aetherna: (artistique1)
I had applied for residency in neurology, but the admission was inevitably delayed due to COVID-19 issues. I went into a half-frenzy-half-scared mode when I got the news that interview and all the remaining exams would take place online. Frenzy because I had to juggle studying among everything else, and scared because now I'm not sure if I want to leave my comfort zone and go back to school in the middle of a huge war against the Coronavirus. But there's no running away, and I finished all the exams yesterday. Now I wait.

In the middle of this confusing time, as I run out of games to play, one phrase suddenly comes to mind: otome games. I have no idea which part of my brain comes up with such a suggestion and why, but I end up downloading Mystic Messenger and Mr. Love: Queen's Choice. Two old otome games which, according to two friends, are quite popular in their niche and are worth my time at least for the tragic and broken plot.


As charming as Gavin and Victor are (guess which ones are them from the poster above), I don't have the time yet to fully commit to a game as huge as Mr. Love, given that I still have an action RPG one to grind almost all day long. I stick to Mystic Messenger for now, which so far is showing promises 7 days into the game. As the game matches my real time to dish out content, it feels almost real; as if I am talking to real people and preparing for a real party. It is even more surprising to hear the Korean instead of the usual Japanese voiceover on my games. The only unreal part is how I should go for answers which are not really me to get to the desired ending(s) and find the bigger picture of what's going on. Still, these new experiences are entertaining, so I believe I'll stick around for several walkthroughs.


One point that originally pulled me into these games was the 'dating sims' tag, but turns out this is quite different from my imagination. I was thinking about the style dating sims in Persona series, but neither really works like that so far. I avoid spoilers, so maybe I'm just not yet at that romantic dating point, so we'll see. I do like that I see each character's flairs throughout the chats in Mystic Messenger; everyone is so crazy fun and weird in their own ways, even the minor characters in the emails. More than romance, I'm thankful to have this kind of character and relationship exploration.

After all, that's what reality is about, isn't it?
aetherna: (Default)
Beware of spoilers! SPOILER ALERT!


I kicked Sephiroth's ass yesterday, but honestly, my greatest joy is weathering through the tiring six-boss phase starting from Chapter 17. See you no more, motorbike chases. I couldn't help feeling exhausted despite knowing that I was getting into the climax. Thinking about the upcoming Hard Mode scares me, and my friends who I think are better players than me all struggle with it, but we'll see. Sometimes I do like challenges.

While many comments or reviews about Final Fantasy VII Remake are related to the past memories of playing the original, that's not the case with me. My childhood memory is poor, and my English was lacking back then. I remember playing the original on PlayStation - even bought the game several times because one of the three discs would not run - but the biggest impact was Cloud not being who I thought he was. I barely remember anything else. In that sense, I prefer to think that I'm playing Remake as a newcomer. I know its general concept and story flow, but I don't have any expectations; I will ride through whatever the production team throws at me.

That's probably why I enjoy playing Remake. Not (yet) at the level of love I have for Persona 5 or NieR: Automata, but I enjoy the battle system more than Kingdom Hearts 3 for example. I'd say that's the greatest strength of the game. One wrong Materia and you're dead. With the right skill sets, what looks scary is gone faster than the wind. (Shout out to my powerhouse Queen Tifa. (Aerith is a close second.)) It nails the balance of strategical thinking and quick hand response; the result is a stylish, fun action RPG system.

Out of the field, character building is rather decent. Fleshing out the part in Midgar provides a bigger chance to interact with the AVALANCHE members. It isn't bad - I love Jessie as much as I dislike her lol - but I think Cloud benefits the most from all these newly constructed interactions. I know Cloud's got some screws loose because of his past, and it is still very much visible, but I also see more sides of him I don't remember. I'm filling up the image I have of him in my head as I progress through the game, and I like that he feels human. Funny moments are also plenty enough to keep the gloomy atmosphere in check. (Rude is my new idol and Rufus is so hot!)

All those supported by the beautiful graphic design and music, Midgar feels so alive. I spend 50 hours in one city - heck, only three sectors out of eight - but I don't feel particularly short of space. How many times did I stop just to rotate my camera and enjoy the scenery at the top of the church in Sector 5 or during the climb? Visually stunning.


There isn't much to say plot-wise. What can I say about an incomplete story? Some of the new details are not very interesting (looking at you, Roche and Leslie), some are way too interesting (hello ending x3), but how are they going to fit in the frame of the old story? How bad is it to be different? It kills me a little to finish an unfinished game, but it is what it is.

I can only wait to cross destiny once again, hopefully just in a year or two.
aetherna: (artistique3)
This weekend is kind of mixed. We had a long break thanks to the holiday for Christ's Ascension, from Thursday down to Sunday (which is today). I was supposed to spend a happy, lovely, and laid-back free time at home with Mom and Sis, playing games, enjoying TV programs, watching dramas and anime, fangirling like a crazy one...

I am not the one who was sick, if you worried a little. :P

Late at night, actually just around an hour after midnight, early in the beginning of Saturday, we received a call that Mom's mother (so my maternal grandmother) fell ill. Heart attack, it seemed. She was unconscious and brought immediately to hospital... None of her child was around to help, it was another family. Mom rushed over to her place, which is not at this city, Friday afternoon. She would return tomorrow night. Well, that left me with a task to look after Sis, although it was taken over completely by my aunt who used to take care of her before...

Now that sounds like I was back to being 'jobless', but it was boring since I had no one to talk to. :(

Problem solved a bit when I went to visit a friend's house to play couple of hours on Saturday afternoon. And by going back to boarding house today. ... Or no. Since I have classes tomorrow. Starts early, ends late. And seems like it's going to be boring.

"Ah, stress!"
aetherna: (chibi5)
As the title said. That is the reason for my lack of post for almost a month. :P

Not really, I guess...?

Last time I posted an entry here, it was after the first exam of last module, if I remember correctly. After that I went into crazy mode of studying. I tried to use my time as effective and efficient as possible, I tried to keep myself sane through all the crazy schedules... It ended up well, the exams week finished and I didn't have to redo anything. Still I had an exam to re-take last week, and I went back to studying. Not that I didn't have time at all to write, but I was getting lazy online, only playing games and downloading or watching K-drama, and chatting. Nothing much. Until today, which marks the beginning of a new class, I think it is a good time to restart everything again.

After taking a break and breathe free for around a week -- or few days cut by studying from that re-take exam -- I feel slightly more refreshed to start anew. Today's lectures while not as bad as I thought were not delivered well by the teachers that they got slightly boring. It's still the first day anyway so I won't let myself down.

Back to working on my writing, I guess. So many to write, deadline is Wednesday, and I'm full until late afternoon tomorrow. How sweet.
aetherna: (chibi2)
Another exam is finally done today. That is the main reason of my lack of posts. I have been meaning to make one, always signed in and was always ready to make a post but I ended up not writing anything. x_x

The process of studying for this exam was rather... surprising. I expected the materials to be quite a lot, yet some weren't that much. I still even had the time to download some games and played them in between my rest time from studying, LOL~ Currently I'm playing mini games like Dancing Craze, Party Planner, and Hidden Object Crossword. Much fun between my studies.

Today the exam ended up quite good in my opinion. Mistakes here and there after checking it with my friends, but not so grave. Actually it depends on how the grading process is done. The exam was an integrated one between many fields, and if they decide to score it based on each field and decide on whether we have to re-take the exams based on the fields, then I'm as good as dead since I think I may fail one field. Otherwise, I should be okay. *sighs*

Well, time to prepare for the next exam. This one is A TON. I wonder how I'll survive it. Today I just don't feel like I have any strength left to study, geez. T_T