Matthew // Normal Happenings1 Comment

Angie from Backlog Crusader Drew Us Some Incredible Art

In exchange for pushing our Super Mario Maker 2 course to Monday, I wanted to spend a moment showing you the coolest thing ever!

Last month I became of Patron of Angie from Backlog Crusader! She’s an amazing blogger who frequently writes compelling posts about games and other geek-related topics. She’s also participating in The Characters That Define Us!

Suddenly she’s asking me on Discord what my “favorite animal or mythological creature is.” It’s a no-brainier — a jellyfish! I love jellyfish for a hundred reasons, but that’s another post!

I check the mail a week later, and find a thank-you note from Angie. Inside is a beautiful Jellyfish!

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At about the same time, this section appears on her “Patreon Wall of Fame!”

Jellyfish.JPG

Thank you Angie for the amazing art. I keep finding new details. It’s hanging on our freezer door, reminding us that there are far more appetizing ocean-creatures than a jellyfish to eat for dinner!

We should also mention that Angie is a Snail Mail Inkling Patron of Normal Happenings. So, if you’re looking for two bloggers to support on Patreon, we could think of worse options.

Be sure to visit the Backlog Crusader Patreon, and of course the latest on her blog!

That’s a wrap! | Completed 7/29/19 11:37 P.M.

Did you know we’re part of the best community of bloggers in the world? Now that the Normal Happenings Starry-Eyed Discord is up, we’re having incredible conversations every day! You can join us right now by becoming a Patron of Normal Happenings! Also, $5+ Patrons unlock Snail Mail Inklings and get featured in very special blog posts!

IMG_20190519_214417_658.jpgbecome_a_patron_button

Matthew // Normal Happenings7 Comments

Just a Boy, Nothing More

Better With Audio:

“East” | Atlas: Year One · Sleeping at Last

Each post this month is set to a different track from this amazing album. “East” is a contemplation of the mindset of a child and what the world turns the into as an adult.

I set out to rule the world
With only a paper shield, and a wooden sword
No mountain destined in my way
Even the oceans tremble in my way

I make no secret of the fact that Link from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is my favorite character in all of video games. He’s even the character I main in Super Smash Bros. On a superficial level, that may come as a surprise. He’s just a young kid — a very awkward, expressive kid at that. I’ll admit I was shocked in my moment of self-discovery about my favorite video game character. The more I think about it, however, the more it makes sense.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker | GCN

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that Wind Waker is a game for kids. By featuring a protagonist so young and applying the notoriously cartoony cell-shaded graphical style, the designers did an incredibly effective job of hiding the mature and nuanced story within. Simply put, this is a game with themes squarely directed at grown-ups. Continue reading “Just a Boy, Nothing More” →

Matthew // Normal Happenings7 Comments

The Park Bench on Main Street

Better With Audio!

“I’ll Keep You Safe” | Atlas: Year One · Sleeping at Last

 

Each post this month is set to a different track from this amazing album. “I’ll Keep You Safe” is about taking comfort in the world around you.

The sound of the branches breaking under your feet
The smell of the fall and the burning of leaves
The bitterness of winter or the sweetness of spring
You are an artist, and your heart is your masterpeice

Every Animal Crossing player suffers the inevitable fate of losing interest in or getting too busy for their town. When that happens to me, I always feel the need to write a letter of apology to Isabelle. I think it is time, however, to write a letter not of sorrow but of reflection.

Animal Crossing Continue reading “The Park Bench on Main Street” →

Matthew // Normal Happenings4 Comments

It’s Only an 8-Bit Moon

Better With Audio!

“Overture” | Atlas: Year One · Sleeping at Last

Each post this month is set to a different track from this amazing album. “Overture” is about the birth of the adventure of life.

We claim our lands
We tame our seas
We carve our names
On the surface of history

It’s Only an 8-Bit Moon

One of my favorite pieces of imagery in this gorgeous game is the moon, it’s gradient yellows hanging large at the end of a long journey. I’m not sure why, but it symbolizes more than anything else of the first video game adventure I ever had.

Kirby’s Adventure | NES 

Despite the retro gloriousness of accomplishing that level of detail on 8-bit hardware, nothing compares to the real thing. When I was a child, maybe nine or ten years old, I remember a prolific fall night with a chill in the air. I was visiting my grandparent’s farm in rural Georgia, U.S., and I had walked outside to see the biggest moon hovering there above the fields. It must have been the size of a quarter held right in front of me. I could count every crater on its surface, and it was so bright that the light actually reflected off the crops which were ready to be harvested. It was on that night I felt an inspiration that to this day has never gone away. Continue reading “It’s Only an 8-Bit Moon” →

Matthew // Normal Happenings20 Comments

Pixel for Your Thoughts: A 30-Day Video Game Reflection Challenge

My life is full of art.
Literature. Film. Music. 
But no one thing inspires as many emotions as video games. 

Announcing the Normal Happenings September Blog Project!

Pixel for Your Thoughts:
A 30-Day Video Game Reflection Challenge

The time has finally come to take on A Geeky Gal’s famous 30-Day Video Game Challenge. In my own style, of course.

I’m the type of person who doesn’t necessarily believe in true randomness. I mean, that’s not completely true. I feel like, if I were to plug a number into a random number generator, for instance, once I hit submit the think the program would spit out a sufficiently unpredictable value. But what I mean to say, instead, is that I feel everything happens for a reason. Continue reading “Pixel for Your Thoughts: A 30-Day Video Game Reflection Challenge” →