Figurine Collection Reflections

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Do you know what shopping hauls remind me of? Show and tell. It’s an elementary school activity where schoolchildren bring an object from home to present in front of the class. The activity is supposed to help children express themselves and bond with their peers. It’s also an activity for school teachers to learn more about a student’s psyche. I remember bringing a capsule toy that had no significant meaning to me. I must have appeared awkward because my teacher was the only person who clapped her hands.

So in today’s post, I actually have something to show and tell. I share what I learned about myself through collecting villains. It’s a fun writing exercise that you might want to try too, especially when you find yourself impulsively shopping for nostalgic items.

Ursula from The Little Mermaid

They say people don’t leave a company, they leave a bad boss. No one can justify that Ursula is a misunderstood noble boss. She is controlling, manipulative, and crafty, and has no interest in her subordinates. Good luck trying to get promoted. She doesn’t want you to succeed. She wants you to be forever her busy bee. On top of that, she is a usurper–no different from a tyrant. Even though I have forgiven Ursula (my former boss) a while ago, I still remember the pain she put me through, and as a result, I learned to set boundaries and put my well-being above all else. After all, a dead horse cannot work.

Queen in Witch Form from Snow White

Not too long ago, I finally read the Brothers Grimm’s Snow White, and I liked it more than Disney’s version. It is a lot darker and brutal. I started getting chills just visualizing the story in my mind.  What stood out to me most was the moral of the story. Why is Snow White so fair? While it’s a lovely trait, it’s also a weakness. She is so fair that she doesn’t recoil from the witch despite the warnings from the seven dwarfs. Being receptive by default can be quite challenging. This villain helps remind me that not everyone deserves fair treatment, especially not at the expense of your own life.

Michal Myers from Halloween

Yes I know this is not a figurine, but I have to include this one because I have a thing for villains like Michael Myers. How adorable is he? How evil can he be? There are some people you cannot reason with. Apathy may sound like a bad trait, but being apathetic towards such a character is not a bad thing. A psychopath will always be a psychopath who does not deserve any empathy. Being cold towards certain people might just save us from future despair. So when you encounter someone with Michael Myers’s vibes, run. Run for your life! I am partially kidding. On a serious note, a couple years ago I learned from a co-worker that a woman is always thinking “Is he going to kill me?” whereas a guy is thinking, “Is she going to laugh at me?” I thought it was so insightful.

Final Thoughts

This was a fun creative post for me to write. To be honest, I am not much of a collector. I am actually a minimalist who finds more value in experiences than material items. However, is just that lately, I am learning how to splurge on the little things that mean something to me. It’s not always good to live life so wisely that you barely live life at all.

Now it is your turn. What kind of figurine or plushy do you collect? Why do you collect them?

Clock Tower Rewind Review (PC): Liking It for the Aesthetic

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Jennifer appears to fall

Clock Tower Rewind (2024) is one of those games I have mixed feelings about. Not quite enjoying it, but can’t seem to put it down because there are multiple endings to unlock, and with patience, I know I can 100 percent the game. However, is it really worth it to see all the way to the end if the experience is that bad? I remember having a similar experience with Remothered:Tormented Fathers, another stalker game that almost blew up my laptop. The game had some major technical issues and yet, I soldier through. Why do some of us like being chased by a freak??? What’s the thrill in that? Oh wait. I know. When we are in flight mode, we fight for our lives.

Drawing of Rooney from NightCry
Hey Rooney, we are just a bit loony. (Rooney from NightCry1)

My apologies for speaking in riddles. Let’s rewind that paragraph above. Clock Tower Rewind is an upgrade from the original Clock Tower (1995), a survival horror game created by Hifumi Kono.  This game includes the rewind gaming mechanic and some additional behind-the-scenes content as the major selling point. Gameplay-wise, this game is painful to get through. But I get it, games back then did not hold your hand. There is no shiny, twinkling cue to steer the gamer to pick up an item. It took me 10 hours of trial and error to figure things out. Exploration is part of the game. Getting lost in the mansion is part of the game. Dying by the scissor man is part of the game. If you memorize the layout of the mansion and know exactly what to do, this game is actually short. You can complete it in less than an hour. However, let me warn: it is going to require some patience. This game is like playing a bumpy film when it could have been smoother. It’s not a remastered version. Some say it’s a bad port.  And I am going to have to agree with the popular consensus on this one.

The pesticide was in the corner all along. Wow, I feel like a total dummy.

The control is super janky. Trying to block the antagonist from attacking Jennifer is like playing paper, rock, and scissors. You just don’t know if blocking will be successful. I even used the rewind mechanic, but still no luck. The most frustrating part is where I ended up in a room with a floating doll. Jennifer does not move, no matter how many times I press the execute button to run (A on the controller, G on the keyboard). I had to reload several times until I faced the hanging French doll. Only then can I command Jennifer to run past the doll and escape the room.

I don’t think being stuck is part of the game design…

My point is that games back then came a long way in terms of user improvements, and therefore, I am forgiving. However, selling a game to make a quick profit seems lazy to me. I love the game’s concept, but I don’t think it’s a game for everyone who is looking to play a seamless, survival horror game. I can only see this game worth something to someone if they are a big survival horror game fan. It’s nice to say I played it, or attempted to get all the endings.

Jennifer falling
I am tired of trying if you make it impossible.

Final Thoughts

This game inspired me to watch Phenomena (1985), directed by Dario Argento. And I must say, I enjoyed the film a lot! I also have a deeper appreciation for NightCry (2016) as well, which was also created by Hifumi Kono. I see how his works have evolved. But if you were to ask me which I prefer, I would say NightCry over Clock Tower because I like Masahiro Ito’s monster design a whole lot more, and the final conclusion of the game, even if I am missing an eyeball. Don’t know what I mean? Go play NightCry. It’s more fun and polished than this game.

Notes:

  1. Rooney is one of the playable characters from the survival horror game, NightCry ↩︎

My Top 3 Fav. Video Games

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I have been suffering from writer’s block ever since I came back from visiting my family. It is not necessarily a bad thing.  It is just hard getting back into writing mode. I  need to learn how to build a writing momentum again. Humans are indeed a creature of habit. No wonder some of us are threatened by AI.

To get back into writing mode, I thought I’d do something casual. Let’s talk about video games because life is too short to bottle things up and be serious all the time.

I thought long and hard about this subject. How do I know what my favorite games are? Then I asked myself, what games do I keep going back to? How many copies of the same game do I have? What games left a huge impression on me? I found the answers even though it was really hard because I enjoyed many games. So here are my top 3 in no particular order.

1) Dark Souls II

I know Dark Souls II has a bad reputation among some soul fans, but I could care less. Dark Souls II is my favorite out of the franchise. I like the lore, the character creation, stage and monster design than the first one. So you can say that it’s actually the art direction of Naotoshi Zin and the lead art concept design by Daisuke Satake that stood out to me. It’s like playing inside a fairy-tale book with an edge. And if I can recall, I did jokingly refer Dark Souls II as my abusive lover in this blog post:Dark Souls II Rant: Rings and the Test of Patience as I explained why I kept going back to it.

Close-up shot of an enemy. It’s deadly cute (Image from Dark Souls II Scholar of the First Sin).

But I’ll be honest with you folks, I sort of got burnt out with the souls game or any soul-like games. Lately, I rather live life by just going with the flow instead of swimming against a strong current. So maybe Shenmue 2 is actually my favorite game. I am learning how to stop and smell the roses and be kinder to myself.

2) Nier Gestalt/Replicant

According to Yoko Taro, he is a weirdo and only weird people love this game, so that makes me weird, too. Because who would lock themselves away in a room and ponder deep, life questions, and say one of their best summer vacation experiences is inside a video game? What I enjoyed most is how synchronized the music is in each area of the game.  I lost count of how many times I replayed the abandoned factory section. Sometimes I just kill robots by following the rhythm of the music. To me the game design is art itself. For a post-apocalyptic world, it sure feels safer than when it was full of civilization, and I didn’t even know I was playing as a mass murderer!

I know I am not the only one who felt like an @sshole for killing the robot (Image from Nier Replicant).

3) Parasite Eve 1 & 2

I am sorry. I can’t decide whether I should pick Parasite Eve or Parasite Eve 2. Oddly, I found myself replaying Parasite Eve 2 multiple times. I like the stage design and the overall ambient atmosphere. Also, Aya Brea is more experienced in the second installment. There is something cool about her navigating alone and a certain quietness to it. Perfect for a big introvert like me who can’t think in noisy places. I also really like the monster design. The battle with the Burner still terrifies me to this day. I am going to replay this game sometime soon.

So, if you were to ask me what my favorite games are, now you know. So what about you? What are your top 3 favorite games?

May’s Books, Games, and Creative Projects

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May Calendar

May has arrived. After watching several videos on journaling, I decided to try making my own calendar book in the beginning of this year. The first few months of page design weren’t pretty. But I think I can proudly say May is my best! Anyway, creating a calendar each month is a fun activity that takes me away from the screen. I also want to try junk journaling or go back to pastel drawing. Watching other people’s creative works is so inspiring. With that being out of the way, let’s talk about what I have been reading and playing.

Reading

I finished Call of the Wild by Jack London and Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë. Currently reading My Antonia by Willa Cather. Out of the three books, even though I have not finished My Antonia, I am enjoying it the most. The pioneer spirit of working immigrants is very inspiring, and the writing is just so beautiful and full of compassion. However, I found the dialogue between the characters shockingly racist. For instance, I didn’t know what a Lapland woman is until I read this book: “Lapland women were fat and ugly, and had squint eyes, like Chinese…mother says Norwegians up North are always afraid their boys will run after them (p.192, Bantam Classics).” Um… okay. If they are so ugly why would the boys run after them? It sounds like a bunch of girls gossiping nonsense. For the most part, I enjoy the imagery of the prairie. There are many descriptions of nature that I could visualize in my mind. People back then spent more time outdoors, and perhaps that is what draws me to the book.

I have added more books to my reading list ever since visiting the local bookstores. There are so many books I want to read, but oddly, I find it more fun to write about video games for this blog. I don’t know why.

Gaming

Last month, I spent time with Trinity Souls of Zill O’LL. I am halfway now. I know it’s taking me forever to complete since I don’t play the game every day and only about 40 minutes a session. It works for me. And since I already achieved the platinum years ago, I don’t stress about trying to get everything in one playthrough. I focus on the story, and I must say, I love the story! It reminds me of Oedipus the Rex, which happens to be one of my favorite plays. Areus, the protagonist, has one mission in life–to kill his evil Grandpa! It has a mixture of Greek and Norse mythologies. Everything that I like, and this scene, a fighting (flirting) scene, is so fun to watch:

I also like how the game includes an encyclopedia of the bestiary, characters, quests, journals, etc. It is so organized. The best part is the Gallery menu. You can watch movies (cutscenes), look at paintings and listen to the music. I am still debating whether I want to do a video game essay or review once I complete it. It’s very time-consuming, I realized. If you have not played this game and you are a fan of JRPGs, I highly recommend this game.

I also watched an entire Let’s Play video of Silent Hill 3. I remember not enjoying it as much, but it’s more of a user experience problem. I am surprised I beat the game back then, even though the camera gave me motion sickness. Watching it again, I appreciate its artistry, symbolism, and stage design. The level of detail in the monster design is amazing. I also understand why so many people like Heather. She is stylish, edgy, and doesn’t mind being in her own company. She blazes in the game without flinching–almost like she is so used to the nightmare. Towards the end, she questions herself: has she gone crazy? I guess that is what makes the game a psychological horror. I still prefer Silent Hill 2, though. I just don’t like too many references to the woman’s anatomy. It makes me queasy.

In relation to Silent Hill 3, I do want to mention that I haven’t seen anyone talk about Audrey Rose, a film by Robert Wise. I watched it on Amazon Prime a few years ago, and it reminds me so much of the story revolving Heather. It’s a psychological horror that discusses the concept of reincarnation. The way the film was shot terrified me. If you have not seen this horror film, you should. You can find it on Tubi and Youtube, free with ads. I wonder if I am the only one who notices the resemblance.

Final Thoughts

Gaming has been quite selective for me. I know that I have a few games I need to revisit, but I am not sure if I have the right mind set to enjoy them properly. Lately, I prefer something more adventurous and nourishing. As for books, I dropped Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. I’m just not feeling it. So I don’t want to waste anymore of my time with the book. This approach to my hobbies makes me happier.

Embracing Imperfection in Writing

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Oops that was embarrassing 😳. I wasn’t even finished with editing and revising my old blog post when somehow it was published on Reader as “Reflections on My Journey from Journalism to Blogging” , which is a false statement. Anyway, I wrote this blog post a while ago about my passion for blogging back in 2022. Then I revised it again in Feb of 2026. Then I deleted it again because it feels very personal—almost embarrassing.  Whenever I read it, it reminds me of my failure. I wasn’t planning on publishing it so soon, but here it goes!

teddybear and ps4 controller next to the window

Before the birth of content creation and when the internet was still in its primitive stages, it seemed that if you wanted to write, the only career choices were to become a journalist or an author. I was never the type who could write lengthy prose or who was creative enough to come up with compelling plots. Thinking I had my life straight when I was a teenager, I opted for journalism. I job shadowed a court reporter at the local newspaper company, thinking that one day I would be a great reporter. Well, you can blame television shows for glorifying reporters. In reality, I remember I almost fell asleep during the court session, listening to the monotonous attorney presenting his case in front of a brightly lit room, and glancing at the court reporter who sat beside me, scribbling on her notepad with a red pen. Her notes were unreadable, and she knew it when she showed them to me and smiled.

She had that typical look of a reporter. Her brunette hair was up in a ponytail, and she had blunt bangs. She wore an oversized light brown blazer on top of a white blouse with greenish-gray slacks and carried a dark brown, leather crossbow bag. She was nice and as eager to show off her job to someone who was excited and young as I was. I remember I had to get a guardian’s approval before I could attend the murder trial. To my disappointment, the session went on for hours. I started to hear the court reporter’s stomach growling when the day was close to noon. The trial was so dry that my mind started to drift. It was nothing like on T.V where murder cases are dramatized for entertainment purposes. Her job was tediously repetitive. There was the note-taking part, the listening part, the researching part, and then the writing part. She had to organize her notes and make sense of all of them for normal people like me to understand. However, at the time, being young and inexperienced, I couldn’t appreciate the work she did. Thinking all reporters appreciate honesty, I wrote her a sincere thank-you letter that went somewhat like this:

Dear Karen (I think that was her name),

Thank you for allowing me to job shadow you, but your job is pretty dry. I appreciate your time.

–S.

I could have been more flowery with my word choice. In my mind, I thought I sounded sincerely grateful for being honest. However, the more I think about my failure to become the next Connie Chung, I was lying to myself the entire time (you can laugh at me). My peers were better writers and reporters than I can ever be. They are more vocal, and perhaps, seemingly confident because people are attracted to confidence. Me? I am just so quiet–almost creepy.  “Somewhere in this strange world, you belong,” said my journalism teacher. He was right. I prefer writing in solitary. Sometimes in the dark in the closet. Only then can I let my hair down and breathe. I can write and focus on perfecting my writing craft without stressing for the audience’s approval. I know I will always make typos here and there. After all, I am the only person behind this blog.

Replaying Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll (PS3)

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Trinity Souls of Zill O'll manual

Once upon a time…I stumbled upon an article written by a well-known video game website that gave Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll a bad rating. According to the video game journalist, the lead character (Areus) is bland, and the gameplay is boring. I remember thinking that I must have bad taste because I really enjoyed the game and liked the protagonist. He is half-elf and half-human who grew up facing severe prejudice.

In other words, he is an outsider. I suppose with this type of game, you have to be the type who doesn’t mind role playing a character different from yourself. You play for the art, music and story. You play for the entire package.

These days, I don’t bother reading game reviews written by big video game sites, nor do I take game reviews seriously written by gamers who were still toddlers during the PS3 era. It’s a whole different generation. Although I must say, I think it’s cool to see younger folks appreciating older games.

Anyway, I have been replaying this game and would love to give this game a proper review. It will take me some time, though. So my blog will be quiet for a bit, but I am sure there is more than enough content out there to keep you from boredom. In the meantime, here is the awesome opening to the game. I watched it several times.

P.S.

There was a daily prompt that asked “What job would you do for free?” I have been writing about games for about 10 years now on my free time. If it’s not passion then I don’t know what it is.

Spring Reading and Gaming Update

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Little leaves sprouting for spring

The sky is blue, the leaves are sprouting, and the birds are chirping. I can’t believe Spring is here, and my blog turned 8 years old! Thanks, WordPress, for the notification. I forgot my own blog’s birthday.

This year feels like I have been reading more, and I like it that way. It’s more calming with a cup of tea–even the games I am playing are less demanding. I completed The Count of Monte Cristo, which I started reading in late December. I could have finished the book sooner, but I was reading other things in between. During that time, I also started reading Claymore, the manga. As for Monster, I stopped at volume 4. I will resume once I have finished the other books. I didn’t like jumping from one book to the next. I realized this method didn’t work for me. I like to take my time to stop and think what I’ve read.

After reading The Count of Monte Cristo, I am going to read something shorter.

On top of my reading list, I have added Jane Eyre, Agnes Grey, and Wuthering Heights. I have yet to read all three books by the Brontë sisters. It’s my way of celebrating International Women’s History Month.

Game Update

I have been eying Undernaunts Labyrinth of the Yomi for a long time… Thanks to my fiancé, I received it as a gift. The problem with Undernaunts physical copy for the PS5 is that I heard there is a bug that prevents players from progressing. I am not sure if it has been fixed as of 2026. Well, I suppose I will have to try! Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it anymore to buy physical copies. I am sure the Switch version is worth it for gamers who like collecting physical copies.

Instead of being an astronaut, you play as an undernaut. The title is clever.

In addition to my gaming collection, I am currently playing PARANORMASIGHT: The Mermaid’s Curse. So far, I am not liking it as much. The reviews on Steam’s page are over hyped. I wonder if Square Enix staff wrote some of those positive reviews to boost sales. It is a bit disappointing for the price, but I will shut my mouth and try to complete the game. I believe I am near the end.

Stop lying. It’s about the money…

It’s all right. I am not all that angry. We all know these days, everyone is feeling the blow of inflation except for the delusional 1%. But my wallet hurts when I play a subpar adventure game. For $24.99, you could buy several adventurous horror games out there for the price of one during Steam’s sale. I remember for $1.99, I had a blast with The Cat Lady. This visual novel feels like reading an encyclopedia on the historical context surrounding Japanese mermaids. And the over the top theatrical character’s animation is not cutting it. It’s annoying.

Oh, I sure appreciate the subtle insult. Once again another game poking fun at its audience.

That’s a wrap up for my Spring reading and gaming update as of March. Until next time, be well.

Resident Evil 0 Remastered Is Classically Beautiful and Fun

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Rebecca looking up at Billy

This is the fourth time I’ve played the game back to back. By now, I recall all the puzzles and the locations of the enemies. I love it so much that I am going to shoot for 100 percent! It might take me the entire year or more, since I don’t want to get burnt out because that will ruin the joy. However, I played the game enough to finally write a proper review. The gameplay is as addictive as Dark Souls to me! The lack of item boxes and the Resident Evil “report card” at the end make me want to become better at the game. It can be quite the sport.

Grading Rank Screen
Rank A on Normal Mode

A lot of people complained about the lack of item boxes. Having to haul your items because each character only has 6 slots to carry. Some items, such as the shotgun and the crossbow, take up two slots! Although I think part of my frustration comes from not knowing whether I should keep the items with me when I move on to the next area. That was me being greedy. On a side note, I do want to point out that the level difficulty determines item’s availability. On hard mode, there wouldn’t be a need to haul items since it’s scarce. However, this is bad if you run out of ammo towards the final boss!

Rebecca standing over all the items
I do feel the pain having to haul these items but it didn’t bother me too much.

Once I memorized the game layout and its sequence, I became more efficient. For instance, right before moving on from the training facility to the lab, I made sure that Rebecca was equipped with the crossbow because I didn’t want to backtrack and face the aggressive monkeys. They do re-spawn once an event has passed. I tried to avoid at all costs to conserve ammo and herbs. More importantly, save time. The longer you take to complete the game, the more it will hurt your rank.

Crossbow taking up two slots
I forget to mention that there is a limit to how many items you can leave.

In normal mode, it takes two shotgun shells to take down each hunter; one acid grenade for each spider; and one standard handgun bullet on each zombie if you aim for the head. Also, it’s not always necessary to shoot enemies if you don’t need to–like the leech man. Just run around it quickly.

The limited herbs also made it difficult to navigate, since Rebecca takes more hits than Billy. So here is where I had to strategize. Let Billy clear the path since he is more of a tank character. Rest assured, Rebecca is not a useless weak character. There will be time for her to shine. Not only is she skilled at mixing herbs, but she didn’t abandon Billy when she had the chance to, despite knowing he is a convict.

Rebecca caring for Billy
Billy rescued Rebecca many times, in the end, it was her turn to save him.
Billy lifting Rebecca for item
Great teamwork.

Lastly, I want to talk about the puzzles. I didn’t have to look up online once on how to solve them. It made the gameplay experience seamless. For me, the most frustrating thing to me in a game are cryptic puzzles like the ones in Goetia and Song of Horror.

Visual and Sound

The cherry on top of this game is the atmosphere and the sound. I feel so relaxed playing the game. As I mentioned in one of my posts, the sound of switching items between two characters is like ASMR to me. The train area is my favorite, and I wish it is longer because I enjoy the sound of the pouring rain, and the scenes are just stunningly beautiful, but you can say the same goes for the rest of the game. The training facility has an ominous, evil presence, but the lighting makes it so calming.

Rebecca and Billy looking up
Marveling at the equipment in the Training Facility.
Billy wearing prisoner outfit
The yellow and blue is so nice. What an artistic lab.
Billy walking towards train
Taking the train from lab to Treatment Plant.
Rebecca looking at the elevator
Factory elevator after defeating Tyrant. Red light =dangerous.
Rebecca walking up the steps
I like the green light reflection on the wall in the Treatment Plant.

All of the area was beautiful to me. I took over 300 screenshots!

Final Thoughts

Whenever I play a good game, I feel happy. It gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day or in the early morning. I love video games that make me feel alive, especially one that is strategic but not overly complex. Resident Evil 0 is my favorite game from the franchise. I guess to some people I have bad taste, but more so, I think I prefer something that has some technical limitations but is methodical. I wouldn’t like Resident Evil 0 as much if it did have an item box. It’ll remove the challenge and make it like any other survival horror game. Resident Evil 0 is unique. To me, it’s a good thing.

Critiquing AI Summary of My Blog

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playful cat sticking its tongue out

It is lovely how AI can quickly summarize content, but I wonder how accurate and trustworthy the source is. I wanted to do an experiment, so I asked AI Gemini to summarize my blog. I asked it multiple times to see if the answers would change, and it did. It made me wonder, how much can we trust what is posted online? So, for today’s post, I am going to critique 3 summaries about my blog written by AI Gemini:

First entry:

  • Fishingformetaphors.com is a personal blog and archive created by an author known as Halsdoll. The site serves as a platform for reflective writing on various forms of media and art, characterized by a “poetic” and philosophical tone.

I am not sure why it puts quotation marks around the word ‘poetic’ when, in fact, I do enjoy writing poetically. Also, I didn’t realize my writing was philosophical. I take that as a compliment! It is a general summary, but it is missing some major components.

Second entry:

  • Fishingformetaphors.com is a personal blog providing in-depth, subjective reviews and reflections on video games, books, and films, with a focus on atmosphere and narrative. The site covers various media, including RPGs, horror, and classic literature, organized by thematic tags. Explore the full collection of reviews and reflections at Fishing for Metaphors.

I actually like this summary more than the first one. Straight to the point and informative. It feels more inviting than the latter. If I were a stranger who happened to come across this blog, I would be curious enough to subscribe. I like conversational blogs with interesting viewpoints, but I also I don’t judge people on perfect grammar. As long as it makes sense to me, I don’t mind typos and omitting words. Sometimes I think so fast that, even I omit words!

Third entry:

  • Fishingformetaphors.com is a personal blog and review site that focuses on video games, films, and literature from a contemplative, often female-centric perspective. The site features in-depth critiques of psychological horror games, martial arts films, and classic literature, emphasizing atmosphere and thematic depth over technical gameplay.

I think this summary might be on point. It is definitely female-centric in terms of perspective. However, that doesn’t mean I represent all the female kinds out there. Even though I am assertive like Ivy Valentine from Soul Calibur with her whip, I am not at all domineering or do I feel the need to be in the center of the attention to make a point. Oh, now I want to play a fighting game!

Ivy Valentine from Soul Calibur VI
Ivy Valentine from Soul Calibur II

Lesson Learned

One of my favorite quotes comes from a children’s book called Charlotte’s Web: “They’ll believe anything they see in print.” And the internet is no different. It is even more dangerous when the consensus is built on a popular idea. So, how do we know if something is acceptable or valid? The question should be, does it align with your conscience, your values? You have the right to think for yourself. After all everyone is unique in their own way. So, do I agree with the AI summary of my blog? Not necessarily, although it did provide an objective overview of my blog, but I would definitely never let AI do all the work for me. Let alone, think for me. In fact, I had to edit its summary:

Fishingformetaphors.com is a personal blog and archive created by the author Halsdoll. She writes in-depth, subjective reviews and reflections on various media, particularly video games. Her game reviews often emphasize atmosphere and thematic depth over technical gameplay with a poetic, philosophical undertone. She is a martial arts fan who loves reading and watching anything that is poetic. She is also a self-proclaimed wise stray cat on the internet, hoping to find her way back home through her writings and gaming adventures.

Final Thoughts

Well, that was a fun little experiment. Life is too short not to find some moments to laugh and find some ways to express yourself, especially if you are on the reserved side. I think a machine will never understand that. Now, I understand what Crow, a robot character from Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon meant when he said, he’ll never know what it is like to be truly human. And so, I am not sure if AI can fully grasp my intentions for this blog (at least for the time being). However, I do like how it summarized my blog’s content: I write in-depth, subjective reviews and reflections on various media.

I must confess, I do miss real life human interaction before the internet days. The world is becoming increasingly lonely by the minute. Soon everyone will be writing SOS letter on the internet when they realize something essential is missing in their life, a human heart.

Speedrun Is a Great Skill to Have

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Rebecca in nurse outfit
First day on the job at the Morgue. Great outfit, Rebecca, you are dressing up for success.

Generally, I am not afraid to admit I am a slow gamer because I like to survey my surroundings, look at the map, and explore everything I can with a game: take pictures, kill monsters, test out different builds, change outfits, etc. While that is a great way to enjoy a game, there’s another way to enjoy a game multiple times. And that is SPEEDRUN! It can be so thrilling when you are under pressure. Some people come alive when their job is on the line. If you are able to achieve perfection and speed, it translates into efficiency. Congratulations, you possess a desired skill set that many people lack. Being fast and detail-oriented is a great skill set to have in any job!

Who wouldn’t want to become Soul of Cinder from Dark Souls III? He is the CEO of Dark Souls. He knows how to do everything! I don’t want his job, though. I just like killing tyrants because they make everyone’s life a living hell. Know Thy Enemy!

In the alternate world, I am boss killer! Queen of Hollow!
Who is laughing now? You are dead!

Enough reminiscence about Dark Souls III. I have been playing Resident Evil 0 Remastered, and it made me think. If I were a hiring manager, I would make people play this game to see how well a job candidate can work as a team as well as independently. No job is easy, especially when you have to think on your feet. Navigate through multiple systems. You have to learn and unlearn with the flow of the business if you want to survive. Most importantly, you have to learn how to cooperate with your peers. That’s the reality of most jobs if you want to succeed and stay sane in this mad world.

Billy in cody outfit in the train
With that outfit, are you telling me you’re going to fall asleep on the job?
Billy in the Train
You got this, Billy! Better in a suit!

Joke aside. Oh, I really hope you can tell I am half serious with this post! I am on my second playthrough. I want to test my ability to see how fast, or if I have what it takes to be fast, in Resident Evil 0. Speedrun is hard. It humbles me to say–it’s not easy to be efficient with speed, especially when you have to learn something new and make a decision quickly. It can be very stressful, but oddly rewarding. Likewise, real-life work situations can sometimes be like a bad game design. Sometimes, work instructions aren’t always clear when there is a big change within the company. Was there a lost in communication? Most leaders probably don’t know how to communicate to their employees why those changes our important. So that is why it’s important to know the rules (think critically) so you can come up with an efficient workflow to save your own sanity as well as your team members.

I am feeling the adrenaline rush. There’s a crazy monkey on Rebecca’s back! Got to help her!

So, if someone says they like videogames and doing speedrun on their resume, I think you should hire them, haha. Gamers aren’t unambitious; they just need clear direction and a lot of acknowledgement! Maybe the real problem is, we just need better leaders who aren’t going to send us early to our graves.

Image Credits: All screenshots taken from my play-through.