Monthly HapPENings: March

Welp. It seems like we're a fourth of the way through the year already . . . WHAT THE ACTUAL BRICK?! Since when did time fly by so fast? Well, since I became an adult, but still. I guess it's time to sum up another month.

As far as the majority of my life was concerned, it was business as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just work and stuff. (I know, descriptive, right?)

However, it was the calm before the storm. And by that, I mean that I anticipated the 31st, because that's when the Rooglewood Facebook party was. At the party, they announced the winners, the finalists, the honorable mentions, and the "Special Unicorns." Tracey and I decided to make accounts so we could participate in the festivities of the final contest. And it was fun! But it was also . . . hard. More on that stuff in next Friday's post. You guys love foreshadowing, don'tcha?

I also thought a lot about the spring break day camp my college class and I pulled last year. It was good to revisit those memories. I actually missed it. Even though I was sick that entire week, it was definitely one of my biggest highlights from my college year.

Bookish HapPENings

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This was the only book I read this month, and I wish it wasn't--because it's definitely a fixer-upper. The premise got me interested--a man finding himself in a body not his own--and while the beginning was enjoyable, the rest of the book was a downward spiral. From poor speaker tags, to a villain who was epic when he was evil and not so much he was good, to a whole backstory given through dialogue when it would've been far more interesting in a flashback sequence, the story only kept me because I wanted to see how it ended. Now, recent . . . circumstances make me feel very hypocritical saying all this (again, more details next Friday). But I wish it had been better. I'm still holding onto hope that the next two books will be far superior, because all four other Robin Parrish novels I've read have been phenomenal. This is his first work, so that might explain some things.

HapPENings on the Screen

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Oh mah word. This move was so entertaining, filled with both action and hilarity. Definitely the best Thor movie yet, and one of the best Marvel movies thus far. The character of Thor is just ten times better now. I loved seeing new characters, such as Hela, Valkyrie, and Korg, and the return of others, like Loki, Hulk, and (briefly) Doctor Strange. Plus, the score was absolutely phenomenal, combining all the epic tones of a superhero film with groovy synth music. All in all, I want Taika Waititi to direct more Marvel installments with his amazing New Zealand humor. (I don't know how he so expertly honored the previous Thor movies while completely making fun of them. He's a genius.)

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An entirely different movie from Ragnarok, Black Panther was very enjoyable, albeit in a different way. It didn't focus so much on fight/chase scenes, so I suppose one could describe it as a quieter superhero film. I enjoyed getting to know the titular character better while meeting more people from Wakanda. T'Challa's sister (I'm blanking on her name at the moment) was one of the best new additions to the MCU. Also, I loved Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman and their roles! It was like Gollum and Bilbo meeting in another life. (Too bad Benedict Cumberbatch couldn't have joined in.) And the villain, Killmonger, was very different from Marvel's other ne'er-do-wells.

My only complaint had nothing to do with the movie, but rather some of the audience in the theater. There was a gaggle of ditzy tween girls who kept whispering to each other--fairly loudly at times--throughout THE ENTIRE MOVIE. I shot them a few glares, which didn't seem to do much. What I really wanted to do was ask them why they thought a movie theater was an appropriate place to have conversations, because they were being disrespectful to everyone around them. I would've enjoyed the experience just a little more if they hadn't been present.

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I've only seen one (or was it two?) episodes of Once's fourth season, and so far, I don't really have much good to say about it. The only Frozen character I like at this point is Kristoff; the others all seem to be trying far too hard to live up to the animated version. And the trolls--don't get me started on how bad the trolls are animated. At least Marshmallow looked fairly good, considering all the other poor CGI in the show. Actually, Marshmallow and Pan's Shadow are the two best animated characters.

I'm continuing to watch this with my parents, Chloe, and Kaitlyn. (My sisters and I already finished watching it ourselves.) It's always fun to rewatch a season and see how they led up to the conclusion. You notice a lot more foreshadowing that slipped past you the first time around.

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I've started watching season 5 with my youngest two sisters, and while we haven't gotten terribly far, I'm enjoying the creepier vibe this season has. Morro is definitely one of my favorite Ninjago villains (and I can also do a pretty good impression of his voice). It's also funny how, in one of the episodes, the writers made fun of seasons past when the Ninja turned to a certain teammate to lead them when he clearly was never the best choice. I respect writers who can cleverly poke fun at themselves.

Gaming HapPENings

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I don't know about you, but the Animal Crossing franchise has some of the most relaxing games to play--and New Leaf - Welcome amiibo is the best installment I've played. In March, I nearly clocked in 15 hours for this game. It's so easy to start playing, lose track, and end up spending an hour of your life on it.

One of the things I love most about it is that your first character (at least, I think you can make more characters like in the other games) is the mayor of your town. So you have to do things like fundraise town projects, make sure you're listening to your citizen's comments, getting signatures for various things, etc.

Just recently, I went on vacation to a nearby island, which was tons of fun by myself, but would've been even more fun if I had friends to join me. *cough cough if you play this game we should be friends cough cough* You get to buy souvenirs, play fun minigames, all sorts of stuff! It's definitely a cool addition to the AC formula.

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A friend of mine and I played this game together the other day. Talk about a hilarious experience! Simple controls make it easy for anyone to join the fight, which, by the way, doesn't require strategy. Brawls are filled with more mayhem than you could shake a stick at. (BA-DUM CHING!) It would've been even funnier if we'd been voice chatting while playing.

If you want a fun, bloodless fighting game with explosions and weapons galore, this is the one for you. But trust me when I say it's the most when you're playing with friends. I've done a few rounds with random people online, and it's just not quite the same. Play with people you know, and much laughter will (probably) ensue.

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Twilight Princess and I have never been on the best terms. Lakebed Temple only made matters that much worse. But the last temple I did--Arbiter's Grounds in Gerudo Desert--was a step-up from Lakebed. While the first room held me back for several minutes, thanks to the games poor jumping mechanic, the rest of the temple was pretty interesting. Chloe, Kaitlyn, and I were laughing the whole way through with our amazing commentary. I enjoyed using the new tool I was given, the Spinner. Thankfully, this game was originally released before fidget spinners were a thing. My only complaint is that I've heard it isn't fully utilized in the rest of the game--as if it was designed for just this one temple.

Also, actually getting into the temple was an adventure all on its own. I had to run across the desert (and Link's not a fast runner in this game!), which had some very odd sheer cuts into the turf. Then when I finally got outside the grounds, I had to fight off a bunch of Bokoblins that don't really look Bokoblins in any sense of the word. Some I had to shoot with my bow, and apparently I've been too privileged with Breath of the Wild, because in this game, you can't walk ANYWHERE while aiming the bow.

Then I had to ride a boar to smash barriers, which was a little crazy. Link can barely hold on for dear life when that beast is going full-tilt. I fought a mini-boss I'd fought before (whom I thought dead), and I let him go at the end when I could've easily killed him. Guess who's probably going to come back for a third fight? As thanks, he decided to burn the area I was in with graphically-horrible flames. Good thing the fire stopped spreading after it lit the walls around me, huh?

Writerly HapPENings

Again, I didn't really do much writing except for a few sessions with one of my friends for our co-authored story. I'm a bit embarrassed about that, to be honest. Because it's time to assess my writing goals, and I know that none of them have been accomplished yet. Thankfully, I can do better this next quarter of the year.

At the same time, my writer side has taken a blow to his self-esteem. I'm trying to work through it, but it hasn't been easy. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm going to hold off on talking about it until my next post, which probably won't be easy for me to pen. I have to try, though, if I want to begin to heal.

How was your March? Do anything fun or exciting? Did you participate in the Rooglewood Facebook party, or even submit a story for the Five Poisoned Apples contest? Watch any good movies, read any good books, or play any good games? Do share whatever you'd like about your month!