This is Halloween (October Book Wrap-Up)

I'm 21 years old, drunk on root beer, and have to get this post written before midnight so I can focus on NaNoWriMo! Let's go!

Writing
Holy crap I got so much writing done this month. About halfway through I was worried I would never get the rest of my story over on Wattpad written before NaNo, but midway last week I suddenly got this burst of motivation out of absolutely nowhere, wrote 6500+ words in one sitting, and now only have 1.5 chapters and an epilogue to write before the end of November to finish up "Worlds Collide." It felt so awesome to write so much in one go. That was my version of NaNoPrep! My current stats for this story are 4,169 reads; 307 votes; and 144 comments.

But, as you know, National Novel Writing Month starts at midnight tonight! I have yet to announce my novel here, so I'll go ahead and do so. Last year I wrote my very first attempt at New Adult Crime Fiction, Jenkins and Smith, which you can read about here. It turned out awful as I had no idea what I was doing and majorly changed the plot at least once or twice, but I had so much fun writing it, and I had a fantastic idea for a sequel, so that's what I'm doing! My NaNoWriMo 2016 novel is titled Jenkins and Smith: Last Man Out. Feel free to stalk my progress here. I'm so excited to start writing!

Reading
My reading progress has been lacking recently, and I truly don't have much of an excuse for that. My plan for now is to put reading to the back-burner during November, then come back with a bang in December and read like crazy. So prepare yourselves for the December post! This month I read:

• Of Dreams and Rust by Sarah Fine
• The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

*SPOILERS AND RANTING AHEAD* Back in August I read Of Metal and Wishes, which I praised as being an even better version of The Phantom of the Opera. And it truly was amazing! I gave it five stars without a second thought. Then I began my determined quest to obtain its sequel, Of Dreams and Rust. And...ugh. Just thinking about the second book makes me so mad. I ultimately gave it four stars because it was really, really well done and a very worthy sequel, but I cannot get over the fact that A) Wen did not end up with Bo and B) BO DIED!! Are you kidding me? I would have at least felt better if she didn't end up with him and he lived, but not only did she choose Melik over him, he died saving Melik's life! Wen had no idea what an amazing person Bo was and how much better of a choice he was for her, even after he was gone. I am enraged that stupid Melik won her over. He does not deserve her in the slightest! UGH. #WenAndBoForever

Okay. Calming down now.

At the same time I read The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan and Phil. Who knew that the essence of their videos could be compressed into a physical form, through mere words? I loved every single page of this adventure and am now even more proud and happy to be part of the Phandom. This was a much-needed reprieve after the tragedy of the book discussed above (even though I finished this one first).

I suffered a serious book hangover for the first time in a while after finishing Of Dreams and Rust. It took me a good few days to get out of the utter depression it left me in, but I've finally been able to move on and pick up a new story. I am now currently reading Warlock Holmes, which is fantastical and mysterious and stupidly fun. I'm loving it so far.

And that sums up October! NaNoWriMo, here I come!

Side note: Do not expect serious blog posts throughout next month, as I will be busy drinking Cherry Cola, eating M&M's, and writing my story at all hours of the day. Instead I will do what I did last year and give you two brief updates as well as a final recap of my ventures when it's all said and done. (AKA I'mma show off my winner's page again!) See you next time! ;)

Ratchet and Clank: Movie Review *Spoilers*

You may or not remember this, but way back in 2013 I created a post here on Endless Possibilities that talked about my (then) recent discovery of and love for a game series called Ratchet and Clank. I also mentioned that I'd read the movie novelization back in May after having seen the film in theaters. Well, now I'm here again to give you my review of the Ratchet and Clank movie, as well as my thoughts on how it compares to the games!

I love this movie. I was so excited when they announced it about three years ago, and was even more excited when the day finally came for me to see it. I abandoned my roommate on a Friday night to go see the premiere showing and walked away with the biggest smile on my face.

I like how the creators took the story of the very first game and revamped it, keeping it the same while also adding new elements to it. I thought that Quark's betrayal, while premature in comparison to the games, was a great route to take with the film, as it helped Ratchet's character development and maturity move along at a believable pace. I like that Grim was introduced as Ratchet's caretaker. It makes much more sense than the first game, when he's a fifteen-year-old who has essentially raised himself from before he could walk, even. I like that Clank's introduction is almost a complete parallel to his introduction in the games, and that the two's meeting went about the same as well. I think that from there the story moved along at a good pace, with a perfect balance of action and non-action scenes. (The references to the many, many types of weapons and tools was fantastic, by the way. I was so glad to see the holo-guise used in this film.)

One thing I'm kind of torn about is Dr. Nefarious. Of course I know him from the games and am familiar with his backstory, but seeing him pre-robot for 99% of this movie was very strange and took some getting used to, even after I'd seen it once already. While it was a look I wasn't used to, I did still very much enjoy his role in the film - those little smirks were the best! And when he finally did have that one glorious scene at the end as his robot self, it was FANTASTIC. That was the greatest end scene I could have ever asked for! (I may or may not have been fangirling in my seat during that final scene.)

Something I didn't particularly like about this movie was the addition of the Galactic Rangers. While Captain Quark has been known to work with other heroes in teams before, there has never been a consistent group that he has led like he did in this movie. I didn't like that Ratchet was so eager to become like Captain Quark when he can't stand the guy in the games. Of the actual rangers introduced, the only character I kind of liked was Elaris, and only because she preferred to think things through rather than bust down the door and start shooting without any preparation. While they were a good fit for the movie, I didn't really like them as characters. I also hated that Ratchet and Clank's induction into the Galactic Rangers had them working separately a lot rather than together. It distracted them from being able to grow a close friendship like we see in the games.

Which leads me into my final point. The ending of this movie (that epic end scene with Nefarious!) left it totally open for a sequel, should the developers decide to make one. I think they should, personally. It would give them a chance to expand on Nefarious' evil like they do in the games, this time without the "backseat" bad guy of Chairman Drek. It would also give them an opportunity to veer away from the Galactic Rangers' story and focus more on the adventures of Ratchet and Clank together, allowing the characters to have a better chance for their friendship to grow. (While I loved that Clank came back to stay with Ratchet in the end, he really had no reason to. He barely knew Ratchet. His mindset was probably something along the lines of, "My mission is completed. Ratchet was the first person I met, and he helped me, so maybe I should stay with him now." But that was it. He didn't really stay because they were good friends.) I also think it would be neat to see the developers expand on the story of the Lombaxes and what happened to them, or go into further detail about why Clank was a defect (though that may not be valid anymore due to his altered backstory). The games have excellent plots for both that would be amazing to see on the big screen!

Overall, despite the movie's much lighter tone and kid-friendly plot, I thought that the movie adaptation of Ratchet and Clank was awesome. I loved every minute of it and am proud to own it now. The subtle references to other characters and plots of the games throughout the movie were great. I especially liked cameo at the very, very end of the credits. (If you follow the games, you know who shows up.) I am very much hoping for a sequel!

My Thoughts on TMNT: Out of the Shadows *Spoilers*

Everything about this movie is leaps and bounds ahead of the first one. I saw it in theaters twice, and when I came home from the first showing on opening night I felt so much better about it than I did coming home after seeing the first movie in the theater on its opening night. The story is better, the characters are better both inside and out, there are tons of great references, and the few "retro" characters that are introduced are spot on (except for Krang...I'll get to that in a moment). Not to say that the first movie was awful, because it wasn't. I thoroughly enjoyed the first movie. But I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel ten times more.

I am beyond glad that the story for this film was actually taken from the Turtles' universe. It made it so much better! (Mind blown, right?) The Turtles finally take center stage and command the screen from beginning to end, with great plot pacing and good character development - especially in Leo. Casey Jones was a good addition to the team; I thought Stephen Amell was a great choice for him...and at first I was like "where's his long hair?" but after having seen the movie a few times I think that shorter hair suits this version of Casey better. We also finally get to see some legit Shredder action, whereas in the first movie he hid in the shadows all the way up until the final battle. Although Shredder did not physically fight like he did in the first film, he was at least more active in and in control of his clan's work this time. It was great to see Baxter Stockman become a more prominent character in this film (casting choice for him was on point, by the way), as well as seeing Bebop and Rocksteady make their first live-action appearance. I thought their characters were portrayed excellently, and the brief battle between them and the Turtles was a ton of fun to watch. As for Krang...it was awesome to see him make his first live-action appearance as well, and despite my personal opinions about his voice he was certainly a force to be reckoned with! I look forward to seeing him return in the next movie.

I really appreciate that this movie is more Turtle-focused than April-focused. I mean...let's be real. In the first movie, we didn't fully see the Turtles for the first time until about fifteen to twenty minutes in. In this movie, they are the FIRST characters we see, and we don't see April until about ten or fifteen minutes in. That is a great turnaround! I also really appreciate that this time, the Foot Clan are actually NINJAS instead of standard NYC criminals with guns. They fight like ninjas and never once pull out a weapon that isn't a sword or shuriken. (Oh, and the credits song? Best credits song ever!)

Truly, the only issue I've had with this movie from the first time I saw it to now that I've seen it a few times is Krang. I'm thrilled that he was introduced into this movie universe, I thought that he played an important part in the story and of course his final battle against the Turtles was fantastic. His android body was an excellent blend of the retro look with a more modern twist (unlike the over-the-top Shredder suit from the first movie). Everything about him as a character was great and enjoyable...except for one thing. His voice actor.

Whoever thought that Brad Garrett was a good voice acting choice for Commander Krang needs assistance in making good decisions. I'm not naive - of course Krang cannot always sound like the 80's Krang (and honestly, I'm glad they didn't try to duplicate that voice), and every version of him is unique (like with the 2003 and 2012 series), but here's the thing. So far as we're aware, Krang is not part of a race of Kraang - he is KRANG. The only Krang. Like, an individual instead of a species. With this being the case, clearly this film's version of him was trying to pull inspiration from the 80's. Again, I didn't expect him to sound like 80's Krang, nor did I want him to. But when trying to portray Krang as an individual, there is a right and wrong way to do so. Perhaps part of this has to do with the fact that Krang's character as a whole was different, but still - Brad Garrett was a terrible choice of voice. His style of voicing Krang portrayed the character as a laidback, chill, backstabbing alien who saw Earth as just another trophy to add to his growing list of "worlds I've destroyed for fun." This is not the Krang that Turtles fans know to be confident, demanding, focused, and power-hungry. I will admit that "Out of the Shadows" nailed his attitude towards Shredder and all other beings in general, but this is only one saving grace in a line of mistakes that could have easily been avoided with a better voice actor. Anyone can sound nonchalant - it takes a great voice to pull off an evil alien warlord hell-bent on expanding his empire. Brad Garrett did not deliver this type of voice at all. I have nothing against him as a person or even as an actor - I've heard him voice other characters in other films and portray them very well. I simply do not agree with Brad Garrett as the voice of Krang.

One thing I noticed that this movie did not address in the slightest is what ever happened to Eric Sacks. He was never mentioned, his face was never seen anywhere, his companies were never mentioned, cleanup of the disaster that took place on top of his business building was never explained. It's like he never existed. While most people who saw the first film probably assume that he was in prison somewhere in the sequel, his being alive but put away doesn't explain why he was never at least mentioned briefly. In light of all of this, I propose a new theory. In the final battle against Eric Sacks, Vern hit him over the head with a microscope - those things are heavy, and head injuries are never minor. This, in addition to no mention of him in "Out of the Shadows," leads me to believe that he died from the injury. I don't know this for certain, but until further notice, it is my personal theory.

The ending of this film leaves it wide open for several different story options. In the absence of the Shredder, we may see Karai step up as leader of the Foot Clan. We might get to see the briefly mentioned "facility in Tokyo" and learn whether Shredder has established an empire there. We may get some more backstory. There are also questions to be answered. What will happen to Bebop and Rocksteady? Obviously Krang will return, but when he does, will he bring an army? Will there be a full-out war that could possibly involve the Triceratons? (There was one frozen on his ship next to Shredder - just saying!) Will we learn more about the alien commander, his story, where he comes from, why he's on the warpath? Will Shredder return? If he does, what will that be like? Wherever the filmmakers decide to take it, as long as the third movie is done in the way this one was, it will be amazing. I can't wait to see it!