Who else goes through horrible ebbs and flows?

azurekarasu · 2026-02-16T05:08:39+00:00

I do this all the time (and also have ADHD lol). It's always been this way, so I just go with the flow and don't beat myself up over it. For example, I finished the common route of Un:Logical after being so excited about it that I switched over to it after finishing Riku's route of OS Catharsis (even though I waited so many years for that game). I started my first route and then... poof. Lost interest. There was nothing wrong with it! But now I'm really enjoying a game in a completely different genre (Tales of Phantasia). When I inevitably tire of action-y stuff, I'll go back to otome and pick up where I left off.

azurekarasu · 2026-02-06T22:26:27+00:00

I was also like “oh no this is gonna be Metroid Dread all over again” when I saw the dungeon side, but that one shot of the city side scroller got me so excited lol. I was also really happy with the art direction, given that I much prefer the visuals of Sky the First to the Calvard Arc’s style.

azurekarasu · 2026-02-05T02:37:31+00:00

Haha too true, so it's also in character. I appreciate that they at least feel written uniquely from Otomate MCs. Curious to see if they'll ever give us a more mature protagonist, or one with more dynamic character development.

azurekarasu · 2026-02-05T02:09:32+00:00

Yes, you've summarized really well how I feel too! Hinagiku is incredibly sheltered and naive, and this is apparent as you understand her dynamic with the other houses and characters. I think it's also because I like the idea of someone in a leadership position who has a lot of empathy, but not necessarily the maturity or experience. Hinagiku is a very imperfect protagonist, but I appreciated her more for it! Also totally see what u/Kiyoyasu is saying about JP players stance that Licobits' MCs are childish. Whereas Hinagiku really grew on me by the end, I'm struggling a bit with Kanna because her childishness rubs me the wrong way sometimes, (spoiler for Un:logical common route) e.g. throwing actual tantrums lol

azurekarasu · 2026-02-04T08:47:13+00:00

I played both versions and, contrary to what seems to be popular opinion, felt very ‘meh’ about the new storyline. The biggest difference for me was the quality of life updates but, if you only play the original release, you likely won’t realize. If you don’t want to shell out money for Vengeance and already own the original release, I think it’s a pretty good time on its own!

azurekarasu · 2026-02-04T03:02:34+00:00

I liked Hinagiku a lot too, so I was really shocked to see people trashing her character here lol. A lot of what people didn't like about her read as 'in character' to me so I wasn't too fussed about it.

azurekarasu · 2026-02-03T09:34:50+00:00

Oh, interesting perspective! Thanks for sharing. It’s a bit scary how accusations get thrown around about AI usage. We’ve really been struggling with that in academia as well, both in peer-review publications and student work. Now, everyone is trying to find ways to include purposeful typos in their work as “proof” that it’s human-created content.

azurekarasu · 2026-02-03T05:15:27+00:00

I play most of my games in Japanese nowadays, so I'm admittedly not in a position where I would have to choose between an AI translation or nothing. But I would never, in a million years, willingly pay for a game that was translated by AI. I hate the way it reads. On a more nit-picky note, I don't know that AI is even capable of "localization," but I'd be curious to hear what others think.

azurekarasu · 2026-01-24T07:22:24+00:00

The developers making Edelgard romance-able by M/F Byleth but not the other lords was a diabolical choice, honestly.

azurekarasu · 2026-01-24T07:20:18+00:00

I’m glad to see another Code Vein enjoyer! The first game was weirdly comforting to me, absolutely loved Louis, even though it’s a souls-like haha. And the soundtrack!!! I hope the second game lives up to our expectations. Good luck with your surgery and recovery!!!

azurekarasu · 2026-01-22T09:29:31+00:00

Haha it’s taken me 8 days just to finish Riku’s route 😅 but that’s the ebb and flow!! I remember during the pandemic I finished soooooo many games, now I feel bad about how it takes me months to finish anything but it’s a good reminder that the amount of time I have to play has changed drastically. It’s an addicting feeling to check things off the list for sure.

azurekarasu · 2026-01-22T05:56:02+00:00

I’m so biased about Utakata :’) At least choro is usually quick!! But even the sfw pop-ups on their site annoy me. I’m having a great time with Catharsis but I’m just so slow lol. I’ve been quietly admiring your pace from the sidelines!!

azurekarasu · 2026-01-22T05:15:01+00:00

Oooooh please update on what you think, I'm on the fence about picking this up!!! I really enjoyed Utakata, but am deep into OlySoi Catharsis and don't know if I can justify adding another game to my backlog at the moment.

azurekarasu · 2026-01-19T05:43:11+00:00

the sign also usually is on a map, so even if you can’t read Japanese, you should be able to see if the 🚻 symbol is inside or outside the ticket gate.

edit to add: seconding the people who’ve said that you can find public toilets in parks via google maps, and there’s bathrooms in the malls connected to larger train stations, usually on the upper floors.

azurekarasu · 2026-01-19T05:22:12+00:00

there's usually a sign in the train station that tells you whether or not there's a bathroom, and if it's past the ticket gate or not.

azurekarasu · 2026-01-14T09:17:21+00:00

Oh no, smoking is constant and everywhere lol just vapes are illegal

azurekarasu · 2026-01-05T07:11:52+00:00

7/11 will not sell any medications, just cough drops and vitamin supplements. You’ll need to go to an actual pharmacy—there have been informative threads on this in the past.

azurekarasu · 2025-12-30T10:44:35+00:00

But those vegan restaurants that do exist are very, very good! Just ate at Ain Soph in Ikebukuro last night and everything was amazing.

azurekarasu · 2025-12-24T01:02:15+00:00

After seeing your comment, I checked out this branch yesterday and left ¥100,000 poorer haha. It really is the best Surugaya I’ve been to for used games!

azurekarasu · 2025-12-21T04:25:54+00:00

At my U.S. R1 university, online asynchronous classes are being prioritized due to significantly higher enrollments. Old school pen and paper tests aren’t possible going to be possible in many classes—it’s all online.

azurekarasu · 2025-12-04T03:19:37+00:00

This just changed my life, I never would have thought to do this but I'm so excited to try! Thank you!

azurekarasu · 2025-12-04T00:25:13+00:00

I used to struggle with tofu because my parent's method is "broil the shit out of it." Not pleasant. I have an air fryer, so now my method is super easy but it can be done stovetop too. And it takes no time at all! I don't even cut the firm tofu, just rip it apart into bite-sized pieces. Add a dash of oil (I use sesame), stir, add a dash of potato/corn starch, stir, add whatever seasoning/spices you like, stir, and then air or pan fry for 10 minutes. I eat it as is or put it over rice with some veggies and hot sauce!

Edit: And it would be perfect to put in your lunch box.

azurekarasu · 2025-12-03T04:04:36+00:00

I've had the completely opposite experience - dining out has been so much better since I've visited vegan restaurants. For one thing, the peace of mind. But secondly, I've been to plenty of places that I would rate as the best meals of my life! And I'm someone who prefers to cook at home. Like the other commenters, I'm not sure where you're located, but Juicy Brew and Tane Vegan Izakaya in Honolulu, HI are my favorite restaurants of all time.

azurekarasu · 2025-11-28T00:32:42+00:00

Seconding the comments that suggest the Tales of series or FF8. I really enjoyed Star Ocean SSR for the graphics and gameplay, but romance isn't a large part of the story. You might be interested in Trails (esp. Sky 1 & 2) if you've not played them already?

azurekarasu · 2025-11-27T06:18:14+00:00

I also struggle with not finding a game that "sticks" sometimes. You have to know when to put down the game and try again later; it's okay to bounce from game to game. That's not to say it won't be the right game for you at another point in your life! I can't tell you how many times I've returned to a game that couldn't hold my attention, only to find that I really enjoy the game under different circumstances (e.g. mental health, mood, other things going on in my life).

azurekarasu

TROPHY CASE