It’s surprising that only one year has passed since my first post!
I am always complaining about time, or lack thereof, to do all the things I want to. However, this time around, and looking back to November last year, it feels more like a decade has passed.
My philosophy teacher talked a lot about time and he used to say that, in order to understand its flow, and the effect it has in our being, at physical, perceptive, emotional, and existential levels, a considerable amount of time and experience should have passed. All this to say that he wasn’t expecting an extreme level of maturity in our exams, but knowledge and study, yes! I think we all did well, despite our young age.
So time is very elusive and subjective. Me being here one year later, feeling like a decade passed by, is a bit scary, but hell, I’m still questioning if I made good use of it. I had never questioned myself about this before because time was something I had in abundance. Not anymore. Many things happened that completely shattered my idea of permanence. My teacher was right.
Some months ago, in our many convos on Mastodon, the topic of video games being a waste of time was raised, and even though I met the idea with scepticism and as prejudiced, it made me think that maybe that was the case, and that I had to do something about it – to transform a passive hobby into active engagement. It’s one of the reasons why I kept writing about the games I’ve been discovering. I’m happy with what I created in the past year.
Currently I’m playing Trails from Zero. It’s a game from the long running The Legend of Heroes franchise. I have previously mentioned my difficulty playing Trails in the Sky on PC and how Trails from Cold Steel felt much better gameplay-wise. I don’t want to go there again because a remake is coming and I’m going to play that instead. However, it was Zero that made me enjoy every other aspect. The story is extremely slow-burn but I don’t mind. It possibly was one of the most charming games I’ve ever tried, so I’m sticking with it. Also, as a side-note, is this the first JRPG ever to represent religion in a good light? I have to pinch myself. I’m sure the Septian Church will commit some abominable crime any time soon, right?
As a side-game, also from Falcom, I’m playing Ys X Nordics. It was released on Nintendo Switch (and other platforms) recently and it tells the story of Adol and a mysterious chain of attacks by sinister beings called the Griegr. It’s an action RPG and it challenges my capacity to press the right buttons at the right time for the right combos. It’s maddening but I’m having fun with it! It’s a fast paced game and a very distinctive experience from Zero. I enjoyed all the references to the Vikings and their sagas, their society, the Roman empire, the references to Spain and the trade currents of the time. It’s actually very well researched and the setting serves the game quite well.
I plan to write more about both games in the near future but I’ll refrain from expanding on orbments and quartz. I definitely don’t understand how that thing works! It hasn’t been a problem so far because I’m playing on easy for the story and setting. I’m still a tourist with Falcom games and I think the label fits me just fine.
Another game I’m looking forward to playing is Xenoblade Chronicles X. It will be released next year and I’ll buy it as soon as my go-to online place puts it up for pre-order. I never owned a Wii U and I loved XC1 immensely. There’s a lot of criticism about the combat being too similar to a MMO with its semi-auto mechanics and (fairly) the obnoxious amount of side-quests. What can I say? I loved every aspect of it and had a great time, but boy was it long. I’ll never forget Valak Mountain and the music that played there during daylight.
And that’s it. I’m not looking forward to much else except Metaphor or whatever Atlus comes up with. I don’t play many AAA games but I’d like to try the new Ghost of Yotei and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. If I had started the blog sooner I’d love to have written about Ghost of Tsushima and Bloodborne. They’re both PS4 games worth buying a PS5 for. Any news about Fire Emblem will also be very welcome. I’m more of a fan of Three Houses than the franchise as a whole. I think the experience was very unique and I’ve never explored a game so thoroughly before.
Let’s raise our swords to Seiros and to an everlasting reign of Dragons!
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You can keep reading from this point on or you can skip it. It’s fine. It’s about the US election, and the perspective I’m writing from will be very clear.
It doesn’t feel right to avoid mentioning the election results. I know this isn’t the right place for it, but when I look at my stats, many of you, if not the majority, are from the US.
First I’d like to say that I’m sorry. I really am. I can’t imagine how many of you are feeling these days. Watching everything unfold at a distance isn’t the same as having to experience the events first-hand. It must be suffocating for many of you who are, or probably will be, at the receiving end of oppressive policies.
I was talking with my stepfather before the election day, and we were pretty optimistic about it. The media sources we watch may be about the same – mine are directly from the US and his are from our country – but both have informative news articles to get a better understanding of your complex political system. Also, a lot did we see about the ideology of both parties and the way it was communicated. In the end:
“Americans will have at least some common sense.”
This was one of the arguments he used to justify his optimism. I answered back with a very colourful Portuguese expression:
“Fia-te na Virgem e não corras.”
How can I translate this? You surely have some similar saying in English, but it means to take action when things aren’t looking up and not to rely on faith only to solve the problems arising right in front of you. It literally means, sarcastically, “Have faith in the Virgin (Mary) and don’t run!” It can also mean, in the case of my stepfather, to blindly trust in the accuracy of human judgement and hope for the best.
Take action. Don’t lean on faith only. But take your time to heal first.
We all have our ghosts. The difference is that yours are looking straight in your face. Fight them and have faith that you will make a better world for us all, that you will be true and smart and just. I have absolutely no doubt, and I have faith – because at this very moment it’s the only thing I can have – that you will get through this, and will find happiness, seek justice, and save your democracy if need be.
Whether they want it or not.
Be well, and reach out to your friends, families, adopted families and like-minded online communities.
Be safe.
https://swordofseiros.wordpress.com/2024/11/09/happy-birthday-sword-of-seiros/