Inkpot Droplets | January 2024 Wrap Up

Hello, dear readers! Happy end of January and into February. What an...interesting start to 2024 we've had. For me, it was both invigorating (as it always is, at the start of a new year), crushing and challenging, all in equal measure. So, let's see what I've been up to this month!

Highlights in January:

• Welcomed my third niece into the world
• Received a collectible from Weta that I completely forgot I'd purchased for myself last June (it was a pre-order and let me tell you, I was shocked but I love my Balrog sitting on my shelf)
• Enjoyed weekly date nights with my partner
• Regularly edited my current WIP and took some amazing steps towards something very exciting 👀
• Got to go on walks with my dog in 60 degree weather in January
• Read so many good books!
• Joined some Thirsty Thursday streams with my partner (who is only 14 followers away from 400!!!)

Lows in January:

• Day job is absolutely crushing me
• Had a medium flair-up of my spinal condition that I'm still trying to recover from, weeks later
• Family all caught COVID for the nth time (they're all fine, thank goodness)
• Experienced multiple snow storms and below freezing temperatures for like, two weeks straight

Content Consumed

Aside from reading almost 9 books (!!) this month, what else have I gotten up to? It's really bizarre, but I've actually engaged with something other than "just" video games, i.e., television and film! And it's all thanks to having weekly Wednesday date nights with my partner, where we dedicate those evenings to doing something together. So far, it's been movie nights, but I've enjoyed them a lot. It's also helped that, while I am playing video games right now, Baldur's Gate 3 has left me in such a hangover that nothing is truly sating the void it has left (which I lowkey hate, why can't all games be as good as BG3??). But, at least I'm getting into other things while video games aren't exactly doing it for me. Plus, I'm writing more in the evenings, so I'm finding myself doing more hobbies aside from my main one, which is good!

I'm not sure how long it'll last (I just need one game to ensnare me and I'm sure I'll be back to wanting to do nothing but play video games), but for now, I'm enjoying experiencing all the different things!

For films and television, I've watched:

• Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves: so, so good. Exactly what I wanted it to be and I'm already so stoked for the sequel. Fun and hilarious (and even more fun after playing BG3 and recognizing things I otherwise wouldn't have in the D&D universe).
• Mad Max: Fury Road: I hadn't seen it before but my partner had. It was very good, too! Very different from what I was expecting but I really enjoyed it. I fucking love Tom Hardy.
• The Creator: an anticipated film for both my partner and I, after we randomly saw the trailer as a YouTube ad. We ended up renting it in early January. He enjoyed it a lot, I...struggled. I liked many aspects and cried at the end, but I struggled with some of it and how much of reality it reflects (I couldn't stop thinking about Palestine and how humanity treats them worst than the A.I. in this film). So it was just hard to enjoy.
• Brothers Sun: we binged this across two different date nights and OH MY GOD it's so good. Refreshing and hilarious and original and epic and powerful. Truly just loved the hell out of it. If Netflix doesn't give us a second season...!
• Fleabag: this is a show I watched on my own throughout December and January (until I binged the entire season two in one night). I honestly wanted to watch it due to the "you want to fuck a priest" bit I've seen on TikTok and wanting to see how that all worked. (And, knowing Andrew Scott was the priest sold me.) I knew practically nothing more than that, so I was pleasantly shocked by the 4th wall breaking, the quintessential British humor, the engaging, complex and often painful family relationships, and, of course, Andrew Scott as the priest. (The what I'll dub "kneel scene" has forever changed me and gods know I'm going to write an entire book just for an excuse to emulate that scene.)

Over December and January, I've played a few games, too!

After spending almost 400 hours in BG3 (my heart), I knew I wanted to play something different (mostly just to give me space from BG3 so I can do another playthrough...or 12). After trying a few things and nothing sticking, I decided to go back to my roots and replay some games, while also trying some new things!

• Dragon Age: Origins: gods, I missed this game. I haven't been able to replay it because there is no remaster (😭) but I splurged and got an Xbox over Black Friday, and it has it on Game Pass! It's been SO fun to dive back into that world and romance Alistair again. I haven't beat it yet, but just playing through it again was so worth it for the nostalgia (though, the rampant sexism and racism, I could live without and don't miss in the slightest).
• Starfield: I was so excited to play Starfield, because I LOVE Skyrim and Fallout 4. Watch the way I was quickly bored within...20 hours? The characters feel so FLAT, the exploration so difficult (why can't I break down materials to get things to upgrade??) and the main story just wasn't super compelling. I'm sure I'll go back it at some point but for now? Eh. (I also know this has to do with BG3 making my standards skyrocket for all games but honestly? They deserve to be higher.)
• Party Animals: what a fucking hoot of a game good gods. I'm not very good at it (and I get really sweaty physically playing it despite laughing my ass off, which is weird because I'm not actually competitive in the game) and can only play it in short spurts before I get stressed, but I have a blast with it. I will die for Lloyd. 🪿
• Apex Legends: my partner wanted to get the regular crew together (him, me and his best friend) on his stream for Thirsty Thursdays, so we decided to dive back into the game he started that with! It's also been a blast from the past but fun to play with them (we're still shit tho).
• Divinity II Original Sin: I did end up splurging and deciding to buy D2O to try and scratch that Larian itch. It's definitely working and is my "main" game right now. Though I will say that I love BG3 a million times more than I do Divinity, it's been really fun (though I am playing on the easiest difficulty because good gods). Plus, the idea of Elves eating flesh to obtain memories is something I wish I could steal for a story, it's so intriguing.

Advocacy Action

As we should be, the fight continues for a Free Palestine. I shared many resources on continued to stay informed on the active genocide (enabled by our leaders, if you're in the U.S.), as well as how to contact Congress, where to donate and how to continue to show up in solidarity for those suffering in Palestine.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free! 🍉

Thanks for Reading!

So, that's January in a nutshell! Overall, it really wasn't too bad, personally, even with some health stuff and struggling with the day job. But tell me how yours was! I hope you've had a wonderful month, able to enjoy and engage with the things you want, and limit the time where things are hard.

For next month, I hope to continue reading (even though I know I won't read as much as I did this month, having some time off of work), finish edits on my novel, enjoy things that make me happy and try to lessen the stress I get from my day job (by caring less). I hope the month is kind to you! For this newsletter, I hope to try and do one of my personal posts, where I write and share something I'm thinking about, but it's not my priority at the moment, to be honest. So, I'll do another monthly wrap-up, at least, and maybe another post here. We'll see!

As always, if you'd like to dabble in any of my other content, you can find it below:

• For book reviews, discussions and lists, check out my blog​
• For writing updates, discussions and big news (ongoing), check out my Patreon​
• My presence on my socials are sporadic and will be staying Updates Only for now, but you can find me on various ones here​

Until next,
Nicole

​Patreon | Newsletter | Editorial Services | Twitter | Instagram​