The Quill

Summer Edition

Summer Game Releases

Look forward to these future game releases coming out later this year!

Homeworld 3 (Summer 2023 release date TBA)

All systems are online, Captain. Homeworld 3 is the continuation of the renowned Homeworld series that sees you leading an expedition across the galaxy in your mothership. In the first game, you discover an ancient vessel buried underneath the sands of your dying, desert world. You travel across the galaxy, collecting resources, developing new vessels, and fighting astounding fleet battles that risk the very survival of your species. The second game followed with the same success, and here is hoping for the third to continue the game-defining space simulator. It is set to release in the first half of 2023, so keep a close eye on it! Now, all power to engines, Captain. We have a galaxy to explore. Coming to Steam.

Diablo 4 (June 6)

The Demons are back; has anyone seen my claymore? After nearly a decade since the last major release (we will not mention the mobile one), the Diablo series is making its return this summer. Diablo has always been about stomping demons, exploring war-torn dungeons, and collecting that glittering loot. There is already a lot of promise with the open beta that was released a few weeks ago. For those unfamiliar, Diablo is an RPG-style, hack-and-slash game where you march around the world as demon hunters slaying demons. From a raging barbarian to a terrifying warlock, to even a creepy witchdoctor, the player characters in Diablo allow for a variety of playstyles to account for how people game. Look forward to this release if you’ve been itching to kick some Demon butt. Coming to PS4, PS5, XBox One, XBox Series X/S, and PC/Steam.

Summer Edition

Our Staff’s Most Anticipated Summer Entertainment

Summer is a season of new books, blockbuster films, game releases, warm-weather events, and more. Our Driftwood staff shares the entertainment choices they’re most looking forward to this summer. 

Fool’s Paradise (May 12)

For fans of It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia writer/actor Charlie Day, Fool’s Paradise brings us his directorial debut. The core premise is “a down-on-his-luck publicist gets his lucky break when he discovers a mute man recently released from a mental-health facility looks just like a method actor who refuses to leave his trailer.” It seems like just dumb, fun comedy, which is something that has felt like it’s been missing from Hollywood lately. I don’t remember the last time I sat down in theaters to watch just a comedy like this. As a Sunny fan myself, I am a little biased towards Day, but still, Fool’s Paradise seems like it has some promise to it, and I can’t wait.

The much-anticipated sequel to 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse finally arrives in theaters on June 2nd, this time with an even bigger cast of characters including Spider-Woman (voiced by Issa Rae), Spider-Punk (voiced by Daniel Kaluuya), and Spider-Man 2099 (voiced by Oscar Isaac) and featuring the return of Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and Peter B. Parker from the first film. Clocking in at 2 hours and 16 minutes, Across the Spider-Verse will be the longest-ever animated film from a major Hollywood studio. If you’re a fan of superheroes or just enjoy good animation, Across the Spider-Verse is one to keep an eye out for.

Ghost Trick: The Phantom Detective for Nintendo Switch (June 30)

When Sissel wakes up with no memory next to a body that is presumably his, he has only the advice of a possessed lamp to guide him toward recovering himself and protecting those he may eventually come to love. Oh, and he only has one night to do it before his spirit ascends to the afterlife forever. Written by the creator of the popular Ace Attorney series, Ghost Trick flopped upon its Western release in 2012. Hopefully with this remake for the Switch, Ghost Trick can finally make it into more hands and receive the attention it deserves. The animations are butter-smooth, the soundtrack bops, the plot twists never fail to amaze, and the whole game drips with heart. I’m telling you, if you don’t pick up Ghost Trick, you’re missing out on an all-time great.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June 30)

I’m a huge Indiana Jones fan, though that’s based solely on the first and third movies, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, respectively. The second movie has an offensive colonialist plot and a shrieking love-interest who set my teeth on edge (though a then-adolescent Ke Huy Quan of Everything Everywhere All at Once fame rises above a stereotypical role with a charming performance as Short-Round). And the fourth was apparently one in a series of (screenwriter, in this case) George Lucas’s later-in-life attempts to torpedo his film legacy with wooden writing, a head-scratchingly labyrinthine plot, and a storyline that did the first film’s feminist icon Marion Ravenwood very, very wrong. But one and three are swashbuckling perfection, as our titular archaeologist hero goes off on a globe-trotting adventures seeking mystical treasures, punching Nazis, and delighting audiences through every repeat watch. Director Steven Spielberg has kept the plot details of Dial of Destiny largely under wraps, so I feel a little like Charlie Brown running at Lucy’s football, due to the spectacular letdown that was Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull (film four). But like I’ve long said, I’d watch a 105-year-old Harrison Ford if he made Indiana Jones and the Bedpan of Destruction, so here I go.

This thrilling monster flick centers around the crew of the Demeter, a Russian shipping vessel, as they journey from Carpathia to London with twenty-four unmarked crates. Little did they know, something evil lurks in those crates, and has been brought onto the ship with them. Stuck out at sea with a horrible creature, most likely some type of vampire, the crew must plan by day and fight by night. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is set to release in theaters August 11. It’s a perfect way to wrap up summer and jump into the fall spookies!

This paranormal documentary from production company Planet Weird features the chilling tale of a strange statuette with nails in its eyes and a noose around its neck. The piece was found in the Catskill mountains of southeast New York by two hikers, who then had intense paranormal experiences with it. At a loss with what to do, the hikers sent it to paranormal investigators and occult specialists, Greg and Dana Newkirk. The Newkirks then did various psychic and paranormal experiments with the statuette, having many weird experiences of their own. After progressively more intense paranormal phenomena occur, the Newkirks decide they need to figure out what to do with the cursed figure; thus, their journey begins. The Newkirks are some of my favorite paranormal investigators out there, and I’m amped for this new content from them! The Unbinding is due to release sometime this summer, though the exact date is still under wraps. Follow the Newkirks on social media to get a heads up about the release! 

May 3rd, 2023

                              — © 2023 by Grace Desotell

Grace Desotell is a senior in the Writing & Applied Arts program on UWGB’s Marinette campus, and she is also Co-Editor-in-Chief of the 2023 Northern Lights Literary & Arts Journal. When she’s not doing homework, she’s either vanished off the face of the earth or is outside enjoying a long nature walk. “The Box Elder Tree” appears in this year’s Northern Lights, selected through a blind jury process. 

May 3rd, 2023

Editorial Staff Profiles, Part I

With this semester coming to a close, we thought to share profiles on our editorial teams. Meet the Driftwood staff! Brought together by ENG 224: Practicum in Literary Publishing, the students on our staff also serve as editors for the Northern Lights. 

Kayu Brooks: Mother, Popcorn Lady, Editor

Kayu Brooks attends the Green Bay campus. While her major is in English, she recently completed a minor in Spanish! She hopes to one day get a career in the Green Bay Public School System, and though she is shy, she loves being arounds kids and hopes to use her Spanish-speaking skills to communicate with bilingual students.

In Kayu’s experience, she’s come to find that professors are willing to assist with assignments and answer questions about the class more than she assumed, so always speak up and ask! One of those professors is Mrs. Hayden, who teaches two courses that Kayu took. Kayu was amazed by this incredible professor, for Mrs. Hayden was open to her students and taught in many ways to make sure everyone understood.

Overall, Kayu’s experience in college has been positive. She has come to make many connections with fellow parents, and she’s also earned herself a bit of a reputation. Kayu is known as the “Popcorn Lady” since she would read in the same spot and munch on popcorn. She has even garnered the attention of  the food-service workers who prepare popcorn for her when she stops by. In English 224, Kayu has felt a growth in her confidence as a writer, spurred by writing articles for the Driftwood, and she feels proud of what she achieved. 

Kana Coonce: Cat Wrangler, Editor

Kana Coonce (Manitowoc campus) is currently going for the Writing and Applied Arts degree, but he’s been around for quite a while. It took Kana ten years to get where he is right now, so his advice to any students out there is that it’s okay to not know what you’re doing yet!

The course ahead for Kana is to get into publishing, mainly on the editing side, but his dream job is to be a fact-checker. He has been getting a lot of practice in that field thanks to English 224, and that’s due to the amazing work of Ms. Rysavy. She is a very warm and down-to-earth professor and has been a delight to have as a professor. 

Over the years, Kana has had several fun interactions during college, including the time he made the game “Pin the Head on Marie Antoinette,” which he still has the poster for. He’s loved meeting so many passionate people, too, and by far one of his favorite professors is at UW-Waukesha, a gender studies professor named Dr. Zanikowski. While she was a bit absent-minded, she was very intelligent and left a good impression on Kana.

Grace Desotell: Co-Editor-in-Chief, Garden & Hobbies Editor

Grace Desotell (Marinette campus) is currently working towards getting a BFA in Writing and Applied Arts, and being a Co-Editor-in-Chief has given her a remarkable experience. English 224 has been her favorite experience in college so far. 

From writing for the Driftwood, jurying the Northern Lights, and writing feature articles, there is a reason she took this class twice. Ms. Rysavy, the professor for the course, has been an extraordinary teacher and has taught many grounded, real-world lessons about writing. To anyone interested in coming to class, don’t come half-heartedly. It takes a creative person to thrive in class, but the experience you’ve earned is well worth it. Grace hopes to one day write for a nonprofit organization, and eventually, start an online book editing business, something she’s already been doing for this course.

Being a senior, she has been through a plethora of classes, and one of her favorite moments came when she was in biology class. She was sitting in the back of a stadium-style room, and when she pulled up on her jacket while leaving, a bunch of change came spilling out. The instructor graciously accepted the honor of having had money thrown at her. Grace’s only save was to admit that her lecture was that good. That wasn’t the only professor that got her laughing either. Professor Karl Boehler made Grace burst out laughing so many times that she could not pick a specific moment. It was that fun.


Emma Krueger: Editor

Unlike many of the other students in English 224, Emma Krueger (Green Bay campus) is currently going for a degree in Graphic Design and hopes to find a job that uses her artistic skill. Though her focus is on art, the Driftwood has become a unique experience for her. She has never published writings before and loves seeing what everyone comes up with.

She has had a few hilarious moments while she’s been in college. One thing that stood out to her was the college bingo nights. She adores how competitive people get over such a simple game, but her most bizarre story comes from her dorm room. She got a knock at the door, expecting her roommate or someone else. Rather, she saw her best friend in a cart while holding a 20-gallon fish tank with two fish inside. They bought one more fish to make the golden trio of Wubba, Bubba, and King Peaches.

Emma wanted to shout out her art professor Aaron Renier for being such an incredible instructor. He was Emma’s first art professor and left a wonderful impression on Emma. He was supportive and encouraging, and when they showed their final projects, he was ecstatic! It made Emma more confident in her artwork. Her advice to new students follows the trend of art. Don’t be afraid to do things on your own. Talk to new people. Experience new things. You never know if you don’t try.

Syd Morgan: Editor

Syd Morgan (Green Bay campus) is aiming to get an English degree with a Creative Writing emphasis so that she may one day work in a publishing company. Though she also wants to travel around the US in a Subaru Outback and experience van life.

She’s had a few fun interactions with the professors at UWGB. One that stands out for Syd was sharing her “awkward moment of the day” with Professor Aaron Weinschenk, but one of her favorite professors is Professor Jennie Young. She runs the Women in Literature course, an empowering class with a lot of great discussions.

In English 224, Syd’s favorite part is coming up with ideas and writing for the Driftwood. It has been very fun for her over the course of the semester. Now, normally, I try to weave the answers together, but Syd’s advice is so quotable that it deserves separation. “You can eat 100 pancakes in the span of 100 days, but you cannot eat 100 pancakes in one sitting. That’s all to say, get a little bit of work done every day, for you cannot do it all at once when it builds up.”

March 3rd, 2023

7 Self-Care Fails to Avoid During Finals Week

Finals Week is almost upon us, and even though you won’t have to go to class, the week itself can still be stressful. Here are seven things you won’t want to do as you get through this week and into summer.

1. Don’t skimp on sleep. if you pull all-nighters and don’t get your recommended six to eight hours of sleep each night, you might find your brain short-circuiting from exhaustion when you need it most. You’re not going to absorb your books through osmosis if you fall asleep on them. Better to build in a healthy sleep schedule so you’re well-rested and wide awake as you finish up the semester.
2. Don’t eat your stress. It might be tempting to inhale a Snickers for a quick energy burst or stress-eat a bag of cheese popcorn, but it won’t fuel your brain or your body. Keep your energy up with good nutrition and hydration. Stock up now on healthy snacks and beverages, and plan for quick but nutritious meals. No one needs a blood-sugar crash in the middle of a chem final.
3. Don’t treat yourself like a human studying machine. If you study for hours on end without a break, you will lose your mind, and it will not be well-timed. While it might be amusing for your classmates if you loudly rage-quit your history exam, it won’t do your GPA any favors. Plus, UWGB is a small school, and chances are, you’ll run into that professor again, and you’ll be mentally cringing every time you cross paths from now until you graduate. Take breaks and give your brain a much-needed rest. Remember your Pomodoro: Study for 25 minutes, then take a break for 5. After four cycles of this, take a longer 15- to 20-minute break. Your brain will work better—promise.
4. Don’t be a slug. It might be hard to work in exercise when you have SO MUCH TO DO, OMG, but it can help boost your energy and focus. You don’t have to do a full hour of CrossFit or go on a masochistic hour-long run. Give yourself permission to simplify your workout routine to a ten-minute walk or a fast 15 minutes of yoga each day, and you’ll still have time to study without disrupting your exercise schedule. There are plenty of free YouTube videos for quick, low-intensity, stress-busting workouts.
5. Don’t cave to peer or family pressure. Oh, sure, it’d be great to play a video game with your roommate for four hours, and yes, it’s hard to say no to mom when she offers to make your favorite spaghetti if you just come home for the weekend. But you know you should really be studying/working instead. Map out your busy days and times, and make it clear to friends and family that you won’t be available then. If you feel uncomfortable refusing them, practice saying, “I have an appointment,” which is a fine way to get people to ease off. If they press you for details, just give them a meaningful look. You know, the one that will cause them to back away and say, “Oh, THAT kind of appointment.” You don’t have to tell them that said appointment is actually with a stack of books.
6. Don’t be a masochist. Try to do something you enjoy every day, so you don’t suck the fun out of the entire week. Remember The Shining: All work and no play makes Jack go on a murderous rampage, and we don’t want that. Take time to read a book, watch a trashy TV show, play a video game, or catch up with friends (then tell them “I have an appointment” and run away when it’s time to go). Despite the deadlines hanging over your head, you need at least a little time off daily for optimal brain function.
7. Don’t forget to visualize the finish line. Just one more week, and you’ll have successfully finished another year of college and will be that much closer to your life goals. And, it’ll officially be time for summer sun and fun. (At least, we hope there will be sun.) Keep that in mind to motivate you as you run, walk, or drag yourself across this semester’s finish line. We’re proud of you!

May 3rd, 2023

Googly Eyes Make Everything Better

Sometimes self-care means doing little things to make you smile, and what’s more perfect for that than putting little googly-eyes on random objects? Here is our list of things to “eye” up!

• Pair of Scissors. Super-glue eyes on top of the screw/joint of the scissors and watch how every opening and closing of the blades transforms into the adorable, deadly mouth of the scissor monster.
• Doorknobs. Works best with round handles, a pair of eyes right above the stem of the doorknob creates the illusion of a little friend with a big nose.
• USB Ports. If there is room where the eyes won’t restrict the function of the device, gluing on a pair atop the open port makes for a striking, open-mouthed companion.
• Laptop. Slap a pair of eyes on the back of your device and carry around a new friend for all of your classes. It gives your professors someone new to lecture at too.
• TV Remote. You’ll feel even worse about losing it now. Look into the blank googly-eyed stare that has seen the horror of what’s in-between the couch cushions.
• Microwave. Someone to watch you watch your food! Of course, make sure you place them on the outside.
• Any Distinct Shape. This one sounds odd but truly, if you find any circle or rectangle that could resemble a mouth, the eyes will do the rest.

May 3rd, 2023

Everyone has that one thing they enjoy more than anything to pass the time. It might be knitting, clothespin art, or even painting. For those of you looking for new or more challenging hobbies, we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ve picked out ultimate, step-it-up activities to push your perseverance and boost your creativity.

Candle-Making

For some reason, child-me loved power outages. It was a time when everyone had to put the electronics down, get out the matches for the propane stovetop, and light some candles—those very tiny, one-use deals you get in a tray. Today, I keep some of them on standby in my own house for the same reason, but also if I decide to make marshmallows in my living room. Remember, never leave open flames unsupervised.

According to Parkscandles.com, people have been using candles for centuries. During the Qin Dynasty in China, candlemakers used whale fat to make their candles. Elsewhere, beeswax was common. In 500 BC, Romans utilized beef or lamb tallow, along with a strand of twine. People in India used cinnamon with yak butter, and Indigenous Alaskans and Canadians favored the candlefish. Joseph Morgan of Manchester used a braided wick in place of a twisted one, which made it last longer. After perfecting his materials, he built a machine that produced 1,500 of these fire sticks in a single hour. Then, in the 1850s, James Young distilled paraffin from coal and oil shales, creating an inexpensive wax variety that, when combined with stearic acid in the 19th century, was known for its durability and lengthened use.

Today, you can choose the attributes you want a candle to have by what kind of wax and oil scent you use. Paraffin, soy, coconut, and beeswax vary in burning length, transparency, smell, and environmental cleanliness (note: while there’s no definitive study stating burning paraffin is harmful, exposure to burning the chemicals in it have been linked to higher rates of cancer). For fragrance, you can double up on aromatherapy (just be careful which ones you use if there are kids or pets around). Containers? Just make sure they can hold up to the temperatures the melted wax and flame will be.

Think this might be your ultimate hobby? For instructions on how to do it with project material examples, watch this beginner’s tutorial.

May 3rd, 2023

It may feel like the winter weather will never let up, but planting season is just around the corner! And whether you have a green thumb or have never grown a thing in your life, this is the perfect year to gear up your garden with some new gardening know-hows.

Sweet Potatoes

My holiday go-to vegetable is the sweet potato. Not only is it versatile and easy to prepare in the kitchen, but the stems are a good alternative to spinach, too, thanks to their similar textures and nutrients. But how in the free-floating snowflakes can they be grown in colder, often wetter environments like that of Michigan or Wisconsin? It’s easy; just follow the tips below and you’ll be all set!

1. Know your taters. Beauregard is one of the most common species of sweet potato grown here, known for its quick maturing rate (90 days) and its higher cold tolerance. However, the Jewel, Garnet, Georgia Jet, and Covington varieties are also popular among Northern gardeners. When choosing what kind to purchase, consider what size, shape, and flavor you’d like, as well as how drought/water/cold-resistant they are. Note that it may take up to six months for the plant to produce.
2. Know your soil. While these tubers aren’t super picky about the ground they’re planted in, like most potatoes, they prefer sandy, rich, and well-drained soil. This enables their roots to spread out with little difficulty and without encountering large pockets of moisture that can lead to rot. Only water every other day unless it’s especially hot out and the plants are showing signs of yellowing or wilting. Reduce watering near the end of your variety’s days to maturity to prevent the skins from cracking.
3. Plant at the right opportunity. May through early June (or three weeks after the last frost) is the best time to put the sweet potatoes or sweet potato slips into the ground. Preferably, soil temperature should remain no colder than 55°F at night. This also plays a factor in harvesting as you’ll want to dig them up before the first frost in autumn.
4. Lay plastic down. Technically, this step is optional. However, it keeps the weeds down and the warmth in the ground. Place a sheet of two-sided billboard tarp or landscape plastic down white first and cut slits where the potato bushes will sprout. Silage tarp plastic found on farms works great, too. These can be purchased at feed mills or anywhere you buy garden plastics.
5. Harvest. Pitchforks and shovels both function well to dig up tubers, if you don’t plan on letting the roots continue to grow next year. However, you’ll want to do no more than loosen the soil if you desire otherwise. Note: Sweet potatoes require curing under very particular circumstances to be stored for long periods of time after harvest, so do some research and plan in advance how you’ll go about doing this. I’ll be cooking and canning my own. You can collect the leaves for eating once or twice a week by trimming a small portion of the bush, tossing out the stems to be composted. Always leave a clump of healthy green material behind.

Growing Ideas

1. Humble bundle. Sweet potatoes can be quite happy in a raised garden bed, a plastic bin, or a big pot. Be sure to provide about a 12” diameter, 12” deep area for them to grow. The tubers won’t be quite as big as if they’re in the ground, but you’ll still have something delicious to take home at the end of the day (or inside, should it get chilly early in the year). To ensure they have more essential nutrients available to them, add compost, chicken manure, and rice husks to your soil mixture (available in hardware and gardening stores).
2. Mound baby. All potatoes appreciate a 10” mound of soil heaped over their row in the garden, even these guys. This is because the tubers push upward through the soil when they begin to crowd (leaving them exposed) and because the stems tend to grow fairly tall (resulting in poor support). You can even add a trellis for hand-weaving the green material into manageable clumps.

May 3rd, 2023

Horror Comedy
Support these wonderful local boutiques to find outfits in time for the summer season! There is a welcoming atmosphere in these shops with staff who are willing to assist in creating new looks.

Marinette

The Goose & Gander Finery (715/732-0825): 1712 Dunlap Avenue, Marinette. This boutique features more than just clothing; some of the other items include home décor, personal gifts, and greeting cards. The business page on Facebook posts weekly photos of new clothing items as well as home gifts. In addition, the Goose & Gander website includes many items that are available to order online. The categories on the website are baby and kids, jewelry/accessories, bath and body, cards, clothing, new arrivals, and sale items. With a beautiful window display, this boutique is hard to miss, visit the Goose & Gander Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. They are closed on Sunday and Monday.

Green Bay

Apricot Lane Boutique (920/634-2620): 905 Bay Park Square, Green Bay. Apricot Lane is located within the Bay Park Square Mall, which gives this boutique the flexibility of maintaining the same hours as the mall.  Although the store sells mostly clothing, shoes, accessories, and winter wear sold at this boutique, there are also sections that have local Green Bay and Wisconsin apparel. I have been to this boutique before, and I always notice that there are constantly new clothing options, especially during season changes, and I especially love the jewelry and shoes. There is also an active Facebook page that posts daily deals, with outfit ideas. Stop by the Apricot Lane Boutique Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. They are open a little later Friday and Saturday, until 9:00 p.m. On Sunday, the boutique is open from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

May 3rd, 2023

You’ve reached the place where all the bad, but oh-so-satisfying entertainment exists. Here, in the Trash Vortex, we provide you with only the trashiest, most bingeworthy recommendations. It’s a dark hole you won’t escape!

Dating Sims

Imagine your favorite trashy romance novel. Now, imagine that novel as a game, featuring you as the protagonist! Enter: the otome game. Meaning “maiden game” in Japanese, the term “otome game” is used to describe a story-based game (generally a dating simulation, in which the objective is to win the heart of one of several characters presented to the player) geared toward, you guessed it, young women. Rising popularity in the west means that more of these games—once considered too bizarre and unmarketable to bother localizing—have found their ways to our shores. Our maidenly dreams have never been more firmly in our grasp.

Amnesia

Amnesia (also titled Amnesia: Memories in the US to avoid confusion with a certain other horror game) is … problematic. Like, really problematic. Like, “all of these men suck; why am I even trying to win their favor?” problematic. It’s a game about unhealthy relationships that does not even pretend to handle them well. But boy, is the writing juicy.

When you, the unnamed, blank-slate heroine, wake up with no memory—the result of some expository supernatural shenanigans in the game’s intro—you must learn all that you can about yourself and the world around you in order to regain them. Oh, and there are mysterious forces trying to kill you, and that’s in addition to enduring some, frankly, atrocious treatment by some of your potential romance options (looking at you, Toma). Fun, right?

As this is a romance game geared toward women, you would think the plot would be something a little … I don’t know. Sweeter. That is where you would be wrong. Amnesia is a psychological thriller, through and through, and one that is generally considered a standout of the genre. Just … please be sure to put your critical thinking skills to use with this one. You are smarter than a romanticized abuse narrative! Available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.)

Trigger warnings for abuse, murder, manipulation.

Mystic Messenger
Dating pngs in a controlled setting not doing it for you? Wish to be just a little more beholden to the whims of an anime boy? Allow me to introduce Mystic Messenger, the mobile game that took the internet by storm in 2016. Play as a regular girl with no personality who finds herself wrapped up with the RFA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money for purposes that are never elaborated on beyond, “It’s for charity.” Members include Zen, a handsome, self-absorbed rising actor; Jumin Han, the humorless heir of a conglomerate; 707, a hacker who lives off of memes, Dr. Pepper, and potato chips; and Yoosung, a gamer. Not into men? That’s fine. There’s also a … gal pal option? That’s basically the same thing as finding true love, right? Right? Three cheers for female friendship!

Mystic Messenger is (in)famous for introducing augmented reality mechanics into the classic dating simulation formula: Conversations with other characters happen via a chat room on your phone in real time, meaning that if you’re not in the game at the right time, you might miss chunks of the story, which can frustratingly lead you to a bad ending. In addition, characters might call the player, which can make playing on the go a bit of a struggle. Both of these issues can be mitigated via the game’s in-game currency, which allows you to replay conversations you might have missed … if you’re willing to shell out a bit of cash IRL. For 707, I’d pay anything. Available for iOS and Android.

—Kana Coonce, Trash Vortex Editor