Town Hall

Your Favorite Underdog (April 2011)

If you read "Save the Ugly Animals" without a twinge of pity for the adorably hideous purple frog or Mekong giant catfish, you're a tougher Muse-ling than we though. Here at Muse HQ, we find ourselves rooting for the underdogs more often than we'd like to admit. They're just so squishy and helpless, you know?

Who's your favorite underdog? Which animal/fictional character/underappreciated vegetable do you always stand by, no matter how many times the world turns its back? (Sniff! We're feeling emotional already.)

Favorite endangered animal: Polar bear. Not really ugly, but there really aren't enough people helping with this issue. I dunno if it counts. If I had to pick andugly animal, I guess the purple frog. It's not pretty, but it's interesting to look at 'cause it's so weird, you know?

*SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE LAST HARRY POTTER BOOK*

Favorite underappreciated fictional character: Neville Longbottom. Everyone thought he was just a big lump who wasn't great at magic in the beginning of the series, but then he turns out to save them all in the last book by chopping off Nagini's head. And he's pretty cool in the last three books, too. 

*END OF SPOILER ALERT*

Favorite underappreciated vegetable: Spinach. Hated by kids everywhere, it's actually pretty great on pizza and in lasagna. I'm still undecided about salads.

submitted by GeekGirl, age 13.14159265, Chad's laboratory
(April 8, 2011 - 5:01 pm)

GeekGirl-

 i agree with the spinach, but what about fruits? The tomato is the least appreciated fruit. (Cucumber is up there too.)

submitted by Lauren B., age 11, York Haven, PA
(April 9, 2011 - 1:49 pm)

Hmm... Actually, I think pumpkins are the least appreciated fruit. (And yes, technically a pumpkin is a fruit. It has seeds.)  Then tomatoes and cucumbers.

submitted by GeekGirl, age 13, Feather's garden
(April 10, 2011 - 9:02 am)

That purple frog was kind  of cool. I agree that neville was underappricciated, but he didn't save their lives by killing Nagini. Neville save their lives by opening the room of u-n-what so punishment teachers couldn't kill everyone. I don't want to ruin the story for people who haven't read it yet, so i'm just going to say that the snake wasn't a you know what, but details lead that bad Tom R. thought she was. If you don't understand what  just wrote you'd better read harry Potter. Ha ha ha!

submitted by Vivian M., age 9 and 3/4, Randolph,NY
(April 13, 2011 - 5:44 pm)

*BIG GIGANTIC SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU WANT BIG STUFF FROM HARRY POTTER BOOK 7 REVEALED! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED*

He DID save their butts then too, by opening the room of requirement, but if he hadn't chopped off Nagini's head, then Voldemort would've still had a horcrux, and he wouldn't have died, and this would've all started again a few years later. He saved a LOT of people both times. Which is my point... why am I arguing again?

submitted by GeekGirl, age Third year, Platform 9 and 3/4
(April 16, 2011 - 7:57 pm)

WOW, your right! Poor Neville was so underapreciated! But in Goblet of Fire he did give Harry the gillyweed, and I appreciated that! Go Neville and other rather unappreciated Harry Potter characters!

submitted by Cleopatra VII, age a few thousand, muse website
(June 13, 2011 - 7:20 pm)

Incorrect. Brussels Sprouts are the most under appreciated. At least in books. Back in reality though, they are awesome. Period. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

submitted by O.T.M., age 1,111,112-1,111,100, Nowhere, Orzet
(April 14, 2011 - 3:08 pm)

People need to realize the importance of purple fox terriers, along with african clawed frogs.

submitted by Random Pretzel, age Older than 0, Somewhere in the Milky Way
(April 8, 2011 - 6:57 pm)

I thought the Porbeagle was really kinda cute!  I liked it.  Those big eyes... *sigh*...

submitted by Victoria, age age, City, State
(April 12, 2011 - 8:40 am)

I LOVE THE PORBEAGLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

EVEN THOUGH IT LOOKS LIKE IT COULD EAT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

submitted by Erin K., age 13.314159, Apex NC
(April 17, 2011 - 3:21 pm)

WASNT IT AWESOME??? I LOVED IT!  YOU AWESOME PORBEAGLE, I LOVE YOU!

submitted by Victoria, age toot sweet, hushaby bay, vulgeria
(April 22, 2011 - 9:19 am)

i liked the mekong giant catfish and nile soft-shelled turtle. don't like the olm thogh

Me either. --Ed.

submitted by liam h, age 10, cary nc
(April 12, 2011 - 1:41 pm)

The mekong giant catfish is COOL!  its SO BIG!  and i sorta know where da mekong river is!  which makes it cool... =)  its in china. towards da middle, i think it goes vertically through the middle of china.  i had a crash course on geograghy this year... =)

submitted by Victoria, age toot sweet, hushaby bay, vulgeria
(April 22, 2011 - 9:18 am)

My favorite is.....my autistic dog Pepper! She is a underdog cause shes autistic.but her special skill is that she is a SUPER fast runner!

submitted by Amelia A., age 10, Hendersonville,NC
(May 3, 2011 - 6:59 pm)

Dogs can be autistic? I've never heard of that. Do you mean she just acts like she's autistic? That would make sense, but it's not unusual for dogs. Have you read Animals In Translation by Temple Grandin? Apparently many autistic people are very good at understanding animals, because there are certain similarities that most people lack. It's quite fascinating.

...Oh, wait. Were you using dog in a figurative sense? Sorry, I have trouble picking up those sorts of things.

I love animals. All of them. Literally all of them, including cockroaches and mosquitos. I have faced a lot of ridicule for it, unfortunately.

submitted by Bibliophile
(June 16, 2011 - 1:08 am)

Favorite underdog? I honestly don't know. If something's an underdog and I like it, it's not an underdog to me anymore.

FAVORITE UNDERDOG MAGAZINE: MUSE!!!!

It's an awesome magazine, and nobody from my school except me and my friend who I introduced to it reads it. But it's so awesome!!

submitted by Caroline G, age 12, NC
(May 13, 2011 - 2:47 pm)

Fave underdog animals: Walrus, or an axolotl. Look them up on Google images. My friend is obsessed with them, so I have discovered them through the WORLD OF PURE IMAGINATION!!!!

submitted by Bounce
(May 24, 2011 - 6:18 pm)

I root for all the endangered uglies of the animal kingdom (go big-nosed monkey! :D) but I really stand by the awesomeness of chard. What is chard, you ask? Only the awesomenest veggie in the world!!! Not to be overexciting. Chard can be cooked, boiled, baked, left in a dirt pile for 100 days and still not be rotten...just kidding! Chard tastes delightful, no matter how you serve it. It definetely needs to be recognized in this new age!!!

submitted by Kat, age 11, Katy, Tx
(July 1, 2011 - 6:02 pm)

I remember when I used to have like twenty fish, all in one tank fighting for food. All the really tiny fish where underdogs. Eventually all my fish died except for one little fish, Posidon. Or Poe, for short. He got bigger over time.

*sigh* It makes me sad

 

Good thing I have MUSE to cheere me up!

 

SMILEY FACES TO ALL :D

submitted by Somebody, age A number, My house
(January 18, 2012 - 1:00 am)

Im very sry for ur loss. ill  be with u in spirit and i hope u get ovr this tuff time. :(

submitted by kokopelli, age 100000000000000, huh
(April 17, 2012 - 8:33 pm)

I am your long-lost enemy, Kokopelli! If you are a pseudo-Kokopelli, then this is NO BUSINESS OF YOURS! Take out the exclamation points:!!!Y!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!O!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!W!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!E!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!M!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Y!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!H!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!N!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(HOPE YOU DON'T HAVE A NICE DAY)

submitted by Koko-killer, age 1,111,111, Anti-matter Kokonino County
(April 29, 2012 - 7:15 pm)