Colt

Snowflake Challenge #2 In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for your fave character, ship or fandom. Leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

I have been a Nintendo gamer since the 80s. Christmas 1986, 11 year old me received a NES for Christmas and fell completely in love. It was pretty life-changing. I remember playing Super Mario Bros for the first time, sitting there, right in front of the television for hours trying to beat the game. 2d side-scrolling platformers are still my favourite type of game and I still adore anything with Mario in them.

I have since had a SNES, an N64, a Gamecube, a Wii and a Switch. I'm very much a Nintendo gamer. I did have a Playstation when they came out and enjoyed a few games on it but my heart belongs to Nintendo.

For anyone who doesn't know, this is Mario. He's the title character of the Super Mario Bros game franchise, arguably the most recognisable video game character, the mascot of Nintendo, and has appeared in over 200 video games!

Mario is an Italian plumber who lives in the Mushroom Kingdom and spends an awful lot of time trying to rescue Princess Peach from the villain Bowser.

His first game appearance was in 1981 as the player character in the arcade game Donkey Kong (one of the earliest platform games, incidentally). He didn't even have a name at this point and was a carpenter referred to as either 'Jumpman' or 'Mr Video', but he was still trying to save the girl - although he was rescuing Pauline from Donkey Kong by running and jumping on platforms, and climbing ladders to ascend a construction site.

In 1985, Mario became the star of the Super Mario series of platform games starting with Super Mario Bros. The Super Mario games established the setting of the Mushroom Kingdom, and Mario is usually the player characters. He is often joined by his brother Luigi and by the dinosaur Yoshi among other members of the series cast. As platform games, they involve the player character running and jumping across platforms and atop enemies in themed levels. The games have simple plots, typically with Mario and Luigi rescuing the kidnapped Princess Peach from the primary antagonist, Bowser.

At least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console. There are more than 20 games in the series.

After Super Mario Bros, Mario began to branch off to different genres. These include puzzle games such as Dr. Mario, role-playing games such as Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi, and sports games such as Mario Kart and Mario Tennis. He has appeared in other Nintendo titles, such as the Super Smash Bros fighting games.

The overall Mario franchise now includes other forms of media, including television series, comic books, a films and theme park attractions. And with more than 750 million units sold worldwide, Mario is the bestselling video game franchise of all time.

I don't know if Music Monday is still a thing but I've always enjoyed sharing the music I love and my love for it so I'm going to be continuing it here!

My first track, quite fittingly, is the song that inspired my username. Nothin' But Cowboy Boots by Blue County. I don't remember how or where I first heard Blue County's music but it was back in the 2000s and I've loved them ever since. I was lucky enough to get to see them live, acoustic, twice just before the pandemic and I think I fell in love with their music even more.

Blue County, for anyone who doesn't know, was an American country music duo composed of actor-singers Aaron Benward and Scott Reeves. They had hits in the US with songs like Good Little Girls, That's Cool, That Summer Song and my favourite Nothin' But Cowboy Boots.

I don't know how I, in my late 20s, in the UK and very much not a country fan first heard their music. I was listening to a lot of Kane and co back then still so maybe through them? But I genuinely don't know. I love the song though, the story and the imagery it tells. And now I'm thinking about it, I wonder if any fanfics have been written using it. With a lyric like

I came home late tonight
you just smiled at my surprise
I see you comin' down the hall
In nothin'
Oh nothin' but cowboy boots

surely someone must have written it and hopefully in a fandom I love

I have rambled enough so I shall now share the song with you:

Like many people, part of me is going to be very very glad to see the back of 2022. I've seen various memes on social media of 'no-one claim 2023 as their year, we're all going to walk in real slow' which definitely sums up a lot of my feelings on it.

But I've also done a lot of healing and recovery this year and I'm feeling so much more confident in myself as a person. I'm looking forward to carrying that energy into 2023 and continuing with it.

There will be more laughter, more family time, more reading, more gaming, more tv/movies - more of everything I love. That's pretty much my only goal for 2023. Spend time with the people I love, doing the things I love.

I'm also pleased to report that we're all finally feeling better. Christmas was very sedate because while we were all starting to recover, we were completely exhausted. I don't think there was more than an hour when all 4 of us were awake but it was very comfortable, if nothing else.

We have no New Year's plans this year - other than the Countdown in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. I think it's going to just be another relaxing day/evening/night, pop some movies on and just chill.

Tomorrow is Blair's birthday. My little boy is going to be a teenager. I'm not entirely sure how that's happened. I'm going to be the parent of a teenager. He's really into all things space-related right now - he got a telescope for Christmas - and part of his birthday present is one of those galaxy projectors and some planets string lights for his bedroom.

This evening Blair & Eliot asked to watch some classic Doctor Who. This is not something Blaze and I are ever going to complain about. They love new Who and have never seen any of the old stuff, generally turning their noses up and certainly not interested in anything in black & white. I've wanted to share it with them but wasn't going to force it on them if they didn't want to watch it.

I grew up with Doctor Who. To show my age, Tom Baker was my first doctor and along with Jon Pertwee remains my favourite. Although I do adore all of them. So I was thrilled when they asked about watching some of the old stuff. We talked about what to watch and decided to go all the way back to the beginning.

I made us a delicious (faux)chicken korma - recipe available on request - and we settled down with An Unearthly Child. And I'm pleased to report they thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd forgotten what a contradiction Susan is - one the one hand so smart, on the other so protected by her grandfather. And the kidnapping of the teachers. The tone is so different, it's much more of a serious proper BBC drama, the plot a little laughable at times but somehow still managing to be a little nerve-wracking and scary at places. Definitely very different to what the kids are used to but they've expressed an interest in watching more. So I'm calling it a resounding success!

And I need at least Doctor Who icon.