Maybe I Should Stop Listening Exclusively to Sad Music
It’s interesting to see how people’s music tastes develop. More interestingly, it’s a wonder why people listen to sad ballads or watch anything that makes them cry in despair. I’m sure it’s a cathartic feeling, but I’ve met others who also shy away from such experiences. The balancing act between happiness and sadness as states…
Interface Tells Its Somber Story Through Surreal Horror
It’s not often you find avant-garde animation within mainstream media—unless you’re watching the late night blocks on Adult Swim or something. So when I discovered Interface, it was a nice breath of fresh air amongst a lot of the good to bad Netflix schlock that’s been coming out lately. What Is It? An animated web…
Gushing About Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game: Complete Edition
Scott Pilgrim holds a special place in my heart as a series about an asshole who takes much too long to figure out that he’s an asshole. The game itself, which came out as a tie-in with the movie release about ten years ago, had everything you’d want if you were a faux hipster gamer…
Game Review: Griftlands is a Roguelite RPG with Variety and Dystopian Style
Don’t feel like reading? Scroll to the bottom for a TL;DR. The thing I love about any game with roguelike aspects is its replay value. Combine variety in gameplay with a charming aesthetic, and you got yourself spending days to weeks experimenting with the game’s mechanics. For me, it gets exhausting knowing there’s always more…
I Fantasized Disasters That Could Happen in 2021
So 2020 was a year. Yep. Anyway, who’s to say 2021 won’t be better? Things are certainly looking up in some areas. For one thing, the COVID vaccines have been developed, and are being administered. On the other hand, they’re currently being doled out at a bit of a snail’s pace—not to mention they’re expiring…
On Viet-Am Representation: The Hey Arnold! Christmas Episode
Ask me if I know any mainstream TV shows that spotlight Vietnamese-Americans, and I wouldn’t be able to tell you much of anything. The most modern example would be the character Diane Nguyen from Bojack Horseman, but even then I have a lot of reservations on what the writers did with her in regards to…
2020 As a Christmas School Play
Looking back on the whole of 2020, there isn’t a lot to be happy about. I can’t help but feel this year—more than any other—has shown how the moral values of altruism and thoughtfulness have been drowned out by the very funny but very vocal “fuck you, got mine” mentality. It’s only become more prevalent…
Book Review: Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror is Excellent…But I Don’t Know What To Make of it
If you were to ask me what this book was about, I wouldn’t know where to start. I asked a friend of mine how they would summarize it, and they went with this: “It’s a collection of essays about how we are a failure as a society—but funny!” – David’s friend Yeah, that pretty much…
Game Review: The Council is a Delightful Murder/Mystery RPG That’s All Over the Place
Don’t feel like reading? Scroll to the bottom for a TL;DR. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed adventure games. The twists and turns in their stories—along with their endless puzzles—makes you really flex your brain and/or get frustrated to the point of looking up a guide. The Council, developed by Big Bad Wolf Studios, takes the concept…
The Protagonist’s Design in the TWEWY Sequel is Ugly
The World Ends With You (TWEWY) is one of those lesser known cult classics within Square Enix’s grand and — at times — exhausting oeuvre of JRPGs. Originally released in 2007 on the Nintendo DS, the game made a name for itself with its unique gameplay, angsty plotlines, urban aesthetic, and absolutely banging soundtrack. After 13 long…
“Your 20s Are Meant for Exploring,” They Tell Me
Every passing day, I have less an idea of what I’m doing. And you know, that’s fine. That’s completely fine. Having no idea what direction you’re taking in life isn’t inherently good or bad. Freaking out about it isn’t a horrible course of action albeit a cathartic and unproductive one. Maybe socioeconomically it might also…
The Dang Void 