Ludonarrative

Thoughts on play. Every Sunday I post a gratitude journal, and every once and a while I'll share a longer review or essay on gaming. Thank you for checking me out!

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 6/7/26: How you June?

Happy Sunday folks, I unfortunately skipped another week of my gratitude journal. I just never got around to finishing it last Saturday, and part of that is because I'd taken Friday off to off-set Memorial Day. It's been a busy time, but I also think that despite some mounting work stress, I'm starting to get through the tunnel. My wife is back at work and seeing a future plan start to materialize, I'm on more and more medications that should help me out. We're moving. We're making things happen.

I ended my last post gushing about how game releases and announcements were looming. Boy has it delivered. Mina has been a mixed bag, but 007 First Light has been a treat, and I'm excited for Yoshi and Lego Batman. On the announcement front, the State of Play was pretty good: Newish Rayman, New God of War, Wolverine looks fun, I am so goddamn excited for Control Resonant. As of writing, SGF's main show hasn't even happened yet, not to mention the Nintendo Direct or the xbox show, and September/October is already looking stuffed to the gills. But none of that is what I want to focus on today for my weekly wonder.

Weekly Wonder: Nintendo 3DS. Yes, this started out as an ill-advised, perhaps hypomanically motivated, impulse buy. But when a dual-IPS screen, gorgeous red New 3DS XL pops up on Facebook Marketplace in your city, I don't know, I jumped on it. I know own like 5 3DS devices but this is the nicest one yet and I've been playing quite a bit of it. I finished New Super Mario Bros 2, and I've been playing through the postgame of Super Mario 3D Land, playing a bunch of Picross E, and been replaying the excellent, the iconic, the unbeatable Captain Toad Treasure Tracker. Playing Captain Toad again reminds me of both how amazing it is and how amazing the 3DS is.

Captain Toad is a game where every pixel is accounted for and every puzzle box can be turned upside down and inside out to be fully understood. It rewards your time ten-fold and there is not an ounce of fat on it. It is great for short play sessions which makes it a lovely fit on the 3DS, a powerful yet pocketable device that is as charming as it is comfortable and modern. I wish there were more switch games that I could just, play on 3DS instead.

What I've been playing: The gaming headline has been 007 First Light, a game that has really blown me away and exceeded my expectations. It is a blockbuster cinematic game, so it's not going to be the most artsy or award winning affair, but it's a slick and successful game and I'm really impressed with its storytelling. I didn't know the hitman folks had it in them to write dialogue this well and string together character arcs as well as they string together big fun immersive sim set pieces. Add in fun Bond camp, typical wacko stealth gameplay, and some truly fun gun play, and it's been a blast. I'll likely beat it this weekend and I can't wait.

What I've been reading: I really enjoyed the first volume of Matt Fraction's Batman run, I've been growing on G Willow Wilson's Poison Ivy (pun intended) as I read volumes 3-6, and and I've also been reading a bunch of the World's Finest stuff. But my favorite read of the last two weeks is either Ram V's New Gods, which really landed and met my high expectations for it, or Phillip Kennedy Johnson's Batman and Robin (Vol 1 and 2) which delivered a great crime story that was grounded yet supernatural and had a great dynamic between Bruce and Damian. Some lovely character touches. But if I had to pick one, I'd pick Ram V's New Gods. I just love the constant art changes, it made it feel so... unpredictable, yet the art was still top notch across all styles and feels.

What I've been watching: Taskmaster's current season is fantastic. Armando Ianucci, known as a genius comedic writer, is this lovable goofball completely detached from what you might expect based on the cynical tone of Veep. Kumail, who I am a huge fan of, is shockingly the least funny person on the season. It's been a blast and I'm sad that next week is the season finale, but that's okay because Game Changer is back!

What I'm looking forward to: Supposedly, Tuesday morning of next week should be the first true Nintendo Direct of the year. If true, that makes it immediately of the best days of the year for me. I hate to be such a bootlicker but I can't help who I am.

So long for now, hopefully it doesn't take 2+ weeks for me to take another snooze. Keep it sleepy everyone and please go easy on yourself. You're doing okay.

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 5/24/26: G-G-G-Gettin Bi (Polar)

Another Sunday another Sunday Snooze, except for last week when I didn't write one.

Last weekend I was in California and too busy to reflect, and then this week I honestly didn't want to! My cat got poop everywhere, I have been having such a hard time focusing at work, my wife is having an awful time with her job search and overall difficulty with her chronic illness. I get three daily "oh shit moments" where it feels like the world is creaking and about to collapse.

But... it hasn't. It's still up. Inhale, exhale. The sun is rising, the weather has been mercifully cool for late May, the phone lines at work have been mercifully quiet for being so close to peak season. I have time to rest. I have time.

And there's plenty to look forward to right now, plenty to enjoy. Let's get into it.

Weekly Wonder: Bird Collective shirts. I hate to be my usual material self, always praising my physical goodies I bought and looking forward to new physical goodies. But... I bought a series of graphic tees with cool bird designs, so that I could wear casual clothes to work and be more comfortable. My official work polos had gotten tight and uncomfortable and it was only gonna get worse as Summer heat cranked up. Yknow what? It worked brilliantly. I feel comfy, I get compliments on the designs, and I still look like I belong at a nature center. Slam dunk.

What I'm watching: More Drag Race All Stars, with a solid bracket 1 ending and a step-down (so far in my opinion) bracket 2 beginning. But I will definitely give a thumbs up to Pit Stop, the recap show, which is much better this season than it was for S18. I've also been watching a lot of Smosh and loving it!

What I'm reading: My comics grind continues. I've read like 10 trades since my last post, including the opening of "We Only Find Them When They're Dead", Absolute Flash, WW, and Green Lantern, and "The Moon is Following Us". But I'm going to give my shout out of the week to volume 3 of Birds of Prey written by Kelly Thompson. The book, across multiple artists and arcs, has maintained a fantastic tone and aesthetic, a great roster with lovely dialogue and relationships, and is just a delight to read. It is a boon that we have multiple books with Cass Cain and multiple books with Big Barda, but an even bigger boon that we get to see them together.

What I'm playing: After my Switch Lite hysteria, with over a thousand dollars spent for almost no reason, I have been left with... a gaming rut. A billion games to play and no drive to play it. Part of it is exhaustion, part of it is lots of reading, part of it is perhaps all of the running around with different hardware being bad for me. Never let it be said that hypomania is good for you. But something tells me I will become more focused on software soon...

What I'm looking forward to: It is almost June and that means GAMING NEWS. It has been a quiet as hell year for gaming news so far, with the Pokemon Presents being the only real banger presentation so far (and spawning a month of obsession in my life). Nintendo has been very quiet, Geoff has yet to show his gorgeous mug, and Sony's State of Play was disappointing in February. But June will be different. Sony's show is over an hour and showing in theaters, opening with Wolverine and probably closing with Intergalactic or Santa Monica's new game. Square Enix will almost certainly be showing Dragon Quest 12 and/or FF7R3 and/or Kingdom Hearts 4 sometime soon (two of which I'm interested in). Nintendo will finally have a full direct and I'm hoping they've built up an even bigger arsenal of announcements after waiting 9 full months between shows. Pikmin 4 Deluxe is coming. Fire Emblem is coming.

That's not even to mention the actual games coming that I'm looking forward to: Yoshi and Lego Batman will make great library games, and 007 First Light and Mina the Hollower are probably going to be day 1 buys for me. All 4 look like a lot of fun and all 4 are either out or come out in a week. By this time next month I will be drowning in gaming excitement.

That's all for this week, I continue to try to look forward so I can muster willpower in the present. Hope you can do the same, stay grateful and stay sleepy.

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 5/10/26: Searching for willpower

Happy Sunday everyone, it's been a weird week for me. This past Sunday I impulse bought an expensive OLED screen kit for my Switch Lite, I then spent the week eagerly anticipating it's delivery and eagerly anticipating it's installation. I'm writing this a day or two early but I'll have it in hand by the time the post goes up. From here on out, as I get a hold on my new diagnosis and try to come down from my period of severe anxiety and uncontrollable urges, I want to try and get a bit more self control. More willpower. So I'm trying to summon the energy of Green Lantern, one of my favorite superhero mantles, despite the fact that I don't really match them at all.

What I'm reading: Comics frenzy continues. This week I read the first volume of Simon Spurrier's Flash, Tom Taylor's Detective Comics and Jeremy Adams's Aquaman, I also read DCeased Dead Planet, Dark Knights of Steel Deluxe Edition, and Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong. Given that Dark Knights of Steel is two trades in one, I'm keeping my one trade per day pace. My list to read only grows, but thanks to my local library I'm able to keep this financially responsible. My favorite read of the week is probably Dead Planet, a really fun and memorable elseworld story. Tom Taylor just knows how to be saccharine enough, and play with the toys in interesting ways. Green Canary and Cassandra Shazam are just iconic. His Detective Comics run starts out fun but a little predictable, although I'm a sucker for a story about the no kill rule.

What I'm playing: A light week for gaming, mostly because of my fixation on that new screen. I have been trying to wrap up my latest replay of Pikmin 4. It's my first playthrough since the free update last year that added a hard mode, a NG+, and decor Pikmin. It's also my first playthough where I plan on completing the game with 0 deaths. Even after 150 hours I still love this game to death and back, and know it like the back of my hand. When my OLED Switch Lite arrives I think I'll try and play some manageable games on my backlog (Shinobi, Main Frames), but I'm very tempted to jump into something like Persona 5 and give that another go.

What I'm watching: As of writing I'm getting ready for the season premiere of Drag Race All Stars 11. Team Dawn!

Small Wonder: I'm toying around with putting the wonder at the end instead of the beginning. Not sure if I'll stick with it. But anyway, this week's Small Wonder is Bird Collective! It's an online store that sells bird focused apparel and gives a portion of proceeds to conservation. They make really cool looking designs, they actually fit me, and since I work a nature center I get lots of compliments on them. It's going to allow me to be a lot more comfortable in the hot Summer compared to the shrinking official work polos I've been wearing in the past. Comfort is huge when you're stressed, and I definitely will be as the Summer stretches along.

What I'm looking forward to: Next week I travel to California to attend my sister in law's graduation from law school. It's a short trip and one where I'll mostly be pulled along to family meals and gatherings, but it means a few days off of work and it means, if nothing else, two flights where I can sit and game, read, etc., for a few hours. I'm looking forward to that. And the day after we get back... new Game Changer season >:)

Thanks for reading everyone, keep it sleepy! Smile!

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 5/3/26: Feeling very alien

Good morning, happy Sunday. This week has been a bit shaky, but not the worst. This past Sunday, the day my last post went live, I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. This is... a big surprise, in some ways, and also kind of like everything is starting to make sense. I've been treated for depression for many years but this is a very different ballgame, and I'm still wrapping my head around it. I'll take about it more once I have more unquestionably positive things to say, but that's my weekly headline.

Weekly Wonder: Anbernic RG477V. I'm doing a really bad job controlling my impulse spending. But my newest doo-dad, well, it is fun. I've been calling it the Game Beef because it's like a Game Boy DMG but massive, with a gorgeous 4:3 screen, full glass front, two joy sticks, and enough power for everything up to Gamecube, Wii, PS2, even some light Switch games. It's nothing I haven't been able to emulate already, but there's something really nice about emulating 4:3 systems on a 4:3 screen, and there's something nice about a vertical form factor. I've already beaten Pikmin (classic) and Plumber for All Seasons (a gorgeous Super Mario World mod), with a long list to get to. Every new system I get feels like it's a revolution, and that never lasts forever but it's nice for now.

What I'm reading: I'm sticking with the groove on reading comics. My top pick of the week is Absolute Martian Manhunter volume 1, which feels so cool, so transformative, so uniquely comic-booky. It functions so well as a standalone experiment but also clearly ties into the broader universe. I'm really excited for the second volume. I also re-read the first two volumes of Absolute Batman and Superman, as well as the compact edition of Tom Taylor's Nightwing "Leap into the Light" and DCeased as well as DCeased Unkillables. Jesus, that's like over a trade a day. I'm enjoying it though, and I just picked up 11 new trades from the library on top of more purchased trades to read. So it's gonna keep on coming! I'm liking it.

What I'm playing: I mentioned already that I replayed the original Pikmin again this week and I also played through the excellent Plumber of All Seasons. I'll highlight the latter. This had been on my backlog for a while and I'm so glad I finally got to it because it is a delightful mix of SMW and Donkey Kong Country, with textured and evocative backgrounds, enemies with a tap of realism, it's just a really cool vibe. It really felt like a new thing despite the gameplay hewing so closely and faithfully to Super Mario World, which is not a bad thing! I especially enjoyed the boss fights and the Autumn world.

What I'm watching: This week me and my wife watched a 4 part docuseries about a cult leader who started keeping many wives including several children. It was very well made and made sure to humanize his wives as much as possible rather than letting them become props or stats in a column. It wasn't pleasant, and I don't have much of a stomach for these things, but the final episode made me really emotional, seeing how brave these people were to step up and get out.

What I'm looking forward to: Spring! Just kidding. Meds! I'm going on a new prescription (hopefully... soon... insurance >:( ) and I'm really hoping they help me, because lately I'm just in a constant state of insanity. I don't know what I'm doing a lot of the time... So a new medication is a true beacon of hope in an otherwise shit time.

That's all for now but I'm hoping for a more optimistic bent in the coming month, with lots of new games on the horizon and a shaky period starting to turn around. Keep it sleepy.

[fernicenty]

older study for a bear illustration 🤎

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 4/26/26: My Absolute Era

Happy Sunday everyone. My "name" is Snoozy and this is my weekly gratitude journal, where I share things that are bringing me joy. I took last week off, partly because my life has been very chaotic. My wife is having some work and health problems, my mental state is all over the place, I've been really bad about maintaining my routines: journaling, medication, even going to work.

I'm trying to get out of this funk the only way I know how, buying things. I can't help it, one of my biggest vices is an inability to control urges or stop myself from impulsively shopping and eating my feelings away. Last week I ordered in like 8 times, and this week I spent like $200 of my father's money while my credit card gets replaced. I'm not proud of it, but I have gotten some helpful stuff (sweatbands for the increased heat and humidity, some bulk treats). My most notable purchases though have been Pokemon Cards (Pokemaia '26 continues) and some physical graphic novels from DC.

Weekly Wonder: Pokemon Cards! Historically I have not cared much about the TCG, it's always been an unwieldy and expensive hobby. But if you don't care about chasing profit or completionism, it's really not that hard to spend 2 bucks here and 4 bucks there on cool physical art of your favorite creatures. So I bought an Altaria binder on Etsy and then ordered like 30 cards of Pokemon I love, for a total of like $20. It's really fun to see them all laid out and organized, and I think I've found a new somewhat manageable outlet for my retail therapy. I already have every Shuckle card ever made, but I think I might start collecting birds. Or Hoenn Pokemon. I'll think about it. For now though it's brought me joy during a difficult period.

What I'm reading: My runner up for Weekly Wonder, and perhaps my looming "era" as my Pokemania slowly winds down, is that I've started reading DC Comics again as I try to catch up after two or so years away. I've dedided to pursue trade-reading this time. For the uninitiated, "trades" are the Trade Paperback collected editions of comics. They are typically the most cost effective way to read comics, and are on a 6 month or so delay from current releases. They are also actual graphic novels you can put on a shelf, which makes them more satisfying to collect in my opinion than floppies, which sit in a sleeve in a box.

The first trade I've read is Absolute Wonder Woman vol. 1 by Kelly Thompson, which is a banger. The Absolute universe is a great idea, and I'm glad they've actually committed to it. These takes on these characters and mythologies are truly new and interesting, not just a new coat of paint. The art is consistently high quality, the runs are actually lasting and they aren't rushing things too much. Wonder Woman in particular has a great new origin that completely inverts her dynamic with the Amazons while still feeling like it fits with her themes: rebelling against gods, holding onto compassion in the face of bleakness and hate. I'm very excited to continue reading these.

What I'm playing: I'll admit I've been in a bit of a slump! About a week ago I finished a whole slew of games. WarioWare Twisted (great), Windswept (good), Dadish 4 (good), my 7th playthrough of Pikmin 3 Deluxe (still a GOAT). I'm down to the final battle of Pokemon Omega Ruby, which might be the last mainline Pokemon game I play through for a while. I've been dipping in and out of Champions, I want to try Mystery Dungeon DX, and I still have to revisit Leaf Green to play the post game. But I don't think I'll be selected any new starters anytime soon, and the next time I do it might be for a Nuzlocke run or something specific like that.

The question is, post ORAS, what is my next main game? I've started and bounced off a ton of games (Signalis, Nine Sols, Easy Delivery Co, Mega Man Battle Network), and even got a new emulator (the Miyoo Mini Flip) which is darling and portable but has mostly been used for messing around in Mole Mania or Super Mario World, rather than actually digging into the long list of games, new and old, I want to try.

I do have ways to stall for now, with multiple library games coming due like Resident Evil Requiem, Mario Tennis Fever, and Pokemon Legends Z-A (which I've beaten, but I want to check out the post-game). But at some point I'm hoping my heart gets grabbed by something.

What I'm watching: Drag Race Season 18 is finished, and it ended on a weak note in my opinion. The finale was fun enough, with some great performances, but the final few episodes had such predictable results. I won't call it rigged or unfair, I'll just call it bland television compared to the last few years. Now we set our sights on Drag Race All Stars 11, which premiers in a few weeks. I'll also give a shot out to the new season of Taskmaster, which has been wonderful. Kumail is actually the least funny person in the cast, which is saying something because I really like Kumail. May also brings us a new season of Game Changer, possibly one of my favorite shows out there.

What I'm looking forward to: Now that things are on the upswing for me, a bit, there's a lot I'm looking forward to. The obligatory "game announcement" answer is a Star Fox reboot, which is rumored to be announced very soon, potentially next week. Plus the above books and shows are keeping my endorphins dribbling out. But I think my official pick this week is going to be Sprinkles, an ice cream place near my home that just opened for the season. I haven't been yet this year and I cannot wait, it's a great place to hang out in the evening and eat some soft serve. I have a complicated relationship with the Summer, hating the heat as I do, but this is a definitely upside.

Thanks for reading this extra long and in depth installment of the Sunday Snooze, I hope you are doing well and hanging on. Keep it sleepy and keep smiling.

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 4/12/26: Butt check

Good morning and happy Sunday. This week I had a colonoscopy, woo! Thankfully the results seem pretty positive and I don't have much to be worried about, although I will need to come back for another one next year. This has been a source of stress for the last few weeks and I'm relieved that it's over. So let's take a deep breath and talk about some good stuff going on!

Weekly Wonder: Glacier Cherry Gatorade. Getting back to the roots of weekly wonder, something weird, small, and tangible that brought me joy this week. Before a colonoscopy you have to do bowel prep, which means taking a whole bunch of laxatives and having hours and hours of diarrhea so that everything is cleared out for the docs to look around. It's not fun, and neither is going a full day beforehand without eating any solid foods. But one bright spot was that I had to try a new flavor of Gatorade, the clear/white one, and it actually ended up tasting awesome. I am likely going to continue drinking it here and there, especially over the Summer when I am sweaty and drained all the time. I didn't expect to discover a new lovely flavor while I was on a bowel prep diet, but I did! Good for me. I also kinda enjoyed chicken broth, but I think that was due to lack of alternative options. I'm not now, after the fact, dying for more broth.

What I'm playing: Pokemania continues, as my main game is now Omega Ruby for the 3DS. I've formed a team of many of my favorites, since Hoenn is a region I love dearly: Gulpin, Numel, Swablu, Wingull. The 3DS games really hit the spot for me in terms of their graphical style, and I'm excited to get to mega evolutions. I've also started Windswept, an indie platformer with clear and proud inspiration taken from Donkey Kong Country 2, one of my favorite games of all time. It didn't hook me immediately, and I still wish the art style and soundtrack had a bit more personality to match DKC. But as I dig deeper in (I just reached the third world) I've really gotten enamored with the gameplay and traversal system, and I think the animal companions are fantastic evolutions of Squawks, Squitter, etc., from DKC2. It's climbed from a "meh" to a "good", let's see if it climbs even higher.

What I'm watching: This past week was the premiere of Taskmaster Season 21 with Kumail Nanjiani and Armond Ianucci. An absolutely bonkers cast and maybe the best season premiere the show has ever had? Opening with a solo task, having consistently funny moments from every single cast member, and closing with a genuinely exciting studio task that was way more fun than it had any right to be, it was just great. I immediately love this group and I'm excited for the season, even if I'm overwhelmed by the amount of TV going on. New Dimension 20 season plus new Taskmaster season, meanwhile Drag Race is still going and I'm also trying to keep up with the Game Grumps Nuzlocke playthrough. Slow down, guys!

What I'm looking forward to: This week was weird due to the medical procedure throwing off my work schedule and my body clock. I'm looking forward to a return to normalcy. I am also likely going to the zoo on Sunday with friends which would be a great time.

Thanks for reading and I hope you all have your own things to look forward to and appreciate. Keep it sleepy.

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 4/5/26: I will be free

Hello everyone! My name is Snoozy and this is my weekly gratitude journal where I talk about stuff that's making me happy. This week was a big one, not a perfect or easy one but with some joyous highs. Let's talk about it!

Weekly Wonder: Honestly my favorite part of the week was finishing the indie platformer "Rubato", but I'll talk more about that below. So let's first talk about the Mario Galaxy movie, the film that sparked a thousand discourses. I have a hard time going to bat for any particular side of the camp, perhaps because my mind is with the detractors but I cannot deny that my heart lies with the jangling keys in front of me. I found it to be a fun and joyous film.

Yoshi was the highlight for me, and perhaps the epitome of the movie. He had no interiority whatsoever. He didn't develop or progress in any real way, he was scared of Mario for 3 seconds and then he just followed them around as their buddy for the rest of their movie, no questions asked. This is, objectively, bad storytelling. Especially for a character that is plastered on posters and teased in the post-credits from the last movie. Yes Yoshi is a non-verbal dinosaur, but we all know they could have squeezed a real story out of him if they'd wanted to. But yknow what? I'm fine that they didn't. Because that brooklyn montage was incredibly funny, and in Super Mario World he's basically just a disposable tool anyway. It felt oddly on brand and endearing that he just kinda joined the team with no fanfare and then the movie kept going.

Bowser was good again, Bowser Jr was a nice surprise (the puppet scene was a highlight), and I was shocked and amazed at how much Fox McCloud we got and how well adapted he was. Rosalina on the other hand got sidelined way too hard, and the true emotions of Galaxy never really came through. It's not a crime, and it's something I expected going in, but it's still tough when you can imagine a much better version of a movie existing. Not just for adult fans, but for everyone.

I will also list a slight gripe: as happy as I was to see Pikmin make their big screen debut, it's odd to have them piled into a Dolphin-like ship and then climb out. Not is it weird for them to be flying around with Olimar in his own ship, but Pikmin have their own spaceship (the Onion) that they quite notably get into every night. What's going on there? Obviously this is irrelevant for a goofy little cameo, they probably just wanted that gag shot of the ship landing, but given how detail focused they typically are, that was strange.

All in all it's a pretty lousy movie but a pretty great Nintendo fanservice sugar rush and it manages to be pretty and fun. I went with friends after getting dinner as a group and it was a really nice evening.

What I played: This week I completed the indie collect-a-thon platformer Rubato. I went in excited before growing skeptical. The game is... insane. It's commitment to bits, even to the detriment of the game's tone or pacing, can be a little jarring at first. Shitposting can reach a point where nothing in the game feels like it matters anymore, and the game is still expecting you to care about its characters. But I stuck with it and the game really sunk its teeth into me, both with it's engaging platforming and funny goofs, as well as it's ultimately deep and complex narrative. I won't spoil too much right now, although I do plan on writing more about it, but I can say that fans of 2D platformers, as well as plans of games like Undertale, Inscryption, or fuck it, 1000xResist, should check it out.

I also played Star Fox 64 3D, in honor of the movie, and really liked it. Oh and I finished that Leaf Green run, although I think I had technically done so before my last Sunday Snooze was even published. Great game! Next up is Pokemon Alpha Sapphire, plus Ninja Gaiden Ragebound. I started Ragebound a year ago until emulation failed me and I couldn't continue my save. So now I've got to replay hours of content which is why I've procrastinated on it so much. But I'm using my Switch Lite as a backlog buster, and the first few levels have been as fun and engaging as I remembered. I have a ton of Switch games I want to play, some purchased some not, so I gotta keep this momentum going.

What I watched/read: Basically nothing. Between the stresses of my current medical situation, my general exhaustion from the world, and my focus on gaming, other media has fallen aside. I am hoping to start Monarch Legacy of Monsters soon and get something going on the reading front. I have continued watching Drag Race, but I simply cannot bring myself to discuss that 5th place elimination right now.

What I'm looking forward to: This next week is not really one to look forward to. I'm getting a colonoscopy due to a bit of a health scare... the doctors don't seem overly concerned but it's hard not to get anxious about it, and it's also hard not to dread the bowel prep that will involve some very uncomfortable bathroom trips. It means some time away from the office for gaming and relaxing, but how relaxed can you really be given the circumstances?

But, given that this has been simmering for a while, I will look at this in an optimistic and positive way: I am looking forward to peace of mind and closing the book on this medical saga on Wednesday. I will get through it, feel better after, and get medication for whatever is going on. That's a good thing! Extra time in comfy pants is just a bonus.

I didn't want to be too predictable, but I'll also mention that I am still eager for new Nintendo news. Supposedly a new Star Fox will be shadow announced on Nintendo Today this month, and boy am I ready for that to happen. Pikmin 4 Switch 2 Edition, Fire Emblem Fortune's Weave, lots of stuff to look forward to... eventually!

Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a good week. Keep it sleepy.

[minmocat]

swablu was my first shiny

[minmocat]

painting pokemon onto photos i took: the long-awaited sequel

[gallusgalluss]

lucid

[funkbun]

transbato

[gallusgalluss]

certified rubato moment. go play rubato ok

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 3/29/26: Shaky but moving

Good morning and happy Sunday snoozers. I've missed a few weeks, apologies, it's been... hectic. Work was busy, my health has been having hiccups. But I'm stabilizing, slowly but surely. I figured it was time to return to a grateful space for a bit.

Pokopia continues to rule my home, as Pokemania 2026 rages on. Last night I did a whole presentation to my wife declaring Altaria as my all time favorite Pokemon, king among the many many little guys that I love.

Small Wonder: The Smosh Games sweatshirt by Favorite Vegetable. This sweatshirt arrived in the mail weeks ago, and I've worn it every day I possibly can. It has a cool design by an artist I love, it reps a youtube channel I've been enjoying a lot lately, and it's super cozy. I've gotten compliments from it several times, which isn't very common for me, and it works in the house or out. Banger wardrobe addition and could very well be a small wonder of the whole ass year.

What I'm playing: Pokemon pokemon pokemon! I'm pretty deep in Leaf Green (8 gym badges and all 3 legendary birds caught, working through Victory Road). I'm also playing the goofy and exciting indie platformer Rubato on my new Switch Lite, which I've been taking everywhere. My queue from here gets a little complicated. I have other indie games on Switch to play (Signalis, Ratcheteer, Windswept, etc), I have other Pokemon games to revisit (next I'm thinking maybe Alpha Sapphire on 3DS), emulation games I want to play on AYN Thor like Wario Ware Twist It and Metroid Zero Mission, and Switch 2 games coming down the pipeline such as Yoshi and the Mysterious Book and Super Meat Boy 3D. So boy.... lots of stuff! I wish I could quit my job and game all day.

What I'm watching: I'm... rewatching West Wing... I'm not proud of it, okay? I keep wanting to dip into one of those new shows I mean to watch and then I just don't. But I did eventually dig into Pluribus so one of these days I'll be mentally stable enough to consume new content.

What I'm reading: Nothing. Womp womp. I have a bunch of new books to get into but I also may just re-read Mistborn 3 or Stormlight 2 again as I continue my Cosmere revisit.

What I'm looking forward to: The Mario Wonder Switch 2 Edition just dropped and me and my wife are gonna have a blast with that. I'm also excited about new leaks that suggest a Star Fox Reboot and a Pikmin 4 DLC. Of course, I'm excited for the Mario Galaxy movie (more on that next Sunday, probably) as well. It's all Nintendo fanboy manchild garbage, but it's getting me through dark times so who cares yknow?

Thanks for reading and keep it sleepy folks.

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 3/8/26: Cheesin' and chuggin'

Good morning and happy Sunday, everyone. This is the Sunday Snooze, my weekly gratitude journal that celebrates small wins and small pleasures.

This week has been mixed. After last week, when I felt pretty consistently high energy and on-my-shit, this week has been a bit more spotty and inconsistent. I forgot to take my meds for a few days, I've been struggling to establish more consistent morning routines, and my energy's been a bit all over the place. But I still did a solid amount of work, even though I had a ton of meetings and stuff. So it's another win, and I'm gonna take it!

This week, the Pokemon festivities continue. My Soul Silver playthrough has slowed, but Pokopia is really fun and delightful so far. It warms my heart more than I expected seeing people playing Fire Red and Leaf Green everywhere I look. I guess I'm more retropilled than I suspected.

Weekly Wonder: Bedroom Projector. Me and my wife bought a projector so that we can easily watch youtube videos in bed. Mostly just "out of context" clip compilations of Dropout, Smosh, etc. It's our favorite thing to put on while we unwind before bed, and now we don't have to worry about angling a certain way to see the phone, or having front-lit blue light streaming into our eyes. It's really nice and cozy and a great way to end the day.

I almost did the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have been on a great tear lately as they look poised to make another playoff run off the back up of Anthony Edwards. But... we'll save that for the postseason. Play like this in April and May and I'll talk.

What I'm playing: Pokopia is the obvious answer. I'm only a few hours in but I find it super fun and cozy-- the aesthetic is amazing, I like the music, the gameplay loop is simple but effective, it's working for me. I like a game that you just dip into a bit every day (Kirby Air Rider-heads where you at) and it brings back fond memories of Viva Pinata.

I'm otherwise in a bit of a slump. What's my go to pocketable game right now? Link to the Past? Soul Silver? Shovel Knight? I'm now considering trying Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon. I gotta pick a lane...

What I'm reading: I started "Dogland" by Tommy Tomlinson, a tongue-in-cheek and highly touted piece of nonfiction about Dog Shows. I was excited going into it but it kinda lost me quickly. I don't know what it is... I guess the first few anecdotes didn't grab me, and my aversion to weird rich-coded subcultures (is that a weird way to describe dog shows?) is a barrier. But I'm hoping to give it another honest go before I DNF it.

What I'm watching: Nothing new to report (I'm still procrastinating on Shrinking and Legacy of Monsters, instead I keep re-watching old West Wing episodes, very uhh millenial of me I guess, I'm the worst gen z ever) on the television front. But I often talk about Drag Race here, and Season 18 had a great episode this past week (the suitcases design challenge). The work room banter was the funniest it's ever been, the runway was really consistently interesting and cool, and the winner of the lipsync at the end put on a dang good show. This season will probably not be remembered very fondly-- it's lacked the narrative juice of the last two, and production has made some wildly baffling choices-- but this was a really strong week for them. Also, I'm just really starting to love my Friday tradition of oven pizza and Drag Race with my wife.

What I'm looking forward to: I hate to pull another "I'm looking forward to gaming news", but I really really hope there's a Nintendo Direct, or even a mini Mario one, on March 10th for Mario day. We know we're getting a new movie trailer, but it seems likely that we get a Yoshi release date, a Mario Kart update, maybe more, as well. Fingers crossed.

If I have to do something material, something that I know will happen... I'll go with the next session of the new DnD campaign my group is doing. It's fun, it's goofy, and we're in the early days where things are still being felt out. I'm having a really good time.

Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great week and keep it sleepy!

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 3/1/26: Thriving

Happy Sunday everyone! This is the Sunday Snooze, my weekly gratitude journal, and I've had a great week. After a tough first few months to the year, I've been making a real effort to be more focused and intentional. I've been practicing playing music, something I've always wanted to be able to do. I've been productive at work, gotten some chores done, and generally been happy with myself. Life is good!

Weekly Wonder: This past week we got the reveal of Pokemon Winds and Waves, the 10th generation games that will take us to a new region. I thought the reveal looked great: surprisingly good textures and water and lighting, underwater exploration looks amazing, and of course we have to talk about these starters! I think all three look great but my pick for best of the trio, and my Weekly Wonder, is Browt!

This grumpy gentleman is amazing. He's bean-based, I love his yellowy base color, and his intense leaf eyebrows are a fun emotional look for a starter. It just works for me. I will probably wait and see the final evolution before committing hard to one starter, but Browt is out to an early lead.

Pokemon has, in general, been a big source of joy for me this year. I'm a bit bummed that I can't cap off a big year of Pokemon with Gen 10 in the fall, but the fact that they're waiting until 2027 is probably a good sign. I have to imagine they wanted this game to come out for the 30th anniversary, and I hope they are waiting so they can put out something more complete and polished than Scarlet and Violet (which were fun, but definitely rough around the edges).

What I'm playing: I did in fact finish my Pokemon White playthrough, and overall consider it a solid game. Like every Pokemon game, it is graphically lacking and carried largely by it's monster design. I know some people find Unova's designs bad, or missed older mons during the main story, but I disagree (with the exception of the Conkeldurr line... woof). I also disagree, perhaps controversially, with the high praise showered on the game's story.

Sure, gesturing towards the morality of pokemon fighting is interesting, but the game does absolutely nothing with that theme. The game is mechanically identical to all the others, Team Plasma is never anything but cartoonishly evil, and while N is a workable tragic villain, he never really meaningfully argues his point as to why we shouldn't be keeping Pokemon as pets. The story is best read from a fuzzy distance, like all Pokemon stories. If you actually look closer, is the moral of the story that whoever is most passionate is ethically correct? Is the moral of the story that animal rights advocates are just puppets? It's not really as well thought out as some people say it is, or maybe I'm just missing something.

Which is not to say I disliked the game-- I actually liked it quite a bit! I just liked it as much as I like any other Pokemon game, and was not blown away by the writing, the way some people seem to be.

What I'm reading: I finished that Nintendo book, and I mean listen, it was a lot of stuff I already knew and maybe a little too friendly towards a company with an imperfect record. But I do love Nintendo, and I loved learning more about Sakurai, Iwata, and the other folks behind their greatness. It was a breezy and compelling read. I don't know what I'll move to next-- maybe reread Words of Radiance? We'll find out.

What I'm watching: Having finished Pluribus, I'm watching the short but cozy claymation show Pokemon Concierge. It's nice although not the most compelling, and I might dip into the Pokemon Horizons anime that takes place in Paldea. I just have a hard time committing to anime, this show has 40+ episodes per season and that's a lot of time for me to sink! I keep falling back to the same old stuff instead.

What I'm looking forward to: Next week I will be grabbing Pokopia (yeah it really is a Pokemon heavy week), and I am increasingly tempted to give Resident Evil Requiem a shot. But most importantly, with life going this well, I am just excited to try and keep it moving, to try and keep the vibes strong.

Thanks for reading and keep it sleepy. I hope you're doing as well as I am, and if you're not, then I'm manifesting for you!

[ludo-narrative]

Sunday Snooze 2/22/26: Breathing

Hello everybody! Happy Sunday and welcome to my weekly gratitude journal, the Sunday Snooze. I've been working hard this week on building up better habits, after a few months of, well, let's call it damage control. Things have sucked in America, in Minnesota, and in my home, and I've glided along bad habits to survive. No more! I control my destiny! I will meditate, I will read, I will watch TV shows, I will express myself and journal more consistently. It's only been a week but so far so good.

Weekly Wonder: Punch the monkey. I have become deeply, thoroughly, Punch-pilled. I'm late to the party on this sad bullied monkey with a stuffed animal friend, but now I'm getting bombarded with posts, memes, and fan-art from 4 or 5 days ago. I'm glad I already now that the story has a happy ending, and he's been accepted by the other monkeys in the enclosure. But his gentle sadness, his clinging to his friend, it's so sad yet sweet that it's filled my heart the last few days. I just love monkeys so much. Next week, I kick off my new DnD campaign playing a Simian Cleric named Persimmon!

What I'm playing: This week I completed two games: Dadish 3, another solid indie platformer from Thomas K Young, and Wario Ware Inc: Mega Microgames for the Game Boy Advance. This is the first Wario Ware game and it's immediately sold me on the franchise. It's fun, it's crazy, it's got so many varied styles and little bits of flare. I am definitely going to be playing more from this series and this may be an early contender for my favorite new (to me) classic game of 2026. It just kept surprising and delighting me.

I am also 8 gyms deep on my playthrough of Pokemon White, which means I just need to get through Victory Road, catch me a legendary, and then face the Elite 4. It shouldn't be hard to have the playthrough wrapped up by Pokemon Day.

Meanwhile, I'm still shiny-hunting a Galarian Slowpoke in Pokemon Shield, playing the occasional round of Pokemon Unite, and dipping in for a City Trial in Kirby Air Riders here and there. I don't quite know what my next big game is going to be, but I'm hoping that once my wife is back at work I'll dip more into my Steam Deck backlog.

What I'm watching: I finished Pluribus! Great show. It's so weirdly dystopian and utopian at the same time, like a mix of a zombie apocalypse and a post-capitalist dream. It made me think a lot about individuality, agency, the underrated show "Last Man on Earth", communism, and more. Rhea Seehorn nailed it and deserves an Emmy. I eagerly await season 2, but I have more TV to catch up on. Next, I think, will be Monarch Legacy of Monsters (so I can cancel Apple TV once that season is finished).

What I'm reading: Having finished by book about "Busyness" from last week, I am now starting "Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play" by Keza MacDonald. It's a great read so far, organized by franchise and with nice digestible prose. Yes, as a big Nintendo fan it's largely recapping series trajectories that I'm more than familiar with. But there are enough tidbits of knowledge or fascinating quotes that I had no idea about. Koji Kondo, apparently, had to compose the title theme for the original Legend of Zelda the night before they completed development. They'd planned on using a public domain song and then realized at the last minute it was one year too new to be public domain, so he pulled an all nighter and came out with one of the most instantly recognizable melodies in gaming music, maybe music period? It's obviously low-hanging fruit for me to enjoy a book about Nintendo, but let me have this. I'm reading and that's a good thing!

What I'm looking forward to: I have two pretty solid answers this week! Next Friday is Pokemon Day, meaning we will get a slate of new announcements including, almost certainly, the 10th generation of the games. The leaks/rumors about that have me excited, and it's definitely the main event of the coming showcase. But I'm also interested to see if we get other tidbits: maybe another look at the good-looking Pokopia, news about that stop motion show about Sir Fetch'd that I'm still waiting for, or something about Pokemon Unite. I hate that I've gotten invested in this not-very-good PokeMOBA, but it's great brain off gaming and I like it. They're moving to two new Pokemon a month this year, which is crazy. We already know that March's additions are Moltres and Articuno, but I hope they announce some more that are coming in Spring.

My other answer for what I'm looking forward to is kind of embarrassing. I, like many adults, wish I had more hobbies or creative outlets. And I, like many adults, have tried and failed to make these work for me. I, like many adults, bought a sketchbook that proceeded to collect dust in a cabinet. But I refuse to let myself be ashamed, trying to be creative, even if it fails, is a worthwhile pursuit. So in a desire to learn an instrument, I have ordered two simple woodwind instruments: an ocarina and a drone flute. Yes, being a white dork with an ocarina makes me feel like a turbo gamer, but something something kill the part of you that cringes. Maybe I'll never touch them, maybe I will! Let's find out!

That's it for today, I feel good right now that I'm doing a better job with focus, mindfulness, and productivity. Let's see how long it lasts. Have a wonderful week and keep it sleepy.