A weekly status update from everyone’s favourite caffeinated weirdo.

Welcome back to Whatcha Up To! Coffee here, and here’s to the end of another week. First off, I apologize. It’s been months since I touched this. Between my last missive and now, I got hit with depression and I hadn’t felt like doing anything creative. Then, when I finally regained that spark, I got sick and spent an entire month coughing out a lung. It was so bad that I pulled a muscle in my chest. Fun, amirite? Anyway, let me break down what’s been going on recently:

Whatcha Playin’, Coffee?

Since we last spoke, I finished Forspoken and got the platinum for it. Despite how unpolished the game was, strangely, it was a balm during my depressive state. I truly enjoyed playing it. A solid 7/10 title. I also finished Chrono Trigger while on a work trip. My Miyoo Mini Plus emulator has been putting in a lot of work recently.

I started and finished both Final Fantasy IV Pixel Remaster and Final Fantasy XVI. IV Remastered was terrific – just like when I played it back when it was released as Final Fantasy Chronicles. It was pretty tough too! Zeromus got cheap on me, forcing me to do some power leveling up to level 80 to take it down. XVI was flat-out amazing, despite its divisive nature. The story and worldbuilding hit all of the right notes for me. Clive has become one of my favourite FF protagonists, right up there with Cloud, Squall, Terra, Zidane and Tidus. Plus, you can pet Torgal! He is best boy and a good, good doggo.

Aside from those major titles, I’ve played a few other games on my backlog. The majority of them I had to retire, like Kid Chameleon, Ghosts and Goblins for the NES and Yoshi’s Story for the N64, to name a few. After watching the Knuckles miniseries, I also played some Sonic 3 and Knuckles. And continuing on my season of Final Fantasy, I started Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster and am working slowly through Final Fantasy Tactics.

Whatcha Writin’, Coffee?

I had written out most of Chapter 25 for Book II. And then I stopped. I had written out most of the FFVII Remake critique. And then I stopped. I had three more Backlog Busting posts to prepare. And then I stopped. See a pattern here?

Writing hasn’t been top of mind for the last few months. Some ideas and inspirations come in fits and spurts, but nothing stuck. At some point near the end of May, I said “Enough is enough,” and I forced myself to write again. I have some middling success with it in regards to the critique (really, it’s like a hydra – write out one subsection for analysis, two more emerge below it), but I haven’t attempted it with the fanfic yet.

In other news, I’m getting my short story published! For real life! Hand to Gods and all that! I’ll keep you informed of an actual date, but look for it in an anthology releasing sometime in the fall.

Whatcha Readin’, Coffee?

I recently finished reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. It’s a heartfelt, modern fantasy set in a rustic cafe in Tokyo. In the story, there is a specific seat in the cafe where if you sit in it, you can travel through time.

There are rules that govern this phenomenon. One, you can only travel to a time where you and your subject were at the cafe. Two, you can’t leave your seat, lest you get sent back to the present. Three, whatever you do or say in the past doesn’t affect the present. And four, you must finish the provided cup of coffee before it gets cold. Otherwise, you become trapped as a ghost on the seat. The story follows four individuals over the course of a summer as they travel back to points in time and make revelations about themselves and the people they care about. Honestly, this story kinda rejuvenated my faith in humanity. Regardless of the negatives surrounding us, there’s still some good in this world.

How’s Trainin’, Coffee?

Training has not gone well. Mostly in fits and spurts, pulled muscles and leg cramps. There’s still time though to right the ship! I just have to take it slow and easy. On a positive note, my kids got heavy, so lifting them has helped keep me conditioned.

That’s it for what’s been happening recently. Anything new on your end? Let me know below. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you at the end of this week! For real life, honestly!

~Coffee/