Area of Effect, Issue #3

AREA OF

December 2015 • Issue 3

EFFECT Blowing up geek culture

FEATURE

FAITH LIKE OBI-WAN’S

For a warrior to lay down his blade is no simple thing. p. 14

ANIME

WE’RE ALIVE HERE In Sword Art Online, time in Aincrad doesn’t have to be time lost. p. 12

STAR WARS FUN FACTS

Ever wonder what the Jedi Code says? p. 20

HIGHLIGHTS

Star Wars • Lord of the Rings • Harry Potter • Sword Art Online • Howl’s Moving Castle • Dungeons & Dragons • Limbo • Final Fantasy IX • LARPs • Doctor Who • World of Warcraft • The Secret of Kells

AREA OF EFFECT EXPLORING GEEK CULTURE THROUGH MORALITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE, PHILOSOPHY, AND FAITH.

DECEMBER 2015, ISSUE 3 Publisher | GEEKDOM HOUSE info@geekdomhouse.com Founder | KYLE RUDGE kyle@geekdomhouse.com Managing Editor | ALLISON BARRON allison@geekdomhouse.com Designer | ABDESIGNS admin@allisonbarrondesigns.com Staff Writers | Mark Barron, Michael Boyce, Casey Covel, Jason Dueck, Christopher Johnson, Kyla Neufeld, Charles Sadnick, Jennifer Schlamaeuss-Perry Contributing Artists | Joe Hogan (JoeHoganArt), Otis Frampton (OtisFrampton), Olga G (steamey), Jereme Peabody (jjpeabody), Mister Doctor (i-amknot), Cynthia Sousa (Theamat), Max Kennedy (maXKennedy), Giorgia (EerieStir) Cover art | “A New Home - Obi-Wan Kenobi ” by Joe Hogan Back Cover art | “Finn the Human” by Joe Hogan ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: allison@geekdomhouse.com Area of Effect magazine is published four times a year in September, December, March, and June,

by Geekdom House, 319 Elgin Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3A 0K4. To subscribe, visit geekdomhouse.com or email info@geekdomhouse.com WEBSITE Read our articles online at www.geekdomhouse.com FACEBOOK Like our page at facebook.com/geekdomhouse TWITTER Follow or tweet at us @GeekdomHouse INSTAGRAM Follow our posts @GeekdomHouse ABOUT GEEKDOM HOUSE: Geekdom House is a non-profit organization based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The mission of Geekdom House is to be a faith-filled community with fanatics of sci-fi, fantasy, comics, games, and more. Geekdom House is an organization under EQUIP CANADA (BN: 889540738RR0001).

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Retcon, God, Please Retcon If the bard dies, so does the entire party. This is the setting for “Retcon,” an episode of Geek and Sundry’s LARPs, and the inspiration for our writer’s call out to God for a retcon when his mother’s cancer got worse.

2 • AOE MAGAZINE

contents ANIME Breaking Sophie’s spell

21

by Kyla Neufeld

Right now, we’re alive here

by Christopher Johnson

Sword Art Online

16 21

FANTASY Small heroes

5

by Kyla Neufeld

That thief, lust

8

8

by Jennifer Schlameuss-Perry

How to adult like a child

by Casey Covel

12

LARP Retcon, God, please retcon

by Kyle Rudge

10

SCI-FI

12

Retreating into mercy

18

The Secret of Kells

4

by Michael Boyce

Faith like Obi-Wan’s

by Jason Dueck

The Jedi Code

by Allison Barron and Jason Dueck

14 20

TABLETOP Confessions of a DM

6

by Sheela Cox

6 5

VIDEO GAMES Leeroy Jenkins and the C word

Dungeons and Dragons

by Robert Martin

A gamer’s guide to depression

by Allison Barron

15 18

4 AOE MAGAZINE • 3

“Doctor Who - 10th Doctor” by maXKennedy

RETREATING INTO MERCY O

ne of the main characteristics that makes the Doctor a unique sci-fi hero is his non-violence in the face of danger. Whereas Han Solo prefers a good blaster (and shoots first!) and Mal reckons a good ol’ punch in the face will resolve a problem better than yammering ever could, the Doctor uses intelligence and reasoning, luck and audacity (and sonic devices) to vanquish his often brutal enemies—the Daleks, Cybermen, and even the Master. Since the show’s original premiere on November 23, 1963 (a day after the assassination of U.S. president John F. Kennedy shocked the world), there has been much made of the Doctor’s refusal to meet violence with violence like a more traditional “heroic” character.

The two-part episode, “Human Nature/ The Family of Blood” from the third series of the reboot offers a deep reflection on the Doctor’s non-violence.

Here the Doctor is merciful, while John Smith (the human he transforms into in order to hide from the Family of Blood, an alien race hunting his life essence), is not. As a human, John Smith is a “good man” but flawed, predictably returning violence for violence— like so many of us do.

At the beginning of the episode (written by Paul Cornell and based on his own Seventh Doctor novel, Human Nature), we find the Tenth Doctor living as a teacher in an early Edwardian British public school under his well-worn alias, John Smith. He has repressed his Time Lord identity into a fob watch, forgotten all but dreams of his adventures. He and his companion 4 • AOE MAGAZINE

BY MICHAEL BOYCE

Martha are in hiding, on the run from the Family.

It is not until the end of the episode, after the Doctor returns to his Gallifreyan form, that the Son of the Family, having been defeated and locked in time by the Doctor, recognizes the reason for the Doctor’s retreat into hiding: “… and then we discovered why, why this Doctor, who had fought with gods and demons, why he’d run away from us and hidden: he was being kind.” The Doctor runs away because he knows he will have to destroy the Family when they catch up to him.

He knows he can defeat them, but rather than destroying them, he hides.

The kind retreat of the Doctor contrasts with John Smith’s response to the Family, which is informed by his human circumstances and accepted conventions.

Once the Family smells the Time Lord essence and begins killing local villagers, Smith leads his students in a full on military response, complete with sandbag blockades, rifles, and machine guns. Set only a few short months from the outbreak of World War I—a reality the show reminds us of through flash forwards—watching schoolboys acting as soldiers is unnerving.

With the trenches never far from the viewer’s mind, John Smith’s actions are an understandable cultural response in the wake of the murderous Family.

However, when the school’s headmaster is killed by the youngest Family member, Smith refuses to endanger his students further. Recognizing how outmatched continued on page 17

SMALL HEROES

by Kyla Neufeld

W

ar stories are full of great men and women doing great deeds. They stand on the front lines and fight for what’s right and good. They are the heroes we expect to read about, the heroes whose lives we want to emulate. These are the Arthurs, the Aragorns, the Sarah Walkers, and Harry Potters.

But there are also those heroes who are not considered great. They don’t have power and they’re not skilled fighters. To the world, they are “nobodies.” And yet, they are just as important, if not more so, than those great heroes.

They carry the strength of simple, pure love, compassion, and humility. They fight for what’s right and good, too, but they do it behind the scenes when no one is watching, and they do it without expecting glory or praise. These are characters like Samwise Gamgee, Chuck Bartowski, Riza Hawkeye, the Doctor’s companions, Merlin, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood.

My favourite example is Sam; how could it not be? There’s a moment in The Return of the King where all seems lost and Sam is alone. Frodo has been stung by Shelob and carried off by Orcs, and Sam has taken the Ring so he can continue the quest. As he looks for Frodo, Sam is tempted by the Ring. It shows him visions of himself as Samwise the Strong, Hero of the Age; all he has to do is claim the Ring as his own and he can overthrow Sauron or command the valley of Gorgoroth to become a garden of flowers and trees.

Sam doesn’t give in. He thinks of his love for Frodo and his plain Hobbit-sense: “The one small garden of a free gardener was all his need and due, not a garden swollen to a realm; his own hands to use, not the hands of others to command.”

There’s a failing that many villains have: they can’t conceive of the idea that a seemingly insignificant person can overthrow them and believe that only great heroes have enough power to be a threat.

The Ring’s attempt to tempt Sam don’t work because Sam doesn’t want its power. Instead, he sees the attempt as the trick it is; he knows that, if he were to put on the Ring, Sauron would spot him in an instant. But, the only thing the Ring can tempt Sam with is power because it can’t fathom the idea that he wouldn’t want it.

Villains want more power, and so they think that that’s what everyone else wants, too. They’re so intent on gaining more of it, and protecting what they have, that they’re blind to the “nobodies” sneaking up behind them. And so Frodo and Sam can walk all the way up to Mount Doom and drop the Ring in its fires because Sauron isn’t looking at them; he’s looking at Aragorn, a “true” hero, riding up to his gate with an army in tow.

The reason small heroes succeed is because no one expects

them (much like the Spanish Inquisition). Neville Longbottom spends most of his years at Hogwarts as a sub-par student, and yet when Harry, Ron, and Hermione are fighting Voldemort, the Sword of Gryffindor comes to him and he is the one to kill Nagini. There are Rose and Donna, a shop girl and a temp, who each save the Doctor on separate occasions. Or I think of Merlin, the lowly manservant, who hides his magic and acts the fool so he can protect his king.

I find encouragement in these characters. They have the qualities that I want for my own life: love for friends, compassion for others, and humility in everything they do (well, except for Donna). These are the heroes who stick with me because they tell me that I don’t have to be the most skilled, or the most brave. I can fight for what’s right and good to the best of my ability, and it’ll be enough. w AOE MAGAZINE • 5

“A Major Problem” by i-am-knot

CONFESSIONS

I

had what I thought at the time was a brilliant idea. To solve the conundrum of adding a fourth player into the party midway through a campaign, I would make the new character a spy.

He would be offered a substantial amount of money to keep an eye on the original three characters. Then the agency he worked for would betray him, and he would end up working with the three as a double agent. I had high hopes for this plan, and was rather proud of it.

The day of the session rolled around and I put my scheme into action. Everything was going fine, until the dice betrayed my spy and the other characters found out he was following them before I’d had time for his employees to betray him. The other players’ characters—a wary paladin, a druid with guarded emotions, and a warlock with a penchant for distrust—were, naturally, suspicious.

The poor new character was caught, searched, interrogated, and tied up by the others. The session ended with him sitting alone in a tavern, unsure what to do next, 6 • AOE MAGAZINE

and the other three players leaving town.

Things certainly did not go according to plan. If there is one thing I am learning as a Dungeon Master, it is that whatever plans I make, the players will find a way to spectacularly ruin them. I try to plan for how my players will react to what I throw at them, but I cannot prepare for everything, and they will most likely pull something that hadn’t occurred to me. The consequences are often interesting or hilarious, but it means that I am always on my toes adjusting to their decisions and trying to keep everyone alive.

Sometimes being a DM feels like a tug-of-war between what the players want and what I want. It is at these times I need to remind myself that Dungeons and Dragons is a game, and it is supposed to be fun for everyone, including me.

I am still not sure how I am going to clean up this mess and convince my players to work together. I need to have a plan in place, but a part of me is hoping that my players will do what they are so good at and come up

IF I SEE MY LIFE AS A TUG-OF-WAR, I WILL ALWAYS LOSE, WISHING I HAD PUT MORE POINTS INTO MY STRENGTH ATTRIBUTE.

OF A DM with something crazy that I haven’t considered. D&D is all about actions and consequences. I tell my players that they can try anything they can think of. Whether those actions succeed or fail, and what the consequences are, is up to me and the unpredictable roll of the dice. Then we all have to live with it. Or die, if the dice really hate us.

D&D may be a fantasy game set in an imaginary world, but it often reminds me of my life. I make plans every day, and every day my life takes those plans and ruins them spectacularly. I could go through my days and attempt to assert absolute control over what happens, but I would constantly be frustrated and would not have any fun (and neither would those around me). Alternatively, I can roll with it and remember that my life is ultimately in God's hands regardless of my best-laid plans.

I don't think that making plans is a bad thing, necessarily. If, as a DM, I went into a game session with no plans, the game would have no direction and I would be scrambling to pull interesting characters and engaging

by Sheela Cox

storylines out of thin air. I know from experience that this is a very difficult thing to do. Having a plan is a necessary component of the game and gives the players a framework to start with. If I see my life as a tug-of-war between what I plan for and what the world throws at me, I will always lose and get dragged along, wishing I had put more points into my strength attribute.

Instead, I can choose to shift my perspective and see daily challenges as new adventures, opportunities to learn, and a chance to experience something spectacular. I am left with the advice of Bilbo Baggins, who is well-versed in unexpected adventures ruining his best-laid plans: “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

I know that I can step out my door with the confidence that all my plans may be spectacularly ruined, but it makes living more interesting as I advance in the spectacular adventure of life that God has given me. w AOE MAGAZINE • 7

F RT O

A THE

JOE HOGAN

Joe Hogan is a graduate from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan who is currently a Star Wars artist through Topps.

You can buy his prints on Etsy and check out his creations on DeviantArt.

etsy.com/shop/TheArtofJoeHogan joehoganart.deviantart.com youtube.com/c/joehoganart

3

THAT THIEF, LUST

by Jennifer Schlameuss-Perry

The more I focus on what’s real and what’s in front of me, the more satisfied I am in life.

I

n The Lord of the Rings, there are two characters who lose their names. Their names are stolen from them, really. Stolen by that thief, lust.

That poor, little dude Sméagol is the first of lust’s victims. Sméagol is the embodiment of lust. The way the power of the Ring works on him is so clear, so apparent, he should be under the definition of lust in the dictionary.

It’s downright obvious.

And sometimes lust is downright obvious. Sméagol becomes

STAR WARS BOOKS TO READ WITH YOUR KIDS

As recommended by AoE staff

Gollum almost instantly. His lust is so transformative, he kills his best friend within minutes of finding the Ring. His lust is so revolting that it serves as an immediate warning for anyone who meets him.

More often, however, I think lust is subtle, more deviously sneaky—and that’s when it is the most dangerous.

Take our second character, for instance: Gríma (better known as Wormtongue). He’s slimy, he’s creepy, and he makes no bones about what he wants. Like Gollum,

THE RISING FORCE The first book in the Jedi Apprentice series follows Obi-Wan’s training in the Jedi Temple, how he came to be Qui-Gon’s apprentice, and the adventures that led to his status as a renowned Jedi Master.

by the time we meet him, it’s clear what he’s about and nobody likes or trusts him… except for King Théoden.

Théoden has thrown off every good advisor in his kingdom, including beloved members of his GOLLUM LOSES family. He used to be HIMSELF SO a wise, loving person, so we can conclude COMPLETELY TO LUST that something very powerful must have THAT HE BECOMES been working on him.

SOMEONE ELSE. But it’s also apparent that what’s happened to Theoden has been a gradual change.

If Gollum showed up in the court of Rohan, he would have been imprisoned or killed on the spot. Wormtongue, on the other hand, is not only allowed access to the King, but is a trusted advisor.

His lust, because of how it is disguised, transforms not only him, but the individual he has latched himself onto.

Wormtongue leagues himself with the evil of Saruman believing that he will eventually get what he wants: power, control, and, of course, Éowyn. In his pursuit, he transforms from a heroic man of Rohan into a dark, slimy mole. Wormtongue most likely didn’t succumb to lust instantaneously; it must have taken its time to groom, desensitize, and engender apathy in him. Little by little, it consumed him.

Let’s face it… sometimes it’s so much easier to let someone else be in charge; while I don’t condone Wormtongue’s actions, I can understand why he’d give up the reins of his life. Little by little, Wormtongue loses who he is and this spreads to Théoden, almost like a virus.

I’m always grossed out when I watch Wormtongue leering at Éowyn. And everyone saw that he was making Théoden ineffective. Why didn’t anyone do anything about it sooner?

I think there’s just something about lust that protects itself from interference. Maybe it’s the gross factor, but it can have the power to make others move away and not get involved.

Both Gollum and Wormtongue lose themselves so completely to lust that they become someone else—people even stop referring to them by their proper names.

I have found lust to bring nothing but illusion, delusion, frustration, and isolation. And I have found that it doesn’t usually happen overnight. When I notice myself getting into something that isn’t good for me, I make a point to change. But lust can be tricky—like faerie glamour—it presents itself as something that it’s not. For Gollum, it was a precious companion that he would do anything—and I mean anything—to keep. For Wormtongue, it was a means to power.

I don’t like being tricked. I have been in the past, both by my own lust and the lusts of others. But the more I focus on what’s real and what’s in front of me, the more satisfied I am in life. I don’t want to be a Gollum and I don’t want to be a Wormtongue. I want to be the person God made me to be—with my eyes wide open. w

REBEL JOURNAL

THE GOLDEN GLOBE

Rebel Journal is Ezra Bridger’s story. He’s a 14-year-old con artist and thief who joins a small band of Rebels who are fighting against the Empire.

The book includes Ezra’s sketches and photos of his adventures with the Rebel crew, a useful companion for the Star Wars Rebels TV show.

The first book in the Junior Jedi Knights series, the story follows Anakin Solo, Han and Leia’s youngest son, and his time at the Jedi Temple studying under Luke Skywalker and facing adventures with his best friend Tahiri.

RETCON, GOD, PLEASE RETCON

by Kyle Rudge

“Bard of the Diamond Inn” by jjpeabody

RETCON [RET-KON] (VERB) TO CHANGE THE PAST EVENTS [IN A LARP], OFTEN TO CORRECT THE STORY (DERIVED FROM RETROACTIVE CONTINUITY).

A

rthur, a lowly and uninspired bard, hates his character.

But he’s been cursed so that if he dies, his entire party perishes along with him.

This is the setting for “Retcon,” an episode of Geek and Sundry’s LARPs. Arthur cares too much to see the entire party die, but he does not want to continue on as a bard. As you watch him drown himself (and his sorrows) in the hot tub at the end of the episode, you can understand his fervent wish for a retcon.

Ah, the retcon. The creator’s bane. Something gets a little too out of control, too confusing, or too boring, and suddenly we just have to go along with a whole new set of information. Certainly, retcons have been done well in the past, but the purist inside every geek cringes a little when they become necessary.

Yet, recently I felt like Arthur. My prayer was this: “Retcon God, please retcon.”

My mother has been battling Stage IV colorectal cancer for the last five years. Recently, she went to the hospital with banana-yellow skin—not a good sign.

An ultrasound and CT scan failed to reveal the problem, but then an MRI told the story. Best case scenario was a gallstone blockage, worst case was complete liver failure. A cancerous tumor on her liver had swelled, causing a blockage.

A stint in the liver could remedy the problem, but chemotherapy for the rest of her life would probably be necessary.

The afternoon she received this news, I called her. When my mother picked up the phone, I could hear in her voice that something was wrong.

“I am just so angry,” she told me through tears.

“Angry about what?” I asked.

“I’m mad at God. I’m mad at [your] dad for leaving. I’m mad that I have go through something else. Just as I get over one thing, it’s another,” she said. And what she said next was voiced as a fleeting prayer thrown up to whomever or whatever would listen: “But I’m not ready to leave my babies just yet.”

By babies, she meant her grandchildren. Her youngest grandchild, my son, is only 3 months old. I know that her grandkids are what keep her going through all the pain of chemotherapy—treatments that reduce her to almost nothing every second week.

For 34 years my mother looked after me, encouraged me, made me soup when I was sick, reminded me that caring for those around me was far more important than that happened to me, and so much more. And now, helpless, I hung up the phone and began to weep too. The episode “Retcon” came rushing back. If my mother was alone, if she had no family, her will to live would have been long gone; yet she plods on through the misery of her current circumstance because of the people around her who she cares about.

I am not sure what I should be expecting. Perhaps a rewrite of long ago health habits or a miraculous about face where against all odds she spontaneously recovers? At this point I don’t care about the details of how this situation changes, I just wish it to be rectified.

My mother, like Arthur, is the bard of our party. She thinks she’s expendable and loses sight of herself and what she has to offer. But the truth is, without her, I am lost. It is my mother’s presence and the presence of those like her that we are encouraged by. It is because we love them, it is because we is not we without them, that we stand over our fallen loved one and, like Kat does for Arthur, call out for a Divine Shield.

And pray with them, “Retcon, God, please retcon.” w

HOW TO ADULT LIKE A CHILD

by Casey Covel

Growing up “costs” us something—our security, our innocence, or our ignorance.

But our child-like faith doesn’t have to be part of the price.

F

you’re older” implies that our age is a restriction. We rom a young age, Brendan knows three things eagerly await the birthdays when we’ll be 13, 15, 18, about the world: (1) the world is brutal, (2) 21, old enough to be considered a legal adult. That Vikings are dangerous, and (3) building a wall word, “adult,” is toted around like a medal given to around the Abbey of Kells—and staying inside it—is those who, oftentimes, merely meet the qualification the only way to protect himself from numbers one of age. and two.

But maybe being “grown up” means something At least, that’s what his uncle, Abbot Cellach, more—like overcoming the insecurities of being would have him believe. “childish.” Children are fearless. They ask questions, In the Academy Award nominated film The Sethey absorb and reflect the world around them with cret of Kells, Brendan is forced to grow up faster than spellbinding candor, they have the self-confidence and his age can keep up with. curiosity to try new things.

His uncle is a steely-eyed giIt’s when most of these chilant of a man whose obsession with THE WORD “ADULT” IS dren reach adulthood that the diswall-building takes his focus off other important things—like overseeing the TOTED AROUND LIKE A trust of the world gets to them. They hold their questions in for creation of the Book of Kells, a tome MEDAL GIVEN TO THOSE suddenly fear of appearing incompetent. They that’s destined to convey hope and keep their thoughts to themselves history to future generations. Whilst WHO, OFTENTIMES, for fear of saying the wrong thing.

Cellach toils at the construction site or MERELY MEET THE They approach new experiences doodles blueprints all over the walls with caution because the world has and floor of his bedchamber, survivors QUALIFICATION OF AGE. taught them to fear what they do not of Viking attacks on nearby villages understand. These children (who, gradually trickle into Kells Abbey; this science tells us, are born with only two natural fears— only reinforces Cellach’s beliefs that the outside world falling and loud noises), suddenly encounter a host of is a place occupied by worshippers of the pagan god, worries upon reaching adulthood.

Crom Cruac.

In the real world, it seems, to be “grown up” However, Brendan starts to question his uncle’s means learning to fear. beliefs once he begins an apprenticeship under a Under the influence of his uncle, Brendan is famed Illuminator (holy artist) in order to complete the taught to bury his deep-seated fear of Crom Cruac. legendary Book of Kells. During a trek into the forbidden outside world on a quest for ink ingredients, Bren- That doesn’t change the fact that Crom is, in fact, real—as real as Brendan’s self-doubts about his dan meets Aisling—a shape-shifting fairy who personability to complete the Book of Kells. He believes ifies much of Brendon’s childish innocence and fear. he’s not worthy or skilled enough. He’ll ruin it. It’s It’s Aisling who introduces Brendan to the wonders of nature—inspiring his work as an Illuminator—and who ironic that the boy who prides himself in “not fearing imaginary things” is afraid of his own imaginary holds him back in terror when Brendan ventures too incompetence. close to the den of Crom Cruac.

And yet the Book of Kells uncannily inspires “There’s no such thing as Crom Cruac,” Brendan assures her, echoing his uncle’s words. Crom is a Brendan to press on. The words and beautiful images encased beneath its golden cover are birthed fable—pagan, imaginary nonsense to scare children, from the unrestrained, childand despite his youthful age and prepubescent voice, like hearts of the monks who Brendan clearly doesn’t consider himself one of contributed to it throughthose. out the years; its pages Secretly, Brendan’s terrified that Crom Cruac exists—to the point where it haunts his dreams at night— are not bound by the ominous walls that but, due to the adult-like sense of skepticism instilled surround the Abbey. in him by his uncle, he denies that fear. He is forced to grow up too fast, and in doing so, misses something Abbott Cellah—an ex-Illuminator, valuable in being a child. himself—sees the As soon as we’re old enough to become selfbook as childish aware, it seems we’re set on “growing up.” And why and locks Brenwouldn’t we be? Hearing the oft-repeated “wait until 12 • AOE MAGAZINE

dan away in order to keep his focus Growing up “costs” us somein its “proper” place—wall-building. thing—our security, our innocence, It’s Aisling—Brendan’s Fayeor our ignorance. But our child-like like friend—who frees him from his faith doesn’t have to be part of the uncle’s prison. The book must be price. completed, and that means BrenThe Vikings eventually raid dan must face the fear holding his Kells and tear down Abbot Celimagination at bay: he must face lah’s walls, but Brendan remains Crom Cruac. It’s a moment that unshaken: he knows what lives in marks the apex of him is far stronger Brendan’s maturity— IN THE REAL WORLD, than the evils of the his leap into adultworld, and so he hood—and it means IT SEEMS, TO BE completes the Book sacrificing his doubts “GROWN UP” MEANS of Kells—a compenand fears. dium he later returns LEARNING TO FEAR. to the Abbott and his In Brendan’s case, it means sacrisurviving people as ficing Aisling, too. a token of hope. It’s no irony that We all face our Crom Cruac, the real Book of Kells, which now eventually; maybe not as a literresides in Trinity College Dublin, is al monster, but something very a chronicle of the four Gospels—a much like it—a death, a disaster, series of biblical books containing a divorce, a discovery, a decipassages about the power of childsion—and it’s this apex in our lives like faith. that determines how we step into We can’t always choose the “adulthood.” Some, like Abbott experiences that shape us, but Cellah, emerge from the creature’s we can choose how we respond den shaken by the darkness in the to them. Perhaps the true “adult” world and wall themselves away response is best summarized by from it. Others, like Brendan, find the great wizard of words, C.S. the world a different place than Lewis: before—one without their beloved “When I became a man I put Aisling, but one in which Aisling is away childish things, including the still very much a part, if only she’s fear of childishness and the desire looked for with to be very grown up.” a faith-filled Amen, Lewis. w heart.

Screenshots from The Secret of Kells

W

hen was the last time Obi-Wan turned on his lightsaber before he gave it to Luke on Tatooine? This was the question I asked myself when I watched A New Hope recently. I’d never really thought about it before. I’d watched the first Star Wars movie many times but never really looked at old Ben Kenobi, in that hermit’s hut, as anything more than the wise old mentor who guides Luke on his journey through the Force.

simple thing—to unlearn a lifetime Obi-Wan, as far as we know, of combat, war, and death. Obihas been on Tatooine in hiding, Wan spent much of his exile in watching over Luke since the meditation with his former master events of Revenge of the Sith.

Qui-Gon Jinn who appeared to him That’s about 19 years of combing through the Force. Over the years, sand out of his beard and screamQui-Gon taught him how to act as ing at Sand People to get off his yard. The movies don’t tell us what a living conduit for the Force and eventually how to retain part of his he was doing for all those years. essence after death.

It’s easy to forget that the bearded Obi-Wan accepted his new sage in hooded robes was once a role as mediator and mentor to warrior.

Luke. Their journey took them And not just any warrior. Obionto the Death Star, and when that Wan Kenobi was a High Jedi Genernew hope seemed at its dimmest, al in the Clone Wars. He led scores Obi-Wan stood before of clones through Anakin Skywalker, his dozens of battles, not WHAT DOES IT fallen brother. The same from the helm of a capTAKE FOR A MAN man Obi-Wan had risked ital ship, but from the his life for countless front lines, lightsaber TO LAY DOWN times demanded it one blazing. He commandfinal time. He ignited his ed the Open Circle HIS LIFE? well-rested lightsaber; it Fleet and the entire must have been something Third Systems Army. He was one of to hear the soft hum again, the greatest duellists in Jedi history, to wield his blade as a having achieved near mastery of the warrior one last time. He highly defensive Soresu lightsaber moved like he once did, felt form. He survived single combat the Force stretch out and with Darth Vader, Count Dooku, guide his steps. It wasn’t long beDarth Maul, General Grevious, Asajj fore he realized what he must do.

Ventress, Savage Opress, and count“If you strike me down, I less others on multiple occasions. shall become more powerful than No other Jedi can boast the same. you can possibly imagine.”

Obi-Wan was one of perhaps Smiling, he raised his blade 100 Jedi who evaded the execution and allowed Darth Vader to attack of Order 66, and one of only a without distraction. And with that handful to survive for more than a simple act, one of the greatest few years in its wake.

Jedi of the age vanished into And he gave it all up. The thin air, denying the Sith Jedi were once viewed as infallible Lord the satisfaction of a paladins by the galaxy, but the fight.

Empire had polluted their image What does it take for into nothing more than corrupt a man to lay down his life, religious monks. his identity for a purpose not Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the his own? It’s not a rational greatest Jedi Guardians since the decision, that’s for sure. It Jedi Civil War, exiled himself to goes against every survival watch over the son of his fallen instinct. Obi-Wan underapprentice because he knew if he didn’t, the Jedi Order would die out. stood his time as a soldier was over and he What must it have been like, trusted the Force for all those years, to hear of the completely.

Empire enslaving and dominating He knew the galaxy and be powerless to the help? Knowing Luke was the one to carry on the legacy of the Jedi, but having to wait until he was ready to carry the burden?

For a warrior to lay down his blade is no

sting of death would have no real power over him. He acted in faith knowing the Force is greater than any one person.

I don’t believe Obi-Wan struggled with making the choice to watch over Luke. That’s just the kind of hero he was. I think he knew he only had one path before him. Even though Luke could have just been a painful reminder of betrayal, pain, the loss of the Jedi and his best friend, Obi-Wan chose to watch over the boy.

I wish I were certain I would do the same thing, but I’m not. I wish I had the faith of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

His penultimate words to Anakin have even more weight in the context of his choice.

“I will do what I must.”

And he did. w

“WOW Avengers” by Theamat

***

LEEROY JENKINS AND THE C WORD

by Robert Martin

L

ife was going well for me and my wife in the sum“Hey, Rob? I have this lump here.” mer of 2012. I had recovered from changing jobs Yeah, so do I. and was establishing myself in a new position with At first, my wife and I attempted to “stick to the a new company. I was graduating seminary in a few plan.” I mean, after all, it could be nothing. We made months and we were attending a new church. My wife the appointment to see the doctor. I continued with and I had plans for our future. my work testing software. We shifted our focus from “Hey, Rob? I have this lump here. Do you think I one congregation to another. Neither of us was yet 40; should see my doctor?” something as outrageous as cancer doesn’t happen to If you’ve played games online in the era after people our age, right?

World of Warcraft, then you might “Well, we’re not sure what it is. It know the story of the group of intrep- THERE IS NO WAY TO doesn’t feel quite like cancer. Let’s get id adventurers gathered in a room in some scans done.”

“STICK TO THE PLAN,” Upper Blackrock Spire, where they There it is again, that helpless, strategize about a particularly difficult BECAUSE THERE IS “G****mit, Leroy” feeling. It’s not going fight forthcoming. These heroes even according to plan. This is supposed to be go so far as to get totally geeky about it NO PLAN ANY MORE. easy. and calculate the odds of their success So, we arrange the scans. And to a 32.333 (repeating, obviously) percent chance of more scans. And still more scans. Each time, nothing success. That is, until one of their group decides to definite, but always the news is a little worse. Still, not just charge ahead. the Big C word yet.

“Okay, time’s up! Let’s do this! Leerooooooy Then came the biopsy. We were told afterwards Jeeeenkins!” that we wouldn’t get the results over the phone and The stunned shock and silence that follows for that we’d be brought into the office to discuss whatever that brief moment before the realization that Helena was found. I came home from work and the wife said, brought her handbasket and they were all in it? You continued on page 20 know that feeling?

AOE MAGAZINE • 15

BREAKING SOPHIE’S SPELL

“Sophie Hatter” by steamey

3

by Kyla Neufeld Sometimes we need a little help, a push, to see the lies we’ve come to accept. For Sophie, that help comes in the form of a curse.

H

ow much of our identity is made up of what other people think it should be?

At the beginning of Howl’s Moving Castle (and here I’ll note that I’m writing about the book. As much as I love the movie, the book just goes into more depth), Sophie Hatter seems to be fine with basing her identity on what society says. She lives in the land of Ingary where, as the eldest of three sisters, she is destined to live a mediocre life because everyone knows that only the youngest go on to fame and fortune.

After her father dies, the burden of raising three daughters and running a hat shop is too much for her step-mother, Fanny. The youngest daughter, Martha, who is obviously going to make something of herself, is shipped off to apprentice with Mrs Fairfax, a talented witch, so that she can have “witchcraft and rich friends to help her.” The second youngest, Lettie, goes to apprentice at the famous Cesari’s bakery, where she will probably find a husband and

STAR WARS VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY IF YOU’RE A FAN

As recommended by AoE staff

have a comfortable life. Sophie is to remain in the shop making hats. She’s okay with it because that’s just the way it is.

Except, she gets stuck. Sophie wants to go out into the world and do something interesting, but she can never find the time, or the energy, or the motivation. She believes the lie that society has told her— that she’s supposed to be a failure—and it debilitates her. Because of this she doesn’t realize her potential, doesn’t see the power that she has inside her.

While working in the hat shop, Sophie starts talking to the hats. “You have mysterious allure,” she tells one. “You are going to have to marry money!” she says to another.

To one bonnet that looks plain and fussy she says, “You have a heart of gold and someone in a high position will see it and fall in love with you.” The next day Jane Farrier buys that bonnet and is wearing it when she runs away with the Count of Catterack.

Business picks up and suddenly the shop is selling more hats than ever.

JEDI OUTCAST Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast was released in 2002 for PC, Xbox, and GameCube.

It follows Kyle Katarn, who is one of the few people who knows the location of the Valley of the Jedi. The graphics might not hold up, but the gameplay sure does.

tie up. Sophie has messed up Sophie has the ability to and mistaken some information talk life into things, and she that could cost Howl his life. doesn’t even know it.

They race back to the castle, Sometimes we need a Howl explaining on the way: little help, a push, to see the “All my flanks are weak!… lies we’ve come to accept. For And then you go and play into Sophie, that help comes in the the Witch’s hands!” form of a curse when the Witch “I’m the eldest!” Sophie of the Waste turns her into a shrieked. “I’m a failure!”

90-year-old woman.

“Garbage!” Howl shouted.

It’s because of this curse that Sophie finds out the person “You just never stop to think!”

And maybe that was Soshe can be. She wants to break phie’s problem after the curse, so she sets she didn’t stop off to find a way to do SOPHIE’S OLD- all; to think about her it. This leads her to WOMAN SKIN place in the world Howl’s castle, which or why she was suphas been roaming the posed to be a failhills outside her town. BECOMES HER ure. Howl, though, She bullies her way ARMOUR. has seen the person in (because the castle she could be all along and helps won’t stop for just anyone) and her see it too. meets Calcifer, a fire demon As Sophie takes Howl’s adwho is bound to the fireplace. vice and begins to think through We learn that he is under a conher actions, she finds that she can tract, and that he can see that use her power to effect change in Sophie is under a spell. her own life. And, when everyA deal is struck: Calcithing has been resolved, her fer will break Sophie’s spell if curse is lifted and Sophie is she breaks his contract. But, back in her own skin, Calcifer needs time to study wholly different than Sophie’s spell, and so she stays the person she used in the castle as Howl’s new to be. She cleaning lady. During her stay, chooses to Sophie finds herself caught in stay with the middle of a mystery revolvHowl and ing around a missing prince, do something the curse on Howl, and why the interesting Witch of the Waste is after him. with her life— She also finds that, as an old because she woman, she isn’t as afraid as she used to be because she sim- realizes that she can. She doesn’t ply doesn’t care anymore. Her have to accept a old-woman skin becomes her life of failure anyarmour and she finds gumption and confidence in herself as she more because she has the choice to do starts to use her power. something about In the denouement, Howl it. w defeats the Witch of the Waste, but there are still loose ends to

KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC For Xbox and PC, KotOR is a 2003 role-playing game that takes place 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire. The player’s character is bent on stopping Darth Malak, a Dark Lord of the Sith and becomes a Jedi.

“Retreating” continued from page 4

they are, he demands the students set down their weapons and retreat. Unlike the Doctor’s retreat, Smith’s retreat is made out of fear. He knows the school cannot defend itself against the superior weapons of the aliens. Smith retreats in an attempt to save as many of the boys’ lives as he can because he knows all hope is lost.

The Doctor’s retreat is characterized by self-sacrifice: he knows he can win, but opts to lose himself in order to avoid destroying his “enemies.” Even after defeating the Family, the Doctor shows mercy and avoids typical “heroics,” which demand an eye for an eye. Rather than killing them, and exacting “vengeance,” the Doctor brings “justice,” imprisoning each member of the family separately for eternity— one in unbreakable chains; one in an event horizon of a collapsing galaxy; one in a mirror, every mirror; one frozen in time as a scarecrow watching over the fields.

In rejecting violence and retribution, the Doctor’s actions defy accepted conventions of heroic behaviour.

It is ironic that the Doctor is only able to react this way as a Time Lord, and not as a human. His actions point to a better way of living and conflict resolution, one just beyond our “human nature,” but one we should be continually reaching for. w

BATTLEFRONT Star Wars Battlefront is a shooter released in 2015 to much acclaim. Players fight in planet-based battles throughout the Star Wars universe, either on the Rebel Alliance or Imperial side. The game supports up to 40 players in multiplayer mode.

A GAMER’S GUIDE

DEPRESSION

TO

by Allison Barron

YOU TRY TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF, DON’T YOU? TRY TO UNDERSTAND... I DON’T WANT TO CAUSE TROUBLE TO ANYONE. AREN’T WE YOUR

FRIENDS?

Screenshot from Limbo

I

Personally, I am most inspired by games am left with oddly strangled emotions as I that address emotional struggle less directly. watch Limbo revert back to the title screen.

One of these is Final Fantasy IX, a game that This was a dark game. As someone who has experienced depression, I am not horri- centres around a thief named Zidane. There fied, but rather relieved that someone else can is a scene in the game where Zidane stumbles off by himself (accompanied by the best express the difficult emotions that I have felt song on the soundtrack, “You’re Not Alone,” a in the past. It might sound odd, but by playhaunting, moody piece that perfectly sets the ing a nameless boy who runs through a dark forest solving emotionally disturbing puzzles, I scene). At this point, Zidane has learned about his origins and is struggling with who he is. feel like I am not alone.

His friends come to find him, but he There’s something about actually playing pushes them away. When he tries to do the a character myself, about walking, running, same with Dagger, she asks him if this is really and sliding through a dark world, dying and how he wants to solve the problem. getting up again, that is cathartic. This is Dagger: You try to do everything by yourdifferent than watching someone go through self, don’t you? numbing emotions in a book or a movie— Zidane: Try to understand… I don’t want when I play, this is me. I make the choice to to cause trouble to anyone. go forward or stand still. Though my control Dagger: Aren’t we your friends? ... You’ve is limited to where the game takes me; this always protected us. But you still don’t unironic similarity to life does not escape me. derstand that we looked out One of the hardest things about depression is facing IT CAN BE EXHAUSTING for you, too. We watched your back while you watched ours. friends who don’t understand Dagger gives some pretty what it feels like. It can be ex- TRYING TO EXPLAIN on point advice for someone hausting trying to explain that THAT YOU CAN’T who recently went mute due you can’t just “cheer up,” even to her own depression. Zidane if there is no particular reason JUST “CHEER UP,” has always protected her and for your sadness. Depression EVEN IF THERE’S NO the rest of their party, but she can be affected by events in your life, yes, but biology PARTICULAR REASON reminds him that they look after him too, that they believe can also play a part. (Recent FOR YOUR SADNESS. in him the same way that he studies suggest depression believed in them. Eventually is not, contrary to popular he comes to see the power of her words and belief, caused by a “chemical imbalance,” but realize how important his friends are to him, other biological factors are likely involved.) and that it’s okay to rely on their strength once Regardless, it’s not something you can kick by plastering a smile on your face and pretending in awhile.

Just like Zidane, during times of depresyou feel fine. sion, my tendency is often to push away those I am encouraged by games that deal closest to me. To distance myself and be alone with this emotion; not only does it make me in my sorrow. I do this because a) I don’t want feel like other players might understand me to be a burden to my friends, and b) wallowing better, it is refreshing to see depression being is easier than asking for help and explaining openly dealt with in a medium that I love; in a game like Limbo, dark feelings are not shoved that I am going through an emotional time (as a stoic person, talking about how I feel is under a rug because they make people feel uncomfortable–players are forced to deal with something I hate doing). Also, there’s that risk of opening up, being misunderstood and made them. to feel guilty for emotions I cannot control.

There are games that deal directly with The thing is, when I let people help me, it depression, like Loneliness by Necessary makes the struggle so much easier to deal with.

Games, a very simple “game” where you move It’s hard to open up, it’s hard to reveal weakas a solitary dot through fields of other dots ness, and I think this is something I will always that avoid you as the background gets darker struggle with doing. But God made humans to and darker. Even a simple portrayal like this live in community for a reason. Friendship is helps to illustrate how depressed and lonely invaluable for a reason. And video games that people feel; some will react by avoiding the define this in a believable way make my A-list groups of dots completely and others will feel like they are constantly being left behind. More and remind me that I am not alone. w sophisticated games designed to battle anxiety include Depression Quest, Elude, and Flower.

This article first appeared on Gamechurch.com.

“Leeroy Jenkins” continued from page 15

THE JEDI CODE There is no emotion, there is peace.

There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There is no passion, there is serenity.

There is no chaos, there is harmony.

There is no death, there is the Force.

I

n these five statements, the self-sacrificial ideology of the Jedi is illustrated. The Jedi place incredible value on humility, obedience, and self-discipline, believing that strong personal feelings, while not inherently dangerous, will lead a Jedi to place their own desires ahead of the greater good they serve.

Complete control over one’s emotions and acceptance in the will of the Force are hallmarks of the greatest Jedi Masters. Although we know both Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and, of course, Anakin struggled to come to terms with the rule against attachments. QuiGon was known for bending the rules, which is probably why he wasn’t a member of the Council. Obi-Wan, after a rough stretch in his youth where he actually left the Jedi Order for a girl, seems to have followed the Code for the rest of his days and found peace. While Anakin... you know.

After Luke Skywalker rebuilt the Jedi Order, he changed the Jedi Code. The new language was far less concerned about what was forbidden; instead focusing on what the Jedi should be to the rest of the galaxy: Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy. Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others. Jedi respect all life, in any form. Jedi serve others, rather than rule over them, for the good of the galaxy. Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.

While the old code focused on denying oneself to obtain peace, the new one encouraged imperfect beings to trust the Force and act as though they were as good as they hoped to be. Perfection was strived for, but not expected. Luke did not believe in banishing attachment, because he couldn’t imagine life without people like Mara, Leia or Han. To him, those attachments were a source of strength rather than weakness.

Although a lot of Luke’s students seem to be turning evil, so who knows if he’s got this Code thing down properly or not. w

“Well, it’s cancer.”

“Okay, time’s up! Let’s do this!

Leerooooooy Jeeeenkins!”

Plan? What plan? No one plans for this kind of thing. Sure, we have medical insurance to cover the possibility, but planning?

You don’t plan for this disaster. There is no way to “stick to the plan” because there is no plan any more. And, I’m sorry, Leeroy, but this time I’m not entirely sure that there is chicken waiting for us at the end.

Diseases, like cancer, blindside us.

And, in that suddenness and severity, we feel so completely and utterly helpless. It is like that party of earnest gamers who have everything figured out, but someone ruins everything by charging ahead without considering the ramifications. Life feels that way with regards to disease and we are powerless to do anything about it.

On the other hand, though, when there is nothing that you can do and no clear path ahead, is having a plan really all that important? You can’t really plan for all contingencies. I mean, gallstones are supposed to be pretty easy to cure, but have you ever considered what could happen if one gets stuck in the wrong place? Eight years ago, it happened to my mother and within the space of six weeks she died, all because of a gallstone.

“Okay, time’s up! Let’s do this!

Leerooooooy Jeeeenkins!”

What is amazing, though, is the attitude I saw both in my mother during that brief time and, more recently, in my wife.

When you are at the mercy of the way things roll, there really is no use in “sticking with the plan.” For my mother, at the end, she decided that she had fought the good fight and it was time to go home. She voluntarily ended treatments in favour of letting nature take its course. For my wife, she submitted to the treatments and the process of healing, letting the doctors handle the details.

Sometimes the plans aren’t worth it.

Sometimes calculating out the probability of success to some repeating decimal feels like a waste of time. Time is ticking away in life and if you’re spending all your time debating what you’re going to do, you miss out on the fun. And as a person of faith, I believe God is carrying me through. Up ahead, there is a banquet laid, complete with chicken, ready for me to rest and relax in spite of the enemies arrayed against me. And so I turn towards my God, my Shepherd, give a mischievous grin, and charge ahead.

“Okay, time’s up! Let’s do this!

Leerooooooy Jeeeenkins!” w

Screenshot from Sword Art Online

E R E H E V I L A E R ’ E RIGHT NOW, W

nson

h

by Christopher Jo

D

“

o you not understand? Every day we spend here is one day we’ve lost in the real world.”

These are words spoken in Sword Art Online by Asuna. She is talking to Kirito, her eyes are narrowed, her hands are on her hips.

Kirito is laying on his back in the quiet and calm of a green meadow.

The look on his face is as serene as the digital sky above him.

He knows she is right. All the players in the game are trapped inside this virtual reality. There is no logging out. There is no respawning. And dying inside Sword Art Online means you die in real life.

The only chance for the thousands of players trapped inside this digital reality is to beat the game.

That is what Asuna is focusing on.

She has worked for months inside the game, training herself to be stronger, leading her clan deeper into the game, inching forward to the ending that promises freedom.

Kirito himself has also worked hard to become strong but he has remained a solo player. If anyone knows the precipice these trapped players are walking, it’s him. He knows the importance of the work they are doing. Yet Asuna’s stormy outbreak doesn’t even cause him to raise an eyelid.

This is one of the first encounters between Asuna and Kirito in the anime. I am immediately drawn into the scene and the meaning behind it. Here is a war of feelings I never realized I had felt myself until I saw them on display here. I have experienced both the

urgency of Asuna and the peace of Kirito in my life.

This moment in Sword Art Online is a reconciliation between the two emotions: stress and contentment. I love watching how Asuna and Kirito deal with this conflict throughout the show.

In that particular scene, Kirito is undisturbed while Asuna’s words whirl over his head. He answers her ferocity by telling her it would be wasting this beautiful day to go inside a dungeon. “Right now we are alive here, in Aincrad.”

The words are simple, but effective. Asuna stops to consider her surroundings. She feels the wind and the sun alive around her. It’s something she hasn’t stopped to notice at all in all the months they have been trapped in the game. Her own enjoyment of a beautiful day surprises her.

She decides to take it in a bit more, and lies down next to him, succumbing to a nap. It is at this point where Asuna’s life in the game changes. She becomes open to the possibility of experiencing joy, even during the hardships of the game.

Later on in the show, after Asuna and Kirito become fast friends, Asuna encounters a fisherman who is filled with guilt. He has spent much of his time in this game fishing and none at all trying to escape. He has given up hope of making it out alive.

Asuna tells him he should not feel guilty. She says she had spent a lot of time focused only on getting out. It was all she could think about.

She felt every day she spent in this game was a day lost in the real world.

It consumed her, day and night. That was, until the day she found herself yelling at a napping Kirito.

That was the day she partied up with Kirito so they could work together at beating the game. But that work did not stop Kirito from really living. “He wasn’t losing a day in the real world. He was gaining a day here,” she says.

I think Kirito knew a secret about life. I think he knew the importance of balance. He knew theirs was a war, not with the intent to conquer but with the intent to live in peace. He knew some tasks in life were essential. But he also knew that their importance could not become the ruler, the motivator, the reason for life and his fight.

When Asuna had thought only of escaping, she said her nights were full of weeping. In her waking days all she did was fight. It consumed her so much that she forgot why she was fighting. She was fighting to live. But in those months in which she fought to live, she didn’t actually live.

Asuna learned from Kirito that escaping wasn’t the only important thing in Sword Art Online.

Forming relationships, building friendships, helping others, taking time to rest, eat, and laugh… these things were important too.

“But right now, we’re alive here,” Kirito says.

Thanks Kirito, for napping.

Thanks for reminding me that I am alive here. Right now. In this life and no other. w AOE MAGAZINE • 21

OUR MINIONS Kyle Rudge

Allison Barron

Jason Dueck

Kyla Neufeld

Michael Boyce

Kyle is the founder of Geekdom House. He comes most alive when he is telling stories, whether in print or on stage, and is a web developer and programmer with a strong tendency to be distracted by marathon watching TV shows.

The managing editor of Area of Effect, Allison is the Galadriel of the team, offering wisdom where needed but turning treacherous as the sea when board games are involved. She has a BA in English and certificate in Publishing.

From Captain Kirk to Commander Shepard, Jason’s love for science fiction extends to the final frontier.

When Jason’s not geeking out, he’s studying communications at Red River College in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Kyla has been studying Tolkien’s works since a young age. She is a poet, writer, and editor living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, has a BA in Creative Writing, and currently works as the managing editor of Geez magazine.

Michael teaches English Literature and Film Studies in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He’s published on Hitchcock, Alec Guinness, and James Bond. And he likes coffee. A lot.

Admiral

Commander

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Ewok Translator

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22 • AOE MAGAZINE

Casey Covel

Keyblade Master

Christopher Johnson Giant Slayer

Jen Schlameuss-Perry Mad Scientist

Robert Martin

Sheela Cox

An INTJ and self-proclaimed connoisseur of chocolate, tea, and sushi, Casey spends her free time in Florida cosplaying, writing, gaming, philosophizing, squinting at strange words, and watching Corgi videos.

Chris and his wife survive the Montreal winters with the help of Harry Potter audio books and summer dreams. Chris’s current reading obsessions are split between G.K. Chesterton and Guy Gavriel Kay.

Jen is an opinionated, mouthy girl from New Jersey.

She loves to write about geeky topics in light of her faith. Jen currently works for a Catholic Church, practices martial arts, and cares for her family and pets.

Robert has lived in the world of hobbits, wizards, rings, and dragons since he was eight, has traveled the galaxy with Kirk and company since he was ten, and has been a steady companion of the Doctor since he was sixteen.

Sheela talks to horses, loves to dance, and adores making fancy outfits. She lives with a handsome young man in her cozy home filled with books and the smell of fresh-baked cookies.

Guest Writer

Guest Writer

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