

Being an international student

Marie-Sophie Silan

On a sunny morning one year ago I woke up with the idea in my mind of leaving my country and going to live in America. Why? I didn’t know exactly. I wanted to discover the world and to live the American dream, but also take time for myself and engage in new experiences. The project seemed perfect to me and one year later I was ready to go. I had my 23 kg’s of luggage in hand, and also a new feeeling-a fear in my heart. After saying goodbye to my family and my friends, it was time for me to go my own way. To be totally honest, it was one of the hardest event I have ever done.

I live in Belgium. It`s a little European country stuck between Germany, France, Holland and another little and unrecognized country, Luxembourg. This name maybe arouses in you some pictures: Belgian beer, the Belgian chocolate or (worse than any other cliché), Belgian waffles. Except in Brussels, the capital, nobody bakes waffles- I mean, probably no more than in the other countries. Something else to know about Brussel: it is the capital of the European Union, which manages all the laws and systems of European countries. By the way, Belgium is one of the three founding members of the European Union, which now has existed for more than 60 years. Belgian people are friendly. They have a great sense of humor and they will laugh at themselves if it will lighten the mood, thought they may not always get on very well. However, it is a big deal when the country is divided into three parts, each with different languages- French, Dutch or German. Belgium always stands on its own. Actually, the first thing I realized when I left my life is what my country and its people meant for me. I decided I wanted to represent it proudly in Canada. (And I’ll keep doing it, even when people talk to me about Paris and French coffee, I will never give up!).

When walking through Carson Graham’s halls you can meet people coming from all over the world. Mainly from Germany and Brazil, but also from Italy, Czech Republic, Turkey, China, Korea, Japan, Greece… All are between fourteen and eighteen years old. They came here to improve their English, take part in the life of a Canadian family and are here for three, six or ten months-maybe longer, maybe forever- who knows?

I’ve been in Vancouver for exactly one month now and I’ve already had a lot of experiences, both good and bad. To arrive in a foreign place where you don’t know anybody is something that is really hard at the beginning. You doubt yourself very often and you don’t remember why you left your life and all the people who know and love you. Sometimes you feel very alone, above all because you don’t speak the language correctly, and you can’t express yourself like you want to. Someone who smiles at you can make your day- someone who ignores you in the street (despite the fact that you have six classes in common) can simply destroy it. It seems sad when said like this, but that is only the bad sides of the experience. There are also alot of good things about being here. I get to take part in the life of a new family, and discover new people. It’s like giving Math up and take Foods or Jazz Band instead (unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of option in the majority of european’s schools). It’s wearing a tee-shirt with “Carson, Eagle Pride” written on it, it’s playing sports on huge and beautiful fields, it’s learn to ice-skate for the first time, it’s follow the TV shows in real time and not having to wait six months before a French translation comes along (terrible, by the way). It’s living in a big city with skycrapers (yeah, like in NY) and endless avenues, it’s going shopping with friends in labyrinthic malls, it’s see the American life “like in the movies”… These are normal experiences for a North American, but for an European girl like me they amaze me more and more every day. All I learn here in Canada just by observing and listening to people, just by understanding the way they think and behave-I want to keep it and try to give you something in exchange. After all, with an International, or exchange student…that’s what it’s all about.

Some questions to Mrs Kaufman, international student’s coordinator

Q : How many years has Carson hosted international students?

A : I would guess at least 10.

Q : Why does Carson host international students?

A : As an International Baccaleureate School and with an already diverse population, Carson is aiming to bridge any cultural gaps that may still exist.  We hope to learn from other students' cultures and to share our own culture with them.  Ideally, we hope both our International students and our own student can become better global citizens from sharing a common space.

Q : How many students do you usually  host?  

A : Carson has between 60 and 75 students each year.

Q : What do you expect from an international student?

We expect them to be ambassadors for their country - showing and sharing the values and cultural mores which they bring with them.  We also expect them to embrace Canadian culture - both in and out of school - and to respect the values and cultural mores that may be new and unfamiliar to them.

An Interview With Caro, from Düsseldorf (Germany)

Q: Why did you come here?

A: I wanted to see another country, see the Canadian and American way of life and to find new friends and a second family.

Q: Why Vancouver?

A: Everbody thinks about USA but nobody speaks about Canada, so I chose Vancouver because it’s on the coast and near to the USA’s board so I have the chance to be a little bit between Canada AND USA.

Q: What is the cliché you hear the most about Germany here?

A: People think German is an agressive language. But it isn’t.  I can speak really softly!

Q: Can you talk a little bit about Düsseldorf, your city?

A: Düsseldorf has a infrastructure similar to Vancouver, it’s great to be there because there’s an intersting city with a lot of nature. But Vancouver is better because there’s the sea too!

Düsseldorf is a little bit the Paris of Germany, there are many fashion shops, it has a great history and an old downtown when we can celebrate parties. But to go to parties you have to be 18! Düsseldorf has also a great soccer team called “Fortuna Düsseldorf” which plays in first league!

Q: What do you prefer in your city?   

A: We can go shopping and we are close to other big cities and we are close to the boarder of Belgium and Holland, we have many possibilities to do shopping there!

Q: What is the most famous meal in Germany?

A: The most famous meal is Sausages with Sauerkraut or thick pancakes. In the south, it is the beer and the Wiener Schnitzel (mainly in Austria)

Q: What is the most difficult thing about being an international student?

A: The most difficult thing was leaving and leaving my family at the airport and going my own way, arriving here,  and having to build a new life with a new family. But I really like my family, so that is fine.

Q: What is the nicest thing about being an international student?

A: To be a part of a Canadian family, to see other friendly people different from in Germany, everybody is very helpful here, and people are really nice.

Q: What is the nicest thing you discovered since you’re here?

A: My new family, my host sister and my friends.

Q: What is the biggest difference between Canada and Germany?

A: The people. Because the people here are frendly and they trust each other. The doors in the street are open all the time for example! In Germany, that is not like that. “It’s my house, not your business!”, that is more the way of thinking.

We have a grand total of 70 International students this year, 15 of whom are returning from last year and 55 who are brand new.  Our demographic spread this year is the following:

Italy - 5

Iran - 2

Germany - 12

Taiwan - 3

Turkey - 4

Korea - 11

Japan - 1

Belgium - 1

Greece - 1

Czech - 1

Switzerland - 1

Mexico - 2

Brazil - 21

China - 5

Nerd Culture- Sherlock

Nerd Culture-Sherlock

By Brenna Roberts, Grade 11

          Today, I will be talking to you about BBC’s Sherlock, which is absolutely brilliant. I’m not entirely sure about how well know it is, as my ‘circles’ are well versed in...well...pretty much all nerd areas, actually. Outside of that, however, I’m not sure of how popular this miniseries is. My guess is most of you have heard of it at least, even if you haven’t watched it, as at this year’s Emmys, the first episode of it's second season - "A Scandal in Belgravia", was nominated for several awards.

          In 2010, a total of three 90-minute episodes were aired as season one, created by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, based on the popular novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. What they did though, was quite clever. The series is based in a modern-day London, and it portrays a Sherlock (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) that fits into the modern era (well...sort of), making full use of all the new technology and methods that are available to us now. They also pull in other main characters from the books, including, of course, John Watson, played by Martin Freeman (look for him in the Hobbit!), James Moriarty (Andrew Scott), Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss), Irene Adler (Lara Pulver), Detective Inspector Lestrade (Rupert Graves), and a whole host of other names one might recognize have they read the books. It’s very cleverly done, and the casting is absolutely brilliant. Everyone plays their roles extremely well; they really just fit into the whole story seamlessly. The dialogue is witty, and the way they’ve blended the plots into modern day London is flawless. If you’re a fan of the books, and you’ve read them all, you will even find references to the story lines not portrayed on screen hidden in the dialogue. For instance, in the finale of season 2, called The Reichenbach Fall, Jim Moriarty keeps referring to the Final Problem, the Sherlock Holmes short story where Sherlock and Moriarty actually die, going over the cliff of the Reichenbach Falls (except, then Sherlock wasn’t actually dead, because, even in the 1800s, fangirls were forces to be reckoned with!).

          The plot-lines of the episodes are very intricate and amazingly clever, keeping it simple enough to understand but complicated enough to keep you on your toes and guessing at every corner. Blended together with an old fashioned soundtrack; that, though one may expect to clash with the era they’ve set it in, works beautifully; the episodes have a quality of fast paced excitement, that at the same time isn’t loud and in your face, as some intense detective show music tends to be.

          So far there have been 6 episodes, each an hour and a half long, as in accordance with the British miniseries formula, for a total of two seasons. The first season was more of an intro, with John and Sherlock meeting for the first time, solving cases, showing off what they are like as people and how Sherlock goes about doing things; and also the establishment of Moriarty as being the ‘big bad’ in the end of the season. They explore the concepts and methods Sherlock uses, and they display magnificently how technology plays a significant role in the series. In Season Two, the stakes were a lot higher, now that Sherlock and John have come face to face with the infamous Devil in Westwood, Jim Moriarty and lived to tell the tale. As the first episode progresses, it becomes apparent that Moriarty isn’t going to leave Sherlock alone, in fact the words from the finale of Season 1 ‘I will burn you, Sherlock. I will burn theheart out of you,’ becomes that much more terrifying. But I won’t give too much away- I wouldn’t want to spoil the fun.

          Should you wish to dive into this fandom (and I highly recommend you do), just be warned. The gaps between seasons will drive you insane. The hiatus between seasons one and two was a grand total of a year and a half, and now it’s been almost a seven months since season 2 left us with the most unbearably painful cliffhanger. It has been rumoured that season 3 will be airing in August of next year, but no one has confirmed anything.

          Sherlock, quite simply, is brilliant, and if you haven’t seen it, you now have your next six hours planned out for you. Have fun.

UPDATES!

· 53 days until The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,

· 193 days until Iron Man 3,

· 382 days until Thor: The Dark World,

· 417 day until the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,

· 529 days until Captain America: The Winter Soldier (The Starks would love this guy...),

· 634 days until The Hobbit: There and Back Again,

· 921 days until the Avengers 2,

· And at least 12 years until the next season of Sherlock. Because Moffat likes to put us through pain and agony on a daily basis. But we love him anyway.


Quote of the day! “Look at their brilliant beards!”

~Rory Pond


Nerd Music! This isn’t nerd music, but hey, whatever. That’s fine. No one minds. Try out some ‘Of Monsters and Men’ because they’re awesome and I’ve been listening to them all week.

Le Gran Escape:

Deuces

Written by Chris S.

Cell- Room where a prisoner is locked up

Cell- Structural and functional units of all living organisms

Genius, isn't it?

Escape. It's time. The bent spoon lies sorry next to the hastily concealed tunnel you've dug, the mountain of dirt hidden in your digestion tracts. You steal a quick glance at the cell bars for one last glimpse, before diving in the cruddy shaft, and burrowing faster than you’re capable of... Cramp. Cramp cramp cramp. You clench your teeth tightly, as the passage sags and dust falls. Sound of guards patrolling overhead pauses the pain. Before you start crawling even faster now, beads of sweat roll down your face mingling with the tears. Being discovered now... Too grizzly a fate to fathom. A field-trip in the sucrose chambers, perhaps. Or worse. Pinpricks of light appear in the distance, before slowly expanding into a hole. You climb out, eyes adjusting to the cheap glare. You dust yourself off, before hobbling down the corridors, posters of once-were boy bands and female itches adorning the immaculate walls. The tripped-out sighs of chemically satisfied inmates fill your ears, as a faint buzzing approaches over your shoulder and...

“We caught up with your buddy, it's gonna be alright.” Pain. Writhe. Through dilated pupils, you spot the prison guards- yuppies, by the look of the Armani suits and android cell phones, speaking into radios. They roll you over, your fat bloated frame landing heavily. The game is up. There is no escape.

“Yes, sir we've caught 110112, we're on our way back...” The clean-shaven brute replied. “Regular capitale, a week force-feeding in the canteen before another in the hole...”

No care for what they shared after. No nothing. Until he looked at me through his rose-tinted frames. Would he feel sorry? Sympathy... He read me my rights.

“As a valued customer, we treasure you and your relationship between Indus. Inc and....”

Mall moles. Pixel junkies. Sucrose teddyboys. SWAG lemmings and auto-tune fiends. You have all been sleeping.

Wake up

Nerd Culture-The Avengers

Nerd Culture-The Avengers

By Brenna Roberts, Grade 11

                I don’t know how many people missed all the commotion in April/May about the Avengers movie, but it can’t be that many. For those of you who did, well you must have been living under a rock, or in Vladivostok or somesuch because it was everywhere. For those of you who have no idea what the Avengers are,  just think of the Marvel’s equivalent of the Justice League. I cry a little bit inside for the ones who are giving me that look, like I’m growing a second head or something. Let me explain at little more for those unfortunate souls.

There are two major comic book companies, Marvel and DC. Marvel does X-Men, Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Avengers, and much, much more, obviously. DC owns Superman, Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, the Justice League, etc. DC comics had the brilliant idea of having all of their most well-loved characters be in a team together, in a comic book series called the Justice League of America, where they worked as a team to take down the villains they could not take alone. A couple years later, Marvel, seeing how big a success the JLA was becoming, decided to run with the idea of a superhero team too, and so they banded together of all of their main characters, and thus the Avengers were born. Since then there have been the New Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, the Dark Avengers, and coming up soon will be the Uncanny Avengers, with a roster mixed between X-Men and Avengers. The team has also appeared in 2 cartoon series, 3 animated films, and the live-action film that I’m trying to get around to talking about here.

Now back to the original topic. Marvel decided to take their team and make a live-action movie with them. They did a huge lead up, releasing movies for Thor and Captain America, and a second Iron Man. What with the amazing job they did with all the publicity, The Avengers must have been the most highly anticipated movie of 2012. Originally the idea was met my scepticism, because of the issue of trying to balance having multiple main heroes on screen. However, I was very impressed. They managed it beautifully (because everything Joss Whedon touched is GOLD), balancing the dynamics of 6 completely different heroes, thrown together in a rather undesirable situation. It’s quite possibly the best use of 143 minutes of your time. If you’re going to watch it though, I would advise watching Thor and Captain America, because certain aspects of their plotlines are very significant in the Avengers. The casting was done perfectly, the actors’ portrayals of their characters were amazing, and don’t even get me started on the costume design. It was done perfectly. <<Editor’s note: Hi! Because I’m a huge Marvel fan, I’m going to interject and expand on this. Not only were the acting and costumes incredible, but so was the screenplay, and the directing. A lot of superhero movies fall victim to terrible puns, awkward moments between characters, and fight scenes that drag on and get a tad boring(Just an opinion), but the writers of The Avengers did an impressive job of making sure that never happened. And expanding on Joss Whedon’s superb direction of this movie, I would just like to point out that during a battle sequence, Hawkeye runs out of arrows. Can we all just take a moment to appreciate this? How many battle scenes have we sat through going ‘Oh come on dude, seriously! You should be out of arrows! Or ‘Golly jee you’ve invented never ending bullet magazines! Seriously?!?” The believability that was achieved with this superhero movie was one of the things that made it a great for all ages to enjoy!>>

 I realize this has been me just ranting about how amazing the movie was, but I don’t want to give away any plot spoilers for those who haven’t watched it, so I do apologize. Maybe once you’ve all seen it I’ll expand!

UPDATES!

·         67 days until The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,

·         207 days until Iron Man 3,

·         396 days until Thor: The Dark World,

·         431 day until the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,

·         543 days until Captain America: The Winter Soldier (The Starks would love this guy...)

·         648 days until The Hobbit: There and Back Again,

·         935 days until the Avengers 2,

·         And at least 12 years until the next season of Sherlock. Because Moffat likes to put us through pain and agony on a daily basis. But we love him anyway.

Quote of the day! “You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?”

~Tony Stark to Bruce Banner

Nerd Music!: Theme song for Avengers-Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It is the most badass theme song for a children’s cartoon ever.

Nerd Culture-Doctor Who

Nerd Culture-Doctor Who

By Brenna Roberts, Grade 11

                DOOOOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO... Ah, the Doctor Who theme. So classic. Doctor Who is the longest running sci-fi TV show, airing from 1963 to 1989, and then again from 2005 to the present. Currently, we are in the middle of the 7^th season (counting from the 2005 reboot), except Steven Moffat, the head writer, being the HORRIBLE person he is, cut the season in half. So the last episode of the first half aired on Saturday, and then we’ll have a Christmas special to make sure we don’t go absolutely crazy before the rest of the season airing, probably at some point in the spring of 2013.

I fully realize that there is absolutely no way possible to explain Doctor Who and sound like a sane person, but I will do my best. In my defense though, on Doctor Who they can do absolutely anything and have it make sense- there is nothing that cannot be put into this TV series. Anyways, let us begin.

Basically, the protagonist of this show is an alien, more specifically a Timelord, from the planet Gallifrey. No one knows his real name, but he just goes by ‘the Doctor’, as he likes to help people. He looks completely human, but the differences are that he possesses almost all of the knowledge of the universe, has two hearts, and can regenerate. Originally, a Timelord would only have 12 regenerations, for a total of 13 faces, but they’ve apparently subtly changed that so he now has infinite regenerations (I mean come on, it’s not like we would accept Doctor Who ever being over!). When a Timelord regenerates, they change over every single cell in their body, completely altering their physical appearance. In our world, this means they change the actor playing the Doctor. Ingenious, no?

Throw a crazy time machine into the mixture, the ship that the Doctor owns is called the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), and you’ve got your typical Doctor Who episode. The TARDIS appears as a blue police box from around 1963, but it’s bigger on the inside, with bedrooms, libraries, wardrobes, and even a pool. This machine can travel through all of space and time, and is the preferred method of time travel for all Timelords.

So now we get into the plotline. Pretty much what happens is that he finds an exceptional human (usually a gorgeous woman), and they become his ‘companion’ when he travels. They go around from planet to time period to time period on a different planet, doing lots of running and saving people, cities, and knowledge from destruction. Since the reboot in 2005, it has been revealed that the Doctor is now the last of his race (other Timelords appeared in the 1963-89 seasons), having sealed them away to prevent their war with the Daleks (we’ll get to them) from escalating across the entire universe. So he’s alone, and consequently rather angsty sometimes.

Villains are always the best bit of anything. The Doctor fights against a lot of monsters, but there are really only two main ones you really have to worry about. Others are recurring, but these are the big two. First off is the Master. He’s a Timelord who managed to escape the Time Vortex that the Doctor placed around Gallifrey by becoming human (yes, that can happen) and hiding himself at the end of the universe (literally). He’s rather insane, and has tried many times to destroy the human race, but The Doctor can’t bring himself to get rid of him, as he doesn’t want to be the last Timelord again. I won’t say anymore about him, to avoid spoilers. The next villain is an entire race, the Daleks. They are the ones that wander around going “EXTERMINATE!” all the time. Google image them. They’re hilarious. Daleks aren’t particularly scary looking, but they can be creepy when it counts. They are the Doctor’s arch-enemy so to speak, and the reason the Doctor was forced to place the Time Vortex around Gallifrey- to stop the Time War between Daleks and Timelords. There is quite possibly nothing the Doctor hates more than a Dalek.

That is all for your Doctor Who education (or at least for today). Now, should you choose to get into this fandom, remember. Fezzes are cool. You are called a Whovian, not a Dweek. Moffat is evil (but we love him anyway) and will kill ALL THE THINGS. Last of all, screwdrivers can always be a little more sonic. Enjoy!

UPDATES!

·         6 days until Pokémon Black/White 2,

·         74 days until The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,

·         403 days until Thor: The Dark World,

·         438 day until the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,

·         550 days until Captain America: The Winter Soldier (The Starks would love this guy...),

·         655 days until The Hobbit: There and Back Again,

·         942 days until the Avengers 2,

·         And at least 12 years until the next season of Sherlock. Because Moffat likes to put us through pain and agony on a daily basis. But we love him anyway.

Quote of the day! “Is there a word for total screaming genius that sounds modest and a tiny bit sexy?”

~Oswin Oswald

Nerd Music! Just to stay on the theme here, try out Chameleon Circuit for some timelord rock.

#YOLO: You’re Doing it Wrong

By Kelly Cameron, Gr 11

#YOLO: You’re Doing it Wrong

Teenagers, these days, are a strange group indeed. I may be one of them, but that doesn’t keep me from observing the social enigma of “popularity”. It’s a fickle thing, and only those with an ounce of self-respect can stay away, it appears. I speak only of those who make bad choices to get in with the cool kids. Please realize: smoking, drugs, and alcohol are not the cool thing to do anymore. Maybe when our parents were kids, it made sense. But now, youth is warned on a regular and forceful basis that these substances are bad for us. Even with these warnings looming, there are teenagers who still go ahead and drink heavily, smoke weed and cigs, and even snort various chemical substances. This has to be the stupidest thing that anyone could do these days, because there is no longer any question about it: abusing those substances, especially during the teenage years, is bad for you. Adults are not trying to ruin your fun, and they are not trying to destroy your swag. Trust me, honey, you aren’t going to look all that cool passed out on the bathroom floor, face-planting in your own vomit. So what causes this attitude? I believe it’s the media. Kids, they’re lying to you. Getting wasted isn’t fun, it will not get you a boyfriend/girlfriend, and there will be no “#YOLO” printed above your head in bold white letters. You are not an internet meme. Those exist solely on the internet. You, however, live in the real world, with a real reputation. Lasso up your ego and keep it at bay, kiddies. You are not an exception to the works of Mother Nature: smoke cigarettes, and you will get lung cancer. Drink thirty-seven beers in one go, and you will get alcohol poisoning. Inject, and you’re pretty much dead. It’s like playing with a power tool: it’s not fun, and it doesn’t know how to play. It’s a power tool, and you can kill a person with it. It is not a super-special-awesome toy. You are an idiot. Have a nice day.

But is there deeper meaning to all this? Are these kids only getting high to escape their mundane, depressed lives? Are they trying to feel something similar to real enjoyment? In all honesty, a wasted night is only worth half a sober thrill. Wouldn’t you rather remember your good time the next morning? I know I would. And if you can’t have a good time sober because your life is that miserable, remember this: your body is a temple, and you only get one. Protect it and take care of it, because even if you don’t feel welcome at home, your family doesn’t want to see you as a rotting corpse. They would much rather the police bring you home alive than dead, no matter what you may believe. The media is getting under your skin: don’t let it. It’s screwing with your conscience, so fight it. This is your life, and you should enjoy it. Stay happy, stay healthy, and for the love of all that’s holy, don’t be stupid! This level of stupidity is equal to suicide, and the Grim Reaper is always awaiting your demise. Look sharp, kiddies! Spread the word, find the edge, and keep it clean! Your future will thank you.

Love Struck Asunder

Colleen Worger, Gr. 11
“Laura. I’m going to get the newspaper from the driveway.” Phil said as he exited the front door and walked down the steps. He paced to the end of the driveway, picked up the New Zealand Herald and looked at the front page. Just another story about wasted tax dollars. Phil folded the newspaper in half and walked back up the steps and went inside, closing the door behind him. He walked towards the kitchen passing the dining room table, where he placed the paper next to his plate.

Phil entered the kitchen and walked over to Laura, “What’s for lunch?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Laura turned to face him and said, “Pasta salad, crackers and cheese, and some iced tea. Is that okay?”

          “Yes, it sounds perfect.” Phil said, leaning in to give Laura a kiss.

           “Could you help me bring some of this to the table?” Laura asked as she handed Phil the bowl of pasta salad and plate of crackers. Laura picked up the cutlery and glasses of iced tea and walked to the dining room. After seating themselves and serving the food, Laura and Phil began to eat.

          “I’ve been thinking...” Laura started. “Maybe we could have the wedding after summer. Maybe late February or early March...”

          “That sounds like a great idea.” Phil agreed. “Now I guess we just have to choose a day.”
          Laura smiled, “True, but we still have half a year to decide that.”
          “Good point. What do you think about chocolate cake?”

          “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.” Laura joked.

          A small ringing sound started traveling from the kitchen out into the dining room.

          “What’s that noise?” Laura asked.

          “I don’t know.” Phil replied, frowning slightly. “But it’s getting louder.”
The ringing got louder, becoming more recognizable as glasses started clinking against each other. A moment later the dining room table started shaking with the rest of the house.       

          “What’s happening?” Laura asked frantically. “Why are the walls cracking?

          “I think it’s an earthquake.” Phil said as he stood up. “We need to leave, the gas line could blow up!” Phil grabbed Laura’s hand and started heading for the front door, avoiding falling books and photographs on the way. Small pieces of the ceiling and walls started to break away and fall to the floor. As Phil went out the door, the shaking increased, separating the house from the front steps, lifting up and down. The house moved down with a loud thud Laura lost her balance and fell with it.

          She started to stand up, but more shaking sent her back to the ground. Phil turned around to help her up, but falling pieces of wood sent him stumbling down the steps. Another wave of violent shaking, which lasted for a couple of minutes, sent a power line crashing onto a tree in their neighbour’s yard, setting it ablaze. As the shaking continued Phil took in his surroundings.

          The ground across the street started moving up and down giving the illusion of it moving in waves, sending trees and cars rocking back and forth. Many of his neighbours were running from their houses trying to escape the disaster, several cars had crashed into each other sending smoke into the air along with the smell of gasoline from a broken gas line. Somewhere down the street a scream rang out as the chaos continued. Almost all of the houses that surrounded Phil had fallen to the ground; once beautiful buildings turned into piles of rubble in minutes. The shaking continued, sending more and more pieces of loose wood and brick to the ground. Phil spun around to look at his house. Slowly the back half of it began to fall to the ground.

          After the shaking subsided Phil looked at what remained of his house and wondered how something as simple as released energy and shifting plates could cause so much damage. As he continued to look at the house he saw Laura trying to pull herself out from under fallen pieces of wood. He ran up the steps frantically calling out to her.

          “Laura!” He cried out. “Are you okay?” After repeating the question several times Laura moaned and turned herself at the waist to look up at Phil. “Oh thank God you’re okay!” A weak smile spread across Phil’s face, which was slowly replaced by fear.

          “My leg.” Laura said weakly. “It hurts so much,” Tears started rolling down her face.

          “I’m going to see if I can get you out of there.” Phil said as he stood up and started to move the debris away, one piece at a time. After fifteen minutes had passed, Phil was able to see most of Laura’s legs. They had both been cut up and bruised equally, but her right leg appeared to be bent at an awkward angle.

          “I’m going to pull you out of here.” Phil slowly, and carefully, pulled Laura out of the rubble and onto the front porch. “Do you think you can roll over onto your back?”

          “Yes.” she replied, regaining some of her strength. With Phil’s help Laura managed to roll onto her back. Phil carefully checked her over for any bad puncture wounds or breaks from the falling debris. He didn’t find anything obvious, but he figured that she probably had a broken rib, or two. As he studied Laura’s leg some pieces of wood at the top on the pile started to move behind them.

          “Phil.” Laura said weakly.

          Phil turned to look at her. She pointed at the pile of rubble behind them. As Phil turned to see what she was pointing at, a large wooden beam fell from the pile of rubble. The wooden beam fell and hit Phil on the head, and he was only able to stay conscious long enough to see a piece of the wooden beam lodge itself into Laura’s abdomen. Laura reached out for Phil’s hand, but he had already fallen to the ground.

~•~

Four days later

Beep beep beep

The continuous beep from some kind of machine ran out through an almost empty white room. The sound of two people talking behind a partially closed door slowly became more prominent.

          “Yes, it went very well.”

“I’m still shocked that the surgery worked.”

“I am too, but if the patient recovers soon enough, we may be able to put them into rehab within a week. Could you go get the next meal?”

“Yes, sir.”

Beep beep beep

A man in a long white coat entered the room closing the door behind him. He turned his attention to a clipboard next to the door, taking it off the wall. He wrote something on it and then walked to the right side of the bed. “Good afternoon. I’m glad to see that you are awake. The nurse has just gone to get your lunch and will be back in a minute. Your surgery went very well and we should be able to get you into rehab very shortly.”

“Wh-where am I?” The words were almost unrecognizable.

“You are in Auckland City Hospital.” The man in the white coat replied.

“What happened?”

“You were in Christchurch when the earthquake hit. Most buildings were destroyed. Someone found you with a pretty bad injury. You were brought up here to go into surgery. That was about four days ago.”

A nurse wearing a blue shirt and pair of pants walked into the room holding a tray of food. “Doctor Anderson, I have Miss Scott’s lunch.” The nurse handed the tray to the doctor and left the room.

The doctor set the tray onto a table that was right next to the bed. “Your right leg was broken in two places and the cast should come off in about two months. You also have two broken ribs, but nothing serious, and you’ve had surgery to remove a large piece of wood from your abdomen. You have healed from that very nicely, and I’m very pleased with the progress you’ve made.”

“Phil?” Laura said quietly.

 “Now Laura, I don’t know how else to tell you this, but your fiancé, Phil Moore, he didn’t make it.” The doctor said with a look of sadness on his face.

Laura carefully sat up in the hospital bed in complete shock. It took her a minute to realize what had just been said. “What do you mean ‘he didn’t make it’?” She questioned, still not quite being able to comprehend the doctor’s words.

“I’m sorry Miss Scott, when he arrived here there was nothing we could do to save him. Whatever it was that hit him on the head caused him to suffer from blunt force trauma, and did a great deal of irreversible damage. He passed away within an hour of his arrival. I truly am very sorry.” Doctor Anderson turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

The End