When The Masked Singer was first announced I originally thought it was a dumb idea. I’m not a fan of Nick Cannon or any of the panelist, so whenever something huge happened on the show I’d read the spoilers because I thought I’d never watch the show anyhow. I am not a fan of reality TV, most of the time I’m not interested in the toxicity and drama that Hollywood concocts for cheap views and clickbait.
However, a couple of months ago, I thought I’d give it a chance because I was out of shows to binge or rewatch and I became hooked. Once you get over the initial weirdness, this show has a lot to say about the difference between celebrity and average people as well as the older legends trying to stay relevant to the newer generation.
The optimistic part of me is hopeful that what these masked celebrities are telling in their clue packets are genuine, that we all have doubts, self-esteem issues, or that we all feel like the black sheep in a group of people. The cynical part of me says that the producers and writers are just putting in those manufactured emotions in order to tell a story where they can place the clues throughout.
I know we’re only halfway through 2020, however, with everything that’s been going on in the world lately, I found it hard not to look back on When the Sheep Look Up by John Brunner. I reviewed this realistic post-apocalyptic novel last year, and such aspects that have stuck with me are how everyone in the story is wearing gas masks, the water is polluted, and there is general unrest amongst the civilians.
With the fear of COVID-19 hanging heavy in the air, most people are sheltering in their homes and leaving the house only if they have to. I know gas masks and protective face masks aren’t the same, but I don’t think that matters in the grand scheme of things.
To make a seemingly tense and stressful situation worse, we are again reminded of the gross mishandling of police officers who have a record of valid complaints. If a police officer has a complaint filed, I think it should be investigated through an unbiased third party. No police officer should have excessive allegations that have been swept under the rug. Just because he has “connections” or is a “good ole boy” makes this unfair to the people they’re sworn to protect.
People are upset. With COVID-19 being the biggest pandemic since the Spanish Flu, and witnessing our own government’s and to a certain extent, our society’s lack of trust of the scientists made this more deadly than it needed to be. The economy and unemployment rates are the worst they’ve been, and we’re still witnesses to police brutality. Everyone is on edge. It’s the perfect deadly stew for public unrest.
We need justice, we need peace, and until then, stay safe and don’t do anything stupid. If you want to read my thoughts on The Sheep Look UpClick Here to read my review!
With video game companies often cashing in on the nostalgia by remaking, remastering, or rebooting beloved franchises, such as Crash Bandicoot or the Spyro series, the question I find myself and my video game fans asking, are video games getting easier?.
I wasn’t a video game nerd growing up, the only games I played were Pokemon, the Mario & Luigi series, and other mismatched games. One of the spinoffs I love is the Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon series. I was so excited when they remade the first game, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team, as Pokemon Mystery Dungeon DX. I bought it as soon as it came out for the Nintendo Switch.
Now, I remember Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team being quite tricky growing up. As I’m playing this remake, I haven’t been having many troubles other than getting buttons confused, but that comes with the territory. I quickly noticed how easy this game is now. Unless I haven’t hit the difficulty spike, I’ve had little to no problems working my way through the game.
So this begs the question, did they make this game more accessible to the younger audience, or did I just get better at strategy games overall? Well, I think I just got better by playing more strategy games such as Octopath Traveler, Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon, and all of the later entries in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series. I think with time and experience with other video games of the same genre, I might just have a better grasp on how to play the game than when I was a kid.
However, I’d like to hear your opinion! Do you think video game companies are making video games easier, or do you think you’ve just gotten better at playing the games?
Here is a small life update about things going on behind the scenes. If you follow me on social media I have been absorbed in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The screenshots from the more memorable moments in the game have been a majority of my Twitter posts.
As much as I’ve wanted to discuss my thoughts and feelings of the game on my blog, I know no one wants to hear more about this game that has basically taken over the Internet while the world is basically falling apart due to the pandemic. So I will just quickly dedicate a paragraph or two before going into my mental health updates.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game where you build and create your own remote island. You basically start off in a tent, and you have to fish, catch bugs, and harvest fruit for you to upgrade to a house. Visiting friends’ islands helps, but it is not necessary to progress. So if you’re a loner like me, I have been getting everything upgraded just fine.
I am unashamed to say that I have put a lot of time into this game. It’s been a good way for me to spend time with one of my best friends who I haven’t seen in a long time. We’ve been having fun helping each other out with making our islands the best they can be. However, now that his work is ramping back up and he’s an essential worker he’s not going to be spending much time as he had been.
Other than Animal Crossing: New Horizons, I have been battling the ups and downs of depression. Mostly just the downs. I can usually tell when I’m having a down spell because I start sleeping more and not eating much. So we’ll see how things go from here, I’ve left some toxic Facebook groups and started listening to the podcasts I had stopped listening to. As well as doing puzzles and playing some enjoyable games.
I ordered some Doctor Who books to add to my collection. ThriftBooks is a really good place to get good quality second-hand books for a reasonable price. I’m not sponsored by them, I’m just a loyal customer who loves their services.
Well, since May is quickly approaching, let’s see how things go. I just hope things only improve from here.
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