u/TheNewAspect

I found Three Houses a few weeks after its release (my first Fire Emblem title) and I was just blown away by how much that game included. I fell in love with the immense cast, and the combat, and the monastery components (though on NG++ those segments tend to be a slight chore to get through) and when I saw Fortune's Weave coming out, it seemed a no-brainer.

However, I'd rather this not be a console for a single game.

Things I'd be pretty interested in: Visual Novels/Exclusives (even JRPGs)

Cross-Platform games don't interest me, because I have a top-tier PC. I don't particularly love VN's on my PC, though. They're something I'd prefer to read in bed before sleep.

As for exclusives, I have Odyssey and BoTW/ToTK on my Nintendo Account (loved all three) but I have no real history with Nintendo games, so would greatly appreciate some titles to fill out my library a little more.

I just don't know what to do anymore.

On 16th of June I had my benefit cancelled because I was unable to meet my obligations. This, partly, was due to a medical condition. I filled out a review of decision, on the 18th spoke to the operations manager of the local branch.

They said if I wanted to continue, I'd need to get a medical certificate (impossible from GP as they are some distance, I had the petrol light already on, and $2.11 in my account. They then decided it would be easiest to just start the jobseeker application again at that point.

After conversations with the Operations Manager, I confirmed that would mean the date of application starting would be the 18th, and she also confirmed it. She advised nothing will be paid between the 16th and the 18th and this made sense. Two days isn't going to kill me. Tighten the belt, but everything will be fine.

Sure enough, I had to go through the jobseeker fiasco once more, meeting with a new case manager, job seminar etc... All that took up until the 9th of July.

Cool, everything should be smooth sailing. I'll get backdated to the date of application, and repay my exceedingly anxious landlord.

Then a week passed. 15th of July came around. Nothing. Called the WINZ call centre 4 times - once each day except Monday - requesting information as nothing was showing up on MyMSD. Each time I was given a new piece of information, advised of a new way to get help. Some days, was just thrown to the side without care depening on the person.

Every day I asked them to get the case manager, or someone from the office to call me. They said they'd send an e-mail leave a Teams message and CC in the case manager's supervisor.

Nothing. Radio silence.

Friday evening hits, and my stomach sinks as I've received a very strange payment of around $302.

I have to wait until the 20th (Monday) to call and I find out... That was my first WINZ payment. I am nearly in tears almost immediately, and I ask how that's possible. It's because it was backdated... to the 9th of July. I went cold and that cold kinda... didn't stop. I'm still cold. I was told I could do a Review of Decision but I stupidly forgot to ask them to allow document upload, so I need to wait until tomorrow.

I just can't.

I'm expecting a payment of $526 tonight, but even if I gave my landlord all of my pay it'd take 2 months of living on photosynthesis to no longer be in arrears.

I'm also a flatmate to my landlord. I don't have a tenancy agreement. A bond. Years of a good relationship has been dwindling and I can't even face him anymore.

Life at home is miserable, but I have no idea what to do.

I reached my wit's end last week without contact, this week I can't even feel anything anymore. I feel like I died in some way and my mind is just catching up with that.

I just... Idk, if anyone knows a genie, a magic lamp, something so I don't need to be drowning in misery waiting for this Kafkaesque system to break me any further, I'd love to know.

In terms of classical literature, I wouldn't particularly consider myself well-read.

However, despite a childhood and half an adult lifetime of enjoying genre fiction, I've become atrociously addicted to the classics recently. Down bad.

I'll admit, when writing out the books I've enjoyed particularly over the last few years, I'm expecting an eye-roll. Half of these I feel I can't discuss on any subreddit, the other half gets a scoff.

So I'll pull the band-aid off.

Classical Books I've obsessed over, in the last few years:

1. Lolita - My number one of all time. Nabakov absolutely rewrote my brain in how I should consider bias, especially when it's so unconscious. I feel like he showed Orwellian doublespeak in an elegant, and terrifying fashion here.

2. The Trial - I greatly prefer this over Metamorphosis. The bleak humour mixed with the horror of bureaucracy really surprised me, and I really found myself both in love, and particularly sad, at how little things change over time.

3. Ulysses - I didn't approach this without a guide. I tried four times before I did, and each time it was like getting carried away by some gross tide, drowning. Yet it was addicting. Like I could re-read a section a dozen times simply for how the prose moves. I fucking HATED Finnegan's Wake, though. I will get through it, eventually, I have a study guide on it but it really isn't clicking with me.

4. Solaris - Bit of a switch-up. Truly my number 1 sci-fi spot goes to Peter Watt's Blindsight and I guess I'm piggybacking off of Solaris to put that one there. But Solaris was incredibly fun and simple as a read.

5. Infinite Jest - Burn me. I found this book hilarious and stupidly well written. At times with the way it meandered, it reminded me of the first book of Ulysses, but there is just something so funny about this novel. Only book I've ever read cover-to-cover twice (I don't like doubling up, generally)

6. No Country For Old Men - I was really, really surprised at how much I enjoyed this. I still haven't seen the film adaptation, but it's the first time I've read something that felt so active, and so oppressive.

---

I found this subreddit becuse I was hoping to get literature fans who aren't seven volumes deep in a Light Novel calling it "peak" because the protagonist's libido led them to attain Super Saiyan 5.

Honestly, not judging genre fiction though it seems like I am - I loved watching Solo Levelling and Dragon Ball and found them to be an absolute fucking blast of fun. But I simply cannot read them because within a few chapters I find myself actively scowling at how poor the prose is.

I really really enjoy when prose is also an active member of the story, as opposed to the vessel pushing it forward. Hopefully can get some recommendations!

SLIGHT RANT

I get it. If you make a call to a call-centre, you're going to get varied levels of staff quality. Sometimes you'll call in, and leave with a sour taste in your mouth, sometimes you'll call in and be smiling for the rest of the day.

I'm pretty new to the field of unemployment; it's been an adjustment process, and my file (according to some staff) is an odd one that hasn't been processed properly, resulting in a delay of over a month.

But the staff - in person and on call - are some of the most varied in quality I've ever experienced.

I'm either talking to an empathy-drained textbook who provides some of the most bleak, blunt and uncomfortable service I've ever experienced, or I'm talking to someone who is 2 minutes away from stepping out of the office just to give me a massage because of the stress I'm under.

There is no in-between.

I called in and, after over an hour of waiting, received a flat-out, unequivocal 'no' from someone within about 3 minutes of finally getting through. I thought "fuck that, I need help" and called again. 80 minutes later, next person I spoke to not only gave me a 'yes' but also found some more ways to assist that I had never heard of.

It's already been a painful enough process losing my job, but the absolutely nonsensical systems and the extreme variation of people I talk to has been so fucking stressful. There is NO peace of mind, and while I appreciate the Golden Geese working there, the time frames to get in contact are painful, and the constant dread of getting one of their awful staff members is making me feel like my hair is greying in real-time.

Stick a fork in me, I'm done. Hopefully brought up to temp properly, though.

Seriously, though, I'm done. Finished. I have the blessings of my landlord that rent is due as it is. And yesterday was my last payment from the job I lost.

I'm 30. I could probably sell my car. Sell my PC. How joyful to extend my misery by a few weeks just to maintain the status quo.

But no. I'm done.

I cannot conjure the potential, the "talent" the hope anymore. I cannot see a reason. I'm just so fucking tired. This isn't some dark note of goodbye, but it is my admittance to the world that I am simply done. I have nothing to offer and give and I have nothing I want to gain. My heart is shrivelled and wanting and nothing can fill the endless cup of my desire.

I have been blessed, throughout my life, with brilliance and competence. I cannot reach that. I don't want to be because I see no reason to. I'm just done. Fully done.

Yeah. I know, I know.

Bots. Shills. Paid actors. Lucid dreamers. I get it. Not everyone acts in good faith online.

But the excitement is palpable, and I have a feeling there are - like myself - a few older fans who may have dropped out around the Halo 5 era almost shitting bricks with how good this remake looks.

No, it's not the graphics. It's bringing life into a game that was already a piece of art, not only for its time, but just in general. I really hope they stick the landing, because Halo deserves every breath of life it can get, because I feel the modern generation deserves to have the same excitement and opportunity to step into this series as we once did.

Movement, combat, visuals - they've genuinely taken the best from what they had and applied it to the original. This is what a remake is about. Not just a new coat of paint.

This is probably old news. I barely use Facebook aside from just messeging family, but a few saved videos I had (around 3) which were... Really important moments to me have disappeared. Seems like forever. I have no idea why they don't show up in "reels" but they're gone.

I can't really describe the pain. I've lived a pretty hard life, and these videos were indicative of the happiest moments for me, ever. The people in them, the person that took them... Some are gone now.

I tended to watch those dumb videos once a year, and now... Well. I regret never downloading them. That's my fault.

Sorry for the moan, but this has been... Tough.

The only thing I really care about is being able to share interests.

I work as a corporate lawyer. This means two things: I will sometimes be far away at points. I will sometimes be overly available.

I can't control this. I work in this field because it's what I'm meant to do, I guess.

At this point, I'm tired of the chase. I miss hearing laughter; I miss hearing even my own laughter. If you're up to this challenge, please reach out. Send me a message. I don't care if you're 40 or 50. I'm just looking for the girl I find cute.

I can send selfies. I'm not ugly, I promise you that. But I'm not going to send photos unless I feel I'm confident in what's going on.