Blapril2020 Archives - Princess in a CastlePrincess in a Castle

Looking Back on Blapril

When Wilhelm suggested doing a blogging event in April, I happily agreed it would be nice for everyone. It’s a nice distraction from the outside when we focus on the world we find inside. Reading everyone’s blogs and adventures did cheer me up. The cross-blog interactions are fun made me feel part of a larger community, which is exactly the point of Blapril.

Even those with a smaller niche or blogs not focused on gaming are welcome to join the Blapril/Blaugust community. We cheer each other on, not to post more, but to enjoy blogging. Some of the participants returned to blogging after years of absence, only to find that joy again. And that’s what I love. Sharing a common passion and talking about the highs and lows.

My low came earlier this week as my headache became worse again and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish the month. But here I am, writing the last Blapril post. I did it. I probably posted a few more than 31, but I haven’t counted yet. I posted here mostly, but I also posted on my other blog, Narratess. I think those count too.

One of my goals this year was to post more on Princess, with a 20-post goal. I blew that out of the water, didn’t I? Cheers to me, and I’ll get a beautiful rainbow award to celebrate too. Now all I need to do is to keep posting here.

I’ll do a round-up post for April next week after a few days off from blogging to give my head a break. There’s the Civilization posts to look forward to, and I want to introduce the other Guild Wars 2 characters. Beyond that, I don’t know what you can expect. I still have a few things in my drafts but I’m not sure if I want to write them. Yet or ever. For now, I’m satisfied with my own participation in Blapril and I’m happy so many others joined in as well. It’s been fun, guys. Let’s do it again. Just not tomorrow.

A Round of Civilization

After the numerous posts on five favourite game series, Naithin proposed to do a succession game of Civilization since many of us named it as a favourite series.

The majority of the people voted for the sixth game, my least favourite since I’ve never even made it to the next age before dying a horrible death to an overload of barbarians. Still, I liked the idea, also because I only have so much influence on the game. All rules for the game can be found on Naithin’s blog as well as the overview of the first ten rounds.

Rakuno is next, then Paeroka, then me. All of them have played more of the game than I did, do we should at least by the time I get to play. That doesn’t mean we’ll survive though. I’ll do my best to at least finish those rounds and I’ll give a round-up here when I’ve done so. I might do two versions: one as the current right hand to the Queen, and one as a player. Writing Civilization can be interesting and I’ve heard of other blogs who thrived on it.

For now, all I can say is, I’m very excited and afraid of what I’ve to deal with. At least the difficulty isn’t that hard, so it might be manageable to survive those ten rounds. It’s also a fun way to play together, but not together, if you know what I mean. I’ve never done something like this, not with a game anyhow. I’ve done roleplaying like that on forums before.

If you’re interested in joining, you still can. Just leave a comment on one of Naithin’s posts to share your interest and he’ll put you on the roster. The more the merrier! Also more people to shift the blame to if I happen to die on one my turns.

Guild Wars 2 Goals Before The New Expansion

We still don’t know when the new expansion is going to drop, what’s in it, or what the story is going to focus on. It’s hard to prepare when you don’t know anything. So my goals will be based on what I know, and that’s content that’s already there.

There is one thing that was announced, and that’s the coming of the legendary armory. I don’t know when this will be implemented, before or after the launch of the expansion, but I’m excited. This is an addition to the build templates and gear load-outs. Now you only have to craft one legendary and you can use it on all of your characters. No more swapping via the shared inventory slots. This is an extra incentive for me to finally craft that first legendary and maybe even more. But before that, there are a few things that I’ve to do. Level my crafting to 500. I still haven’t done that for every profession.

Goals

Get all my characters to level 80
Level armorsmith, tailor, huntsman, artificer, and weaponsmith to 500
Unlock all Heart of Thorns masteries
Have 100% map completion with Naella Ysangwan on all maps available to me maps, excluding raids and WvW
Stay up to date with Icebrood Saga
Unlock all Living World masteries
Unlock the griffon mount
Unlock the skyscale mount
Full ascended armor set for ranger
Full ascended armor set for mesmer
Full ascended armor set for guardian
100% map completion of Core Tyria for Miira
Bifrost

Guild Wars 15th anniversary

It’s the 15th anniversary of Guild Wars and the game is getting an update. The original game has been in maintenance mode for some time so no one expected a new patch. Especially not with ten new skills and new bosses to kill to capture those skills. I logged in a few days ago and I still see a lot of people in the hubs. I don’t know if they’re Guild Wars 2 players who want to fill up their Hall of Monuments, or just people who love Guild Wars so much they never moved on.

Running out of juices

I’m running out of writing juices and I know I’m not the only one. Blogging every day is hard and if you dive in without building it up or preparing something, you’ll find yourself in a burnout.

I’m not at that point yet, no burnout. I’m just tired. This whole month, I’ve still been in recovery mode. My head recovering from an old injury that popped up again. Being in recovery is exhausting. Especially if you’ve been in recovery mode for months (since last November). I want to write every day, not just here, but also on my other blog and work on my books. I want to play games and read books. I want to clean my house and work on my garden.

But I can’t. I get spiking headaches when I think too much, after I do anything language related for twenty minutes. I can’t work in the garden if it’s too cold or windy because it’ll cause my muscles to tense up and I’ll injure myself. But even if the weather is good, I can’t work in it for too long because it’ll cost me more energy than I have. And I need it to heal other parts.

My life is all about finding the right balance right now. What can I do? What are my priorities? Doing Blapril was a priority and one I had confidence in I could finish. We’re nearly at the end and after I publish this, I only have two blog posts to write for Princess. But I also have two more to write for Narratess. I’ll be happy when I only have one blog to maintain and the occasional post here. No pressure, just when I feel like it.

My Five Favourite Game Series

I’m going to jump on Krikket‘s bandwagon and talk about my favourite game series. It’s a good writing prompt and I’m kind of running out of ideas to write about. So here goes.

Diablo

This shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve been following me for awhile. Diablo is absolutely one of my favourite franchises ever. I love the lore, I love the genre, and I love the games. I still get that itch to play Diablo 2 sometimes even if it hurts my hands. I still regularly play Diablo 3 and I’m really looking forward to both Diablo Immortal and Diablo 4. I’ll be pre-ordering the Diablo 4 CE when it becomes available.

Guild Wars

I came late to Guild Wars, only starting the original game when the second one was announced. I did play a week during the beta, but the friend I was playing with left my behind and I was clueless about what to do. I died a lot and lost the will to play. I wasn’t ready to dive into the world of Tyria. But years later, I was swallowed whole. I tried to play as much of the story as possible before the second game hit, but I still haven’t played all of the expansions yet.

Guild Wars 2 came with a three day head start and I enjoyed those a lot. I’d have had my first character at level 40 if my friends allowed to play without them. But I couldn’t, and didn’t think it was fair to them. Even with the level adjustments and the easy waypoint system to travel between areas.

Since then, I’ve written fanfiction set in the world of Tyria based on my own characters and the lore I’ve grown to love. I’ve participated in multiple community-driven projects. Tyria was the escape I needed during hard times.

I don’t play that much anymore, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten Tyria. I’m really looking forward to everything that’s on the horizon. From the rest of the Icebrood Saga and to the new expansion.

Civilization

Just. One. More. Turn.

If you’ve played any Civilization games, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Just one more turn, and then I’ll have finished my researched. Just one more turn, and my army is large enough to attack India. Just one more turn, and I’ll have my victory.

The games are highly addictive, once you start, you have to finish the game. It’s not a game you should start after 10 in the evening because your sleep will suffer.

I’ve played 4, 5, 6, and Beyond Earth. I liked all of them except for six. It’s just not for me. I want my games simpler, I also don’t play on a higher difficulty. Super easy for me please.

Pokemon

Pokemon shouldn’t be a surprise either. I’m a big fan of the franchise, games, animes, merchandise, everything. I bought the Japanese Pokemon Blue for the gameboy last November when we were in Japan. That’s got to be the highlight for me. I haven’t tried it yet, and I’m sure the Japanese will be a challenge to, but I’m going to finish the game. I know I will.

Dragon Age

Dragon Age, and you can blame that one on Alistair. I can’t help it. The writing is just so good that I still have a crush on a fictional character. Even when he becomes kind of a dick in Inquisition. I don’t know what happened to my character in Inquisition but Alistair seems kind of bitter. Maybe my character died and he misses me (aww). That’s what I like to think.

I loved the Neverwinter Nights games, but it doesn’t come close to how much I love Dragon Age. Having multiple romance options, dragons, and butterfly swords is just perfect. I think I’ve done seven play throughs of the first game and I’ve put in about 50 hours in Inquisition and I’m not even halfway. I do plan on playing the second some day, but I want to finish Inquisition first.

If someone asked me, I could probably write fanfic for Dragon Age too.

Supporting Others In Tough Times

Small businesses and freelancers are hit hard by the lockdowns around the globe. Artists who rely on events to sell their merchandise for example. Or authors who have their events cancelled which are usually a major boost for sales. But webshops with non-essential items or products who’s production has been halted might go bust.

I see more and more campaigns to support local businesses which is always good. Keep being there if possible. If your favourite shop doesn’t have what you need, consider buying a gift card so you can buy it later. This way the store will have money to pay the overhead until this ends.

Support the efforts who lost their jobs and try to breakout in the creative industry right now. Buy from Etsy stores (don’t click the ads because then they’ll earn even less money), buy digital products, donate to patreons or ko-fis.

I’m not saying you have to give the last of your money to someone else. But if you have a little spare and want to buy something, think twice and spend it wisely. There are many people who could really use your business.

If you don’t have money spare, you can still boost their products on your blog or social media. I’ve made a list with artists and one for authors to help others discover their work. I honestly hope it helps, even if it’s just a little.

Support your favourite artist
Support your favourite author
19 Asian sff books to be released in 2020

Share your favourite small business, artist, author, freelancer in the comments below! Self promotion is allowed :)

Carole & Tuesday

I’ll just keep going with the Netflix recommendations since I really wanted to do a series just for those. So here’s my second recommendation which is perfect for the situation we’re in: Carole & Tuesday.

It’s only two seasons long and I doubt there will be a third season, although I’d welcome it. The end of the second series feels like the perfect conclusion though. It’s a nice binge for a weekend of laziness.

Part-timer Carole meets rich girl Tuesday, and each realizes they’ve found the musical partner they need. Together, they just might make it.

The two girls meet on Mars which is recently colonized. Tuesday’s mother is running for president and her politics are familiar looking at the current state of the world. Carole is an orphan who fled Earth. She has her own set of problems, and the two couldn’t be more different. The one thing they have in common is their passion for music.

The world-building is amazing. They never explicitly say something about how it’s different from Earth (it’s their daily life so they wouldn’t, right?), but you’ll see things they take for granted that we can only imagine (for now). It’s an interesting take on the future, not just our society, but the possible colonization of Mars.

I love how these two unknown girls try to make it with their pure music in a world that’s so reliant on AI and technology. The anime is filled with great music (see the playlist below) but the songs hold more meaning if you know the story. Especially the epic conclusion ‘Mother’.

It’s absolutely a feel-good anime with some drama aspects to deepen the story, but the most important element of the show is the friendship of the two girls. No matter what they’re going through, they’ll always have each other, an army of two.

Hades: A Rogue-like I Actually Enjoy

Hades is the newest game by Supergiant Games, known for their previous games, Bastion and Transistor. I loved Bastion, but I’ve never played Transistor despite owning a copy, somewhere, probably.

Hades reminds me a lot of Bastion, at least in the combat mechanics. The game itself is a rogue-like game where your character tries to escape the Underworld and his father, Hades. Dying is part of the game and you’ll die plenty of times.

But where I’d give up with other games, Hades keeps me going. Each run gives (nearly) enough currency to upgrade at least something after you die. You have a choice of different weapons and I’d suggest unlocking them early and try each weapon for their play styles. One might fit yours more than the others.

Bring offerings for the Gods. Becoming friends with the gods will help you out in the long run as they’ll be more forgiving and rewarding. But anger them, and you’ll feel their wrath. Usually by a ton of enemies spawning on your head.

The combat in this game is very dynamic. Dodging is a must and you must time it well if you want to stay alive. Learn to block and take advantage of your environment since it also works on your enemies. Expect a lot of kiting, running, dodging, timing your attacks and skills well.

Each room has a few waves of enemies or a couple of (mini) bosses. Some don’t have enemies, but have a merchant, offer healing, or a buff. Make smart choices but be prepared for the boss room. If you skipped the hard rooms and missed out on skills, you will lose that battle.

I don’t really have much to say about the art style and music, right? It’s perfect and both fit the theme of the game so well. The dark contrasts with edgy portraits. The epic music as you beat up your hundredth demon. It’s immersive and interesting. The writing is great, again, and I wish I could read back some of the dialogue. The sass of some characters is just perfect.

The game is still in early access, but it already feels like a full game. Granted, I’ve probably not played enough to notice anything missing. But it’s definitely one I’ll keep coming back to with all the updates and the full release later.

The King’s Avatar

I’ve been wanting to write about this series ever since I finished it last year. The King’s Avatar is a Chinese web series that was added Netflix last year. Since I’m watching a lot of Asian shows, Netflix recommended it to me and the premise was interesting.

When an elite gamer is forced out of his professional team, he becomes a manager of an internet cafe and reinvents himself to return to online glory.

With the current lack of sports, watching a fictional show about esports might fill a small part of that hole. You’ll see in-game footage of the battles and practices, and I’ve to say, I’m seriously impressed with the CGI. Even if none of it is real, it still looks like a game that could’ve been released last year.

This is the avatar from the main character Ye Qui

It’s a typical Chinese show aimed at a younger audience with its silly characters, humor, and character archetypes. If you’ve watched any anime, you’ll probably recognize them.

What I liked the most about this series is the character of Ye Qui, our lead. He’s incredibly good at the game, but you’ll never hear him say that. And he still struggles with his own demons.

It’s not the usual prodigy trope where the lead figures out their hidden abilities and take on the world. He already is good after paying his dues so there is no need to focus on him and his abilities. He has other goals and through those, helps others discover their talents.

The pacing of the show is pretty good too. They include a lot of in-game footage to mimic the training sessions and battles. None of this is played in real-time though. With the way it’s set up, the movement of the characters’ faces and the perfectly choreographed attacks, it’s just not possible. There are also a few mistakes that if it was real-time wouldn’t happen. And that’s okay. After all, it’s still a fiction series and a story needs to be told. Then again. Choreographing these in-game scenes is a feat on its own and they’ve done it well.

I think it’s an interesting show to check out if you’re a gamer and interested in esports. There’s a lot of drama, but you’ll be entertained until the last minute. The show is 40 episodes long, almost an hour each, so it’s perfect for binging. Bonus points for finding references to other games.

Working Out

One thing that has been on my goal list, is working on my health. No, not as a resolution, but really doing it. My goal is to be able to do 10 km on the elliptical. Not that I have to do it every time, but like a challenge. When I set the goal, I knew it would be a longterm goal.

My last session has 3,4 km in 30 minutes, which is pretty good for me. My health has never been great and for some reason I never managed to get fitter when I was still doing badminton twice a week. I even fainted once just after the warmup. I figured out a few months ago that I’ve POTS symptoms. My blood doesn’t transport the oxygen fast enough to the parts that need it. That causes me to faint in certain circumstances, and one of the things that’s really hard for POTS-patients, is exercise.

And that’s even without my EDS. Loose joints are terrible if you want to do any kind of exercise. Heck, it’s even dangerous. I could throw my hip out doing squats. So doing any kind of exercise is a challenge. I have to asses my body first before I can do anything. I really want to do more Just Dance, but my legs are so unstable, and my shoulder muscle is still pretty stiff that I didn’t want to risk it. There’s a body weight workout that’s perfect, but there’s still my neck and headache to consider. More stiff muscles wouldn’t be good.

So I did a round on the elliptical today. And it was a good one. By lowering the resistance and slowly working my muscles, I was able to reach the 30 minutes. I made sure not to push my limits or I would’ve seen stars and near fainted. Doing it like this might help me to one day get the stamina to do 10 km. I’ll get there, slowly.

Post Tagged with: "Blapril2020"

Looking Back on Blapril

A Round of Civilization

Guild Wars 2 Goals Before The New Expansion

Goals

Guild Wars 15th anniversary

Running out of juices

My Five Favourite Game Series

Supporting Others In Tough Times

Carole & Tuesday

Hades: A Rogue-like I Actually Enjoy

The King’s Avatar

Working Out

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Guild Wars 2 Fiction

League of Legends Skins

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