issue 6: chasing light
Hello and welcome back. This is Issue 6 of “a bit of bird words” and I have to say: it’s been a very mild winter here. Our last winter, I don’t think we saw the ground from mid-November to sometime in March.
But you’re not here for the weather. (I hope?) Let’s talk games and books.
Just a note that my goals for this year are the same as last year: 12 books, 12 games.
Game of the month: MOTHER 3
Brownie Brown & HAL Laboratory, 2006 (Game Boy Advance)
It did not take me very long to become very fond of the MOTHER series. It’s a beautiful series, one I talked about more at length on my blog, but I want to sell you a bit on MOTHER 3 in particular…or rather, not sell you on it.
I think MOTHER 3’s impact is greatest when one has already played MOTHER 1 and 2. It’s still an incredible game—you will probably cry, I know I cried a lot—but there are little bits here and there that call back not just to the first two games, but to what you, the player, did in those games. MOTHER 3 works best when it can pinpoint not just general series nostalgia, but your own, personal nostalgia for these games.
I’m still turning over in my mind the feelings I had watching Tazmily be developed and eventually abandoned, because it made me angry in the same way I get angry at how development is permanently altering the place where I live now. I hate watching the forests and mountains get torn down in favor of building ugly, too-small structures and roadways that bring more noisy, polluting, dangerous cars. I hate looking at the sky and seeing construction cranes.
I don’t feel like I’m allowed to have these feelings, having only lived here three and a half years, but it still makes me angry, and so sad. I already feel nostalgic for how it looked just a few years ago. How it looked the very first time I visited.
Nostalgia is a kind of grief, I suppose. MOTHER 3 tells us that we can always come back, but there’s no going back in this world. All we have is the memory.
Games finished this year: 4 (+4)
Book of the month: Wind and Truth
Brandon Sanderson, 2024
I was so worried I wouldn’t enjoy this book. The last few Sanderson books I’ve read have been heavy on the quips and corporate-crossover character appearances and light on actually interesting dialogue and plot turns. I don’t want to read a book that sounds like someone accidentally let Joss Whedon write a fantasy novel.
I needn’t have worried too much; this fifth entry in the Stormlight Archives manages to maintain some level of solemnity…mostly. There’s still quips, still that one character that is clearly a self-insert and therefore has to be incredibly cool in every act, still some crossover things that become more and more inevitable as Sanderson’s novels all move toward being the cogs of the bigger Cosmere narrative…
But I still had a good time. I still thought there were some great lines, some great character interactions. Sanderson’s slowly improving his diversity of characters too, which is nice to see.
It’s very hard to call this a popcorn book when it’s…you know…1300 pages or whatever…but it’s got that same sort of feeling. I paced my way through it and found enjoyment throughout. I hope the back half of this series is as good as the front.
Books finished this year: 3 (+3)
What else?
Not much! I did a bit more research into using colored inks based on looking through some old videos the artist Heikala posted on YouTube. I bought some inks from her shop ages ago and have never used them (probably due to the fear of not knowing how) and…I want to use them! I hope I can try making some things soon.
I also started playing a new daily puzzle game, Daily Akari. In essence, you have to light up a grid of squares following some rules about where the lights can go. If you’re interested in trying it and have never played one before, I suggest trying one of the Monday or Tuesday puzzles, as they tend to be easier.
My recommendation for you this month is to get some sunlight if you can. The sun is starting to come back here, but I still have to make an effort to go outside when there’s sunlight. Get out there and enjoy the sun.
Thanks for reading. You can check out what games I’m playing on Backloggd and what books I’m reading on The Storygraph.