Veryn
@sword-saint-v.bsky.social
I play less video games than I would like to and read more webnovels than I should. Occasionally, I'll try to write.
Saw Cuphead was on sale so I finally decided to give it a try.
And it was really fun.
The aesthetic is super charming and well done, and the gameplay was addicting. Played through it all yesterday/today.
Some bosses were maybe too frustrating (looking at you Bee and Robot), but still satisfying.
4/5
And it was really fun.
The aesthetic is super charming and well done, and the gameplay was addicting. Played through it all yesterday/today.
Some bosses were maybe too frustrating (looking at you Bee and Robot), but still satisfying.
4/5
July 4, 2026 at 4:27 AM
Saw Cuphead was on sale so I finally decided to give it a try.
And it was really fun.
The aesthetic is super charming and well done, and the gameplay was addicting. Played through it all yesterday/today.
Some bosses were maybe too frustrating (looking at you Bee and Robot), but still satisfying.
4/5
And it was really fun.
The aesthetic is super charming and well done, and the gameplay was addicting. Played through it all yesterday/today.
Some bosses were maybe too frustrating (looking at you Bee and Robot), but still satisfying.
4/5
Finally finished FF Tactics last night.
The last stretch of fights drove me up the wall, when i lost half of my armor in the first two fights of a 6+ part chain of battles, but overall it was pretty enjoyable. Rough start getting into it, but once builds came online things clicked a lot better.
4/5
The last stretch of fights drove me up the wall, when i lost half of my armor in the first two fights of a 6+ part chain of battles, but overall it was pretty enjoyable. Rough start getting into it, but once builds came online things clicked a lot better.
4/5
July 2, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Finally finished FF Tactics last night.
The last stretch of fights drove me up the wall, when i lost half of my armor in the first two fights of a 6+ part chain of battles, but overall it was pretty enjoyable. Rough start getting into it, but once builds came online things clicked a lot better.
4/5
The last stretch of fights drove me up the wall, when i lost half of my armor in the first two fights of a 6+ part chain of battles, but overall it was pretty enjoyable. Rough start getting into it, but once builds came online things clicked a lot better.
4/5
Read Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe, the first two entries in The Book of the New Sun.
While I found the world interesting, and enjoyed Wolfe's prose, I wasn't sold on Severian or the narrative. It's also unclear to me how intentional the uncomfortable treatment of women is meant to be.
3/5
While I found the world interesting, and enjoyed Wolfe's prose, I wasn't sold on Severian or the narrative. It's also unclear to me how intentional the uncomfortable treatment of women is meant to be.
3/5
July 2, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Read Shadow & Claw by Gene Wolfe, the first two entries in The Book of the New Sun.
While I found the world interesting, and enjoyed Wolfe's prose, I wasn't sold on Severian or the narrative. It's also unclear to me how intentional the uncomfortable treatment of women is meant to be.
3/5
While I found the world interesting, and enjoyed Wolfe's prose, I wasn't sold on Severian or the narrative. It's also unclear to me how intentional the uncomfortable treatment of women is meant to be.
3/5
Read 'The Faith of Beasts' last week, a strong follow-up to 'The Mercy of Gods' from last year.
The cast was spread out more this time, their roles more established, and I enjoyed how that let it peel back more world-building as each character tried to claw out as much agency as they could.
4/5
The cast was spread out more this time, their roles more established, and I enjoyed how that let it peel back more world-building as each character tried to claw out as much agency as they could.
4/5
July 2, 2026 at 6:11 PM
Read 'The Faith of Beasts' last week, a strong follow-up to 'The Mercy of Gods' from last year.
The cast was spread out more this time, their roles more established, and I enjoyed how that let it peel back more world-building as each character tried to claw out as much agency as they could.
4/5
The cast was spread out more this time, their roles more established, and I enjoyed how that let it peel back more world-building as each character tried to claw out as much agency as they could.
4/5
I think I liked Queen Demon more than Witch King?
The first book felt like it had a better plot and tied the timelines together in a much more deliberate and complementary way, but I got more of out of the characters this time around and that brought up my overall enjoyment of the book.
4/5
The first book felt like it had a better plot and tied the timelines together in a much more deliberate and complementary way, but I got more of out of the characters this time around and that brought up my overall enjoyment of the book.
4/5
June 16, 2026 at 11:43 PM
I think I liked Queen Demon more than Witch King?
The first book felt like it had a better plot and tied the timelines together in a much more deliberate and complementary way, but I got more of out of the characters this time around and that brought up my overall enjoyment of the book.
4/5
The first book felt like it had a better plot and tied the timelines together in a much more deliberate and complementary way, but I got more of out of the characters this time around and that brought up my overall enjoyment of the book.
4/5
Back in FFTactics, but I feel like i must be doing something wrong?
Why am I fighting lv 14 enemies when my highest is lv 8?
Its taking me 3 or 4 tries to clear some fights and I'm only in ch 2
Why am I fighting lv 14 enemies when my highest is lv 8?
Its taking me 3 or 4 tries to clear some fights and I'm only in ch 2
June 13, 2026 at 10:26 PM
Back in FFTactics, but I feel like i must be doing something wrong?
Why am I fighting lv 14 enemies when my highest is lv 8?
Its taking me 3 or 4 tries to clear some fights and I'm only in ch 2
Why am I fighting lv 14 enemies when my highest is lv 8?
Its taking me 3 or 4 tries to clear some fights and I'm only in ch 2
New FF7, new Xenoblade, new Fire Emblem, new God of War, new Control, and even a crumb of Kingdom Hearts 4?
Gonna be eating good.
Gonna be eating good.
June 12, 2026 at 3:07 AM
New FF7, new Xenoblade, new Fire Emblem, new God of War, new Control, and even a crumb of Kingdom Hearts 4?
Gonna be eating good.
Gonna be eating good.
Read 3 more KU books that I'm just going to group together.
All 3/5 for me.
Unbound has dragons, which is great, but is basic YA and underuses the parts that make it unique.
Book of the Dead is good if you're in the mood for the minutia of necromancy, with some interesting takes on a litRPG setting.
All 3/5 for me.
Unbound has dragons, which is great, but is basic YA and underuses the parts that make it unique.
Book of the Dead is good if you're in the mood for the minutia of necromancy, with some interesting takes on a litRPG setting.
June 12, 2026 at 2:46 AM
Read 3 more KU books that I'm just going to group together.
All 3/5 for me.
Unbound has dragons, which is great, but is basic YA and underuses the parts that make it unique.
Book of the Dead is good if you're in the mood for the minutia of necromancy, with some interesting takes on a litRPG setting.
All 3/5 for me.
Unbound has dragons, which is great, but is basic YA and underuses the parts that make it unique.
Book of the Dead is good if you're in the mood for the minutia of necromancy, with some interesting takes on a litRPG setting.
"Video games are great," says man who hasn't touched FF Tactics in two weeks.
June 12, 2026 at 2:23 AM
"Video games are great," says man who hasn't touched FF Tactics in two weeks.
Just blazed through Witch King.
The character voices are a bit weaker than Murderbot, a bit too modern and similar to each other, but Kai's found family is cute and the world was super interesting. The past/present split worked well on me, and I loved how the beats lined up.
Just reaches a soft 4/5.
The character voices are a bit weaker than Murderbot, a bit too modern and similar to each other, but Kai's found family is cute and the world was super interesting. The past/present split worked well on me, and I loved how the beats lined up.
Just reaches a soft 4/5.
May 13, 2026 at 3:12 AM
Just blazed through Witch King.
The character voices are a bit weaker than Murderbot, a bit too modern and similar to each other, but Kai's found family is cute and the world was super interesting. The past/present split worked well on me, and I loved how the beats lined up.
Just reaches a soft 4/5.
The character voices are a bit weaker than Murderbot, a bit too modern and similar to each other, but Kai's found family is cute and the world was super interesting. The past/present split worked well on me, and I loved how the beats lined up.
Just reaches a soft 4/5.
Finished Jade Legacy.
It was a satisfying conclusion to the series and the Kaul family; jumping across over twenty years. The 'zoomed-out' approach did mean some transitions were jarring, and i wasn't always as invested as Jade City/War, but it helped spotlight the whole family's development.
4/5
It was a satisfying conclusion to the series and the Kaul family; jumping across over twenty years. The 'zoomed-out' approach did mean some transitions were jarring, and i wasn't always as invested as Jade City/War, but it helped spotlight the whole family's development.
4/5
May 9, 2026 at 1:35 AM
Finished Jade Legacy.
It was a satisfying conclusion to the series and the Kaul family; jumping across over twenty years. The 'zoomed-out' approach did mean some transitions were jarring, and i wasn't always as invested as Jade City/War, but it helped spotlight the whole family's development.
4/5
It was a satisfying conclusion to the series and the Kaul family; jumping across over twenty years. The 'zoomed-out' approach did mean some transitions were jarring, and i wasn't always as invested as Jade City/War, but it helped spotlight the whole family's development.
4/5
Watched the Chainsaw Man Reze movie yesterday.
What a great movie, prob my favorite that I've watched so far this year.
Great action, imagery, pacing, you name it; definitely elevated it over the already great source material.
5/5
What a great movie, prob my favorite that I've watched so far this year.
Great action, imagery, pacing, you name it; definitely elevated it over the already great source material.
5/5
May 6, 2026 at 4:24 AM
Watched the Chainsaw Man Reze movie yesterday.
What a great movie, prob my favorite that I've watched so far this year.
Great action, imagery, pacing, you name it; definitely elevated it over the already great source material.
5/5
What a great movie, prob my favorite that I've watched so far this year.
Great action, imagery, pacing, you name it; definitely elevated it over the already great source material.
5/5
Grabbed a free trial for Kindle Unlimited.
Time to see how many books I can read before it runs out, lol.
Time to see how many books I can read before it runs out, lol.
May 3, 2026 at 5:53 PM
Grabbed a free trial for Kindle Unlimited.
Time to see how many books I can read before it runs out, lol.
Time to see how many books I can read before it runs out, lol.
Murderbot's great.
The series as a whole has a super strong voice and is such a great example of the snappy, immersive, 1st-person PoV that I just breeze through the pages. It doesn't do anything too ground-breaking, but it's great execution imo. This was book 7, and I think 8 comes out soon?
4/5
The series as a whole has a super strong voice and is such a great example of the snappy, immersive, 1st-person PoV that I just breeze through the pages. It doesn't do anything too ground-breaking, but it's great execution imo. This was book 7, and I think 8 comes out soon?
4/5
May 3, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Murderbot's great.
The series as a whole has a super strong voice and is such a great example of the snappy, immersive, 1st-person PoV that I just breeze through the pages. It doesn't do anything too ground-breaking, but it's great execution imo. This was book 7, and I think 8 comes out soon?
4/5
The series as a whole has a super strong voice and is such a great example of the snappy, immersive, 1st-person PoV that I just breeze through the pages. It doesn't do anything too ground-breaking, but it's great execution imo. This was book 7, and I think 8 comes out soon?
4/5
Also ran credits in Animal Well today.
There were a few friction points for me at the start where I felt aimless and confused, but once I had a few items and got into the swing of the game, it was very enjoyable. Had some creative puzzle-solving and was pretty concise, under 7 hours.
3/5
There were a few friction points for me at the start where I felt aimless and confused, but once I had a few items and got into the swing of the game, it was very enjoyable. Had some creative puzzle-solving and was pretty concise, under 7 hours.
3/5
May 2, 2026 at 7:48 PM
Also ran credits in Animal Well today.
There were a few friction points for me at the start where I felt aimless and confused, but once I had a few items and got into the swing of the game, it was very enjoyable. Had some creative puzzle-solving and was pretty concise, under 7 hours.
3/5
There were a few friction points for me at the start where I felt aimless and confused, but once I had a few items and got into the swing of the game, it was very enjoyable. Had some creative puzzle-solving and was pretty concise, under 7 hours.
3/5
I read Jade City a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, but had never gotten around to continuing the trilogy until now. Jade War continues doing a great job of executing the 'Godfather + Wuxia' premise in a super interesting world, with every decision domino-ing into unwanted consequences.
4/5
4/5
May 2, 2026 at 7:41 PM
I read Jade City a couple years ago and really enjoyed it, but had never gotten around to continuing the trilogy until now. Jade War continues doing a great job of executing the 'Godfather + Wuxia' premise in a super interesting world, with every decision domino-ing into unwanted consequences.
4/5
4/5
Finished Truth of the Divine today.
This book felt a little strange. It was good, but I'm not sure about having the leads from the previous book so depressed that a new character needs to step in as the protagonist for most of the book.
A realistic trauma response, but odd narrative decision.
3/5
This book felt a little strange. It was good, but I'm not sure about having the leads from the previous book so depressed that a new character needs to step in as the protagonist for most of the book.
A realistic trauma response, but odd narrative decision.
3/5
April 25, 2026 at 2:03 AM
Finished Truth of the Divine today.
This book felt a little strange. It was good, but I'm not sure about having the leads from the previous book so depressed that a new character needs to step in as the protagonist for most of the book.
A realistic trauma response, but odd narrative decision.
3/5
This book felt a little strange. It was good, but I'm not sure about having the leads from the previous book so depressed that a new character needs to step in as the protagonist for most of the book.
A realistic trauma response, but odd narrative decision.
3/5
The FFXIV raid is a collab with who???????
I blame Yoshi-P
I blame Yoshi-P
April 24, 2026 at 6:54 PM
The FFXIV raid is a collab with who???????
I blame Yoshi-P
I blame Yoshi-P
Hmm, I think I'll be a fan of the FFXIV changes? But impossible to really tell until we know more.
But the concept art for the new regions and enemies look cool!
But the concept art for the new regions and enemies look cool!
April 24, 2026 at 6:47 PM
Hmm, I think I'll be a fan of the FFXIV changes? But impossible to really tell until we know more.
But the concept art for the new regions and enemies look cool!
But the concept art for the new regions and enemies look cool!
Finished the 3rd First Law book today.
I personally prefer my fantasy to be more "heroic", but the grittiness of the series lent itself well to the themes and characters it was going for, where powerful people don't gain or keep power by being deserving.
I'll def read more by Abercrombie.
4/5
I personally prefer my fantasy to be more "heroic", but the grittiness of the series lent itself well to the themes and characters it was going for, where powerful people don't gain or keep power by being deserving.
I'll def read more by Abercrombie.
4/5
April 24, 2026 at 4:25 AM
Finished the 3rd First Law book today.
I personally prefer my fantasy to be more "heroic", but the grittiness of the series lent itself well to the themes and characters it was going for, where powerful people don't gain or keep power by being deserving.
I'll def read more by Abercrombie.
4/5
I personally prefer my fantasy to be more "heroic", but the grittiness of the series lent itself well to the themes and characters it was going for, where powerful people don't gain or keep power by being deserving.
I'll def read more by Abercrombie.
4/5
Ran credits in Pokopia, super cute game!
My closest point of comparison is animal crossing, but I ended up preferring Pokopia's more goal-oriented gameplay / plot. Plus, it's probably the best looking Pokémon game atm. Tbh, I was surprised and glad by how much I liked it.
4/5
Would recommend.
My closest point of comparison is animal crossing, but I ended up preferring Pokopia's more goal-oriented gameplay / plot. Plus, it's probably the best looking Pokémon game atm. Tbh, I was surprised and glad by how much I liked it.
4/5
Would recommend.
April 24, 2026 at 4:19 AM
Ran credits in Pokopia, super cute game!
My closest point of comparison is animal crossing, but I ended up preferring Pokopia's more goal-oriented gameplay / plot. Plus, it's probably the best looking Pokémon game atm. Tbh, I was surprised and glad by how much I liked it.
4/5
Would recommend.
My closest point of comparison is animal crossing, but I ended up preferring Pokopia's more goal-oriented gameplay / plot. Plus, it's probably the best looking Pokémon game atm. Tbh, I was surprised and glad by how much I liked it.
4/5
Would recommend.
Watched the Umamusume movie and it was a dang good standalone sports anime. The animation and cinematography were great, and that wasn't limited to just the racing, i popped off at a ramune bottle being opened at one point.
Good horses.
4/5, do recommend.
Good horses.
4/5, do recommend.
April 12, 2026 at 4:56 AM
Watched the Umamusume movie and it was a dang good standalone sports anime. The animation and cinematography were great, and that wasn't limited to just the racing, i popped off at a ramune bottle being opened at one point.
Good horses.
4/5, do recommend.
Good horses.
4/5, do recommend.
Read the first two books in the First Law series over the past couple of weeks. Really enjoyed them and how they kind of dance back and forth over the line between a gritty low-fantasy and a sweeping epic fantasy.
4/5 for both, will read the third one next.
4/5 for both, will read the third one next.
April 6, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Read the first two books in the First Law series over the past couple of weeks. Really enjoyed them and how they kind of dance back and forth over the line between a gritty low-fantasy and a sweeping epic fantasy.
4/5 for both, will read the third one next.
4/5 for both, will read the third one next.
I love kbbq.
They really just let you keep ordering more galbi!
They really just let you keep ordering more galbi!
April 5, 2026 at 4:39 AM
I love kbbq.
They really just let you keep ordering more galbi!
They really just let you keep ordering more galbi!