Why Elden Ring is the Best Game I've Ever Played

Elden Ring, developed by From Software and released in 2022, is a video game I have been playing often during the last couple months. In fact, it is one of the best games I’ve ever played. The game combines engaging combat, a wide variety of potential strategies, and an incredible world.

Elden Ring has an excellent combat system. When the player presses the button to attack, block, or dodge, that action is added to a queue, and executed as soon as possible. This means that there is a delay between when an action is queued, and when it is executed, and actions like attacking leave the player vulnerable, because they are unable to block or dodge until the attack is finished. Therefore, the player has to think before attacking. The developer, From Software, first used this system in their game Demon’s Souls in 2009, so they have had many years to improve on it. This experience shows in the fact that Elden Ring’s combat system rewards players who time their attacks and dodges well, and encourages players to memorize the enemy’s movements in order to gain an advantage.

Elden Ring also provides players with many different ways to succeed in the game. There is a wide variety of weapons, including large, slow axes that deal large amounts of damage in single hits, and smaller, faster weapons that allow players to be more mobile. Some players may favor melee weapons, while some may prefer to use magic. There are also many types of spells. Some spells shoot fire, some launch giant, glowing comets, and some even turn your head into a dragon. Players can also summon the spirits of enemies to aid them in battle. And, players can choose to completely remake their character in case the tactics that they have chosen are not working. This way, players are free to be creative andfind their own way to overcome challenges.

Elden Ring takes place in a massive open world. This allows players to take on challenges and explore new areas in whatever order they want. For example, Stormveil Castle is located just outside of the starting area, and is home to two difficult boss fights, and many enemies. Since Stormveil Castle may be too difficult for players who are just starting the game, players are free to skip it and explore the surrounding regions, Limgrave, Caelid, and Liurnia, where they can level up their character, collect new weapons, and learn new spells. Then, once they are strong enough, they can return to Stormveil Castle. There are also many secret areas in Elden Ring, which players may not notice unless they explore and pay attention to their surroundings. For example, there is a massive network of underground cities hidden beneath the rest of the game, that is only accessible if players complete an optional boss fight and explore a mysterious crater that is created after the boss is defeated. This new underground area contains new weapons and boss fights, as well as a secret quest that leads to an alternative ending to the game. It is truly impressive that the developers put this much effort into an area that many players will never even find.

Elden Ring’s combat and world design encourages players to be creative and curious. When playing the game, you know what you might find next. You could encounter enormous monsters, powerful weapons, and hidden underground kingdoms. Though it is a difficult game, it always provides players with solutions to any challenges it throws at them, if they are willing to experiment and try new strategies.

I highly recommend Elden Ring to anyone who enjoys fighting games. It has an excellent combat system, and encourages creativity and strategy. It takes place in an incredibly detailed and expansive world that encourages players to be curious and to explore. If you play, let me know what you think of the game.

-Will

Sources:

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/blogs/how-elden-ring-succeeds-by-ignoring-20-years-of-open-world-design#close-modal

https://www.ign.com/articles/painfully-difficult-from-softwares-30-year-journey-from-ps1-to-elden-ring

The Mess that is McDougal Littell's "Discovering French 2" - Jason

 

     Throughout my life, I have had the opportunity to read numerous books, including a fair share of textbooks. However, in my experience, none of them have been as subpar as McDougal Littell's "Discovering French 2", the sequel to McDougal Littell's "Discovering French 1". This textbook pales in comparison to Miller and Levine's biology textbook, though to be fair, no book could possibly be compared to the greatness of Miller and Livine's biology textbook. 

     There are many issues with McDougal Littell's "Discovering French 2". Firstly, the textbook suffers from being terribly outdated. The images lack vividness and appear grainy and colorless. However, more importantly, the representation of contemporary life in the textbook is inconsistent with modern times. For instance, it features outdated modes of communication like old-fashioned telephones while disregarding more recent technologies like smartphones and the internet. This issue is not just me nitpicking, but instead highlights the fact that the textbook may be imparting irrelevant knowledge while failing to address essential contemporary concepts.

     Secondly, the textbook's drawings are vividly colored but severely flawed. The characters are portrayed in disproportionate dimensions, with elbows and fingers that appear like they were drawn by a third grader. Although this issue is not particularly important, the poorly drawn characters can be distracting.

 

     Lastly, the book suffers from poor organization. It contains 36 chapters with a varying number of subsections, ranging from four to fifteen. Some chapters lack a vocabulary section, further highlighting the inconsistency. The book's themes are similarly inconsistent, with some chapters focusing on specific subjects like supermarkets or foods and drinks, while others revolve around obscure stories such as "Corinne's purchases," "Jerome invites his friends," or "Armelle counts her money." This disorganization permeates the entire textbook, making it confusing for learners.

     If the publishers of the textbook intend to fix this mess of a book, they would need to take significant revisions. Given its outdated content, a large portion of the book would require rewriting and the illustrations would require replacement. In my opinion, the best option would be to create a new textbook altogether.

The Importance of dialogue in White noise By: Ruby Mitchell

The Importance of dialogue in White noise By: Ruby Mitchell

I first decided to start reading White Noise by Don DeLillo because I liked the movie so much. Usually, when I read a book after watching the movie first, I never end up liking the book nearly as much as I like the movie. The book is always a little more boring, with more filler and fluff that seems unnecessary once you see the more compact storyline in the movie. Though this phenomenon often happens to me, it didn’t happen to me at all while reading White Noise. I haven’t finished the book yet, but even without having finished it, I will happily sing its praises. I’m not an avid reader, and usually find it hard to become engaged with a book quickly, but White Noise Engaged me immediately. While reading, I’ve found that the reason White Noise is such an interesting book and such a fun book to read is because of both the internal monologues and the external dialogues throughout the book. 

White Noise by Don DeLillo follows the main character Jack, who specializes in hitler studies at the “college on the hill,” and his family through a series of wacky events. I know that seems like a weird way to describe the plotline of the book, but I think it's the best possible way to describe it. Somehow DeLillo fits multiple different absurd storylines into one book, all intertwined in some way. Some of the storylines include: “the Airborne Toxic Event,” a toxic leak that fills the town the Jack and his family live in with toxic chemicals, causing everyone to evacuate; a suspected drug habit in his wife, Babette; a cheating scandal in their marriage; hundreds of different storylines within “the college on the hill;” and a looming fear of death and technology throughout the book. This all might seem like a lot, but DeLillo pulls it all off seamlessly, and the reason for this is the incorporation of dialogue into the book.

White Noise is a completely absurd book, and DeLillo plays into this with his dialogue. Almost everything in White Noise is a satirical commentary on our world, but still manages to have many touching moments, and all of this is due to the dialogue between Jack and his family. Jack and his family are constantly rambling and ranting at each other, many times talking over each other or having multiple conversations at once. This makes the chaotic storylines and plot points even more chaotic, when every member of the family has something different to say and they’re all saying it. During the “Airborne Toxic Event,” Jack’s son, Heinrich is constantly reporting the new upcoming symptoms coming from the toxic waste and the names the media is coming up with to describe it. There are multiple arguments between Jack and Heinrich over whether the Toxic Event should be called a “Ploom” or a “Billowing Cloud,” while Jack's daughters are constantly psychosomatically developing each new symptom as it's being reported to them. No one is taking the event very seriously, the book seems to be making fun of it, signaling to the reader that we shouldn’t worry either.

While the dialogue highlights the absurdity of White Noise, it also highlights the sweet elements within the novel. The dialogue between Babette and Jack highlights how much they understand and care about each other, and how strong their relationship is, but it also highlights when their relationship isn’t as strong as it usually is, which is a useful plot device. Jack and Babette are both scared of death, and constantly bring it up to each other, competing about how much each one would miss the other if they died, and both hoping that they die first so as to avoid the turmoil that would come with their spouse dying. They’re always very open with each other, so when the plot gets to the point where both of them are hiding things from each other, the change in the relationship dynamic is very noticeable. When they hide things from each other, they get much more brief with the things they say to each other, a drastic shift from their usual rambling and oversharing. The chaos in their family dialogue also shows the comfort they all have with each other. They’re all completely comfortable with sharing what’s on their mind at any given moment, and all willing to listen. The way everyone in Jack’s family interacts with each other is so heartwarming you have no choice but to love every character despite any of their faults. 

Not only does the dialogue in White Noise help build the character development and move the plot along, it also makes the story much more interesting to read. There is never a dull moment in White Noise, because it’s either being filled with a random side conversation or argument between the characters, or an internal monologue from Jack. This constant dialogue also is reminiscent of the title of the book, “White Noise.” The idea of white noise is constant throughout this novel, with many references to the TV being on in the background, or random words appearing at the end of paragraphs. The constant pandering dialogue and monologues  serve as an homage to the title, filling the book with white noise of its own.

Why none of the other seasons can compare to fall

    Fall, which everyone should objectively agree is the best season, is the most superior part of the year. The weather, the view, and simply the essence of fall make it the best time of the year. The not too hot, not too cold, chilly but still comfortable weather, beautiful scenery, and iconic foods make fall a paradise every year.

            The weather in fall simply trumps all other seasons, creating the most ideal environment imaginable. The air is crisp and cool, with a nice breeze and a bit of sun. There is a time for everyone to enjoy the outdoors during fall, whether you like a bit of chilliness or warmer weather. The average high temperature in Champaign falls around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, the ideal temperature for humans (Walker). Without annoying spring allergies but with the same ideal weather, the approximately 81 million people in the US with allergies usually peaking in spring can enjoy nature (AAFA). Sweater weather reigns supreme!!!

The atmosphere of fall is unique and comforting, and many small details build up to make it the best season. Red, orange, and yellow leaves add to fall’s beauty and make it the perfect time for hiking or simply appreciating a view that’s right outside everyone’s home. Fall also comes with other benefits, namely food. Autumn also means the most iconic season for Starbucks, and time to bring out the apple cider and apple donuts. The best time for getting free candy, Halloween, is another highlight of fall. Warming up with these foods from the slightly chilly weather while enjoying the colorful trees creates a perfect comfortable and subtle environment.

Not only does fall have many benefits, the rest of the seasons all have their drawbacks. The suffocating, musty summer heat, accompanied by mosquitos and other annoying bugs galore, make summer the worst season. Spring (especially this year) does not feel like it has sprung. Due to constant unstable weather, it doesn’t seem like a season of its own but rather nothing but a nasty transition phase too dull for summer but not quite winter anymore. Unlike fall's crispy and fresh air, spring rain makes the season musty. While winter has many holidays, the cold and windy days remain unpleasant and extreme. Fall on the other hand is an all-rounder with amazing weather, views, foods, and relaxing energy. It has a strong balance other seasons lack, and consistently stays enjoyable through all of its three months, making it the highlight of the year.

- Sabrina

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-people-feel-hot/#:~:text=These%20processes%20function%20best%20when,temperature%20around%2098%20degrees%20F. 

https://aafa.org/allergies/allergy-facts/#:~:text=How%20Common%20Are%20Seasonal%20Allergies,(14%20million)%20of%20children.&text=Seasonal%20allergic%20rhinitis%20is%20an,trees%2C%20grasses%2C%20and%20weeds. 

Non-toxic enemies to lovers in Carry On?!?!?!

 

    Fan of Harry Potter? Carry On would be a great read for you! Set in a quirky world of mages, vampires, and numpties, the universe is like a modern spin of Harry Potter. The novel follows accident-prone Simon Snow and his Chosen One misendeavours. With his bestie Penelope, ex-girlfriend Agatha, and nemesis-turned-lover Baz, Simon saves the world! Woohoo! This book is packed full of mystery, some epic plot twists, romance, friendship, and magic. The characters are really endearing, and I enjoyed the chemistry between friends and lovers.

Baz and Simon start off as arch-enemies. And they also happen to be roommates. Simply a recipe for happiness. Before their eighth year at Watford, the school for magic, they have a Tom and Jerry, Draco and Harry style relationship. Occasional fights, typical mild torturing of enemies (such as trying to feed Simon to a chimera), and an unspoken avoidance when they’re in their dorm together. Normally, this would be a bit of a red flag for me. Borderline mutual bullies to lovers? Not really my thing. Baz actually secretly being in love with Simon the whole time? Also not really my thing. But he actually has pretty valid reasons, and I love his character so much (a bit dark but not overly broody or actually mean). Despite some of my questioning, their relationship managed to develop in a pretty healthy way!

The book begins at the start of Simon’s eighth year of Watford, and Baz is nowhere to be found. With rumors of Baz being a vampire and the current political tensions between the Old Families and the Mage as well as the Insidious Humdrum (the big bad villain) leading dark creatures against the World of Mages, Simon assumes Baz is off plotting against him and hiding. However, when Baz suddenly reappears, the pair truce after the Veil lifts and ghosts like Baz’s mom visit the living to tell secrets. With a new murder mystery on their hands and a common goal, the two grow closer.

Simon reciprocating Baz’s feelings felt a bit sudden for me, but I liked it nonetheless. The process of the two falling in love isn’t written in very much detail, but I liked the characters and liked the characters together enough for me to not really care about that fact. I usually really like super slow burn detailed romance, but I appreciated how Simon and Baz didn't have a long push and pull period with misunderstandings and whatnot. Despite hating each other previously, after calling a truce they grew closer very naturally and bounced off each other well, both benefiting from each other. Their individual characters really shine through when they’re together, and they have lively and fun bantering.

I wouldn’t say the romance was the complete highlight of the novel for me (I liked the characters individually more and the worldbuilding), but the relationship was well-written and naturally developed. I haven’t read a good enemies (and here they never really actually hated each other) to lovers in a while, so I enjoyed Carry On a lot. Definitely highly recommend this book to Harry Potter fans (especially you Drarry shippers), but also to anyone who likes a fun and magical read.

- Sabrina

Daisy and Billy: An analysis of the "Daisy Jones & the Six" Characters by: Ruby Mitchell

Daisy and Billy: An analysis of the "Daisy Jones & the Six" Characters by: Ruby Mitchell

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins-Reid is a novel about a band in the late 70’s, how they got together, how they broke up, and everything in between. This book features two main characters, Billy Dunne, the lead singer and guitarist for the band, and Daisy Jones, the other lead singer. Billy is a recovering addict who is desperately trying to be a family man and stay faithful to his wife, Camilla, and his three kids while touring the world. Daisy is an addict, has a natural talent for singing and has no desire to get sober. Throughout the novel, Daisy and Billy have lots of romantic tension, at some points even admitting their love for one another and writing love songs for each other, but they don’t ever go so far as to kiss. I found this strange, a forbidden romance is almost guaranteed to make a story more interesting, so why did Reid specifically choose not to incorporate it into the novel? I think Reid makes a strategic choice by not having them ever get together. Even though the novel might be more entertaining if they did get together, it would completely ruin both of their character arcs, along with one of the main threads through this book, which is staying true to yourself. When the band finally breaks up, Billy and Daisy are in the exact same romantic situations as they were when the band got together, nothing has changed. Throughout the book, it seems as though they might give in to each other and, as a result, the things that could hurt them the most, but they never do. To some, this could seem boring, but to me, this is a very smart choice on the author's side. 

Daisy and Billy are almost polar opposites. Daisy is a self-proclaimed free spirit who is hopelessly addicted to almost every drug in the book. She is single throughout most of the book, and when she isn’t single, she’s being taken advantage of by a man who doesn't care about her. On the other end of the spectrum, there’s Billy, a recovering addict desperately trying to stay faithful to his wife and kids who he promised to get and stay clean for. Billy’s wife, Camilla has an interesting perspective on her relationship. Even though she knows that Billy struggles with drugs and alcohol, she lets him stay in the band and continue to tour because she knows it’s what he loves. She gives him her complete faith and even in the rockiest times, letting him decide the fate of their family. Usually, this would completely backfire; he’s a rockstar on tour with his band constantly surrounded by drugs, alcohol, and sex, yet despite everything, he continues to stay faithful. Reading this book had me wondering, how could this work out? How does Billy have that much restraint and how could Camilla have that much faith in him? Camilla knew Billy even better than he knew himself at times, and completely understood the difference between love and desire. She knew that he loved her completely. Sure, he desired things like drugs, alcohol, and Daisy, but he didn’t love those things. At least not as much as he loved her and his children. At the end of the book, right before the band breaks up, Camilla talks to Daisy about their relationships with Billy. She explains to Daisy in a completely polite and level-headed manner that she understands why Daisy is so madly in love with Billy, but that Daisy needs to understand that he will never choose her over Camilla. This gives Daisy and the reader the realization that Camilla had long ago. Billy didn’t truly love Daisy, and Daisy didn’t truly love Billy. The truth is: Billy and Daisy represent what they both want the most. They don’t want to be with each other, they want to be each other. 

When Billy talks about Daisy, he doesn’t talk about her with love. He seems annoyed at her presence, at her existence, but he explains that he can’t help but be captivated by her. She is a direct hindrance to his ideal life in the countryside with his wife and kids, but he can’t help but wonder if a life with her would be better. This is exactly the relationship that Billy has with drugs and alcohol. He hates when they’re around, but can’t help but desire them. Daisy represents everything Billy is not; Billy lives his life with so much self restraint, and Daisy does whatever she wants, whenever she wants. When Billy sees Daisy, blackout drunk, on more drugs than she can name, swimming in a pool with a $15,000 dress on, he isn’t worried for her, he isn’t even attracted to her; all he thinks is: This girl knows how to have fun. He wishes that he could be living that life, completely care-free, doing drugs again and having fun. But he knows –or at least is trying to convince himself– that life isn’t the life for him anymore. At a certain level, Billy realizes this parallel too. He actively tries to stay away from Daisy, just like he does with his addictions, and he’s better for it. He knows that he has a wife and kids waiting for him at home, all who have complete faith that he will choose what’s best for him and his family, and he can’t let them down. Giving in to Daisy would directly lead to him giving in to all of his other addictions, and ruining his and his families lives yet again. Daisy is almost a drug to him, and he has to avoid her like any other drug. 

Daisy dislikes Billy at first, but slowly realizes that she’s madly in love with him. When he doesn't reciprocate those feelings, she dives even deeper into drugs and alcohol, and makes some of the worst decisions of her life in an attempt to forget him. In Daisy’s mind, her and Billy are one in the same; they’re kindred spirits, meant to be together. The reality is, Billy isn’t the same as her, but he is a better version of her. He’s the possibility of what she could be, and she wants that. She sees Billy, a man so dedicated to his family that he would give up the best thing in the world for them, drugs. Daisy’s whole life, she’s been overlooked, taken advantage of, and pushed away by almost everyone she loves. She thinks that Billy could love her enough to fix her, she thinks that if she’s with Billy, she could become like him. She thinks that they would have the same dedication to each other as Billy does to Camilla, but in reality, this is impossible, because all Billy really sees when he looks at Daisy is her lifestyle full of everything he can’t have. This is so heartbreaking to Daisy in the moment, but in the long run, it's the best possible thing for her. 

The only way for either of these people to grow and improve is if they stay far away from each other. If they were to have gotten together, Billy would ruin everything he’s built with his family, and Daisy would have the same loveless, junkie relationships she’s had in the past. Like Camilla said, Billy and Daisy don’t love each other, they love the idea of each other. They love each other’s lives. They represent each other’s greatest desires, but in reality, they would be the worst thing for each other. Reid chooses not to have them get together because it would ruin their characters, if they got together, they wouldn’t be staying true to themselves. Billy is driven by his loyalty, and if his loyalty wavered, even just a little bit, he wouldn’t be able to recover from it, and his life would be over. Daisy is driven by her independence, if she were to have gotten with Billy, he would do nothing but bring her down with him, into a spiral of drugs and alcohol, and neither of them would be able to recover. In the end, the decision to keep them apart is a smart and strategic decision that keeps in mind the limits and needs of each character, and is ultimately the best for both of them.

 

Do Screens Get in the Way of the Rest of Your Life? - Jason Yan

Do Screens Get in the Way of the Rest of Your Life?

    How many times do you think you take a look at your phone a day? 10? 15? 20? Do you think that your devices distract you from your life? Well according to a study done by Asurian, the average American checks their phone 96 times a day. The average American also spends roughly 7 hours on screens a day, which for most people, is going to be half of the hours they're spending awake. The average American also spends more than 2 hours on social media every day. 

    With the start of the pandemic, screen times increased dramatically. This was probably due to the amount of time people were forced to stay inside, but possible affected by online classes and meetings. However, with the lockdown over, screen times haven't really gone down too much, and the screen time of the world keeps rising. 

    However, screens aren't just for entertainment. People rely on screens for communication, education, and all sorts of things. Uni's curriculum would completely break without screens. The modern world practically runs on screens. Screens provide jobs for people like content creators, artists, and many other people. They wouldn't have their jobs without people using screens to view their work. 

    Recently, I went to a concert at Krannart played by Lang Lang, a very famous pianist. And the reason I mention this is because during the concert, there was an absurd amount of people on their phones. The tickets to this concert were sold out in minutes, so it's crazy to think that so many people were on their phones instead of taking in the experience. While it's true that the concert may be boring to some (it was a whole hour of Bach), it is expected at a concert like this to have your phones away. This really showed to me how addicting and distracting phones can be.

    I would say that for the general population, screens definitely get in the way of life. For some, screens may have a positive benefit, and help them in some way. However, for the rest of the world, screens are more a waste of time. 

    

https://www.asurion.com/press-releases/americans-check-their-phones-96-times-a-day/

https://www.comparitech.com/tv-streaming/screen-time-statistics/