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This is why I blog.

Rachel ElizabethLeave a comment
Daily writing prompt
Why do you blog?
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I’ve never done a daily writing prompt before, but I logged onto WordPress this morning and it felt like a topic I could relate to. The simple answer to this question is that I love to write, but obviously, it’s a bit more than that. Otherwise, I would not be scrunching pennies together to keep my domain name and hosting every month.

There is something special about writing things and seeing others enjoy your words. This can apply to both fiction and non-fiction. I used to thoroughly enjoy getting feedback in my creative writing class in both college and high school. However, today we are focusing on blogs and I tend to lean towards non-fiction with those.

At present, I have one personal blog and this one. It was originally meant to be a tech blog but over time it’s become more about current pop culture in general with a sprinkling of personal bits as well. The joy I’ve had from writing on both through the past decade or so has been the interaction with my audience and followers. Whether it’s one comment or watching several people converse on a subject… it always warms my heart. I even get feedback directly at times via emails or through social media. It may seem like no one is reading based on the lack of comments but when I look at random visitor stats and see new followers it brings me a sense of pride.

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A Whole New [Live-Action] World?

Rachel ElizabethLeave a comment

This post contains spoilers from the film, proceed at your own discretion.

I saw the live-action version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid a few days before its official release. As a millennial who was 2 years old when it came out in theaters, the original was a huge part of my childhood. Saying I am a fan of The Little Mermaid as both a Disney property and as a beautifully written but sad story by Hans Christian Andersen… would be quite an understatement. Miss Ariel may have been in denial about her obsession with humans but I will admit without hesitation that my obsession with mermaids began immediately after seeing the animated version of the film.

My addiction to TLM (The Little Mermaid) was so strong that I’m honestly surprised that the VHS tape didn’t pop from being played too many times over the years. I wish I still had it but that and several other things in my childhood have been lost over time. I do however have it on Blu-Ray DVD. I have watched the animated series that was on the Disney Channel. Seen both of the spin-off movies. I had a Little Mermaid themed birthday party when I was 4, lots of TLM toys (including the slides from the movie to look at on the Red ViewMaster 3D). Even my bedsheet and comforter set were TLM.

I read the lore of the Disney story from books that were released through the years and of course the real thing as well. Hans Christian Andersen was an amazing writer and I have been a fan of him ever since my mom had me watch a movie about his life starring actor Danny Kaye.

However, I’m glad that I was older than 2 when I came across his version of the story, because toddler me was not ready. To be honest I’m not sure 8-year-old me was ready either. When I finally watched a short animation about the “real” version of the story… despite being a little sad, it resonated with my young heart. I found a story of a young girl in love, refusing to kill that person just because it would set her free. Seeing her let her love for the prince overcome her selfishness was just awe-inspiring to me.

If you have never read the original version of the story, I highly suggest it. I can understand why Disney would want to change the story to make it more digestible, and I like their original changes. I’m not sure about the most recent ones they made though. There is a reason why I’m just now posting my review a couple of weeks after seeing the film. I felt like I need to marinate on it and also give time for others to give it a watch before reading my thoughts. I’ll now get into the thing that I did and did not like, in no particular order.

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Diablo IV Open Beta – Impressions

Rachel ElizabethLeave a comment

As you may be able to tell, April has been a very busy month for me. I almost went the entire month without any posts. I started this article at the beginning of the month shortly after playing the open beta for Diablo IV.

If you have followed me since the days of Google+ you may recall an article I wrote called The Resurrection of My Gaming Life. In it, I detailed how Diablo III was one of the main games that sparked my love of gaming as an adult. I enjoyed playing through the acts of the game with my best friend Jameson on multiple platforms. I would even go as far as saying that it is my favorite MMORPG! That’s a huge statement as it’s my favorite genre… ever.

I have also played Diablo II although I did not get a chance to finish the game. I plan to give it another go once I have my PS4 back, or if I end up getting a PS5. I have the digital game so it will work with either console. What I love so much about the Diablo series is that it was the first RPG I ever played where the campaign can be fully done with your friends. It also lets you level up faster if you had a friend way ahead of you and pick up the gear they drop without putting it up in a market. I love that! The story was also very well constructed and engaging. It was literally everything that I could want in a game and more.

The newest game has been a long time coming, so finally getting a chance to play the open beta was something I could not wait for! I made sure to download the game the day before the beta started. While I only had the chance to try out the mage and the necromancer I made enough progress in the game to know that I would love it just as much as its predecessors. June cannot get here fast enough, I hope I can pre-order it before release so I can get some of the bonus content. I don’t want to spoil anything, but the game looked extremely polished and promising for a final beta test.

I have been playing a lot of Visual Novels and Otome games in the little spare time I do have, so I will most likely be making videos or doing write-ups of those soon!