I had never really seen the sea before the first time my father took me to Martha’s Vineyard. Until I lived there, I certainly hadn’t been embraced by it. I hadn’t had it as a constant companion, watching my father deteriorate, watching me deteriorate, telling me in slow degrees how hope is a lie we tell ourselves to ease our eventual collapse. The taste of salted air and the slow motion of the waves lingered after I left, bearing a hatred and pain inside of me, a resentment for this tiny speck of land that had trapped me within decay.
Two years ago, I went back, my father’s death fourteen years in hindsight. Sitting on Menemsha beach with my wife, staring at the calm waves, smelling and hearing things that came flooding pack unbidden, I saw a side that I was too young to see years before. I felt welcomed again, in a place I understood. The sea rolled, calm and blue, showing me what I had taken from this place, feelings I would never have known if I had not been here. I had been not trapped, but embraced, and the current carried me forward into an understanding I would have denied otherwise.
Anyway, it’s What Are You Playing. Let us know what you’re up to in the comments.
Andrew Ross (@dengarsw): Still prepping my Japarture, but this time, spending some time with someone important. We’ll be hitting some trains, so hopefully Japan will finally have Pokémon Go (it’s so weird being in the pocket monster capital and reading about the explosive popularity of the game outside of here). If not, well, maybe we’ll grab the new Monster Hunter Generations. I might also jump into Eco as I’ve gotten access to it and have a student interested in it (which means I have some homework). Oh, shoot! I should probably at least log into Landmark as I’ve neglected it for a few days now!
Brianna Royce (@nbrianna, blog): Not a thing, but only because I’m theoretically out of the office! Looking forward to getting back to my PC and my games list!
Eliot Lefebvre (@Eliot_Lefebvre, blog): My World of Warcraft time is on hold until the prepatch happens early next week. I’ve got so much leveling to do then. Until then? Yes, it’s the usual runs of Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XI. I have so many other games to play.
Justin Olivetti (@Sypster, blog): I’m currently reinstalling everything on a new computer, so I imagine my weekend will be testing out how MMOs look when you have a framerate above single digits. I need to work on some of my World of Warcraft professions, and I promised myself that I’d check out Riders of Icarus at some point.
MJ Guthrie (@MJ_Guthrie, blog): This weekend I am spending my time building and taming in ARK: Survival Evolved. I’d like to maybe do a little more in HEX on my alt, and find a place to settle in Landmark. But yes, dinos and treehouses!
Tina Lauro Pollock (@purpletinabeans): I’ll be recording me tackling some jumping puzzles in Guild Wars 2 this weekend. I’m toying with the idea of releasing a jumping puzzle guide series as part of Flameseeker Chronicles, but it’ll be a long time in the making. For now, throwing my tools against random floating rocks and recording as I do it is fun enough for me.
Thatchefdude, patron: I’m going to be leveling a few crafting classes in FFXIV after saving up leves all week. I’ll probably hit up some Gears of War HD Remaster, gotta finish that campaign, and maybe a bit of Song of the Deep as well.
Pierre, patron: I’m still happily exploring the lands of Vana’diel in Final Fantasy XI and going through my first Starcraft II solo campaign, Wings of Liberty (the Terran campaign). Enjoy your gaming weekend, MOP readers. Cheers!
Your turn!
