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If We Were Having Coffee: A Week of Opportunity

If We Were Having Coffee Image Nine

Hello everyone! I hope you’ve all had a good week, that it was everything you wanted it to be. Wow, this coffee picture looks absolutely good. While I don’t normally drink coffee, it looks like something I’d enjoy. Be that as it may though since it’s coffee, I’m unfortunately going to have to pass.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you it’s been another good week. I’ve continued obsessively to play Pokémon Go along with playing Pokémon Blue too. Because of playing this game, it’s really made me in the mood to play other Pokémon games as well. This week I’ve become obsessively in love with Pokémon all over again.

Pokemon Blue Version

I hate to say this but until now, I thought I’d grown out of Pokémon. Not because I didn’t love playing it anymore, but because as I continued playing the newer games, I found myself getting tired of the same repetition. Of seeing new Pokémon being created with no creativity and having to continuously grind each time I wanted to get my team to a certain level. But now that Pokémon Go is out, I’ve found myself remembering why I enjoyed playing Pokémon so much. It was the thought of becoming the best trainer that had me playing the games when I was little and Pokémon Go was able to bring that reality to life for me. And ever since this game came out, I’ve loved Pokémon again like I did as a child and know I won’t be turning my back on it no more.

I really enjoy Pokémon Go because it’s motivated me to take up walking again. As someone who has a high amount of cholesterol, walking is a good thing for me to do because it allows me to exercise in a way I enjoy and that will help with my heart health. Its motivated me whenever I’ve felt the need to just sit at home to go outside despite the conditions and try to catch them all. Whenever I get an egg from a PokeStop, I find myself curious about what Pokémon is inside it and want to walk the necessary miles to find out. Even when it’s a Pokémon I already have, I find myself excited at the prospect of hatching an egg because it means I’ve done quite a bit of walking and feel as if I’ve made some progress in leveling up my trainer. This is important because I know I have a health problem but I also know I have a hard time breaking bad habits. And having a game like this is a good way to motivate me to walk more because it allows me to work towards a goal I enjoy completing and doing it in a way that satisfies me. It allows me to feel happy about myself and what I’m doing because I’m enjoying every minute of it. I find pride in myself every time I’m able to catch a new Pokémon or whenever I’m able to evolve the Pokémon I already have on my team and want to celebrate it because it means I’m doing something I love that’s also benefiting my overall health. As I continue playing this game, I’m finding myself happier with myself, wanting to do the best I can to continue moving forward in life to become the best person I’m meant to be. I know this game isn’t the sole responsibility for that necessarily, but I think it’s definitely helped and I know I’ll continue to play it to see how far I can go to become the best trainer that ever was.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I’ve also been playing Spyro Year of the Dragon too. When I’m not busy catching Pokémon, I’ve also been playing this game, trying the best I can to continue progressing to the end. And so far, I’ve been enjoying playing this game from my childhood just as much because its brought back so many memories that bring a smile to my face.

Like when I played the previous Spyro games, I also wrote a blog post about this one, which resulted in hearing about an opportunity I didn’t expect. Someone commented on the blog post, mentioning a video game site and how they are interested in me becoming a writer on the site. Now while you all know my blog isn’t just video game content, video games are something I absolutely enjoy playing so getting a comment on one of my blog posts about doing something like this made me happy. I really enjoy playing video games and have looked into doing that type of writing for a site before, but was nervous about whether I should actually do it or not. Not because I didn’t want to do it, but because most of my writing content with video games tends to focus on much older games that I played during my childhood more so than newer games that’ve just been released. I do play newer games whenever I have the chance, but I don’t play them as much because I can’t always afford to play newer games due to not having any of the newest systems released. The newest consoles I currently own are my PSP and Nintendo DS even though I do want a PlayStation 4 of my own one of these days. And most video game websites tend to focus on new releases than on anything that’s been out for a couple of years. However, I’m still interested in it and have already reached out to the person who commented on my blog to find out more about this opportunity. So hopefully this works out a whole lot better than the two job interviews I’ve had. Because I would love to write for a video game site (or any site in general for that matter) and think it would be a great way for me to get even more exposure as a writer.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you that while I haven’t been doing too many blog posts, I do have some writing ideas brewing in the back of my mind. One of the posts I plan on publishing very soon is a poem I wrote the other night just before I went to bed. I have it saved on my phone right now because I didn’t have paper when it popped into my head so I wrote it down through the only means I had available at the time. I actually plan on publishing it tomorrow so I don’t have to worry about losing it. In a couple days (July 28th to be exact), I will have been writing on my WordPress blog for a year. I am so happy that it’s almost been a year since I’ve started my blog that I plan on doing a post about it as well. I also have a fiction story in the back of my mind that I want to work on sometime soon. I don’t know when yet, but I hope to publish that on my blog as well, depending on when I decide to do it. So far that’s it with blog post ideas. Because I could do another Pokémon blog post, but I don’t know if I really want to do another one yet.

Other than that, I don’t really have anything else to talk about with you all. Mom and I went downtown yesterday because I’ve heard that there are a lot of PokeStops in cities and I wanted to get more Poke Balls and catch more Pokémon. But other than that, I haven’t been up to too much this week. Just hoping to continue on my Pokémon adventure and see how far it gets me.

What about you guys though? Are any of you playing Pokémon Go? If not, what’ve you been up to this week?

2

Reliving Memories: Spyro Year of the Dragon

Spyro Year of the Dragon

Spyro Year of the Dragon is the third Spyro game I enjoyed during my childhood. Released in 2000, it is a platform, gem collecting game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment.

The story of Spyro Year of the Dragon focuses on an evil sorceress stealing the dragon eggs in Spyro’s world and bringing them to the Forgotten Realm where magic no longer exists. Spyro must now go to the Forgotten Realm to collect as many of the eggs as you can and defeat the Sorceress.

Spyro Year of the Dragon continues adding more of the abilities you gain while playing Spyro in the previous game. This is one of the best things about this Spyro game. Not only can you swim, hover and many other abilities, but Spyro also gains four new allies in his journey to collect all the dragon eggs. Each of the allies you obtain in the main worlds you go to by paying Moneybags for their release. You then play as each of these allies in order to collect more eggs and progress further into the game. I enjoy this aspect of the game because it introduces you to more characters and allows you to play as someone else for a little while.

Spyro Year of the Dragon 2

Spyro Year of the Dragon also allows you to play as Sparx, Spyro’s dragonfly throughout the game. The game considers these levels as bonus levels that are unlocked after defeating the boss you have to face before going to the next world. These levels are considerably different from the rest of the game because Sparx has his own unique moves that involve shooting in order for Sparx to defeat nearby enemies. But once you clear these levels, Sparx gains a new ability that will help Spyro on his journey.

Spyro Year of the Dragon 3

These levels are quite a bit of fun, but also challenging at the same time. Controlling Sparx is difficult at times as you try the best you can not to let your health sink. But they are rewarding because the abilities you gain after you clear these levels are worth the trouble.

I also enjoy playing this game because the levels are a lot of fun to go through. As a child, I remember playing this game and having a lot of fun with it as I tried the best I could to get all of the eggs in each of the levels. I still enjoy it now as much as I did then, trying to remember where all of the eggs have been placed.

One of my favorite things about Spyro Year of the Dragon is the things you have to do in order to get the eggs. In some levels, you have to carefully maneuver on the platforms to reach them while other levels you have to overcome races or different games, such as skateboarding. I find these challenges to get the eggs to be pretty enjoyable because they are a lot of fun to do. I enjoy the skateboard ones in particular to be enjoyable because I enjoy seeing a dragon on a skateboard and being in control of his movements.

Spyro Year of the Dragon 4

However, there is one aspect in Spyro Year of the Dragon I’m not particularly fond of. Even though they are a little bit easier, I still don’t enjoy the speedway levels all too much. While they are easier in this Spyro game, they’ve also added races and challenges with Hunter you have to overcome to get more of the eggs. I don’t mind doing these things all too much other than I feel like it puts too much into the game. I do enjoy them because they can be fun, but whenever they are too challenging to me, they can be irritating to put up with. I’d rather just have one of the three in order to get an egg instead of having to do all three things.

But overall, I’m still enjoying this game as much as I did as a child. While Spyro Year of the Dragon isn’t my favorite out of these three Spyro games, I still get a lot of enjoyment out of it and will be sad once I clear it.

2

If We Were Having Coffee: No Pain, No Gain

If We Were Having Coffee Image Eight

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you all had a good week and that your weekend is everything you want it to be.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you it really does feel nice to be back home. I remember last weekend when I mentioned my trip to Nashville that I wasn’t at home for most of last week. So this week has mostly been me adjusting to being back at home.

What I can tell you about this week is that it hasn’t been that productive of one. I only did one job application throughout the week. It was a job application for a volunteer opportunity with AmeriCorps. I heard about this opportunity from one of my professors at college who saw they were looking for people and let me know to apply. So I did the application and quickly heard back that they were interested in conducting a phone interview with me for the position. So now I’m just waiting to find out when our phone interview will take place. Speaking of jobs, one of the applications I did way back in May I heard back from this week too. They were also interested in doing a phone interview with me for the position, which I did on Thursday afternoon. I don’t know how I feel about that interview. I know it definitely could’ve gone better, but I’ll just wait and see. If they are interested in me any further, I’ll be hearing from them soon. If not, then I did the best I could and will just have to accept it’s not meant to be.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you about the two cold sores I have on my lips. I don’t know what exactly happened for them to get there, if I bit my lip or what, but they really hurt. Have been the biggest pain in my butt this week because they make it difficult for me to eat and do things like brush my teeth. So I’m just trying to do everything I can to ignore the pain, but we bought some cream I can put on them yesterday when we went to the store. I think that’ll help with the pain and hopefully clear them up. I just wish I knew how I got them so I could make sure it didn’t happen again. But there’s not too much I can do about that now. Just have to do everything I can to make them go away so I don’t have to deal with them anymore.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you it’s really been a good week. Besides this mouth pain, I’ve had a good time at home. I continued playing Spyro Ripto’s Rage and am almost done completing the game. Just have two worlds left before I fight Ripto as the last boss. Planning on getting through that soon. But I’ve also been playing Pokémon Go quite a bit too. It’s becoming one of my favorite video games because I just enjoy it. Reminds me so much of playing Pokémon during my childhood and battling to become the best trainer in the world. I also love it because it’s gotten me to go out and walk around, both in my neighborhood and other places. When I mentioned to Mom that I needed to go to some PokeStops because I ran out of Poke Balls and needed some more, she immediately took me to the nearest walking trail by our house. She took me there because one time when we’d gone out, I saw on the game that there were some PokeStops there that I could go to. So we went there to walk instead of doing our neighborhood so I could get my Poke Ball inventory back in order. We actually went there twice to walk because Mom suggested us going back there the next day. It is a pretty great place to walk. The trail goes so many different directions that you could go any way and end up somewhere you didn’t expect to be. But one of the places we went to on our first walk since Pokémon Go was so beautiful I couldn’t help but take a picture of it.

Harbison Recreation Center Water Fountain

It was such a beautiful setting and such a beautiful place to go that I wish I’d taken more pictures of this beautiful water as I saw the ripples cascading around me. Another aspect of Pokémon Go I’ve found myself enjoying is that it allows people to explore the world around them. To see all of these new places you might’ve never gone to before. It makes me want to find beauty in the world around me that I know does exist. This game is also a strong motivation for me to walk, something I normally enjoy doing but don’t do as much as I should. I know part of the problem is the temperature outside because it’s so hot that I can feel the heat as soon as I step outside. But Pokémon Go makes me want to face the heat anyway, want to walk and explore the world around me despite the weather outside. But it does it in a way not at all criticizing the player but rewarding them for their hard work. It is something I really appreciate. There are so many people who criticize gamers so much for spending hours playing video games, for doing something they enjoy that having a video game that rewards its players for what they are doing is a great motivation for them to continue doing that task. I also enjoy this game motivating me to walk because I know I need to. It’s something I know I should be doing every day and having a game that brings one of my childhood dreams to life is one way I know will help motivate me to continue walking whenever I feel like giving up.

I’d also like to mention along with playing Pokémon Go I also finished reading Into the Woods and have started reading Shadow Mountain: A Memoir of Wolves, a Woman, and the Wild, one of the books I had bought at 2nd and Charles a little while ago. Into the Woods was overall an okay read for me. It wasn’t the worst book I’ve read, but also wasn’t the best book I’ve read either. I enjoyed the mysterious circumstances surrounding the main character in the novel despite the disappointing aspects of the story that didn’t endear the book to me. I think the book I’ve started reading though will prove to be a much better read to me because it’s about an animal I enjoy learning more about. But will just have to wait and see to know for sure.

If we were having coffee, I’d also mention that we are getting close to the day I first started this blog last year. I plan on doing a blog post on this because I want to talk about my experience with blogging so far and what all I’ve learned since I created Vook: Books + Video Games and what I hope for as I continue blogging. I know a lot has changed for me since I first started this blog, and can’t wait to talk about my experience so far with you. I know there are some things I want to do in order to improve my blog, which is something else I plan on talking about with that post. I hope you all read it and tell me what you think because I want as much feedback as I can get on how to improve my blog. But I also want to hear other’s stories about their blogging journey and what they’ve learned along the way. Along with this post, I’m figuring out what else I want to post next in the days to come. I know I still have the one fictional story buzzing around in my head yet to be written so I’ll try to get that posted as soon as I can for you all to read and enjoy. Hopefully it’ll be as good as it is in my head, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

But for now, I think I’ll be going. There really isn’t too much else for me to say here about my week. It’s mostly been reading, watching YouTube videos and playing video games, the normal stuff you all should expect from me now. But enough about me. What all have you been up to lately? I want to hear all about it.

4

First Impressions: Pokémon Go

Pokemon Go Video Game 2

Pokémon Go has quickly become one of my favorite newly released video games of the year. It is an augmented reality free mobile phone game that allows the player to catch Pokémon and walk around in order to get to PokeStops, where the player can collect the items they need to continue catching Pokémon.

Using GPS to track the player’s location, Pokémon Go allows the player to interact with Pokémon in the real world. While catching Pokémon, they each have Combat Power (otherwise known as CP in the game) that you can increase with candy. The higher the CP, the stronger the Pokémon. But the candy can also be used to evolve your Pokémon as long as you have enough of it to do so.

Pokemon Go Video Game 3

There are also locations where Pokémon Gyms are set up so the player can go and battle other teams in order to take over the Pokémon Gym. In these battles, the player attacks by tapping on their phone screen and dodges by swiping with your finger to the left or right. In order to take over a gym, however, the player has to defeat all of the Pokémon protecting the gym. Once these Pokémon are defeated, your team will be in possession of the gym so you can set up your Pokémon with the highest CP to protect the gym as well as train them to become stronger.

Pokemon Go Video Game 4

The first picture depicts what the gyms look like on your map. The second picture shows what a Pokémon battle looks like in Pokémon Go. And this last image is what your inventory of the Pokémon you’ve captured looks like.

When going to PokeStops, the player acquires various items to help them continue collecting Pokémon, such as Poke Balls, fruit and eggs. The eggs you get at PokeStops have Pokémon inside them and the only way you can hatch them is by walking a certain amount of kilometers. The larger the number of kilometers the better Pokémon you get. This is one of many features I enjoy about Pokémon Go because the player has to do quite a bit of walking in order to hatch all of their eggs.

As you continue playing, your character levels up and gets different rewards each time. Once you reach level five, you have to choose which team you want to be on before you can battle at Pokémon Gyms. In Pokémon Go there are three teams: Instinct, Mystic and Valor. Choosing a team doesn’t have any bearing on what happens in the game, just allows the player to battle other teams to take over a gym. But each team is uniquely different because the leaders each have a different way of looking at Pokémon.

Pokemon Go Video Game 5

What I really enjoy about Pokémon Go is that it’s brought one of my childhood dreams to life. As a child, I played a lot of Pokémon games and always dreamed of becoming a trainer. Of getting Pokémon of my own, battling gyms and becoming the best there ever was. And now this game has brought that dream to reality, allowing me and many others to go outside, capture Pokémon and have fun while doing it.

I also enjoy playing Pokémon Go because players have to be physically active in order to play it. While I have been able to catch some Pokémon while at home, if you want to get other types, you actually have to go out to find them. And I think that’s a really cool feature for this game. It gives players who normally aren’t active a chance to explore the world around them while having fun at the same time. I love it because I enjoy walking and it gives me one more reason to want to go outside even when I necessarily don’t feel like it.

But there are a couple of things with this game I don’t particularly like. For one, it’s more of a collecting game than anything else. Unlike its predecessors, the player only battles other Pokémon at the gyms. To me, that’s a little disappointing. I enjoyed in the other Pokémon games I’ve played being able to walk around in tall grass, battling other trainers and Pokémon to level up my team. Instead, we battle other Pokémon in gyms, which isn’t as much fun as previous games. And another issue I have with the game is the amount of bugs. When I first started playing Pokémon Go, there were a lot of issues with the servers going down and the game freezing while I was catching Pokémon. Now, it’s not as much of an issue but when I do have problems, it’s really annoying because it’s always right when I really want to play. However, I also understand Pokémon Go is such a popular game. Almost everyone I know is playing it because it’s been a part of their childhood like it has been mine. So I understand why the problems with the server are happening. Just can’t wait for the issues to stop so I can continue playing.

But despite these issues, Pokémon Go has quickly become one of my favorite games this year. It’s definitely a game I’ll always be playing because it’ll help motivate me to continue walking. But also because Pokémon holds a special place in my heart.

0

Book Review: In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad #1)

In the Woods Book Cover

Rating: 3 stars

A gorgeously written novel that marks the debut of an astonishing new voice in psychological suspense.

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children. He is gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Twenty years later, the found boy, Rob Ryan, is a detective on the Dublin Murder Squad and keeps his past a secret. But when a 12-year-old girl is found murdered in the same woods, he and Detective Cassie Maddox (his partner and closest friend) find themselves investigating a case chillingly similar to the previous unsolved mystery. Now, with only snippets of long-buried memories to guide him, Ryan has the chance to uncover both the mystery of the case before him and that of his own shadowy past.

As a crime scene novel, this book perfectly depicted how investigators solve crimes. There was just enough mystery and suspense to keep me interested in finding out what Ryan and his partner Cassie discovered. The writing was the perfect tone, adding to the suspense when needed, and describing the setting of the world around Ryan in perfect detail. It made me engaged, wanting to know more about what happened. Also enjoyed that the setting took place in Ireland because I haven’t read too many novels that take place in other countries. So it’s always interesting reading books like this where the setting isn’t somewhere I’m familiar with.

I also enjoyed hearing more about Ryan’s past. While he’s definitely not my favorite detective in this book, I loved learning more about the trauma he went through and understanding how that shaped him into the character read about in the book. I also enjoyed his friendship with Cassie, my favorite character in the book. I found both of them together as partners to be very amusing when solving crimes because they had amazing chemistry.

But while I enjoyed these aspects of In the Woods, there were so many things with this novel too that left me criticizing it. For one, Ryan’s character wasn’t great. When I first started reading this book, I didn’t mind him all that much. But the more I read, the less I liked him. I think my disdain for him is because of the way he acts with Cassie and the way he talks about his past. After everything they’ve been through together and Ryan saying Cassie is his best friend, he lets their friendship go without a fight over the dumbest thing. He ruins his friendship with her instead of trying to talk things out like responsible adults are supposed to do. And she tries to set things right, but he wants nothing more to do with her until it’s too late. That really bothers me because she was his best friend, yet he doesn’t act like it after what happened. I also don’t like the way he talks about his past because he’s never let go of the one mystery surrounding his childhood, the one he has the opportunity of solving only to let it slip through his fingers. I get his memory of events is skewered, but when he’s given the chance to solve the crime that has literally changed his life, he doesn’t put his best effort into it. He starts remembering some of the events that came before, but doesn’t even push himself to figure out what happened.

I also don’t like how the main case in this story was solved. There were so many mistakes made during the investigation that it took a lot longer for them to solve the crime if they’d looked in certain places at the very beginning. I also didn’t like who they chose as the scapegoat for the crimes because the person who actually came up with the idea got away with it completely.

To be honest, I was completely disappointed by the end of the story. There was so much buildup that I was expecting things to end differently. But that wasn’t the case at all. Instead, things change for the worse and the mysterious crime that occurred during the narrator’s childhood is never solved, despite the flashbacks in the past he experienced.

So while I enjoyed reading In the Woods, there were a lot of things in the story that left me disappointed, wanting more than what was given. Nonetheless, I plan on reading the second book in this series The Likeness in hopes that it’ll be a better read.

0

Book Review: Armada

Armada Book Cover

Rating: 4 stars

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and video games he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.

But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.

And then he sees the flying saucer.

Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders. 

No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.

It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

At once gleefully embracing and brilliantly subverting science-fiction conventions as only Ernest Cline could, Armada is a rollicking, surprising thriller, a classic coming of age adventure, and an alien invasion tale like nothing you’ve ever read before—one whose every page is infused with the pop-culture savvy that has helped make Ready Player One a phenomenon.

Wow, I really enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed reading it a whole lot more than I did Ready Player One.

For one, I felt like the plot of Armada was developed a whole lot better. I felt like the whole story made more sense and Ernest Cline didn’t make too many overwhelming science fiction references to the reader. I also could relate to Zack’s character on a more personal level. Like Zack, my father also hasn’t been a part of my life. While some people are fortunate and have both parents in their life, not everyone is quite so lucky and not having that figure around can impact a child’s life. For Zack, it caused him to question the world around him and made him obsessed with video games and the stuff his father left behind. But it also resulted in anger issues that could’ve developed into something more serious if it weren’t for what happened in Armada.

Besides being able to relate to Zack, I also enjoyed reading this book because I felt like the other characters were a little more developed. The reader can see this in the story with Zack’s interactions with the other recruits and the close knit relationship he has with his mother. I also appreciated that the small amount of romance in this novel wasn’t pushed. Whenever I read books with a main focus in one particular genre, I sometimes get fed up when romance is constantly forced into the story whenever it’s not really needed to make the plot move forward. While I do love reading romantic scenes, it’s not always needed. Especially in a novel like this with heavy emphasis on science fiction. So I appreciated that Cline didn’t force Zack and his love interest together and that she was more of a minor character who helped save Zack whenever he needed it.

I really enjoyed reading Armada because the story felt real. I felt like I could imagine everything that was happening to Zack in his world as he tries everything he can to save humanity. He remained focused on what he needed to do, even when things got really tough and lives were lost in the process. I also enjoyed it because I felt like I could relate to Zack’s struggle. Before the events on Armada unfold, Zack always dreamed of being whisked away on an adventure, of something happening that would take him away from his ordinary life. So he lived in his own fantasy world, spending his free time playing video games whenever he could. I often had this type of experience myself too where I wished something extraordinary would happen to me and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has. In many ways, his struggles in the world are something everyone faces, which makes him even more relatable to anyone picking up this book.

The one issue with Armada I have, however, is the ending. To me, it was very emotional and I was upset at the direction Cline decided to take the story. I knew we were going to get an explanation for why these alien beings were attacking Earth, but I found the reasoning for it to be filled with so many holes that it made me really mad. I didn’t like the way Cline decided to take it because it felt like he killed off characters that I didn’t need to be killed. I was pretty upset because he killed off one of my favorite characters in Armada and it made it difficult for me to be happy with how the story ended. I also just expected there to be a bigger explanation for why everything happened and was disappointed because I didn’t get one.

Despite this one problem though, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was just the right story for me to read and had characters I could easily relate to that I’ll definitely be rereading Armada in the years to come. I look forward to see what other works Ernest Cline will create in the years to come since I enjoyed the two novels he’s written so far.

0

Flash Fiction Challenge: The Power of Words

Flash Ficiton Challenge the Power of Words Image

Inspired by Chuck Wendig’s blog post on Terrible Minds, I’ve decided to write a fictional story based on the third writing seed mentioned.

Hello. My name is Kayla. I am a really young girl, elementary school age to be exact. Today has been a really strange day, but in the most exciting way possible. I don’t know how to explain it other than for the first time in my life, I feel hopeful. I believe that anything is possible, that miracles do happen.

It all started when I left school. My family, though very poor, is rich in all of the ways that matter. Even though we don’t have much, my family believes in the value of education. Of reading and learning as much as we can. Since I was born, I was raised on the foundation of a love of literature. My family had me reading the most sophisticated of children’s literature and even went so far as to get me a library card so as to continue expanding my reading knowledge.

Loving literature as much as I did, Mom knew to bring me to the library every day. Otherwise, my mind was a growing black hole filled with curious questions about the world outside of my human perspective. Mom knew she couldn’t maintain my growing curiosity so she gave in to my book needs, making sure I get some reading material each day. Once at home, I immediately set out to read the new books I obtained.

But reading wasn’t my only interest. As much reading as I did, I also discovered the power of words. I discovered my love in writing around the same time I found my love in literature. When I’m not reading books from the library, I’m writing short stories of my own, opening my imagination to the possibilities literature offers. That’s part of the reason I’m here too. Not only to get some more books, but the library here also offers young children who are passionate about the written word journals to express their thoughts and feelings. They are free, available at the front desk in a nice display case that only the librarians have access to.

I’ve been interested in getting one for a long time now. I usually write the stories I’ve created in a notebook, but I also want to write about myself too. Not in a notebook like the one I keep all of my stories, but something more durable, something I can keep more private to myself. But my family wasn’t too keen on the idea at first. Not because they don’t support my growing mind and imagination, but because we can’t afford a whole lot right now as it is. That was before they realized the library had journals for kids and anyone who wanted one, that they realized they wouldn’t have to pay to buy me one with the small amount of money we have for food, the clothing on our backs, and our home.

We weren’t always poor like we are now. It didn’t start until a year after I was born. Dad had gotten into a car accident that left him paralyzed to the point where he needed to get new medication almost every week, causing our expenses to build up until we had very little money left. It didn’t help Dad would have to travel in order to visit some of his doctors because none of the doctors close to here knew what to do, causing us to spend even more money when we couldn’t afford to. Because of these expenses, Mother was always working, supporting both us at home, trying to make as much money as she could. Since Mom was always working, I had to fend for myself, had to learn how to cook food, clean and took care of Dad as best I could. But I wasn’t left just to fend for myself. Mom had taught me to clean and cook as soon as I could walk and talk so I could help Dad if he needed anything. So I grew up early on, realizing how unfair life could be to the best of people. I accepted this philosophy early in life because of my own experiences and seeing how hard Mom worked all for naught. I just wished there was something I could do to help ease Dad and Mom’s pain, make life easier for all of us here.

What I didn’t realize was how soon that wish would come true. It started when I got to the library. Mom and I walked together through the double swinging doors of the library into this big open space filled to the brim with books everywhere. I looked around in awe like I always did every time I came to the library. I’m never going to get used to how big this library is, probably the biggest library I’ll ever see in my life. Shelves upon shelves of books were stacked on each shelf with wooden ladders on display for visitors to climb to access more books.

I separated from Mom to look at the books on the shelves before going to inquire about getting a journal. Yes, I was excited about getting a new journal, but also wanted to look at more books to read first. So I weaved in between shelves, looking at all of the different books my hands glided across. I headed directly towards the children’s section where all of the books I read could be found. But as I touched one of the books on the shelves on the way there, my hand accidentally plucked a leather bound brown book off the shelf, which resulted on me tripping and falling flat on my face, the book on the ground inches from my feet.

Disoriented from the fall, I got up to find the source of my clumsy falter. The leather bound book lay right beside my feet where I could see it from the corner of my eye. The brown cover looked very wear and tear, as if it survived many storms to make it here. It looked smaller than the notebook that carried most of my writings at home, but like the size of the journals the librarians kept at the front desk. Intrigued by this leather bound book on the floor, I quickly picked it up and observed its empty pages. Lines upon lines were found on each of the pages of the book like the type you normally find in a journal. Despite its small size, this book felt heavy as if all of the troubles in the world could be found within its pages.

Upon picking up this book, I was immediately interested in it. I could tell from what I’d seen of it so far that it is in fact a journal. But why was this journal so old looking and not with the other journals at the front desk? And why was it left here on this shelf with these other books?

No longer interested in getting any more books from the library, I held onto this book and went to the front desk to check it out before Mom and I headed home.

Later tonight, I inspected the book in my room. I had to make dinner as soon as we got home because my stomach growled and Dad also wanted something to eat. Just made some hot dogs with macaroni & cheese, something quick and easy so I could then go in my room and better inspect my new journal.

Once dinner was eaten and dishes done, I went into my room, closing the door slowly behind me, the leather bound book in my hands. Excited, I laid across my bed, taking a pen off of the small bookshelf I had in my room to begin writing in my new journal.

Today, I wrote, I just acquired this new journal. I found it on a bookshelf at the local library I go to, of all places. It literally fell onto my lap as I was going to look at some of the children’s books I read.

Hello, by the way. My name is Kayla. I live in this little town where most of the people who live here can barely afford the food on the table and the clothes on their back. We’ve lived here since right after I was born. My father got into a car accident when I was a year old, which paralyzed him to the point where we need to get him new medication almost every week and make expensive travels to get him to the right doctors who can help him.

The words flooded out of me like a river. It felt good to write about myself, to share my personal story somewhere so private only I was the only one able to see it. To share my feelings and fears without having someone judge me for it. The whole experience felt magical, like I was telling another person’s story even though I was the one who lived through it all. It felt very natural, almost like I was confiding in a friend. A friend I couldn’t personally speak to, but someone I felt comfortable being around.

Despite how thankful I should be about what I do have now, I continued to write, I do wish things had turned out differently. What I mean is that I wish Dad wasn’t paralyzed, that he could be himself and our family could live in peace. Dad hasn’t been himself since the accident. He’s more prone to frustration and anger because he feels helpless that he can’t do anything like he used to. He feels guilty that Mother has to do everything to make sure we stay afloat and that we don’t run out of money and that I have to be the one to take care of everything at home. He wants to help, but can’t and feels betrayed by his own body. I want to help him. I want to take away his pain and stop him from feeling this type of pain anymore. I love Mom and Dad and want them both to be happy.

As I finish writing this next paragraph, I hear this light bell-like sound tingling through the air. Then as quickly as the sound comes, its gone. As I put my pen down, I hear a happy yell coming from our small living room.

I leave my room to investigate, cautiously wondering what’s going on in our house. And what I see in our living room catches me completely off guard. My Dad is off the couch, completely walking around in the living room without the use of his cane. He looks completely at ease, as if each and every one of his leg muscles aren’t hurting him anymore. And he’s smiling. He’s actually smiling, like a child taking his big step for the first time.

Mom watches as Dad walks around the living room, her mouth open in awe.

“Dad?” I question as I continue to watch him from where I stand upon entering the living room as he walks around without the use of his cane. He looks as if he doesn’t have a care in the world, as if he’s the happiest he’s ever been since I was born.

“Honey,” Dad addresses to both of us as he turns first to look at Mom then at me. “Look, I can walk again! I can walk again!”

He can’t seem to stop smiling, the grin on his face getting wider and wider. We all laugh, happy to see him doing so well.

But at the same time, I’m still in shock.

How’d this happen? I think to myself. Just this morning, he was sitting on the couch, reading a magazine unable to get up without his cane. Now, he can move again, as if he’s not in any pain. So what happened? What changed between this morning and now?

I watch as my Mom and Dad are laughing, giggling in excitement at Dad’s miraculous recovery. Not to say I’m not excited too. I definitely am. But I also want to know what’s up too. So I go in my room and turn to the page in my journal where I began to write all of my thoughts down. Only to discover everything I’d written just a few short minutes ago has been completely erased from existence.     

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Reliving Memories: Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage

Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage 1

Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, the second game in the Spyro series, is my favorite Spyro video game. Released in 1999, it is a platform, item collecting video game developed by Insomniac Games. The plot of this Spyro video game centers around the world of Avalar, where Spyro accidently travels while entering a portal for Dragon Shores. He was summoned there by some of the inhabitants of Avalar in order to defeat Ripto, an evil tyrant who’s using his minions Crush and Gulp to take over the world. As you travel the worlds in Avalar, you collect talismans which can be used to defeat Ripto as well as orbs which you need to open a portal back home.

This Spyro video game is my favorite from my childhood for a number of reasons. For one, I found Ripto and his lackeys Crush and Gulp to be my favorite villains in the series. I enjoy fighting against them and find their interactions in the series to be entertaining.

Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage Ripto Crush Gulp

Another aspect of Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage I love is the amount of abilities this game gives you that wasn’t in the first Spyro game. In the first game, you weren’t able to climb walls, hover when flying, and swim. However, in this game, Spyro gains all three of these abilities throughout that become useful to you in all of the levels. Having these abilities is nice because they allow you to better get through the worlds to collect gems, orbs and talismans.

Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage Aquaria Tower

I also love this game because of the story behind each of the worlds you visit. Each world you go into for talisman, orbs and gems has a unique story with characters you have to help in order to obtain that world’s talisman. This is refreshing to me because each of these worlds have their own challenges you have to overcome. It makes the game that much more enjoyable because it feels like you have an objective you have to complete. But at the same time, it allows Spyro to use some of his new abilities to make it through these worlds.

Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage Crystal Glacier

I remember as a child the amount of times I played this game. I love it so much because of the characters and story that I couldn’t help it. I also loved the different things you did in order to get orbs such as playing hockey and returning the snow leopard in the picture above to his owner. Playing this Spyro game gives me so much nostalgia that I enjoy every minute I play it, making sure I do everything I can to complete each world. This game is one of my favorites from my childhood and I hope others who’ve played it feel exactly the same.

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If We Were Having Coffee: A New Style

If We Were Having Coffee Image Six

Good morning everyone! I hope you all have had a lovely week and are having a wonderful weekend. My week has been pretty good so I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I’ve been busy playing video games lately. I saw one of my favorite YouTubers playing Spyro Year of the Dragon, which really made me interested in replaying the first three games in the Spyro series. So on Sunday last weekend, I started playing Spyro the Dragon and even wrote a post about it, which can be seen here. I played it so much that I’ve beaten it now and am continuing with the Spyro series by playing Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage, my favorite in the series. I plan on doing a blog post about this Spyro game too in the near future whenever I get the chance. As for now though, I’m deeply enjoying reliving my childhood and can’t wait to see how much progress I make in these games.

Speaking of games, I’ve been listening to these Dungeons & Dragons podcasts by Geek & Sundry called Critical Role. Each one of these podcasts are about two to three hours in length, and is a game of D&D done by a wonderful group of voice actors. So far, their gameplay of D&D has been wonderful to watch, seeing them struggle to overcome enemies while also watching the Dungeon Master weave a wonderful story that captivates the audience to see what’s going to happen next. I look forward to listening to each episode posted on YouTube because it reminds me of when I played Dungeons & Dragons for the first time and makes me really happy to listen to. I plan on listening to more podcasts in the future, just need to find some more soon.

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I have some good news! After recovering from strep throat and talking to my mom, I finally got the hair cut I’ve been wanting for some time now. And it turned out really good, better than I expected.

Raney Photo New Hair

I love it! I love the way it looks from the front and back, and the way my new bangs hang across my forehead. I have a rather large forehead so these bangs hang across just right in a way that I feel works for me. This hair cut just works for me way better than all of the other haircuts I’ve had in the past. I like having short hair because of the way it looks on me and this just works because I feel like it fits me. I feel like it makes me feel younger, but also more mature at the same time. Makes me feel more ready to take on the world and whatever obstacles are heading my way. I feel more confident in myself than ever before, like I’m seeing my true self for the first time. I’m just so happy with this hair cut that I can’t see my hair looking any other way.

Then after getting my hair cut, Mom and I went to Panera for dinner because I’ve been wanting to eat their soup for some time. Since before I’d gotten sick with strep throat. So I felt like it was about time we went there to get some food before heading home from my hair appointment. And it was just as good as my taste buds hoped it would be. Both the bread and soup were just right and it was a nice treat to have their delicious broccoli and cheese soup with bread the perfect size to dip it in.

If we were having coffee, I would just like to quickly let you know we won’t be having coffee next weekend. We are moving my older sister into her new place in Nashville next weekend and will be spending our 4th of July there so I will be so busy with family that I won’t be able to make coffee. Before she’d gotten the job in Nashville, we were originally supposed to go to Pennsylvania for a friend’s wedding. Once there, we were going to spend time with my grandmother, visiting Philadelphia and spending a day in New York as well as enjoy our 4th of July Pennsylvania style. But now that my sister has her new job and will be moving into her new place that weekend, our plans have had to change. Mom isn’t exactly pleased about this because it was her friend’s wedding we were going to and we’d already made a commitment to go months ago. So now, we’ll be spending our weekend in Nashville instead and our grandmother will be flying down so we’ll still get to see her. While we still don’t have everything planned out, I’m hoping it’ll still be an enjoyable weekend and that our 4th of July will still turn out fine.

Other than that, I haven’t been up to much. I’m happy because I was able to post one of the fictional pieces I’ve been wanting to write for a little while now. I still have other works I want to post onto my blog. But will just have to wait and see how all of that goes and whether I’ll actually post those on my blog soon. I promise though that if they don’t end up on my blog this upcoming week, they’ll be up as soon as I feel like writing them.

Now that I’ve talked about my week, what all have you been up to?

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