Thinking back on it, the N64 is kinda funny because I only really care about one, Ocarina-related game in its library. The PlayStation did much more to shape my tastes and interests. But that single Ocarina-based game is the whole reason I am who I am as a person, lmfao. Life is interesting like that. Okay, stuff time: ## Interesting Stuff ### MD Engine This is a new [visual scripting engine](https://youtube.com/watch?v=0A1obMBxWPQ) centered around the Mega Drive. Cool! Not released yet, but I’m hoping they put it on Itch.io too. ### March 2004 Described as [music for working](https://march2004.com/). Feels accurate to me. ### Conversation Starters World Sometimes you gotta be normal at a work event or something. That’s a nightmare, but with [this site](https://conversationstartersworld.com/?mc_cid=09ec5fa590) you can just memorize a few things, ask them, and pretend to care at the next mixer. ## Planted Recently [[Sword of Mana]] Wrote a review about a GBA game that has eluded me for a while now. [[Favorites of 2025]] I’ve started drafting out all my various favorites. They’re just lists now — there’s a metric boat-load I have to write first — but you can see what’s tentatively going to be on them. Not a bad year, favorites-wise. ## Media Corner ### Games Finished: - **Sword of Mana** Playing: - **Grandia II** - **Metroid Prime 4** - **Final Fantasy Type-0** ### TV/Film - **Wake Up Dead Man** - **Are You the One? - Season 4** - [[Ballerina]] ### Music - **Let It Die** - 8 Million Different Artists - **OCCASION** - Ogster & Afterift - **BEYOND** - Pipotaku - **pastel** - Optic Core - **Syndicate** - The Midnight - **Transmitting Memories** - Skule Toyama ## Status Update This letter is going out a little later because I’m baking cookies with my mom! We’re making it a scheduled thing — she’s a culinary master mashaAllah, and I’m trying to learn. My sister passed the Bar recently because she’s GOATed, so we also got my mom a new car as well. It’s fancy as hell. This is the first car we’ve gotten since I bought my first after I got my first job in 2017 (before promptly getting laid off 8 months later, lmfao). Cars are wild now. The thing may as well be a plane that never takes off. Anyways, she deserved an upgrade. ## Signing Off I hope your Sunday is treating you well! [Hit the ko-fi link](https://ko-fi.com/barquq) if you like and want to support this letter. Thanks for reading!