Welcome to the second installation of An Adventure in Small Games (you can read the first one here), a monthly series focused on games that cost less than $20, ideally less than $10. In this series, Eve Golden Woods will focus on indie games and what they have to offer the world of gaming. This month Eve focuses on…
Books that Shaped Me: The Bell Jar: Circumventing the Jar, Circling the Bell
The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath Harper Perennial Modern Classic 1971 I couldn’t tell you the year I read The Bell Jar, I couldn’t tell you how old I was, nor the season. But I could tell you what I was wearing the first time I opened the pages and fell deeply in love with Sylvia…
In Defense of the Bad Boy
Ah, the Bad Boy. He gets a lot of traction in our fictional media. He is alluring on account of his badness, and of course, incredibly good looking. In many cases, he is thrown into a love triangle with a female protagonist where she must decide between The Bad Boy and The Good Guy. We know…
Fail Better: Going Back to School, Roommates, and Chore Charts
I was often the first one to arrive on campus in my dorm room. For a couple hours, I could unpack my things and determine what my ideal living situation would be. I learned a lot about myself in college, but I never knew I had a hatred for messy living spaces, considering I lived…
Game of Thrones: Cersei’s Walk of Shame
Cersei Lannister deserved it. That was the crux of my friend’s argument. After all, this was the woman responsible for Ned Stark’s death; for the death of King Robert Baratheon. She has tortured and mistreated any number of characters. She is the one who appointed the High Sparrow to the position of High Septon and reinstated…
By Banning Books Do We Challenge Parental Rights?
For the purposes of this essay, I’m going to keep the conversation of challenging books, also called banning books, at my local level. I agree there are much larger discussions to be had on freedom of speech and parental rights, but I want this conversation to have a lighter tone, if possible. These are my personal thoughts as…
Self-Identity and Self-Confidence: Lessons Learned from a Foolish Replica
SPOILER WARNING: This essay contains spoilers for the entirety of Tales of the Abyss. Since 1995, one of the most iconic RPG franchises in Japan—and, increasingly, with western audiences—is the Tales series. Each installment boasts high fantasy settings that dabble in magitech, references (if in-name-only) to mythologies from around the globe, and parties made up…
A Trans Woman in Orbit Around Bitch Planet
When I explained the context of the Non Compliant symbol to my tattoo artist, the one she was going to etch into my skin that day, I used the same elevator pitch I’ve been using since Bitch Planet was announced: “It’s like Orange is the New Black in Space.” Her smile at that description told…
Give Yourself a Self-Five: Organization, Anxiety, and Sparkly Stickers
Last month, we explored the world of cosplay with a range of interviews and perspectives. This month, in preparation for the new school year, we decided to talk organization and productivity.
The Ownership of Iris West: The Tricky Thing About Time Travel
I had no plans to write about the depiction of Iris West on The Flash because I thought my grumbling tweets were enough and that other people who were more moved by it could take it on. I didn’t think I needed to be the person because to be honest, the fun of the show…
Organization, Freelancing, & Myths about Artists
When you tell the world—your parents, teachers, and friends—that you want to be an artist, they tell you that you will starve. They also don’t expect you to be good at organization. Creative means messy, moody, flaky. It means charcoal smudges on your sandwich because you’re choking it down quick to get back to that…
One Size Does Not Fit All: Choose Your Own Organization
When people think of organization, they tend to think one of two things: A.) I must clean my room/apartment/house stat! Or B.) I have this massive project, I need to break it up into smaller chunks!
