My Newest Gaming Addiction: Magikarp Jump

Hello everyone,

My name is Ashe and I’m addicted to Magikarp Jump! (Yes, yes I know it came out in May and I’m late to the party). I was up until 3:30 a.m. playing…I have no regrets (ask me again in a few hours).

It’s the newest mobile game out by the Pokemon Company available on Android and iOS. It also seems to not be too battery intensive which is great for addicted players like me!

The point of the game is to train your Magikarp to have the highest jumping power it possibly can. Why? To win in Magikarp jumping leagues!

It sounds super silly, but it’s super fun and lighthearted to take away stress from the day. Play it while waiting in line at the store or in between homework assignments when you need a breather.

These Magikarp are so eager and adorable I can’t resist them!

Visit IGN if you need tips!

Go download it and join me!

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Ashe

 

Connect!

My last two blog posts have focused on the first two words of Fountaindale’s Summer Adventure theme, Create, Explore, Connect! And I hope you found a boatload of programs and services that called out to you. This week’s post is, of course, all about connection.

We all know that the library is a great place to learn new things and develop yourself as an individual, but it is also an amazing place to connect with friends, your community and the rest of the world.

Dungeons & Dragons at Fountaindale!

Want to play a game of Yu-gi-oh with your friends? Want to soak your friends in an epic water war? Want to just relax with a movie and snacks? Want to meet other people who like anime, manga and fandom? Want to volunteer and give back to your community? Want to learn about another culture? The Vortex offers all this and more!

Wild Cards Club Yu-go-oh! game at Fountaindale!

Just look at all the great stuff we have on our calendar! You can limit the age group to show you only programs open to teens. You can also browse events by category. Clicking on one calendar day will show you everything happening that day and clicking on the event name will bring up a page with more details and registration information.  

Go check it out and sign up for some great programs today!

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Tara

 

 

 

 

 

Anime Recommendation: Polar Bear Cafe

Age Recommendation: 12+

Genre: Comedy

# of Episodes: 50

Synopsis:

“Polar Bear’s café revolves around a Canadian white bear that quits his boring job and starts a cafeteria near a zoo.” -Crunchyroll

Commentary:

At our last anime club (June), we viewed Polar Bear Cafe. It’s a show I’ve seen a long time ago that I wanted to introduce to everyone! It’s very lighthearted and pretty episodic so it’s easy to pop in and out on watching it. Panda is definitely my favorite character because he’s so sweet but not very bright (but always well-meaning!).

Some fun information too, a lot of the voice actors for the animals are famous Japanese voice actors that have done some popular characters! For example, Llama is Sebastian from Black Butler! Watch and see if you can tell!

Watch for free at Crunchyroll.com! Also don’t forget about our monthly anime nights! The next one is July 10! Come for anime, stay for the pocky!

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Ashe

Summer Science Fun!

Summer is a perfect time for science! There’s so much to explore! The flora and fauna, the weather, the earth itself! Everything is so alive and vibrant and ready for discovery!

While the outdoors are a great place to discover and explore, there’s a ton of science-y fun to be had inside too! Check out the Vortex for bi-weekly Maker Challenges such as marble roller coasters, snap circuits, popsicle stick chain reactions, and constructing a paint pendulum. Witness chemical reactions with Sharpie Tie-Dye and Science Fun! Learn some computer science in the Studio with Robots. Get up close and personal with some H20 during Outside Water Games!

Want to try some science at home? Be on the lookout for Fountaindale’s upcoming STEAM Box Kits and explore from the comfort of your own home!

 

Top Five To-Read LGBT+ Books

IT’S JUNE GUYS. Know what that means? Yeah, yeah it’s summer you can sleep in and all that. BUT IT’S ALSO PRIDE MONTH. Let your fabulous flags fly!

In celebration, I’m going to share with you the top 5 LGBT books on my to-read list. Maybe I’ll even finish all 5 this month! If you have any suggestions for me as well, leave a comment!

Fan Art by Sarah Tregay

“High school senior Jamie has a crush on his best friend and finds ways to share that news with the help of several friends”

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis

“A seventeen-year-old boy finds that every time he closes his eyes, he is drawn into the body of a mute servant girl from another world–a world that is growing increasingly more dangerous, and where many things are not as they seem.”

Ash by Malinda Lo

“In this variation on the Cinderella story, Ash grows up believing in the fairy realm that the king and his philosophers have sought to suppress, until one day she must choose between a handsome fairy cursed to love her and the King’s Huntress whom she loves.”

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

David Piper, always an outsider, forms an unlikely friendship with Leo Denton who, from the first day at his new school wants only to be invisible, but when David’s deepest secret gets out, that he wants to be a girl, things get very messy for both of them.

None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

When Kristin Lattimer is voted homecoming queen, it seems like another piece of her ideal life has fallen into place. She’s a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and she’s madly in love with her boyfriend. In fact, she’s decided that she’s ready to take it to the next level with him.

Now if you’ll excuse me. I’ll be reading.
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Ashe

Create!

Summer’s here and the season brings with it a certain creative energy. There’s just something about the colors and freedom of summer that makes me want to grab a paintbrush or camera or even a crochet hook.  

When you feel the call of creativity and need an outlet for your artistic ideas, look no further than the Vortex! This summer, we have programs in which you can learn to draw, paint, tie-dye, crochet, knit, photograph, animate, and more!  

Register Now!

In betwen programs, you can always curb your crafty cravings by checking out a Craft Kit or exploring the Vortex’s Maker Cart stocked with tools and supplies to help you create!

Need some inspiration? Check out these ideas on our Pinterest page!

Video Game Review: Stellaris

Platform: PC

Rating:  Ages 10+

Genre: Strategy

First Released: May 2016

Part of a Series? Nope! Get it on Steam (hopefully during one of their sales) anytime and dive in!

Brief Synopsis:

“Explore a vast galaxy full of wonder! Paradox Development Studio, makers of the Crusader Kings and Europa Universalis series presents Stellaris, an evolution of the grand strategy genre with space exploration at its core.”

Commentary:

Are you impatient? Then this DEFINITELY isn’t the game for you. It’s super interesting, but there’s a lot of waiting in between actions while you’re waiting for your scientists to survey planets and your military to find new planets for your scientists to survey!

It’s a space strategy game where you are at the head of an alien race and desire to expand your empire across the universe. Encounter space pirates, hostile aliens and even some friendly ones.

So far in my case, I’ve only really encountered hostiles. They keep destroying my army! Rude! I’M JUST EXPLORING GUIZ. SERIOUSLY. CAN’T WE BE FRIENDS? (The answer is eventually. If you try hard enough? I’m apparently not very good at this. /sobs )

So how do you win?

Per the Stellaris wiki…

“There are three ways to achieve victory in Stellaris:

 

• Domination, which requires you to own 40% of all colonizable planets. Planets owned by vassals count but those owned by allies and Federation members do not.

• Conquest, which requires you to conquer or subjugate all other empires. Fallen empires do not need to be conquered.

• Federation, which require the federation which you’re a part of to own 60% of all colonizable planets.

 

Any empire, even an AI empire, can end up meeting the victory conditions, though the AI ignores their existence and may thus only win as a result of other priorities. However, if an empire is a vassal or protectorate, they cannot claim victory under any circumstance.

The game can be continued even after an empire claims victory.”

To me, this doesn’t matter too much because I just enjoy the journey, rather than trying to get to certain win conditions. My favorite part so far is discovering new planets and meeting new aliens! (Even if some of them kill my military D: I’ve since learned to have two fleets and split them. One in one direction, and one in the other!)

Need help getting started? It’s definitely overwhelming at first! But super fun once you get into it. Here’s some links for you to explore.

Now go out and colonize some planets!

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Ashe