The Pretty Blerd Guardian!

Alright guys, it’s Self-Care Sunday! You know what that meaaaaaaaaaans…

Work tomorrow, bleh~ Despite me getting a raise, there’s still been a lot of stress this entire week so I honestly couldn’t wait for today to arrive. Even my weekend was pretty hectic too; I’m receiving my second shot this week and still finishing my review of the otome game I chose for this month but still I wanted to apologize for how long it’s been taking! Over time I’m slowly starting to get the hang of decorating my blog and also my Twitter as well so I hope that you guys will enjoy the recent changes that are being made.

But enough about me, let’s get to some self care! I’ve actually been very well behaved with the cleaning department and didn’t need to do that many chores but I did some furniture coordinating and even packed away a few things as my sister and I get ready to move next month. We all may call it ‘spring cleaning’ but did you know that in some religions, spring cleaning is actually considered an offering? Matronly dieties like Hulda, Brighid, Frigg, or Laima all consider to be tidying up ones home as a sign of cleansing ones self. When you dust off your fragile pretties, you rid all the stale energies from yesterday. When you clean dirty windows and mirrors, what situations you currently face in life can be faced with a clearer vision.

It’s something that my pagan friends once taught me and since then it’s always remained in my thoughts as I cleaned because it made so much sense to me. We clean our spaces and somehow feel more refreshed than before, even though we put it quite a bit of work to make it such. Like we’re someone new.

After cleaning, I felt like some quality time outside was deserved! Given, yesterday was technically Beltane or May Day for those who celebrate, so besides just wanting to touch some grass it felt pretty important to enjoy the first day of a confident spring. My state is known to be VERY fickle when it comes to weather (warm one minute, snowing the next, then raining after all within the span of a day) so it was time to take advantage of it by sitting outside my patio and eat some lunch!

• 

• 

• 

Here’s my view! Isn’t it beautiful? There’s a farm in the picture that was already sold off hence why everything looks so run-down and messy but there used to be tons of horses that’d run along these plains but now just an empty area for nature to flourish once more. It’s so peaceful to observe vs watching a cityscape for me so some days I just sit here, drink my favorite tea and listen to music.

• 

• 

• 

For lunch, just a simple piece of toast with a spread of pesto sauce, a nice thick slice of mozzarella cheese topped off with sliced tomatoes! It’s very delicious and filling despite it being pretty easy to make – something I like to make when I’m not starving for a huge meal but want to avoid scarfing down unhealthy junk food. What kind of quick meals do you like to make? I’ve been searching for quick but yummy foodstuffs to create as I’m trying to adopt healthier eating habits.

MUSIC OF THE DAY

Woops, more video game music! Are we surprised? No, not really. Valkyrie Profile 2 is a game so near and dear to my heart, even though it’s been years since I’ve last played it. The soundtrack is positively the most beautiful score I’ve listened to in awhile. It’s separated into two discs because they will feature two very different but main characters to the game: Alicia & Silmeria. This game is a full JRPG so if you enjoy some high fantasy themes with a dash of Old Norse mythology and strong, likeable heroines- I highly recommend playing this hidden gem!

Silmeria’s side is often where the more dramatic, severe music is played throughout the game where as Alicia is the gentler, often scenic music is present like when your characters enter a village or find yourselves in a beautiful plain of landscape while fighting weak monsters. This is probably my favorite kind of music to play outside especially during the warmer seasons because they compliment the warm breeze, the scent of flowers floating in the air..

But then a few wasps decided to join the patio party and try swooping in on my food so that was nature’s cue for me to scram and head back inside to play some video games.

COZY GAME OF THE DAY: ATELIER LULUA~THE SCION OF ARLAND

The Atelier games really have peaked in popularity lately thanks to its new release of Atelier Ryza! I honestly didn’t realize this franchise even existed until I saw Atelier Lulua’s title a few years ago back in 2019. By that time I was pretty bored with Stardew Valley yet not quite ready to play another classic RPG so after viewing this game’s whimsically beautiful artwork and reading its description, decided to try it:

“The dream of this young girl living in the small town on the border of the Arland Republic is to overcome her legendary mother in the mastery of alchemy. Unravel the future that awaits her beyond the mystery of this “ancient manuscript” and join Lulua and her companions on a new adventure through Arland!” – Steam

STORYLINE: To sort of briefly explain without going into a full review (though now I’m tempted to tbh..), this game joins together foraging, crafting, relationship building but also light RPG elements- so it comes across as a fully fleshed out version of Stardew Valley except replaced with a more involved storyline and basic turn-based combat. Even though it has a focused storyline than most stimulation games, it doesn’t take itself too seriously and is able to be carried on just one simple desire: Lulua wants to be a great alchemist just like her mother!

Because of this simple desire, our curry loving heroine is able to befriend and meet many characters while exploring the vast world to collect resources. You collect a multitude of things to complete your ingredients needed to fulfill the ever-so-mysterious Alchemy Riddle that range from crops to even furrs/meat you get from defeating fierce, bloodthirsty beasties! Just kidding, they aren’t fierce at all and most of the things you fight with are so dang adorable that you almost feel sorry to do it..

GAMEPLAY: The Alchemy Riddle is a book that literally falls from the sky and bonks our Lulu on the head. I’m serious. It just whaps her right on the noggin’ while she was taking an innocent stroll outside! She has no idea where it came from (obviously) but she’s compelled to unlock its secrets (that only she can see, btw) by solving the small clues they present to her.

Now this is where the game really shines for me and what makes it so unique – in order to progress the game you have to unlock more recipes to flex your strength as an alchemist but to do so, you have to solve these riddles that hint from location areas to certain monsters you have to defeat. They aren’t simple enough to fly through but not difficult enough to get frustrated and since in this Atelier game there’s no time-based management, you don’t feel rushed to uncover them all at once.

With this game it feels like I have a bit of everything! Mystery solving like in Professor Layton, light combat and storyline elements that are featured in most RPG games, relationship building from otome, and foraging/crafting like in farming stimulation games. The characters are either absolutely adorable or hopelessly hilarious so when you get those cutscenes of interaction in between quests it’s so enjoyable to watch and makes their friendships feel that more realistic to me.

MUSIC: A lot of flutes are involved in this soundtrack and I’m all about it! Every track manages to feel so folksy and carefree but different enough so that it doesn’t come across as repetitive. The song names are also just enjoyable too because of how direct and expressive they are; titles like No Overbuying, Now! Water, please and Catnip for Puppies too is definitely the sign of a game who prioritizes fun, humorous experiences over anything else.

GRAPHICS: Everything in this game is vibrant and rich with all kinds of beautiful colors. The original artwork is beautiful to look at while the graphics themselves are clean but crisp, which is important considering all the main characters have such detailed outfits. When you explore different wild areas they feel a little vast when it comes to distance at first but they don’t skimp on the details when you come across different kinds of trees, flowers and creatures that differ per level. The only thing I’ve guff about are those “temples” you can visit to fight a boss, its layout reminds me of Tales of dungeons but there’s hardly anything to show except for a few pillars of glowing lights and a boss awaiting for you at the end. Maybe this’ll change as I continue to play?

You can get this game on Steam or on Switch but regardless of what you choose, I recommend snagging this game if these elements are your cup of tea!

Well everyone, that’s my Sunday thus far and I hope that you enjoy yours too. As a heads up, I might be limiting just how many times I write Self Care Sunday as I’m starting to consider other “special days” to do and sort of put them on a rotation so that things don’t become too repetitive/stale for me but if you’ve any suggestions, I’d love to hear them! Until then, whether you stay inside or go out, make sure you take advantage of this beautiful day.

Thanks for stopping by!
Bonne. ♡