Puzzle Bobble: Please Protect My Dinosaur Son

I made some Puzzle Bobble gifs, so I am now obliged to make a blog post about the delightful dinosaur/bubble-themed game itself.

I was introduced to this series via Bust-A-Move 2: Arcade Edition for the PS1 (the western re-titling of Puzzle Bobble 2) and I was immediately hooked thanks to an incredible soundtrack (by Taito's in-house sound team, Zuntata) and addictive arcade gameplay. I never managed to complete the game, but I did play a million times, mostly trying to beat my time trial high scores.

I'm still haunted by the sound of Bub's cries.

The original game (these gifs are from the Game Boy version of Puzzle Bobble) is much like Bust-A-Move 2. Much like Tetris, this cutesy dino bubble-popping game nailed its gameplay the first time round and never needed much in the way of enhancements (although they really did perfect it with the sequel). I have a huge fondness for this game, alongside Net Yaroze game Super Bub - essentially the same game but you get to be a dog and stuff. Super Bub excels in sound effects and I can hear the weird pig noise now in my head. However, it doesn't have this little leaping dinosaur who I feel personally responsible for.

I will pop bubbles for him until I die.

I recommend listening to Jonathan Richman's 'I'm a Little Dinosaur' to enhance your Puzzle Bobble experience.

Hair Doesn't Matter, Actually

Hold onto your hats because this is a bloggen poste about hair (or as I like to call it, the tendrils of evil).

I have just cut in a fringe for the first time in ages, and I'm not entirely sure, but I feel like my forehead is sweating more. That's strike number one. The thing is, I get antsy about my hair if it's been mostly the same for a long enough time. This is a normal experience, but I also feel that it is ridiculous. Hair is simply the floppy nonsense that grows from our scalps, and it doesn't need to be anything else. It doesn't need to be good or neat or SHINY LIKE A CHROME KETTLE. It doesn't even need to be there at all, and I tie it up probably most of the time because I get hot quickly so I like it to not be touching me.

Sometimes I actually think about my hair and what it looks like, and this thing I've heard about called "style" (no idea, sorry). That's generally my first mistake. See, thinking about it leads to questioning, worrying, and ceaselessly bullying your hair. You should think of your hair as a small child that you have to be nice to most of the time, even when it is getting its dinner everywhere and drooling. That's just how hair is and you've got to try and make it comfortable whilst accepting its confusing ways.

Cutting my hair this time made me immediately decide I am never going to cut in a fringe again, and that I probably want to grow it out (for sweaty forehead reasons and easy hair-tying reasons, but also because whenever I cut my hair to stop it being limp and lank I immediately realise it's actually fine and okay for it to be that way). It also made me think, despite the fact that I sort of, kinda, maybe regret it, that it's fine. It was fine before and it's fine now.

I am once again "mushroom head" as my science teacher enjoyed calling me once upon a time (because the fringe juts forward with a certain mushroom-y buoyancy that we can all enjoy), and in some months I won't be, and either way it's fine. I have the same face whatever I do to my hair. The big plus now is that my bag straps won't catch my hair. Take that, evil bag straps!

Also, you may notice I'm wearing a delightful new Mickey Mouse nightdress. I'm really fashionable and cool that way.

The Perfect Playlist

Hello. Here is a very normal and not at all questionable playlist of good and excellent songs. I tried to stick with an uplifting theme whilst veering between happy go lucky cheese hits and some relaxing city pop sounds (courtesy of Mariya Takeuchi, who is pictured above).

Without further ado, here are the best songs in the world, which hopefully also impart a sense of carefree joy.

Turnover - Sunshine Type

Carly Rae Jepsen - Favourite Colour

Steps - Scared of the Dark

SHINee - Wishful Thinking

Erasure - Stop!

Mika - Elle Me Dit

Mariya Takeuchi - Plastic Love

Watch below & enjoy.

Why 'A Bug's Life' for PS1 is the Best Game Ever

We all know deep within our hearts that A Bug's Life was the best PlayStation game. Video games had enjoyed intense growth throughout the 80s and 90s, and it was all leading to this moment. The moment where you could play as a nervous ant who sometimes wears a cap made of a leaf. He has anxiety, but he is also stylish. That's Flik, our jittery hero who is tasked with adventuring, platforming, and jumping on mushrooms. Like a tiny, blue Spyro, but if Spyro was scared to talk to the other dragons and needed to make plants grow in order to successfully platform, maybe.

This tie-in game for the movie I became possibly unhealthily obsessed with as a child, A Bug's Life, was released in 1998. I was seven years old and very excited about any game which let you be a small thing in a normal setting (such as Micro Machines V3, still the best car game ever just because I get to drive through jam and stuff). A Bug's Life became my favourite film, in part due to this fun, imaginative, miniature landscape situation that I found fascinating, and in part due to characters I came to love. The nervous Flik and the boisterous tomboy Princess Dot combined to give me two of the most relatable characters I'd ever come across in a beautiful, mischievous duo.

The first thing I notice when checking out this game almost 20 years later is the animations. The character animations really capture the personalities well. I love the way Flik gets antsy (heh) when you remain inactive for a while and starts beckoning you forwards like he's eager to keep moving. His facial expressions feel impressive considering the graphic quality of the game and communicate his shock or fear at different moments very well.

Most of all though, what makes this game memorable and endlessly fun to play is its gameplay. Every aspect of gameplay feels perfectly tailored to bridge the gap between younger and older players. The collectables are fun, the levels are quick, well-designed, and offer plenty of optional challenges for those wanting a more complete playthrough. Some of the bosses still scare me, since I have residual memories of the horror of being knocked out and hearing that apple crunching sound (true horror indeed).

However, there is no thrill like picking up the homing berries and watching them swirl around the screen to find and destroy your enemies as you lob them frantically about the level. It's also pretty great hearing Flik shout "OH YEAH!" as you collect all the letters in his name (narcissism is key in this game).

My rating? 10/10, would get pronged by angry spiders again.

Outfit: Stripy Comfy

Let us all survey my impeccable posing skills, for I have decided to partake in the legendary 'outfit post' of old. Of course we all remember these from when blogs were invented back in 1462, but I am daring enough to bring them back in these modern times of pestilence and only wearing head to toe stickers of Liam Payne's face (as is the traditional English fashion).

This is the first time I've worn tights in a while, and it slightly backfired as I've found myself with a mysterious toe ache. Only in one foot, confusingly, but it feels like they're just too tight somehow. I have no idea what's going on, but it's not pleasant. I'm thinking of getting some new knee length and/or thigh length socks and throwing my tights into the hellfire (the best solution to most sartorial problems). I've been missing wearing tights, but I've also been missing wearing long socks. I endeavour to wear the longest socks on this Earth.

Aside from that, I was happy with this outfit. A very comfy and simple look, but I like the smartness of wearing black tights and chelsea boots (not pictured very well, but trust me, they are good). I also forever love the shape of a skater skirt, since obviously I yearn to be mildly triangular at all times. The stripy t-shirt is an old one I forgot I had for a while, but I love it because it has a slight weight to it and is a treasure from an old friend. Also, y'know, stripes are nice.

Please recommend your favourite lengthy socks to me.

Nostalgic Longing & Happy Synth Pop Playlist

I have this strange invigorated feeling again. Maybe I should take pictures every day and just share some thoughts. I don't know. I feel like recording something mundane and personal and perhaps lengthy again. I've been reading Eline's blog (perma pupa) a little bit again today, for the sake of reminiscence (and because I love her a lot) and seeing it for just a second instantly brings that inspired and nostalgic feeling. A feeling that makes me just want to type a stream of consciousness and see some kind of special magic in the most normal and everyday things. Colours and wind and comfy clothes. I don't know how to describe what precisely that is, but I love it so much.

I also discovered a Tumblr blog which posts gifs from weird old Playstation games (asobi-station) and that gives me a comparable feeling too. There is just something about that era of 3D modelling. Those polygons. Everyone talks about how ugly the graphics are in Final Fantasy VII these days, but I still love them. I love their blocky hands and weird shapes so much.

ANYWAY, here are some pictures.

Do you ever put your hair in a bun and have this happen? An escaping waterfall of hair? It's an art form, truly. Once again my hair tries its hardest to escape from the terrors of my scalp. Nice try hair, but you are my prisoner forever.

Here's some of my diary, ft. a big dog and a big scribble (the two things that express my personality most, really). I'm using a pink pen because I'm exciting and cool. Also, here's that playlist that you can see, in full:

HAPPY SYNTH POP PLAYLIST

The Human League - Love Action (I Believe in Love)

Florrie - Real Love

Kero Kero Bonito - Trampoline

Scritti Politti - Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)

Thomas Dolby -Hyperactive!

Perfume - Spending All My Time

Red Velvet - Red Flavor

It's meant to be a very happy, peppy playlist, so that you can listen to it and feel like a puppy who has just been stroked a lot. Warning: a puppy that listens to The Human League may overheat from blissful synthy exhaustion. Combine such volatile elements with caution.

Here's a picture of my desk/bookshelf combo space, because I find it interesting how this space in particular is always changing bit by bit. This is it at a relatively messy stage. There are several empty packets of Space Raiders in the bin (nutritious!). The "Where's The Word" book on the bottom shelf is a big book of wordsearches. It was printed in the USSR and includes a wordsearch about Morris Dancing. I love culture.

When You Love Trolls

Here are some extremely good pictures (some of me, but mostly of my old cats from when they were kittens desperate to chew on all available cables). Above we can see me, back when I was a toddler and very happy to be with the big fluff dog. I still think German Shepherds are some of the coolest looking dogs around. Please allow me to now hug all of them. Bring them all to me for hugs.

Here are the cats and their lifelong best friend, a cardboard box. I think we can all appreciate the supportive and encouraging friendship of a cardboard box - a better friend than many humans, to be honest.

This is perhaps the most guilty image I have ever seen. He wants to EAT THE ENTIRE PLUG but he knows it is a dark sin to do so.

Sins are often best committed with a sister in tow to egg you on and then possibly steal the cable from you at an opportune moment. Electricity is delicious, everyone, do try it in your next salad!

Of course then, inevitably, you must FIGHT TO THE DEATH.

Back to me again - here I am with my purest love. My affections to this day are still reserved only for trolls.