I Did THE THING.

This is Anime, This is Anime, Anime, Anime, Everybody Scream in Pain!

Hey y'all! Remember how I watched Avatar (The Last Airbender) a few weeks back? 

Well, ever since then I've been on an animated Cartoon high. So I did something crazy. I looked up what to watch after you finish Avatar.

Guess what came up? An anime called Fullmetal Alchemist; Brotherhood. (Hereon referred to as Fullmetal.)

I've heard of anime before, of course. I always thought it looked weird. The animation was unlike anything I'd ever seen, and then the stories seemed strange.

However, I looked up Fullmetal on Pinterest and the first thing I saw was this pin:

EDWARD ELRIC.

Y'all know I'm a sucker for Bro stories, yar? I was like, Eh, I'll try it. No harm in trying right?

Oh. My. Gosh.

FULLMETAL. 

Tiny and I binged the show in about two weeks, and when we finished we were like.... what now?

We started looking up anime. 

And now, a month later, I have gone down the anime hole without much hope of getting out.

I have come to a conclusion: I like anime. Don't get me wrong, they can get pretty weird. (It's Japan, guys.) But there is something very charming and engaging about anime. I think I finally understand what's drawn so many fans to this particular genre of TV over the years. Anime is vibrant and tangible. The characters are very alive. So far I have watched six anime: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. (I LOVE THIS ONE!) Attack on Titan, Noragami, Hunter x Hunter (Still watching) and Puella Magica I'm not doing the full name, it's too long., and Avatar: TLA. All of these are pretty good. Puella Magica is odd. I haven't finished it yet, but I enjoy it. Hunter x Hunter is also taking me some time to get used to but I think it's growing on me. I've tried some others too, and it seems to me that there are two kinds of anime. It can be great, or it can be a flop. If you find a good anime, it's really, really good. But if you find a weird anime, it's weird. And not that great.

Also, some anime can get dirty. So that is something to be aware of.

But if you find that really good anime, it is well worth it. It might be silly. It might be dumb. The characters can be very dramatic and over-the-top. The animations can be seriously weird and random. But if you can get past that, the stories and characters are worth it. They're worth the silliness and oddities.

Some of the anime listed I'm still watching and haven't finished yet, but I'd like to mention the two that (so far) I find on par with Avatar. Like, I want to own them on DVD.

First, Fullmetal.

After a horrible Alchemy experiment gone wrong, Alchemists Edward and Alphonse Elric must find some way to fix their disfigured bodies. As they search for some way of getting back to normal, they are slowly pulled down into a villainous plot which has taken root in their country, a plot that could destroy thousands of lives - and even the world.

I love, love, love Fullmetal. The characters are vibrant, layered, and interesting. The plot is amazing. The villains are great. The world is interesting. And it has Alchemy. It's like magic. But science-magic. 

It took me a little bit to get into this show. I'd never seen anime before, so I had to get used to the animation and the mood/feel of the series.  It could be so dumb and ridiculous, but it could also get downright disturbing and sad. It wasn't what I expected. Oh, and it has a kind of comic-book element which made me laugh. 

Animation VS animation. 

I think it was a comedy effect and I appreciated that they didn't do this sort of thing in emotional/serious moments. (When I watched other animes I noticed they would do similar things, so I think I'm right to assume that this is just how anime portrays comedy. The other anime I've seen aren't as crazy with their changes, but they will have funny comic-book like moments. I guess it's an animation style. 8-D It might have something to do with the fact that a good number of anime are based on magnas [Which are like Japanese graphic novels.])

Fullmetal gave me all the feels. You had weepy, romantic feels. You had brother feels.  Sad, shocked feels. Friendship feels. Family feels. You had THAT CHARACTER DIED??? feels. Happy Feels. Angsty feels. I hate that villain!!! feels. ALL THE FEELS! It's one of those shows that is super dopey and silly - like Avatar -  but there were several moments when the writers reminded you of the stakes and everything would suddenly be very serious. In fact it had more serious/sad moments than Avatar did. 

Something I really liked in Fullmetal was how well it handled failure and loss. I liked that grief was actually shown long-term. Like, if a comrade died everyone was affected and it made a lasting impression, right through the end of the series. If someone experienced failure or heartbreak, it often drove several of their actions in later episodes and seasons. Death, grief, loss, anger, betrayal, trauma - I really, really loved that things like that weren't brushed aside, but addressed and remembered. That's something you don't often see in shows, especially not to the extent that Fullmetal has it. I also really loved the character development and the emphasis on doing what was right, not what was easy. I loved that sacrifices were acknowledged and shown to be necessary. I loved that character arcs were built up in a believable way. I loved that villains and heroes clashed and fought, and it was actually realistic. I loved that characters had these epic moments where everything came to a head in the best way possible and you were like, BOOM! It was refreshing to see good story telling. Story telling that comes full freaking circle. 

I would definitely recommend Fullmetal to anyone who wants to try out anime. It's well done. It has a lot of heart, and even though the animation can be bizarre, and its really  dumb sometimes, It's also intense, emotional, exciting, and engaging. 

Some Things I would Warn Viewers About:

1.) There is a villain in the first season who wears a very low-cut dress.

2.) The content can sometimes be very dark and disturbing.

3.) There is lots of sadness.

4.) There is a good amount of swearing.

5.) There is a running theme through the anime concerning God. Some characters believed in Him. Some didn't. Some of the villains said things about God that I didn't like at all. But I don't think the writer was trying to be disrespectful. I think she was trying to show the contrasts in believers VS non-believers, and how people see God. I think she was also trying to show that even though there is a lot of evil in the world that doesn't mean there isn't a God - or at least some Divine Power - but not everyone is going to believe that. There were two episode near the end of the series that I didn't really like, but by the time I finished the finale I could see what she was driving at, and I appreciated what she was trying to do.  

The other anime I would like to own ASAP is Noragami.

cutest freakin' god ever.

I didn't know what to expect from Noragami. The plot on IMDB said it was about a minor god who was on a mission to get a shrine built for him. It didn't sound that great. But I saw a few gifs on Pinterest and I was like, Meh, I'll give it a go. 

Guys. There is so much more to Noragami than a god who wants a shrine. 

A better plot synopsis would be this:

          "Hiyori is a high-school girl whose life changes when she jumps in front of a bus to save the life of a teenage boy. After her encounter with him, her soul begins to slip in and out of her body and she doesn't have much control over it. Hoping that he might have answers, Hiyori successfully tracks down the boy she saved, and discovers that he is a god by the name of Yato. By saving his life she has become a sort of half-spirit, able to see the spirit world and those in it. Hiyori finds herself being drawn into the world of gods and phantoms, and gradually befriends Yato and his Regalia, a spirit which acts as a god's right-hand man. However, Yato has some frightening secrets, and slowly but surely his dark past begins to reveal itself."

Too fabulous.

So. What can I say about Noragami?

It. Is. Fabulous.

It reminded me a bit of Percy Jackson. The Percy Jackson I loved before Rick Riordan betrayed me.  It was like... Percy Jackson meets The Eight Days of Luke. There are gods in the story, but they seem more like demi-gods, like Loki and Odin in The Avengers. I wasn't bothered at all by the god element. It is handled very well. Besides, they never said God didn't exist. They only said that gods existed. And who's to say there couldn't be beings of great power which were created by God, and could battle evil spirits and stuff? It's not completely unlikely.

Just my thoughts. 8-D

I really love Yato. He's a minor god that gets barely any recognition. He wants to be known and loved throughout the world, but it's hard for such a little god to get noticed. So he runs around doing the most insignificant tasks and granting the smallest wishes, just to make people happy, just so that people will give a nod in his direction. It's kind of adorable.

Yato is ridiculous. He reminds me a lot of Howl. He is basically Howl as a god. He acts like such a giant dope, and that is a big reason I love him so much. The more you find out about him the more you realize he just really wants to be liked and make people happy, so he presents himself as funny and as un-threatening as he possibly can. I like that about him. But he's also incredibly dramatic. Like, Fainting-Because-Someone-Doesn't-Know-My-Name dramatic. He's a dork and he does such stupid, ridiculous things that sometimes you forget he's a god. I think that's part of why he does it. He makes you forget he isn't just a giant goof. He makes you forget he has another side to him, a dark, cold side.

 I am the Night, I am Vegeance... I am a Drama Queen.

-Yato, probably.

I like tormented protagonists. They are my weakness. Yato is definitely a tormented protagonist. He's such a cool character! Like, he's hilarious, but if you hurt someone he loves, if you wage war with him - you'd better watch out. He's dangerous in a fight. He knows how to win. You don't want Yato as your enemy. You really, really don't.

This is the land of the rising sun. Your desecration shall not be allowed!

Like Fullmetal, Noragami has some great character development. It even manages to pull off character perception. (And I'm a sucker for that kind of thing.) It had some good friendships, including a cute friendship with Yato and his little Regalia, Yukine. At first I wasn't sure I'd like Yukine. He was the spirit of a twelve-year old boy and he still had the issues a boy of that age would have. Like... ehm... dirty thoughts. You know. The joys of Puberty. On top of that he was a bit of a train-wreck, what you might call a very troubled person. But he grows up a lot and I got attached to him in season two. Especially after THE THING concerning a certain goddess and a sword fight.

Yukine.

Hiyori, Yukine and Yato made a good trio, and I found myself really liking their dynamic. I also liked the soft, sweet romance with Yato and Hiyori, 'cause that crap was adorable. The overall plot was fairly good and the whole anime was well worth the watch. Even the side characters got their own arcs and there were some good relationships/friendships there too.

My favourite thing about Noragami was the Christian element it had. I don't if this was intended, but there was a pretty strong Christian parallel concerning the relationship between a god and Regalia, and how the god bears the sufferings/struggles of his Regalia. If the Regalia feels pain or sorrow, the god shares in it. And if the Regalia does something bad, the god get's hurt. The god is the one who suffers for the wrongs of his servant.

It seemed very Christian-esque.

Things I would Warn Viewers about:

1.) There was one goddess who ran about poorly clad for most of season 1 and 2. She basically just wore a bra and skirt. It was awkward. I liked it when she got into full armor. I was like, "YAY! YOU'RE DECENT! Why don't you dress like that more?" (It was sad, because I ended up kind of liking this character, and I was annoyed that she didn't dress better.)

2.) In season one, Yukine is struggling with puberty and all the wonderful baggage that comes with being a twelve-year-old boy. He has some dirty thoughts/ideas and it can be inappropriate. He does grow out of this near the end of the season.

3.) The content can be disturbing and dark at times. It can also be surprisingly sad.

Now for some questions!

Have any of you watched Anime?

Do you like it?

Is there a particular Anime that you really, really love?

Can you recommend any good Anime for me? (Especially ones with friendships.)

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

I found some new things. Now I must share.

Thing One:

I binged on Avatar: The Last Airbender last week.

FRIENDLY MUSHROOM!

I'm almost finished with Season Three. And I'm a total fan. I'm not even ashamed.

There are five basic stages to becoming a fan of this show.

Stage One: Hmmm. This is kind of fun. But really dopey too.
Stage Two: Sokka is so funny!!!! And Katar is super cool. And Aang is really cute! And tough! These characters make me very happy. I think I even like Toph!
Stage Three: AAAAAAAAAH. What?? Why the cliffhangers??? I hate villains!! WHO NEEDS SLEEP? Sleep is for the weak!!
Stage Four: ZUUUUUKOOOOOOOO
Stage Five: WATER. EARTH. FIRE. AIR. *sings along to the theme*

This show is actually quite good. Is it dopey? Yes. Is it silly? Yes. Don't get me wrong. Avatar: TLA is definitely a kids show. It can be really silly and ridiculous. The animation is horrible. But if you are looking for comic relief, goofy story-telling, good characters, and a fun, interesting premises, Avatar is a good show to watch. The episodes are only like, fifteen to twenty minutes long, so it's really easy to binge on them.  Plus, there is some surprisingly good character development that goes on. (Zuuuuukoooooo)

Thing Two:

I'm sure you have all heard about Hamilton by now. It seems like it's the biggest thing since Les Miserables. I've held a lot of prejudice against this musical because A.) It's Rap and B.) It's the Founding Fathers. I have a problem with the Founding Fathers being turned black, especially George Washington. This isn't racism. This is historical fact. They were white. I also have a problem with the Founding Father's singing rap. And dancing to the rap. It seems a little ... disrespectful? However, I finally decided to give it a go. I shouldn't judge something until I know more about it, right? I sat down with a couple of my sisters and listened to the whole thing.

A Rap Musical

I didn't hate it.

But I don't know if I liked it. The music is very catchy. It's easy to sing along to, even the first time around, and after you listen to it once, you have all these lines from different songs that play in your head. The characters were fine. George Washington as a character was fine. I liked a lot of his lines, and how he put Hamilton in his place. He was fairly close to historically accurate, at least as close as you can get with a modern twist and rap involved. The story itself was also fairly accurate... again, as accurate as you can be with rap.

There were some songs I really liked. There were some lines that were pretty cool. For instance, there is one point where Hamilton says "I am just like my country, I'm young scrappy and hungry, and I'm not throwing away my shot!" I like that line a lot. It stuck with me fast.

I don't think I like the rap angle. The rhythm wasn't bad, the lyrics weren't bad, the characters and songs weren't bad. It was a decent sort of musical to listen to and I think if it had been anything but the Founding Father's, I would have been like - "Yaaay, Hamilton!" As it is I'm more like - "Hmmmm. Hamilton." I did enjoy listening to it. If you can get past the rap (which I'm not wild about anyway) the modern language, the mis-representation of the Founding Father's, and the fact that Hamilton is not that great of a person, it is fun. Aside from some awkward duologue/scenes, and language, it's also pretty clean. Sometimes you hear something and you're like "Well, that was inappropriate." But I don't think you actually see anything dirty. Maybe I'll even watch it at some point, but it will be a bit before I try that. I've seen gifs, and I don't like the dancing, or how the actors portray some things. (Did Washington just high-five Hamilton? What? ... What are they doing, the twist? No. Why?? Uh oh. Here's comes the swagger... no. Please.... Uhm, what is with Philip? Perve.) I think I will probably listen to it again, mostly because it's annoying to only know a handful of lyrics; but also because it is very catchy and it makes you want to listen to it more than once. I still maintain it was a bad call to turn historical men black just to show the America dream of everyone being equal. It's like turning Fredrick Douglas white. I don't think blacks would be very happy about that.


Thing Three:

I did find another musical though, and this one I really like. It's called The Light on the Piazza. It's about an Italian boy falling in love with a cute American tourist. It's super sweet. It has a good message about love being difficult but worth fighting for, and how important family is. It shows that everyone has flaws and you should never underestimate people just because they're different. The music is beautiful and the singers are amazing. Oh, and you get to hear Matthew Morrison sing in Italian!! What could be better?

Clara and Fabrizzio

As usual, I listened to the Original Cast first and it is pretty fabulous. Kelly O'hara has a beautiful voice. Her notes makes me happy. When she and Matthew Morrison sing together lovely things happen. They blend so well! Their love is precious. It's simple and innocent, and even though they fall for each other fast it doesn't seem silly. They get to know each other and their relationships develops in a gentle, natural way. I really liked how their love story saved other people's love also. It's like they inspired their families to not give up on marriage and that was a nice touch. And I love that after Clara meets Fabrizio she gets instructed in Catholicism, cause that makes the Catholic in me squeal. The Light on the Piazza is something all musical geeks should listen to it. It's beautiful, clean, classical, it sends a good message.... the only thing wrong with it is that in the first Act there is a kiss that goes a little too far. Like, it could become a scene if someone didn't walk in. Completely unnecessary. But other than that, it is fantastic!!!

Thing Four: 

I'm almost done with the Inkworld trilogy. That series is goooood. 8-D I think my favorite book will probably be Inkspell, but Inkdeath has been really well done too. I'm sort of afraid to finish it. I'm afraid of the ending.

DON'T KILL THE ANYONE. PLEASE.

The Last Thing: 

Before I sign off, I have a sort of announcement. My idea of Writers Camp seems to have attracted a lot of people. If I can get at least five other writers to officially sign on with this idea, I'm going to make it happen. It will probably start the first week in August sometime. I'm not sure how long it will last. Maybe a couple weeks? We can be super flexible with time and activities.  Basically, we're just going to take time and explore different writing styles and ideas, share some of our favorite authors and stories, discuss things that no one writes about even though they SHOULD be written about, and share ideas with motivation, the importance of writing, and how to get inspiration. There is plenty of time to juggle ideas, as well as which topics are Very Important and should be covered.

If you think Writers Camp is for you, leave a comment and tell me if you're officially in! Feel free to share this idea with other writers you know. The more the merrier.

Peace out y'all!!! God Bless!!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

In Which I know I'm a bad blogger.

I always have the best intentions for blogging. I always have posts that I start and never finish. I visit blogger about three times a week and somehow I still have huge gaps between posts.

Why is this a thing? I don't know.

*shrug*

What is new in my little life? Not much, except that my sister and brother-in-law are coming!!!!! *SHRIEKS*

Gina and Dan are coming up for Joey's wedding, and since they will be up here anyway, they decided to stay the week so they could visit. I'm really excited! They have a brand new baby and I get to hold him! He'll only be three weeks old! It's' been too long since I held a baby that small!!

It will be such fun. Fun will be had by all. We'll have lots of yummy dinners and deserts, and maybe we'll make a giant special breakfast.

So much of my life revolves around food. What do I do to have fun? I plan for Good Food and a movie. Good Food foremost.

source

My best friend came over for the weekend, which was a blast! Unfortunately I always forget to take pictures unless someone prompts me. This means that Jim and I were having too much fun to stop and capture moments.

We basically spent three days relaxing and sleeping in. Jim had never seen Alice in Wonderland so I figured we ought to start our movie marathon off with that one. We had six movies to get through in three nights. This meant that sleep was for the weak and if we had to welcome the morning in while the moon was still up that was just fine. 

Since movies were a must and late nights were very late, we lazed about in bed until about nine o'clock before rousing ourselves for breakfast. See? Apparently my definition of having a The best time ever is eating, having tea, and curling up on the couch doing absolutely nothing. Oh, and a nice movie or show after. It doesn't sound boring until I write it out; but I promise that having tea with me is an event. You get Reese's!!!

It was great because a lot of the cartoons we watched I haven't seen in a long time, and some I'd never seen. Like, I have always wanted to see American Tail but our VHS is so old that it wasn't watchable. It jumped and fizzled and turned black and white and sometimes the whole thing would just go black and buzz because the thing was so old. This was tragic for me. I wanted to see a cartoon with adorable little mice! On a whim I took American Tale  to Jessie's house... AND IT PLAYED. I guess her VHS players was newer or something, because it played my 30+ year old tape with no glitch. Obviously those things have high integrity... they are so much better than DVD's. #BringBackVHS

I have a thing for Peter Pan. Both the cartoon and the movie are special to me in their own way. I just love the character of Peter. He is so sad and adorable! And he had swords and magic!! I wanted him to teach me to fight. I actually remember the cartoon being a bit sadder.... not that it still isn't a little sad. I think when you are little, Tinkerbell flying off with a bomb is a wee bit scarring. (The movie is brutal with that bit. In fact, that whole ending is brutal because Peter is so broken.) I honestly think they should bring back drawn animation. They don't have to make everything with it. They can still use the fancy new animation, there is a lot of good in that too, but I think at least 1/3 of all cartoons made should be drawn. It is fascinating and intricate and beautiful, and we shouldn't just let that raw amazing talent and art work go to waste. It is something that needs to be salvaged! Help me out with this guys. #bringbackdrawnanimation

#bringbackdrawnanimation

What else has been going on? Let's see. I'm a little bit in love with Hawaii Five-O right now. When I first heard it was a cop show that takes place on Hawaii I naturally thought, "Oh. Yay. Another NCIS, but with a beach." Whohoooooa I was so wrong!! It's is so fabulous. Cops and crime-fighting ad guns, amazing characters and best of all, Friendships Stories! *happy dancing* H50 does a really good job balancing comedy and tension. It is a show with a lighter mood and theme, but when it wants to get dark and serious it can and I love that. It has the same feel as Leverage or Psych. It is mostly just fun and happy but it isn't afraid to do stressful, intense/emotional stuff either, and it has AMAZING character development and all that jazz. The best part of the show is of course, the friendship between the two main guys. Danny and Steve are hilarious. They constantly bicker and poke fun at each other, but it is obvious that they love each other. They have a "I can knock my best friend over, but don't you dare try it," relationship. Its brilliant!

"I love you."

"Okay, I think we've gotten close."

"You have got to start doing a better job picking your friends."

Ah yas, I love the smell of Vidding inspiration in the morning.

Platonic friendship is my passion. GIVE ME MORE!!!

I have lots of story ideas rattling about in my brain so I should probably sign off. I have words to scribble down. Characters to love. A family story to think about. Do you ever have so many stories that you are literally overwhelmed with the thrill of writing them and you get stuck in a whirlpool of inspiration that spins you around and around without getting you anywhere, because you can't focus on one thing since everything is so cool and has to be worked on  right freaking now??? THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME.

TOO MUCH AWESOME

Oh yeah, I watched the first Lilo and Stitch last week for the first time. I was like, 'Why have I never seen this??' It's a sweet movie! Sure it's a bit annoying at first, but by the time we reached the middle I liked it. It also got unexpectedly sad! Lil' Stitch alone in the forest - you don't realize how much you like him until suddenly he is sad and alone and.... UGLY DUCKLING. *dies* (Plus, a good sister story guys! Better than Ana and Elsa. So much better.)

Okay, I'm actually signing off now. Stuff to do! Peace out y'all!!!

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella

March!

This is how I felt this morning. Daylight Savings Time. Yeck.

Why is Daylight Savings Time still a thing? You'd think we'd have given up on it by now. My older sister woke me up this morning, all gentle and sweet... "It's seven." And I was like, "LIES."

It won't be really seven again until November.

Why is more than half our year on earth spent in a false time frame an hour ahead of the sun?? We worked out a whole time system based on the sun moving around the earth, we took strenuous planning and set hours to a clock, we planned a time-table for the day which made sense... and then for eight months of the year we ignore that fabulous system and stick earth an hour ahead of its own sun just so... what? Farmers can farm better? Why do we all have to suffer for their work schedule? Not everyone is a farmer! If that extra hour is sooooo important, why don't the farmers get up earlier??? Teachers don't expect the whole world up by six just because they have to be! Who's stupid idea was this? Curse you Benjamen Franklin!

I stay up late. I like that extra hour!

Does anyone even like Daylight Savings Time? Does anyone even utilize that one stupid hour in the morning where you are too groggy to be clever and too grouchy to be productive?

*angry Bella noises*

Anyway...

A quick update!

First of all, Happy Passion Sunday! We have two weeks left until Easter. Lent is almost over. I'm shocked at how fast it flew by this year. Despite today starting off an hour ahead of schedule, the morning ended up being pretty nice. We had a lovely Sung Mass which turned my spirits toward Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Some of the lyrics in those Lenten songs are so touching. Seriously. Tears, guys. Tears.

To the cross my sins have nailed Him, yet He bleeds and dies for me.

Don't tell me those lyrics aren't beautiful.


Let's see. What have I done since February?

Well...

I went Grocery shopping by myself for the first time last week.

GUYS.

Grocery shopping is actually kind of fun.

I was really nervous. I had to go into Walmart which is a giant scary store full of weird people, and I had to run around and pick up stuff for the week. I hardly ever go to Walmart. I was proud of myself for being able to navigate so well.

But what the heck is with cheese being ten dollars??? It makes no sense for cheese to be that expensive! Chicken and hamburger is only like, five dollars. What makes cheese so freaking special?

Also, why aren't all the paper things on the same aisle? You've got paper plates, paper cups, paper towels, Kleenex... but toilet paper and napkins? They'd better go with the cleaning supplies!

*irritated Bella noises*

I sound insane when I shop. I carry on this running commentary with myself. I full on banter. And I laugh at my own jokes. And I berate myself.

 "Ooooh, we should get thyme.

*****

"Where is the thyme?"

*Hehehe*

"Maybe they're out of thyme!!!"

"HAHAHAHAHA... I'm so funny!"

"You're not that funny."

"I totally am!"

"Nah, you're not."

"You're not funny!"

"That makes no sense."

"Sure it does."

"No it doesn't, you're dumb."

"Shut up."

"Aaaaaw are your feelings hurt?"

"Bellaaaaaaaaaa. You sound crazy! Stahp!"

All this as I go racing down the aisle like a derp on drugs... jumping on the cart too. Wheeeeeeeeeeee.

Too fabulous.

I'm sure people love me.

Whatever. It's Walmart. No one raises an eyebrow at the crazy person.

So?

I've decided something. It makes me really sad when my favorite TV shows go downhill. I love being a geek. I love knowing all the funny references to all the different TV shows. I love fangirling over my OTP. I love freaking out when my bros have a moment. I love getting excited over friendships and character development and the epicness of the plot. I love vidding to my favorite characters and looking forward to Next-Week's-Episode. It's fun to be a geek! Lately, however, almost all of my shows have let me down. This makes me sad.

Sadness.

I've noticed a pattern with the downward spiral. The show usually starts out strong and tends to go downhill after the third of fourth season.

Take "Grimm" for example. I loved Grimm. I still like a lot about Grimm. But I didn't like the second half of season four, and I don't like season 5 much. Sherlock is good but season three was kind of all over the place. I liked parts but other stuff... just why? Supernatural has completely lost its cookies. I haven't watched that show in months because it fell so far off the rails. Its ruined. Ruined! (Do not, I repeat, do not start that show! It is not worth it.) Even Agents of SHIELD is having its issues. And that is Marvel! Actually, it seems that Marvel has a problem with TV shows. I love their movies, but when it comes to TV shows I think they get too excited. Marvel usually has an epic first season and they know that everyone expects the second season to be better, so they try too hard and end up making the show too big because everyone expects so much from them. The thing they don't realize is it doesn't have to be big. We'll watch it on a small scale as long as it's Marvel and its good. We watched Antman and Guardians of the Galaxy. We don't ask for much.

Star Lord

(I mostly like the Marvel TV shows. There is just stuff about them that annoys me. Like characters being out-of-characters, and weird stuff that's just... weird.)

For me a show is carried on characters. I can put up with a lot of crap as long as the characters are good enough. I lasted almost eleven seasons of Supernatural because Sam and Dean were awesome and I was willing to skip a ton of retarded story line with all the flaws and stupid theological inaccuracies if it meant I could see those characters be brothers and heroes. Recently, I've almost given up on Supernatural altogether because at this point even Sam and Dean aren't worth it for me to get so irritated and angry. I haven't watched it in weeks, and I only sort of follow it through tumblr gif-sets...

It would be nice to watch a TV show where I actually liked the show, not just a couple characters that I watch the show for.

Honestly, right now the only two shows I'm watching that are still really good and enjoyable as a show are The Flash and Doctor Who. (And even Doctor Who has done a couple things that bug me.) They both have good plots, good characters, good villains and a good story line that I actually like watching! *shocker*

Barry Allen can sing!

I was wary about starting the Flash because it is DC and I've tried DC shows before. They tend to be too weird and too dark. Also, I kind of felt like I was crossing to the other side. It looked funny and light though, so I ended up starting it anyway. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I liked Barry instantly. The show is pretty cheesy and dorky, so he is a big part of why it works, the moving force behind the plot. But with the Flash it isn't just "Barry Allen is good." I like the whole show. (Except for Iris. I'm not wild about Iris.)

When Twelve saw a newborn baby...

I love Doctor Who. Season Eight was a little weak just because I didn't feel like Doctor Who to me, but Season Nine was a lot better and I'm back to really loving the show. Twelve is a wonderful Doctor, I adore him. Since this show is so special to me I get really upset when they twist it or force story lines, or annoying character changes that don't work. But overall that show is still really good and the Doctor is great fun. I don't care if I sound biased: if he ever becomes a women I won't watch Doctor Who anymore. He should always be male. Preferably white, British and male, though I'd rather have someone of a different race/culture than a woman. NO WOMAN.

A few weeks ago I found a new show called Falling Skies. I'll have to review it. It was mostly good, but lots of people died. Also, the last season was a bit of a let down. Weird things happened. Annoying things. Plot things. Out of character things. Things.

*angry Bella noises*

I never realized how upset and protective I get of characters - even when they aren't my own. It seriously upsets me when a character gets slaughtered for the sake of story line or plot or whatever. I don't mean killed off. That I can handle. I hate it when there is a character who has great potential and the writers ruin it. I hate it when a character is forced out of character or turned into something they're not. I hate it when characters are messed around with! Just let them do their thing! Don't ruin their character arc. Don't play havoc with their personality just to get some stupid drama. Don't twist who they are for the plot. JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE.

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I feel like I want to curl up and hide in shows that I actually like as a whole not just for the parts. Like Flashpoint and Leverage. I also want to rewatch Prison Break because brother stories and friendship stories, and brother/sister stories and adorable OTP's... lalala!!!! Oh, and Merlin. Merlin is the bestest!

I guess I'm just tired of stories not working out like I want them to. This might be incredibly ridiculous of me, but I like good endings.

This is why I have started Hawaii 5-0 I've heard good things about this show and I'm excited. It sounds good. Nice. Brothers and families, and friendships, and stuff. So far I like it. More on that soon.

I was so fed up with bad story telling that I re-read The Queen's Thief series. Now that is a series that does a good job with character development. I love those books. Eugenides!!!!! *flails* I can read each book in a day. Seriously. I devour them. Megan Turner inspires me to write! Reading her books seems to make my writing improve too. Maybe that's just me, but it seems to make me better. *shrug*

"Aaaaaaah yas. Eugenides. My wee attractive little brat of a boy..."

It is Sunday night, so I'm going to settle down with coffee and chocolate. I hope I didn't scare you off with this insanely long post. I seriously need to calm down a little bit. Also, I need to write. And watch Hawaii 5-0. My sisters won't leave me alone till I vid to it, and I can't vid until I watch....

I've got work to do. *googly eyes.*

Have a happy week! Peace Out Y'all!

Please let the next writer make Doctor Who super dorky again.

*swings around cape and leaps off stage*

Bella.

In which I let you sneak a look at my week

Stupid spammers on Blogger crack me up. So much. What makes them think we would ever pass them off as normal humans?? For real. "Your font is so fabulous truly, as is the coloring and theme of cooking, so please check out how men exercise for abs of exceptional vigor." - close-to direct quotation

No.


I have had a mini-vacation and it is drawing to an end.

I has a sadness.

I'm trying hard not to be too depressed over this. We had a fabulous time these past seven or eight days. We took a week off from school. We listened to lots of loud music and danced to it. We were even able to feast like kings and queens or at least wealthy minion maids and feasting is always brilliant. It was especially brilliant because we figured out how to feats without CHOCOLATE.

See, it is Lent. The third week of Lent. Lent is the six weeks before Easter in which the Catholic Church prepares for Christ's Passion and Death and ultimately, His Resurrection and triumph over sin. It is a lot stricter (and longer) then Advent and normally we wouldn't do lots of feasting and such like. Lent is a time for giving up things and doing little sacrifices and trying to work on being good and holy and penitential. (which can be hard.) But last week we were on vacation so we didn't do as much sacrificing. We still did a lot of it, but we let ourselves do some feasting. Feasting without chocolate. See, my dad went out of town to visit his folks, and we decided that if he got to vacation then we should do a little bit too.

So we did. and it was fantastical.

We did things like stay up till midnight splurging on TV shows, and reading out loud and sleeping in past seven thirty. We spent a day cooking two and a half-dozen pizzas for a Vlog.  Yes, this Vlog will be posted. It still needs editing. Keep your capes on. We made a wonderful breakfast practically ever morning. Sometimes it was cinnamon rolls. Sometimes it was muffins and scrambled eggs and potatoes. Sometimes it was delicious scones. Sometimes it was donuts and coffee and bacon and eggs. And lots of donuts. Homemade.

You should be. they were spectacular

That little thing happened on Sunday. On the Sundays during Lent you don't have to fast. Sunday is a day for celebration since it is the Day our Lord rose again and should always feel hopeful.
We were able to go off the hill a couple times too. First we went off  and visited the Big Museum. that is close-ish to us. It was EPIC. We hadn't been there in like, five years, and I had forgotten how awesome it was. I am planning on going there again very soon  because it is so much fun just to run around and look at all the fabulous stuff.

Then we went off again and  did some window/secondhand shopping and got a lots of nice clothes and shoes. We finished off by going to In-N-Out Burger.

That was Chloe's birthday. It was a good Birthday. We got to have cake later and we watched Big Hero Six again. It was just as good the second time. There were still feels.

that robot is so cute....

Sometimes we would skip Lunch so that we could do some kind of fabulous and yummy snack with tea later on that night. (During Lent you can only have three meals a day and you aren't supposed to snack in between. that's why we'd skip Lunch) Then my Mommy and I would team up and make something fabulous and we'd cheer and make merry. Yesterday we skipped lunch for a Fabulous Snack and it turned out to be EPIC. My Big Bro came over and so did the Lovely Friend Jessie and all the sisters and we all had sugared-scones and pumpkin muffins - which were brilliant and sticky - and tea; two pots! and to finish it off we watched Doctor Who because Jessie the Lovely Friend has never seen it and she wanted to, so we showed her the first one with Eleven and now I believe we've got her hooked.

So Proud

I know what you're thinking. Tea and scones and Doctor Who. How British.

Today we had Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins for Lunch and listened to 1998 and cleaned. And then I wrote. I am doing Camp NaNo this month. I'm doing it with my friend Jimmy because she is fabulous that way. And I've decided to work on the Baxters.

Go me!!!


Alright losers. There is your sneak peek at my life. Sorry there are no pictures. There were supposed to be but I couldn't get any.



Dat Face Doh

PEACE OUT Y'ALL!!!

 

*slides off car*

 

 

 

 

Bella

Happy Odin's Day

So I'm seventeen now. 

Stiles Stilinski. AKA The-only-reason-I-watch-Teen-Wolf

I was going to do a blog post on Monday - My Birthday. A big epic one with lots of pictures. 

As you can see that didn't make it off my bucket list.

Heh.

It was a good birthday though. I spent it NOT doing writing, but listening to music and jotting down answers to American Government and bashing socialism into the ground. 

WELCOME TO NEW YORK!!!!

IT'S BEEN WAITING FOR YOU

WELCOME TO NEW YORK, WELCOME TO NEW YORK!!!!

Btw, I really like Taylor's new CD. Just sayin.

I finished school pretty early and My Lovely Friend Sammie B. came over for the night. We had  this lovely ham dinner which was yummy and had tasty potatoes in it. Then we had coffee and cake and tea and I opened pressies. I got this epic Gladiator book from my Dear friend Jimmy (which I am so essited about!!!) and I got lots of nice chocolate and epic little coffees (AND FLAVORINGS!!) and I got these adorable tights that look like something you'd find on Amy Pond. All blue and soft and Doctor Who-y.

They're Doctor Who tights okay? 

I'm wearing them now

I love them. 

Then I watched Maze Runner for the third time. It's just as brilliant as always. I love that movie. So much. I mean.... Thomas 8-) The thing still hurts of course. It hurts a lot. OH AND NOW I HAVE TONS OF NEWT FEELS TOO I WAS NOT A HAPPY PERSON.

We played this weird game. You had to do things like sit on shoes and talk about yourself in the third person and play pick a boo with people who called you by name. 

It was a good birthday.

UPDATE OF THE WEEK!!!!!!!!

I'm taking an Acting For the Camera class. 

One minute I'm like....

YAY ACTING

The next minute I'm like...

MY TEACHER IS TERRIFYING

The Acting Teacher is a little intense. And she kind of freaks me out. but I love acting and the Community College is the only place in town that I can act so I have to take her with the acting. She's a very nice person. She is just kind of an ACTING MUST BE YOUR LIFE teacher. And she doesn't give you much breathing room. You either SWIM or you SINK and there is no in between. Acting is big and intense. You had better want it, dang it!!!! YOU BLEED OR YOU LEAVE.

Yes I used this gif just for Newt. Don't judge me.

I've also been making epic videos in my new video maker and feeling excited cause you can sharpen it and brighten it and slash it and change its color and add dialogue at several points and add granite and dust and scratchy lines so it looks like an old movie and it looks SO. PERTY. I have to be careful how much time I spend on it cause I'm just SNIP - ADD VIDEO - SNIP - BRIGHTEN VIDEO....

VIDEO MAKING IS EPICNESS

I opened up Splintered Courage again and I am EDITING. (laughs crazily) I'm finishing Broken Turst also, and I have one chapter left in the Conspiracy of Thrones. It should be finished by the end of the week. I know of some people who want to read it and I'm thinking of maybe doing an auction? I don't know, I will have to see. Maybe I should try sending my books into publishers too cause I've been told they're good. Just as soon as I finish twelfth grade and past this terrifying acting class and read the six or eight books lying neglected at the bottom of my bed....

CAUSE WE'RE YOUNG AND WE'RE RECKLESS....!!!

I've started Watching Flashpoint.

GREG!!!!!!!

EDDIE!!!!!!

JULES!!!!!!

SAM!!!!!!!

SPIKE!!!!!

WORDY!!!

LOU!!!!!!!

..........

he needs more explanation points. 

LOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This show is so good on so many levels. You cry a lot but usually its not a BAD crying. The team is just so brave and kind and wonderful and what they do is so amazing and emotional you can't help but cry. It's about this... SRU Unit which is a handpicked team of elite cops that are different from any other SWAT team out there. They take on situations that have reached their peak and go in with the incentive to 'Connect. Respect. Protect." They want to help the people who are in trouble, and that includes the prosecutor. They want to talk down the Prosecutor, not kill him. They don't go lethal until absolutely necessary. They're awesome. Sometimes the stories can be really sad. Sometimes they can be really painful. But they always end hopeful. There are only a couple that are legitimately depressing, and with those you have to watch the next one to feel better. But most of the time it just gives you hope and emotional crying. It's really good. And its really clean. Super clean. The worst they get is this one kissing scene that is kind of long, but nothing happens. Its squeaky clean.

EPIC FAMILY FEELS

EPIC TEAM FEELS

EPIC BRO FEELS

EPIC BRO/SIS FEELS

EPIC OTP FEELS

SAD FEELS

BROKEN FEELS

SWEET HAPPY FEELS.

THIS IS SO GOOD! *sobs* SO SO GOOD

I love Flashpoint. As you can see.

See this post? this is why I should post more than once a week. I'm just like "HI!!! *DUMPS A BUNCH OF RANDOMNESS ON YOU* BYEEEEE!

I have a book to read and tea to drink and a cold to sooth. I also have to watch SHIELD later.

Shield.... *headdesk* Yeah that is stressing me out. So is Grimm. And I'm mad at Doctor Who. And Supernatural. (THAT SHOW IS SO DUMB) And The-One-I-Only-Watch-For-Stiles is on hiatus.

 Remind me not to watch so many shows at once. It can't be good for me.

But whatever I love them.

Watch Flashpoint.

PEACE OUT Y'ALL!!!!!!

*slides off car*

Bella

"I find them complex. Always somewhere between living and dying. Half-human as they turn to the sun. A little disgusting."

I am so glad its Saturday. It means tomorrow morning I can have coffee. lots and lots of coffee, with cookies and donuts. But mostly coffee. You learn to really miss the stuff. And chocolate. Chocolate is always a hard one. Pinterest too. I miss Pinterest. And I miss my tea at night. Though, you know, one does acquire a taste for Hot Water. There's nothing quite like it.

Lol. You can tell its the first week of Lent. 

The reason for this post is that Ivy over at Revealed in Time has tagged me with the Sunflower Award! Thank you Ivy! '

Rules:

1.) Share 11 facts about yourself

2.) Answer the questions set by your nomination blogger.

3.) Nominate 11 3 bloggers

4.) Set questions for the nominated bloggers.

Eleven Facts about me.

1) I hate sharing 11 facts about me. I can never think of anything.

2) I hate springing forward. What's that about?

3) I have started making music videos again.

4) I've started the "Gallagher Girls" series. I am currently on book two and quite liking it.

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5)  I've learned that it is even harder to find sister stories than it is to find brother/friendships stories

6) This makes me really want to write a sister story.

7) but I don't know when that is going to happen cause I'm experiencing writers block

8) The worst craving I get during lent are those for Hot chocolate and cookie batter.

9)  I am very glad Once Upon a Time is coming back on air tomorrow because that mid-season finale sucked.

10) I am further glad its coming back on a Sunday so I can watch it on ABC

11) I might have another TV show to watch - its about the Revolutionary War and it looks really, really good! And it has Jamie Bell in it as the main character so.... my sister Amy and I might tune into that *grin*

The Questions

1.) If you had a chance to live in one country in Europe for one year, what country would it be?

I'd want to live in Italy

2.) Do you learn from you mistakes or just tend to forget about them?
I try to learn from my mistakes.

 3.) Would you rather live in Middle-Earth, Narnia, Camelot, Panem, or Hogwarts?
Middle Earth

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 4.) Vampire, werewolf or neither?
Neither

 5.) What are your favorite children's names?
Sam, Annamaria, Peter, Paul and Amy.

 6.) What do you believe was the worst time period in history?
 The French Revolution

 7.) What is the greatest achievement in society to date?
 I can't think of a lot of achievements in society today. Which is really sad by the way.

I'm suppose to name three nominees so.....

Kat
Anna
Treskie

And the questions for you all are....

1) Do you like Daylight Savings Time?

2) What is one really good series which you have just discovered?

3) Are you a subtle fan-girl or more of a loud excited fangirl like me?

4) Hamburgers or Hot dogs?

5) Do you like wearing sweaters or do you prefer hoodies?

6) Do you like going out in the evening?

7) Did you ever play Truth or Dare and did you like it?

And there you are! Now I'm tired and ready to turn in. before I go, I also did a guest post over at A Wee Bit Obssessive so go check it out! That blog is pretty awesome. *grin*

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God Bless!
~Bella