i've been gone but i've been up to stuff and things
1. If it looks from my journal like I haven't been coping super well with the loss of my cat...yes. I'm not in some kind of deep well of sadness most of the time, I'm just functioning at like 60% power. Which is an improvement from November and December, certainly. Also, my pre-existing enthusiasms all got sucked right out of me and I've had to build new ones:
2. It seems like I'm not abandoning my WIP but I had a long long think about it. I reasoned out that if I've written a beginning and I have an ending in my head, I'd better write the damn ending. It's a good ending, too, I hope. I also reasoned out that there wasn't some other story concept sitting around that I was so pressingly excited about that it merited leaving off this one. If I left off this one, I probably wouldn't be working on anything. It's not about picking the right concept, it's about picking any concept and following through with it. Felt smart when I figured that out so I'd better not forget it. (I do have a cool idea on the backburner but it's staying back there until I've thought of its ending.)
3. I played The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (which is two games, TGAA1 and TGAA2, stuck together, being essentially the first and second parts of one visual novel) and wowie. Whoo boy. I have to say I wasn't that taken with TGAA1; the pacing ranged from "slow" to "painfully slow" and the handholding was severe enough that I didn't have an opportunity to make a mistake until the final case. I did get pretty attached to some of the characters, though, and then TGAA2 knocked my socks right off. Every note of that game is pitch-perfect. The plot is huge and twisty and VERY painful, the characters are complex and unique and intelligent (well some of them) and ridiculous (all of them, it's Ace Attorney), and the humor is well-timed, silly when it should be silly, wry when it should be wry. Every AA game has a dumb case but this game's dumb case is fun rather than annoying (ymmv). And once the plot dominoes start falling, it's a thing of beauty. I'm pretty sure it's handily the best game in the Ace Attorney franchise, much as it pains me to admit the original trilogy has been surpassed. You gotta slog through the sludgy parts of the first game to get there but it's SO worth it.
Also I ship everyone with everyone. Seriously,![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cyberbrain and I have such a complex matrix of ships that we worked up a Venn diagram for the guys. (I just have 2 f/f ships, but still, two whole f/f ships???? Noice.) Weirdly, fan fave Kazuma Asogi kind of left me cold, and I primarily want protagonist Ryunosuke to smooch the human embodiment of "looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll" Barok van Zieks instead.
4. Still replaying the other Ace Attorney games as well. Currently I'm on AAI2 which...is not a replay at all, being the only game that was never released in English and therefore the only one I never played. I'm incredibly impressed with the quality of the English fan patch and so far I think the game is a big jump in quality from AAI1, but I'm not far enough in to give an informed opinion on the story. Look, I'm playing as Edgeworth so I'm happy.
5. Oh yeah and I'm rewatching Granada Holmes. I first watched it around the time I started to get an inkling that BBC Sherlock might be shaping up to be a trainwreck of disappointment, and it was a revelation back then. And, well. It holds up. I think it exceeds my memory of it, honestly. It's immaculate. Okay, I haven't forced myself to sit through The Last Vampyre yet, but most of it is immaculate. Anyway, I'm rewatching now because of cyberbrain and, indirectly, because of TGAA's Herlock Sholmes. Is he faithful to canon? lol no (he's not meant to be). Is he absolutely perfect? OH YES. At some point I told cyberbrain I wanted to eat his hair. Out of cute aggression, I guess? I still want to eat his hair, and stick him in my pocket, and pour him into a jello mold, and tie him to some railroad tracks. He's in my top 3 Holmeses.
2. It seems like I'm not abandoning my WIP but I had a long long think about it. I reasoned out that if I've written a beginning and I have an ending in my head, I'd better write the damn ending. It's a good ending, too, I hope. I also reasoned out that there wasn't some other story concept sitting around that I was so pressingly excited about that it merited leaving off this one. If I left off this one, I probably wouldn't be working on anything. It's not about picking the right concept, it's about picking any concept and following through with it. Felt smart when I figured that out so I'd better not forget it. (I do have a cool idea on the backburner but it's staying back there until I've thought of its ending.)
3. I played The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (which is two games, TGAA1 and TGAA2, stuck together, being essentially the first and second parts of one visual novel) and wowie. Whoo boy. I have to say I wasn't that taken with TGAA1; the pacing ranged from "slow" to "painfully slow" and the handholding was severe enough that I didn't have an opportunity to make a mistake until the final case. I did get pretty attached to some of the characters, though, and then TGAA2 knocked my socks right off. Every note of that game is pitch-perfect. The plot is huge and twisty and VERY painful, the characters are complex and unique and intelligent (well some of them) and ridiculous (all of them, it's Ace Attorney), and the humor is well-timed, silly when it should be silly, wry when it should be wry. Every AA game has a dumb case but this game's dumb case is fun rather than annoying (ymmv). And once the plot dominoes start falling, it's a thing of beauty. I'm pretty sure it's handily the best game in the Ace Attorney franchise, much as it pains me to admit the original trilogy has been surpassed. You gotta slog through the sludgy parts of the first game to get there but it's SO worth it.
Also I ship everyone with everyone. Seriously,
cyberbrain and I have such a complex matrix of ships that we worked up a Venn diagram for the guys. (I just have 2 f/f ships, but still, two whole f/f ships???? Noice.) Weirdly, fan fave Kazuma Asogi kind of left me cold, and I primarily want protagonist Ryunosuke to smooch the human embodiment of "looks like he could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll" Barok van Zieks instead.4. Still replaying the other Ace Attorney games as well. Currently I'm on AAI2 which...is not a replay at all, being the only game that was never released in English and therefore the only one I never played. I'm incredibly impressed with the quality of the English fan patch and so far I think the game is a big jump in quality from AAI1, but I'm not far enough in to give an informed opinion on the story. Look, I'm playing as Edgeworth so I'm happy.
5. Oh yeah and I'm rewatching Granada Holmes. I first watched it around the time I started to get an inkling that BBC Sherlock might be shaping up to be a trainwreck of disappointment, and it was a revelation back then. And, well. It holds up. I think it exceeds my memory of it, honestly. It's immaculate. Okay, I haven't forced myself to sit through The Last Vampyre yet, but most of it is immaculate. Anyway, I'm rewatching now because of cyberbrain and, indirectly, because of TGAA's Herlock Sholmes. Is he faithful to canon? lol no (he's not meant to be). Is he absolutely perfect? OH YES. At some point I told cyberbrain I wanted to eat his hair. Out of cute aggression, I guess? I still want to eat his hair, and stick him in my pocket, and pour him into a jello mold, and tie him to some railroad tracks. He's in my top 3 Holmeses.
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Luckily, a Venn diagram isn't needed for the f/f ships we have (I think they're the same too?) 🤭
(wait, which is supposed to be the dumb case? 2-3?)
stray thought: I should make tgaa icons :3
I'm glad you're watching granada with me and that we get to talk about it. Thank you for showing me the series, they're so good ❤️ (Meanwhile, I'm watching (and also reading) mostly because of Herlock,,, and the spoiler man :3 cutest detective 🥺 I'd stick him in my pocket too.)
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Are we thinking of the same f/f ships? Rei/Susato obviously, Maria/Gina less obviously? I guess we probably are :D
nonono 2-3 isn't dumb! Albert Harebrayne my beloved 🥺 2-2 is pretty dumb, with Shamspeare and the bee people. The mystery and the court case are both really clever, tbh, but those characters, lmfao.
aaaaa :3 *cheering for tgaa icons!*
I am so hyped you're enjoying Granada (have I been obvious? lol). Back when I made you watch SCAN I was simply planting the seeds, and then bestboi Sholmes came to water them :D My evil plan is complete!
If I tied Hurley to the train tracks I'm sure John Spoilerman would come rescue him ehehe.
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Ah yes, 2-2 and all the,,, *that* 🤭 I know what you mean, I feel you.
crackfic of Moe and Shamspeare meetingYour evil plan is working very well and it's making me quite happy 🥺❤️
Ahh, John Spoilerman! 😂 You're right, he's always there when he's most needed 🥺
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CURSED WITNESS STAND. CURSED. Too many neck ruffs, CB, not enough testimony.
moe/shamspeare clownfucker worsties
Suddenly my plan doesn't sound that evil at all 🥺
Except when he's NOT. I can think of a COUPLE TIMES. Okay, you did pretty well there at the end though, Mr Spoilerman. I'll give you that.
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Yay for not abandoing your WIP! Finishing things always feels better in the end.
I still want to eat his hair, and stick him in my pocket, and pour him into a jello mold, and tie him to some railroad tracks. He's in my top 3 Holmeses.
That sounds delightful. ♥ ♥ ♥
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I've reached the shocking conclusion that...you just gotta finish things, lol. (If I'd grown to hate the story, it might be different, but it's just low energy really.)
Yes! *bullies him lovingly*
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These are both lovely to hear. *hugs* And it's always good to see you.
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And now I'm very curious about the Ace Attorney character - I've never played any of those games but that's a great rec. I think I may have some of the older games on my phone..? hmm.
I sympathize so much with the half-empty battery feeling, and your post about your cat really moved me. Hope you keep finding things that bring you joy.
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Ace Attorney is so good! Somewhat silly murder mysteries with serious themes sneaking in around the sides and, well, complex and super shippable characters. You can play the TGAA games without knowing anything about the main series, or you can start with the original trilogy (which is probably what you have on your phone).
<3 General hope for anyone with a depleted battery to get some recharging.
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That being said, last year we also watched some of the Russian Holmes (The Lenfilm ones) and I have been thus far impressed with them. When you finish re-watching the Granada ones, they may be worth a try if you are still in a Holmesian mood. :)
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Oh I'll probably still be in the mood :D I've heard good things about Russian Holmes but didn't check it out during my previous Holmes obsession, so now might be the time. (I also dipped my toe into the BBC Radio Holmes this week. Just two episodes so far but I liked them.)
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I hope that your energy recovers sooner rather than later! Being at low ebb sucks and makes everything so much more exhausting. I'm glad you've been able to find things that you're still able to enjoy.
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The low energy situation is so annoying, and it gets to be a bit of a vicious cycle, but I think it's slowly getting better. Thanks for the well-wishes. <3
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& very glad to hear there's some improvement, albeit slow. Slow is better than none!
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It's not about picking the right concept, it's about picking any concept and following through with it.
Sounds good! <3 Following through is the hardest thing sometimes... but I saw the update notice and rejoiced. (Haven't read it yet, I can't deal with WIPs right now.)
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Following through is the tricky part! Or, well.. it's *a* tricky part. It really helps that I have some people rooting for me, so thank you <3 (And no worries, I'm almost glad when people tell me they're not reading this till I finish, lol. I'll finish but my update schedule will NOT be consistent.)