Friday, April 06, 2018

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!

4 comments:

  1. I am SO not okay with it being a fourth of the way through the year. How did this happen???

    RAGNAROK!!!!! Oh my goodness, that movie. XDDD The characters, the epicness, the music, the absolute HILARITY of the whole thing. It was so great! And you are right about Taika Waititi managing to respect the previous movies while also making fun of them! I haven't even thought of that but it's true! I dooo wish it had a tinge more emotion instead of making eeeverything a joke. BUT I STILL LOVED IT SO MUCH!

    And Black Panther! I loved it toooo! Not my favorite Marvel movie, but still an utterly spectacular one. AND SHURI. That's his sister's name. (At least I think that's how it's spelled. XD) SHE WAS THE BESSST! I also really loved Martin Freeman's character. He turned out way different than I expected him to, and it was great!
    But uuuggghhh. That is awful you had to deal with an audience like that. I HATE when that happens. When I went to see one movie (Battle of the Five Armies maybe?? I can't remember) there were some obnoxious guys behind us cursing and just being the worst and whyyyy? People spend a lot of money to go enjoy a movie! The theater is NOT the place to talk! Grrr.

    Oh, I loooooved the Frozen story arc in OUAT. I actually liked ALL the Frozen characters. In fact, I loved their portrayal of Elsa so much, it ruined the cartoon Elsa for me. Because I like OUAT's better. XD BUT, I do agree the trolls are an atrocity. Really, that show in general has pretty awful graphics and I don't know why. It's DISNEY. I think their budget could afford some good graphics. Seriously now.

    I've yet to play that version of Animal Crossing but I so want to! I adore the AC games. They are the most relaxing things!

    I haven't played any Zelda games since Breath of the Wild and I can imagine it's a little hard having the lack of mobility that Breath of the Wild offers! I fear we may get spoiled with having a Link who can basically run EVERYWHERE and do EVERYTHING. Definitely more privileged! XD But I still of course adore all the Zelda games. It's just nice to have one where Link can do more than...walk. Haha!

    I am SO sorry your writing side has taken a blow. D: But please please pleeease don't let this discourage you from writing! You have SO MUCH talent and are gonna do amazing things with your writing! I've loved all your stories that I've read. Your plots are so unique and fascinating, you have a great sense of humor, and your characters just come alive. Not to mention your worldbuilding is PHENOMENAL. God has awesome plans for your writing, I know He does! But writing your thoughts out can be so therapeutic. I think that's a good idea. ^_^

    I do hope your have a great April!

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    1. Just guess: it happened like it does every other year? XD

      Yeah, there was a lot of joking, but I do think there were things it took seriously, even if it sprinkled more humor in-between. I'm thinking of the final battle in particular.

      It was a very different superhero film. I also wouldn't say it was my favorite, but I found it really enjoyable. Ah, right, Shuri! I blanked out on her name there. :P Martin Freeman is always great. XD

      Ooh, that would've been annoying. You should've told them to shut up or something. :P If you wanna have a conversation, take it outside!

      Really? That's interesting. My opinion is the opposite: the cartoon one is better. But that's just me. XD I feel like most of their budget goes to their costumes, which in turn makes all the CGI look wretched. Except for Pan's Shadow. Best CGI in the show!

      They are quite enjoyable. :)

      Yeah, BotW Link is a lot more in shape than the others. They should all take a page out of his book. XD We've DEFINITLY been spoiled by BotW in many ways.

      Thanks for the encouragement. I've been doing a lot better since then, so that's good. Now I just need to motivate myself to write more consistently. ^_^

      Same to you!

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  2. I didn't know there was a Frozen tv show! I'll have to check that out. I loved Black Panther and Thor.... My main complaint with Thor was that all the good parts had been revealed in the preview ;0 I felt the movie kinda was predictable ;/ I think I might like it better if I watch it a second time.

    keturahskorner.blogspot.com

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    1. It's not just a Frozen show. It's about a bunch of fairy tales. Frozen just happens to be part of season 4. They did edit a lot in the trailers to not give spoilers. Well, you're allowed to have your opinion. I, for one, thought it was an excellent film. :)

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