The Phantom of the Opera

by Daisy

 

There are quite a few things that I have a deep passion about: zombies, Spiderman/superheroes, Queen, sleeping in, but nothing is as deep as my love for The Phantom of the Opera. I could watch the musical over and over and over again and never get bored of it! You would hate watching it with me because I’d deliver every line, vocalize every song, and get so into it, you’d be fed up and done with me.

 

The Phantom of the Opera was written by French novelist, Gaston Leroux, whose work on Phantom was first published in 1909. Yeah! It’s that old! Many adaptations have been made since then, including my favorite, the musical written and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Its dark beauty and musical genius will resonate within your soul, and soon enough you’ll find you’ve developed an attachment to the Phantom as I did. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry; every emotion will play across your face.

I don’t want to give out any spoilers, so I’ll try and be as vague as I possibly can without giving away too many details. Our story begins with young dancer, Christine Daaé, a beautiful vocalist who was raised in an opera house, orphaned as a little girl due to her late father's illness. Growing up she was tutored by an “angel of music” that her father said would come to guide her. Her goal was to further her music career with her outstanding singing ability.

Throughout our little story you meet many colorful characters like Carlotta, Meg, Madame Giry, Raoul, and my favorite, the comedic duo, André and Firmin. The most important character in my opinion would be The Phantom, Erik. He is our “angel of music” and Christine’s teacher. You can immediately tell that our opera ghost is madly in love with her, but so is Raoul, Christine's childhood friend. And that’s your main story plot right there, a scandalous love triangle centered around our little songbird.

 

SPOILER ALERT! IF YOU DON’T WANT THE ENDING RUINED, SKIP THIS PARAGRAPH.

Personally, I think Christine should have been with The Phantom. He did nothing but give and give his heart and soul to her, which is evident when he sings his “All I Ask Of You” reprise, and she does nothing but runs around with Raoul. I feel so heartbroken for Erik. If someone was all about music, sang to me, and was that devoted I would pick him in a heartbeat, but alas, The Phantom is merely a character in Webber's musical design. Granted, he may be a murderer, but you could work through that! Couples therapy maybe? All I’m saying is, The Phantom deserves love too, and I really wish Christine would have chosen him instead of Raoul who was arrogant and pretentious.

SPOILER OVER.

The Sims

by Jessica

I bet old-school gaming to most people dates back to maybe Atari or the Nintendo 64, but for me, since I didn’t have any of the “classic” gaming systems, the oldest thing I ever played video games on was my PC. Back in the day, say, oh, 2005 or so, my older sister and I loved to play the very first Sims game. I could never take care of more than two Sims, so I thought my sister was a genius since she could watch over even a baby! The skill! She was also very good at typing “rosebud” really quickly…

We had the first Sims, as well as The Sims: Unleashed, where you could own cats and dogs. The only problem I had with that one was that you couldn’t control what your pets did; they were free to roam and do whatever. They never slept until the meter was so low that you thought they were going to die. This worried me. But what I did love about the second game was being able to go into town! It always had a jazzy vibe, and you could buy cool masks, candles, and pets, as well as food for your Sims.

So that was fun. I played those games for a good while but never really played Sims 2. I think I just got too paranoid that I couldn’t handle more than Bella and Mortimer at once. Therefore I was hesitant to play Sims 3 when my friend showed it to me. Could I do it? Would I kill them? The answer is yes...and yes. I mean, who hasn’t killed some of their Sims, am I right?

But the fact of the matter here is that I did borrow her game and upload The Sims 3, and I have spent way too much of my life playing it. I know I’ve gone too many days in a row playing it when I start dreaming in Sims. Does anyone else do that?

I realized that some of you might not know what The Sims is, so I’ll tell you. “Sims” stands for “simulations,” and in this case, the simulations are people. You, as the gamer, get to control what your Sims do, when and how, with whom they interact, etc. The main game (not the expansion packs) starts you off in a town called Sunset Valley, which is indeed sunny, that has a beach, central park, diner, library, two pools, gym, school, and more. So it’s mostly regular life in a city, and your Sims can have whatever kind of lifestyle you want them to.

In the beginning of the game, you create your Sim(s) and set their favorite things, outfits, character traits, and lifetime wishes. Throughout the game, you can fulfill your Sims’ wishes to earn them Lifetime Happiness Points, which you can exchange for really cool in-game rewards, like Bookshop Bargainer or Steel Bladder.

Their main lifetime wish, however, that you set at the beginning of the game is basically your end goal. You want to set up your Sim's life in order for him or her to be able to complete that goal. For instance, there are really funny goals, like Gold Digger, where your Sim wants to live to see the ghost of his or her spouse, or Heartbreaker, where your Sim wants to break the hearts of ten other Sims. And trust me, that is not an easy task. Sims develop relationships really quickly and need to mourn over their breakups, so if you choose this wish, your Sim will be sad a lot, and I just didn’t like when my Sim was sad. Therefore, she only broke five hearts.

In order to fulfill the more...normal wishes, such as Superstar Athlete or Perfect Mind, Perfect Body, you have to raise your Sim’s skills and get them a job. There are many professions in Sunset Valley (and other cities in other expansion packs), such as athlete, musician, doctor, criminal, journalist, and politician. For each job, Sims are required to have certain skills. For example, an athlete needs to be athletic...fancy that. A musician can learn the guitar, a doctor needs mechanical and logic skills, the criminal also needs athletic skill, and a journalist and politician need charisma.

One of my favorite skills to increase is the cooking skill because there are so many dishes to fix, from the really easy ones like mac and cheese and autumn salad to really difficult recipes like ambrosia and tri-tip steak. It’s really awesome to see your Sims cook stuff up, from the fridge to the counter to the oven. I think the graphics are incredible, and I am anxiously awaiting The Sims 4, out fall 2014.

Now, don’t think that you’re limited to only Sunset Valley in this first game. The eleven amazing expansion packs that accompany the main bundle include anything from University Life to Island Paradise to Pets to Supernatural. I’ve played Generations, Pets, Supernatural, World Adventures, and Seasons. My personal favorites are definitely Generations and Seasons because they make gameplay more realistic.

Generations provides more toys and costumes and opportunities for children, like driving and imaginary friends who can become real. Seasons allows the weather to not just be sunny all the time. Your Sims experience all four seasons; they can get sunburned in the summer, frozen in the winter, go trick-or-treating with children and teens in the fall, and go to the kissing booth at the spring festival! This one is my favorite, especially because it can rain, snow, hail, and thunderstorm! Your Sims now have to check the weather before they make plans to go out on dates or to the seasonal festivals. There are umbrellas for the rain, and you can make snowmen, snow angels, and igloos in the winter.

These games take you and your Sims on a lifetime of adventure, from a baby to a toddler to a teenager to a young adult to an adult to an elder. Each period of life forms who your Sim is going to be and where they are going as people. I personally get quite attached to my Sims and only want the best for them. I hate when they burn their food, fall on the treadmill, or when I accidentally electrocute someone when I tell him to fix the stereo when his mechanical level is far too low for him to do that. Luckily, the Grim Reaper decided he’d let him live because unlucky was one of his traits...Death would laugh at his misfortunes again and again.

Another cool thing about The Sims is the traits your Sims can have. My very first Sim that I ever made I very unoriginally modeled her after myself, except I made her a young adult so she could have a proper job. So I picked my favorite traits (I don’t remember for sure, but I think these are the ones she had): good sense of humor, bookworm, excitable, genius, and ambitious. Each trait helps a little bit throughout the game and allows you to do different things with your Sims depending on what traits they have.

There are definitely some funny traits too: technophobe, never nude, childish, neurotic (that one’s hilarious, even if it’s not supposed to be), hydrophobic, kleptomaniac, and slob. I generally like for my Sims to have positive traits or ones that help them, like workaholic (they’ll like working and can work more without getting stressed), neat (they’ll make their beds and clean up their dishes), or natural cook (they gain the cooking skill faster and make better dishes).

Overall, The Sims is an extremely fun experience, and every game you start is new and unique. Tragedies and opportunities strike your Sims when you least expect them. Fires catch on stoves, burglars come in the night, teenagers throw raging parties; you never know what’s going to happen...just like in real life. And I think that’s the reason I, like so many other players, love The Sims. It’s a simulation indeed, and every day is exciting and eventful. You get to escape into a world of possibilities and forget about real life for a little while, which is always the best part about video games. The Sims will always welcome you in their Simlish way: sulsul!

Superheroes

by Daisy

Superheroes: who doesn’t love them? They are powerful, smart, clever beings who have powers that we only dream of having. Fair warning though: I am a Marvel girl. I love anything and everything Marvel, and Spider-Man will always be the best superhero ever. No lie. I am obsessed with him; fellow Trendmiller, Jessica, gave me a Spider-Man mask for my birthday a few months ago, and it is hanging on my wall this very second. I have worn it in public, so do not underestimate my love for Spider-Man.

When it comes to DC, what do you think of? I think of The Justice League, Superman, and, of course, the ever so popular Batman. Now, I’m not a huge fan of DC, but out of all the heroes, Batman has rubbed off on me the most; I used to not like him at all! But close friends of mine, Devin and Travon, made me grow fond for the Dark Knight, and I do admit I love the franchise - the accessories, belts, earrings, clothes, all of it. Superman? I think he’s too perfect, to be honest. He has no weaknesses except for a rock, which every other super villain just so happens to have. His main nemesis, Lex Luthor is a joke; whenever I see him I don’t see him as a threat. I do enjoy The Justice League, though. I think they’re an amazing group and team.

Now Marvel is what I’m all about. I love the Avengers, although I do admit I don’t think they are as close and unified as The Justice League is. My favorite Avenger would have to be either Captain America or Thor. The Capt. loves his nation and is full of loyalty, and I really admire that. Thor is a very confident and snarky individual, and that’s why I love him - for his attitude. I’ll admit I’m not crazy about his Hammer, but other than that I think he’s a great hero.

Now for my favorite hero ever. Spider-Man. I love Peter Parker-Spider-Man's secret identity, but don’t tell anyone; he’s a nerd like me, and he’s super smart, clever, and witty. He works for a newspaper company as a photographer, and guess what he photographs? Himself! So he makes his living by selling pictures of himself as Spider-Man for the newspaper. Spider-Man has had multiple love interests. The first would be Gwen Stacy, my favorite would be Black Cat, and the last would be Mary Jane. The first comic I’ve ever bought would be where Spider-Man and Mary Jane get married. Spider-Man can also climb walls, shoot webs from his wrists, and has amazing speed and endurance. He has great knowledge in the field of science, which is also useful when fighting bad guys.

I think the main reason I love Spider-Man so much is because it reminds me of when I was little. I remember sitting down in the basement with my sister and Dad and sitting down and watching Spiderman with my family. My most prized possession would have to be my Spider-Man card that I got signed by Stan Lee himself. My friends, sister, and I went to Fandom Fest one year, and I had the opportunity to meet him. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so hard in my life. So, in conclusion, whether you like Marvel, DC, or someone specific, we all can agree that superheroes are awesome.

“Aquaman is my favorite superhero.”
-No One Ever

Sherlock BBC

by Sarah

“The name's Sherlock Holmes, and the address is 221B Baker Street. Afternoon.” This is the line that leaves Sherlock’s lips as he captures your heart and leaves the character, John Watson (Martin Freeman), wondering. After John is invited into the lab in which Sherlock is by an old friend, Mike Stamford, Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) impresses John by knowing everything about his recent events (or deducing them from his responses), including having just returned back from war as a doctor.

Sherlock was searching for a flatmate, and John just happened to fit the bill. They live in a place rented out by the very kind and elderly, Mrs. Hudson (Una Stubbs). The flat has two bedrooms, not that she thinks they’ll be needing the second. She assumes that they’ll be sharing the one, but it’s not that she’s judging. Looks like Mrs. Hudson is a shipper of Johnlock as well. Johnlock is the unofficial couple name of John and Sherlock, created by the fans who would leap with joy if they were to have a “moment” other than holding hands while running or if they got together in a future series.

 

While John is a doctor, Sherlock is a consulting detective (the only one in the world, considering he created the job). He helps out the hopeless Scotland Yard, the people that would never get all of their cases done if it weren’t for him. This includes the all-around disliked Anderson (Jonathan Aris), who when he speaks, “lowers the IQ of the whole street.” Then there’s the ever-so-lovely (I’m lying, she’s also a bother) Sgt. Sally Donovan (Vinette Robinson), who works mainly with her advisor, DI Lestrade (Rupert Graves). Lestrade is well-known for claiming that many of the cases thrown his way “aren’t his division” and causing Sherlock to send texts that say “Wrong!” whenever Lestrade delivers a press conference.

Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss) is Sherlock’s older brother, the man with whom Sherlock is frequently bickering. He’s high up within the government and is more concerned about Sherlock’s safety than he’d ever care to admit.

Sherlock’s true enemy, though, would have to be Moriarty: your favorite villain. Britney Spears’ song “Criminal” makes more sense now after being introduced to this sneaky and clever man. “Mama, I’m in love with a criminal/And this type of love isn’t rational, it’s physical/ Mama, please don’t cry, I will be alright/All reason aside, I just can’t deny, I love the guy.”

The emotions you feel will be all over the place, from the possible lust toward Sherlock and those beautiful eyes of his, the sentimental, loving feeling toward the maternal Mrs. Hudson, and all types of melancholy & rage throughout scenes that will not be spoiled within this article. There are only two seasons currently released, and the Sherlockians (the popular name for fans of the show) are anxiously awaiting the beginning of the third (not very patiently, might I add). The release date has yet to be announced, especially for us Americans, who have to wait longer since we’re “across the pond.”

The details that could be included and fawned over (i.e. Sherlock’s lack of knowledge on the solar system, Molly’s crush on Sherlock, and how Jim isn’t gay. He isn’t.) are never ending; however it just isn’t the same reading my biased opinion as it is creating your own by watching the show and becoming a fellow Sherlockian.

Should you invest your heart and soul into this show? The answer to that is quite simple; in fact, “It’s elementary, my dear Watson.”

The Hunger Games

by Daisy

 

When you first heard about The Hunger Games, what did you think? If you’re like me you probably just drew a blank, and massive confusion went through your head. The Hunger Games is actually a book series written by Suzanne Collins. The series became quite popular with young adults when it was first published on September 14, 2008. Following suit, Catching Fire, the second of the trilogy, was published just short of a year later on September 1, 2009, and Collins finished strong just eleven months after that with Mockingjay on August 24, 2010.

 

Katniss Everdeen was just your average teenager. She had a little sister, Prim, a loving mother, and a best friend named Gale. What’s not so average about her? She lives in a run-down town fighting to stay alive, not just for herself, but for her family as well. She lives in District 12, which is dirt poor, and everyone is weak and hungry. President Snow runs the districts and the Capitol, which is where the elite live.

 

Every year each district must send out two tributes, one male and one female, for the Hunger Games. These tributes are twelve to eighteen years old, and they must travel to the Capitol to participate in this annual event, where they must brutally kill each other on live broadcast for the rest of the world to watch. The reason why? It all stems back from District 13, those of whom tried to rebel from the Capitol’s harsh rule and their resulting suffering. In the end the rebellion was smashed, and now every year they celebrate The Hunger Games in order to remember the amount of control the Capitol still has over them.

 

Long story short, Effie Trinket, the Capitol representative for District 12, calls out Prim’s name to participate in The Hunger Games. Since participation is certain death, Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in the Games. She must travel to the Capitol to undergo scrutinization by the posh and oh-so-sophisticated upper class and to train to maybe, just maybe, win the Hunger Games and come home to her mother, sister, and district.

Star Trek: The Final Frontier

by Rose

Star Trek: The Original Series first aired in 1966, and over 47 years later, it still has one of the largest fan bases known to TV history.

“Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. Its 5-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.” -Captain Kirk

Just hearing those words makes me want to put on a space suit and jump on a rocket. Even if you’re not a huge nerd, or love space, Star Trek is an awesome show. I used to not like space. I didn’t dislike it, I was just ‘meh’ about the whole idea. Then my dad pulled it up on Netflix, and I got hooked. I’d spend 4 hours a day watching Kirk, Spock, and Bones (sometimes Scotty) beam down to an unknown planet and watch the adventure unfold.

The costumes and effects are a little cheesey, but that’s what adds to the whole package. I really hope they don’t try to do a ‘remake’ of the series. The series is perfect, and the movie remakes should be about as far as it goes. My favorite character is Spock. Whose favorite character isn’t? He only thinks logically, and even though he doesn’t have emotions (or so he claims), like a pure-blood Vulcan, he’s funny with his lack of knowledge of feelings. He’s completely “Fascinating.”

Star Trek is great; the actors portray their characters perfectly. Interesting, entertaining, and awesomeness are all accurate synonyms for this show. If you don’t at least try watching it, I can guarantee you’re missing out.

“Live long and prosper.”

My Trip to Universal Studios: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

by Jessica

This past July I had the opportunity to visit the incredible Wizarding World of Harry Potter, located in Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida.  I've been a longtime fan of the ever-popular Harry Potter book and movie series (a noted Potterhead) and couldn't wait to have the city of Hogsmeade become reality right before my very eyes.

In this article, I'm going to tell you all about my personal experience at the park - what I bought, what there is to do, what I did, etc.  I've included some pictures from my trip that I think are pretty great to give some perspective to how grand and magical this place really is.  So if you're interested in that, let's begin, shall we?

 

After the long trek into the park, the purchase of the tickets, and the walk past some other attractions, we finally made it to the entrance of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  Immediately you are greeted by the train conductor of the Hogwarts Express, and you can stop and take a photo with this seemingly British man if you so desire.  The train itself smokes behind him and makes for an awesome photo op, as you can see here.

From here, there are multiple shops, rides, and places to visit, including the restaurant from the Harry Potter series, The Three Broomsticks, and, connected to it, the Hog's Head Pub, for those muggles over the age of twenty-one.  But more on the restaurant later.  My dad and I (it was just the two of us) decided to start the day off with a bang by braving the coaster of doom, as I've dubbed it, the Dragon Challenge.

This incredibly fast and ferocious rollercoaster may not appear intimidating to those daring souls who enjoy the breakneck speeds and feeling of uncontrollable motion.  But to me, coaster novice, this was not what I signed up for.  Read no further on this anecdote if you love super fast roller coasters.

This was literally a terrifying experience for me.  I initially thought it was no big deal, but as we snaked around and up the crazy long path to get to the ride, I was beginning to have doubts, ones I probably should've listened to.  But at least now I can say I've done it...right?  Well, I wanted to get off the second our blue Hungarian Horntail dragon zoomed off and started loop-the-loops and spirals and all kinds of wild things.  Bad news was: I couldn't.  I was near tears by the end of it, but, like I said, if you're used to this kind of thing, it might not be too bad, and you may actually enjoy yourself.  It was pretty nifty how you passed Hagrid's Hut on the way up through the line and saw propaganda for the annual Triwizard Tournament, supporting Harry Potter, Fleur Delacour, and Viktor Krum.

(Side note: If you have any sort of luggage, cameras, or bags of any kind, be sure to store them in the little lockers they've got before you get all the way up to the end of the line, and they tell you to go all the way back down.  Trust me.)

After this life-changing endeavor of mine, we decided to go ahead and do the other ride while the line was fairly short (granted, the wait was still an hour and a half, but that's not bad for such a popular theme park as this).  So instead of the other coaster (which we were going to save for later), we opted for the third and last ride available to us, and by far, my favorite of all:  Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

This is the signature amusement ride of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and it rightly earned that esteemed title.  This ride took you on a little walking tour throughout the castle once you made it through the ridiculous outside lines, showing you places like Dumbledore's office, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the Gryffindor common room, and the Room of Requirement, with holograms of Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, and Hermione showing you the way.  You'll also see a lot of moving pictures whose inhabitants squabble with one another, which is quite incredibly amusing.

After this little tour, Harry, Ron, and Hermione send you off to the "quidditch field," which is where the ride begins.  This was probably the single best four minutes of my entire life.  If you've ever ridden "Soarin'" in Disney World, this reminded me a lot of that, minus the projected smells.  You felt the wind beneath your feet as you followed Harry on your "broom," had the breath of a dragon blown onto your face, and the scary (but not really) experience of dementors thrust in front of you.  I cannot gush enough about how realistic and magical this ride is.  As long as you're taller than four feet, this ride is suitable to anyone who doesn't mind being tilted up (but never fully upside down) and spun around a bit (but not to the point that it's dizzying).

My dad and I walked out of this ride quite exhilarated and excited to see what the rest of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter had to offer.  By this time, it was around ten in the morning, and we'd had an early breakfast, so we figured we'd eat an early lunch at the Three Broomsticks and beat the rush that was sure to come later on in the afternoon.  This turned out to be a very nice choice on our part, for there was virtually no line as we ordered a British lunch of fish and chips.

The inside of the restaurant definitely stuck to its image in the books and movies, as did everything else in the park.  It was dark, yet inviting, and it even had the infamous wall of antlers everyone knows!

 

The best part of the Three Broomsticks for me was easily the Butterbeer.  I'd been anxious to try this drink coined by J. K. Rowling, and it was quite good!  It was very sweet and tasted just like butterscotch, with some whipped cream-like topping on it.  I wouldn't necessarily recommend drinking it with a meal like we did, but maybe as more of like an afternoon pick-me-up or refresher.  Definitely tasty though.  You could refill your mug outside at this Butterbeer barrel with more of the same drink, or you could switch it up and try some Pumpkin Juice.

After our tasty lunch, we decided to go peruse the shops a bit, something I was very anxious to do.  We'd briefly looked around Filch's Emporium after we rode the Forbidden Journey ride because it was there where you can go and see about purchasing the photo the camera took of your faces during the ride (we didn't buy them - they were too expensive for us), so we had looked at the other items in the store (stuffed animals, T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, pillows, messenger bags, etc. of all your favorite Harry Potter things).

But now we were headed to the Owl Post, which is in the same room as Ollivander's Wand Shop, both of which are connected to Dervish and Banges.  You can either wait in line by Ollivander's for the chance to win a replica of Harry's wand, which they give one of out each hour I believe, or you can just enter the shop through the entrance to the Owl Post.  It was here that you can send postcards and mail out seemingly from the real Owl Post to friends and relatives, but they also have Hogwarts robes, more T-shirts, brooms, owl stuffed animals, journals, stationery, and, of course, wands, among other things.

I purchased a navy Ravenclaw shirt that says "Wise" on it with a raven on the front and a journal with the Hogwarts crest on it.  As of yet, I was opting to not purchase a wand, but (spoiler!) I did purchase one later on at the kiosk outside the Forbidden Journey ride (I got Hermione Granger's wand!).

As far as how much money you might want to bring if you're considering going here (solely to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter), I would suggest about $100-$150, if you're interested in buying nice souvenirs, less if you only want one or two things, and more if you want larger ticket items, such as a Hogwarts robe (which is $100) or the Hogwart's Houses chess set ($300).  How much you bring is really dependent upon how much you want and how much you're willing to spend to get it.  If you have questions regarding prices for items, leave them in comments, and I'll let you know.

So next we ventured off to the final ride, the Flight of the Hippogriff, a roller coaster that is much more family and kid-friendly, as well as Jessica-friendly.  Haha.  This coaster houses Hagrid's hut in its entirety, as well as the nest of Buckbeak the hippogriff.  It's still a fairly fast ride, but definitely more doable and more enjoyable (for those of us who aren't born Gryffindors).

Plus, there's an amazing view you don't want to miss up at the apex of the coaster, when the sun is shining, and all you see is the Hogwarts castle in your view.  I cherish that memory.  It truly felt like I was in Hogsmeade and just a witch in school in that moment.  Very awesome for avid fans of Harry Potter.  I really recommend you ride this even if you opt out of conquering (or attempting to conquer) the Dragon Challenge.

Next we went to see the mini show that is put on near the Forbidden Journey ride and other small kiosk (where we bought some personalized Hogwarts keychains and my Deathly Hallows keychain).  There are two shows performed here, each with showtimes about every half hour.  The first one we saw was the Triwizard Spirit Rally, where the girls of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic dance and twirl their ribbons, and the boys of the Durmstrang Institute march and dance with their staffs.  It's quite awesome to see this bit of the fourth movie (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) here, as it correlates with the aforementioned propaganda for the Tournament you saw on the way up to the Dragon Challenge.

After the performance, they gave the first however many people in line the opportunity for a group photo with the dancers.  Here's me with them.  I thought this was especially awesome.

As we waited for the next showing of the Frog Choir, we headed down to visit Zonko's Joke Shop and Honeydukes sweet shop.  Zonko's is full of toys, jokes, and pranks for all ages.  Though we didn't buy anything from there, they had T-shirts, little adorable pink and purple Pygmy Puffs, and every funny thing from the Harry Potter series that you could ever want, including Extendable Ears and Sneakoscopes.

Zonko's is another store that has an adjacent friend, this one being Honeydukes.  When we were there, the building was filled to over the capacity, so it was very packed.  It was a bit of a tight fit, but the place was still incredible.  Honeydukes is a candy shop that has loads of regular candy and all the great things from Harry Potter in it, like Fudge Flies, Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and the wondrous Chocolate Frogs, one of which we bought (it even included a 3D collectible wizard trading card - I got Dumbledore!) for $10.  It was well worth the price; the frog was some of the best solid milk chocolate I've ever had, and there's a lot of it to go around too.

The last stop of our Wizarding World of Harry Potter adventure was to head back to see the Frog Choir perform.  This was really awesome.  There was a conductor and four singers, a soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, who sang all a capella songs (some old and traditional, some new and resembling Pitch Perfect) with the little frog friends, who added a very deep bass line to the songs.  It was a very fun show, and they let us take a photo with them after the performance as well!

My day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter was very hot (it was the middle of summer in Florida, so that's to be expected), inspiring (it really brought back the magic and splendor of the Harry Potter series for me), hectic (so many people!), but overall, a most wonderful experience that I will treasure for the rest of my life.  This is a trip I would recommend to absolutely anyone, young or old, fan of Harry Potter or not.  The scenery is gorgeous, the rides are stellar, and the quality of the souvenirs and park as a whole is really just something you have to see for yourself.

(If you have any queries about anything to do with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, just let me know in the comments!)

Bioshock Infinite

by Kaylee

In late March, 2K Games released the third installment of the Bioshock series, Bioshock Infinite. And while the game did not follow the storyline set up in the previous games, Bioshock, and Bioshock 2, it caught everyone's eye. New fans and the old alike were entranced by the promise of a new game and a new world to explore that was still in a format they were familiar with. 2K Games did not disappoint.

Set in 1912, the player controls a former soldier at the Battle of Wounded Knee named Booker DeWitt, a rough and roguish type man who is hired to retrieve a captive teenage girl named Elizabeth from a tower in the center of Columbia, a floating, God-fearing city in the sky. He doesn’t exactly know who hired him or why they want the girl; he just knows it will pay off a debt he can’t pay otherwise and is haunted by the message, “Bring us the girl, wipe away the debt.” Although he saves her, two groups pursue DeWitt and Elizabeth: the Founders of the city led by Zachary Hale Comstock and the Vox Populi, a rebel group that represents the common people of Columbia led by a woman named Daisy Fitzroy.

Quickly, it is evident that Elizabeth possesses certain abilities that serve as a cause for keeping her captive her whole life by Comstock, the leader of the church-centered, cult-like society in Columbia. DeWitt soon finds that the girl he rescued has the ability to manipulate rifts into different times and places and that she is the center of the conflict between the Founders and the Vox Populi.

Throughout the game, the player works with AI-controlled Elizabeth and uses a combination of gear, weapons, and powers granted through chemical drinks called vigors. The player can also use Elizabeth’s abilities to help in battle. She also finds ammo, health aid, and other useful things while in battle. The controls are very similar to those in the other Bioshock games, but one new feature is the skyhook, an object used as a melee weapon, in addition to being used as a way to access Columbia’s Skyline railway system.

Bioshock Infinite won many awards for its appearance alone, but I found the plot to be deeply engaging, and the characters were so interesting that by the end I felt as if it had been actual people the entire time. This is a game you won’t want to stop playing, not only because you can go sightseeing for hours and marvel in the delight that is 2013 graphics, but also because the storyline is fast-paced, and you’ll be dying to know what happens next. One of the most intriguing parts of the game is all the hidden salutes to anyone who has played the first two games, which range from minor details to major parts of the plot that intertwine with the previous storyline. So while playing the other games beforehand is not necessarily required to enjoy the game, I recommend it, as it will make an already wondrous experience many times better.

If you decide to play Bioshock Infinite, be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions, a beautiful setting, and an ending that will leave you speechless.

The Legend of Zelda

by Daisy

Hiya! Are you a gamer? Do you love using your mind strategically all while going on adventures and saving the day? Then The Legend of Zelda is the series for you. Take it from me, I’ve been playing this game for about 10 years, and I couldn’t be happier!

Legend of Zelda is an old video game which dates back all the way to the 1980’s. Its storyline stems from a 14 year old boy named Link; although, you have the option to change the name to whatever you like. Link’s job is to save Princess Zelda, who the game is named after, and the land of which she rules over, Hyrule. He goes out on this treacherous quest to battle many monsters and bosses to free Zelda from Ganon, the main antagonist in this plot.

On this journey Link is usually accompanied by a sidekick, who could be anyone or anything ranging from a fairy, a swords spirit, or even a being from another dimension; they usually help and support Link on his journey. Link also throughout the game acquires a wide variety of weapons and tools. Recurring weapons include the slingshot, bow and arrows, bombs, clawshot, and most importantly, the Master Sword!

Personally my favorite game out of the franchise is The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. It follows the basic storyline, but what really makes this game stand out is that you can travel through time, jumping between a 7-year-old boy and a 14-year-old teenager. So check out some Legend of Zelda games. Believe me, you won’t miss out!