Monthly Log: 06.26
Posting this on the last day of the month instead of the start of the next one, but I'm not on the verge of finishing anything and I'm not watching a movie tonight so I think it's fair.
Books
- ๐ The Murder at the Vicarage (Agatha Christie): My mind was NOT in this book, and not because of how it's written. I love Agatha Christie's prose, and despite being very absent-minded in my reading she still managed to get me through the end and have a laugh too! I always find the way she writes narration very engaging and fun, and I enjoy all the little jokes stashed here and there. I put this one on my list after hearing about it in Wake Up Dead Man and wondered what were the common points with the movie... way less than with Roger Ackroyd, in my opinion, but I can see the connection. This was Miss Marple's first appearance in a full length novel and it kind of shows: give the old lady more space! I'd love to read more books with her, with a clearer head this time.
Movies
- ๐ฅ Sing Street: Our weekly movie nights keep on flopping, mostly because I've collected a bunch of heavy movies and we're never in the mood to watch any, so this month we only watched one of my mother-in-law's comfort movies: Sing Street. I had little expectations, but after a slow start it turned out to be pretty fun, and the music was catchier than I expected! I like how the band gets better after a disastrous beginning (though that first, shitty PV is still the best), and the ending was kind of emotional too. Man, I wish I could play with people too...
Videogames
- ๐ฎ Final Fantasy II (GBA): The legend, the experience, the infamous chapter everyone hates! I quite liked it. The writing is slightly better than its predecessor (that fun final plot twist, which isn't even original, doesn't excuse the rest), and I found it interesting for its time when it tries to tell a story. I just have beef with the excuse to find an airship. Overall I had fun. Tried Soul of Rebirth for 5 minutes before dying unceremoniously and then just watched it on YouTube; it's so incredibly stupid but it made me laugh. FF2 feels like a goofy theatre drama and I think that's endearing!
- ๐ฎ Analogue: A Hate Story (PC): Group replay with friends who hadn't yet, it was fun to revisit the game 13 years after my first playthrough. More than anything, when I was 19 a lot of things didn't hit me as hard as they do now that I'm 32... and some things that stayed with me when I was younger now seem a lot more bearable. It's like when I rewatched Utena and didn't fully grasp just how young she was until I was in my late 20s.
- ๐ฎ halfmoon (PC): Fascinating game about memory, death, identity, all concepts I love seeing explored. Short and evocative, I really liked the presentation. Much recommended!
- ๐ฎ Resonance of the Ocean (PC): Another pretty short game, this one's free too. It's cute, but I think I wouldn't have liked it too much if it wasn't for the art. Still very nice! I want to check out more games from the same people.
- ๐ฎ Necrobarista (Nintendo Switch): Another game about death, acceptance and memories. Stellar direction on a strict budget, the Switch version runs like shit outside of cutscenes (which is, thankfully, 95% of the game) and the translations other than the Japanese one are MTL garbage, but the original script is so fun and charming. Since it's set in a bar that's linked to the Afterlife I thought it would focus on several clients, but it's actually more about the owner and her crew than the occasional bystanders. Unfortunately, looking for something else by the same people, I've discovered Necrobarista has had a pretty unfortunate development. Cases like these make me think I should probably more indies at day one even if I'm not going to play them ASAP. Still, I'm glad some of the minds behind the game are still around doing their own thing, even when it's not videogames.
The Good Stuff
- How AI Ruined My Favourite Colour: Interesting post about why all standard AI generated websites have the same colour. Often, when I'm forced into a conversation about AI without my consent (which happens often as well), it feels like who I'm talking to doesn't get that agents don't think, they just make an estimate based on data. The data might be wrong, the estimate might be (and often is) superficial, in any case there is no space to ask questions and think of answers. The space between a question and its answer is often where creativity dwells; removing it doesn't speed up the process, but kills it.
- Why You Don't Understand What You Read: "We use Schemas, Predictions, and Context to extract meaning while reading, then use Inference to fill in the blanks". I was wondering lately why I feel like I've always been bad at reading, and this video kind of made it apparent: I infer a lot. Like, I skip the first part to just infer sometimes. It's faster and it's shit. That, and it highlighted the need for domain knowledge, which you really can't build if you infer all the time! What an idiot. This month I started taking notes while or after reading and, while I'm going slower, I feel like everything is a bit clearer. Rushing is a hard habit to lose.
- this is your sign to start drawing เป๊ฑ โงโห (a guide): This video reminded me I used to doodle all the time at the margin of textbooks and now I don't anymore, because I need to do it properly, look at a reference, have something to draw, whatever. Now I'm doodling again on random pieces of paper and it feels like I've rediscovered a muscle I forgot I had.
- Calvin and Hobbes and the Price of Integrity: I loved Calvin and Hobbes when I was younger but I never knew much about Bill Watterson. Now that I do, I want to read Calvin and Hobbes again. I admire his stance a lot, and I understand where he's coming from too... I immediately ordered an used copy of The Mysteries, the book he worked on with John Kascht and the only publication he's done since he stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes, and I loved it. I recommend this video about it too.
- The Geometry of Evil: Super cool video about dungeon design. Evil dungeon design. I want to make dungeons as distressing as these too...
Misc
- I caught up with the Blue Period manga and I cried more than a couple of times.
- Started watching the Nier Automata anime with a friend and I'm liking it quite a bit! I truly am in my Nier Automata Renaissance Era. Also choked back my tears a bit at some parts, a discovery said friend might be making just now by reading this. I really am weak, huh...
- I feel horrible but giving up is not a choice. I'll figure it out.