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MAJOR SPOILERS: Welcome to the last Input 2 for this semester! This week, we discuss the legacy of superhero films and how Avengers: Endgame fits within this genre. How did the Marvel cinematic universe originate? Will these films ever end? Find out this and more on this week's episode of Input 2!
Welcome to the last How It’s Played episode for this semester! We are discussing a recent Norway study, where it said that girls are negatively impacted by games. Is this study valid? How does this play into the greater gender perspectives in the gaming community? Find out this and more on this week’s episode of How It’s Played!
As a young reader, there has always been a wide array of reading options to suit my interests. If I wanted to read a magical adventure story, I’d pick up Harry Potter. If I was feeling more of a dystopian action series, I’d grab The Hunger Games. However the book series that kept me awake late at night reading under the sheets with a flashlight wasn’t Twilight or Lord of the Rings. It was Erin Hunter's Warriors series.
by Emily Reuben As a young reader, there has always been a wide array of reading options to suit my interests. If I wanted to read a magical adventure story, I’d pick up Harry Potter. If I was feeling more of a dystopian action series, I’d grab The Hunger Games. However the book series that kept me awake late at night reading under the sheets with a flashlight wasn’t Twilight or Lord of the Rings. It was Erin Hunter's Warriors series. When it comes to popular children’s book series, the Warriors, sometimes referred to as the Warrior Cats novels, are not only one of the most prominent but also has one of the most active online communities. The series has received numerous recognitions, including various spots on the New York Times bestsellers list throughout the years. The Warriors series revolves around four groups of feral cats living in clans. The four clans all struggle to survive and often get into bloody battles over food, territory, and engage in forbidden romances between cats from different clans. The first six books in the series detail the adventures of Rusty, a house cat that leaves his comfortable life to join ThunderClan. Rusty forsakes his given name and is given the name Firepaw. His struggles integrating into the life of a wildcat while navigating the politics among the four clans comprises the bulk of the series' first six entries. Since the original series, the Warrior Cats books have exploded into a massive collection of novels, featuring 7 series with six books each. Outside of the main series of books, 12 stand-alone books titled “Super Editions” have been released, each chronicling the experiences of a specific character in the series. Additionally, the series has spawned six field guides, a manga series, and 15 novellas. However, what makes the Warriors series so interesting outside of the sheer number of titles is the level of online involvement from fans, especially regarding fan animations on YouTube. When I was about 12 years old, I was obsessed with Warriors. I had every book, novella, and manga that was sold on bookshelves. Eventually I took my love for the series online and began interacting with other Warriors fans on online forums. It was around that time that a user posted a link to a Warriors fan animation titled Yellowfang: On My Own. While the animation has since been removed from YouTube, it had a massive impact on me and ultimately led to a rabbit hole of Warrior Cats animated content. At the time, I was impressed with the anime style the artist choose to animate the cats in and the visual effects throughout the video. I instantly fell in love with the animation and turned to the author of the video, AlliKatNya, for more animated Warriors content. AlliKatNya, now known by Alli Kat on YouTube, was one of the first big names in the Warriors YouTube community of animators. Alli MacKay, began animating Warriors fan animations in 2007 when they were only 13 years old. Alli's “Warriors of the Forest” fan-series quickly garnered a following online and inspired a massive influx of future Warrior animators to dive into the realm of animation themselves, including big names like SSS Warrior Cats, DarkKokiri, TribbleofDoom, and Flightfootwarrior. Soon, there was an over saturation of talented Warriors animators infiltrating YouTube and creating a thriving, vibrant community of animators, voice actors, and viewers. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S60zKT-M54o&t=70s[/embed] Recently, Alli uploaded a video titled AlliKatNya & The Early Days of Warrior Cats Animation (2006 - 2009) in which they detail their experiences in the Warriors animation community. After hearing about their struggles, I became curious to hear more of their perspective. For more clarity, I reached out to Alli MacKay for their insights and more detail into their experience as a young YouTube animator. “As far as I know, I was the first ever person to start creating fan animations based on the Warrior Cats series, and at the very least the first person to upload them to YouTube.” Alli said. They continued, “When I was in 3rd grade or so, I would gather my classmates to play pretend games based on the Warriors series – the other kids quickly grew out of role playing violent cats, but my interest in the books stuck around. When my classmates moved on to other age-appropriate interests, my only option for continuing to act out the stories was to animate them on the family computer.” While Alli’s work would later become more intricate and utilize stronger editing software such as Final Cut Pro, their earlier work was made relatively simple programs. There was no Adobe Premiere, Photoshop, or After Effects. Instead, Alli relied on programs like MS Paint and Movie Maker to get the job done. Alli said of their earlier work, “I started out by using PowerPoint, setting each slide to 0.1 second, and playing back 5-10 images I drew in MS Paint in an infinite loop.” Because Alli was one of the first major Warriors animators on YouTube, their work drew in tons of views, and shortly after, many other amateur animators began to make their own animations themselves using similar drawing and movie editing programs. Aside from the more professional animations that would occasionally pop up, the Warriors animation community was largely driven by young artists, and for many, served as an introduction into the world of animation creation and video editing. When I asked Alli why the Warriors series in particular was home to so many of these animators they said the following:
Welcome back to this week's episode of Input 2! For this Passover special, we delve into the Prince of Egypt. How does this film accurately portray the holiday? How does this film compare to other DreamWorks films? Find out this and more on this week's episode of Input 2!
Welcome to this special interview with Professor Morgan Leckie, an Assistant Lecturer of English, in which we discuss the latest She-Ra series! How does this series compare with its old predecessor? In what ways did it differ from similar shows like He-Man? Find out this and more on this special episode!
Welcome back to this week's episode of Input 2! With the recent release of Pet Sematary, we take a broader look at the work of Stephen King. How is this horror novel portrayed differently in the film? Find out this and more on this week's episode of Input 2!
Welcome to this week’s episode of How It’s Played! This week, we are discussing Apple’s announcement of the game streaming service. How will this service compete with the already crowded market? Is this another example of Apple creating a monopoly? All of this and more on this week’s episode of How It’s Played.
Welcome to this week's episode of Input 2! Recently, Disney has been releasing its classic films as live action remakes. Are these pure cash grabs or are these meant for bring life to classics? Find out this and more on this week's episode of Input 2!
The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board.
by Emily Reuben The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board. True crime is currently all the rage. There is a seemingly endless amount of podcasts, YouTubers, books, and documentaries all tackling the subject to varying degrees of quality. With so many choices, consumers have a ton of material to choose from to get their fix. But for many, retellings and evidence of cases isn’t enough; cases without any narrative padding can be too gruesome, or even boring for many consumers. With the rise of true crime popularity we have also seen fictional retellings based off of real cases. Just to name a few we have the biopic Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron as Ted Bundy set to release later this year, Martin Scorsese is set to direct Devil in the White City, based on serial killer H.H. Holmes, and even My Friend Dahmer which released in 2017. Following the trend, The Hulu original series The Act released on March 20th to positive reviews, and at the time of writing this article, has currently released four episodes. The anthology series reenacts actual crimes, focusing on one specific case per season. For the series’ first season, the case of Gypsy Rose and the murder of her mother Dee Dee Blanchard is the season’s focus. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5fqDZCjQo[/embed] Gypsy, a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy inflicted by Dee Dee, eventually conspires to kill her mother with her boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn. Shortly after Dee Dee is killed, Gypsy and Nicholas were found and arrested. Gypsy was sentenced to ten years in prison and will be eligible for parole in 2024 when she is 24 years old. While The Act does a great job of retelling the case, there is some creative freedom at play. To tell a compelling narrative, some liberties had to be taken to construct a cohesive, interesting narrative for the television format. For those interested in Gypsy’s story who want a non-fictional account, the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest offers a more raw, authentic look into the case. Mommy Dead and Dearest is a documentary released in 2017 and directed by Erin Lee Carr, director of another true crime documentary Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop. In Mommy Dead and Dearest, Dee Dee’s murder is discussed, but the primary focus is the abuse endured by Gypsy. Because her mother suffered with Munchausen, Gypsy was forced to play the role of an incredibly sick child suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy, and even brain damage that allegedly “made Gypsy have the mind of a seven-year-old child”. Gypsy was confined to a wheelchair, fed with a feeding tube, and had multiple surgeries for her various illnesses, but her illnesses were all fabrications made by Dee Dee. Dee Dee managed to convince the world she was a fiercely dedicated, loving mother who garnered sympathy and monetary donations from those who clamored to support her and Gypsy. Their home in Springfield, Missouri was built by Habitat For Humanity after the pair were supposedly left homeless after Hurricane Katrina. Gypsy was given charitable donations, was a Make-A-Wish recipient, and appeared in the local news. In actuality, Gypsy was needlessly subjected to surgeries by a mother who hindered her freedom and was forced to lie to those around her about her illnesses. Dee Dee isolated Gypsy from just about everyone. While Gypsy had made friends with her neighbor Aleah Woodmansee, her mother would keep her from speaking to her friend, calling Aleah a “bad influence.” In the television movie Gypsy’s Revenge Gypsy states, “I couldn’t trust Aleah because my mother was starting to put things in my head that Aleah wasn’t my true friend and that she was a bad influence on me so I couldn’t be friends with her anymore.” A character not given much screen time in The Act is Gypsy’s father. In Mommy Dead and Dearest the case is relayed by Gypsy herself, journalists, doctors, and so forth but also by members of Gypsy’s family, including her father. These testimonies are incredibly interesting and showcase elements of the case from a personal perspective. “I didn’t reach out to my dad because I grew up with my mom saying all these horrible things about him.” - Gypsy, Gypsy's Revenge Gypsy’s father, Rod Blanchard, was active in Gypsy’s life until around age 10 when she and Dee Dee moved to Slidell, New Orleans. After that, he was hardly allowed contact with his daughter and was not aware of the abuse she endured. Dee Dee and Rod separated shortly before Gypsy was born. According to Buzzfeed, Rod explains that Gypsy was a healthy baby, but as time passed Dee Dee began claiming Gyspy had more and more health concerns, ranging from sleep apnea to a chromosomal defect. While certain instances raised suspicion for Rod, he knew nothing about Gypsy’s local fame and the illnesses. Like everyone else who knew Gypsy, he wasn’t even aware that Gypsy could actually walk. Tired of the constant operations and heavily restricted lifestyle imposed on her, Gypsy did eventually start pushing back against her mother. On June 14, 2015 the Facebook account shared by Dee Dee and Gypsy posted a concerning message that caused alarm: After seeing the message, a concerned family friend called the police. Once the police entered inside the house, they found Dee Dee in her bedroom, stabbed to death, and Gypsy was nowhere to be found. The key difference between The Act and Mommy Dead and Dearest (other than one being a retelling while the other is a documentary) is that The Act allows viewers to see what might have been the daily life and abuse Gypsy faced. Because creative liberties could be made, there is plenty of opportunity for character building and dramatic effect. Dee Dee, played by Patricia Arquette, does a great job of being both intimidating and sickeningly sweet. Joey King, the actress who plays Gypsy, is excellent and genuinely looks and sounds like the real Gypsy Rose. Both of these performers work off of one another to make the narrative effective. However, The Act is realistic fiction, so it’s difficult to say just how accurate the interactions between are, more specifically the ones that happened behind closed doors. Because the series is still releasing new episodes, it remains to be seen how the show will handle Dee Dee's murder and Gypsy's subsequent trial. This is the appeal of the documentary format. While testimony is used and adds some drama to Mommy Dead and Dearest, it doesn’t embellish or dramatize the case. It should be noted that, while not disingenuous or manipulative regarding what information is provided to the audience, the documentary does skew towards empathizing with Gypsy and even criticizes her sentencing. There is some opinion provided, so for those looking for a documentary with little input and nothing but facts and evidence, this may be a turn-off. Despite some liberties taken, The Act is incredibly respectful to the source material. A problem many true crime stories based on real cases run into is romanticization of the crime and killer. The upcoming Ted Bundy biopic became highly controversial after the first trailer released, making the character of Ted Bundy appear to be a cool, Wolf of Wall Street-esque bad-boy. It’s easy to forget that these stories are based on real people and real victims are involved, and because of this, need to be told with expert care and respect towards those involved. Luckily, The Act manages to be both entertaining and respectful. In terms of preference, it honestly just boils down to what you’re looking for. If you want a no-frills look at Gypsy’s case, Mommy Dead and Dearest is probably the better choice. If you want a series with character development and a slow build-up, The Act will probably be more satisfactory. Frankly, Gypsy was failed by those around her. Medical professionals could have intervened and stopped the abuse had they been more vigilant. CPS failed to find anything amiss with Dee Dee’s mothering. Neighbors were manipulated and unable to help Gypsy. Gypsy’s father was purposefully kept away by Dee Dee. Whether you start watching the The Act or catch Mommy Dead and Dearest on HBO, the case of Gypsy is a tragic, sickening story of child abuse.
Welcome back to this week's episode of Input 2! We discuss the latest film by Jordan Peele. How does the movie Us continue the outstanding film Get Out? Does the film use its horror to accurately portray a deeper meaning through its storytelling? Find out this and more on this week's episode of Input 2!
Welcome to this week's episode of Input 2! We discuss woman's current representation in films and their issues. Do films allow women to have more prominent and progressive roles, especially within action films? Find out this and more on this week's episode of Input 2!
Welcome back to this week’s episode of Input 2! We discuss the latest film in the How to Train Your Dragon series. While the movie does make several improvements to characters, there are still flaws. How does this stack up to the rest of the series? Find out this and more on this week’s episode of Input 2!
On this week’s episode, we are discussing the Netflix adaption of the popular anime series, Death Note. While the series is received well, the movie suffers from several flaws. Is this movie simply bad, or does it spell doom for other adaptations? Found out this and more on this week’s episode of Input 2!
by Emily Reuben The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the opinion of Byte or Byte’s editorial board. A missing child is a nightmare for any parent. Horror stories of strangers grabbing up children and disappearing with them never to be seen again are used as fuel to reinforce ideas of stranger danger for our children. While many stories become embellished or propagated as fear tactics, the amount of missing children in the United States is a very real issue. According to the FBI, 424,066 reports of missing children were entered into the National Crime Information Center in 2018. Now, this number only takes into account the actual number of reported incidents, not subtracting cases where children were returned to their families. However, the number of children who stay missing could still reach or even exceed that number, since so many disappearances go unreported. In a world of uncertainty, parents must be constantly vigilant and caution their children about the cruelties of the world. However, not everything is always black and white. Bad people don’t wear shirts saying “I’m a kidnapper!” or always look like a cartoon-villain. Monsters dwell within the average person and in many cases don’t show their true colors until it’s too late. That’s why we teach our children to be wary and avoid strangers...right? But what if the monster isn’t a stranger at all? What if the real danger is someone you trust? Sadly, cases of kidnapping and abuse conducted by someone known to the victim do exist. This is the nightmare that occurs in the Netflix documentary Abducted in Plain Sight. The film explores the true story of Jan Broberg who was kidnapped, raped, and manipulated by Robert “B” Berchtold, a trusted family friend, during her childhood. In 1974, Robert Berchtold convinced Jan’s mother to let Jan accompany him on a trip to a horse ranch. It was then that Berchtold drugged Jan, convinced her she was abducted by aliens, and moved her to a motor home in Mexico. Being only a child at the time, Jan was vulnerable to Berchtold’s lies. He told her that not only was she was half-human half-alien, it was also her mission to bear his child, or else a terrible fate would befall her family. This lie paired in conjunction with the trust she had for Berchtold previously, making Jan completely believe everything her captor told her. To her, Berchtold was like a second father. Why would he lie to her? Berchtold married the twelve-year-old girl in Mexico, where the age of consent is only 12 years of age. He told Jan that he loved her, ultimately making Jan believe that she wasn’t being raped or kidnapped at all and that nothing was wrong with Berchtold. He even made contact with Jan’s parents to ask for formal permission to marry their daughter since his marriage to Jan would be invalidated if he returned with her to Idaho without her parents' consent to marry. Eventually Berchtold was captured, and Jan was returned to her family, but after being groomed and manipulated, she was still unwilling to point the finger at Berchtold. She was convinced he loved her and was crucial to the “mission” of protecting her family. In many cases, this would be the end of the story—but here, the situation only becomes more complicated. The controversy of the documentary largely stems from the events following Jan’s return home and how her parents Bob and Mary Ann handled the ordeal. It is important to note that Jan and her family are victims, so any criticism of Bob and Mary Ann needs to be handled with care. It is easy to watch the documentary from the comfort of your home and thrust blame onto someone on screen, but what we are seeing is a highly condensed and simplified series of events. The grooming and manipulation of Jan and her entire family stemmed over a course of years, making Bob and Mary Ann unquestionably trust Berchtold and never once question his actions. However, this argument can really only be made when Jan was kidnapped by Berchtold for the first time. Before this kidnapping, it is reasonable to assume they had no reason to question the man. This excuse cannot apply after Berchtold was found and Jan was returned. After this, any reasonable person would know that Berchtold is dangerous and their children, especially Jan, should be kept away from the man. Thus, we get into the controversy of Abducted in Plain Sight. After Jan was returned, Berchtold was indicted on kidnapping charges, but was ultimately set free. This is because Bob and Mary Anne signed a form stating that Jan was not being held against her will. Why would they sign this? Because Berchtold threatened to unveil one of Bob’s dark secrets. Bob had once performed sexual acts on Berchtold when he asked Bob to “relieve” him. The fear of being labeled as homosexual outweighed his desire to pursue justice for his child. Mary Ann was also seduced by Berchtold. After Jan was returned and Berchtold was released, she entered a sexual relationship with Berchtold for eight months. During this time, Berchtold was not only allowed to see Jan, but he was allowed to sleep in her bed under the guise of “therapy." The story only gets worse from here. Berchtold is continually allowed to contact and further manipulate Jan into her adulthood, all while her parents refrain from taking meaningful action. Now, the documentary did omit a scene that many call “a game changer” regarding how Jan’s parents handled the situation. After the film blew up online and criticisms of Mary Ann and Bob were rampant, the film’s director Skye Borgman explained details around a situation involving Mary Ann and her brother confronting Berchtold with a gun. While this does show that the family was concerned about Jan, it still doesn’t negate the fact that the family did not press charges, allowed Jan’s abuser to repeatedly contact and further abuse Jan, and failed to fully involve the police for many years. Mary Ann and Bob exemplify some of the worst aspects of religious devotion. The Broberg family are members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and while there is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with that, Mary Ann and Bob placed their religious beliefs and ideologies above the safety of their own child. The church places an emphasis on forgiveness, which is, in theory, a beautiful thing. However, Mary Ann and Bob took the notion so far that not only were Bob and Mary Ann able to forgive their child’s abuser, but basically excuse him of past wrongdoing while he was actively playing a role in the family dynamic. The issue of how the church perceives homosexual relationships also plays a role in Bob’s decision to not bringing charges against Berchtold. Currently, the Church of Latter Day Saints has a relatively progressive view of same-sex relationships, stating on their website that these relationships are not unholy. The instead condemns the breaking of chastity stating that “Sexual purity is an essential part of God’s plan for our happiness.” However, same-sex relationships were not perceived as openly as they are now. Spencer Kimball, the president of LDS from 1973 to 1985, wrote various pieces condemning homosexuality. One of his more notable examples is Hope for Transgressors written by Mark Peterson and himself. The piece describes homosexuality as a “transgression” and something that can be cured by activities like dating members of the opposite sex or praying. The church has also made controversial statements such as homosexuality resulting from a lack of attention and that electroshock therapy can be used to convert homosexual men into straight men. So while the church may be changing its views today, the attitude during the time of Jan’s abduction towards homosexuality was not kind. Again, religion as a whole isn’t bad, but neglecting the needs of your child is. Putting religious beliefs before the welfare of your child is bad. Not reporting abusers for fear of how your church will perceive you is bad. This documentary is hard to sit through. The parents are infuriating. The abuse Jan endured is terrible. The fact that Robert Berchtold had abused multiple women prior to Jan and received little more than a slap on the wrist is horrifying. But Jan’s story is more than her abuse. She is a successful actor, writer, and singer co-starring in Maniac with Elijah Wood and appearing in multiple series such as NBC’s Harmful Intent and HBO’s Slaughter of the Innocents. She has also done various stage shows such as My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music. Jan and her mother wrote Stolen Innocence: The Jan Broberg Story, the basis of Abducted in Plain Sight detailing Jan’s experience. Jan has turned towards activism, speaking out against violence against women. For her activism, Jan received the Woman of Achievement Award from the St. George Chamber of Commerce in 2008. Jan’s experience, while extreme and bizarre, is indicative of a much larger problem. Violence against women and children, especially by people they know and trust, is a topic we as a society need to address head on. Abducted in Plain Sight is garnering attention for the crazy scenario and questionable actions of Jan’s parents, but really the documentary should be gaining attention for its discussion of religion, human selfishness, manipulation, and abuse that can occur from those we love and trust. More importantly, we should realize these cases are very real, and the victims aren't just faces on a screen. Jan’s experience should serve as a call to action to further protect children from abusers, and in some instances, from incompetent parents.
Welcome to this week’s episode of Input 2! We discuss Fox’s Rent Live and how it compares to its movie and stage predecessors. How did this movie handle the topics of AIDs and LGBT representation? Find out this and more on this week’s episode of Input 2!
On this week's episode we are discussing the loved and hated topic that is known as romantic movies. With Valentine's Day being a great day to dive into the world of love and romance, what better time to bring up these movies?
Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and time is running out to get a date, some flowers, and to express your undying love to another human being. The stress of finding a perfect gift and a person to give it to can be overwhelming. But hey, the stress is better than ending up lonely on Valentine’s Day…right?
by Emily Reuben Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and time is running out to get a date, to buy some flowers, and to express your undying love to another human being. The stress of finding a perfect gift and a person to give it to can be overwhelming. But hey, the stress is better than ending up lonely on Valentine’s Day...right? What if I were to tell you that you can eat those fancy candies yourself and keep that adorable teddy bear while still having a relationship? The video game industry has you covered, friend. Marriage and dating are factors in many role-playing games, and with the amount of dating simulators on the market, finding a suitable digital romance is a breeze. Let’s be honest, what’s the point of a physical relationship when you can have a virtual one with little-to-no commitment? Chocolate is expensive and once you spend the money and eat it, it’s gone, but games can last a lifetime. So, are you lonely? Do you want a quick and easy relationship with no consequences or expectations? Do you want to play some video games instead of reserving a seat at some overrated, crowded eatery on Valentine’s Day? Then sit down and scroll through, because this is the list for you!
