Entertainment
War Between Knights Becomes A Battle Over Whether Women Should Be Attractive
By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
Two RPGs set in the medieval era were recently announced. However, the games couldn’t be more different from each other: one is a classic story about knights, and the other is about a lesbian “knight.” Fans and even the social media teams of both games have been debating whether and why women in video games should be attractive, a debate that began over a decade ago with the Gamergate incident.
A Knight’s Path is advertised as the classic story of a young man’s quest to become a knight. The game is set to focus on combat styles, with emphasis on weapons and armor. However, it is also an RPG, which means establishing different types of relationships with various in-world characters. Along the way, the playable character can meet romanceable NPCs, one of whom is Amelie, a conventionally attractive young woman.
When the X account for A Knight’s Path posted a screenshot of Amelie, a user expressed a “hope” about “LGBQT representation” within the game’s 16th-century chivalric setting. The Knight’s Path account answered, “We care about gaming and fun, not modern agendas.”
Representing the modern agenda is 1348: Ex Voto. Their game is about a lesbian knight, Aeta, with a monk’s bowl-shaped haircut, on a quest to rescue her “closest one,” a girlfriend named Bianca. Other than fairly average graphics, all that’s really been talked about with relation to this game is the lesbian romance at the heart of its 14th-century-inspired setting. In response to A Knight’s Path, the social media account for Ex Voto asked that players put the release date for the game on their “modern agendas.”
Fans of modern agendas immediately went into an uproar, falsely accusing A Knight’s Path of using AI and being homophobic. Two camps emerged from detractors of A Knight’s Path.
It’s A Visual Medium, The Battle Over Attractive Characters
One camp has been spending a lot of time retconning history to justify the gratuitous inclusion of presentist characters. This includes all the usual lines we’ve been hearing since Gamergate about inclusion in video games and how people want to see themselves “represented” among their characters. These protests borrow the Gamergate tactic of dismissing all defense of the game as mere bigotry to be ignored.
The other is wondering about the motives of people who want to see attractive characters in video games. The prevailing logic with this group is that gamers only want to see attractive characters so they can be sexually aroused. This is also a direct result of Gamergate, which slammed gamers who wanted attractive characters as incels and misogynists, ignoring the fact that female gamers like to look at pretty things, too.
The idea that sex is a motivator for video game players also ignores decades of strong female characters like Tifa, Lara Croft, Jill Valentine, Commander Shepard, and Samus. The same people crying “misogyny” about A Knight’s Path are projecting the qualities of these strong females onto Ex Voto, but somehow think that Aeta’s deliberate ugliness makes her better because she’s not there to be a sex symbol.
Neither were the others. What made them alluring was their capabilities. That they were fun to look at was also important, though, because video games are a visual medium. It’s right there in the name.
Gamers Run Away From Ugly Inclusivity
Ever since Gamergate, there has been an activist push to make video games “more inclusive.” What this has actually meant is that any time an American video game is released that dares to tell a traditional story, it gets decried as bigoted: homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, colonialist, or white supremacist. Games with artificial inclusion, like 1348: Ex Voto get uplifted as kinder and “more realistic.”
But even Aeta’s ugliness is not within the realm of realism, medieval lesbianism aside. Her appearance bears more resemblance to a monk of the early Italian Renaissance, not a knight or squire. This detail points to yet another deliberate attempt to subvert beauty standards that have existed for thousands of years because some people are offended that beauty exists.
Gamers seem to agree. In just a few short weeks since the games were released on Steam, A Knight’s Path has overwhelmed Ex Voto for interest and activity, with three times as many followers.
The game’s social media account even asked its followers what types of female characters they liked to look at. Would you believe that “bombshell” only garnered 14 percent of the votes? Most voters (in an admittedly small pool of 540) chose attractive or average characters. People don’t want porn stars in their video games, but they don’t want deliberately ugly characters, either. To reiterate: it’s a visual medium. Even ugly characters must be nice to look at to sell a game.
There’s Room For Everyone, But Activists Won’t Allow It
There’s nothing wrong with inclusion in games. Ex Voto could wind up being really great gameplay. It is obviously appealing to some portion of the gaming audience. Fans of unattractive lesbians in a fantasy medieval setting should be able to have games for them. There’s nothing wrong with that.
However, what the artificial inclusion endorsed by activist gamers means is that games like A Knight’s Path shouldn’t exist. Their protests include accusations of -isms and -phobias that associate people who prefer games like A Knight’s Path with hate speech and sexual violence. This goes beyond merely panning a game because you don’t like its characters; it’s an attack on the core fanbase of video gaming, which is still predominantly young white males. This audience deserves video games, too, even if the demographic isn’t particularly popular among the activist class.
In a world that was truly inclusive, A Knight’s Path and Ex Voto could exist side by side, and everyone’s inclusivity needs would be satisfied. However, fans of each game live in two different worlds: one that recognizes its core audience and creates games for it, and one that panders to activism and thinks the core audience is literally evil. The gaming market favors the core audience, though, so if Ex Voto doesn’t live up to the hype, prepare for more bashing of gamers as hateful people who caused its failure rather than acknowledgement that the game was made by and for a niche audience.
Both games are available for preorder on Steam and can be added to whatever agenda you prefer.
Entertainment
The Last NCIS Has One Fatal Flaw
By Robert Scucci
| Published
NCIS is one of those ride-or-die franchises you’ll have a shaky relationship with for the rest of your life if you started watching at a certain age. I remember sitting with my parents watching the flagship series when it first came out, and over the years I’ve kept tabs on its many spinoffs. Now that NCIS: Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Hawai’i have run their course, and the one-off Tony & Ziva miniseries totally screwed the pooch, we’re back to just the flagship series and its prequel, NCIS: Origins.
Honestly, I’m okay with this. The original series still has its charm despite its many personnel changes, and NCIS: Origins allows for some great retconning and callbacks that are obvious enough for diehard fans, but not so granular that newcomers can’t jump in without doing homework. It’s a perfect show if you’re a fan of the franchise, and the best thing that’s been put out in years.
However, there’s one big problem that NCIS: Origins runs into, and it’s something unavoidable: there’s no suspense. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of thrills in the heat of the moment when the drama gets dialed up. There are also surprisingly strong action sequences for a series that belongs to a franchise that’s basically a procedural soap opera for boomers who just want to tune into their stories week after week.
One Specific Kind Of Suspense Is Missing
On an episode-to-episode basis, there are plenty of reasons to keep tuning into NCIS: Origins. We get to learn about the early days of Special Agent in Charge Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and how he cut his teeth working for NIS before it became the agency and franchise we all know and love. We see how his 91 rules came to be. We get more backstory on Special Agent Mike Franks, the best character in the series (and it’s not even close), and Kyle Schmid is a dead ringer for the older, somehow more cynical Franks from the original series (Muse Watson).
Even better, comic relief comes in the form of Randy Randolf (Caleb Foote), who, if it weren’t for Franks, would be the standout character. We also get the best kind of wise-cracking forensic nerd banter from Woody (Bobby Moynihan) and Philip (Ely Henry). I could go on, but the point is, NCIS: Origins is a beyond solid series, sans one thing.
There’s no real suspense.
Yes, people get hurt, and dangerous leads get chased, but that’s not the kind of suspense I’m talking about.
The kind of suspense the show is missing, which is par for the course when it comes to prequels, is the kind it could never have in the first place. The show stars Austin Stowell as a young and hungry Gibbs, but it’s still narrated by Mark Harmon. More importantly, we know Gibbs rises through the ranks and then has a 20-year tenure on NCIS. In other words, any time Gibbs finds himself in danger in NCIS: Origins, we know without a sliver of doubt that he’s going to be just fine.
The same can be said for Franks, and the rest of the gang to a certain degree. While I’m speculating here, I think we can guess Lala’s (Mariel Molino) fate as well. She’s never mentioned in the flagship series, yet she’s a constant presence in NCIS: Origins, the series that tells Gibbs’ entire backstory leading up to NCIS. I could be grasping at straws, but I have reason to believe something terrible happens to her that’s too painful to bring up later. The series has done an excellent job retconning the original series, so it’s surprising that they’d come up with a character who could have easily been one of the dozens of agents mentioned in the main series but never actually seen on screen or seen in passing.
In other words, as much as I like her character, I’m not going to get too attached because she’ll probably meet a tragic end at some point.
Fortunately, We Don’t Need This Kind Of Suspense
Thankfully, NCIS: Origins is worth tuning into week after week, not for the suspense, which we’ve established doesn’t exist here for obvious reasons, but because it’s an excellent character study of one of cable’s most iconic, coffee-chugging curmudgeons. We’re currently watching Gibbs’ second marriage, which has yet to fall apart, and I can’t wait to see how that whole thing dissolves, along with his (checks notes) third and fourth marriages.
Lack of pure, adrenaline-pumping thrills aside, showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North know what they’re doing with the lore. NCIS: Origins remains a great watch for old-timers and newcomers alike. But if you’re like me and find yourself asking your wife, “Do you think he’s going to make it?” for the thousandth time in an attempt to be funny (she doesn’t find it funny), you’ll be pleased to know that Gibbs does, in fact, make it out alive, and then goes on to star in another 435 episodes.
NCIS: Origins is streaming on Paramount+
Entertainment
Lord Of The Rings Is Now In The Hands Of One Of America's Most Hated Celebrities
By Jennifer Asencio
| Updated
Just when we thought the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert meant the end of seeing the comedian’s rhetoric, he’s rising again like Sauron trying to collect the One Ring. But this time, the target of his didactic punditry is nerddom: Colbert is penning a “sequel” to The Lord of the Rings.
One Sequel To Rule Them All
The movie’s working title is The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past and is going into production after the newest entry, The Hunt for Gollum.
Colbert believes he can add to JRR Tolkien’s work with a story that begins 14 years after Frodo leaves for the Grey Wastes. Sam’s daughter goes girl-boss and makes a discovery that leads her “to uncover why the War of the Ring was nearly lost before it began.” That leads to a flashback in which the movie will cover chapters 3-8 of The Fellowship of the Ring, a story that includes exciting prospects like The Barrow Downs.
As if The Hobbit and Rings of Power weren’t damaging enough to Tolkien’s legacy, now we’re getting another shameless cash grab at the expense of the author’s work. Only this time, one of the most divisive and extremely political personalities in Hollywood is writing the script.
Colbert is co-writing the film with his son, Peter McGee, and “franchise veteran” Philippa Boyens. Boyens has long been a part of the Peter Jackson productions; she co-wrote The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Jackson’s King Kong.
Colbert Really Is A Certified Tolkien Obsessive
Colbert has been held out as a Tolkien expert since the announcement on March 24, 2026, and that is actually fair, no matter what one thinks of his extreme political views. He has studied the author’s work extensively, to the point where he can speak both Elvish languages, Quenya and Sindarin.
The biggest question on the minds of fans is whether Colbert will be tempted to infuse the story with his personal politics, or if the writing team will try to add extra material that isn’t needed by Tolkien’s story. The Hobbit didn’t work because it added embellishments, such as the romance between Tauriel and Kili. Rings of Power doesn’t work because, on top of adding modern identity politics to the series, it also doesn’t follow the source material, earning the derision of many Tolkien fans.
Boyens has shown that when she sticks to Middle Earth and not regular Earth, she can deliver on Tolkien’s mastery. However, the inclusion of Colbert raises concerns that this movie will stray beyond Tolkien’s boundaries.
In his other job as a talk show host, Colbert has made it a mission to inject his divisive personal politics into his work. That tendency towards personalizing what he does could either strongly enhance a new Lord of the Rings project or turn it into a stain on Tolkien’s legacy by applying themes to the world of the One Ring that Tolkien never intended. Which Colbert will ultimately write the script: the political loudmouth or the Tolkien scholar?
Entertainment
Sandra Bullock’s Sexy, 90s Action Thriller Will Make You Care About Floppy Disks Again
By Robert Scucci
| Published
There’s nothing more entertaining than watching a movie about cutting-edge technology from the 90s, 30 years after the fact. On one hand, I’ll give 1995’s The Net credit where it’s due. It’s well-acted, Sandra Bullock is the hottest computer geek in cinematic history (sorry, Hackers), and the plot actually kind of makes sense because they don’t drown you in tech jargon and junk science. There’s a golden rule when it comes to technological thrillers: the less you explain the logic, the better. The Net toes this line perfectly because I know enough about computers to pick up what they’re throwing down, but I’m also dumb enough to think, “that makes sense,” while watching.
I’m not going to pause the movie and look up the technical semantics to prove this point, but the storyline is immersive enough to grab your attention without getting so convoluted that it takes you out of the experience. I don’t know how any of this stuff works at this level, and as a viewer, I appreciate that The Net doesn’t treat me like I’m too dumb to understand the implications, while also refusing to hold my hand because it’s all pretty straightforward.
Sandra Bullock Is Lost In The Net
The Net focuses on Sandra Bullock’s Angela Bennett. She’s a perfect patsy for what’s about to go down because she’s a freelance systems analyst who works from home. Most of her relationships are the kind of faceless encounters you have online, and her mother lives in a nursing home because she has Alzheimer’s disease and barely remembers she exists. It’s a lonely life for Angela, but she’s also well connected through her work. Or so she thinks.
When Angela’s coworker Dale (Ray McKinnon) sends her a floppy disk known as Mozart’s Ghost, she’s told to click on the Pi button hidden in the document, which functions as a backdoor into an application known as Gatekeeper, an elaborate cybersecurity system she’s not supposed to have access to.
Dale dies under mysterious circumstances, and Angela goes on vacation, where she meets a man named Jack Devlin (Jeremy Northam). Jack brings Angela out on his boat, but he’s outed when she realizes he plans to kill her and take the floppy disk. After a violent scuffle, Angela wakes up in the hospital three days later and learns that Jack and his nameless, faceless associates have scrubbed her identity from existence and given her a new one: Ruth Marx.
As Ruth, Angela uncovers a vast conspiracy involving a group of cyber terrorists known as the Praetorians, who are using the Gatekeeper software to orchestrate massive network failures across the country while framing her in the process. Angela confides in her former therapist and lover, Dr. Alan Champion (Dennis Miller), who doesn’t necessarily believe her conspiracy theories but isn’t going to turn down a motel meetup with her either.
A Solid Tech Thriller For The Average iPhone User
While I knew my way around MS-DOS as a kid and have kept up with tech to some degree (I have an iPhone that’s about five generations behind), what I like most about The Net is that it gets its point across without being patronizing or overly complex. There are plenty of flashes of computer screens that help drive the story, but everything is so straightforward that you don’t get lost in granular details. The main focus is the conspiracy and identity theft plot that drives The Net. While you need the occasional tech speak to get from point A to B, you don’t need to be a genius to read between the lines and enjoy the thriller for what it is.
All you need to know is that Sandra Bullock does her best computing in a bikini, everybody thinks she’s somebody she’s not, and because of this, she can’t trust anybody. It’s obviously a bit dated by today’s standards, but it’s still a fun watch because it deals with cybersecurity concepts that remain relevant. I’d imagine similar conversations about different applications are happening behind closed doors today. We’re just getting the 1995 version here.
As of this writing, The Net is streaming for free on Tubi.
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