Monthly HapPENings: August

So, uh . . . this was technically supposed to be up on the 6th, but that didn't happen. Whoopsie. At least it's here now, but I'll try to keep it a bit shorter.

In terms of life stuff, I thought August was going to slow down, since both my family vacation and Realm Makers were over. Both events had required a good deal of preparation that took up most of my June and July. Alas, August was no different. I was busy a lot of the time with various things--or at least, it felt that way.

There were a couple of notable highlights. The first was that my sisters and I spent one Saturday in the nearby city. We stopped by a book store and game shop, had lunch, rode a four-person bike in the rain (which got very tiring, since only two people could pedal at a time and some of the paths were gravel), got ice cream treats, then headed home. It was a lot of fun and a grand ol' time!

The second was that some of my coworkers and I went out for supper, since one of them was leaving the job. We had pizza and then ice cream later before taking a short walk. I enjoyed that so much. I loved laughing and hanging out with my friends, something that I can't seem to get enough of these days.

Bookish HapPENings

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This was the only book I read in all of August, which definitely isn't great. What was great were some of the stories in the anthology. There were several really good ones, ones that made me want even more from their authors. Others were fine. Like, they were good, but I didn't have a strong desire to see more added to that storyworld. Overall, I'd say it was a pretty solid collection! Now I just have 22 more books from RM to read . . .

HapPENings on the Screen

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Okay, Into the Spider-Verse was hecking amazing! This was definitely one of the best Spider-Man films to date. From the incredible visual/animation style to the colorful cast of heroes and villains to the crazy plot, everything was a masterpiece. And the soundtrack! Daniel Pemberton rocked the whole orchestral and electronic mix. I can't wait to see where they go from here.

I'm getting so close to finishing the first of S4, which I am very much looking forward to. I'm quite curious about what the second half is gonna be about, and I'm more than ready for the Snow Queen to get off the screen permanently. I do hope that Anna, Elsa, and (definitely) Kristoff stick around for longer, though.

S4 is still proving to be thoroughly entertaining, minus some parts of episode five. I really can't yet see why people hate on this particular season. I personally like where it's going so far.

Avatar has been a surprisingly great show! Like, I didn't expect it to be as awesome as it is. Always love it when stories take you by surprise and make you fall head over heels in love with them.

This is really shaping up to be quite the epic season. From the Time Blades that allow their users to control time in different ways, to the villains themselves and their army, to the twists and turns in the plot, it all works together to form a very engrossing S7.

Another show that is getting super good. The ever-thickening plot has certainly intrigued me, and it looks like things are going to become even more intense soon. I can't wait to see where it all goes! (Also, the last episode I watched used a TSFH song, which made the scene extra epic.)

Gaming HapPENings

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So I decided to get Minecraft for my Wii U, after watching Jacksepticeye's videos on the game (the PC version). It has been quite fun, and surprisingly creepy at times. I've died probably a couple dozen times already, raged at my continual deaths in a dark, underground cave next to a zombie spawn point with no light to speak of, and walked to the edge of the world. Overall, while it is a great game, I still wouldn't put it above Terraria. There are just certain aspects of that game that I really appreciate, and Minecraft doesn't have those. At least it's still enjoyable.

Writerly HapPENings

I've written 4,210 words in the month of August, all of which went to my personal Realm Makers journal. It was wonderful to mentally relive the experience, but it took me far too long to finish that sucker. I've taken a bit of a break from writing recently, but I need to work on a 90s submission for Havok.

Speaking of which, I found out that my 80s story is getting published with Havok on their online magazine! It's going to be up on October 7th, and you won't want to miss it. It's a court drama story with some wonderful twists thrown in. I'm quite proud of it, so be on the lookout for when it's published!

And that was my August! How was yours? Anything exciting happen? Fill me in on the great or not-so-great stories you've taken in this past month.