I set up some May goals that seemed like I would manage most of them. I didn’t manage many, however, due to changes in the world and my own changes in game interests.

• Inventory Management (ESO) Check!
• Pick up the last items I need for learning crafting traits (ESO)
• Do a few quests in Grahtwood (ESO)

I worked through my inventory management and tackled that, but I also realized that ESO really isn’t what I’m enjoying right now, as much as I may want to. So I’ll likely be putting ESO goals on the back burner for now, even if I do happen to log in and play some this month.

• Finish Phoenix Wright: Justice for All (Visual Novel)
• Play Muse Dash (Community Game-Along) Check!

I played quite a bit of Muse Dash, and have enjoyed myself greatly. However, I never did write about my thoughts on the game for the Community Game-Along. I’m not currently playing Muse Dash, but I do still have it installed because I will never say no to a game that works out well for depression days, or nights when I just need to unwind with mindless entertainment. I don’t think I’m going to participate in the Community Game-Along this month, as it’s JRPGJuly, and I don’t have the mental bandwidth to pick up an RPG right now (unless FFXIV counts!).

As for Phoenix Wright? Well, I saw that all of the games are available as a bundle on Steam, and well. I unfortunately missed the sale for the bundle. However, since I now know they’re on Steam, I’d rather play them there for ease-of-play, if I’m being honest. So I’m holding out for another sale on the series. For now, however, it’s coming off of my goals list.

• Complete Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 of Sunstone (Comics)
• Complete The Lesser Kindred (Reading) Check!
• Start Redeeming the Lost (Reading) Check!
• Complete one of the two books I am reading for my business (Reading)

I have yet to pick up anymore Sunstone, but I flew through both The Lesser Kindred and Redeeming the Lost. Business books got nowhere, but I think that’s partly because I didn’t call out which one I wanted to focus on, and partly due to the world environment making things feel pointless.

• Complete Season 5 of Star Wars: Clone Wars Check!
• Complete Season 10 of Stargate SG-1 Check!
• Complete Season 3 of Stargate Atlantis Check!

I finished both season 5 and 6 of Star Wars: Clone Wars, but I’ve yet to start season 7, which I addressed briefly in my last post. I also completed season 10 of Stargate SG-1, the two Stargate movies, as well as seasons 3 and 4 of Stargate Atlantis. I am looking forward to finishing Atlantis out, but I also don’t want it to end. Overall, I didn’t do too badly on my goals over the two months I worked on them.

July Goals

• WHM to 45 (FFXIV)
• Complete MSQ through level 45 (FFXIV)
• Complete How I Made $10K as a PSO (Reading/Business)
• Complete Don’t Keep Your Day Job (Reading/Business)
• Get halfway through A Song of Wraiths and Ruin (Reading)
• Complete Sunstone Vol. 2 (Comics)
• Complete Warrior Nun (TV)
• Complete Season 7 of Star Wars: Clone Wars (TV)
• Complete Season 5 of Stargate Atlantis (TV)
• Start Season 1 of Stargate Universe (TV)

Last week, Syp had some thoughts on inventories and their effects on immersion. While his thoughts lead up to, specifically, Pantheon wanting to bring inventory weight back, it made me wonder if his starter thoughts are partially why I’ve been so “meh” about ESO as of late. I’ve been stuck with an overflowing inventory for months. For a while I only had time to log in for events and made sure to collect boxes and such and obtain my tickets, but then I had an inventory full of boxes, and not much desire to do anything with them.

I’d log in daily, if I remembered, grab my log in reward, look at my inventory, cringe, and log out. When I logged in last night, I’d 73 mails. And I finally told myself enough was enough. I spent about forty five minutes in game last night cleaning out my bags and working on traits. I deposited things I could into the bank (such as furniture and some recipes), and emptied my mail, which was mostly crafting materials. Then I went through all of my event boxes, and opened them. Then it was another bag cleanout and to the vendor to sell all the Treasure items that are throwaway from boxes.

After that I felt a lot better about my inventory, to be honest. And I felt more like playing. But I knew I didn’t have time, so instead, I updated a spreadsheet of what traits I need to learn for various professions, and then picked some up to train. I’m sure I could have gotten a lot of the traits cheaper than I did, but to be honest, I didn’t feel like playing the TTC run-around game. I will for some of the more expensive traits (Triune, and Nirnhoned), but right now most everything is training for 21 days. I’m planning to play a little bit on Saturday to at the very least pick up some Nirnhoned items to train for Woodworking so that I can start using up my crafting training scrolls.

Though maybe with a cleaner inventory, I’ll feel up to continuing my meander through Grahtwood.

I set myself what I thought were some pretty reasonable goals for April. How did I do? Fair to middling.

• Inventory Management (ESO)
• Pick up the last items I need for learning crafting traits (ESO)
• Figure out where I left off in questing (ESO)
• Complete current event quest (ESO)

I didn’t even touch ESO. I realized that I had missed my opportunity to get the boxes for the month, and I was so angry with myself that I’ve done nothing but make sure the game is updated. I’m going to give myself some time to get back into it this month outside of just logging in for daily rewards, so I’m going to copy these goals into May. Except I think I’m out of luck with the anniversary event quest, so I’ll be knocking that off the list. I did figure out I was in Grahtwood, though, so that’s something!

• Start and complete Ace Attorney (Community Game-Along/Visual Novel)
• Complete current route in Sweet Fuse (Otome)

I started Phoenix Wright, but I haven’t finished it yet. So that’s going to continue onto my goals for this month. I didn’t even touch my Vita this month. I think I am going to need to set myself to completing one game per month if it is not on the computer to give myself more time to experience things at my own pace. Stretch goal for May, however, if I finish Phoenix in decent time is to complete the route in Sweet Fuse, but I won’t be putting it on my goals list.

• Complete five of the six Sunstone Volumes currently available in book format (Comics)
• Complete Song in the Silence (Reading)
• Complete one of the two books I am reading for my business (Reading)

Reading was interesting this month. It felt good to get back to something that I’ve loved so much prior in my life. Towards the end of April I did fall off the bandwagon of reading every night, which did contribute some to only reading one Sunstone volume, so I’m going to try to get back to that. I found that on nights I read before bed, I slept better overall. I did complete Song in the Silence and I’m currently 39% though the second book in the series, The Lesser Kindred. Knowing that I’ve gobbled up a novel and a half this month (almost 600 pages!), I’m going to update my pleasure-reading goals, some for May.

I also have to note that I’m kind of excited to be reading a series that I both know, and don’t. I’ve finally hit a point in the second book where I’m not necessarily remembering everything that’s going on, which means I’m finally getting to a point in the series that I’ve never made it past before. (CW: ABUSE – My ex was jealous that my best friend (then male-identifying) purchased me the third book in the trilogy, so he’d be emotionally abusive about reading, which is one of the big reasons I, well, stopped.)

I have yet to finish either book I’m reading for business, but I’ve been trying to catch-up on some admin things with my business, and get ahead with other admin things, so I unfortunately put reading and professional development on the back burner. They’re also not necessarily books that are a good relax-before-bed option, as they’re very much geared towards, well, improving my business.

• Complete Season 9 of Stargate SG-1 Check!
• Complete Season 4 of Star Wars: Clone Wars Check!

I gobbled up a bunch of Stargate, and am tip-toeing into the next season of Clone Wars, so these will continue for goals in May as well! However, I’m going to need to carefully choose my Stargate goals, as I’ve hit a point in the chronology where I do a lot of jumping between series.

May Goals

• Inventory Management (ESO)
• Pick up the last items I need for learning crafting traits (ESO)
• Do a few quests in Grahtwood (ESO)
• Finish Phoenix Wright: Justice for All (Visual Novel)
• Play Muse Dash (Community Game-Along)
• Complete Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 of Sunstone (Comics)
• Complete The Lesser Kindred (Reading)
• Start Redeeming the Lost (Reading)
• Complete one of the two books I am reading for my business (Reading)
• Complete Season 5 of Star Wars: Clone Wars
• Complete Season 10 of Stargate SG-1
• Complete Season 3 of Stargate Atlantis

This is post 24/31 for Blapril. You can find out more and sign up at Belghast’s original post. You can view those participating on Twitter via the Twitter list I put together. Nogamara of Battlestance has put together an RSS feed of all Blapril participants.

Like many games bloggers out there, I’ve been noting my gaming goals for a while (I was surprised to see it went as far back as when I started this blog… so much has changed but some things remain, it seems). Then in August of last year I changed up the format of how I’d be doing them.

Normally I’d be keen to come up with some gaming goals. However, I’m not at a place where I’ve been doing a lot of gaming. And it’s been that way for a while. Which puts me at a loss to what I even want to tackle outside of a few select gaming things to ease me back into gaming for both fun and content creation.

April Nerding Goals

I decided to change it up—again. I’m going to start calling them Nerding Goals, and include other various geeky and nerdy pursuits, like visual and written media consumption.

Some of these goals may seem simple to you, but some link back to what Roger over at Contains Moderate Peril has deemed as “gaming amnesia“. Not just that, but depression screws with one’s memory, and I am at a disadvantage for picking up content I was in the middle of ages ago. The bright side of this being my brain is having an easier time remembering current media, so it should make things going forward a lot easier to come back to, and to complete.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s my list for April in no particular order.

• Inventory Management (ESO)
• Pick up the last items I need for learning crafting traits (ESO)
• Figure out where I left off in questing (ESO)
• Complete current event quest (ESO)
• Start and complete Ace Attorney (Community Game-Along/Visual Novel)
• Complete five of the six Sunstone Volumes currently available in book format (Comics)
• Complete current route in Sweet Fuse (Otome)
• Complete Song in the Silence (Reading)
• Complete one of the two books I am reading for my business (Reading)
• Complete Season 9 of Stargate SG-1
• Complete Season 4 of Star Wars: Clone Wars

This is post 5/31 for Blapril. You can find out more and sign up at Belghast’s original post. You can view those participating on Twitter via the Twitter list I put together. Nogamara of Battlestance has put together an RSS feed of all Blapril participants.

IntPiPoMo is almost at an end, but I wanted to give a quick shout out to those that signed up to participate this year. I’ve been lurking on posts, and it’s been fun to see how everyone interprets their participation in IntPiPoMo. It’s been a light in a pretty dark month to read everyone’s posts. (Blogs are listed in alphabetical order.)

• Mr. Peril – Contains Moderate Peril
• The Royal Family – Dating Sims on the Holodeck
• Cal – Galactic Antics
• Chestnut – Gamer Girl Confessions
• Shintar – Going Commando
• Magi – Indiecator
• Bhagpuss – Inventory Full
• Mailvaltar – Mailvaltar: MMOs and Other Stuff
• Paeroka – Nerdy Bookahs
• Stargrace – Nomadic Gamers, eh!
• Telwyn – GamingSF
• Tyler Edwards – Superior Realities
• Atheren – The Last Chapter Gaming Blog
• Arislyn – The Tanking Mage
• Welshtroll – Welshtroll

My Little Indrik

I’ve been grinding my way through the events in ESO as much as possible, mainly because I enjoy collecting mounts, and think the Indriks are interesting creatures. I finally got enough berries and feathers to unlock my first ever Indrik, and I’m in love! The Onyx Indrik is delightfully glamour goth, and it makes me happy the way it appears when you mount it. While I enjoy collecting mounts, this one is going to be my main for a long while.

Witches Festival

I was surprised that the Witches Festival wasn’t as involved as other holiday events I’m used to in other MMOs. The quest for the reward item was simple, and over sooner than I expected. But the hovel the witch lived in was fun for screenshots.

This post is a part of IntPiPoMo! You can find out more about IntPiPoMo and find the sign up form at this post. IntPiPoMo Count: 17/50

September and October ended up being a bit of a… rough few months this year, much like it was last year. So I haven’t done much gaming for a plethora of reasons, including but not limited to depression, emergency pet health, and my own physical health. As such, I didn’t particularly meet many of my September goals between the two months.

• Hit CP 150 on Warden (ESO) – As of the end of October, I’m at 190 CP. Which is probably much slower going than many other folks I know, but I’m surprised I’ve gotten this far with as casually as I’ve been playing.
• Ding level 50 on Conjurer (FFXIV) – For now I’ve cancelled my FFXIV subscription. I logged in twice over the course of September, and not at all during October. I very much want to get back to it, but do not have the mental capacity to handle more than one game right now.
• Finish Auridon (ESO) – I surprisingly managed to complete this at the start of October. Grahtwood is another story, however.
• Finish Grahtwood (ESO) – I am nowhere near finishing this. I have barely started it due to not having the capacity to do so. Depression is a bitch.
• Finish City of the Sun God (SWL) – Once again, I am nowhere near finishing this. I haven’t logged into the game in almost two months.
• Finish side missions in Blue Mountains (SWL) – I think I’ve finished this one? I’d have to log in to check, so we’ll leave it as unfinished for now.
• Finish next route in Sweet Fuse (Otome) – I didn’t even open my Vita case the past two months.
• Figure out a game for #SportSeptember and play it (Community Game-Along) – Again, with a lack of energy to be able to handle even the games I want to play, I did not make it to the Community Game-Along.

November Goals

• Hit CP 215 on Warden (ESO)
• Finish Grahtwood (ESO)
• Finish Witches Festival quest (ESO)
• Finish next two routes in Sweet Fuse (Otome/Community Game-Along)

This post is a part of IntPiPoMo! You can find out more about IntPiPoMo and find the sign up form at this post. IntPiPoMo Count: 1/50

August Recap

Setting up goals as a more focused month-based list rather than, “here’s what I wanna do soon!” has definintely made a difference in how I use my playtime, or how I decide not to game at all. And I think it helped a lot with the way work has been, and looks to be continuing for the remainder of 2019.

• Complete Vvardenfell Master Angler (ESO) – I had intentions to finish this, but then dinged 50 and got caught up in quests and CP.
• Ding 42 on Warden (ESO) – I surpassed this! I hit 50! Once I hit 40, I got into the “OMG I’M SO CLOSE MUST DING” mindset, which helped.
• Hit Revered with The Unshackled (WoW) – About freaking time. UGH. I hate Nazjatar with a passion.
• Hit Revered with Rustbolt Resistance (WoW) – I’m super close. I should hopefully have it in another day (possibly two if things don’t go my way after daily reset).
• Ding level 30 on Conjurer (FFXIV) – I didn’t even think I’d hit 30, but I ended up dinging 35!
• Start re-watching MSQ cutscenes (FFXIV) – I didn’t do any of this, because I mainly logged in for roulettes. I figure once I hit 50, I’ll re-watch them to continue where I’d left off before quitting.
• Finish a play though of Detroit: Become Human (PS4) – I honestly didn’t touch my PS4 at all for the month, except to watch Detective Pikachu.

September Goals

• Hit CP 150 on Warden (ESO)
• Ding level 50 on Conjurer (FFXIV)
• Finish Auridon (ESO)
• Finish Grahtwood (ESO)
• Finish City of the Sun God (SWL)
• Finish side missions in Blue Mountains (SWL)
• Finish next route in Sweet Fuse (Otome)
• Figure out a game for #SportSeptember and play it (Community Game-Along)

Last week I finally had the opportunity to finish the Summerset Zone Story, even though I was rushing a bit to make it to WoW raid on time. I didn’t know when I first started playing ESO that Morrowind wasn’t the starting area. Once I found out, I decided that I wanted to complete the Morrowind > Clockwork City > Summerset arch before going back to the “base game” and doing Khenarthi’s Roost > Auridon > Grahtwood > Greenshade > Malabal Tor > Reaper’s March. While I love the One Tamriel initiative, it does make things a bit confusing on what to do when. Luckily, the forums have been a godsend.

Anyway, I finally finished Summerset. And I didn’t think that the story would wreck me the way it did. I enjoyed Morrowind once I got about halfway through the zone story. And while I was all, ‘SAVE THE CITY DO IT NOW’, it didn’t hit me super hard. Clockwork City was much the same way. I enjoyed the zone story sooner, but it was a very zen ending, and learning more about Sotha Sil was relaxing. Summerset, however. Summerset is where everything comes to a head. The bits of story you get in Morrowind and Clockwork City all convene for the end of Summerset.

Characters that I’d just met (and consequently didn’t know very well) met their endings, and it absolutely wrecked me. It destroyed me. I ended up sobbing on stream. But it says something about the writing in ESO. It helped cement that ESO has become my new main game of choice. Story is one of the most important things to me in a game, and when something hits me hard like that, I become more invested in the game.

The other day I decided to turn a post from 2017 into some prompts for folks. I’m continuing it with this post, part two of three!

Gaming System of Choice

I know it’s cliche, but it really is the computer. When it comes down to it, I do love my handhelds and PS4, but I just have a larger collection on the computer than anything else.

A Game Everyone Should Play

My top four suggestions are not everybody’s cup of tea, but they include: Secret World Legends (for the story), The Park, Hatoful Boyfriend, and Code: Realize.

A Game You’ve Played More Than Five Times

Pretty much any of the dating sims I’ve played could fall into this category. I have to (aka like to) 100% the game for all the CGs and story!

Current or Most Recent Gaming Wallpaper

Uh, so it’s one of the CGs from Code: Realize of Saint Germain, but I don’t feel right posting it on this blog because it could very much be construed as if it were NSFW, even though he’s pretty much trying to murder the MC.

Post a Screenshot from the Game You’re Playing Right Now

Game with the Best Cutscenes

I honestly don’t know if I could choose. Especially since some games, like Detroit: Become Human, are changing the way that cutscenes work.

Favorite Antagonist

Another one that I honestly don’t know the answer to. I don’t play many games that have memorable antagonists, or ones I’ve connected with on any particular level.

Picture of a Game Setting You Wished You Lived In

Favorite Genre

I could say “visual novels”, or “dating sims”, or in particular, “otome”. But it really just comes down to a game with a story that I find captivating.

Game with the Best Story

Right now I’d really have to say it’s a toss up between Elder Scrolls Online and Secret World Legends for me.

A Game Sequel Which Disappointed You

I don’t do many sequels. The only game sequel I even own is the second Code: Realize, and I have yet to play it, so I don’t have an answer to this one, I suppose.

Brain Weasels

This is a post that has been sitting in my backlog since 2017. It’s one of those evergreen pieces I mentioned it is a good practice to have around for bad days. And today was a bad head day. It wasn’t as difficult to get out of bed this morning as it has been the past few weeks, which is a plus, but it has been a very difficult day for concentration, focus, and parsing of feelings and thoughts (not exceptionally brain weasely, per se, but they’re there in the background). I even took a nap when I got home from work because I didn’t feel like I could reasonably function for the remainder of the day if I didn’t.

I really didn’t want to miss a day of Blaugust, but figuring out what to write about, despite plenty of half-written posts and ideas was difficult. I went through seven or eight different posts now in various states of done-ness, and nothing felt exactly… right. There was lots of over-thinking and self-doubt. So I figured something a little more light-hearted and fun was a good idea. Plus, I figured I’d split it into 3 parts, and people could also use it for prompts since it is Topic Brainstorming Week this week for Blaugust!

The Questions

I pulled this idea from Wolfy back in 2017. At the time there was one of those, “here’s a picture with questions, I’ll answer a question for every like!” things going around the gaming/blogging Twitter. I’m terrible at keeping up with those, the majority of the time, but had really wanted to participate in it. I saw that Wolfy had co-opted in a blog post format and thought it would be much more fun to do it that way as well… since you were still limited to 140 characters at the time!

Your First Video Game

I honestly can’t remember. I think it was something like Megaman or the Mario Bros. game where you jump around dodging stuff Kong throws at you to try and rescue Peach. I know it was something handheld that was on the original Gameboy. The first real one I remember is playing Paperboy after our grandmother gave my brother and me a Nintendo 64. That game was terrible but also so much fun.

Your Favorite Character

For those that know me well, this comes as no surprise. (I always end up loving the [SPOILER] murder-husbandos in dating sims, somehow…)

A Game That is Underrated

There’s a lot of games that could fit this, and choosing one out of all of them is a difficult task. But honestly, I think it’s going to have to be The Park. A lot of people don’t think they’d be interested in it because it’s, “just a walking sim”, but the depth of the story was pretty incredible for a few hours of gameplay. I do think it seems to resonate more with folks that live with mental illness compared with those that don’t, as well. Regardless, it’s a game I wish more folks would try (if horror is your thing). It’s also made by Funcom, and considered canon to Secret World, so that also works a little bit in its favor for me.

Your Guilty Pleasure Game

I could swear I’ve written about how much I love this game previously (but can’t find the post), but it is Monster Rancher Advance (1 and 2), hands down.

Game Character You Feel You Are Most Like

I don’t ever particuarly identify with video game characters. I suppose the closest would be any MC in an otome. While they’re their own characters, I always end up picking what I would want or do rather than what I think the character would want or do.

Most Annoying Character

SUN-IN-FREAKING-SHADOW.

Favorite Game Couple

This is a difficult one for me. The only games I’ve truly played that had a focus on a love story of some sort have been dating sims, and while I have favorite pairings there, I don’t feel they fully apply, because it’s the fact that I like the character I pick as the MC, rather than the MC as a couple with the chosen character.

Best Soundtrack

Bless Jeff Kurtenacker. He’s also looking for questions any of you fellow WildStar fans may have about the music for the game to bolster his YouTube channel, so be sure to reply to him on Twitter!!

Saddest Game Scene

I’m honestly not sure. I have cried at a handful of video games, but I couldn’t, off the top of my head, tell you which one has been the saddest for me. Or even remember which ones I specifically cried over. So I’m going to tweak this prompt: Most Memorable Time a Game Made You Sad/Cry. And that, honestly, would have to be when WildStar shut down.

Best Gameplay

Heck, I honestly don’t know. I don’t really pay attention to gameplay within a game unless it annoys me or truly makes the game unplayable for me. I do have to admit that I enjoy telegraphs and slightly more active combat, especially in MMOs. So as far as MMOs go, I’d list WildStar, and ESO. Secret World could almost make it on the list if certain aspects of movement weren’t so dang clunky.