I’m a couple days early since July isn’t quite over, but eh, whatever.
I don’t like to get too into things here on my blog, I save the diary-worthy overshares for Twitter, but I’ve still been stressed and struggling and worried about my future because of health problems and living situation. So I went back to distracting myself mostly with games. I’m trying to enjoy them while I’m able to (though I do have a headache as I’m putting the finishing touches on this post).
Unfortunately, I have not had the best luck with games this month. A few were good! A lot were just ok.
I tried the Jungle Adventure Sims 4 pack, and my verdict is that it has some gorgeous walking areas! But that’s about all it has. It was fun when one of my sims became a skeleton for a while, but that was mostly because of the Wicked Whims mod lol. Anyway, I’m glad I got this pack for free. (Hidden image below is NSFW.)
I played Space Haven, a sorta management sim in space. (I already reviewed it here.) It’s fun! Complex, but I got the hang of it. My first crew were all killed or captured by pirates. Then I just built a cool spaceship in sandbox mode. My second crew has survived longer (minus one of them who died on his way to a medical ship), though not without struggles.
I played Alt-Frequencies, a cool slightly sci-fi audio-based game where you record sound clips and send them to other radio stations to progress the story.
I tried Brookhaven Grimoire, a farming sim rpg. The magic/supernatural stuff seems so fun, but I was so frustrated by so the gameplay that I gave up.
I played Sweet Pool and Dear Monster, both BL visual novels that had great art and weren’t bad, but I felt meh about the stories.
I played Pebble Witch, a cute 30 min game about talking to rocks.
I played Dead Run, a very simple post-apoc game that could’ve been cool for the vibes but has game-breaking bugs and the absolute worst driving controls I’ve ever seen.
I also watched the Nimona movie, and it was great! It will make you smile at the fun and cuteness and friendship one moment, and then break your heart the next, and then make you cry but in the good way. I actually shed tears. I don’t want to disrespect the original comic, this wouldn’t exist without that, but the movie got to my emotions more than the comic or audiobook did.
But oh, Twitter is X now, I guess? I’m so sad about how much that site, whatever it’s called, has been ruined. The new branding is ridiculous, but that’s whatever. I’m sad about how he’s turning everything into a feature you have to pay for and how a lot of people I liked have left, and I feel like I’m talking into a void now. I’m housebound, I’m chronically ill, we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and now I don’t even get social interaction on the one social media I use. *sigh*
Blog/Bookish Updates:
Nothing.
Books I Received for Review:
Heir to Thorn and Flame by Ben Alderson, audiobook from NetGalley. Sorrow’s Blight by Kaitlin Corvus, from BookSirens. I was also sent a print ARC from Blackstone Publishing of Dark Moon Shallow Sea by David R. Slayton!
Thank you @BlackstoneAudio for this ARC of Dark Moon Shallow Sea by @drslayton! I'm looking forward to this m/m fantasy story! Also loving the leathery and stitching details on the cover. pic.twitter.com/P1o6HEa2y4
— Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) (@KitTheNameless) July 26, 2023
Books I Finished:
If you’re considering buying one of the books below from Amazon, I’d really appreciate if you’d use my affiliate link!
Sigils of Spring // Spells of Summer // Runes of Fall by A.K. Faulkner – These were great! Books 7-9 in a series, and now I want more, but there’s no more out yet.
Pluralities by Avi Silver – A lot of focus on gender exploration, but not much else. I guess I didn’t really “get” it? I think people who enjoy sorta nebulous books with a lot that’s figurative would like it more.
Heir to Thorn and Flame by Ben Alderson – A bit slow at times, but overall a good m/m high fantasy, and a series I want to continue.
✨ The Archer’s Heart Books 1-3 by Astrid Amara – I had ebook points about to expire on Amazon, and I can’t remember how I even stumbled onto these books, but this is what I bought. Anyway, they were fantastic m/m high fantasy books with incredibly complex and flawed characters!
Games can be a lifesaver, honestly. Sometimes we need the escape.
Spoiler lol!
Space Haven sounds fun, and so does Alt.
I wanted everyone else to experience the joy of witnessing skeleton sex too lol.
I think you might like those two games!
“I played Pebble Witch, a cute 30 min game about talking to rocks.”
About what? ????
That skeleton thing is…interesting LOL.
Sorry you haven’t had much luck with games lately…but hey, you got a physical ARC!
I don’t know what happened to the algorithm, but yeah, we’re talking into a void – unless the people you used to interact with put you on a list and go through it regularly to see what you’ve been up to (that’s how I keep up-to-date with my closest friends and the authors/personalities/shows/etc. I’m interested in). That’s the point, I guess. Being feed what EM wants you to see. I’m still waiting for a Twitter alternative to take off, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that truly works for now – or hasn’t got its downsides.
It’s “being FED” of course, and that string of question marks was me trying to post a laughing emoji in spite of your blog not allowing us to emoji anymore LOL.
Maybe one day you’ll remember not to use emojis, haha.
Well, you do play as a pebble *witch*!
The skeleton sex entertained me, I wanted everyone else to experience it too lol.
I made a list like that and then forgot about it. Or I think I might’ve stopped using it cuz most of the people on it left. But yeah, the “for you” used to show a mixture of people I followed and other interesting tweets. Now it’s all unbalanced. But there really doesn’t seem to be a good alternative.
I’m obsessed with Nimona. I loved the book, but I think I loved the movie even more. I also got Jungle Adventure, but I’ll have to wait until winter to play it. My house doesn’t have air conditioning, and the computer shuts itself off when it gets hot. I hope you have a good August!
Yeah, the movie was just so good! Really made the friendship shine. Thanks, you too!
I’m sorry that you’re struggling right now, but I hope you continue to find outlets that work for you!
Thank you!
Nimona was wonderful. I haven’t read the gn but I heard it was quite a bit more violent and less tender moments.
The Twitter/X rebranding is such a mess. There’s this ugly X everywhere but they’re still calling everything tweets etc. It makes me sad too. There’s just nothing out there that matches the conversational, easy flow of that platform and the way it gave people a voice. It had problems, for sure, but this hasn’t solved even one of them and made things worse.
It really was wonderful!
Ugh, I still can’t quite comprehend it that he ruined a whole brand like that, and is ruining the site itself.
*all the hugs* <3
<3
I’m glad that I’m no longer on Twitter/X. I got rid of it when he took over. I didn’t really use Twitter anyway. I have been doing movie versions of Treasure Island. Tomorrow I am going to watch the 1988 version that is a cartoon made in Russia. Last week I had took a break of the Treasure Island and finally watched John Wick 4. I have been watching Servant (now on season 4), Twisted Metal ( will finished it next week), Only Murders in the Building (season 3), You (season 4), and Birdie Wing (anime. season 2). I am reading All of Us Demise by Amanda Foody. It’s so good. I don;t want it to end.
Yeah, it can be a lot. A lot of reminders of all the bad in the world. But for me it’s also what keeps me from feeling so isolated every day. Oh that’s fun to watch different movie versions. I’m glad the book is so good!