Luigi's Mansion: My Unconventional Valentine

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With Valentine’s Day nearly a week away, I might have found an old flame to connect with. It was only Saturday where I reunited with my long lost love: Luigi’s Mansion.

Luigi’s Mansion is a game that released for the Gamecube in 2001. It focused around Luigi who busts them ghosts in a mansion he supposedly won from a contest that he never entered. Mario is also missing in this game, so it’s up to Luigi to find and rescue him.

Back in 2001, I was honestly scared of my own shadow and detested this game and sold it to Gamestop. Since 2005, I have regretted my decision and been on the hunt for this game. Finally after eleven years, I managed to find it and my love for it has never been stronger. Needless to say, I’m reunited with Luigi’s Mansion and it feels so good.

Here’s why I love Luigi’s Mansion.

5. It’s Luigi’s Game

How many games does Luigi have to himself? Very few, but most people remember this as being Luigi’s game. There was barely any Mario involved or Peach or Daisy. At best it was just Luigi, Toad, a bit of Bowser, and an old scientist who wanted to capture ghosts with a vacuum backpack. It was a game perfect for Luigi because it encompassed a unique concept and a grand sense of adventure – just like a Mario game would feature.

4. The Puns

I am a stickler for puns and this game does not disappoint. Professor E. Gad? The Game Boy Horror? The names of the Boos? These little puns provide comedy relief to a game filled with spooky scary spirits.

3. The Ghosts

Each ghost is different and provides their backstory in their portraits. Even their personalities shine through their stories and how they appear overall. For example, Madam Clairvoya is very helpful and willing to be sealed away in a portrait and find peace. She differs greatly from other spirits like Shivers, Miss Petunia, and even Chauncy.

2. The Music

The music for this game is well done; so much so the main track constantly gets stuck in my head. It’s a simple little tune that I’ve remembered for all these years and every time I hum it, it makes me smile. It’s also a simple melody that definitely sets the spooky, eerie feeling of Luigi’s Mansion. It’s the perfect score for a fun game.

1. Ghostbusting

When there’s something strange in the Nintendo world, who ya gonna call? Ghostbuster Luigi. Basically, you’re busting ghosts and showing that you’re not afraid of them. While Miyamoto has claimed on numerous occasions that Luigi’s Mansion wasn’t inspired by “Ghostbusters”, I like to think otherwise.

The controls for ghostbusting require the player to have a firm grip and watchful eyes because Luigi flails with the ghost while trying to capture it. Should the player’s fingers fumble, the ghost escapes. The ghost can easily be recovered and attacked again, but it’s fun to try and suck the spirit up in one go.

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

So tell me, who or what has stolen your heart this Valentine’s Day?

Sweet Treats Are Made of This

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Browsing the Internet for simple recipes has never been more fun. What’s even better is discovering recipes that could be altered to fit special occasions and holidays. Thanks to the magic of the Internet, here is a recipe that can be used for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Halloween, or any time of the year. The beauty of this recipe in particular is that it allows you to create many different flavored treats all the while using the same exact measurements.

Cream Cheese Candy (20 min prep)

• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese softened

• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar

• ¼ teaspoon peppermint extract (this could easily be substituted with other extracts like almond extract, strawberry extract, pumpkin spice extract, blueberry extract, the list goes on)

1. Beat the cream cheese and extract in a small bowl, then toss in half the confectioners’ sugar until it’s smooth.
   
   
2. Proceed to knead in the remaining confectioners’ sugar until it’s fully incorporated.
   
   
3. Shape the dough into 1/2 balls (or hearts or stars or any shape you can think of; yes even the Adipose) and place them on baking sheets. You can roll them around or sprinkle them with colored sugar; it’s not required, but it’s optional. Besides, it’ll give these little treats a bit of flare.
   
   
4. Flatten them with a fork.
   
   
5. Allow them to stand for an hour so they can harden.
   
   
6. Eat.
   
   
7. When you’re done, store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
   

Thanks for reading today’s entry and if you enjoyed it, feel free to comment and reblog. As always, feedback is welcomed.

So tell me, what shapes would you make with this simple recipe?

2/14: Just Another Day

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With Valentine’s Day a few days away, some of you may or may not have someone special in your life. The media advertises this particular day as a day for lovers and targets gifts towards them. Husbands and boyfriends should buy their partners jewelry and in return, partners should purchase sexy lingerie to present themselves in. But I’ve learned with the passing years that this advertisement is nothing more than bologna.

First off, Valentine’s Day is a day commemorating the massacre of St.Valentine. St. Valentine was revered as the Saint of Love because he rebelled against Emperor Claudius’ edict prohibiting marriage among young people.  Claudius was against their marriage because he believed unmarried men made better soldiers and could easily focus on combat more as opposed to a wife or family. However, St. Valentine decided to wed young people behind Claudius’ back. Eventually he was captured and imprisoned, and later given a three part execution which entailed beating, stoning, and beheading. Sounds like fun, no? Just like Thanksgiving!

Secondly, you don’t need anyone but yourself on this holiday. If you do have someone, then celebrate your love with them. If you don’t have anyone, then don’t sweat it. The greatest love is not the love you receive from a partner, but rather, from yourself. You must love yourself before you can love any other. You can love yourself in any way you please, especially on Valentine’s Day.

Thirdly, don’t let the stereotypes depress you. Yes, you will probably see couples on Valentine’s Day. Yes, you will see endless ads for flowers, chocolates, and anything romantic. Yes, you will see slews of sentimental shows on television, but do not let any of these things bring you down. These stereotypes are a part of everyday life and will always be found on television and society. By taking these stereotypes to heart, depression and loneliness will overcome you easily (trust me on that). So instead of being saddened by just another day, go out. Have fun, hang out with a friend, go on a shopping spree. Do what makes you feel good and don’t let another overhyped holiday bring you down.

Thank you for reading today’s entry and if you enjoyed it, feel free to comment and reblog. As always, feedback is welcomed.

So tell me, what are your plans for Valentine’s Day?

It's Sexy to be Single

Good evening everyone and welcome to a sultry, sexy version of The Magical Mystery Blog.

Valentine’s Day has come and passed. Some people love it, others hate it. People enjoy this holiday with their beloved or their friends, while others might have spent it alone. Growing up, I always spent this holiday by myself, being the last resort or the ugly duckling of the class. But now that I have a boyfriend, it’s almost expected to celebrate the holiday in a stereotypical fashion of going out, and romancing it up. This is our second Valentine’s year to date, but yet, it has also made me realize why it’s perfectly okay to be alone on Valentine’s Day.

3) It’s Just like Christmas

Valentine’s Day is just like Christmas: you give gifts to show how much you love someone, but really don’t understand the purpose of the holiday. You can show your affection for someone any time or day of the year, which makes this holiday pointless. However, behind the heart shaped boxes of candy lies a bloody history to this specific day. Valentine’s Day was originally created to celebrate Saint Valentine who married young couples despite the law banning their marriage. This law was made because it was believed unmarried men would do better in battle than those who were wed. Saint Valentine was eventually caught for his crime and beaten, stoned, and decapitated. The term ‘Valentine’ derives from his name and a letter he wrote to a young lady in which he signed ‘from your Valentine’.

2) You Save Money

Chocolate is an iconic symbol of Valentine’s Day and in many cases, we see a heart shaped box of chocolate is the best way to show our love for another person.  While some of us buy the popular box on Valentine’s Day if not prior to, it would be best to not buy them until after the holiday has passed. That way you can purchase the same chocolates for a lower price and still have enough money to rent a heart wrenching movie.

1) You Don’t Always Need Someone

Growing up, we are exposed to tons of Valentine’s Day specials where it’s almost a requirement that you need a Valentine for this day. In life, you won’t always be with someone. You won’t always have a partner by your side to shower you with love or compliment you and that’s okay. While you might think otherwise, you will grow in time to see that being alone is fine. By being alone you get to learn more about yourself, have fun in ways only you can, and understand that being single isn’t the end of the world.

What do you think of Valentine’s Day? Feel free to comment and as always feedback and followers are welcomed.