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May. 3rd, 2025 05:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowhiveSo today’s been the annual ‘Birmingham trip for free comic book day’ only this time we were going to sea life centre for the animal crossing thing.
It was a bit of a restless night again, I think partly due to the weather which ugh nd then my stomach felt dicey in the morning but thankfully it settled.
On the train I read Secret Of Chimneys some more and damnit we pulled into the station just as a body was discovered. The station was a tad annoying cause we couldn’t get a ticket and then had to go across the Birmingham station to get one.
First Forbidden Planet! There’s two an and they have different approaches to free comic book day. The first one, by the station, lets you pick but only three. The second one gives out bags but they’re random. From the first I got the Star Wars one (once again the dark horse one isn’t here in the uk), Minecraft and Diablo. Diablo was very much a random pick but I’m glad I went with it over Marvel voices which I almost picked (why later). Mum got the Star Wars one again, Fantastic Four and a superman and Batman one (an odd choice). I also got a chainsaw man poster and random bookmark, but possibly my fav thing was they had some Star Wars Unlimited cards and let people have some. They said there wasn’t a limit so I got 19 (I probably should’ve done more the piles were huge) but I’m happy I got Sabine, Krennic, a tie defender and a death trooper.
Also from there I picked up some Star Wars graphic novels, a dark droids one and two high republic adventures cause that was the offer. (I was gonna get the Funko offer but the ones they posted I liked were already gone, though I suspect it was from a different store.’p)
Next stop was The Entertainer. They had a freebie when you spent £20 but there wasn’t anything I liked (and the freebie was only a Funko card game thing). But! They had a Lego make and take with a cool little U-wing! I honestly love it, its wings fold back and it’s so swooshable.
Less good look at the Lego store, the make and take was gone already (of Grogu in a hover pram, which people are already selling for £35 which is crazy) but I did see the new stuff and the U-wing does look nice, as does Chopper.
Next was the game outlet and I got the AC Valhalla expansion on offer. I’ve not been on it in forever so maybe this will give me incentive.
Then there was the other Forbidden Planet. The bags were good hauls and I got a horror comic I wanted(but didn’t see) as well as some others including Godzilla (and marvel voices again). I didn’t get to go down to check on the books like I hoped but I did get micro galaxy squadron ships. They had the Mandalorian’s N-1! And the Scythe from Obi-wan at only a third of the price. I also got a Star Wars unlimited pack but nothing too special was in it (but Krennic’s ship was in it!)
Then it was the trip up to sea life and… ugh it’s a long walk up there which I always forget (it’s by where I saw Sleep Token).
So I’m gonna give Sea Life thoughts in two ways. First on its own merits, then as an Animal Crossing event. Also, I took A Lot of pics so they will be up on insta at some point (maybe later, maybe tomorrow it depends how tired I feel). Before I start the last time I’d been to the sea life was pre covid with Heather which is so long ago😭.
First off though! The penguins were there! The enclosure was closed when I last went (I don’t recall why but it must’ve been short notice cause they offered free tickets but of course covid happened). And ahh! They were so cute waddling around then zooming in the water. They even came up to the windows sometimes which was so cute! But most cutely?? It’s breeding season and some were laying nests! It was so adorable and I loved them so much.
Obviously the penguins were my fav but I loved the garden eels (they’re so smol!), the jellyfish, the rays (some even came to the surface!) the huge sea turtle (!!), the cute sea horses and so many other pretty fish. And there were lil tortures with weirdly long and mobile necks. Also there were sharks! And some of them were just so done and were flop which, mode. The only thing we didn’t see were the sea otters that weren’t in their area for some reason (there was a camera showing them somewhere but I dunno where).
(Again pics will be up and I know I’ve missed stuff.)
There was a vr area which was new, but it was £7 and only 5 minutes so I didn’t even want to try it.
From the little shop I got an Axolotl key ring, penguin jewellery and an Animal Crossing mug (which came free with a lil toy, I picked a lobster? mum spotted). I also got two coins from machines around the place (one a jellyfish, one a penguin).
Overall it was really good on that front, though I do wish I’d used the touch pool but was wary about my hands. So it was a nice visit and, again, I loved seeing the penguins. I could’ve sat there and watched them be silly and cute for ages.
From an Animal Crossing side… you picked up a thing by the penguins which you’d stamp as you go around. It’s a kinda fun idea, but by the last four stamps were clearly out of ink. Also around were posters on the wall of blathers talking about the animals but the placements were odd (for instance the seahorse one wasn’t near the sea horses) but also quite a few were in low light areas making them hard to read. The only thing I saw that wasn’t them was a Gulliver model which was really fun to spot! But it was a shame he was the only one.
Also there was a thing to take pics with Isabelle or Tom Nook… but I think the arrows were posted wrong cause I didn’t see where it was which was a shame. There was AC which was Lego, a puzzle, pins, mugs and the plushies. i had thought of getting one but they were £25 (for small) and £45 (for big) which felt too much. So if you’re going just for the Animal Crossing stuff you might be disappointed, but if you go to see cute, pretty or interesting animals you won’t be!
We went in the Lego store across from that and I got some poly bags, including the new Animal Crossing one, a Mars rover and some flowers.
Then we went back to the station, stopping for churros (and to get the How It Works magazine from Smith cause deep sea fish).
Now I’m just a bit flop, I’m aching a bit so I’m just gonna flop, watch Doctor Who, maybe build a poly bag and StarWars fortnite before going zzz.
Update: Some pics here
It was a bit of a restless night again, I think partly due to the weather which ugh nd then my stomach felt dicey in the morning but thankfully it settled.
On the train I read Secret Of Chimneys some more and damnit we pulled into the station just as a body was discovered. The station was a tad annoying cause we couldn’t get a ticket and then had to go across the Birmingham station to get one.
First Forbidden Planet! There’s two an and they have different approaches to free comic book day. The first one, by the station, lets you pick but only three. The second one gives out bags but they’re random. From the first I got the Star Wars one (once again the dark horse one isn’t here in the uk), Minecraft and Diablo. Diablo was very much a random pick but I’m glad I went with it over Marvel voices which I almost picked (why later). Mum got the Star Wars one again, Fantastic Four and a superman and Batman one (an odd choice). I also got a chainsaw man poster and random bookmark, but possibly my fav thing was they had some Star Wars Unlimited cards and let people have some. They said there wasn’t a limit so I got 19 (I probably should’ve done more the piles were huge) but I’m happy I got Sabine, Krennic, a tie defender and a death trooper.
Also from there I picked up some Star Wars graphic novels, a dark droids one and two high republic adventures cause that was the offer. (I was gonna get the Funko offer but the ones they posted I liked were already gone, though I suspect it was from a different store.’p)
Next stop was The Entertainer. They had a freebie when you spent £20 but there wasn’t anything I liked (and the freebie was only a Funko card game thing). But! They had a Lego make and take with a cool little U-wing! I honestly love it, its wings fold back and it’s so swooshable.
Less good look at the Lego store, the make and take was gone already (of Grogu in a hover pram, which people are already selling for £35 which is crazy) but I did see the new stuff and the U-wing does look nice, as does Chopper.
Next was the game outlet and I got the AC Valhalla expansion on offer. I’ve not been on it in forever so maybe this will give me incentive.
Then there was the other Forbidden Planet. The bags were good hauls and I got a horror comic I wanted(but didn’t see) as well as some others including Godzilla (and marvel voices again). I didn’t get to go down to check on the books like I hoped but I did get micro galaxy squadron ships. They had the Mandalorian’s N-1! And the Scythe from Obi-wan at only a third of the price. I also got a Star Wars unlimited pack but nothing too special was in it (but Krennic’s ship was in it!)
Then it was the trip up to sea life and… ugh it’s a long walk up there which I always forget (it’s by where I saw Sleep Token).
So I’m gonna give Sea Life thoughts in two ways. First on its own merits, then as an Animal Crossing event. Also, I took A Lot of pics so they will be up on insta at some point (maybe later, maybe tomorrow it depends how tired I feel). Before I start the last time I’d been to the sea life was pre covid with Heather which is so long ago😭.
First off though! The penguins were there! The enclosure was closed when I last went (I don’t recall why but it must’ve been short notice cause they offered free tickets but of course covid happened). And ahh! They were so cute waddling around then zooming in the water. They even came up to the windows sometimes which was so cute! But most cutely?? It’s breeding season and some were laying nests! It was so adorable and I loved them so much.
Obviously the penguins were my fav but I loved the garden eels (they’re so smol!), the jellyfish, the rays (some even came to the surface!) the huge sea turtle (!!), the cute sea horses and so many other pretty fish. And there were lil tortures with weirdly long and mobile necks. Also there were sharks! And some of them were just so done and were flop which, mode. The only thing we didn’t see were the sea otters that weren’t in their area for some reason (there was a camera showing them somewhere but I dunno where).
(Again pics will be up and I know I’ve missed stuff.)
There was a vr area which was new, but it was £7 and only 5 minutes so I didn’t even want to try it.
From the little shop I got an Axolotl key ring, penguin jewellery and an Animal Crossing mug (which came free with a lil toy, I picked a lobster? mum spotted). I also got two coins from machines around the place (one a jellyfish, one a penguin).
Overall it was really good on that front, though I do wish I’d used the touch pool but was wary about my hands. So it was a nice visit and, again, I loved seeing the penguins. I could’ve sat there and watched them be silly and cute for ages.
From an Animal Crossing side… you picked up a thing by the penguins which you’d stamp as you go around. It’s a kinda fun idea, but by the last four stamps were clearly out of ink. Also around were posters on the wall of blathers talking about the animals but the placements were odd (for instance the seahorse one wasn’t near the sea horses) but also quite a few were in low light areas making them hard to read. The only thing I saw that wasn’t them was a Gulliver model which was really fun to spot! But it was a shame he was the only one.
Also there was a thing to take pics with Isabelle or Tom Nook… but I think the arrows were posted wrong cause I didn’t see where it was which was a shame. There was AC which was Lego, a puzzle, pins, mugs and the plushies. i had thought of getting one but they were £25 (for small) and £45 (for big) which felt too much. So if you’re going just for the Animal Crossing stuff you might be disappointed, but if you go to see cute, pretty or interesting animals you won’t be!
We went in the Lego store across from that and I got some poly bags, including the new Animal Crossing one, a Mars rover and some flowers.
Then we went back to the station, stopping for churros (and to get the How It Works magazine from Smith cause deep sea fish).
Now I’m just a bit flop, I’m aching a bit so I’m just gonna flop, watch Doctor Who, maybe build a poly bag and StarWars fortnite before going zzz.
Update: Some pics here
no subject
Date: 2025-05-03 08:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-03 08:57 pm (UTC)And yeah that’s completely fair! I imagine the London one would be even more expensive anyway. And absolutely! There’s so much to do in London so I hope you have a nice time with whatever you plan on doing!
no subject
Date: 2025-05-04 09:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-05-04 10:24 pm (UTC)