Heroine's Quest and the Swan Maiden

Suppose you meet a woman who's married and has a child, and she's miserable. She's upset for a rather valid reason, like being unable to return home and thus feeling trapped by her situation. Suppose you had a way to help her one wish come true, but doing so would mean she'll abandon her family. What would your course of action be? That's the sort of situation presented in one of the sidequests in the game Heroine's Quest.

The first screenshot I took by myself for this blog!

"Will Wheaton: Anonymous trolls are destroying online gaming."- A rebuttal.

On November 11 of 2014, actor Will Wheaton, whom you might know as the voice of Aqualad from the 2002-2006 Teen Titans cartoon and as a recurring self parody on the Big Bang Theory, has recently written an article on the Washington Post, titled "Anonymous Trolls are destroying online gaming. Here's how to stop them." As I am a firm believer in freedom of speech, the respectful exchange of ideas, and the individual freedom to believe what we wish, I offer my own rebuttal to his work. His original words will be left uncensored (save for one video that I shall not link, I'll explain why below) and will be written in bold, while my words will be written beneath his, unboldened. As the purpose of this entry is to educate and criticize, it is protected by Copyright law. His original work can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2014/11/11/anonymous-trolls-are-destroying-online-games-heres-how-to-stop-them/?tid=sm_fb

Suikoden Day- Why It's Needed

Suikoden Day, a time of celebration for fans of the video game series Suikoden, where fan works are presented and shared, contests are held, and overall a feeling of brotherhood is felt throughout the fandom. This day, held this year on August 15, 2014, is a day for camaraderie, a day for fans to remind each other that they are not alone, that they belong to an international brotherhood united in a common bond: their love for a grossly underrated series. But, do we really NEED  a Suikoden Day?

Special Education and Katawa Shoujo

How long has it been since I've written a blog entry? Two or three weeks, I think. How long has it been since I've written about Katawa Shoujo? Two months. So, it seems I am far overdue for not just a blog entry, but one about Katawa Shoujo as well. Today's blog is all about how Katawa Shoujo incorporates Special Education into its narrative and atmosphere.

A quick question: what is Special Education? Growing up, Special Education had a, shall we say, bad reputation. When I was a kid, we had kids who were, shall we say, slower to learn than the rest of us. These kids were placed in Title 1, a Special Ed project that few of us outside of it understood, save for the fact that they got to go on lots of field trips. We didn't know much, but most of us hated the kids that were in Title 1 because we felt they worked less hard than us and were rewarded more often. Special Education just wasn't something we were taught on. However, now that I'm in college again, I can say, with absolute certainty, what Special Education is: it's education that's given when the average offering is insufficient.

Who receives Special Education? Extraordinary students. These are the students that have extraordinary conditions that render regular education insufficient to their needs. Notice, however, that this does not necessarily mean that the student is, well, mentally challenged. An extraordinary student can be someone who is in a wheelchair, for example, an autistic, a super genius, anything.

Katawa Shoujo takes place in a special, seemingly private school named Yamaku. This school has several facilities designed for its students. There's a track field, a football field, a pool (though it's never seen in game), a well equipped nurse's office for emergencies, books in audio and braille for the blind, and all of this is staffed by the finest professionals available. But, for what?

The students of Yamaku High are, for the most part, students with special needs. Take, for example, our hero, Hisao Nakai, who suffers from arrhythmia. Hisao needs to maintain a steady regiment of diet, exercise, and medication, lest he keels over and dies. Hisao needs: a medic to have emergency medicine on hand, medical facilities that can handle a child having a heart attack, experienced medical attention, healthy food, professional staff that knows how to act in case of emergencies, quick access to a hospital in case the proverbial shit hits the fan, a calm environment, and access to dozens of different medicines that are constantly well stacked. And that's just for Hisao.

Yamaku High is built specifically to attend to the needs of the disabled. But please don't think of Yamaku as some sort of special school to send away "the crippled". Yamaku isn't a "crippled kids school", it's a school, a school that specializes in giving the care and attention that extraordinary students need and deserve. 

My apologies for using that word, "cripple". No offence is meant.

Yamaku is a school, first and foremost. The students that are sent here, they are sent there to learn. They learn English, Science, Math, Japanese (the game is set in Japan, after all), Art, Music, Literature. They have a Student Council, athletes, after school clubs. These are students who, with a little extra help, can achieve their dreams, fulfill their passions. They socialize here, they make friends, they fall in love, they LIVE. Yamaku isn't a hospital that doubles as a school, it's a school that can handle what regular schools are ill equipped to do. It's a school that makes Special Education its Modus Operandi.

The thing about Special Education is that we're never really taught what it really is, nor do we think much about the sacrifices that an extraordinary student requires just to have the same opportunities we do. It's really hard, you know, being able bodied and all, to think about what life is like for someone who can't see, or can't hear, or can't walk. I can't imagine a life where I'm unable to talk because of something I was born with, or unable to control my arms, or needing to carefully calculate just how much energy and effort I need to put into my every day activities. And these things that are so hard for me to imagine? They are the day to day reality of many, many people out there, who live their whole lives like this.

The disabled, however, aren't helpless victims that require to be laid in bed 24/7, or institutionalized indefinitely, they are people. People who have dreams, people who fight everyday not just to stay alive, but to get ahead in life. They are people, like you and I, who feel like we do, get angry like we do, get happy like we do, and love like we do. They are no different than us.

Wait, no, that's not how it should be worded. It's not that "they are like us", it's more like, we are like them. We are exactly like them, just that some of us have more advantages. Still, we all have our damage.

One of the primary reasons Four Leaf Studios made Katawa Shoujo was to spread that message: that everyone has damage. The disabled are no less than us, no more than us. They are not helpless, but they are not superhuman either. They are people, and this is a subject a few people out there simply fail to grasp.

Many disabled people live tough lives, and all they ask is a little help here, a little extra room there, and a little understanding. Special Education provides exactly that to the ones who need it most: the kids. You don't see this sort of thing often in media, save for some "inspirational" schlock that does little more than soothe the egos of those that otherwise wouldn't lift a finger to help the disabled. Katawa Shoujo, however, doesn't do this, rather, it presents the disabled as people, and Special Education as exactly what it is: extra help designed to help the student form their own future. In my opinion, Katawa Shoujo is one of, if not THE, finest presentation of Special Education ever shown in any media.

Dickwolves and Molestia- a special blog about rape and humor

I had intended originally to leave this blog entry for tomorrow, but I found myself unable to hold pen away from paper. This morning, as I was reading my Facebook updates, reading the news and other unimportant things like that, I had seen that one of my favorite bloggers, Dr Nerdlove, had made an update. The reason I love Dr Nerdlove is because his blog offers sound, practical dating and lifestyle advice for geeks and gamers, such as myself. (Edit October 25, 2014: The preceding sentences no longer reflect how I feel about Dr Nerdlove.) Anyway, Dr Nerdlove made a blog about how Mike Krahilik, of Penny Arcade fame, had issued yet another apology for the "dickwolves" incident. The "dickwolves" incident refers to a Penny Arcade strip that Mike and his partner, Jerry Holkins, had written back in 2010. I'll leave a link here: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/8/11/.  I leave this link not to promote Penny Arcade, but for you, the reader, to see for yourself the seed that started the ruckus. The apology, however, was not at having made the comic, but at removing merchandise from their store that directly referenced the fictional species. This, understandably, has angered a few people, especially those that believe that rape jokes are cruel and offensive. Mike and Jerry responded by making this comic: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2010/8/13/. Again, I am not providing the direct link to promote Penny Arcade, but for you to see for yourself. Also, I believe in letting an artist's work be seen as the artist laid it out. A more expanded on response was provided at this blog entry: http://www.penny-arcade.com/2010/8/13/.

Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross- a Chrono Fable

Chrono Trigger is one of the greatest, most well put together video games of not just the 16 bit era of gaming, but in the entire history of video games. Its sequel, Chrono Cross...you either love it or hate it. Now, on paper, Chrono Cross is not only a great concept, but one that could potentially surpass its predecessor in artistic merit.The main theme of Chrono Trigger is time travel, while the main theme of Chrono Cross is dimension hopping. in Chrono Trigger you hop around different eras of the world, while in Chrono Cross you jump between two alternate timelines. It sort of makes sense, after all, it is very difficult to make a sequel to a time travel story that does not, in some way, repeat something done in the first story. Now, I am not here today to review Chrono Cross as a game, nor as a sequel to one of my favorite games of all time, as I feel like that's been done before. I'm here to make the argument that Chrono Cross is a game that follows the thematics of Chrono Trigger, only with a different perspective.

don't take it personally babe, it just ain't your story- It really isn't

The genre of the Visual Novel, which is horridly under represented outside of Japan, is a medium with which one can experience unforgettable tales of love (like Clannad), tales of justice (like Ace Attorney), and so forth. Because it's a niche market, you don't see many visual novels available commercially in the West, which is too bad, as we're missing out on far too many good titles. Because of this, there is an alternative: independently made, freeware titles. Some are excellence beyond excellence, like Four Leaf Studios' brilliant game, Katawa Shoujo. But this is not that game, today we look at a game called "don't take it personally babe, it just ain't your story".

Pictured left to right at the top: Kendall, Charlotte, Isabella

Pictured left to right at the bottom: Taylor, Nolan, Akira

An interesting title, and one that gives away the true meaning of the game. But let's recap, shall we?

You play as John Rook, a 38 year old man, twice divorced, who has switched careers to teaching due to some bizarre midlife crisis. It is the future, and social networking has not just become commonplace, it has become a part of daily life for practically everyone. John Rook, in a word, sucks. He's by no means a good teacher, and I speak as someone who has studied to become one. He's judgemental, dislikes some of his students (to be fair, Taylor is hard to like, but Kendall is undeserving of his scorn), and overall, he most certainly gives off the impression of someone who teaches because it's his job, not his passion. He gets better overtime, such as when he presents a movie adaptation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night under the justification that theater is meant to be seen and not read, but there is room for improvement. And by the player's choice, he can enter a relationship with Adriana, his sixteen year old student.

John Rook is the man with the purple hair and glasses. What you are seeing here, well, it speaks for itself.

The story begins with John's first day on the job. He is given a tablet for him to view his students status updates and chats on Aimee-Connect, the Facebook of the future. He is also told not to divulge his capacity to spy on his students to anyone. Class begins. He offers his students his assistance in regards to any problems they may  have, academically or otherwise. The moment she sees him, Adriana falls for him, hard. In her Aimee profile, she describes John as 'teh smex', which is Internet jargon to describe someone as physically attractive. The player is given a choice here: either give in to Adriana or brush her off. This is one of the few player choices that affect the game, and at the same time, it doesn't. But it raises many questions regarding not just Adriana, but John Rook as well. Questions we will leave for later.

Chapter two is all about Nolan, and how his classmate, Akira, is attracted to him. NOTHING John Rook does changes what happens: Akira and Nolan get together and stay together until the end of the game. Wait, why? Ahh, this is the first time we realize the meaning behind the game's title, isn't it? Ah, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.

And in fact, that's something that happens all throughout the game. In a normal Visual Novel, your choices have a direct impact on how the story progresses. For example, in Katawa Shoujo, during the first chapter, you are given the choice between going to the library, going to town, or going to bed. If you go to town, you will begin a certain route of the game, and romance one of the girls. If you go to the library, you will romance a different girl, and her story is widely different from the first one's. And if you go to bed, same thing, you romance a third, wildly different girl. But in "don't take it personally", this does not exist. Very little of what you do has any impact on the overall plot. Why?

Ask yourself this question: Have you ever gone outside and looked at the people that go by? Maybe you've seen a man running a store. Maybe you've seen a woman out jogging. Maybe you've seen a little boy playing with sticks. And to you, that's all they are. But they are all living out their own stories. You may be the hero of your own story, but to them, you are a piece of the background. You are no major player, you're no one.

And that is what John Rook is to his students. Yes, he is their teacher, and yes, he can be friendly to them, but in their own stories? He's a minor character, someone who gets a chance to shine every now and then, but who is ultimately no one. Does Nolan care that John is twice divorced? No, because in HIS story what matters is his relationship with Akira. To Nolan, his trial is accepting himself and allowing himself to be loved by someone.  Likewise Charlotte has her own story. Her tale is one of love versus duty. She loves Kendall with all her heart, but she also feels she's been neglecting her studies as well. Prior to the game, she had broken up with Kendall so as to focus on her studies, and for most of the game she struggles with her feelings. In the ONE instance in the game where the player's choice impacts the game, what happens? The player does little more than to either encourage Charlotte to win back Kendall, or encourages Charlotte to focus on her studies more. And here is where things get interesting. No matter the choice, Charlotte is happy with herself, but, if she chooses to get back with Kendall, then what happens is something that is straight out of a movie. Charlotte, by her own volition, goes to Kendall's house, under the heavy rain, knocks on her window, and declares her undying love to her. The two then head back into the house. Does John Rook witness any of this? No. He gets to hear about it on Aimee Connect. And it's not even Kendall posting about it on her profile, no. She's talking about it to her friend Akira, in a private chat.

That's how Kendall actually talks, by the way. Here, she is expressing gratitude to her teacher for convincing the girl she loves to let go and accept her feelings. One chapter later, Kendall asks John to buy her alcohol so she and Charlotte can have a night of drunk sex. It's the player's choice whether he does or not. (Warning: Purchasing alcohol for minors is against the law)

Why would a visual novel tell a story that has options, but at the end of the day, barely any choices made by the player matter? It's because it's not John Rook's story entirely, no. The game is showing you several stories, including John's. The game is showing us how big of an impact other people can have on us, yet at the same time, how unimportant we are to other people's stories. Yes John encourages Charlotte to get back with Kendall, but that is the only moment wherein John has any impact at all in their story. If this were a Visual Novel told in Charlotte or Kendall's point of view, he'd be a minor character with ten minutes of screen time, at best. If this were a normal novel, written on paper, again focusing on Kendall or Charlotte, John Rook would appear in twenty pages, have a few unimportant lines here or there, and then get this ONE moment where he encourages Charlotte to win back Kendall.

From Nolan and Akira's point of view, John is the nice enough, but ultimately ineffectual, teacher who couldn't do a thing about Nolan's ex girlfriend, Taylor, attempt to sabotage the budding romance between the two boy. In this story, John just stood there, able to stop Taylor thanks to his access to Aimee Connect, but who did not, and only stepped in once Akira's mother demanded that he do something, the day AFTER Akira had cried himself to sleep after Taylor had gone too far.

And from Taylor's point of view, John Rook is the boring teacher who once either yelled at her for what she did to get back Nolan, or the guy who sat her down in his office to try (and fail) to get through to her head that what she did was wrong. Taylor, the least likable character in the game, beautifully sums up the main theme of the game thus: We are all the centers of our own Universes.

And that's the thing, isn't it? We are all the heroes of our own stories. We all have our struggles, we all have our obstacles to overcome. But that does not mean we are the only ones struggling. Take a step back and look around you. Everyone in this world has a story to tell, a life being lived. Ask yourself this: who am I to everyone else? What impact have I made to other people? We are the heroes of our own stories, but we are but background characters in the stories of other people. Beautiful, isn't it?

John? Look at me. What you are doing? That's illegal. Having a relationship with your student is illegal, immoral, and unethical. She is sixteen, she has been trusted under your care, and you are betraying that trust by sticking your dick where it does not belong. I know you're a twice divorcee, you're lonely, you're just starting a new career, you have no idea what you are doing, and overall your life sucks. But come on, this is not the answer. John, let go of the jail bait, drive her home, and we can all pretend this didn't happen. She's just a teenage girl with a crush, John. Don't take advantage of her.

On the fall of the Scarlet Moon Empire- A tale of the death of a nation.

Suikoden 1, one of the greatest Role Playing Games ever, is more than the story of a ragtag bunch of misfits overthrowing a corrupt empire. It's a fable, a warning to all nations, to all heads of states and to all citizens. Here's why.

Suikoden 1 takes place in the Scarlet Moon Empire, a country located in the nameless world of the Suikoden series. It completely surrounds a lake called Toran, a lake so large it is almost an inland sea. The empire is located south of the City-States of Jowston, which is officially an enemy nation; east of an as yet unnamed country, and north of what was once known as Kooluk, a nation which was also hostile towards Scarlet Moon due to border disputes.

Map of the Scarlet Moon Empire, not to scale. 

The Scarlet Moon Empire was founded well over two hundred years before Suikoden 1 takes place, in the year 230 of the in game calendar. Founded by Kranach Rugner, nicknamed the Knight of the Scarlet Moon, this region used to be a part of a much larger nation known as Harmonia, a nation that still exists during the time of Suikoden 1. Seventy years after its founding, the new empire began to have several border disputes with its southern neighbor, the Kooluk Empire. During the time where Scarlet Moon gained the upper hand, many of its nobles would ride unto the villages south of the Scarlet Moon-Kooluk border, where they would engage in what would cruelly be called "Human hunts", a fancy name for pillaging, murdering and probably raping the defenseless Kooluk citizens. These "human hunts", through a turn of events far too extensive to discuss at this moment, eventually led to the dissolution of Kooluk. With Kooluk destroyed, Scarlet Moon found itself facing a new enemy: their northern neighbor, the newly founded City-States of Jowston. To counter the threat, the Empire built a new prison, named Soniere, and a slew of new castles, including Scarleticia and Moravia. With its borders protected, it appeared that no outside force could ever defeat the Empire.

And it was true, no outside threat could topple such a well defended empire. But inner threats can topple any nation, no matter how powerful.

In the year 446, a mere forty years after the completion of Moravia Castle, Scarlet Moon entered a civil war. The emperor, Michelan Rugner, had passed away, and it seemed his son, Barbarossa Rugner, would inherit the throne. However, there was a problem, for Michelan's elder brother, Geil Rugner, wanted the throne for himself after his birthright as the first born was denied by his father. Having convinced, and blackmailed, the nobles of Scarlet Moon, Barbarossa's right to the throne was denied, and Geil himself was crowned. However, Barbarossa knew that it was he, and not his uncle, who was the rightful heir to the throne, and thus he amassed his own forces to reclaim what was rightfully his.

Barbarossa Rugner, last emperor of Scarlet Moon, armed with his trusted sword, Prakk

After many months of fighting, Geil's forces were defeated, and the pretender to the throne was thus executed by the rightful Emperor. But the war was not without sacrifice. Aside from the deaths of soldiers and citizens, the Empress Consort, Claudia, was assassinated by Geil's forces. It was a loss from which Barbarossa would never recover.

Emperor Barbarossa was a kind man, warm and wise, he was nicknamed the Golden Emperor. Under such a man, any kingdom or empire should flourish. But, Barbarossa was a person, first and foremost. And if there is one thing that's certain about people, is that we are flawed, and make mistakes.

A mere months after the civil war ended, the forces of Jowston invaded Scarlet Moon. The people of the empire, tired of war, were not happy that so many resources were being spent on the war effort. Barbarossa asked his supervisors for a way to rid Scarlet Moon of Jowston's armies. The chief strategist, Leon Silverberg, came up with a simple, yet horrifying idea: take the occupied town of Kalekka, drive off the occupying force, massacre the citizens leaving behind no witnesses or survivors, and blame the whole thing on Jowston. It worked, a pro war, anti Jowston sentiment arose across the empire. But, at a price: a great many soldiers, generals, and government officials that had known the truth of the incident defected from the Empire. With such a loss of talent, the Empire began to fill these roles with people that were far from deserving, such as the monstrous and corrupt Kraze Miles, who was made Captain of the Imperial Guard.

Pictured: Kraze Miles. Not Pictured: a decent human being.

Anti Imperial sentiment spread across the Empire like a flame in the night. Perhaps one of the most famous dissidents was a woman named Odessa Silverberg, niece to Leon Silverberg, and leader, as well as possible founder, of the Liberation Army, an armed force dedicated to toppling Imperial rule.

Pictured: Odessa Silverberg, one of the most awesome female characters in video games. Anita Sarkeesian has probably never heard of her.

Unfortunately, Odessa loses her life, sacrificing herself to save the life of a child. (On my next entry, I will discuss why Odessa is one of the best female characters in gaming, even after death.) She passes on leadership of the Liberation Army to Tir McDohl, son of the undefeated Imperial General Teo McDohl, and the main hero of Suikoden 1. Under Tir's leadership, the Liberation Army overthrows Scarlet Moon, to be replaced by a new, more representative government, the Toran Republic.

Tax theft, corruption, brutality, starvation, piracy. These are all problems that had plagued the Scarlet Moon during its waning years. And where was the Emperor during all this? Why didn't he do anything?

Emperor Barbarossa lost all motivation upon the loss of his wife, Claudia. During his ten year reign, he went from being a beloved ruler of the people, to a despot that did nothing as his empire crumbled. His Court Magician, Windy, used her strong semblance to Claudia, and the emperor's love for her, to fulfill her own dark ambitions. The emperor allowed his emotions to cloud him, disconnect him from the empire he had fought so hard for. His hands stained by the blood of innocents, it was the Golden Emperor, a man so loved by the people at first, a man who, when you remove the crown from his head proved time and again to be a good person, who brought down the end of the empire. Barbarossa's rule could have been the start of a Golden Age for Scarlet Moon, but was instead its downfall. But why? Why did it happen?

Because, at the end of the day, Barbarossa was a man. He had his strengths, and he had his weaknesses. But Barbarossa was not given the position of just any man, he was Emperor. He was a ruler, a leader. And when you're a leader, there is no room for flaws, no room for weaknesses. Barbarossa's weakness was that he never got past the death of his wife, Claudia. And therein lays an interesting question. What of the people who died for him? Did he mourn them as he did his wife? Did the people that died for Geil deserved to be mourned as well? Did Geil deserve someone to mourn him as Claudia did? If you will mourn someone who died in war, why not mourn everyone that has died? How many names of the people that died for him did Barbarossa memorize? And what would they say if they found out what they died for? Barbarossa didn't just destroy his empire, he sullied the sacrifices that were made in HIS name. In the end, power was placed in the hands of a weak man, a man who, when it came down to it, had no business being an emperor. The system that placed him in power had fallen into decay, allowing the cruel, the brutal, and the corrupt to assume positions of undue power. And when a system like this fails the people, it is the people themselves who rise up and destroy the system, replacing it with a new, better one.

And this happens in real life. When corruption is law, the lawless become heroes. When rulers show themselves to be inept, the followers look elsewhere for a leader. The governments that try to rule by fear, end up facing a population that is unafraid. Such is the spirit of revolution.

A warning to all governments, to all heads of state: You exist because of the will of the people. When you attempt to bamboozle your citizens, they will rise up and overthrow you. And if you need to use deadly force to quell dissent, then you have already lost. For power comes not from the threat of force, but from the consent of the governed.