A Tentative First Bite

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

Ever since I could remember, I’ve always considered myself more of a werewolf rather than a vampire person. When Twilight released ever so long ago, I was definitely more Team Jacob than Edward. But when Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines II was announced, I was immediately drawn to the stories in the World of Darkness series. Maybe I had grown past my werewolf phase and could finally appreciate vampires to some degree. After all, I quite enjoyed Bram Stoker’s Dracula and after seeing so many representations of vampires in pop culture, I was ready to dip my toes into some more vampiric lore.

As for you, Anne Rice. I’ll get to you. Some day. I didn’t finish the Twilight saga, but if I want to crown myself Queen of Fantasy and Sci-Fi (which for some reason, has also been mixed in with horror at Kinokuniya), I’ll get to you.

With the delays to Bloodlines II, I was left bereft of my sudden need for all things vampire (and with the change in developers, I’m a little concerned it won’t live up to most people’s standards anymore). While I could have purchased the original Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines, I wasn’t too eager to play a game that was sixteen years old and was noted for a number of bugs. I wanted something quick and easy. A small morsel I could sink my teeth into without spending too long on it. Enter the visual novel: Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York. 

The game starts off with the option to choose three different characters with separate backstories. My choice, of course, was the fledgling ready to shake up the status quo. After visiting a night club and being taken to a shady hotel, I woke up to my new reality. Despite my thoughts about being a corporate drone, I dared not fight against the glowering man that threatened to give me the final death. Becoming a vampire had truly taken a toll on my psyche and I was still adapting to my new circumstances. One does not simply drink the blood of another and expect everything to be hunky dory.

Like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs, I closed myself into the prison my captor Qadir had taken me and waited for the next night. Presented before the court of the Prince, and still struggling to understand the world I had been thrust in, I was eager to find as many allies as I could. To ensure I survived, I gave up a lot of the values I held. What were a few radical ideas when I could live out my remaining days as an immortal?

From there, Vampire: The Masquerade – Coteries of New York (CoNY) eagerly thrust new players into the dense lore that comprised the World of Darkness. One of the many critiques of the game was that the choices barely mattered in the game. There was only one proper ending and the game steered players towards the conclusion after the first few fail instances. 

The narrative itself was simple. Sophie Langley, the vampire that saves you, is ready for a power play for control of the city. It’s a story as old as time itself. Along the way, players can gather allies and interact with a few side stories before they’re railroaded towards the ending. A minor gripe, true, but I would have appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the world and the hidden connections.

I also found it irritating that one wrong choice prevented me from gaining an ally. Going through it blind, I was dismayed to see my chances to recruit two potential allies reduced to ash before I could make the right overtures to win them back around. Though it wasn’t too much of a sticking point, it only made it clear that I ought to have followed a guide if I wanted to experience everything I wanted to from the very beginning.

And while the main story line wasn’t the most inspiring or original, I did thoroughly enjoy learning more about the complex world that World of Darkness had built. It was interesting to see the supernatural brought to life in a more modern setting. How creatures such as vampires might go around hiding in plain sight is a fascinating concept. And one that many of the more recent novels involving our favourite blood-sucking creatures might have taken inspiration from.

Allies such as D’Angelo and Hope were interesting. Getting to know how they interact with the world and adapt to their new unlives was also fascinating. D’Angelo’s detective shtick and his constant mutterings were both humorous and tickled the one part of my brain that wanted to solve a murder mystery. Hope’s imitation of internet chat forums and just twitter in general was both gimmicky and yet seemed to suit the person that she was. I also liked the complicated politics and intrigue that players had to navigate to complete the orders set by Sophie. More often than not, I was trying to play it cool and unaffected. Easy when it’s all a video game and clearly not REAL LIFE.

Alas, the game might have carried more weight if the choices players presented had far more far-reaching consequences. After the initial ‘plea for assistance,’ it hardly seemed anything else I picked would have resulted in a game over. The fact that my character wasn’t an established player in the world of the Masquerade was also a missed opportunity. A few lines about a girlfriend I knew nothing about did little to endear me to her when Qadir told me to break off all ties.

There are times, I’ve found, where playing a blank slate actually harms the game. And in CoNY, I definitely felt that it did little to contribute to the overall narrative. 

Ultimately, I did find CoNY a fun read for a few hours. The minimal music and ambient noise meant that I could easily play through it while I listened to Critical Role. CoNY was also quite friendly to newcomers. A codex helped catch me up on unfamiliar terms and it wasn’t long before I was immersed into the world-building and the rules that I had to live by in order to maintain the charade of ‘passing as human.’

If only there was something a little more meatier to enjoy…

Campfire Stories

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

As a storyteller and amateur writer, it’s always exciting when I can spin something fantastical out of the nonsense in my head. But as a reader, I’m always eager to learn more about the individuals hidden within the written word. It happens in the real world too. I like uncovering what makes other people tick, their life stories and their psyche. In many ways, it helps me with my own writing to make the characters that inhabit the worlds I’ve created more human and understandable. Like I’ve told many an acquaintance within my small social circle, if I could have a thoroughly researched Wikipedia page on everyone I’ve met, I’d be pretty happy. A secret dossier, if you will, on the life and times of EVERY HUMAN ON EARTH.

When a game came out in 2018 that held the premise of sharing stories with others, I was intrigued. Once it was free on the Epic Game Store, I claimed a copy and let it sit in my game library until a pandemic dried up any prospects of me ever obtaining a PlayStation 5 (thank you for the computer chip shortage, Mr SARS-CoV-2, and taking away all prospects of me ever travelling for the next five years). Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is a narrative driven adventure that sees the player character roaming around the then-48 states of the America collecting stories after a card game gone wrong.

Most of these are random events that the player chances upon. And while it doesn’t have flashy cutscenes, the voice acting and narration is great at setting the mood and fleshing out the scenarios, impossible though some may be. I may not be one for audible books but I can imagine how effective they can be with hefty talent. Doesn’t mean I won’t read faster than the person reading it out loud and occasionally want to skip ahead.

In fact, that was perhaps my initial problem with the game. The fact that, like Abzu, I wanted to rush ahead and get to the end. After a few hours of the same repetitive gameplay loop of whistling, stopping, listening, and then moving on, I was almost ready to put it down.

Until I realised that the trick with Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is to slow down. And to treat each campfire individual like the people I talk to on a daily basis. Everyone has a story to tell. No matter how dull it may seem at first, it is always fascinating to learn what has brought them to the singular moment of speaking to you. Everyone has a past. Everyone has hopes and dreams and thoughts and opinions. 

Slowly but surely, I learned about Mason’s struggle with the war and the losses he endured. I sympathised with Cassady’s lovelorn tale about Silas. Dehayaa and her tale about reclaiming the land they had lost. It was also nice to hear their views about certain topics – for which many stories were categorised into as they followed the neat allocation made possible with tarot card symbolism. Each chapter for each character brought new views on such topics as freedom, love, joy, sadness, being trapped, travel, world and fortune – to name several.

And while it might have been tempting if Where the Water Tastes Like Wine had offered the option for the player characters to tell their own stories or embellish the ones they had found, I didn’t feel cheated about learning the intricacies of Bertha’s or Quinn’s lives. Some were humorous. Others sad. But all of them were unique. 

The breadth of the human condition and experience truly is a sight to behold. It is humbling to know that despite our own struggles, what we see, hear and touch everyday is only a small slice of all the things out there. That is why I find it so intriguing to listen and learn. That is why I love to read, watch shows and films, and play video games. It is the experiences I crave. Why? Because not everyone can know the joy of having two living parents that love them. Not everyone can appreciate the pain of losing everything in one devastating blow such as a tornado. 

What is it like to be blind or deaf? How do people in other cultures see the world around them?

And while I may not wish some of the more terrible things even on my worst enemy, seeing how someone can overcome the lemons life has given them is inspiring. Even if they don’t manage to succeed, it’s also great to see how they have managed to cope and bring a sense of normalcy to their lives. While many have been blessed in life, saved from the travail of poverty and hunger, there are also millions worldwide that still do not have ready access to clean water.

Where the Water Tastes Like Wine is not a game for everyone. It’s slow, repetitive and for many the effort might not be worth the end product. For me, though, learning about others, hearing about their struggles and triumphs, is a delight in and of itself. Still, perhaps it would have been better if the map for the United States of America was a little more truncated or focused on a specific region. It is no easy feat to traverse even a digital rendition of The United States of America – let alone uncover all the stories hidden therein.

Finny Fun

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

After a few rounds of lengthy video games, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to take some time to enjoy a few shorter games to reset my palate. One of the first on my list was a game I got for free from the Epic Games Store. Touted as being similar to Journey, I was eager to see where this underwater journey would take me. As well as take a dip into Austin Wintory’s magnificent score. Abzu, therefore, was my next step into a more meditative experience of video games.

The game opens up on a diver floating in the middle of an ocean. One prompt later and I dived into an underwater forest with plenty of fish. With no dialogue or immediate goal in mind, I decided to explore my surroundings. As I did so, I discovered several probes, a few strange fossils and places around the area that sent out a collection of sharks into the small area.

It was a moment that should have brought wonder and excitement. Having recently come from a fairly intense Japanese role-playing game, however, I felt less inclined to take in the beauty of the animations. In many ways, I was too geared for combat, always looking for the next objective. And find it, I did – cutting away at a barrier that barred me from the next environment with its own special brand of fishes.

Exploring and unlocking each temple drove me through the fairly short game. Whereas the game actively promoted meditation and taking one’s time, I still felt very compelled to do as much as I could in as short a time as I could – rapidly deducing where I needed to go and what things I needed to uncover to discover the secrets behind the ancient Sumerian inspired civilisation I found myself in and the great white shark that seemed hellbent on getting in my way.

Only later, did I realise that the great white shark was not my enemy. But an ally. And it was the ancient civilisation’s huge triangle machines that served as an impediment to my esoteric quest. By game’s end, destroying the hovering upside down pyramids was a cathartic experience. Especially when mother nature blossomed from the desiccated corpse of the huge machinery. Go one for team Mother Nature!

There was one other thing I noted when playing Abzu. And that was the more I played, the more I realised that I needed to stop thinking of the game as I did most others. This wasn’t a collect everything as you went by. It wasn’t a galore of side quests. In simpler terms, it was a piece of art. To be given the time needed to appreciate and savour each small moment. Unlike many of the other games I play, this was an experience where I ought to slow down and really take stock of how much the developers have put into the world to make it seem as authentic as possible while also delivering gameplay mechanics to draw in the curious.

True, many might call it a swimming simulator, but Abzu is much more than that. As I look back on it, I’m often reminded of the rare few times I’ve enjoyed at aquariums – particularly the big room with one massive wall dedicated to showing a plethora of sea life going on with their lives in a huge exhibit to resemble their true environment. I know many a people that could sit there for hours and not get bored. Abzu catches that feeling and makes it more tangible by allowing players to grab hold or move the camera from fish to fish.

Honestly, mix in some David Attenborough narration and it’ll seem like an actual documentary. 

My only regret is that I didn’t take the time to truly appreciate it for what it was before the credits rolled and I moved on to other flashier games. 

So big, so majestic. The blue whale…

Braving Tried and True JRPG Tropes

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

When Bravely Default II was released, one of the first reviews I stumbled upon spoke about the person’s disappointment. Some of it came down to personal taste: the art style. Others were a bit more valid: the weak narrative and carbon copies of protagonists from other games. While the fan in me wanted to contest many of their claims, the more I played of the latest Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) from Square-Enix, I could not deny that there was a lot of tropes being used to prop up the strong gameplay loop and to give players the chance to try out the different jobs on offer. Still, many of these grips failed to deter me too much from my playing of the game. After sinking a hefty amount of time into it, I was able to push my way through the multiple endings and give Seth, Gloria, Elvis and Adelle the happy ending that they deserved.

As the faithful readers of my blog, you should know that I bought Bravely Default II while on a road trip with family. Though I should have been luxuriating in the February sun, I was much too engrossed in my Nintendo Switch to pay much mind to my surroundings. And even if Zac Efron or Chris Hemsworth had walked past, I’d probably barely bat an eyelid.

The first few hours of Bravely Default II had me busy reengaging with the mechanics that I knew from the first two games on the Nintendo DS and Octopath Traveler. Considering my familiarity with old-school JRPGs, it came as no surprise that I quickly managed to level up Freelancer as I cut a swathe through the grass surrounding the starting city of Halyconia. In fact, I realised quite quickly that the best way to get good items without paying a cent for them was to play the game like Link, eager to find rupees in the bushes. By the time I fought Dag and Selene and Horten, they went down like flies even though I hadn’t even bothered to change from my default jobs. 

Truth be told, when I read about the difficulties many people supposedly had with these earlier battles, I was scratching my head. Perhaps it was simply the method I play the games – grinding out each job to my satisfaction that had simplified what should have been difficult. On a side note, I thought that the job levelling was much better balanced than Yakuza: Like a Dragon and an infinitely more fun experience because of it. It allowed me to experiment with my team and find the best balance for taking on the various mobs in a given area.

The only time I actually prepared properly for a fight was when I took down Adam and the last few bosses. But even they were a considerable breeze when one had access to so many abilities. Paralysing everyone that stood in my way, inflicting poison and contagion, then having a maxed out Freelancer with Thief skills using Godspeed Strike? Child’s play.

Now, onto the weaker elements of Bravely Default II. The various plot-holes and unexplored characterisation of the heroes and villains. While Elvis and Lonsdale stood out to me, many of the others could have been interchanged with someone else and I would have barely been able to tell the difference were it not for their individual Asterisk attire.

Let’s start with Seth, shall we? Our main protagonist despite the ensemble set-up could have been ripped from any Japanese role-playing game. The ones he reminded me strongly of were Tidus and Vaan. Tidus, because he was a fish-out-of-water that had fallen in love with the woman that would have to sacrifice her life to bring peace back to the world. Vaan due to the fact that he never truly stood out and was simply part of the story just because of Wind Crystal shenanigans. Later on, he was made a bit more special due to his status as someone that had come from the Outer Seas.

In a way, it was a clever voice direction for Seth to be the only character with an American accent. This helped paint the fact that he was different from the others. Still, it would have been much better if we could have seen what his life had been like prior to the events that brought him to waking up on a beach in Halyconia. And while there are scenes in several sidequests that explore a little of Seth’s backstory, there’s little to sink one’s teeth into.

Gloria, on the other hand, is very much a stereotypical princess of a mystical kingdom. Though the voice actress is very good at expressing the pain she has gone through as one of the sole survivors of Musa’s destruction, I feel like it would have connected better with players to have seen the invasion and perhaps played a small part in controlling her escape. Though these things are just little nitpicks, it adds to the characters and allows people to emotionally invest in the happenings of the world. 

That, in and of itself, is probably Bravely Default II’s key problem. The fact that it tells rather than shows.

Elvis, of course, is the star of the show. His quirky traits, affable nature make him a clear favourite and much more human than his other counterparts. The narrative around Wiswald was also great example of fleshing out his past and the people he knows. It is much more personal, pulling on our heartstrings to learn about the death of a young child, and thus carries more weight than the water shortage in Savalon or the fairy hunting in Rimedhal, which was clearly meant to mirror witch trials. 

While Folie, the main antagonist behind the happenings in Wiswald, could have been better written and with a more tangible tie to the people of Wiswald, the fact that she manipulated Roddy, Lily and poor Galahad with visions of the dead Mona meant that a bit of pathos was achieved when she was finally brought down.

Adelle, a little cliche, was still an intriguing character that rounded out the team (I still can’t place her accent). The reveal that she was actually a fairy was a delight. It was also nice that her goals also aligned with the main narrative of stopping the Night’s Nexus, instead of being as superfluous as Elvis trying to solve the riddle of a book he had in his possession or Seth just tagging along for the ride. 

As for the foes that we faced? Most of them seemed like excuses to dress up how players obtained their Asterisks. Many of them seemed like caricatures. And honestly, Martha’s excuse to fight the Heroes of Light was abysmal. But, of course, the developers needed a way for players to experience what it might be like fighting a foe that had the Dragoon Asterisk before they could use it for their own.

I will admit, the story just felt like a vehicle to pick up each Asterisk along the way. Oft times, I had to wonder why so many of these people felt compelled to stand in the way of the Heroes of Light. And while it would have been much better to have a more personal reason for why we fought these enemies besides the fact that ‘Oh, they have an Asterisk and something, something Crystal!’ I still managed to push my way through.

Still, the fact that Dag and Selene managed to snag more character development in the sidequests was great. Gladys’s attempt at atonement and her brother’s grief was also good ways to delve into topics that might have been a little too dark for a title that had such gorgeous backdrops and adorable character models.

Now, to the meat of the matter. The plot holes and the things that were never truly explained. Edna’s descent into madness though Adelle often insisted her sister had always loved humans. How and where Lady Emma found the book that actually contained the memories of the Night’s Nexus? Where does Seth actually come from? How did he die? Why was he chosen by the Wind Crystal? Why was Adam so invested in trying to conquer the world? Did he experience something bad in his past that informed his current need to stop war by starting it? Where did Folie come from? Who is she and why did she feel the need to torment the people of Wiswald for her art?

So many mysteries. So little explanation.

Overall, Bravely Default II has quite a few flaws and missteps. Yet, despite that, it’s a sum greater than its parts. The narrative might not have been captivating, but it managed to keep pulling me through until I saw the true ending. Anticlimactic as the final boss battle might have been, I still felt a certain satisfaction in seeing Gloria tackle Seth to the ground. And honestly, who doesn’t want to Godspeed Strike their way to victory?

P.S. I will say that after witnessing Adelle save Martha, I had hoped for a blossoming romance, but the dialogue between her and Elvis during the second bad ending got to me. It may not be my one true pairing, but Elvis x Adelle was an arrow to my heart. My only question is: how old is Adelle? She looks like a child and yet, because she’s a fairy, she could be like a century older. Maybe better not to think too hard, eh? After all, why sweat the details?

I have to say, the ears on Elvis’s Beastmaster outfit remind me of Pikachu. DID YOU KILL PIKACHU, ELVIS?

First Time Jitters

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

Following on from my obsession with Critical Role and dipping my toes in a Pathfinder campaign, that I was summarily kicked out of for trying to roleplay, there came upon a period of creativity. In my madness, I created an entire pantheon of gods and goddesses. Two nations rose from the fertile grounds of my imagination. And I had an underlying plot that would shake the very foundations of the world I created. I even forced a few of my friends to start rolling stats for their make-believe characters – sure in the knowledge that this would be something that would start very soon and I would blow them all way with the majesty of my creation.

Four and a half years later, I stand on a precipice. It has taken quite a while for my dream to become a reality. For a long while, I had consigned it to the depths of ideas that would never see the light of day. After all, I was the kid, inspired by the likes of Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos to play at cutting down trees and building up bases during Years 5 and 6. In fact, I had a book in which I jotted down my ideas for a similar video game. Beyond that, I created a card game that was essentially Age of Mythology. Can you imagine the difficulty of trying to play a real-time strategy in card form? Not I! 

True, it might not have been original, but a part of me wanted to be a burgeoning game designer though I had no concept of coding, any skills in graphic design or even a substantial narrative to hang it all on. Looking back, nothing seemed impossible when you were at the tender age of 12. 

Where did all those dreams go?

In any case, the idea that my own homebrew Dungeons and Dragons campaign would ever lift off the ground and become a reality was a bit of a joke among my friends. In the years since, I’ve written several short stories for the perusal of those that lurk on the internet, finished a story that’s been sitting in my head for a good long while, wrote the first story in what might be a cycle of books, and have nearly finished a conspiracy thriller narrative inspired by The Mummy (2017). I’ve also managed to obtain gainful employment. The world has suffered, and in many places it is still suffering, through a pandemic that was made worse by bad decisions and people’s inability to think of their fellow man.

Yet, for some reason or another, it’s gained new life. Possibly because my constant nagging has actually resulted in my players actually giving me character sheets and we’ve finally settled on a time to start. By the time this post goes up, the first session will have been played. And honestly, I hope that it doesn’t end in disaster.

While not standalone, and very clearly aping video game design, it would be exciting to see it survive for many long years. The only problem with that, however, is my other commitments. My blogs, my stories, my video games. What if Dungeons an Dragons consumes my life? I’d need to always make sure to keep my players on their toes. Think of new scenarios that will intrigue them. Retrofitting plot holes and trying to make sure everything is interconnected…

Of course, this being my second time playing a dice-rolling role-playing game and my first time playing the Dungeon Master, perhaps I should not be so hard on myself. Unfortunately, the perfectionist in me wants me to dazzle the players enough that they’d put me on a pedestal and worship the ground I walk on.

And though I created many of the things I will be using during the first few sessions four years ago, I’ve already harshly judged my past-self’s use of grammar and world building. Much like every single time I did a presentation in school, I’ve tried to edit my work again (at the very least, it’s not on the spot and when the whole class is listening and it sounds like I clearly didn’t practice). Thank goodness that my past self had the sense to write down descriptions and personalities for many of the NPCs that will sadly go ignored by most of my players.

In truth, I probably did go down the deep end on the whole world-building thing.

Still, I think that two of my players actually have a lot more experience will make it much smoother. As veterans, they’ll probably be able to guide me when I may take a wrong step or turn. It almost makes me want to just hand them the reins of Dungeon Master, sit back and enjoy the ride as a passive player or observer. After all, it would make things much easier for me.

But, in saying all that, there is something exciting about being the storyteller that I’ve always wanted to be since my childhood. My Dungeons and Dragons game might not be as good as I wish it to be. If my years spent writing has taught me anything, that’s okay. A person can’t excel at everything. And even if I stumble a little at the starting line, it doesn’t mean I can’t churn out a masterpiece in prose through edits and a few choice constructive criticisms. It’s a hard lesson to learn. Particularly for someone like me.

Let’s just hope that I won’t beat myself up too much if it all ends in disaster. Life is meant to be lived. Mistakes will happen. As long as we pick ourselves up when we fall and learn from the experience, no effort is wasted. All about the mindset, Kyndaris. All about the mindset. You ain’t no Matthew Mercer, but you might be a decent enough Luke Westaway or Johnny Chiodini. Not everything has to be as epic as Critical Role. 

And you know what? THAT’S OKAY!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to hyperventilate into a brown paper bag for the rest of the day. 

The Spelling Game

On By kyndarisLeave a comment

When learning English, one would assume there would be a single correct way to spell words. Most times, you would be right. Unfortunately, because of a rift between the United States of America and the United Kingdom back in the 18th century, the fact that the spelling of specific words was variable during that time, as well as the cost of printing, many in the Western world were left with Webster’s attempt at reforming English for the American people and the actual proper way to spell them in British-English. 

It also didn’t help that after rising to power, many of the words that were spelt the American way infiltrated the global conscience. In many countries, including Australia, American-English and British-English were interchangeable. Oft times, it was much easier to spell it the American way. One such example that springs immediately to mind is ‘jail’ rather than ‘gaol.’ But honestly, ‘gaol?’ Sorry British-English. It just looks needlessly complex. 

When it comes to my short stories, I’ve been pretty particular. While most of my stories have been written in British-English, because I grew up in Australia, there have been a few select ones that I have purposely corrected to American-English. Why, you may ask? To sell the illusion that the character is actually from the United States. It also means not using phrases like, “Yeah, no,” or “G’day mate. Chucked a sickie yesterday cause the traffic was chockablock.” 

After all, if the setting is in the United States of America, with a protagonist that grew up there, it feels a little weird that they would spell things like ‘colour’ with a ‘u.’ There have also been many a time that I had to remind myself that ‘aluminium’ is not a thing in the States. Nor is a garbage bin called a ‘garbage bin’, but rather a ‘trash can.’ Tomato sauce, at least in the Australian context, is meant to be ketchup. And don’t get me started on car parks versus parking lots. 

I bring this up solely because one of my old childhood friends was reading one of my short stories and remarked on the spelling. It was a CHOICE! And NOT because I can’t spell. Thank you very much.

In fact, I find it very irritating when many websites, such as Tumblr, WordPress and even FictionPress try to tell me that I’ve spelt something incorrectly. Just because the site algorithms are based on American-English does not invalidate my alternate words. Armour. Travelling. Enrolment. Oesophagus. Grey. Metre.

I see your red squiggly line but I refute it! REFUTE IT, I SAY!! It’s not wrong. Just the correct way of spelling words that we commonly use. Okay. Well, one might not use oesophagus much in normal conversation, but I thought it a good way to highlight one of the many differences between American English and what is considered the norm in most English-speaking countries. 

Given that I grew up in Australia, I’ve been exposed to both ways of spelling English words. The books I read were sometimes written by American authors and sometimes by those in the United Kingdom, Australia or Canada. Most of the time, I barely stumbled when I came across a new word.

Still, I’m very appreciate that more novels that I’ve picked up, and even a few video games, are catering to proper British-English. In fact, Bravely Default 2 is one of the more recent games thathas things spelt properly. ‘Honour’ instead of ‘honor!’ I have been almost giddy with excitement. to see ‘U’s when there had been no ‘U’s before. Imagine my surprise when Ubisoft also offered UK-English as well as American-English!

Of course, for someone that loves the written word, it’s pretty much a given that I can vacillate between the two (even if I prefer British-English). When English is your second language, however, it’s much harder to wrap one’s head around. So, for all you people out there learning English, you should know that British-English is much better and vastly superior to American-English. Sometimes there’s an additional ‘o’ in front of an ‘e.’ Occasionally you’ll have an ‘r’ before an ‘e.’ But most importantly, if things end with ‘-ize’ in American English, you should definitely change it back to ‘-ise.’ To do so is to make it proper. 

To cut a long story short, this post simply came around because someone asked me why I tried to spell things the ‘American’ way. So, of course, I decided to rant about it on the internet. Truly, nothing is sacrosanct. There are no depths that I will not plumb for a topic to talk about in the interim between my video game impressions. 

On a side note, I am currently playing Bravely Default 2 and while the gameplay is quite enjoyable, the narrative is a little bare bones and the world simply not as engaging as I would have hoped. Let it be known that I have many thoughts about this and will be delving into it when I finally finish the game. Hopefully it won’t be too long, but lest we forget, I tend to try and do most everything in a single playthrough. There is no telling when I will finish though http://www.howlongtobeat.com tells me otherwise.

Oh, and before I forget, ‘z’ is pronounced ‘zed.’ Don’t let the alphabet song confuse you. They just wanted an easy way to rhyme with ‘me.’ So they bastardised the pronunciation of the last letter. DON’T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT!

ZED! ZED! ZED! ZED! ZED!

Consenting Equality

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There’s been a lot of rumbling in the news in the first quarter of 2021. From attacks on Asian Americans to women not feeling safe on the streets. For millennia, there’s been an imbalance of power between men and women in numerous societies. Looking around, it’s clear that gender roles are as stark as they are now as they were nearly a hundred years ago. True, some headway has been made but if you look at the words people use, there’s still an incredible disparity. And to denounce a person’s lived experience because of their ‘bias’ or retweeting the hashtag ‘Not All Men’ negates the stories people are trying to tell and bring to the fore. This is not something that can be swept under the rug. There is a reason people are now coming to the fore with stories after suffering through years and years of shame, self-recrimination and anger.

Growing up, I’ve always wanted to fight against gender stereotypes. After all, I never quite fitted the mould of what a ‘girl’ should be. Later in life, after watching copious amounts of films and dipping into several guilty pleasure shows, it’s been empowering to see different portrayals of women. But what was also alarming were how so many words used in everyday language had far more negative connotations than their male counterparts.

Look at any marriage certificate, and for the sake of argument, let’s use the ones from the United Kingdom, a single man is called a bachelor. A single woman, a spinster. The problem with spinster is that the term is also often used to reference an older woman beyond the usual age of marriage. As if being older suddenly makes you a non-contender and you’ll wither away and die, forever alone (or surrounded by forty cats). 

Then, of course, there’s the word that’s often bandied about for promiscuous women. Slut. It’s a label that’s often used to shame a woman for her lascivious proclivities. Whereas a man, known to have many partners is often celebrated. Stud, he is often called. And the people that he has been with are considered ‘conquests.’ Though the double standards in society have been challenged, it’s still very much part of everyday vernacular. It takes times for attitudes to shift.

In fact, it took many years before sexual assault in marriage was recognised. Even here in Australia. It was not until 1994 that all states and territories criminalised marital rape. How crazy is that?

It is because of this that women are still blamed when sexual assault happens. It is why many change their behaviours just to avoid the attention of predatory men on the prowl. Long skirts or pants. Keys in their fists. Asking their friends to call or text when they get home. Crossing the road because they’re being followed by a man in a hood.

Though I might not have personally experienced anything, these are all things at the forefront of my mind. It is why I don’t feel comfortable taking public transport late at night – preferring to drive. Stories of women being drugged at night clubs meant that I always carried my own separate water bottle and never lost sight of it.

But should this always be the case? Why do women have to be hyper vigilant about the way they act and what they wear when it’s the behaviour of men that needs to change? No means no. Silence does not mean yes. And if she sprays you with mace, you’ve probably done something very, very wrong.

It is time for people to recognise that the problem does not lie with women. It is time for people to recognise that there in inequality in the world and fix it. It is time for people to educate and be educated.

Stories such as those in Netflix’s mini series Unbelievable are important lessons that should not be ignored as an inconvenient truth. It highlights many of the barriers of those trying to report an offence and is also great at showing why many can be reluctant to come forward. The shock, the shame, the strange way memory can work after a traumatic event…

As someone that did a group project in my final year at university about sexual consent among university students, it is disheartening to see that not much has changed in the last seven years. Recognising when someone does not feel comfortable, being the bigger person by stopping and asking if they wish to continue, and properly listening to someone rather than taking heed of only your own desires are things that need to be taught when we’re in high school and experimenting. It isn’t something that should be swept aside in favour of other subjects that are deemed more important. Nor is it something that can be replaced with a phone app. The suggestion that consent should be registered on an app is baffling because saying yes initially does not mean a person consents to the whole ordeal. It comes in stages and anyone engaged in certain activities should know to ask for it at each step.

This is a life skill. And we are failing our children by not engaging with students and changing the curriculum.

Consent is an important part of our daily lives and it also extends to our private lives as well. Women are not property. They never have been and never will. 

Brittany Higgins. Sarah Everard. These are all important names to remember. Why? Because if society doesn’t put much stock in sexual assault against women, will they even blink an eye when a man comes forward?

And if we can’t accept women as athletes or working in construction or in engineering or in STEM fields, then how can we accept that men, too, can be nurses or primary school teachers or stay-at-home fathers? There’s a lot that needs to be addressed within society. In particular, the traditional roles within the household or the fact that people find it strange that a man might decide to take on his wife’s surname instead of keeping his own. 

(As an aside, I’m all for a man taking up my last name if they were up for it. Even if they weren’t, I’d like to hope that they’d be open-minded if I decide to keep my own surname).

The injustices women have gone through, and continue to endure, do not stop there. The glass ceiling is still very much a thing. Women in power are often stymied from progression. The song “Ladyboss” is a great example of the struggles many go through – and the anxieties that come to even trailblazers in the field. Worse, we’re also expected to do most of the household chores even if we earn more than our male partners.

For too long, society has stagnated to recognising women and giving women credit. Just because certain jobs have quotas does not mean that the woman is less knowledgeable or less qualified than their male counterparts. It simply gives them a leg up when they did not have one before in a male-dominated field. Yes, you might complain and gripe about jobs being taken away from you, but these are people that never thought they’d ever get their foot in the door and decided to take a risk. And it’s something society needs to recognise. Just like healers and tanks can cut the line in a group finder, diversity hires need it too.

Now is the time to listen to all the grievances aired by so many parties and address them. On a more personal note, I also think that now is the time to elect Henry Crabgrass as our one true consenting overlord. 

Divine Comedy

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There’s a lot to be said about Immortals Fenyx Rising. That it’s a close of Breath of the Wild. That it’s far too childish. Or that it’s essentially Assassin’s Creed, but reskinned. In an age where games have aimed for photorealism and developers have been adamant about using a colour palette that has basically amounted to shades of brown, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a breath of fresh air. The sharp contrasts of yellow, purple, blue and green make the world vibrant and a wonder to behold as they pop out of the screen. Even the art style is a reminder of decades long past when mascots dominated the scene. 

I, for one, find it much better than the deluge of similar character models we’ve encountered for several long years of video games. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

While the title of this post is a reference to the epic poem written by Dante Alighieri, which I haven’t quite finished (and in all likelihood, it might take years before I actually bother with Paradisio and catch up with Dante’s yearning for Beatrice), I thought it quite an apt descriptor for the narrative of Immortals Fenyx Rising. Why, you may ask – as the epic poem describes Dante’s descent into the nine circles of Christian Hell before he journeys to purgatory and on to paradise? 

Simple. Because while the plot of the Divine Comedy doesn’t have many (if any) parallels with the game itself, I thought it was a great way to draw attention that Immortals Fenyx Rising is a story told within a story. And who should tell it but our favourite titan chained to a rock, where his liver is ripped out by an eagle every day, as well as the Father of the Gods, Zeus himself.

While the internal timeline takes a bit of time to adjust to, I liked having Prometheus and Zeus commenting about the actions Fenyx was undertaking. It was amusing to listen to them argue, provide commentary (mostly Zeus’s opinions of his many children and his exploits) as well as edits to the ongoing narrative to add a little challenge.

But while the telling of the story was exciting, the actual tale was one as old as time. There was nothing original about finding the Gods, collecting their Essences and tackling Typhon once Fenyx was decked out with upgraded gear and had unlocked all the abilities at their disposal. As a purveyor of video games, I’ve encountered the same loop many times and was a little deflated by the time I had defeated Typhon. Even the plot twist near the end failed to serve up much in the way of surprises. 

Typhon, himself, was a little too hammy. While a serviceable villain for a children’s game, there was far too little depth when it came to his interactions with Fenyx. So, if one was hoping for an epic tale, I would advise to look elsewhere. 

Still, given my love for Greek mythology, I liked the retelling of many of the Greek myths and seeing Immortals Fenyx Rising’s rendition of some of my favourite Gods. Though most were not explored in depth, mentioned only in passing, I liked the references made to the Trojan War, the many ways Athena turned young maidens into cursed monsters or animals/ insects, and the numerous Greek heroes that have since found their way into the mainstream.

What I liked most was that Atalanta was given a piece of the spotlight alongside Herakles, Odysseus and Achilles. Even the animated show Class of the Titans stumbled somewhat with the title screen – declaring Atlanta a descendant of Artemis (which is impossible because the Goddess of the Hunt was prided for her virginal status). 

The characterisation of the Gods was also quite nice. Given Zeus’s proclivities, it made sense that his children hated him. Hephaistos soared in the role of tortured artist and Aphrodite’s transformation into a tree, along with her more selfless attitude in that form were all great to witness. Ares, of course, probably had the most fun quoting God of War (2018) with his: “do not be sorry. Be better.”

When it came to the controls, I felt that they were a little too floaty – particularly when it came to running and jumping. Given the aesthetic, however, I was relieved that it was not as pixel perfect as other games. Combat is serviceable and revolves around the use of sword, axe and bow. After levelling up my weapons and armour, and equipping those that would complement my play style, I was nigh unstoppable as I tore around the Golden Isles on my noble steed.

The one major gripe I had about Immortals Fenyx Rising were the puzzles. There are far too many. Almost every collectible or myth challenge involved moving weighted boxes around, hitting targets with arrows or racing a countdown timer. While most are quite easy, some of the Tartaros vaults could be downright devilish with how precise the timing is. I hope that future iterations would allow for separate difficulties for combat and puzzles/ dungeons because I still have nightmares about a few of them. It just seemed that wherever Fenyx went, they were dogged by contraptions that needed solving and this sucked out quite a bit of the fun from exploring and taking a look at the next question mark on the map.

Immortals Fenyx Rising is different from many games that have come from triple-A studios. While there are many similarities to Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild, the colourful nature of the land of gods and monsters is a far cry from what Ubisoft had primarily been churning out on a regular basis. And that’s a good thing. Shaking up the formula, even a little bit, by making things look a little more cartoony or using colours that pop out of the screen is a great way to reengage with players that might be suffering from first-person shooter fatigue. And while I don’t mind exploring the English countryside as a Vikingr, it is nice to be able to freely customise my avatar and make them wear goofy outfits rather than watching them grimace realistically for the sixtieth game in a row.

Also, it featured a credits scene. Albeit, a fake one that was meant to throw the players off. But, at least there kind of was one?

Flower Trains and Musicality

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Seeing an old bridge as we drove along the new Grafton Bridge towards the place we were staying at, my mother immediately wanted to find a way to get close and snap a photo. Put upon by my mother’s disappointment that she hadn’t been able to do it when we arrived, I made sure that, as we packed our bags ready for the next leg of our trip around northern New South Wales, to find a way to get underneath the rickety, single lane death trap for an opportunity with the camera. And as we greeted the morning joggers, it wasn’t long before we were back in the car to take a gander at the park that my grandmother visited a year and a half ago, when COVID-19 was still just a tickle in someone’s throat.

As it was not quite the season, the treas were mostly bare of the iconic purple flowers. My grandmother was quick to reminiscence about her time there, spent with a gaggle of other elderly ladies such as herself. Looking around, she was surprised to see a new playground that had recently popped up. True to form, both my mother and grandmother regressed to their childhood years as they swung on the swings and tried to make music out of colourful xylophones. Being the only adult there, I snapped a few shots and was eager to leave within minutes of arriving. After all, there was still a lengthy drive ahead of us and I wanted to get a good head start.

Our next stop on the tour of northern New South Wales was Armidale. The reason why? Because my mother was eager to take photos of the university campus. Along the way, we rested briefly at a lookout for the Guy Fawkes river. Terrified of the huge flying wasp-like insects, it took me a good long while to sit my tush down on the toilet seat. But I did! By the time I left the compost toilet, my mother had already scoped out the area and was heading down a nearby track to take a look at the scenery. She was followed by my grandmother, who admired the nearby waterfall that she felt was much more admirable than the one at Natural Bridge.

Once I had safely herded the two children back to the car, we were back on the road, winding through several road work projects, before we finally arrived at Armidale at noon. By now, we were hungry and so I, being a faithful navigator, searched up a few local restaurants. With a lot of choices vetoed, I decided to try Paper Tiger – a fusion of West and East. To my surprise, both my mother and grandmother were open to the choices and we had an excellent meal before we headed to the University of New England.

Driving around campus, my mother admitted that she had not taken a photo with the Hogwarts-esque building at the University of Sydney. As an alumni of the University of New South Wales, I was disheartened to hear her say how superior the architecture was at the rival university and tried to point out many of its flaws. Still, it did not deter her and there’s every possibility that one of these days, she’ll go visit the University of Sydney campus just to play Chinese tourist.

Most of the buildings around the University of New England was less than impressive. We did, however, stop by a Museum of Natural History. It had a tortoise display near the front and what appeared to be a dinosaur behind it. Unfortunately, it was closed. And so, we resumed our impromptu look around UNE. Satisfied that we had taken photos of the most prominent buildings, we started on the long journey to Tamworth: the home of Australian country music.

We arrived quite early. After checking in, summoning what little energy remained, we headed to the Golden Guitar. After snapping a shot of the sculpture outside the visitor information centre, my mother was adamant about seeing the Australian Standing Stones. To her dismay, she learned that they were NOT in Tamworth, but actually in Glen Innes.

In the end, she settled for the busts of many music greats at the Botanical Gardens of Tamworth, though she wasn’t very happy about it.

Our last day of travel was really a mad dash back to Sydney. Knowing that my friend had returned from Western Australia and was temporarily staying at Muswellbrook as they looked for more permanent lodgings due to the nature of her husband’s job, I also determined to drop by and say ‘hello.’ This we did. As we caught up, chatting about life and future career choices, we also looked out on the horde of bats that had set up home in the trees behind her hotel. It made me a little uneasy, wondering if there was a possibility of new diseases springing forth from the Australian country. 

COVID-19, while contained and subdued in Australia, was still threatening the livelihoods of many people around the world. Still reeling from the disaster of the pandemic, it was very easy to see the spread of more deadlier viruses. All trapped in those blind flying mammals.

An hour passed in quiet chatter before we were on the road again, reinvigorated for the last part of our journey home. In many ways, it was a mad dash. Three hours it took (trapped due to traffic once we had finally arrived in Sydney because of school zones), for us to finally arrive at our front door. But it was all worth it in the end as we unpacked and unloaded and I finally got to go back on my computer.

The trip around northern New South Wales had its ups and downs. After all, it wouldn’t have been a family trip if we didn’t have a few arguments along the way. While I didn’t get to spy on the Hemsworth family or stalk Zac Efron, I did get to see a few interesting things on my trip, as well as sneak in a bit of gaming. And while I don’t think I’ll ever feel a hundred percent comfortable in the country towns of Australia – I know that I’m no stranger to this country. Small pockets of diversity exist, even in the most far-flung places. True, Sydney probably has them all beat in terms of quality and authenticity of multicultural food, but it’s also nice to see friendly faces everywhere.

Melting Pot

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My second day at Byron Bay, unfortunately, also went by without a sighting of any celebrities. Even after I’d asked the staff at reception about the Hemsworth family and knew that they liked to frequent a frozen yoghurt place nearby. I suppose, though, that there were plenty of reasons for not being able to spy on Chris or Liam Hemsworth during my stay. First and foremost being the fact that my mother wanted to go sightseeing rather than celebrity stalking.

And so, reluctantly, I hopped into the car on Saturday and headed north. Our destination? Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens. A perfect place for gurus of all sorts and believers of the healing power of crystals. Now, I won’t say I’m a sceptic, since I actually wear a jade bracelet, but I’m basically a sceptic. It didn’t help that it also felt like the people running it had appropriated various religions and cultures and melded it into a hodgepodge of Asia. 

Honestly, when we first entered, I felt like I was stepping into a Western interpretation of the Oriental. There were torii gates (Japanese Shinto) mixed in with statues of Buddha (Buddhism) and Ganesh (Hinduism). It felt weird, to be sure, and I was very uncomfortable during my time there. I was also disappointed that none of the staff there asked about my jade bracelet.

But I suppose if you sniff a few sticks of incense, channel your chakra and open up your third eye, it’s just spiritual guidance. Find your INNER PEACE. MEDITATION!

After taking plenty of photos with crystal lodes filled with quartz and amethysts, we finally decided to head back to Byron Bay for lunch. 

Hearing a good review from a friend, my mother opted to have fish and chips at HunkyDory. Stuffed to the gills with fish and chips and salad and rice, I decided to walk back to the place we were staying while my mum drove. Along the way, I took in the sights and sounds of the local scene – feeling a little out of place because I’d basically been in Sydney all my life. Did they think us foreigners?

I even stopped at a local bookstore and browsed the shelves. There were plenty of books on offer and I was tempted to buy a few. A little self-restraint meant that I walked away empty-handed, though my heart was lightened looking at the titles held within. And if I had a choice of browsing a video game or book store, I’d definitely defer to books. So many worlds to explore. So many characters to embody and witness their lives.

A quiet afternoon soon followed, where I started on Bravely Default II. At five, my mother and I decided to set out and have a look at Main Beach. After coming all this way, it seemed a little inappropriate to have come all this way and NOT take a look at the beaches that make Australia such a treat for visitors. Even if I hate sand. Why? Because it’s coarse, rough, irritating and gets everywhere.

I’ll admit, it was nice to take in the ambiance. To soak in the fact that people were lazing out on the grass, listening to music and drinking a beer. The perfect Saturday to rest. Normalcy had returned after a frightful year of disease and my family were contributing, a little, to the revitalisation of the Australian economy.

While I would have preferred to continue gaming after dinner, my mother had other plans. Once again, I served as the chauffeur to drive her out to the lighthouse so she could see the full moon. I tried to steer her away, citing the heavy cloud cover and the fact that she would be barely be able to see anything. It was in vain. Adamant, just like her zodiac sign, she harangued me up the hill and I dropped her at the top so she could stare at a blood-red line that was quickly obscured.

The next day, we set out bright and early. Since we were so close to the border, we saw fit to visit Tweed Heads. To my surprise, it was a sizeable city, bustling with traffic. Considering how close it is to the Gold Coast, and by extension Brisbane, it made sense. 

We stopped briefly at the visitors information centre, chatting with the two lovely ladies there. Eager to talk, they spoke about the border controls when Queensland had closed the border with New South Wales and how police had diverted residents and visitors through tight checkpoints. They were also kind enough to tell us of a few good places to take a gander at.

Following their advice, we took photos of the State Border Monument before we headed towards our next stop on our tour of northern New South Wales. Along the way, we detoured again to Queensland to witness a waterfall at Natural Bridge.

That done, we were on the road again, stopping briefly at a town called Casino, before we arrived at the place where we would be staying the night: the Jacaranda Capital Grafton.