Hello there, gang. How’s everyone doing? Good? I sure hope so.
I hope I’m not the only one who’s thankful that November is over, because now it’s time for some proper holiday cheer! I will say, though, that November was actually a fairly solid month for me, whereas normally it’s kind of just super boring and drags on for way too long. For me, most of my amusement over the course of the month hindered on big releases in all of my areas of interest. We got Marvel’s latest film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the highly anticipated PlayStation exclusive God of War Ragnarök, and Dayseeker’s new album, Dark Sun, each of which were absolutely phenomenal in their own rights.
While I was tempted to dedicate full posts to some of these releases, I figured it might just be simpler to get through them all as part of his post here, seeing as though I don’t have a mountain of things to say about any of them in particular. Still, lots to dissect on each of them, regardless.
I think the biggest win for me in November was God of War Ragnarök. Since the game was first teased back at the end of 2020, I had been eagerly awaiting its release, as it promised practically from the get-go to be just as outstanding as its predecessor, 2018’s God of War. Sony and their various creative studios are essentially the leaders in immersive, story-driven gaming right now, and Ragnarök is further testament to that fact. This game doesn’t try to reinvent anything, using nearly identical mechanics from the game prior, but still manages to feel fresh and fun by enhancing what was done before and continuing to tell a truly captivating story. With the sharp writing and character work on display here, it’s practically like watching a movie. Without a doubt, God of War Ragnarök gets my vote for Game of the Year.
The other big, big release of November was Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. And holy shit, what a film. Like, it’s nice to see that Marvel can actually put out good content again. Following the tragic death of Chadwick Boseman, it almost feels like this is a movie that didn’t need to happen, at least, not with where Marvel’s current standards are basically at. This movie doesn’t push forward the overarching MCU storyline, or connect in a million different ways to a million different other characters, or feature a plethora of fan service. It’s just an unbridled dissection of grief and trauma and how that can break and reforge people, for better and/or worse. And it’s really good. There’s almost a little too much going on at times, though, with a fairly large cast of characters and some bits that don’t necessarily belong in this story, but even still, this is the best Marvel has had to offer in quite some time, and I’m really glad they let director Ryan Coogler make this film.
The last big release for me was Dayseeker’s latest album, Dark Sun. If you know me, you probably know I like singing the praises of this band every once in a while. I couldn’t stop raving about their last album, Sleeptalk, back in 2019. Thankfully, their latest release is also a banger. Or, well, not necessarily a banger, as it’s a fairly soft album overall, but it’s all still beautifully composed and produced. Dark Sun is driven by raw emotion, which shines through in every song. But while the production value here is great, and the aesthetic and consistency are near-flawless, I think this album could have used one or two more songs to let the band dig into their heavier side. This, in turn, I think, would have allowed each song to stand out even more, while still maintaining the connectedness that is already present. Still, it’s a fantastic album, one that even those who aren’t into the metal(core) genre could certainly get behind and enjoy.
Outside of those primary offerings for the month, I’ve also been keeping up with all the other usual goings on. My primary short story project, “Soul Survivor,” is coming along very well, and I expect to have it finally finished by the end of December. I’m also slowly progressing through The Lord of the Rings, because boy did Tolkien like to pontificate about the minutiae of Middle-Earth to no end. Still, a great read so far, and I’m eager to finish it come the end of December or January.
Speaking of reading and writing, in case you missed it, I dropped my newest little piece of D&D flash fiction at the beginning of the month, titled “Unusual Weather.” If you haven’t already, I strongly encourage you to go check it out.
Thanksgiving was super enjoyable this year, too, especially because I got to entertain my cousin’s three-year-old son all evening. The little dude is already a big fan of Marvel superheroes, so naturally, he and I get along very well.
Oh, also, going upstate to hang with some good friends for a weekend and attend the Trinity of Terror Tour, with Motionless in White, Ice Nine Kills, and Black Veil Brides, was also a big win. A very spooky show, to say the least.
Aside from all the fun stuff from the month, I think November was also a solid mental health month for me. Not that I necessarily made progress in any particular regard, but I more so focused on maintaining where I’ve been at, which is in a mostly positive spot. I figure this kind of stuff will become more important as we head into winter proper, which generally is a more mellow and, at times, straight up depressing time of year. Nevertheless, I like to think I’m doing well mentally, and I hope you all are as well.
With that being said, I think that about covers the month of November. Fun times to be had, professional progress to be made, and sanity remaining intact. A certified win in my book. Again, I hope everyone else had a good month, and if you didn’t, then let’s try to make December a better one. After all, it’s the holiday season, so let’s break out the cheer!