Hold Your Head Up and Stand Tall

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Tonight I’m going to briefly talk about something that I’ve been avoiding because it’s not my particular field of expertise. Yes, it’s been prevalent for the past year and it will linger on our newsfeeds in the four years to come. Yes, you guessed it, it’s the election.

Donald Trump is our new president-elect and most people are against this. Demonstrations and protests have emerged in our nation, tags #notmypresident and #nevertrump have appeared on social media, and even safety pins have popped up on citizens. Trump has struck fear into many people’s hearts especially those of the LBGTQ community, those of different ethnicities, and women like myself. We reflect on the horrible things Trump has said from building a wall to the mentally/physically disabled and even the way he views women. Trump has also carried himself on threats and lies and in the future he will have to act as president and not give way to empty words, but actually do something. So what will he do? Will he live up to his word? Or will he hide behind the media’s veil and continue to spout false promises?

To be honest, I’m still digesting that we have this monstrosity as a president. My mind is still racking from the disbelief this election has brought. I also feel incredibly angry as a woman that America would rather have this incredulous carrot for a president as opposed to a woman. It’s as though they believe that a ‘woman’ (someone of their own gender) can’t handle the responsibilities of being president.  These next four years will not be easy on those who Trump has specifically targeted.

I know the phrases are usually “it’s always darkest before the dawn” and that “there’s a light at the end of the tunnel” and yes, those words offer mild reassurance in this time. Our nation is filled with so many ethnicities, women, and those of LBGTQ – it’s hard to offer such a grand amount of strength to tons of people.

Yet, it is in this time that we must band together and stand all. Accept each other as fellow brethren and sister of humanity, fight for those who deserve every single right as you do, and educate instead of breeding hate. Yes, there will be those who will not listen and cannot be saved, for they are too mired in their ignorance that Trump and his army feeds. There will be others who will open their minds and ears to what you tell them and those will be the ones who will hopefully join your side.

I was against Trump from the start with his fear mongering tactics, his ungodly slurs, his childish jabs at everyone, and even the mere sight of him: a screaming tangerine that ought to keep their lips shut. I stand with my fellow friends of the female gender, the LBGTQ community, and different ethnicities. We’re all humans who deserve equal rights as anyone else – what’s wrong with that?

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what are your thoughts on the election?

Animal Crossing New Leaf: So Much Furniture!

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

This weekend I delved once more into the Animal Crossing New Leaf : Welcome Amiibo update. Last week, I posted a list of exclusive HHD items you can receive if you transfer your HHD data to ACNL: WA. Today, I’ll be posting some more information regarding the update.

The one thing I’ve noticed about Harvey’s Campground is that he sells furniture from HHD. I recognize some of the furniture being from that game in particular as opposed to the original ACNL.  Along with this furniture, specific amiibos in particular will visit your town and sell items based on their game.  

As mentioned, Nintendo will be doling out 50 new amiibo cards on 12/2/16. Each card will contain an RV filled with new furniture and a new friend to possibly move into your town. Sanrio and Nintendo have collaborated together to craft new furniture for ACNL: WA, however, it’s uncertain if this collaboration will extend throughout Europe and America. As far as  Ican tell, it’s only for Japan, but personally I hope it’s distributed throughout the world.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what do you like about ACNL: WA’s update so far?

Pokemon Sun/Moon: Thoughts on Evolutions

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

At long last, the Pokemon Sun and Moon starters’ final evolutions have been revealed. They appeared just as the anonymous leak said they would with Litten ultimately becoming a fire/dark based wrestler, Rowlet’s blossoming into a grass/ghost hunter, and Popplio’s final form as a water/fairy mermaid.

Litten’s last stage, Incineroar, looks like a fun one to use in combat and reminds me of Pangoro, wherein it’s a tough fighter that sticks up for the little guy. I’ve only ever chosen a fire starter once and that was Fennekin, another fun fire type. His signature move, Darkest Lauriat sounds like it will definitely help in combat.

Rowlet’s ultimate evolution reminds me of my Pathfinder character – a woodland ranger with a keen eye for archery. Originally, I was going to choose Rowlet because of how adorable it is, Decidueye’s incredibly powerful move Spirit Shackle, and its evolution line. It would be a first for me choosing a grass type starter because in my many years of playing Pokemon, I always chose a water type. I find myself conflicted between this little owl and its bold evolution and the little seal and its gorgeous final form.

Popplio is the Pokemon that has endured so much torment, but has gloriously transformed. Albeit I wasn’t too fond of this tiny seal, but I thought it was okay at best and didn’t hate it. I just accepted it as another Pokemon like Magnemite or Klefki. By that point, my heart had been set on Rowlet. However, this little circus seal has ultimately transformed into a beautiful mermaid called Primarine. I absolutely adore mermaids and I always have since I was a child. Plus the fairy typing is definitely a huge advantage – it’s one of the other typings I love to employ in combat alongside ghost and electric.

With Pokemon Sun and Moon only weeks away, my mind grows indecisive with who I should choose: the heartwarming Rowlet or the charming Popplio.

Thanks for reading tonight’s entry. If you liked it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, who do you plan on choosing as your starter in Pokemon Sun/Moon?

Animal Crossing: A Long Awaited Update

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

After two days playing with Animal Crossing: New Leaf’s free update, I’ve fallen in love all over again with the game. That being said, Animal Crossing New Leaf is now called Animal Crossing New Leaf: Welcome Amiibo (ACNL: WA) – quite a mouthful, right? Yet still the title holds true wherein you can utilize your amiibos from the Animal Crossing franchise and even other characters (ex.: Splatoon, Mario, Pikachu) to unlock new items within the game. 

You can even use Animal Crossing amiibo cards; speaking of which, for this update Nintendo will be rolling out 50 more of those cards to provide you with even more friends to meet (and possibly have in your town) and items to purchase at Harvey’s Campground. The amiibos can be activated by summoning Wisp, the in-game amiibo reading spirit and using the Amiibo Reader (if your device is compatible with it). Wisp can be found in a genie’s lamp while walking around town and requests you bring him back to your house. Those who come via amiibo figure will not live in your town, but rather they will grant you items at Harvey’s Campground.

Harvey’s Campground is a new development in your town wherein you can use MEOW tickets to obtain new and rare items you can’t find in Nook’s stores. To retrieve MEOW tickets, you simply carry out Town Initiatives which appear on your new identification card. These initiatives include bringing items back from the island, catching a certain bug, updating your home, and other tasks. Some requests will offer more tickets than others and change on a daily basis. Once you’ve completed said initiative, go to the CAT machine (a little orange kiosk) outside your town hall to retrieve the tickets. Your new identification card will also require a new Dream Address.

If you happen to have Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer (HHD), then you receive even more items. Once you turn on the game, it’ll prompt you to transfer your HHD data to ACNL: WA. You can either use your downloaded version of the game or the retail cartridge, like I have. The cartridge method baffled me honestly. Remember how when we used to play video games and you removed the cartridge you would get a malfunction of some sort? For this update, I had to remove the ACNL: WA cartridge and input the HHD cartridge. The transfer went well and there were no problems, but I couldn’t believe that Isabelle (the one who prompted you through this from the ACNL: WA cartridge) still stayed on screen as you went through the process.

From the HHD transfer, you can order the following items from Nook’s Catalog at any Nook Store:

-Submarine (it’s the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine)
-Carriage (it’s Cinderella’s carriage)
-A mountain
-A mountain of money
-A large egg (now to wait forever for your pet dinosaur to hatch)
-An inflatable Mr. Resetti
-A large ant (perfect for Ant-Man)
-A cake house (the ideal item to lure Hansel and Gretel)
-A massive, towering cake
-A tea cup ride
-A UFO
-The actual Sun
-A Transformer look alike
-The luxury car from Monopoly (only black)
-A propeller plane
-A large stew pot (the perfect thing to cook your enemies – I mean, dinner in)
-Iceberg (RIGHT AHEAD!)
-A monitor tower
-A gigantic teddy bear (snuggles for days)

Another part of this update, we can now sit on rocks and cushions in our home! Players can also hang clothing on their walls, upload their photos to select social media sites using the image share function, receive items that aren’t just a balloon set in shooting down presents, and place items on specific pieces of furniture.  Albeit they’re minimal features, but it’s the little details that make the gameplay fun and unique.

Overall, I’m in love with this update. It’s so wonderful to see Nintendo breathing life into an old game and the items are excellent so far. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for a game I greatly admire and enjoy playing.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to subscribe, share, comment, and critique.

So tell me, what do you think of ACNL:WA’s new update?