I'm Still Here (Not the Joaquin Movie)

I've just been playing them video games, y'all

Reporting live from my office and home and sensory overload protector

Sure has been quiet here for a bit! I have been digging into lots of books for work while also cleaning up a backlog of video games. Plus, I just had to not think of writing for a couple of weeks. My mental health is great and nothing is preventing me from finding the time to write but I just wanted to dig deep into my hobbies. So HI I’M ALIVE.

With that said, it seems as if I am in my pivot era. I started this Substack with my first official content post close to a year ago. I have learned several lessons in that time about my output limit and what people enjoy reading. When I started this, it was about video game novels and Star Wars novels but since then, people respond well to The Animorphs and the prospect of revisiting the RedWall books. I am all for this though it will take attention away from my other mission. That is not to say I won’t tackle video game novels and Star Wars, but I don’t think it will just be that all the time now. 

Speaking of Star Wars, I was supposed to cover all the High Republic books in a brief amount of time in conjunction with The Acolyte, the new Disney Plus show. That has not happened yet but it will! I aim to continue reading the rest of the books and reporting on what I like about them. This leads me into why I have slowed down on Star Wars and have not written about The Acolyte - the online discourse. 

Listen, I think The Acolyte is a GOOD show not a GREAT show but holy hell if people aren’t saying ignorant and hateful things about the cast and crew. As with most things, I try to not let others’ opinions influence my mood - I like what I like and I am aware that other folks share different opinions. It’s nice! But when the discussion feels hateful and out of bounds of the reality of what makes the conversation constructive or worthwhile, I shy away. I hate that. I hate that fandom for Star Wars or anything I enjoy, gets bogged down with unbridled negativity.

But, that is all I want to say on the matter because my energy can be used on positive stages. 

Star Wars and Video Game novels will continue but spaced out with other content. Right now I am reading every Animorphs book with one book a month through the whole main series. Like I also said, I want to tackle RedWall (probably starting next month). If I find any other series that is nostalgic for millennials, I will possibly revisit those as well. 

I have also learned the lesson that sharing my work through and on other social media sites garners little attention. Staying within the Substack ecosystem has boosted my followers more than anything else I have tried. It’s not conspiratorial to state that other social media sites are not excited for you to post a link that will take traffic away from them. More recently, data companies have doubled down on their efforts to keep you on their apps as long as possible because of ads and data mining. That’s ok! Stepping away from social media a bit is part of my next wave of self care but that is for another time. 

AND NEXT WEEK,

Mitch 💀

and I will be talking about Hellblade 2 on the POOOODDDCAST. Excited to talk about mental health and uh, how silly the response to the game was.

So let me catch you up on my thoughts! 

What have I been playing? 

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance - absolute role playing top tier goodness with a perfect turn based system and demon collecting function. The story is FINE but running around and interacting with demons and finding new fusions scratches that itch Pokemon has failed to do for me in recent years. 

Assassin’s Creed Mirage - this game came out last year? And everyone shrugged it off and said it was meh. All wrong! Such a delightful and focused AC game that brings back the sneakiness and open ended approach to the missions. It’s also gorgeous on my Series X. Totally worth the price of entry - and Basim is my BOY. 

Prince of Persia Lost Crown - I put 40 hours into this metroidvania and I still wanted more content. Thankfully it looks like we are getting DLC this year so I’ll be purchasing Day 1. Thoughtful boss fights and challenging puzzles - good stuff. 

What have I been reading? 

MANGA for both work and pleasure. Check it! 

Up next I’ll be doing a Year Recap-type post and also another Animorphs book. 

Happy Summer!