A turn-based Strategy RPG that delivered on every expectation and promise it made to me. — It’s already been a big year for gaming. Elden Ring has been, rightfully, sweeping the gaming space with its delightful open world, setpiece-exhibition design, and deep sandbox. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen dropped one of the best expansions for the title (and franchise) ever, with an engaging story with implications…

An uncomfortable personal story with a lesson I wish I’d learned far earlier. — I cry a lot. This wasn’t always the case — in frequency or in good health. For a large chunk of my early formative years crying was a failure, or a mistake. I believed most feelings existed to be restrained and tightly controlled. I believed that “growing up” meant not…

The Amazing Devil takes us on a tempestuous exploration of our relationships with ourselves and others. — Music has long been one of the pillars of who I am as a person. From my varying tastes, to my heritage, to the way music helped me process trauma and isolation, I’ve always turned to this specific medium for guidance, peace, and inspiration, and I’m always greedy for more…

A case study in shooting yourself in the foot. — Religion is a complicated and loaded topic of discussion for any social, cultural, or political circle, especially here in the United States. It isn’t hard to see why; Christian nationalism has been a vehicle for violence, bigotry, and (more recently) harmful conspiracy theories such as QAnon. The largely manufactured religious…

The first of three stories written for the Writer’s Games 2021 writing competition that didn’t place in their events. These were written within a 72 hour time period, with a given prompt and a strict word limit. Quality varies wildly. — The squirrel hung from the gallows, chittering beneath the shifting shade of the foliage around it. Jess watched it hang from its rear feet, dangling down toward the bird feeder that had long replaced any noose, reaching for forbidden treasures not meant for it. The person who hung the feeder…

The first of three stories written for the Writer’s Games 2021 writing competition that didn’t place in their events. These were written within a 72 hour time period and with a strict word limit. — Journal, Property of Executor Jiirahn NOTE: Reading the contents of this tome without the granted permissions of Executor Jiirahn will be interpreted as an attack on his personage. Be advised. Entry One; Date: Unknown

Exploring Mass Effect 2’s respectful and varied approach to spirituality — The much-beloved Mass Effect Trilogy was remastered and released in its Legendary Edition this year, sparking a wave of fresh playthroughs, discourse, and fan content from the thousands of us with a deep love for the franchise’s story and characters. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (and hopefully, soon…

Two seasons, two villains, two different sets of questions — Psycho-Pass is 2012’s thrilling cyberpunk crime thriller anime, and has been one of the most interesting modern (if just shy of a decade old still counts as “modern”) entries into the cyberpunk genre space since its release. Set in the year 2112, in a technologically advanced Japan, the story’s two…

Flashy fight scenes and intricate duels are worthless on their own — As a young man in the modern world, I’ve consumed a wide variety of entertainment media: video games, television shows, documentaries, video games, music, anime, and many, many novels. While I’ve explored many genres (some shallowly, I must admit), I always come back to fantasy, fiction, and tragedy — often…