The Bliss that is Animal Crossing Music /// Music Monday #57

Has it really been two weeks since the last Music Monday? That was a rhetorical question, because yes, it has been.

Today I've got a fun little tune for ya! It is . . .

"Fireworks" from Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Composed by Manaka Kataoka, Atsuko Asahi, and Kazumi Totaka

The reason why I'm picking this song in particular is because I heard it in-game yesterday. I was tired after a long day (had church in the morning and only had about an hour at home before I was at a wedding for five hours or so), and I wanted to play some video games. I decided to spend some time with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I'd been meaning to for a while and just hadn't gotten around to it.

Anyway, yesterday evening was the fireworks festival in my town. As I was running around doing the regular things one does in Animal Crossing games--you'll know what I mean if you've played any--fireworks were going off with this music playing. It's so cheery, yet so relaxing at the same time. I don't know how the composers pulled it off, but they did. Actually, now that I think about it, a lot of AC music is like that.

Now, playing my 2DS XL with my headphones on is one of the best ways for me to relax. I get immersed in the game's world and sucked into the story, or the adventure, or whatever. New Leaf is special in that it's different from most games I play. It's basically a "life simulator," if you will, but the atmosphere is just so calming and fun. There are times when I go for a while without playing, but i always return.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you some of the relaxation I felt. Hope you enjoyed it! Also, the future of sharing Nintendo music here is a little uncertain right now. They've been starting to block their soundtracks on YouTube, on the grounds of copyright infringement. Not sure how far they're gonna go with it, but I guess we'll see.

And that's it! What'd you think of the song? Does it soothe you like it does me? Have you played any Animal Crossing games? Which one's your favorite?

Right in the Nostalgia! /// Music Monday #56

Hey, you! Yes, you! I'm talking to you, bub! Wanna hear a song? 'Cause I got one for ya.

Today's post is gonna be short and sweet, just like the song, which is . . .

"Yoshi Village" from Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time

Composed by Yoko Shimomura

Okay, let's get one thing absolutely clear: Yoko Shimomura is one of the greatest composers of our time. Seriously, this lady is a bricking LEGEND when it comes to creating phenomenal scores. I'm mostly familiar with her work on the Mario & Luigi series, but that alone is enough to convince me of her greatness.

Let me explain a little bit about this game to help you fully comprehend her musical skills. When Princess Peach disappears in the past, Mario and Luigi must travel back in time and fend off an alien invasion that threatens the entire Mushroom Kingdom. They visit several locales in these bygone years, one of which is Yoshi Village . . . which is probably located on Yoshi's Island. (Hey, no one ever accused the Yoshis of being creative when it comes to naming things.)

So y'know what these genius of a composer did? Y'know what she hecking did?!

*takes a deep breath*

SHE REMIXED THE TITLE THEME FROM YOSHI'S ISLAND!

I'm sorry, but the Yoshi's Island game is my childhood. Well, technically not my childhood and more like my tweenhood, but you get the idea. I loved that game to bits. It was my first Nintendo experience, and to this day, it still holds all the charm and wonder that it did when I first played it.

So imagine my shock when I enter Yoshi Village for the first time and HEAR. THIS. SONG. My mind was blown! Honestly, this musical piece is one of the game's best, simply because Ms. Yoko knew exactly how and when to hit us right in the nostalgia. Props to her, the madwoman! (I mean that in the best way possible.)

What about you? Have you played either Partners in Time or Yoshi's Island? If you've played the latter, did this getcha good too?

Monthly HapPENings: July

It's August? WHAAAAAAAAA-?! *flips the calendar back to July* There, we're still in July. *sits in a corner and cries because it's not the truth*

What happened last month? Lots of stuff . . . and yet, not all that much. The 1st was my last day of family holidays, so it was back to the grind the next day. We celebrated my dad's birthday, too! Other than that, not much. EDIT: Just totally remembered that one of my cousins got married a few hours away from where I live. In some ways, it wasn't great, but in other ways, it was. And I'll leave it at that.

Okay, there was one HUGE event that happened, and that was Realm Makers! But I'm obviously not gonna talk about it now. You'll be getting a proper recap . . . soon. Hopefully.

Returning from the conference has been super difficult, though. Normalcy doesn't hold much appeal, in some aspects, anyway. Also, I thought that after the busyness of preparing for both my family vacation and Realm Makers, I'd be able to relax a little. Nope! That has not been the case, and I know I need to, lest I completely burn out.

Bookish HapPENings

source; don't go to the site unless you've read the book, because it spoils the ending

I stayed up a bit later than I had intended to on the night before RM just so that I could finish this book. Wow, what an excellent trilogy! I'd still say that it's one of the most unique fantasies out there, and when Brandon uses tropes, he always adds his own flavor to them. The ending was definitely not what I thought it'd be, but I refuse to say more than that. What I will say, however, is that I'm going to keep recommending these books to people. I want them to have the same thrilling experience that I did.

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This one's got an interesting story behind it . . . but I won't be disclosing that until I post my RM recap. As for the book itself, I think it was the best one in the trilogy. Now, this series wasn't quite as good as, say, the Beyonders trilogy. However, I still quite enjoyed the series as a whole. The first book was kinda meh, the second book really grabbed my interest midway through, and the third installment was an explosive conclusion. Some of my main complaints were things like Archer's use of the expression "snot rockets" or "snot buckets" (no real ninth- or tenth-grader--I can't remember which he is--would say that), or the rushed final battle. But most of it I did like, especially the plot thread that involved a trial. It reminded me of the Ace Attorney games, which is definitely a positive.

Too long, didn't read: really good, but not great. Part of that could be because I'm older than the target audience, but that's not to say I didn't enjoy the series.

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This was the second time I read The Runaway King, and I did it all whilst flying to and from RM. I absolutely love Jennifer's writing style and her characters. Sage is such a fun, complex character, but sometimes he does things that makes you wanna tear your hair out and go, "WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU THINKING?!" It's a good reaction, trust me. I haven't read the last book in the trilogy yet, so I'm eagerly anticipating where the story is going to go.

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Steampunk novels seem hard to come by, because the genre is largely ignored. (Well, based on my understanding, anyway.) Leviathan was a fantastic read, and this one was just as great, if not better. I'm loving the adventures of Deryn and Alek in a world of fabricated beasts and powerful machines. How it's all going to end in book three, I'm not sure. Here's my major complaint with this book, though: Deryn's disguised as a boy in order to serve in the British air forces. That in itself is not bad, but in this book, there was a girl character that appeared later on in the story who has a crush on this "boy," who's really a girl. At one point, the female side character kisses the "boy" she likes. Deryn later makes a comment that she wasn't a bad kisser. I'm really hoping this doesn't mean there's going to be a lesbian couple in the third book--especially since Deryn does like Alek--but I guess I'll have to see . . .

HapPENings on the Screen

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I watched this movie for the second time with my sisters . . . and I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I had. Like, I remember really liking it when I first saw it, and this time around, my thoughts were, "Yeah, it's pretty good." Some of the dialogue was a bit cringe-inducing, the voiceover at the beginning in particular. It went on for too long and was a big ol' info dump. The best part of the film is still Junkie XL's score. Too bad he didn't stay on for the other two movies, so we could've at least gotten some decent music as a plus.

I'm not sure what to think of S4 of Once Upon a Time right now. So far, I'd still say that the first half of S3 was the peak of the show. This season has had some good moments, but right now, I just want the Snow Queen to be gone as fast as possible. Can someone please explain to me WHY IT'S A REQUIREMENT FOR FEMALE FANTASY CHARACTERS TO DRESS IMMODESTLY?! It bugs me to no end that Once keeps giving some of the ladies low-cut outfits. Blegh.

I only rewatched one of the episodes from S4 of The Flash, with my sisters seeing it for the first time. (I always watch it by myself before showing them.) It was a great episode! There was one particular character who was unbelievably hilarious, and I found it amusing that the antagonist was as ditzy as she was. Or at least, she sounded a bit like an airhead. Have you watched this show, by the way? If you haven't, you really need to reconsider some of your priorities.

Gaming HapPENings

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So I've started playing this game, thanks to Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney . . . and I'm not quite sure what to make of it so far. I haven't played much yet, mind you, but it's been a bit harder to get into than the abovementioned game was. I'll give it more time, and I definitely won't stop playing the series even if I don't enjoy this one as much. Though I don't think I'll ever get used to Luke's American actress attempting an English accent. The actress for PLvPW, whose voice is used in the UK versions of the Layton games and who actually has an English accent, is just so much better. (When I read Luke's non-voiced dialogue, I always hear the UK voice saying it instead.)

Writerly HapPENings

I didn't write much in the way of Shattered, due to me being so busy. I have been working on a journal of Realm Makers, and I wrote a submission for Havok in one evening. I'm very proud of that piece, and I hope it'll get accepted. I'm planning on writing another this weekend. In the end, I think I did good, considering all factors. Plus, I managed to surpass my 800 minute target for Camp NaNo, so yay!

How was your month? Are you just as shocked as I am that it's August already? Did you attend Realm Makers, and if so, how was it? (Or you can just give me a link to your own recap so I can read it there.)