Monday, December 31, 2012

Best Marvel Heroes and Villains


This post is going to put me in the major nerd category, but I don't care!

So this past half-year, I've been getting more and more interested in Marvel, and any movie or television show based off of their comics. I borrowed a book from a friend, the Marvel Encyclopedia, and read all of it. I know right? Pretty lame. But I was and am very interested! I don't have the time it would take to read all the comics, so this was a great way to learn characters and their stories.

On our way to Utah today, I finished reading it and decided I wanted to figure out who had the most power, because each hero/villain has a little chart in the book that rates their intelligence, strength, speed, durability, energy protection, and fighting skills. The characters are rated in each of these categories from one to seven.

That may have been the best part of the book to me, being able to compare the characters via actual powers, rather than their story or coolness.

After much studying of this Encyclopedia, I can say who the top three heroes are and the top three villains. How I decided to determine this was by first adding up the points from there abilities and whoever had the most was top dog. If there were ties, then I took the one with the strongest powers, usually a seven. Of course, this is only based on one book that doesn't have every single character, but I still consider it semi-valid! And it's not according to awesomeness, just their power and abilities.

Most Powerful Heroes

1. Silver Surfer

3. Iron Man
2. Thor
  1. Silver Surfer is a learned hero with warp speed, incalculable strength, unlimited command of all energy, superhuman durability, and average fighting ability
  2. Thor is an experienced fighter with incalculable strength, warp speed, superhuman durability, the ability to discharge multiple forms of energy, and normal intelligence
  3. Iron Man as a super-genius with superhuman strength (up to 100 tons), superhuman durability, supersonic speed, the ability to discharge multiple forms of energy, and some training in fighting
I'm completely satisfied with this list, because I would consider these three some of the best even before I knew all the technical stuff. Though I had no clue that the Silver Surfer was so high!

One thing I was a little disappointed about was that my favorite people of all Marvel stories are the mutants, but none of them were super powerful. But that doesn't change my level of admiration for them!

Other people worth noting: Hulk was fourth, while Captain America was wayy down as number 14-- after the Thing, Wolverine, and even the She-Hulk. Crazy right? You'd expect him to be cooler, but don't worry, he is still WAY above the superhero average.

 Most Powerful Villains

  1. Thanos as a virtual
    1. Thanos
    ly indestructible super-genius with incalculable strength, warp speed, ability to discharge multiple energy forms,  and experience in fighting
  2. Galactus as a virtually indestructible being who is omniscient with incalculable strength, warp speed, unlimited command of all energy, but poor fighting skills
  3. 2. Galactus
  4. Doctor Doom is a super-genius with superhuman durability, supersonic speed, the ability to discharge multiple energy forms, superhuman strength (up to 25 tons), and experience in fighting
The thing about villains is that often, they make the hero what he is, and sometimes they may even make the story. (An example would be Batman, a DC superhero, who's villains such as the Joker and Bane may be what makes the Batman stories so cool).

3. Doctor Doom
I noticed that in cases such as Spiderman and the X-men, there were a lot more super-powerful villains, while the heroes themselves were less so. I thought this was pretty interesting since you'd think that would mean the villain would kick the heroes butt. That's not the case though! Our heroes are tough and, most importantly, fighting for what is right.

Another favorite of mine is Magneto, number seven on the list, is obviously the most powerful mutant, and personally I think he is pretty cool, especially in the movies. And the fact that he could take down the X-men easily, but allows them to keep existing gives him a little credence in my mind.

I would be very interested to know who you think the best heroes and villains are! Based on powers or just in general, give me your reasons!

Missionary Letters

As my last day in Mountain Home for the break, I spent it with as many of my friends as I could. We were able to get a bunch of people together and play some games, and it was great getting to spend that time with them, some of which I'm not going to see for two years!

I was talking with my friend Kody, who is leaving on his mission in less than a month, about how I would try to write him but it probably wouldn't be very successful of an attempt. I have like six other people I am supposed to be writing, but I've maybe written them once, and that's it. I'm terrible at it! But I would like to at least show them that I'm at home rooting for them.

I also want to get better at it over the next half-year because pretty soon I will be the one hoping for a letter from my friends back home! And if I don't write my missionary friends, what right would I have in expecting my own letters? So I need to step up and get to writing.

I hope that I will be able to write on here the next couple days, but I may not as I will be in Sandy, Utah with my family. So forgive me if I miss a few days! One post you can count on coming though is my New Years' resolutions! I've already told you a couple: write missionaries and be a better friend. Oh and serve a mission! :D

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Good Day

I finished my present to Mariah!! It looks and is awesome. Honestly, I'm jealous that she's going to own it. :P I will post pics once she gets it, so you can see how cool I am! lol But really, it took FOREVER, my poor fingers feel like they just played the guitar for hours, and my hand was cramping way before I was finished. I have no idea how people get so good and doing stuff like that: crafts, tables, cars, etc. I mess up so many times before I finally get it right, it would not be a good idea for me to try to make anything big.
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I also finally (hopefully) finished my medical section of my mission papers!! Joy to the world! I have been going back and forth nonstop this past week, at least once a day, often twice to three times. Mainly just because the doctor's office forgot something, then I did, then I had to get more stuff done, then more forgetting, etc. It was crazy! But it's done! The dentist and doctor are ready to send off their paperwork.
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I just watched this movie about the Mexico/America border called American Flyer. It brought back a lot of the stuff that I talked about in my last class-- Latin American Humanities. It's really neat to see that classes can make a difference in life. I was just looking through a dollar-movie rack and because it was about something I had just barely studied, I got the movie. It was pretty sad to see what their lives are like, but it taught a lot about what really goes on over there. Another good one that doesn't show as much of the violence is Under the Same Moon. Both of these are great movies worth watching if you care about your neighbors. They just want the freedom that we have, and I wish we could give it to them.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Sheltered BYU Student

I've been working on my present for Mariah, my roommate/cousin. I'm so excited for it to be finished and to give it to her! I won't say what it is, just in case she happens to read my blog before I give it to her. That would be terrible to spoil the surprise!

I also went to hang out with some friends, and realized just how sheltered I am. It's so different coming back to the "real world," where the majority of the population is not Mormon. Going to school at Brigham Young University, you get used to that kind of society.. hearing someone swear is like whaa?? Seeing someone smoke, I always have to pause and remember that not everyone is Mormon, and even we aren't always what we should be.

But I'm completely fine with it! I absolutely love the atmosphere at the University, and wouldn't have wanted to choose any other way. The fact that I don't have to worry about any of the drama involved with drinking, sex, drugs, etc. is extremely comforting. I always hear about all the things that happen in other colleges and it seems so far away, unrelatable. And yes, I am aware that I will have to be rudely awakened one of these days, but I'm fine with the safety that I feel while it lasts.

Just another reason to serve a mission. So I can tell others about the wonderful gospel that lets you feel safe in your home, on the street, and with the people around you.

I'm happy where I am. :)

Friday, December 28, 2012

THE HOBBIT (LOTR)

Went to watch the Hobbit for the second time tonight... Worth it. Oh so worth it.

Watched Pitch Perfect directly afterward... Still trying to figure that one out... But it's leaning toward the not so much.

Back to the ever-magnificent Hobbit, I am so pleased! I am a complete Lord of the Rings fan, and love it more than anything else in the world! If you aren't completely sold on it, don't let me know. It may ruin my opinion of you (I'll still love you of course).

I went to see The Hobbit for the midnight showing on the 14th, but sadly was not able to enjoy it because I got seats in the first row very close to a huge screen. Let me tell you, craning your neck for three hours is a painful ordeal. My poor cousin went as well, and she had front row seats in the 3-D one. Yikes!

One thing that was pretty crazy about it was how HUGE the feet were. Already, hobbits and dwarves have larger feet, and from the low angle it certainly didn't shrink them any. 

Because of this not-so-pleasant first experience, I had been refusing to give any critical comments about the movie before I saw it again. But now that I have, I can officially say that it is still just as fantastic as the first three by Peter Jackson. Granted The Hobbit is a very different kind of movie than Lord of the Rings, because it is a very different kind of story. Lord of the Rings was all about the action, but I believe that the Hobbit is more of a relaxed story, and the action throughout was often added in by back-stories and such.

I hold my cup up to Peter Jackson! May he continue in his genius, and bring us more great adventures on screen!

P.S. I AM SO EXCITED FOR THE DRAGON!! Dragons are my all time favorite mythical creature. :D

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Earrings By Yours Truly

I've been working on a project and have gotten a little carried away with it. I'm no where near finished! My plan is to make a whole bunch of different earrings, and give them to my girl-friends. I hope they like them! If not, I'll just have a TON of earrings haha

I actually saw something like them on Pinterest, and decided to try it out! All it takes is those paint color samples, Modge Podge, some earring hooks, and jump rings. Here are some samples that I've done so far! 



So what are your thoughts? Are these any good, would you wear them?



Afterthought: I'm currently watching the Wiz, which is pretty much a black version of the Wizard of Oz, and it's hilarious! Michael Jackson plays the scarecrow, and it's great to see him :)

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas Spirit For All Year

As I sit here, I can't stop thinking about the spectacular movie that I just watched, The Christmas Shoes. If there were any movie to recommend for a heart-changing and warming film experience, this would be it. In fact, I am going to make a tradition to watch it every year for Christmas from now on.

The story is beautiful, and reminds us that Christmas isn't just a once-a-year feeling. We need to have it all the time! The business man in the movie who was spending more time in his office than with his family, he did not have the spirit of Christmas because he was too busy worrying about money, possessions, etc. But in the simple act of service for a young boy who wanted to give his dying mother a present, this man remembered what he was missing out on.

This is the theme song for the movie

I was crying for pretty much the whole last half of the movie because it was so touching. It reminded me what I should be doing. My family is what matters most, and anything that gets in the way of me spending time with them should become my second priority. They aren't going to be around forever, and might even have to go before it's expected. In fact, I might be the one that is called home before expected. So I want to make sure that I've done all I can to let the people I care about know how much they mean to me. And I want to know that I spent all the time with them that I could.

Earlier Today...

I seem to be having a similar trend with my stomach and holidays this year.. It's not a good one either! This past Thanksgiving I got the stomach flu, and now for Christmas my tummy has been acting up again! It's not the flu this time, but something else entirely, though I've no clue what. It's interesting because it's like a burning in my actual stomach, but it only really bugs me when I stand up. Luckily, I am just fine with sitting down all the time lol

But now I can't eat all the sweets that we've got! It's Christmas after all... And I had a great one despite my bothersome body. I just love my family so much!

Here is the final picture of the gingerbread house, with the scenery that my dad put up for it. This beautiful house on the side of a mountain has actual trees, a life-size nativity, a snowman worth mentioning, and reindeer wandering the yard! :)


That's all for now! I've got to go spend the rest of this special day con mi familia!

Monday, December 24, 2012

Here's to Christ and His Helper, Santa

As Christmas Day comes upon us, I would just like to say,

I BELIEVE.

That's actually a reference to two movies, both of which are great to watch during the holidays: Miracle on 34th Street and the Polar Express. 

I watched the Polar Express tonight and it really touched me. I wouldn't say that the overall quality of the movie is top notch.. But the whole point of the story really got to me; the theme with the bells was perfect. In the scene when the hero boy can see the bells and yet he can't hear them, he has to choose to believe. He had to believe BEFORE he could see Santa Claus. 

I appreciated this because one of my least favorite things about now-a-days Santa Claus is the ridiculous and false statement tagged to him, "Seeing is Believing." This goes in the complete opposite direction from what Christ said in John 20, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." Who in the world decided that the very man representing Christ's birthday would say the opposite? 

So as I was watching the Polar Express, I noticed that this movie paralleled Christ with Santa in many aspects. "Seeing is Believing" was said in the beginning, but then it adds, "but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." Yes! That, and the fact that the boy was trying and trying to see Santa, but he couldn't. And yet, as soon as he chose to put faith in him, Santa came. I believe the director was trying to compare Claus to Christ with the angelic glow about him, the more solemn demeanor, and the way that he knew and cared about each child. 

All in all, this movie was a touching one, both in it's message of the real meaning of Christmas, as well as the way it was told in a light-hearted way with the story of the North Pole. 

Here's a new video of the Nativity to tell the true story of the first gift of Christmas. This really happened. And I don't need to have seen it to believe. :)


Merry Christmas!!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

The House is Done!!

Decorating of the gingerbread house is finished! I am soo exhausted. It actually doesn't look to bad, even though I was pretty much throwing frosting on it so I could finish. Here it is...

TADA!!


 I say it's finished, but my parents still want to make surrounding scenery. Which was my original plan, until I realized how time-consuming the whole thing is. But you may be seeing yet another picture later on!


Have you ever had those moments when you feel extremely jealous about a situation when you have absolutely no cause to be? Yeah, that's how I was today. It's quite ridiculous. Ah well, what can we do? For starters, I need to stop being jealous, and just be happy for the couple I'm feeling weird about. They probably work very well together!


In church today, we had a Christmas music program, done by Valerie Rawlins. She did such an amazing job! I participated by playing half of the congregational hymns while another girl played they other half. Every one one of the musical numbers were very well done, and brought the Spirit into the meeting. I'm so happy that our little Singles branch in Mountain Home has so much musical talent! I love everyone here. :)

Not much else to report today, so hasta la vista!

Science and Religion Work Together

Gingerbread, frosting, gingerbread, and more frosting. My mind feels like it's going to melt into nothing. Although I'm unable to say that I finished my house, I did get the actual frame set up, and tomorrow is just for decorating!

One important item of business-- I'll have you know that the dates on most of my posts are one day behind, because I have a habit of posting at one or two in the morning. I am going to try and post before 12, but we'll see how that goes. :)

What I really want to talk about tonight is the AWESOME talk I had with my dad. We were able to talk about gospel and science related things, without it ending in someone huffing off. 

My dad is not a member of the church (of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), while I've mentioned before that my mom is a very stalwart member--and both of them are very stubborn. So naturally, they get into pretty heated conversations/arguments about the gospel. I often would sit for hours just listening to them go back and forth. This may be the reason I was so quiet when I was younger. I'm just not the type to cut in when others are speaking; I let people say what they are going to say, because I hate being cut off myself. But when there's people other than me, I often don't have room to add anything.

However, today the missionaries came and asked my father if he had ever read the Book of Mormon. He replied that he hadn't read it straight through, but had compared it to the Bible years ago. This is when I had the idea of what I wanted for my Christmas present, as well as my birthday (exactly three months from Christmas). After the missionaries were gone I proposed my wish: "For my Christmas present, I want you to begin reading the Book of Mormon, and for my Birthday I want you to finish it." I also requested that he not compare it to anything else, as I know this would take the Spirit away, so that he can just read it for what it is. He agreed! 

We continued talking about beliefs, which led to a discussion about how science and religion can be paired. My father agreed that these two do work together. My biggest problem with society in general is that Science is one thing and Religion is another, and we think that one disproves the other.

However, this is not true! God is Science. Science is not proving that things happen by chance, but rather proving that such intricate designs must have a designer. 

As "smart" as mother nature is, she's not a being and could not have naturally made such a huge immensity of complex organisms and elements.

I took Geology this last semester, and learned about things that I honestly didn't even think necessary to know, and yet they still existed. Each and every little detail matters in our universe. This world is so complicated of a subject, because of just how specific things have to be in order to make a world such as ours. Specificity is not natural. As my professor always said, mother nature is lazy and always takes the easiest way. There's no way "she" pays attention to detail. There's got to be Someone that does. 

Evolution was brought up after my father was trying to tell me his belief about the difference between facts and truth. I don't understand his reasoning perfectly, but I did glean something which I agree with: fact and truth are not the same thing. Fact has been scientifically proven, knowledge that the human race has accumulated. Truth, however, is what is-- always has been and always will be. The facts that we have today are only a small pinpoint of the truth. According to these definitions, anything having to do with faith cannot be called a fact, but it can be truth.

Evolution is a complicated issue, because it has scientific proof, and yet a lot of theory as well. It has been proven that species can evolve. Anyone who knows anything would not be able to say otherwise. However, it hasn't been proven-- and will never be-- how evolution started, how the world was created, or anything about the creation. This is where faith comes in. We can look at all of the scientifically proven facts, and still there is so much we don't know. The only way humanity can live with not knowing is to trust in God. Trust that he knew what he was doing, and he was in charge. 

As far as how we were created, that's another thing where you've got to have faith. Some religious people cannot accept that we came from something resembling an ape/monkey, choosing to take the Bible's creation story literally. And yet, how many instances did God, both in Old and New Testaments, speak symbolically? I would vouch that there's more symbolism than literal statements. What's to say that homo sapiens did not evolve until God deemed they were ready for his spirit children to enter them? 

I would like to point a couple things out from Genesis 2.
  1. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground"
    First of all, if we're okay with coming from the dust, what's wrong with evolving from a creature? But that's not the point I want to make. When it says dust of the ground, I'm reminded of the fact that the very first living organism technically came from the dust of the ground. So even through evolution, everything came from dust.
  2. "And breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."
    This was my dad's acknowledgment-- the soul is the only thing that would make humans different from the previous homo sapiens. The soul is something that only God could have given us, and he chose when to.
  3. In the garden, "the tree of knowledge of good and evil."
    This implies that Adam and Eve did not previously know good and evil. They were like children. But where did they come from? Yes, they could have been placed there by God, but why not have been born from a homo-sapien family? Thus they were born into a family that had the mental capacity more or less of children. And then they were given understanding after partaking of the tree, the true beginning of the human race and God's children. 
I'm not telling you what to believe, I'm just telling you what I believe and why. Once again, I'll just say that facts are few while opinions are many, but truth is everlasting. It's your job to use faith to find it. :)

Saturday, December 22, 2012

The Mission, God, and Me.

I had a great day today, and got some things done! In fact, I was able to go to my doctor's appointment for my mission papers! I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and my plan is to serve a mission for the year-and-a-half that young women are able to. I am so excited!

This will be me. \/  :)
Learn more about Mormon missionaries!
I can't turn in my paperwork until January, four months before I am actually able to leave, so I've still got at least a month before I find out where I go. Honestly though, I would be good with anywhere! I'm to the point where I really have a desire to go and serve Christ. I want to put my life on hold, and dedicate every waking hour to Him.

This may sound cliche to some people, because whenever I heard someone say that, I felt the same way-- it was just the same old thing, and couldn't possibly be what they were really thinking about. But over the past couple weeks as I've searched for what I am supposed to do, and whether going on a mission is the right path to choose, I have also gotten that desire! It's an answer to my prayers. I saw those other girls who only wanted to serve God, and I envied that. And now He's given it to me! I'm going, baby, and nothings going to stop me. 

---
On a completely different note, as I was on my way to play phone tag with some friends (which was SO fun, especially because we ended it with a nerf war :D) I found this awesome light display. I feel this may be something that one could only find in Mountain Home Idaho and I had a good laugh about it. Here's a representation of my hometown:
If you can't tell, it's a tractor made of Christmas lights. I honestly wonder where people get these ideas.. lol

Friday, December 21, 2012

End of the World, But I've Got Gingerbread

After getting on Facebook, I was reminded about fifty times that tomorrow (today) may possibly be the end of the world and I should say something interesting or revealing before we are all gone. But honestly, today was just a GOOD day, without any effort. If the world did end, I would be completely satisfied with the last day I had on earth.

But seeing as how the whole Mayan calendar predicting the end is a load of complete nonsense, I'll go ahead and assume that I'll be around for December 22. 
Besides, I need tomorrow, so I can finish my gingerbread house! 

I started one today... and it's not a mangy little graham cracker one. Oh no, this is going to be a full on gingerbread house, like I've only built once before. My mom was cool enough to save some pages from a very, very old magazine that had designs for gingerbread houses-- and pretty cool ones too. Take a look at the date. --->

But man, I never even realized how hard it is to make a gingerbread house! There's so many steps before you even get to the baking part, that I just want to throw the whole thing out and just get some graham crackers! I'm about halfway done with the building process, so hopefully I will be able to show the finished product by Saturday! 

Other highlights of the day: my little nephew Kru came over, I got some bonding time with my mom, and I had a crazy thought! 

Kru
What an adventure that kid brings when he is around! Kru is a 3yr-old little boy who loves what most little boys love. And I got to be with him all day today. First thing we did? Break into the new toys that I found a couple days ago as I was cleaning the house. 
*Sidenote: I don't know about you, but when I play with toys that I used to play with as a littlie, it really brings back the memories, adding a bright spot to my day. 

Kru also helped us finish decorating our tree with ornaments, and was very talented at putting them all on one branch. I ended up having to move quite a few of them, but it was so fun to see his excitement! Once again, here's what out tree now looks like:

Kru also got to make gingerbread cookies with mom and I! We couldn't stop laughing throughout the whole thing, both because of how funny that little kid is and because today was just accident-prone! Seriously every ten minutes something would drop. The best part was that the two played on each other. When we would make a mess, Kru would do something hilarious in response, and then later Kru would also drop something, which would start the laughter again! A viscous cycle, but worth it for the smiles. :D

Mom
Even though she can't help me physically make the gingerbread house, my mom was with me to provide support, help me decipher the directions, and just talk! We ended up having a good conversation, in which I explained to her the fascinating concepts of both communication styles and love languages. Both of these subjects were something that I was a fanatic about last year, when I first discovered them. I was always thinking about them, trying to figure out what I was, what others were, and how this affected me. If you don't know much about either of these, LOOK INTO THEM. I learned so much about humanity in general, my friends, relationships, and most importantly myself. 

Anyway, while having this conversation with my mom, we got onto the topic of what Jesus was. If you knew my mom at all, this would be no surprise; she manages to bring him into any conversation. It's something I admire about her. But this brings me to the last highlight:

Crazy Thought
It's obvious that because Jesus Christ was perfect, he was an assertive communicator. But what about his love language(s)? What is the perfect combination for the 5 languages? At first, I thought that it would be an equal degree for each, but I can't imagine Christ caring the same about receiving gifts as he does quality time. And my mom also pointed out that he would serve, serve, serve. This got me thinking about quality touch. I wonder if this was very high in Christ? There's no way of knowing how he communicated with others, whether he would place his hand on their shoulder, or embrace them as a greeting. And if he did do these things, was it because he knew that's what THEY needed, or was it because HE needed it? 

Who knows? I'm aware I'll never find out in this life, but I like thinking about it all the same. I feel it helps me realize what's most important, both in general and to myself. 


A couple more pictures to add to today's record :)

Kru and mommy makin' gingerbread men
My gingerbread house in the works

Thursday, December 20, 2012

It's Started! or should I say Continuing?

Now that the class which started my blog is over, I've decided I may as well keep it up! We'll see how long this new-found desire stays, but for now I shall be posting about whatever the heck I feel like!

I'm not going to have a specific theme, until I've figured out what I want to do with this thing. I like the previous idea of analyzing what I've read or watched, and then telling how I felt and relating it to some deep philosophical idea, BUT I also like the idea of just having a carefree telltale about what goes on in my life! Especially with all the awesome things I have planned for the holidays.. :D So you can look forward to a short excerpt of my Christmas break throughout the coming weeks!

To start off, I'd like you to meet my parents:


This picture (taken today) is a great representation of both of them. My dad, with his surprising sense of humor and my mom as she studiously studies her scriptures. I love them both, and am happy that I get to be with them and just them for the holidays this year!

I know I keep mentioning this, but I am SO excited for the upcoming week. I've got so much planned! You'll be seeing a lot of my awesome activities (assuming I follow through with my plans) as I shall be posting all about 'em!

Before I go, I'd just like to post a picture of our tree that we put up today. Honestly this is mainly so that I can remember when I look back.. because for me, a Christmas tree is a big deal! In my family, we saw quite a few Christmases go by without a tree in our house, and that was something that I really missed having. It's not Christmas without one! So here it is-- our Christmas tree in all its glory, minus the ornaments.

We certainly piled the lights on; there is probably around six or seven strands of lights on it. But I think it's fantastic, especially because my dad helped me with it! There's only one thing better than getting a tree for Christmas, and that's having my dad help me trim it!


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Integration


“I already know what to call him. I call him ‘son’.” (Hellboy 2004)
I chose to watch the movie Hellboy for one of the movies by a Latin American author. I’m not sure what I think about the movie. I enjoyed the effects, as well as the idea. But I wasn’t too fond of the actors. One thing I did really like though is the theme of accepting who you are. Both Hellboy and “Sparky” had to become comfortable with themselves, and accept that they would never be able to blend into regular society.

During Hellboy’s journey, he must ask himself whether he is part of our world, or whether he will become the creature he initially was. I loved his father’s attitude toward Hellboy. Not as an adopted creature, but as his son, no different from his own self. This is important in every similar occasion, not just with crazy fantastical creatures, but with normal people who may be a little different than us. Perhaps because of race, or because of mental capacity, or simply because they are from a different place. Hellboy is a great lesson for both learning who you are and accepting other people as they are.

What causes us to be so unaccepting of people who are different from us? Is it just part of our nature? And if so, WHY? There have been so many instances where someone or a group of people are cast out of the majority’s group just because they don’t look the same or believe the same: Mormons, African-Americans, and in a fictional example—mutants (X-men).

How can we get rid of this tendency to stay in our own little groups? Take in every outsider, welcome them, and treat them as your own. Just like Hellboy’s father did, make them part of your family, and they will become so in their own mind.