Lion’s Roar V II, I IV

Lion’s Roar Volume II, Issue IV

 

Welcome to The Lion’s Roar, Seattle Lutheran’s premier (and only) student-produced newspaper. Here, you will find coverage of the news from reviews to sports highlights, from editorials to exclusive interviews. The Lion’s Roar seeks to provide quality art and articles through the lens of Seattle Lutheran students. At The Lion’s Roar, we’re dedicated to serving YOU, the Seattle Lutheran community. As the author John Grogan said, “Twenty-six letters form the foundation of a free, informed society.”

Archives: Vol. I, Is. I,  Vol. I, Is. II, Vol. I, Is. III, Vol. I, Is. IV,    Vol. II, Is. I, Vol. II, Is. II,  Vol. II, Is. III

Human Love  By Aaron Pena

​Have you ever wondered what makes you attracted to another human being? Let me tell you, it is more than just you saying, “Hey, I like you.” Infatuation stems from a a combination of chemicals in your brain, almost like your subconscious is telling you to like someone. In fact, these chemicals almost force you to fall in love! That being said there are several stages of love, and I will explain each one.​

The first stage is infatuation. Often referred to as the “honeymoon stage,” this is when your hormones are raging and dopamine levels soar, when you are telling all your friends things like, “Oh my gosh… Becky! I think I’m in love with her!” This creates a sense of full-body euphoria that makes you completely enraptured with the person . You think about them constantly, and you want to be with, or talk to, your love interest nearly all the time; as you might imagine, your sex drive is practically off-the-charts.

The second stage is realization. This stage is quite horrifying. After your hormones have toned down and your body has reached homeostasis, you are able to think rationally. You might be thinking along the lines of, “Why do I even like them?” or “What is wrong with me?” Devoid of hormones, you will be able to use your frontal cortex to have unclouded judgement regarding your relationship. This is the stage when most people break up, divorce or sometimes, if they are lucky, figure out if the relationship is meant to be or not.

The third and final stage is companionship. This is when you decide how you want to proceed with your partner. You settle down together and get a sense of true love, which can basically be described as being with your partner simply because you know that you are a perfect match. It is not the chemicals telling you that—it is you. It is when you are thinking, “I know we can make it together, and we can help each other.” It is important you realize this stage is CHOSEN. At this point, you are not just merely telling your partner that you love them; you really mean it.

Pretty interesting, right? These stages are cruel! But it is these same stages of love that allow us to choose our partners because of a combination of quality, compatibility, looks and sexual desire. So next time you fall in love, think before you act. Love does not forgive easily.

 

Fant4stic: A Lesson in Pain (Part 1)  By Rex Sears

Fitting, how this review is made long after this movie’s initial hype, useless among the other, better reviews of the like. The film is very much the same, being out of place and unwanted in a time when superhero movies are huge, mainly family-oriented franchises. Fant4stic really should have been right at home in this era, since the Fantastic Four of the comics are known for being heavily centered around battling aliens from distant planets, exploring alternate dimensions, and, as their title of “Marvel’s First Family” displays, being a fun, tightly-knit, loving group of heroes. Fant4stic features exactly none of these aspects.

First off, the plot. The first half of the movie is actually quite nice. It starts with the first meeting of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm, the future Mr. Fantastic and Thing. Reed shows Ben a machine he’s working on, which is able to teleport small objects. In high school, they are met by Franklin Storm, and his kids, Johnny and Sue (the future Human Torch and Invisible Woman). Their foundation funds Reed and Ben’s experiments, and, they move into the Baxter Building.

They recruit… *sigh* “Victor von Doom,” and they, without any supervision, head into an improved teleporter, which leads to an alternate dimension. Now, in the comics, this dimension is called the Negative Zone, and contains one of the Fantastic Four’s enemies, Annihilus, who controls a legion of insect-like aliens. Now, this has no relevance, as he: A) doesn’t appear in the movie, even though he should’ve been the main villain, and B) in the movie, the dimension is called “Planet Zero,” for the very important reason of… change, I guess. An earthquake occurs, Victor falls into some glowing green lava, and the other four get their signature superpowers.

Then, they cut to a year later. The Thing, Human Torch and Invisible Woman all work as government super soldiers, used against terrorists, while Reed is on the run. They bring him back, and discover that Victor’s still alive. They bring him back, and Doom trashes the place, heading back to Planet Zero and causing an evil beam of light to start wreaking havoc on the world. Haven’t seen that a number of times. The Fantastic Four go over to Planet Zero, kill Doom with the power of love, friendship and violence, before getting a residence in the Baxter Building as national heroes. They come up with their superhero name, and the movie finally ends, leaving its audience annoyed, bored and bitter. Yippee.

The visuals serve to turn away both fans and general audiences alike. Simply put, they suck. Everything is in a Man of Steel-style grey filter, which renders the movie unappealing and dull. The costume design is hardly recognizable as being that of the Fantastic Four’s. And, the set for “Planet Zero?” The most generic location I’ve ever seen. But by far the worst of this already awful assault on the eyes has to be the body horror. After the initial return from the alternate dimension, they get abducted by the government. Reed’s stretched-out body is stuck on a table, Johnny is flailing about on fire, and Ben is still trapped inside rocks, screaming in agony for his friend to save him. It’s quick, but it’s glaring, uncomfortable and horrible, something audiences shouldn’t feel from a FF movie.

 

The Revenant  By Zac Gorman

The Revenant is an outstanding movie and truly a great film to kick off 2016. Directed by now-award-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu, this adaptation of the original novel is well-deserving of its nominations, and with the Oscars behind us, you can expect even more accolades.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s character only has about a paragraph-worth of lines, but from a visual perspective, he delivers exceptionally well. Along with Tom Hardy, these two A-listers create an unforgettable cinematic experience. The Revenant, however, is as good as it is brutal; it is genuinely hard to believe that everything that you are watching is actually based on true stories. Making this movie even better is the fact that González Iñárritu did an amazing job with the pacing. You really feel that Glass (DiCaprio) is never actually safe and that the danger is just as much behind him as it is in front of him. From start to finish, The Revenant is a thrill ride and definitely not for the faint of heart. By the time the film reaches its thrilling climax, I trust that you will agree with me that The Revenant is an almost-perfect movie.

 

The Celebrity Candidate  By Ben Comer

Right now, the two most famous presidential candidates are front runners for the nomination. Hillary Clinton is a household name because of her vast political acumen and her stints as First Lady and Secretary of State during the presidencies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, respectively. Donald Trump is, comparatively, the quintessential celebrity, recognizable for being one of the most successful businessmen in the world, several cameos in movies and being part-time owner and former Hall-of-Famer in the WWE franchise. While other candidates may be famous in their own respects (in both positive and destructive ways), Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are easily the most recognizable figures left running in the 2016 election.

One of the essential qualities of a presidential bid is the candidate’s ability to be recognized. A politician needs support outside of people just checking off random boxes on the ballot. If I were to ask you who Lincoln Chafee is, I am guessing you would either tell me you do not know, lie to me, or claim that you have driven one before. Chafee shows that a candidate without name recognition cannot expect more than a few votes (as demonstrated in earlier polls from the 2016 Democratic race in). Name recognition is extremely key for earning the vote of casual voters, and thus, Clinton and Trump win by a landslide in this category.

To be fair, however, a candidate’s popularity is fairly indicative of their prowess in their endeavors. A more successful person is more likely to have a higher name recognition rate than a less successful one based on the notable things he or she has done to warrant such attention. For example, despite all the hatred being thrown in Trump’s direction, one cannot deny his success as a real-estate mogul.

For Trump and Clinton, this celebrity defines their campaigns to the core. People should not have been so skeptical of Trump’s initial ascent up the Republican leader boards/polls; compared to the options (of which there were many), his name stood out the most to potential voters. People were high on Clinton for winning the nomination for different reasons, but the divide between her image and that of the rest of the candidates (including Bernie Sanders, Jim Webb, Martin O’Malley and the aforementioned Lincoln Chafee) appeared insurmountable then and remains large even to this day.

The message we can take from this is that while a candidate’s name may be grand, we must look at candidates for what they offer instead of just how much we have heard about them. Again, this is not to say that Clinton or Trump are poor choices when the ballot arrives; rather, we should view them with the highest disregard for their ability to be recognized and instead judge them on their policies and integrity.

 

Caitlyn Jenner   By Avalee Fray-McCroskey

The Kardashian family has been on our TVs, in our magazines, and on our social media for years now. With rumors of plastic surgery, drugs, alcohol, and adultery flying around, it is easy to write  them off as fake. Recently, a new  Kardashian story has been in the news. A story about Caitlyn Jenner, the father of Kendall and Kylie Jenner and ex-husband to Kris Jenner. Caitlyn Jenner has gone through the extremely challenging transition from being Bruce Jenner, the Olympic athlete, to Caitlyn Jenner, the reference for trans culture. Caitlyn Jenner has started the conversation about transgender humans for many people. Transgender people have been around for all of time but haven’t been given a chance to speak until recently.

With Caitlyn Jenner being labeled as “the face of transgenders everywhere,”  or “the transgender Jesus,” it is easy to question the accuracy. For many people the transition from Bruce to Caitlyn seems to have happened over night. In reality, the transition can take a lifetime. Caitlyn Jenner represents only one picture of the transgender community. She is white, Republican, rich, famous, attractive, and has a family who supports her. While this is amazing, this is not the reality for most trans-women. 20% of transgender women will be homeless at some point of their lives. 55% of transgender women will be turned down for a job, 36% will lose a job, and 29% will be denied a promotion, all because of their gender identity.

Caitlyn Jenner is doing great things for transgender culture but her story is far from average. Caitlyn’s story has helped shed light on a topic that was not previously talked about. Her journey will continue to be explored, but it is now in our hands to work to better our society. It is our job to make it so our personal gender identity does not affect our employment or our living.

 

An Interview with Abbi Sanders  By Elizabeth Coy

The girls basketball team had a great 2016 season. As it was Coach Bruce Carlson’s final season, I decided it would be fitting to interview senior Abbi Sanders about her four years on the team, what she has learned and  what she will miss most when she leaves Seattle Lutheran High School.

EC: Why do you love basketball?

AS: I fell in love with basketball at a really young age. My family—specifically my mom, grandpa, cousins, and brother—all love the game, so I feel like it was inevitable that I would too. My favorite thing about the game is the release it gives me. When I’m playing, I don’t think about anything except scoring. In a way, it’s an escape for me. Nothing feels more natural than the ball in my hands.

EC: What have you learned from playing on a team?

AS: Through playing on a team, I’ve learned how to be a leader. I’ve learned how to resolve conflicts, how to encourage, how to give constructive criticism and how to be criticized. I’ve learned to value other opinions and perspectives, and I’ve learned how to build solid relationships. I’ve learned so many invaluable life lessons through sports, and I’m so thankful for that.

EC: What will you miss most when you leave?

AS: I will probably miss the experience of playing in this gym. I love being announced and high-fiving the crowd before tip-off. I love our team huddles and pep talks before the game. I’ll really miss looking over and seeing Bruce on the bench excited about something. The whole routine is so familiar, and it will be weird not having that experience next winter.

EC: What is the most important thing you learned from coach?

AS: I’ve learned countless things from Bruce, but the thing that sticks out the most is him teaching me how to pick myself up. Whether it needs to be immediately on the court, or whether it’s something bigger that he’s helped me with off the court, he’s taught me how to be tough and persistent. Bruce is a great role model to me, and I’m blessed to have him in my life.

 

Lion’s Roar Staff

Co-editors:

JT Gallant ’16 is a Senior at SLHS and enjoys participating in athletics, contributing to the Lion’s Roar and playing chess.

Avalee Fray-McCroskey ’17 is a junior at Seattle Lutheran High School. She likes to spend her weekends cheering, acting, writing things for the amazing school newspaper and changing into her alternate persona, an amazing punk rock SUPERHERO!! Every time she changes her hair she gets a new superpower!

Contributors

Ben Comer is a Junior​​ who just learned that the keys on a keyboard make strange symbols appear on the monitor. He is in awe of this and has yet to write anything meaningful using this discovery​ ​instead writing some of what you see above you. His favorite pastimes are watching sports, swimming and yelling at Derrick Rose every time he gets injured (his throat is often sore).

Elizabeth Coy​ is a senior at Seattle Lutheran High School ​and this is her first year writing for the newspaper. She also plays volleyball, is in the Key ​C​lub, and the Sailing ​C​lub.

Zac Gorman, also known as “Gac Zorman​,​” this writer enjoys talking about the media​ ​such as the newest movies, interesting stories, and even reviews and​ ​opinions. He has respect for the film business as he wishes to one day​ ​write for Hollywood or low-key be a director of his own stories; bringing pen​ ​to paper, then paper to the big screen.

​​Alex Melchoir is a self​-​proclaimed bounty hunter and space cop from the Galaxy of Kerbal-49. He enjoys long walks on the beach with middle aged women who find investing in his endeavors worthwhile. Currently, he resides in West Seattle. Alex claims to be a protagonist in a movement to preach equity. He plans on building a globalized, monopolistic, empire and redistributing the world’s wealth rightfully.

​Aaron Pena​ is a seventeen-​year​-​old with the same carnal urges as the rest of you. He ha​s lived his whole life in Seattle, though he’s from a Mexican family (he even knows how to speak E​spañol). His hobbies include League of Legends, binge-watching Netflix, reading, figuring out how to make school more of a challenge through procrastination, and sitting. Aaron loves talking about controversial topics because it’s quite entertaining to see people all fired up.

Michael Scott​ is 14, a Freshy at Seattle Lutheran High School, his favorite hobby is​ soccer. He also has a fondness for Skittles as they are very rainbow-like, and who doesn’t like rainbows?! His favorite fruit happens to be pineapple, any flavor. Personally he doesn’t like being woken up on weekends by dad. (Does this ever happen to any of you?) ​H​e puts on pants one leg at a time and thinks the meaning of life is to interact, and lucky numbers are​ ​01,​ ​43,​ ​67,​ ​90,​ ​28.

​Rex Sears​ is a sophomore, and is not commonly seen outside of a coat. He really doesn’t do anything productive, despite all his free time. It is most common to see him complaining about politics, comics, creepy pastas, and really the most minor of daily complications. He is incapable of not injuring himself on something, and over-dramatizing said event, at least seven times a day.

Faculty Advisor Mr. Wilson