Monthly HapPENings: May + Music Monday #51

Well, what do you know? It's time for more music! Can I get some hype?!

*awkward silence*

Yes, I know I haven't posted anything on a Friday for a while, but I've been busy with some other stuff. So before I move on to the music side of things, I'll quickly sum up a few of my happenings in May.

In terms of life stuff, not much happened, aside from celebrating Mother's Day. It was mostly the same old, same old. I didn't finish any books this month, unfortunately. I did, however, watched two movies last month.

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I watched Detective Pikachu on its opening night at the theater in my city with some of my coworkers. It was a lot of fun seeing it with them and getting ice cream afterward. But I enjoyed this so much that I just had to watch it again at the theater, this time with my sisters. And lemme tell you, I've never done that before. Whether you're a Pokemon fan or not, it's such a great film, from Ryan Reynolds's and Justice Smith's performances to Henry Jackman's epic score to the perfect character designs. I didn't even see the plot twists coming, which is another positive. Honestly, this is one of the best--if the not the best--video game movie ever made. You've gotta see it.

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So this was the . . . third (?) time that I've watched Thor. I've gotta give credit where credit is due and say that it's better than what I remembered it being. Still think that Ragnarok is the best of the three, but this one does a good job of setting up all the important characters. The worst part of it was honestly Hemsworth's horrible hair color and style. He's definitely improved with his locks.

My dad hadn't seen Endgame with me and Tracey when we first watched it, so we waited until it came to our city's theater . . . and OH MAH GOSH. That was the absolute worst experience I've had in a movie theater. There were six or seven young boys sitting next to us, who happened to be at the annoying stage of boyhood. No matter how many times they were told to shush, they kept talking loudly and laughing obnoxiously. I'm so glad it wasn't my first time watching the movie, because then I would've been enraged. This is the second time I've seen a Marvel movie at this particular theater and had a bad experience. Next time, I'm definitely getting the staff involved if necessary.

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I'll quickly detail some funny stuff that happened one of the last times I played Breath of the Wild. I had seen a Guardian atop a hill in Central Hyrule, so I decided to take it on. As I snuck up the slope, I noticed there were some horse-mounted Bokoblins there as well. One noticed me and charged; he was quickly felled with a single arrow. I got on his horse, whipped out the Master Sword, and charged up the hill straight at the Guardian. It didn't have time to react. I started hacking at its legs and sent it rolling halfway down the other side of the hill before I swiftly dispatched it and the other Bokoblins.

I then traveled to the ruins of Lon Lon Ranch, where I destroyed the Guardian there with an Ancient Arrow and nab the rare Stalhorse. This is where things get interesting. I needed to head over to a stable to do . . . whatever it was that I wanted to do at the time. I'm riding along, minding my own business, when that dreaded piano melody kicks and a red laser beam targets me. I had wanted to ride the Stalhorse until morning when it disappeared, so I decided to avoid confrontation.

I galloped away from the Guardian, and an epic pursuit began. I weaved this way and that, while the Guardian let off a couple shots. One hit a tree that nearly fell on top of me; another started a grass fire. Then I made the fatal mistake: I got too close to a large bush--or maybe it was a small tree--and my horse didn't like that. It reared up, just as the Guardian fired again. I survived, but my horse blew up. As revenge, I attacked the Guardian with all ferocity. However, the Stalhorse's buddies, the Stalkoblins, seemed to think they needed to avenge the horse as well. A bunch of them showed up and tried to kill me while I was fighting the Guardian. I won in the end, but needless to say, it was a crazy fight.

As for my writing, I didn't really do any of that in May either. Like I said, I've been busy with some other things, so hopefully I'll be able to do some more soon. On to the music!

Today, we'll be listening to . . .

"Venice Rooftops" from Assassin's Creed II

Composed by Jesper Kyd

If you've never listened to a soundtrack from the Assassin's Creed franchise . . . honestly, what're you waiting for? An invitation? Well, I suppose today counts as one, so there ya go. No more excuses.

Jesper Kyd composed the soundtracks for the first three Assassin's Creed titles and co-composed the fourth with Lorne Balfe. I don't remember much from the first one, but the next two (Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood) both have very distinctive and memorable soundtracks. This particular song is one of my favorites, not just from this soundtrack, but from the whole series.

I think one of my favorite aspects about it is the instrument choices as a whole. It feels really unique, especially using the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar. Not only that, it also inserts one of the main themes from the series, "Ezio's Family." It's just all so gorgeous to my ears! (Yeah, I know that's a really weird thing to say, but it's the truth.)

Listening to this song, I can just imagine the camera sweeping across the Venice cityscape, lit by the morning sun, as Ezio runs across the rooftops. Heck, if I ever go to Venice, I'm gonna play this song at some point while I'm traveling around.

Honestly, I don't know what else to say. I've got some other stuff that needs to get taken care of, and this post has taken long enough as it is. At the same time, I don't feel like I'm doing the track justice. It really is a masterpiece, and it helped me transition from Brian Tyler's and Lorne Balfe's Assassin's Creed scores to Jesper Kyd's. Just a great piece of music all around.

That's it, that's all! Did you do anything special last month? What is the worst theater experience you've ever had? Do you listen to any Assassin's Creed music, and if not, HOW COME YOU HAVEN'T YET? (Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to get carried away there.)